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  1. #1
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    Default Pocono Mountain job cuts

    http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbc...1/NEWS/3110323

    By Dan Berrett
    Pocono Record Writer
    March 11, 2010

    Eighteen jobs at Pocono Mountain School District could be cut along with a prized program as enrollment slips and economic pressure mounts.

    "We want to make this budget livable for the taxpayers of this district," said Henry Bockelman, the school board president, at the start of a special budget meeting at Swiftwater Elementary Center on Wednesday night. About 300 people attended, most of them teachers and support staff members employed by the district.

    He also affirmed that the board wanted to continue the district's programs in their current configuration.

    "We are making tremendous progress in this district," Bockelman said. "By no means are we of a mind to scrap that for the purpose of the budget."

    At the same time, both the teachers and support staff unions have formally refused to accept a one-year freeze. Union leaders said it would be as unfair to ask staff to freeze their wages as it would be impossible to ask local businesses to roll back their prices.

    The administration recommended cutting 18 jobs, mostly teaching positions in sixth grade and higher. The moves would decrease expenses by about $1.3 million next year, said Dwight Pfennig, the district's superintendent.

    The elementary grades would remain untouched, both because of enrollment, and because the one-teacher-per-classroom makeup of those schools makes cuts more difficult.

    Both Pocono Mountain East and West high schools would see trims of full or partial positions in the English, science, physical education and business departments, as well as others.

    One math and two reading support positions would be cut at Swiftwater Intermediate School, and one team of teachers would be reduced in eighth grade at Pocono Mountain West Junior High, and in sixth and seventh grades at Clear Run Intermediate School.

    Also among those 18 job cuts would be two administrative positions, though Pfennig did not name them.

    Reducing the number of teams at Clear Run would mean that the school's looping program would be suspended for a year.

    Under that program, students stay on the same academic team over two years; they remain with the same teachers, classrooms, lockers and classmates. The district has credited it with boosting a sense of consistency and deemed it a high priority in the school's improvement plans.

    "As a parent of the child in the looping system, this program was the most wonderful thing in the world," said parent Olga Whitman.

    Pfennig acknowledged that the administration was concerned about the ill effects of cutting it, but said the staff still ought to be able to build on progress it had made with students.

    "Ultimately, my goal is to preserve program, not reduce it," he said.

    Revenues for next year were also downgraded. Declining transfer taxes from real estate sales, coupled with lower-than-expected state revenue and reimbursement for charter and cyber charter schools, has depressed budgeted income by about $1.2 million.

    The meeting included rallying cries from teachers and board members, some of them former district administrators.

    Bill Forte, a former principal, teacher and coach, implored the teachers to keep up their morale because of its effect on students.

    "I love what you do. I see what you do," Forte said. "Our kids receive the gift that you give every single day."

    Several speakers pushed back at pressure from community members who have attended past meetings to lobby the board to eliminate a tax increase that now stands at 5.7 percent.

    No decisions were made on the elimination of teaching positions.

    The board will meet next week to take up proposals to restructure district debt.
    greedy union fucks. Huge recession, large unemployment, non-existent housing and population increase, deficits everywhere and a completely tax-payer funded industry...

    but the piece of shits won't waive their yearly raise. Sucks if you are one of the 18 I guess but its all good if you are one that gets to keep your job and you get a raise... fuck unions. Clearly they care about keeping their members and not making money huh?

    (btw... 18 people, 1.3 million = 72k / year / position?)
    The first vehicles normally on the scene of a crime are ambulances and police cruisers. If you are armed you have a chance to decide who gets transported in which vehicle, if you are not armed then that decision is made for you.

    Be prepared, because someone else already is and no one knows their intent except them.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Pocono Mountain job cuts

    Every Government entity that I know of has raised taxes during this time. Even the deaf dumb and blind can figure this out for what it is....redistribution redistribution redistribution. It's time to cut off the cash flow. actually way past time.
    Last edited by PocketProtector; March 11th, 2010 at 11:15 AM.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Pocono Mountain job cuts

    As much as I hate the PSEA I don`t blame them. There are millions of dollars that can be saved in a district from shutting down buildings to going to a 4 day work week during summer and consolidating summer programs to limited number of buildings.

    The problem with schools is they are run by a board that was elected based on popularity not ability and right below them you have an extremely greedy bunch of administrators that never lead by example.

    Look at PV. The administrators get fat raises and percs other employees don`t get and there`s even more I can`t print on a public forum. Why would the rank and file want to give concessions when they look at what the leadership gets. There`s no Lee Iaccoca`s running the schools.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Pocono Mountain job cuts

    I love to compare my electric bill to my phone bill going back 15 years. They started off the same 15 years ago. In that time my Electric bill has more then doubled while the phone bill has gone down. The reason... competition. The phone companies are facing stiff competition from cell phones. A lot of people are opting not to have a landline in their house in favor of just a cell phone. Electric on the other hand, leave you with no other feasible alternative. The point is... that the phone companies find a way to make cuts because they have to in order to stay in business. If you cut off the flow of money to government, they will find a way to make due.

    Competition by non-union companies on union companies is fair game. The unions say they do more professional and better quality work. To some extent that may be true... it is up to the free market to decide to what extent and how much it is worth.
    Last edited by tsafa; March 11th, 2010 at 11:46 AM.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Pocono Mountain job cuts

    Has anyone been in swiftwater elementary since it was built?
    Kids don't need marble and granite counter tops, window sills, floors to be in a good learning environment. They don't have chalk boards in that school, either. They have promethius boards-computer opperated interactive projection screens.
    promethius boards:
    - electric- has a running bill to use
    -internet connection- has a running bill to use
    -have to focus time in class teaching how to use, instead of teaching curriculum
    -have to pay teachers to learn to use
    -you cannot actually write on the board, battery powered stylus needed
    -cost at least $5,000 per unit on initial purchase( one in each classroom)
    -if it "crashes", there is no other chalkboard to teach with
    chalk board:
    -needs a constant supply of extremely expensive chalk to remain operational
    -you need to know how to read and write to convey your messages on it
    -messy-you need an eraser to delete all the information from the medium
    -noisy
    -out-dated; the dinosaurs learned using chalk boards
    -costs no more than $1500 per unit
    -you have to get up and walk to the front of the room to use it, bringing unwanted attention to yourself
    -you have to constantly remind the children not to eat the chalk
    -magnetic
    -you can't get chalk in fuscia, lavender, or royal purple


    Do the kids really need a cedar shake roof INSIDE the cafeteria? Or cathedral ceilings with glass rooves? The building looks like the house of 47 gables from the outside. What happened to block and mortar walls? Why do they need solid oak doors( $800-1200 PER DOOR w/o jambs!)when a steel or birch veneer door is half the cost? Unions are involved from the beginning of construction- carpenters, masons, elec,plumbing, and then the teachers union comes in and the bills get passed on to the taxpayers.
    The curriculum is total bs for elementary now. Why are my kids being taught "non-sense words", instead of being taught how to read? just a bunch of letters mixed together to teach the sounds of the letters next to eachother. And they are being graded on the non-sense words, like they actually learned something. Frustrating for me as a taxpayer, parent, person who went to school when the only computers were commodore 64's, and frustrating to my kids who don't understand what is the purpose of learning nonsense words.
    Don't take anything I say seriously, unless I say seriously. Seriously.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Pocono Mountain job cuts

    Quote Originally Posted by tsafa View Post
    The unions say they do more professional and better quality work. To some extent that may be true....
    NO. they do not, at least not all of them.Not to say there aren't good tradesmen in the unions, there are, just not as many as the" longer it takes, the more I make" crowd. I have been on union jobs, in which I was encouraged to join because "it's so easy to work the system."to quote a union shop-steward. Really turned me off to the whole union thing. Besides all of the shoddy work by the union tradesmen on that particular job.
    Don't take anything I say seriously, unless I say seriously. Seriously.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Pocono Mountain job cuts

    very well stated and all 100% true
    The first vehicles normally on the scene of a crime are ambulances and police cruisers. If you are armed you have a chance to decide who gets transported in which vehicle, if you are not armed then that decision is made for you.

    Be prepared, because someone else already is and no one knows their intent except them.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Pocono Mountain job cuts

    Our schools should be in the business of education the children. Why should the teachers be penalized because the district leaders are corrupt. Pocono Mountain says they will terminate sports programs to pay the difference if the teachers won't budge. What do sports have with education? Absolutely nothing. I'm not saying these programs don't enrich our children as people. They do help to round out a student. If they need to cut them then see you later.

    You think that teachers are greedy for wanting their yearly raise. Well, buy the time they pay the extra co-pays for there insurance the raise is gone anyway. These teachers have paid for a college education and they take updated classes continually throughout there careers. To even be considered for a teaching position you must be the best of the best, not just a guy with a degree. I don't know about anyone else but many of my teachers made significant positive impacts on my life. Well worth the wages they earn.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Pocono Mountain job cuts

    Quote Originally Posted by BrowningBoy View Post
    Our schools should be in the business of education the children. Why should the teachers be penalized because the district leaders are corrupt. Pocono Mountain says they will terminate sports programs to pay the difference if the teachers won't budge. What do sports have with education? Absolutely nothing. I'm not saying these programs don't enrich our children as people. They do help to round out a student. If they need to cut them then see you later.

    You think that teachers are greedy for wanting their yearly raise. Well, buy the time they pay the extra co-pays for there insurance the raise is gone anyway. These teachers have paid for a college education and they take updated classes continually throughout there careers. To even be considered for a teaching position you must be the best of the best, not just a guy with a degree. I don't know about anyone else but many of my teachers made significant positive impacts on my life. Well worth the wages they earn.
    Well worth the wages they earn? sure... even though they get paid a full years salary for working 9 months a year. They also get insanely generous pension plans, outstanding health insurance, vacation time, sick time... etc

    The teachers don't pay for their continued education, at least none that I've ever talked to have. its covered by the school district that they work for. This may change from district to district though? (I doubt it)

    The issue here is that the teachers who are well paid in Monroe County refuse to keep their current pay rate even though revenue has fallen off the table and thus many of their own teachers are getting the axe to make up for it.

    I know in my job we've seen pay cuts, good luck finding anyone out there who hasn't lost a raise or gotten less of one or lost perks.

    hell I didn't get a raise last year, lost 10% due to no bonuses (even though a 10% bonus is in my contract) and my health insurance and ALL perks got more expensive. I'd say I'm living on at least 8 - 9k less this year then I did 2 years ago, and that doesn't include what I should have gotten for raises, that's just money out of my paycheck due to the economy, and my story is an extremely common one.

    but teachers who are funded from the tax base refuse to accept reality? I say start with the teachers with the most senority. they make the most so they should be the ones cut
    The first vehicles normally on the scene of a crime are ambulances and police cruisers. If you are armed you have a chance to decide who gets transported in which vehicle, if you are not armed then that decision is made for you.

    Be prepared, because someone else already is and no one knows their intent except them.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Pocono Mountain job cuts

    Well worth the wages they earn? sure... even though they get paid a full years salary for working 9 months a year. They also get insanely generous pension plans, outstanding health insurance, vacation time, sick time... etc
    No they are paid for the months they work but the compensation is spread over 12 months
    At PV teachers do pay more for benefits (it`s a poultry amount), teachers get no vacation time although they do get sick days. School employees contribute 7.5% of their gross pay to the pension plan and must put in 35 years for full retirement.
    The teachers don't pay for their continued education, at least none that I've ever talked to have. its covered by the school district that they work for. This may change from district to district though? (I doubt it)
    At PV they pay upfront then they must achieve a certain grade to get reimbursed but only the tuition part and only at the ESU rate.
    The issue here is that the teachers who are well paid in Monroe County refuse to keep their current pay rate even though revenue has fallen off the table and thus many of their own teachers are getting the axe to make up for it.
    Yep I agree the pay is excellent but believe it or not revenues aren`t down that much. Real estate taxes are a big part of school funding so even in foreclosure the mortgage holder keeps up taxes to prevent a tax sale. Who walks away from a mortgage free house?
    I know in my job we've seen pay cuts, good luck finding anyone out there who hasn't lost a raise or gotten less of one or lost perks.
    hell I didn't get a raise last year, lost 10% due to no bonuses (even though a 10% bonus is in my contract) and my health insurance and ALL perks got more expensive. I'd say I'm living on at least 8 - 9k less this year then I did 2 years ago, and that doesn't include what I should have gotten for raises, that's just money out of my paycheck due to the economy, and my story is an extremely common one.
    Agreed but they also don`t have the option of bonus or commission during the good times.
    but teachers who are funded from the tax base refuse to accept reality? I say start with the teachers with the most seniority. they make the most so they should be the ones cut


    Believe me I hate that union but don`t blame the teachers, blame the school board and the administration.
    Last edited by Exbiker; March 12th, 2010 at 07:19 AM.

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