County wants to strike land deal with DV

Pike County is interested in purchasing the Santos Farm property, which originally was on the district's table as a potential spot for the new DV Elementary School. The district is no longer seeking the property, but the county would like to potentially share it with DV for athletic fields. 

Read more at PoconoNews.net

Sorry this article slipped through the cracks on me... I've been busy with a teaching internship in Manhattan this semester.

Jack Fisher on stability

This letter was submitted by e-mail to RB for DV. Anyone interested in contributing can e-mail ryan@ryanbalton.com. 

To the Editor,

During the years that I was a member of the Delaware Valley School Board I was Chairman of the Budget, Finance and Audit Committee. As a leader and Chairman of the BFA I knew it was my job to produce a budget and line up the finances of our school district so as to provide long-term stability and lasting strength to weather any financial storm.

Decisions I made which I knew to be beneficial to our community and our schools were not always popular. Popularity is fleeting. Financial strength, integrity of purpose and the honor that comes from speaking plainly is, for me, what lasts and meets the test of time.

So here we are in 2009 in the midst of what can only be described as a category five economic financial hurricane. Over and over I am gratified to hear that the balance sheet of the Delaware Valley School District is stable and holding firm. This stability comes from the lasting principle of a balanced budget with adequate reserves.

Perhaps at the top of all priorities of a school director is the physical safety of children and staff. With that comes the need to make sure that the significant campus infrastructure is maintained in top working condition and not let to fall into disrepair or become a danger or a hazard. One of the most immediate and pressing problems I faced was that of the water system at the Dingman -Delaware campus. Previous School Boards, more interested in zero tax increases than being responsible stewards of community assets, lead to years of Board neglect and/or band-aid repairs that had not come close to fixing the underlying problem. The system of water supply and distribution at the Dingman-Delaware campus needed a major overhaul. The price tag was estimated to be one million dollars.

I saw fit to increase the funding of the capital expenditures reserve to the amount of $950,000 per year, which represents just 1 percent of the estimated total district infrastructure values of $95 million dollars. I provided board members with documents that showed an annual contribution to the CAPEX Reserve should be between 1 to 3 percent of total values. Such a reserve when properly funded would provide a stable inflow of cash to meet the capital replacement needs of deteriorating roofs, furnaces and HVAC systems, crumbling roadways etc. etc., that make up the campus capital infrastructure, for years on end.

Now here is the fact to face. To fund the CAPEX Reserve you have to raise the funds from the General Fund which derives its funding from the taxpayers of the DV school district. Hence I recommended a tax increase which I do not regret to this day. I am fortunate to see that in the next few weeks the new water supply and distribution facility at the Dingman-Delaware campus will come online. Clean drinkable fresh water trumps a modest tax increase in my mind.

It has been disappointing , however, to see the $950,000 annual allocation to the CAPEX Reserve reduced first to $440,000 in order to bring the 2008-09 current year tax increase down to the politically correct amount of zero demanded by the Taxpayers United crowd lead by Bob Goldsack. Undoubtedly we have returned to putting politics above safety. Indeed many needed capital projects remain to be done. One just needs to ask to see the list of projects handed out at Long Range Planning Committee meetings. To make matters worse for the future is the fact that Mr. Silverstone ,who is now Chairman of BFA at DV has reduced the CAPEX Reserve funding for 2009-10 to zero. This is not only irresponsible but could prove to shake and unhinge the stability of DV finances. Thus a future DV School Board will be left once again to act responsibly and fund the CAPEX Reserve to an acceptable reasonable level so that student safety is never again compromised.

Best regards,


Jack Fisher

Board goes back on word, now says there will be no new elementary school

According to an article on PoconoNews.net about Thursday night's school board meeting, the majority of the board has decided to pull plans for a new Delaware Valley Elementary School off the agenda, with no plans for "long range" planning for the next three to six months.

This contradicts a commitment by board president Bob Goldsack in January, at which time he publicly stated there would be a new elementary school built.

The decision is based on the poor state of the economy.

Courier roundup: New DVES, top students, thank you

• Elementary school debate continues
  
• Dingman Delaware Middle School (honor roll)
  
• October’s best at Delaware Valley Middle School
  
• On the recent seniors’ dinner at DVMS (letter to the editor about the DDMS senior citizens dinner; the title is misleading)
  

Strategic planning, safety and long-range planning on tonight's agenda

According to the community bulletin page on dvsd.org and confirmed by a phone call to the administrative offices, this is the schedule of committee meetings this evening:

• 6 p.m. - Strategic planning
• 7 p.m. - Safety
• 8 p.m. - Long-range planning

Courier roundup: Wladar's resignation, new DVES, profanity policy

These articles appear in this week's Pike County Courier:

• School board member resigns
  
• Delaware Valley board's October meetings
  
• Board considers elementary building plans
  
• Profane students can be cited and fined
  
• Lessons about 'Bully Busters'
• New officers named for the National Honor Society

Poll results: Build on new land

In another totally nonscientific poll that proves absolutely nothing, RB for DV readers expressed overwhelming support for building the new DV Elementary School on new land. 

Have an idea for our next poll? Leave a comment.

DV Elementary School makes appearance in today's Courier

In the shadows of the drug policy and teen sex issues at Delaware Valley, a story about the new DV Elementary School made its way into the Pike County Courier.

“I’m not happy with the idea of elementary and high school students on the same campus,” said Wroblewski, who would prefer the school be built off the Westfall campus. “The construction would be highly disruptive to not only activities but educational processes. The answer is ‘no.’” 

July board meeting coverage wrap up

On RB for DV:

• Wal-Mart to help DV stop parking permit evaders
  
• July 17 regular board meeting blow-by-blow
  
• Courier reporter argues zero tolerance policy
  
• Board consensus: new, not renovated, DVES: Long range planning meeting blow-by-blow
  
• Class of 2008 report: 84 percent seek higher ed
  
• (see also: the entire class of 2008 report, 2.4 MB .PDF file, an RB for DV exclusive)
  
• Alcohol policy tightened, STD letter discussed at July safety meeting: Safety meeting blow-by-blow
• July agenda is online

In the news:

• Pike County Courier: Board focuses on alcohol, drugs and sex
  
• PoconoNews.net: DV SAT scores well above state average
  
• PoconoNews.net: Most DV grads to continue their education
  

Be sure to take part in the RB for DV poll on the right side of the page, a quick way to make your opinion known about the new DV Elementary School. 

July 17 regular board meeting blow-by-blow

Click here for the agenda (.PDF file on the DVSD website that appeared the day of the meeting.)

Board members Ed Silverstone and John Wladar did not attend the meeting. Wladar has not attended a meeting in a few months, and according to board president Bob Goldsack Wladar should be back next month after having thyroid surgery.

Presentations included DVHS guidance chair Jay Tucker's report on the graduating class and a PowerPoint by board members Diane French and John Wroblewski about a conference regarding the Rigor/Relevance Framework. They showed a YouTube video called Shift Happens, ironic, since students and teachers are blocked access from YouTube on the school's network.

During the safety report, district nurse chair Ellen Orben spoke about the STD letter as she did in the safety committee meeting, and the zero tolerance drug policy was discussed. During the co-curricular report, chair Wroblewski discussed how to get students involved who are not in co-curriculars, using one-on-one conferences between guidance counselors and students. 

All items on the agenda were voted in unanimously, with the exception of an added item under other business to move forward with the new DV Elementary School project. Wroblewski and Pam Lutfy voted the added item down because of opposition to building on the current campus, Wroblewski said. 

The meeting concluded with superintendent Dr. Candis Finan's annual video report of the district's year in review. 

Board consensus: new, not renovated, DVES

July 17 long-range planning meeting blow-by-blow

Contractors started construction on the water treatment facility at the Dingman Delaware campus, said board member and long-range planning committee chair John Kupillas.

The district may not have to worry while doing construction on the main DV campus about connecting to the Westfall sewer system, which would be an extremely costly endeavor, according to Kupillas, who said the district will be fine if they continue to operate within their DEP permit. 

Board directors came to a consensus that they are most likely interested in building a new DV Elementary School rather than renovating the existing building.

Board member Sue Casey proposed combining previously drafted designs, combining a new school to be situated at the location of the district office with renovations to connect the high school and athletic building including additional room for spectators at the pool and a new, larger gym.

Other discussions included constructing practice fields where feasible on the land the school acquired behind Wal-Mart, since a field or two or three will likely be lost during the construction of the new elementary school. 

The building will likely be two stories and potentially include a partial basement for storage.

An architect from Burkavage Associates working with the district on the construction project was present to answer questions from those present at the meeting.  The new building will strive for a silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, the architect said. 

During the regular meeting that directly followed the long-range planning committee meeting, the board voted under other business to take the first step in seriously moving forward on the project. Two directors voted no, Pam Lutfy and John Wroblewski. According to Wroblewski, he voted no not because he is opposed to building a new school but because he would like to see the elementary school built on its own, safe campus. Casey voted yes, but explained she was confident that a future board would work with her to get the elementary school built on new land. She voted yes because she wanted to ensure that a new school would be built to serve the DV students, she said.

July agenda is online

The agenda for tonight's regular board meeting at the District Office at 7 p.m. is now online. Better late than never. Don't forget the safety committee meeting at 5 p.m. and long range planning at 6 p.m.

Board meeting reminders

Don't forget the board meeting and committee meetings this Thursday, July 17 at the District Office:

• 5 p.m. - Safety committee meeting (I would assume the sex ed issues will come up here, and board president Bob Goldsack said at the last meeting alcohol punishments will be discussed.)
• 6 p.m. - Long range planning meeting (There will definitely be discussion of the new DV Elementary School.)
• 7 p.m. - Regular board meeting (I'd love to tell you what is going to be discussed, but in usual style, the agenda is not yet posted on the district website. And we're less than four days away from the meeting.)

Also, there has been plenty of commenting on the Courier's articles this week. What do you think about it all?

• What do we do about the sex and health issues at Delaware Valley? (student edition)
  
• Health issues at DV (PCYC statement, again)
  
• Move for the right reason
  

Safety first?

About a year ago, a panel made up of a school board representative (Bob Goldsack), a parent (Diane French), an administrator, a teacher, a handful of student council members and me, sat down for a chat about safety.

The number one safety issue we all identified at that meeting was the current Delaware Valley campus is overcrowded.

Why, why then is the current plan to build the new DV Elementary School on the current campus?

Before our school board is the perfect opportunity to decompress the current DV campus and solve a huge safety crisis facing the district. Overcrowdedness is something we all agreed on as a huge threat to the students.

Can't we all agree on a solution to this problem? 

Let's put the 625 students at DVES on their own, safe campus, and open up the space they currently occupy to make sure the current campus can sustain a safe place for students to go during an emergency, to keep the recently renovated Administrative Offices in tact, and to have room to build additions to the middle/high school's facilities and athletic fields. It might cost a little more at first, but in the interest of "long range planning" and "safety," it's surely worth it.