Bethlehem Schools In Session Holy Thursday

Because of the numerous snow holidays, Bethlehem Area School District students will be in class on Holy Thursday, or April 2. Only four snow days are built into the school calendar, according to Superintendent Joseph Roy.

Bonilla Accusations Prompt Quick End to Bethlehem School Board Meeting

An unpopular decision to switch athletic trainers at Bethlehem's schools resulted in an early end to the School Board's February 23 meeting. They voted to adjourn when School Director Basilio Bonilla insisted on repeating allegations made during an executive session. Right before the vote, Bonilla had started to claim that some school officials were provided with sports tickets and golf outings in exchange for supporting a switch in athletic trainers from Coordinated Health to St. Luke's,

By a 7-2 vote in January, school director decided to replace Coordinated health, which had served Bethlehem's schools for 25 years, with St. Luke's. They did so despite protests from a long line of student athletes, parents and Freedom High School football coach Jason Roeder.

St. Luke's could do more for less money. For $25,000 annually, St. Luke's will provide athletic trainers to the high schools and middle schools.

Lehigh Valley Health Network had also bid on this project.

Resident Jack Toy stated he was "blindsided" by the switch. "What did they do, or what didn't they do?" he asked. Toy went on the claim that St. Luke's, the original high bidder, had been given the opportunity to reduce its bid. He added that he had heard that "fringe benefits were provided to certain staff at the school district.

Dr. Josephy Roy, usually rather mild-mannered, told Toy that he is "really disappointed in you." He added that Toy had most of his facts wrong. "You're not going to come in here and challenge the integrity of our school officials based on inaccurate information," he lectured.

Toy then responded that he got his information from a school board member.

"If a school board member shared false information, then I apologize," stated School Board president Michael Faccinetto.

"Who was the school board member? he asked.

That's when Bonilla outed himself, and began repeating these accusations.

After the meeting, Faccinetto pointed out that the school officials who were supposedly bought off favored keeping Coordinated Health.

Bethlehem Area School Directors to Vote On "Fair Share" Agreement Tonight

When Bethlehem's School Directors meet this evening, one of the agenda items listed is a 3-year collective bargaining agreement with the teachers' union. Though the agreement itself is absent, one of the items included is what is known as a "fair share" clause. This requires theschool district to withhold union dues from the salaries of all teachers and other professionals within a bargaining unit, regardless whether they are members. School Board President Michael Faccinetto explains that all the other collective bargaining agreements contain such a clause. Seventy per cent of all teacher contracts contain this kind of clause.

This is a controversial issue nationwide. One the one hand, why should a union be required to provide representation to someone who won't pay dues? But why should teachers be forced to contribute to unions who take their money to support candidates that individual teachers oppose? I have no answer. If anything, I would tend to side with the union on this issue.

What I do know is that good government requires transparency. It appears to me that no notice has been given to the public concerning this clause. This issue deserves more scrutiny.

Clarification: By law, union dues paid by nonmembers may not be used for campaign contributions.

Bethlehem's School Tax Farmers Cometh

Bethlehem Area School District, which wisely cancelled classes today, last year made the not-so-wise decision to hire tax farmer Portnoff Law Offices to collect its delinquent property taxes. So far this year, this privatized tax collection agency has filed 408 municipal liens for the school district. And that's just in Northampton County. A good chunk of Bethlehem, along with Fountain Hill, is located in Lehigh County. I am certain that at least another hundred liens are on file there.

Portnoff is notorious for its excessive attorney fees, which are usually imposed on struggling homeowners dealing with financial difficulties. They're usually in no position to fight. After filing the lien, Portnoff immediately starts the process to sell the home on which the tax is based.

Privatizing a nursing home or a water and sewer system is quite incendiary. But amazingly, government officials are privatizing one of their most important governmental functions - the collection of revenue.

Benjamin Franklin once sarcastically predicted that tax farmers like Portnoff will ultimately be the cause of the next revolution. "Let these have large salaries out of extorted revenue. . . . If any revenue officers are suspected of the least tenderness for the people, discard them."

In the meantime, another group of lawyers is filing Revenue Appeals Board challenges against local small businesses in Bethlehem Area School District, demanding higher assessments. In Hanover Township alone, there may be as many as fifteen such challenges pending, according to a report at last week's Supervisors' meeting.