Ranting at PureReform's blog and a slew of questions from A+ Schools

The signal to noise ratio isn't what is hoped for nor is it what is needed in terms of the discussions and fight for the best solutions for Pittsburgh Public Schools.

http://purereform.blogspot.com/2010/07/schools-questions-plans-for.html

Folks, ... here we go again, around and around. There is a lot of suffering going on. And, sadly, I feel that most of these discussions are just batting at the leaves on the tree of the suffering.

Tuesday night's (community meeting) featured talk of 'power.' Folks from Homewood attended and it was lead by Randall Taylor and Dr. Barnett.

Golly. The power isn't with the people, of course. But, before power is taken and earned -- we've got to have some conversations that get to the roots of the problems. Certain issues matter. Ranting wildly has fleeting value in terms of fixing system-wide problems.

How. Why. Those make harder questions. That discussion takes discipline to occur. Yep, we also need to be speaking of lack of discipline in the schools' classrooms and hallways. But this lack of discipline needs attention as we meet in community and online too.

The personality and "who" of Mr. Roosevelt is what it is. To dwell and have the conversation stuck on him is to choose weakness. It was even said to me by a few that they like the idea of 'single gender' but they are against it because it is of Mark Roosevelt's administration. Say what? Go figure.

We got to dance on the problems and stomp them out of the plans.

We know a single-gender public school approach is blowing into town through Westinghouse.

Even these A+ questions, nice as they are, amount to more spinning in circles.

In my not so humble opinion, we -- (whole community of caring stewards for strong public schools) -- MUST put our leverage to play in meaningful spots so as to have a tactical impact upon the outcomes.

I sense that there is way too much of the reactionary bumbling around from citizens.

Precision would serve us better.

Here is a question: Why do we need feeder patterns for high school students? Can we get rid of feeder patterns for high school students come January 2011? With the end of feeder patterns for high school students, what are the ways that OVER SUBSCRIBED SCHOOLS are going to determine who gets admission.

Presently, for what it is worth, the only schools in PPS where there is a demand for spots is at CAPA (grades 6-12, Creative and Performing Arts School now located Downtown) -- and Sci Tech. With Sci-Tech, they have a lottery. It is harder to get into the grades of 6, 7 and 8 at Sci-Tech as they have smaller classes in those years. And, some in the early years are getting asked to leave. So, there are more spaces in Sci-Tech, by design, at the grade 9 and above stages.

So, if an extra 300 people want to attend Allderdice, as is the big fear from elsewhere, but I expect it to be a non-issue, then how does the district handle that problem? Is it POLITICAL CLOUT for string pullers to get kids into Allderdice?

I think Allderdice, if it gets way more popular, could design a few admission requirements in the weeks and months to come that are fair and public. Then we can discuss those.

For example, if a student in 8th grade wants to go to Allderdice in 9th grade, that student will need to make an application and not have missed 20 days of school in the 8th grade. If demand is greater, perhaps more than 10 days away from school in 8th grade will be a kiss of death for admission to Allderdice as a 9th grader.

Perhaps students will need to have a letter, or two, of reference from a teacher or two from grades 6, 7 or 8 to get into Allderdice.

With CAPA, there is an audition process.

With the I.B. School, students need to have good grades and have a good grasp on a world language (either French, German, Spanish, or Japanese). Those that enter the I.B. program, in middle school years and in high school years, have to have some education/understanding of a language as all the students at that school have been with strong languages.

We might need to have an application process for other schools that can't expand to match the demand.

But more to the point, if Allderdice is way more popular of a choice for a school, then Allderdice can expect more from the students that attend there. If there is trouble from a student, and homework isn't getting done, fights, whatever -- then that student can be removed from a popular school and another admitted.

Most of all, if there is a demand for an extra set of seats at Allderdice, then the school should expand. Perhaps some 12th grade students would like the option of being on a later schedule -- or something. Not only can more students fit into the building, but the building could grow.

In other schools, if there is less of a demand, that school will shrink. So be it.

Let the people vote with their feet in their choice of schools at the high school level.

But, for now, people, let's find the few important issues that should be put front and center -- so that the board can manage the policy and do its job -- and the plans now on the table can make better sense in their eventual application.

---

Upate: Part 2

The aim is for good schools to get better. That is one goal. The good schools are not yet good enough. (Some have told me that NONE of the PPS schools are worth a darn, but I don't buy fully into that position.)

With a no feeder pattern HS policy, any kid who desires can get into a good school.

Now we might have a good school or two or three -- (CAPA, IB, +), BUT only CERTAIN KIDS can get into them. (via audition @CAPA, language @IB, lottery @ SciTech).

Excellence for all.

Not, good for some.

Then, without the feeder patterns, the not-so-good schools now will get worse in that they will empty of students who want to get an education at a place that fits them.

Lets say that NOBODY would choose to go to DROP OUT FACTORY #1 -- then it would close for a lack of students or else the PPS would work VERY HARD to re-do the school into an attractive model to retain and recruit students from the neighborhood as well as from throughout the city.

Remember, all the schools in the city are less than half of what they used to be. Ten thousand students are now absent from PPS -- forever -- with no end in sight.

So, people are really leaving the city already and have been.

The model of subtraction of students (as students vote with their feet) and closing more schools with new forced feeder patterns is keeping Pgh on the downward spiral. It is all about the management of decline.

PPS has been closing schools anyway. I say that some schools might need to close if they are doing a poor job and none choose to attend there.

Schenley's closure was a forced one as people wanted to go there. That is the wrong way to close a school. PPS can shift feeder patterns and do what it wants.

Given this real world example of Westinghouse with its single gender classrooms, what if they built it and nobody showed up? FINE. To another degree, what about U-PREP. How many would be there if it was an OPTION among all the other schools throughout the city.

If PERRY HS gets its act together -- it could be the hot school for students as it was in the past. Kids all around the city wanted to go to Perry and cried for a week if they didn't get in back in late 80s, early 90s. If Perry flounders as a school, it will drain itself of its students / customers.

If CAPA HS is in such demand, why not expand it? Recently it absorbed more grades 6-7-8 with the closing of another high demand Rodgers. That was a move and not an expansion. If CAPA is working, -- it has the best scores - then DUPLICATE it. Replicate it. Repeat what works.

I would not have a problem turning Westinghouse into CAPA ver 2. More might go there, with a proven model, than would go to single gender classrooms.

We need the district to act in a way that is more about customer service. FEEDER PATTERNS prevent the consumer centric thought cycle from being a part of the PPS culture.

Feeder patterns allow the district to yank the students and families around at will, and on a whim because some are not going to move from the house they live in nor lie about residency.

Finally, if we give folks who buy a house in the area of a school, say, DROP OUT FACTORY #1, the option of sending their student to ANY SCHOOL in the city, then there is HOPE that the neighborhood would get new investment. City-wide benefit occur with the ending of the feeder patterns. DEPRESSED areas can't rebound in Pittsburgh while PPS forces kids into schools that are DROP OUT FACTORIES or are NOT a good fit for that student.

New investments into the city and our neighborhoods can come. But, new investment money demands guarantees of positive public fixtures. Investments will stay away from building upon a foundation of shifting sands. Those feeder patterns, and their shifts, are like shifting sands to investment money.

I predict an economic revival in the city-wide housing market with the removal of the PPS FEEDER PATTERN policy.

---

Wonderful Q from the thread at the other blog:

Where do the struggling students go when all the competive schools are filled up? Prison high, or we don't care anymore high?


Humm. We care.

We need to work hard to make sure that the 'competitive schools' are able to expand. Then they won't fill up.

Building capacity (bricks/mortar) isn't the real issue. PPS has buildings and plenty of room.

(Past rant) Expansion of 'competitive schools' was one reason I wanted CAPA to expand into the other floors of its downtown building -- but to NOT fill with grades 6, 7 and 8. A bigger CAPA as a downtown HS with expansion made more sense.

Then PPS would have needed to make TWO middle school replacements for RODGERS, such as at Knoxville (south) and another East school if not a fix-up of Rodgers.

EXPAND what works!

We should be talking about a CAPA-styled program moving into Westinghouse, given that CAPA is popular and it is working. How about a CAPA with sports, and even a CAPA where the kids get to switch their major if they want or a CAPA where the kids get a MINOR. Then CAPA Downtown can be specialized and CAPA east (at Westinghouse) can be more well rounded.

But, again, there should be no feeder patterns.

The IB School needs to be able to expand too, and with the move to Peabody, that might be better able to occur. But really, an expansion onto Reizenstein building with a second gym, auditorium and cafeteria would have been more ideal than uprooting and fitting into Peabody without windows, etc. The Reizenstein physical space is expandable. New classrooms could be added there are there is plenty of land.

I hear that the sizes per grade at the IB school (Pgh Obama) might have been pushed to 200 as a goal rather than 150 as a limit. ??

There are spaces at IB now -- but students need to want to work hard and have a background of languages before admission.

PPS must allow for expansion without dropping in quality.

A serious issue is "struggling students." Some are smart but don't conform in a specific school setting. They struggle with others. Some do struggle with learning and doing their work so as to advance.

One tactic is a willing transfer while still on good academic / behavior standing. Too often we shift expelled and suspended students from building to building -- AFTER they've blown up / melted down. If PPS didn't force them into a school setting with the feeder pattern enslavery, then they might opt elsewhere once they figure out that 'this place isn't right for me.'

Restarts to different schools while on good terms (and prior visits of consideration) should be encouraged as a way to prevent drop-outs and ejections.

As for PRISON High, we've already got one of those. Is it at capacity? I don't know.

Closed in the past PPS Connelley and closed PPS South Vo Tech were warm, family-like schools that gave support and kept kids in school and became places where kids gravitated too. Those options were places for some who might be called 'pluggers' to flourish. Gone from our landscape, sadly. That 'Gateway School' might be part of the answer too. ??

Judge rules competitive cheerleading isn't a sport

Judge rules competitive cheerleading isn't a sport: "The evolution of cheerleading was at issue Wednesday before a federal judge in Connecticut, who ruled that it might have come a long way from the sidelines of other competitive sports, but it doesn't yet qualify as a competitive sport itself."

This is very bad.

More soon.

S. Side revelers, residents trading insults

I'm putting this into the WTF category.

South Side
revelers, residents trading insults: "A nasty exchange of Internet
postings this week between South Side residents and the revelers who throng East
Carson Street bars has underscored the city's struggle to manage a 'hospitality
economy' that brings vibrancy and heartache to the neighborhood.
Neighborhood businesses say the tension normally builds on warm summer
nights, but Pittsburgh police plan to increase patrols after some members of the
bar crowd issued a call to disrupt the neighborhood this weekend."

Issued a call to disrupt the neighborhood this weekend. Give me a break.

BTW, I can't find this discussion online. Pointers welcome in comments.

States Embrace National Standards for Schools

States Embrace National Standards for Schools: "Less than two months after the nation's governors and state school chiefs released their final recommendations for national education standards, 27 states have adopted them and about a dozen more are expected to do so in the next two weeks.
Their support has surprised many in education circles, given states' long tradition of insisting on retaining local control over curriculum.
The quick adoption of common standards for what students should learn in English and math each year from kindergarten through high school is attributable in part to the Obama administration's Race to the Top competition. States that adopt the standards by Aug. 2 win points in the competition for a share of the $3.4 billion to be awarded in September."

Ready to play at Summer Dreamers Camp

Fw: STOP Primary Residence Protection Plan

From: "Bob Logue" <ucblogue@verizon.net>

 

Subject: Fw: STOP Primary Residence Protection Plan

Finally, someone with the courage, intelligence, and expertise is suing to prevent the collection of property taxes.  The suit is based on violations of the uniformity clause of the PA Constitution. 

Below are two E-mails I have received from George Kuney that are self-explanatory.  As George, explains...he is not looking for financial support from you or me, instead he needs examples of the system's unfairness...that he can present as part of his suit.   He hopes to have a class action suit that will rise to the Supreme Court and extend his legal attack on the corrupt property tax system to the entire state. 

If you have examples of unfairness and lack of uniformity in the property tax assessment and collection system, please contact George at the E-mail address at the bottom of this note. You may even call him if you wish as he has provided his phone number for us to share with you. 

At the very least, send words of encouragement to George and thank him for his efforts.

   

Linked to below this blog post are George Kuney's Tax Appeal and his Pre-trial memo.  Please read them.  But, first, read his memos below to get acquainted with him. 

   

STOP has been hoping and praying that some able person would step forward and attack the PA property tax and equity theft mess in court.  We're pleased George has decided to do it and that he could not be disuaded by a property tax assessment reduction on his property. 

---Bob Logue, STOP Primary Residence Protection Plan   

********************************************************************************************************

My name is George Kuney.  I am challenging the right to collect property taxes in Philadelphia in an upcoming appeal.

I have filed my pre-trial memo and have been offered a very generous settlement option; however, I am more interested in solving the underlying problem for everyone as opposed to just fending for myself.

I am therefore contacting you to see what support and interest there might be for moving forward with the current matter and thereafter a class action suit.

If you have any interest in offering any guidance, support, or information that might be of assistance, please contact me.

If you know of anyone who is interested in this matter and could be of help, please forward this email to them and/or provide me with their contact information.

With appreciation,

George Kuney

(215) 465-8541 After 10 AM up till 11 PM EST

http://www.blogger.com/

I am attaching the "Tax Appeal Attachment" submitted to the BRT Board and my pre-trial memo that was submitted by the deadline of Aug 6.

A quick review of those documents will show that the central point is the non-uniformity issue.  The problem I face is to be able to prevail without an expert witness.

I do not need money, I need facts that do not depend on an expensive expert witness.  I need "public facts" that there is not uniformity in the system.

Please feel free to pass these documents and my emails to others who are interested in this cause.  The real gambit in my apporach is to put the City in the following no-win situation:  a) If they give me all my taxes back, they set a precedent, or b)  If they don't, then I have pursued all my options on this level and can move on to a class action suit.

I need to make the effort at this level credible so that I can prevail in higher courts.


Thanks,

George

---

From: ucblogue@verizon.net
To: geokun@hotmail.com
Subject: STOP Primary Residence Protection Plan
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:25:05 -0400

Hi George:  I'm delighted to hear about your court action on property taxes.  STOP is a grassroots group that has been fighting the property taxes on primary residences since January, 2002.  We have lots of information that may be helpful in your suit at http://www.grandoldusa.com/ 

    Also at http://www.spedunkie.com/  hit on the STOP PAGE.

    STOP is not a formal organization..and has no treasury.  However, a number of our STOP supporters have indicated a willigness to help if someone is filing a suit...but as a volunteer I can't get in the middle of that. 

    What I can do is forward your E-mail to them and invite them to contact you...and if

they feel comfortable supporting your efforts financially...that will be fine with me.  You and they can work that out.

     Since none of us know you...is there a way you can verify to me the information about the suit, when it was filed...any articles in the news media about it...in other words documentation about what you state in your e-mail. 

    If so, send it along to me and when I feel comfortable with your credibiity (no disrespect, we just need to be careful on not misleading our group's supporters of the cause) I will add it to your e-mail when I send it to them.

    I would enjoy reading on what grounds you are attacking the property tax.  Perhaps I can add some thoughts and info to what you're doing. 

    You now have my e-mail address.  Keep in touch regularly and let me know any progress.

     Waiting to hear from you....Best regards,  Bob Logue, STOP Primary Residence Protection plan.

Links: http://fixpa.wikia.com/wiki/George_Kuney

End Feeder Patterns in Pgh Public Schools for all high school students

I was at a meeting tonight -- news at 11 -- and I suggested that we need to push for the elimination of feeder patterns for all our high school students in Pittsburgh.

An objection came: I don't trust Pgh Public Schools.

Okay.

So, then do you trust feeder patterns then?

Of course not.

Well then. It would be wise and logical to end feeder patterns for our high school students.

I trust the families and the students to make the best decisions for themselves. I would rather trust the families and students to make a good decision as to what school to attend rather than the so-called address of the student.

Choice is important. Choice means an elemination of feeder patterns. With feeder patterns, the choice is gone.

Feeder patterns enslave people to certain schools based upon geography of a residence. That's poor logic. That's not ideal.

This hits close to home. I was in another court room in the same days as Carl Romanelli was too

Carl Romanelli Fights Pennsylvania Democrats with a Federal Lawsuit Related to "Bonus-gate" Convictions.

HARRISBURG, Pa. – "Bonus-gate" in Pennsylvania has resulted in numerous convictions of public officials for theft, conflict of interest and conspiracy with more trials yet to come. "Bonus-gate" convictions include efforts to challenge the nominating petitions of candidates Ralph Nader in 2004 and Carl Romanelli in 2006 using state employees and state resources.
"The two most outstanding examples of misappropriation of taxpayer resources in petition challenges were found in the challenges of Ralph Nader, for President in 2004, and Carl Romanelli, for US Senate in 2006," announced Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania attorney general, July 10, 2008, in his presentment which led to the arrest of two recent state representatives and ten legislative staffers.

Ralph Nader filed 51,273 petition signatures to be on the 2004 Pennsylvania ballot for president as an independent but was denied a ballot spot as a result of the petition challenge. Pennsylvania courts ruled, after the 2004 election, that Nader must pay $81,802 on fees to cover the administrative costs of the petition challenge. That was the first time in US history that a candidate has been assessed fees for losing a petition challenge trying to run for office. No other state has such a policy and Pennsylvania had never done this prior to 2004.

Carl Romanelli filed 95,544 petition signatures, well over the 67,070 valid petition signature requirement, to be the 2006 Green Party of Pennsylvania candidate for US Senate. Those signatures were challenged in court and Romanelli was denied a place on the ballot. In January 2007 a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judge ruled that Carl Romanelli must pay the state $80,408 in fees because he lost the petition challenge. Nader and Romanelli have not paid the fees assessed by the courts and are asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reconsider the penalties in light of criminal convictions connected to their petition challengers.

"Getting a bill from the state for more than $80,000 because you tried to run for political office is a crime against democracy," said Christina Tobin, founder and CEO of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation. "I can't believe this is able to happen in the United States of America. What makes this situation even worse is that Democratic Party operatives worked on these petition challenges while they were being paid by the state and using state resources. The Democratic operatives involved in this should be paying those costs, not Ralph Nader and Carl Romanelli."

Romanelli filed a lawsuit, July 12, against the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and their House Democratic Caucus. The lawsuit, filed in US District Court, additionally names Rep. William DeWeese, former Rep. Michael Veon and a number of former and current House Democratic staff employees found to have worked on the petition challenge that removed Carl Romanelli from the 2006 ballot for US Senate. Romanelli alleges in the lawsuit that state employees were paid to do political work while using state resources and equipment in that effort to challenge his petitions.

Romanelli backs up his allegations by pointing to the recent convictions of several defendants in this lawsuit including former House Democratic Minority Whip, Rep. Michael Veon who received a 6 to 14 year sentence on June 18, 2010 and Brett Cott, a former policy analyst for Rep. Veon and Rep. DeWeese, who was sentenced from 21 months to 60 months in May 2010. Michael Manzo and Jeff Foreman were given deals to testify against Cott and have not been sentenced. Rep. William DeWeese faces trial in the coming months.

"I hope Carl Romanelli gets the justice he deserves from our courts," Tobin said. "If this stands it will have a chilling effect on democracy. This will scare candidates away for fear of not making the ballot and being penalized with large fees because they tried. We've invited Carl to help educate the public about this new threat to our democratic election process on our Free and Equal BlogTalkRadio show Tuesday, July 20."
Free and Equal is broadcasting a live radio show from 10 p.m. to midnight ET each Tuesday night that can can be listened to live at the Free and Equal website or at BlogTalkRadio and is immediately archived for later listening.

Contact

Carl Romanelli
Email: cjromanelli@gmail.com


Christina Tobin, founder and CEO of Free and Equal Elections Foundation
Phone: 312-320-4101
Email: christina@freeandequal.org

Fw: So You Want Reform? Here's Your Chance!

I want NOTA on every ballot. That is NONE OF THE ABOVE.

I want equal ballot access for all.

I want the Ds and Rs to PAY all expenses for their closed primary votes every spring.

I want assessment buffering so property taxes can only rise a percent of the changed amount over years.

I want a land tax to be at least 1 percent of all property tax bills so it has standing everywhere and can be a point to eveolve into over time.

A read the bills act makes sense. Then the legislature that passes the bills and budget must at least read it.

I want to cut the size of the staff of Pa House and Pa Senators so each gets only 1 helper. They should do the work themselves. The bloat is worse than the size of the districts.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

---

From: PACleanSweep <info@pacleansweep.com>

Sender: PACleanSweep <campaign@russdiamond.ccsend.com>

Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:07:48 -0400 (EDT)

To: <mark@rauterkus.com>

ReplyTo: info@pacleansweep.com

Subject: So You Want Reform? Here's Your Chance!

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

You're receiving this email because of your interest in government reform in Pennsylvania. Please confirm your continued interest in receiving email from us.

 

You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails.

So You Want Reform? Here's Your Chance! July 20, 2010   Dear Mark,   If you had your way, what government reforms would you enact?   Term limits? Changing the size of the legislature? Ending gerrymandering by fixing the way we draw legislative districts every ten years? Altering the way we select judges? Returning to a two-year budget process in Harrisburg? Putting new rules in place for campaign finance? Making elections fairer? Setting up an independent compensation commission? Recall? Referendum? Initiative?    No matter what your favorite reform is, chances are you won't get it through the regular legislative process in Harrisburg. It's not because all legislators are bad people. Rather, it's simply because human nature gets in the way of voting for something that may diminish your own personal power or status.   Here at PACleanSweep, we want to give Pennsylvanians an opportunity the legislature currently isn't offering: a chance to gather together with like-minded citizens to discuss and debate reform topics.   Ultimately, we're working to convince the legislature to authorize a limited citizens' constitutional convention to do just that. But we understand that many legislators may be afraid of risking any of their current power or status. We also understand that some Pennsylvanians either don't understand, or have some fear of, the convention process.   To address these points, PACleanSweep is planning to hold a Constitutional Convention Exhibition in early 2011 in the Harrisburg area, and you're invited to be a delegate!    During this exhibition, we envision up to 150 reform-minded citizen delegates from across the state getting together to debate and vote on a select number of proposed changes to the Pennsylvania Constitution aimed specifically at reform. What will those topics be? It's entirely up to you!   Of course, this will only be an exhibition, so any proposals approved by the delegates will not be binding upon anyone. But who knows - perhaps the legislature will take notice of the process and realize that an actual convention is the only way to solve Pennsylvania's crisis in confidence. Along the way, we'll be educating other citizens on how the convention process works and dispel some of their misconceptions.   While PACleanSweep will facilitate the exhibition, its size, scope, and duration - and the public support it generates for an actual convention - will be entirely up to those who volunteer to participate as delegates.   To gauge interest in such an exercise, we're asking potential delegates (YOU!!!) to sign up and provide some information on the PACleanSweep website. We'll use this information to better determine the duration, scope, and other pertinent aspects of the Constitutional Convention Exhibition.   You've always wanted to voice your reform opinion and have it make an impact, right? Well now you've got your chance. We look forward to hearing from you!   Sincerely,   The PACleanSweep Team   For more information: www.pacleansweep.com info@pacleansweep.com 1.877.867.5617

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Fw: Policy Brief: Pittsburgh's Pension Solution: Between a Rock and Hard Place

Policy Brief

An electronic publication of

The Allegheny Institute for Public Policy

---

July 20, 2010                                                                                                               Volume 10, Number 38

---

In last week's Policy Brief (Volume 10, Number 37) we showed that the proposal to lease Parking Authority facilities as a means to raise $200 million for Pittsburgh's pension funds would require—at a minimum—a near doubling of the cost to park at the lessee's garages, lots and meters.  Factoring in inflation, the hikes in cost to park necessary to make the lease a break even situation for the lessee could exceed 100 percent in four to five years.  Clearly, there is a high probability such large increases in parking rates at the Parking Authority's spaces will be a major deterrent to parking in the City.  Many businesses would suffer, creating further, and possibly irreparable, economic damage to Pittsburgh's already beleaguered private sector.  And that in turn will reduce the City's tax base, something it can absolutely not afford.

One potential consequence could be construction of additional private garages and lots to compete with the lessee's spaces.  Of course in the Downtown area that is hard because of the paucity of sites for such construction. However, in other parts of the City that could happen fairly quickly and easily.  The result would be loss of patronage at the lessee's facilities making it even harder for the leasing company to avoid losses.

Another unintended consequence of the massive jump in rates at the leased Parking Authority spaces is the opening it would give privately owned facilities, especially those in close proximity to a lessee facility, to raise their parking rates. After all, one of the effects of publicly owned spaces such as the Parking Authority is to hold down average parking rates. Because the publicly owned facility is not subject to taxes on property, payrolls, or any of the other myriad taxes paid by business and does not have to earn a return on investment, it can charge lower rates than privately owned parking facilities.

By way of background bear in mind that the high cost of parking in Pittsburgh, particularly Downtown, stems from two basic elements. First, there is a tight supply of spaces relative to the demand for parking.  Second, the City's extraordinarily high parking tax—aimed at commuters and visitors—boosts the price substantially. At 40 percent a $10 rate becomes a $14 charge. This is well above what most comparable cities levy. Indeed, most such cities have no parking tax.  The point is tight supply and the resulting high prices deter some potential parkers who would venture into town if parking rates were lower. But lower rates will only come about if supply of spaces rises significantly; there is a dramatic and unexpected permanent decline in demand or if the parking tax rate is reduced substantially.   

The pressing problem facing the City is the deal the Mayor made with the Legislature last year that kept Pittsburgh from having its pension fund administration taken over by a state agency.  The Mayor asked for time to find a solution to the City's underfunded pensions in exchange for the City pension funds not being brought under immediate state administration.  Now the City has until the end of the year to get the pensions funded at the 50 percent level or lose control over pension fund management.

Since the legislative deal was made, Pittsburgh has been focused on leasing the Parking Authority facilities as a means to raise the $200 million needed to lift pension funding to 50 percent.  To accomplish that, a lessee would have to come up with roughly $300 million so the $100 million in Parking Authority debt could be retired. And as noted earlier that amount necessitates a doubling of parking rates to create a break even situation for the lessee.

Unless the City completes the lease transaction by January, it will face a state takeover of the pension funds and could be required to boost its annual contribution as much as $30 million.  Given Pittsburgh's shaky financial picture, finding $30 million more each year is a daunting task. Major spending cuts and possibly higher property or other taxes would have to be on the table.

So, here's the predicament: to proceed with the $300 million proposed lease by the end of the year or not. Either option poses serious economic and/or political headaches for the City.  Which option would be worse and are there alternatives to the two options that could be developed before January?

Doubling the cost of parking is definitely the worst option. The potential harm to the Pittsburgh economy and its business community is simply not worth taking. At the same time, making a 7 percent cut in general fund spending would produce most of the $30 million in additional funding that will be required if the City does not proceed with the lease.  Those savings can be realized by outsourcing services that are easiest to privatize, freezing wages, instituting a hiring freeze and cutting staff as required to meet spending cuts. Note that a 7 percent spending cut would still leave Pittsburgh's per capita general fund expenditures far above comparable U.S. cities.  The spending cuts could be phased in over two years to allow time to implement the big changes. 

And while making the 7 percent reduction in spending will be politically difficult, it would be far better for the City's future than doubling parking rates.

There are some things the City can do to help itself out of the dilemma. First, it could go hat in hand to the Legislature and ask for more time to find a fix for the massively underfunded pensions. There is a chance the Legislature might listen if the City can show a reasonable plan for getting to the 50 percent funding level over a short period of time that does not involve doubling parking costs. Still, given the nature of the pressure used to induce the Legislature to make the existing deal, they may well give the City's request short shrift.

Second, the City could slash the parking tax rate. As noted previously one of the factors driving the required parking rates so high is the 40 percent parking tax rate that will go into effect in 2011 if a lease is consummated.  If the parking tax were lowered to 20 percent the parking price would have to rise only 58 percent. And if the lessee could save $5 million in operating expenses, the parking prices would need to rise only 41 percent. This would be a much more manageable increase that would put the lessee rates in line with private parking facilities.  

The down side is that cutting parking tax rates to 20 percent would result in a significant decline in parking tax revenue because the overwhelming share of parking revenue is generated by private facilities and those owned by other authorities. The prospective revenue loss will almost certainly dissuade the City from seriously entertaining the suggested tax rate reduction. However, by making appropriate cuts in government spending the lost parking tax revenue could be offset.  And most importantly perhaps, the lease could go ahead and $200 million for the pension funds would be in place and the state would not be taking over the pension funds.

Raising $200 million in a lump sum by the end of the year without hurting the City is a daunting challenge.  Pittsburgh finds itself in this dilemma because of years of neglect and failure to act in a financially responsible way. There are no easy ways out at this juncture. There is no free lunch. A $300 million payment by a lessee to buy an entity with net operating revenues of $7 million has to be paid for. Better that it not be through a doubling of the price to park at 19,000 spaces. The time to bite the bullet and make significant spending cuts is here.

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 Jake Haulk, Ph.D., President                                                       

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School Choice -- easy way or hard way. Plus single gender options for more families

The Citizens Alliance of PA issued a press release that endorses and talks about a new PA Bill that gives families a choice to go to private schools if their public school is failing.

CAP Endorses Sen. Williams' School Choice Bill

HARRISBURG, PA—Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania (CAP) today endorsed Sen. Anthony Williams’ (D-Philadelphia) Opportunity Scholarship Act (SB 1405), which would give disadvantaged children in chronically failing school districts the financial assistance they need to pursue educational options.

”The Opportunity Scholarship Act will rescue thousands of children tragically trapped in failing schools,” said CAP Executive Director Joe Sterns. “There should be no greater priority for the politicians in Harrisburg than making sure every student in the Commonwealth receives a first-rate education.”

Sen. Williams’ legislation, SB 1405, would provide children in low-income households a scholarship to attend a non-public school if their public school is chronically failing. The bill defines “chronically failing” as having 40 percent or more of the student body scoring at or below the “basic” range in math and reading/writing for two consecutive school years. The amount of the scholarship would be equal to 100% of the Commonwealth's annual per-pupil school aid funding amount plus 50% of the school districts annual per-pupil school aid funding amount.

Humm.

In Pittsburgh, we've got a situation brewing -- if not in full boil -- that is going to re-form Westinghouse High School.

I think it makes great sense to get rid of the feeder patterns for all high school students in Pittsburgh so as to allow them the opportunity to go to any of the city's high schools based not upon where they say they live with a street address.

Presently, Pgh Public Schools with its feeder patterns means that students MUST attend a specific school. The student is forced into that school and not other schools in the city. If you live within certain streets, you go to Westinghouse and can NOT go to Carrick nor Allderdice nor Langley.

As a Libertarian, I'm more on the side of choice and freedom and not force.

But still, there are some nice options for families as some flexibility is already in the system. Students can attend CAPA, the Creative and Performing Arts school for grades 6 to 12. But, they need a talent and need to audition. And, they need to be accepted. Anyone in the city can attend CAPA without the need to live within a certain 'feeder pattern.'

Students from anywhere in the city can attend Perry Traditional High School, grades 9-12.

Students from anywhere in the city can attend Pgh Obama, the I.B. School. To go to the IB school students need to have good grades and be able to pass a language entry benchmark. All students at the IB school have languages for all the years they are there. And, the acadmics are very demanding.

Students from anywhere can attend Brashear High School, but this is a secret. The principal there has been flexible in granting admissions to Brashear as there is space. But, you've got to have a good story and meet with him and add to the overall school.

Students from anywhere can go to Allderdice if they opt into the Engineering magnet or else opt into the Chinees Language magnet that is offered at Allderdice and no other place in Pittsburgh.

Students from anywhere in the city can attend Sci-Tech (a 6 to 12th grade school). This newer school is located in Oakland in the former Frick building. However, students who go to Sci-Tech need to have their number pulled in a lottery as there is a demand for the school that exceeds the smaller size. More students can enter into 9th grade as the classes of 9, 10, 11 and 12th grades are larger than the size of the overall classes for 6, 7 and 8.

Students from anywhere in the city can attend the U-Prep School, also grades 6 to 12. Well, they don't have grade 11 and 12 yet, but will grow into those grades as the years pass. U-Prep has available seats in all the grades as there hasn't been much demand there and some who have attended have not stayed. The U-Prep theme is to press the student to attend a University / College after high school.

So, there are plenty of options, but not enough, really. They still have these 'feeder patterns.'

Peabody is going to close, we expect.

Schenley closed.

Oliver is going to have a big change too.

So, this is the time to get rid of all the feeder patterns in the city for the high school students.

If a kid wants to go to Westinghouse and be a part of the single gender classrooms and that student lives in another part of town, say in the Allderdice feeder pattern -- then let the student attend.

But most of all, this should be the stated policy of the district.

Pittsburgh has plenty of variety among its schools. Choice is good. It can be embraced and be turned into a real feature and another good reason to move into the city -- or stay here.

I would support the elimination of all feeder patterns for high school students in Pittsburgh.

Kids can attend Central Catholic from anywhere in the city -- and beyond.

Kids can attend City Charter High School from anywhere in the city too.

Furthermore, families move. If better or different housing is available, then the family should move and not be tied down to a feedern pattern. And, this could work in the reverse as well. A family that used to live in Squ Hill might need to move out and a spot in another section of town might have less expensive rent. If the student is thriving at the school, a new residence shouldn't insure a new school.

Otherwise, lies are spun. Let's be honest.

Finally, in terms of the bill mentioned above -- if Pittsburgh does not offer school choice among its public high schools, then Pittsburgh might find itself in the position of offering families choice to attend PRIVATE schools. Giving kids tuition money for Central, Oakland, North Catholic, Bishop Canevin, Seaton LaSalle, Vincention, A.Christian, Ellis, Shady Side, W.T., Sewickley, Kiski Prep, and so on, won't be as much fun as giving them a chance to go to a non-feeder pattern school.

Post-Gazette NOW - Local News - Pittsburgh Panorama

Post-Gazette NOW - Local News - Pittsburgh Panorama: "Hula hoop heaven, Highland Park"

Sounds good for two reasons:

1. Dryland training.

2. Goals for water polo. But, we'll have to figure out how to hang the goals at the side of the pool.

Idea Foundry Home - on the radio with AM 1360

Idea Foundry Home: "Idea Foundry is a non-profit organization that supplies the critical ingredients for
transforming an entrepreneur’s business idea into a Pennsylvania-based, fundable,
start-up. We bridge the gaps between business skills, knowledge, funding and
relationships that are critical when launching your own Information Technology and Engineering related enterprise."

Show is also on the podcast with TalkShoe.com.

Family gets back into pool, acquits itself well at Journal Star meet - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com

Family gets back into pool, acquits itself well at Journal Star meet - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com: "Being out of practice did not equate to slow times for some participants in this year’s Journal Star Swim Meet at Central Park Pool.

Kyle Boerke swam his first race in eight years Sunday, the Trophy Shootout, against about 20 competitors. Yet he was able to win three events, including the mixed 200-yard medley, and fell just two seconds short of Patrick Inness in the men’s 100 butterfly.

Boerke was a member of the Peoria Area Water Wizards youth program and swam for Bradley University until its team was disbanded in 2002. Kyle graduated from BU in 2003 with a degree in psychology.

He then went to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore for his residency. Boerke now works as a clinical psychologist for OSF Saint Francis Medical Center.

It was this job that brought Boerke back to the swim meet. Boerke and his wife, Abby, moved back to the area earlier this month."

We were there!

Grassroots public reform encouraged by The Pittsburgh Foundation - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Grassroots public reform encouraged by The Pittsburgh Foundation - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The forum will cost $290,000. The money is coming from the Pittsburgh, Richard King Mellon, Grable, Hillman and Maurice Falk foundations."

Give me a break. That is NOT going to work.

SKEPTICAL.

Burning money must be fun for some. I'm sad again to see it go up in smoke.

Fw: Indiana County ponders 2.5M reassessment

I agree with Bob to a degree. But the way to get to the fair solution is not a full pass on all property. Rather, a better solution is to give the free pass to the buildings on the property. Do tax the land. Land can be measured. Land can be taxed.

If we have the exact same lot in size and features in the same neighborhood then the land tax would be equal.

If one builds a mansion and the other builds a shack - but the live on identical land plots -- then they would pay the same in taxes.

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From: "Bob Logue" <ucblogue@verizon.net>

Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:24:35 -0400

To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;><Invalid address>

Subject: Indiana County ponders 2.5M reassessment

As you read this article below, forwarded by Tom Koch, think about this: How many Indiana County, PA homeowners have lost their homes and most, or all of their equity to sheriff sales over the last 42 years for so called 'delinquent' property taxes they did not owe?  Likely thousands of Indiana County homeowners and their families have lost many millions of dollars and had their lives disrupted by corrupt property tax assessments and taxes.  The commissioners admit the property assessments are "out of balance"...which is a polite way of saying...THEY'RE WRONG and have been for decades. 

   It is a myth that if Indiana County eventually spends $2.5 Million for a countywide reassessment, this will mean the assessments will be fair and equitable.  That has not proven to be true in Philadelphia, Allegheny County, Luzerne County, Fayette County and elsewhere.  And the countywide reassessments will need to be redone every few years to comply with the Supreme Court ruling on base year assessments.  That will cost millions more over the years.

   Even the International Association of Assessment Officers (the professional organization of assessment officials) admits the inaccuracies of property taxes.  The IAAO says any assessment within 10% of fair market value is deemed correct.  However, if you and I have the same 'market value' home and you are over-assessed by 10% (by the IAAO standards of fairness) and I am under-assessed by 10%...you pay 20% more school, county and municipal property taxes than I do.    You could pay hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars more each year than I do.  Is that fair and equitable? If so, are you willing to also pay 20% more income taxes on the same income as I have? Or 20% more on gasoline taxes per gallon? Or 20% more sales taxes on the same purchases as I do.  If it's unfair for you to pay 20% more than me on all the rest of those taxes, why is it fair for you to pay 20% more than me on property taxes?

   The property tax system on primary residences is systemically corrupt, unfair, inaccurate, costly and a huge drag on our economy.  The system cannot be fixed and should be totally abolished and replaced with broader-based, equitable, and less costly to collect sales and income taxes. 

   The Legislative Budget and Finance committee (the same group mentioned below) studied the STOP Primary Residence Protection plan and found it fiscally sound and viable.  You may contact them for a copy of their study. 

   The county commissioners are correct that the legislature must change the system; it can't be done by the county commissioners.  But the commissioners have a role in demanding it be done.  Your legislators have failed to correct this mess for 30 years.  So why are you going to re-elect them?

Why would any commissioners support the re-elecction of legislators who have failed so miserably on this issue for three decades?

 

Learn more about why it is sensible and desirable to abolish all property taxes on primary residences and how it would create an economic boom in Pennsylvania at www.grandoldusa.com  or www.spedunkie.com  Hit on STOP.

 

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE INDIANA (PA) GAZETTE.

 

 

COUNTY: Indicators show assessment system out of balance

By RANDY WELLS, rwells@indianagazette.net

Published: Thursday, July 15, 2010 1:20 PM EDT

Concerned about the possibility of a taxpayers' lawsuit challenging the fairness and constitutionality of property assessments, the Indiana County commissioners Wednesday retained the Ira Weiss law firm of Pittsburgh to study the county's property tax assessment structure.

The commissioners emphasized they were approving only an evaluation of the assessment system.

``It's a study of the issue, not a reassessment,'' commissioner Patricia Evanko stressed.

``We're being pro-active,'' commissioner David Frick added.

And the commissioners emphasized that a property reassessment - if one is eventually undertaken - will not generate more tax revenue. Instead, they said, it will be done to balance and redistribute the tax burden more evenly.

Indiana County chief assessor Martin Medvetz introduced his recommendation for the study with a quote from a recent state Supreme Court ruling: ``While every tax is a burden, it is more cheerfully borne when the citizen feels that he is only required to bear his proportionate share of that burden measured by the value of his property to that of his neighbor.''

``We're really studying the fairness of the taxes,'' Medvetz said. ``We want to be sure that the tax burden is distributed equitably among all taxpayers.''

The last countywide reassessment of properties in Indiana County was in 1968.

``You can't go 42 years and expect values to be the same,'' Medvetz said.The study will determine whether a countywide reassessment is necessary to bring the county into uniformity conformance standards. Medvetz and the commissioners are concerned that the county could face a court-ordered reassessment because recent statistics provided by the State Tax Equalization Board show the county's ratios are beyond those allowable under Pennsylvania's uniformity requirements.

As an example of the possible legal exposure, the Ira Weiss law firm cited the 2009 Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in a taxpayers' suit against Allegheny County. The court in that case determined that the use of a base year system, without the provision of periodic reassessments, results in non-uniformity and violates the state's constitution because assessed values are frozen while properties continue appreciating or depreciating at different rates.

``This needs to be done'' in light of the state Supreme Court decision,'' Medvetz said of the study. He added that in his opinion, if the Legislature doesn't address property reassessment as a statewide issue, future court cases will probably narrow the definition and criteria of what is unconstitutional.

``We can wait for the Legislature, or wait to be sued,'' he said.

The Supreme Court ruling noted that property assessment inequities leave counties vulnerable to challenge by taxpayers or school districts demanding that property taxes be imposed uniformly. In 2007, a taxpayers group known as Fair Adams County Taxes Now sued Adams County over its property assessments, last adjusted in 1990. According to the Adams County solicitor's office, that lawsuit prompted a reassessment that has just been completed, and new assessment values will go into effect in 2011.

``Reassessment is all about equity, not revenue growth,'' Medvetz said. ``You should be paying taxes on the fair market value of your property. ... Hopefully the study will provide us with data pointing to where the property assessments are weak, what groups may be over- or under-paying ... just a number of statistics that will provide insight into what direction we need to go and the reason for it.''

Commission chairman Rodney Ruddock said the commissioners want this study conducted before making a decision on a reassessment so residents can have all necessary information.

``It would not be prudent to act without full due diligence in a matter so important to county residents,'' Ruddock said. ``We want to do something that's fair to the citizens of the county, but we don't want to do something that doesn't pass common sense'' - meaning doing something at the local level that the state Legislature may also do sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Property reassessment in counties has in the past been postponed by rumors that the Legislature was going to revamp the system on a statewide basis.

Rep. Dave Reed, R-Indiana, said Monday that statewide property reassessment is an issue that likely will be driven by the governor rather than legislators. And it may not be until after the first six months of the next administration before Pennsylvanians know if reassessment is a priority for the next governor of the state.

Sen. Don White, R-Indiana, said property assessment as a statewide project has not been discussed recently in any Republican caucus, although he is aware of some proposals in the House.

One of those, House Resolution 334, introduced last year, directed the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to ask for the assistance of the Assessors and County Commissioners Associations of Pennsylvania in conducting a study of the commonwealth's fragmented system of property tax assessments and to compare them with tax systems in other states. That study has been completed and is expected to be released later this month.

That resolution notes that Pennsylvania operates under at least five major assessment statutes, none wholly consistent with the others.

Ruddock said if the commissioners decide a property reassessment is needed, they hope to find a firm that does property reassessments that would be willing to be locked into a rate for three years or so, allowing time to see if the governor or lawmakers are going to legislatively address the reassessment issue.

Elections are next year, and Ruddock said the county commissioners could easily sit back and wait until after the election to tackle reassessment.``I don't think that's fair ... to the public,'' he said.

Indiana County has about 48,000 parcels of land, and the going rate for a reassessment, according to Medvetz, is about $50 to $55 per parcel, pushing the cost of a possible reassessment in Indiana County to about $2.5 million.

A reassessment, in Medvetz's estimation, would take about 30 months and would be followed by an additional period for appeals. Even if a reassessment was approved immediately, revised values probably would not go into effect until 2014, he said.

According to Ruddock, following a property tax reassessment, one-third of property owners typically pay lower taxes, one-third pay higher taxes and for one-third taxes remain the same.

The study by the law firm is expected to last six to eight weeks and will cost $5,000.

To do today

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's
possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. -
Francis of Assisi

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