With the proven $14 million budget surplus, why were
individual school budgets cut? For example, at Haine
Elementary, there were no specials orders, just the general
orders. What does that say about the level of education our
board wants to provide to students at a young
age? Don’t they deserve such unconditional support?
Because our teachers want to provide the level of education
our kids demand and deserve, teachers spend their own money on
supplies needed for their classrooms. Why doesn’t the district
supply enough money to purchase these materials?
Seneca Valley is high on the list for relocation because we
have such an outstanding faculty to serve our students. We have
award-winning teachers and academics; a high incidence of
scholarships awarded to our students; band, chorus, and musical
awards. Our special education teachers are top-notch, providing
services and administering IEPs for individual students. Why
has the Board decided to opt-out of negotiating so that all
of these wonderful accolades are now in jeopardy?
The School Board pursued fact-finding shortly after
the end of the school year, adding days to our children’s
uncertain future. Why did they unanimously reject the
fact-finder’s decision twice?
How much money was spent on the Board’s September survey
that could have been better spent on classroom supplies for the
students.
Seneca Valley has a great number of teachers with masters or
doctoral
degrees. Why is the district
choosing to lose these gifted educators, the ones leading our
children to success on the PSSA, SAT, and ACT, instead of
retaining them to build successes with our students and positive
recognition for the community?
The district holds an 18.4 % fund balance. That amount far
exceeds the 5-10% recommended by the Pennsylvania School Boards
Association. This balance shows that Seneca Valley is
economically salient with increased growth and development. With
these resources at hand, why has the Board decided to cut budgets
and risk losing competent, award-winning teachers?
The Association's recent proposal
would cut the District's health care costs by approximately $1
million dollars. The Association offered to do Interest-Based
Bargaining and attack health care costs together
from the very beginning of the process. Ask the board why they
decided not to work together with teachers to resolve this
issue?
Thomas King III, Chief Negotiator for the School Board, will
earn a significant amount of money, the sum of which grows the
longer the Board chooses to provide an unsecured future for our
students. In the interest of fairness, how much taxpayer money
is being paid out for Mr. King’s services? The Board has told
taxpayers how much the teachers earn. What about Mr. King?
