The Allentown School District is facing very difficult times. Less federal funding, almost flat state funding and dramatically increasing employee related costs have compromised our financial situation. This is not a one year problem; unless something changes, the same troubling dynamic could be in place for the next few years.
In spite of the lost revenues and increased costs, the Allentown School District, like every other PA school district, is mandated by the state to produce a balanced budget. The board has only three avenues to achieve the balance and close the projected 20 million dollar budget gap, raise taxes, cut expenses and spend down the reserve fund. In spite of the hardship that will be imposed on the district’s homeowners, taxes will have to be raised by the maximum allowed by the state. Since, however, the budget cannot be balanced with just a tax increase, the board has directed the administration to produce a plan to reduce spending. The resulting cost reduction plan calls for the furloughing of 140 district employees. With the combination of tax increases and employee furloughs we are closer to balance, but the district may be forced to spend some of the vital reserve fund. That is the extent of the problem.
These cuts will negatively impact the quality of education your child receives. Although the district and the school board are striving to preserve and even improve education in the ASD, it is important that you understand the board of directors does not have the ways or means necessary to provide a better alternative. The best we can do is to draw up similarly depressing plans which include tax increases, employee furloughs and spending down the reserve fund. Therefore, concerned parents may want to contact both their state and federal representatives. Urge these leaders to assist Pennsylvania’s 4th largest school district in its mission to provide a quality education to some of the state’s poorest children. The district needs legislative relief from the exploding costs of public pensions, employee benefits, and prevailing wage mandates, just to name a few. Any additional funds could also offset potential cuts in all day kindergarten and Arts programming.
Remember, public education should be the nation’s number one anti-poverty program. It will be this area’s poorest children who will be harmed the most if much needed assistance isn’t received by the state and federal government. Certainly, Allentown’s children deserve better than this.
Blogger's Note: In addition to being my favorite conservative writer, Scott Armstrong is an Allentown School Director.
19 comments:
While I like Scott, the ASD is dying unless changes are made mantra is getting old. The taxpayers can still be tapped to keep the place running and they will.
I seldom agree w Scott....on anything. He has, however, laid it out very plainly. Come on Gov. Corbett, step up to the plate. Pretend it is an election year and you want to stay another 4 years.
I made my decision years ago when the disgusting Union Terrace rapes occurred and the official announcement from the ASD lawyer was “The safety of your children is not our responsibility when they are in our care”. If I didn’t have the resources to send my children to a school out of the district, I would have them home schooled on a computer before risking them getting shot, stabbed, or picked on because they are a minority.
Please, let them go bankrupt, right along with the city. End of the pension crisis. The state would really have to be horrible to run this city and school district any worse. Maybe then the state could be convinced to allow me to divert some of my taxes to a school that, along with an excellent education, includes God in the curriculum. Seems to me, that once the school district fails in its public duty, the public should have its choices open to whatever they feel is best for their children.
No comment by or about those two people are permitted on this blog.
I think the teacher's who have angrily attacked Armstrong for his advocacy of Allentown taxpayers should call State Senator Pat Browne and ask him why tax payers are funding a hockey arena for the wealthy while the City's schools are wallowing in bankruptcy and teachers are being laid off. Spew the venom at Jennifer Mann and Peter Schweyer, not some decent guy who ran for school director and is trying to address the very real financial problems at ASD. I'd like to see the teachers union hold a rally at the arena site.
AEA = Allentown Education Association - The union thugs representing the teachers. It is this writers belief they only represent the thoughts of a small minority of the teachers in the ASD.
The AEA is totally out of line. They have outlived their usefulness and have become as much as part of the problem as the cuts in state and federal funding. They can cut their salaries and maintain their roster, but will they do it?
Taxpayers should not be paying for these increases. They have paid enough. It will only drive folks out of the city. Education has to change this is what AEA does not get.
They, AEA leadership, want things to clip along the same old way until they can all retire at 100% salary for the rest of their natural lives, all the while giving the finger to the citizens of Allentown.
Things change, get used to it AEA. Be grateful for what you have.
I would like to know what percentage of those teaching in the ASD are actually residents of the city of Allentown?
Their SOS by line really stands for "Stop Our Shat"
Money has no direct correlation to student achievement. An inverse relationship is easier to prove. It's time to stop enabling a system that is broken and ultimately unsustainable. The Obama's deny school choice to inner city kids while sending their kids to a heavily armed (ironically) Quaker private school. Drug addicts don't need more crack. Spending addicts don't need more money.
Cut the crap. daycare, buses within 3 miles of a school, all the artsy stuff, all sports except baseball and football, music, lop off a lever or two of administration, 10% decrease for the remaining admin, 5% decrease for everyone else. Cut benefits for all or increase users cost by 15%. All households with school age children pay an addition $100 per child per year taxes.
You'll get all of this done before you move the feds or the state to do anything.
Does Armstrong want taxpayer handouts or does he want austerity? These Repubs are conflicted.
4:06,
The exploding costs of public employee pensions and benefits has the effect of taking money out of the classrooms to cover the higher expenses. Throwing more money at the problem has been the usual remedy but the taxpayers in the meantime are being bled white. Legislative relief to this costs must be passed in Harrisburg. I said that in my statement. At the same time a poverty level school district like Allentown needs revenue help. That is a no brainer.
Scott Armstrong
All sports except baseball or football?
But, I want to play field hockey ... like my older sister did before me.
ALLENTOWN FEMALE STUDENT
But ASD found a cool million for ASStro Turf. Yeah its all about priorities. Heah!, lets build another middle school. What's a little money. among friends anyway?
I voted against that.
Scott Armstrong
The exploding costs of public employee pensions and benefits has the effect of taking money out of the classrooms to cover the higher expenses. Throwing more money at the problem has been the usual remedy but the taxpayers in the meantime are being bled white. Legislative relief to this costs must be passed in Harrisburg. I said that in my statement. At the same time a poverty level school district like Allentown needs revenue help. That is a no brainer.
On one hand you say the taxpayers are being bled and on the other you are groveling for taxes to bail you out. Hard being a hardline fiscal conservative, isn't it?
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