Senator White Weighs-in on Local School Boards
by Nathan Lasher
While holding a question and answer session during a meeting of the Indiana/Armstrong Patriots yesterday evening at Elderton’s Smith Complex, Senator Don White (R-41) spoke about the importance of casting well-informed votes when it comes to voting for School Board members.
Senator Don White speaks during a question-answer session held last night at the Smith Complex in Elderton. The event was sponsored by the Indiana-Armstrong Patriots.
“They wanted me to weigh-in, for example, on this closing Elderton school, reopening Elderton school,” said White. “The elections that the general populous does not pay attention to, that I think are the most important from a taxpayer standpoint, are School Directors’. And, we don’t vet these people. I hope Tom Smith opens up this venue, and you sit and you talk to people next time you vote in Armstrong County on who’s going to represent you on the School Board.”
White went further to clearly state his opinion on the issue of reopening Elderton Jr. /Sr. High School. “You need to know where they stand on these issues; you as a taxpayer; and you as a parent. We don’t pay attention, and we end up in a situation like we have here, which, in my opinion, wasted about $4 million in taxpayer money in Armstrong County. Now, everybody says, ‘that’s easy for you to say Don; you don’t have any kids in the Armstrong School District.’ I agree, but if you talk to these kids, and I spend a lot of time talking to residents and kids, those kids were acclimated. They went to West Shamokin, they went to wherever they went, and 75% of them were really happy where they were.”
As he continued talking about the importance of citizens being knowledgeable of school board candidates, White spoke about other areas in his District. “Right now, in my District, I have Ligonier, Valley, and Laurel Valley. Our merger is as contentious as anything you’ve ever seen,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if anything happens there. Blairsville-Saltsburg; as soon as Blairsville gets back in control of that school board, they’re going to close down the improvements they’re making in Saltsburg. It’s a mess, and it’s because we’re putting people with no fiscal restraint on these school boards.”
At the end of his segment about education, White concluded by saying, “School boards are on the front lines, and they’re making decisions each and every Monday, or the first Monday of the month, that I hope you are concerned about,”
Earlier during the meeting of the Indiana/Armstrong Patriots, which was open to the public, the Armstrong County Commissioners spoke informatively on the subject of “Funded and unfunded state and federal mandates and how they impact on the local taxpayers.”
Commissioner Patricia Kirkpatrick provided audience members with an overview of mandates, as well as a handout on Armstrong County’s sources and uses of funds. She also spoke about the current state of pension funds, budget constraints, and the State budget.
Commissioner Rich Fink used most of his time to discuss what the Commissioners have done with the Armstrong County Jail in order to cut spending and raise revenues as well as mandates related to the jail. Some of the advances he cited were buying food in bulk, and forcing inmates to pay “their fair share” for medical costs, booking and processing fees, and postage for letters exceeding one letter per month. He also said that they have reduced inmate pay when performing tasks from $1 per hour down to $0.25. “We’re trying to be fiscally responsible, run it the best we can in accordance with those mandates, and at the same time be fiscally responsible to the taxpayers,” said Fink. “And I can submit to you that we continue to search for avenues to continually reduce costs at that facility.”
Commissioner Jim Scahill yielded most of his time so that those in attendance could ask questions. He spoke about mandates related to engineering and bridges. “The mandates just go on and on and on and on, and I’m not going to bore you with it,” said Scahill. He also pointed out to those in attendance that there is a Mandate Relief bill in the Senate currently that is for local government to perform a two-year study in order to list all of the mandates and the complete cost of the mandates. Also, there is a House bill that states that mandates will not have to be followed if they are not funded.
The Indiana/Armstrong Patriots will host a Town Hall Meeting tonight at 6PM the Indiana Holiday Inn. Their guest will be Bill Shuster.
Local News, Regional News | nlasher August 18, 2010
By Jen16226, August 18, 2010 @ 9:03 AM
Thank you for coming out with your opinion!!
By ToddAshbaugh, August 18, 2010 @ 9:51 AM
Armstrong County is lucky to have a man like Senator White representing us in Harrisburg. He “gets it” on all levels.
By rfullerton, August 18, 2010 @ 10:10 AM
Hmmmmmm…didn’t Ms. Yassem state that she spoke to Sen. white directly and he said the complete opposite? Well, someone is not telling the truth here…my bet is it isn’t the senator!
Sen. White is absolutely correct when stating that one of the most important local votes you can make is for school board director. Perhaps it is an unpaid and seemingly thankless job but it affects each and every member of a district from the students to the taxpayers and in this horrendous economic and disheartening educational time can we afford to have personal agenda driven uninformed and nonprogressive minded folks making the decisions for our kids and with our hard earned monies???? Please listen and think before you vote and even better make the sacrifice and run for office. ASD needs GOOD people!
By scott_starr, August 18, 2010 @ 10:12 AM
With all due respect to Senator White, as a voter I find your response rather insulting. Let’s look at School Board elections. I in the East Franklin area have little choice or influence over the Board Director running in another area. Using your “logic” it is the fault of PA voters that CA has laws agains X or votes to do Y ?
Let’s look at politics, it is on RECORD by several PROMINENT politicians that during election time you ” say what is needed to get elected”, so even if voters are schooled in a candidates position, once the candidate is in office it’s out the window concerning the “public platform”.
If want to really offer “help” to the voters, don’t stand there and say it’s our fault ( yes, there is culpability on the voter) rather why don’t YOU support or introduce legislation allowing for RECALL of School Directors? I am amazed at the dictatorial powers these folks have and everyone is scared to death to touch these folks.
So, Senator White, while I am not able to attend every school board meeting or meet every candidate personally, it is because I am too busy working to pay the outrageous PA Income Tax, ASD Income TAX, Property tax, tax for my electricity, tax for my phone, and the host of other taxes hoisted on residents of this state so our Legislators can ride around in taxpayer subsidized cars, eat taxpayer subsidized lunch and tell ME I”M NOT INFORMED.
Voters remember what Senator White said This is all YOUR FAULT.
Remember, be informed, I think we all have a lot to think about on this one.
By Elderton Parent, August 18, 2010 @ 5:10 PM
Senator White is a 2-faced politician! He spoke to the people of Elderton SEVERAL times supporting Elderton and the efforts to keep the school open and re-open the school! Show us the $4 million in WASTED money spent!!! All he is doing is trying to get votes from the Patriots group and supporters!
Jeff Pyle is also a two-faced politician! He has said the same things White has said in supporting Elderton!
By ASDpayer, August 18, 2010 @ 8:27 PM
Mr. Todd
Senator White has taken about $100,000 in lobby money from the oil and gas folks and do you think he will protect our environment? What a shill. Now Tom Ridge is an expert on Marcellus Shale drilling, because they pay him $75,000 a month. But back to Sen. White. He told Elderton parents he supports re-opening Elderton. Now he hears the complaints and it is 4 million dollar waste of money. He is just ineffective. Show me one good thing he has actually done to reduce taxes, attract business, or improve our lives. Just a go along and get along guy.
By phoenix, August 18, 2010 @ 11:13 PM
2 faced politician??? Are you serious? So, in the heart of Elderton at the almighty Smith complex, he would come in there and say it was a 4 million dollar mistake if he did not believe it to be true? We have heard how him and Jeff Pyle have said they supported Elderton. I have not heard that. And what is Senator White supposed to do with the ineffective state legislature we have? Here we are 7 weeks into a fiscal year and already they are taking money out of the budget (see ASD Debate on Spending Continues). Which is going to have a trickle down effect for us all.
And as far as wasted money spent…..how about all of the teachers hired when it was not necessary? The stupid six who voted for its opening (now the Frightful 5 since one is in a rubber room) and now they are looking at closing other “COMMUNITY” schools!!!!!KT and KJHS) How do you spell James, Rose, Sara, Royce, and John? H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E-S!!! Come on Elderton Parent, this is hypocrisy at its finest. If any of those 5 vote for any closure, then I will consider it the final nail in their coffin since they are for community schools, had one already closed and were realizing a savings, reopened it and now are closing other schools to save money to pay for the one they reopened!!! People outside our area are laughing their rear ends off, you would too if you could get your head out of your rear end. I guess the communities of Kittanning TWP and Kittanning get to lose their schools. I know what you might say….”KT will be here with us in all mighty Elderton and Kittanning still has its high school.” Well, Elderton still had its elementary school for a year while the high school was closed. So the Elderton community still had a school, just like Dayton and like Shannock Valley. Better fate than Worthington got don’t you think?
So the government is looking at taking money out of the budget 7 WEEKS into the year because revenue is ALREADY behind and the frightful 5 thinks it is a good time to borrow money? Yeah, I would say they might just be the 2 faced politicians. Say it with me now…HYPOCRITES, HYPOCRITES, HYPOCRITES!
By Jan, August 19, 2010 @ 8:28 AM
To “Elderton parent”
Perhaps when Sen. White made his comment regarding support of re-opening Elderton, he didn’t realize that “re-opening” meant renovating a building that would cost the taxpayers of the ASD some cold hard cash for a very low populated area. His comment that the ASD is wasting $4M of taxpayer dollars is a very true statement.
The Elderton area got their wish to re-open the building, and that’s all that should be happening at this point. You loved your school “as is” and you should go back to it “as is”. At this time, this district can neither afford or support such spending. He is also correct in stating that it’s time for people to wake up when voting for a school board director.What we have now are people with absolutely no clue about fiscal responsibility, and those who do have some insight about fiscal management appear to ignore it in order to safe-guard their relics.
So Don White stuck his neck out in making these statements- ah, he’ll lose a few votes I’m sure, but he’ll also gain many by finally speaking up and stating what has been known to be true since the “super 6/ fab 5 decided to re-open EHS.
Truth is hard to hear, isn’t it? I would venture a guess that the majority of the people in the ASD who pay hard earned taxes would certainly agree with Don.
Along with that- to say that Don is a hypocrite is laughable- you’ve got board members who ran on the platform of “community schools” and already, we are seeing that Rose sold KT down the river to increase population of Elderton- one which she swore she would not do- and DID! And now they want to close KJHS and put those students in with senior high students- which is totally unacceptable in the education forum. I doubt very much that the Kittanning area is amenable to doing this- we aren’t interested in a band-aid effort. We aren’t being pacified with having money spent on our buildings, much less, spending money at FCHS for an addition. They don’t need an addition. What we are seeing is plain and simple. This “fab 5″ is attempting to ensure that money spent now on these buildings will secure them from having to consolidate in the future. If Solak could be honest for just one minute- he would admit that this is his agenda, and “yes-yassem” who will do what she’s told to do, cause she can’t think for herself, and Monroe, who doesn’t care because he’s leaving, and Smeltzer…well, he’s getting what he wants ( and I’m sure there was a bargaining chip flipped his way)will vote however Solak tells them to vote. I’m sure that when they have their little meetings, Solak has paved the way for what they should think and how they should vote. “Stupid is as stupid does”.
By sweetleur, August 19, 2010 @ 12:55 PM
Do you think these politicians care whether they loose a few votes from the Elderton folks? Any school that graduates 30 or less students should not be in existence and that includes Ford City.Elderton thinks they are owed a school, they had better get over this thinking because whatever is given can be taken away also.When the politicians smell something stinky, don’t you think the ordinary citizen does also? Elderon – you have a nice town , nice people but opening the school is a disastrous financial deciosion.
By scott_starr, August 19, 2010 @ 3:49 PM
@jan:
Well if what you say is true then Senator White was UNINFORMED.
An this guy has the balls to take voters to task?
Senator What, is more apt name.
Anyone running against him can use this as a slogan.
By Jan, August 19, 2010 @ 7:48 PM
Scott- I’m not so sure that what Sen. White was doing was taking the voters to task, I think what he’s trying to imply is the importance for all of us to be more informed about who we vote for when it comes to school board directors. This is exactly what some of us are trying to do in alerting the tax payers of this district to vote wisely in the next elections.