Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Special education teacher says she wants to improve Easton Area education.
Editor's note: In the weeks leading up to the May 21 primary, we asked Easton area candidates to fill out questionnaires about themselves. This is how Easton Area School Board hopeful Michelle Price responded. Michelle Price Age: 44 Family: Single, divorced with no children Political party affiliation: Democrat- crossed filed Republican Tell us about your educational background: Juniata College, BA; Johns Hopkins University, MS, Special Education Tell us about your professional/business background: 23 Years experience in child development and education. I have been a special education teacher at Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit for over 10 years. Why are you running for the Easton Area School Board? I am concerned about how the budget cuts…
Easton school board's longest serving member seeks another term.
Editor's note: In the weeks leading up to the May 21 primary, we asked Easton area candidates to fill out questionnaires about themselves. This is how school board member Pat Vulcano, Jr. responded. Dr. Pat Vulcano, Jr. Age: 65 Family: Wife Sandra Alercia Vulcano - Running and 12 year member of Easton City Council Daughter - Michele Vulcano Hall Party Affiliation: Democrat (and very conservative when it comes to other people's money) Tell us about your educational background: I have the following degrees: ASB (Advanced Accounting) BBA (Business Administration and Accounting) BS (in Marketing and Advertising) BS Ed. (in all areas of business), MBA in business management, doctorate in public administration and political science. Tell us …
Easton Area incumbent seeks another term on the school board.
Editor's note: In the weeks leading up to the May 21 primary, we asked Easton area candidates to fill out questionnaires about themselves. This is how the Easton Area School Board's Robert Moskaitis, responded. Bob Moskaitis Age: 62 Family: Wife: Libby ; Children: Jon, Beth, Sarah [ all EAHS grads w/ graduate degrees working in science, medicine, education ] Political party affiliation: Cross-filed Tell us about your educational background: Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh; M.S., Chemistry, Univeristy of Pittsburgh; B.S., Science Education, U of Maryland Tell us about your professional/business background: Research Scientist & Manager for 35 years w/ Pfizer Inc/ Minerals Technologies Inc.; working on 13th Street, Easton…
Monday, April 29, 2013
Easton Area superintendent candidates are bailing, taxes are rising, school board members are bickering and the teaching staff is getting shredded.
The Easton Area School District is a mess. There's no easy way to say it. It's the case. And anyone who would just look at the information coming out of the district these days would be able to make that same objective observation easily. While most school boards have already finalized their 2013-2014 preliminary budgets, our school board is still deciding what kind of tax hikes and staffing cuts should be attached to it. And, by the way, let's offer a zero percent tax option—Read My Lips: No New Taxes—but threaten to cut music and sports programs in the process. Scare tactics. The kind of scare tactics that forced my 13-year-old nephew to have to go before the school board and plead that music programs stay safe. No child should have to …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Tax hikes have become the norm for property owners in the Easton Area School District.
When the Easton Area School Board signs off on its preliminary 2013-2014 school budget, chances are a tax hike will be attached to it. After all, a tax hike is among two of the three options school administrators have offered as options along with staff reductions. And tax hikes also appear to be the norm for the school district. School taxes have been raised in 19 of 20 years. And that figure astounded school board member Frank Pintabone when he raised the question during the board's most recent work session. "I've been here a year now and we keep talking about how the future is bleak," Pintabone stated. "When was the last time we were doing OK?" Superintendent Susan McGinley responded: 2007. "When was the last time the district didn't …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
One Easton Area School Board member recently suggested that holding lecture-style classes may help alleviate teaching staff cuts.
Easton Area School Board member Robert Moskaitis believes he has an "outside-the-box" suggestion that may provide an answer to handling upcoming teacher cuts for next school year. At the board's recent worksession, when faced with options to cut staff and raise taxes, Moskaitis proposed lecture halls of 50-to-100 students after Schools Superintendent Susan McGinley stated that teaching resources are going to have to be reallocated next year. "In difficult times we have to be open to doing things differently," Moskaitis said. McGinley, though, disgreed with the suggestion. "We're trying to get away from lecture hall style," she responded. To have students get involved, that is what's best for students." Then an exchange started on the topic…
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Officials say Pat Vulcano violated confidentiality, but longtime school director says he did nothing wrong.
The Easton Area School Board has censured one of its members for revealing details about the search for a new superintendent to a local newspaper. The board passed a resolution Tuesday that "admonished and condemned" Pat Vulcano Jr., saying he “brazenly violated confidentiality” by speaking to the Morning Call. The action came on the same night board President Robert Fehnel said the district would name an interim superintendent, while still searching for a permanent replacement for current Superintendent Susan McGinley. For his part, Vulcano maintained he did nothing wrong, although he did apologize for revealing that Easton Mayor Sal Panto had applied for the superintendent job. "I did slip on bringing his name out," Vulcano said …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Easton Area School Board can't decide on tax increase, but says music won't be cut.
Although it was unable to decide on whether to raise taxes Tuesday night, the Easton Area School Board did come to one decision: Easton's elementary school music programs are off limits. The board made this decision after hearing from parents and students speaking in favor of the elementary music program, which would have been cut had the board voted for a no-tax-increase budget. The zero percent tax increase is still a possibility, as are budget scenarios that raise taxes by 1.7 and 2.1 percent, the option recommended by the school district administration. School officials—who had planned to wake up Wednesday with a preliminary budget approved—will instead continue working on balancing the $134.8 million budget for 2013-2014. But no …
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Easton Area School Board meets Tuesday to choose among three tax/staff cuts options in voting to adopt its 2013-2014 preliminary school budget.
The Easton Area School Board has a big decision before members Tuesday night. The board will decide among three options of staff cuts and tax hikes in voting to adopt the school district's 2013-2014 preliminary budget. But while the meeting's main focus will be on financial concerns, the board will also address a few other issues outlined by Business Manager Michael Simonetta at Tuesday's worksession. Simonetta said he'll ask the board to approve a property tax rebate program that is usually done anually. He told board members that the proposal has not changed from prior years. Also on the agenda is expected to approval of fuel oil bids. The bids are for biodiesel and octane and were organized by the IU, Simonetta said. Board Member Frank …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Easton Area School Board hears three options for staff cuts/tax hikes at work session Tuesday.
The Grim Reaper will be striking the Easton Area School District again next year. Despite tax hikes and staff cuts over the past few years, there will be more slashing and thrashing when the Easton Area School District's 2013-2014 preliminary budget is approved. That approval is expected at next Tuesday's school board meeting. The board heard three staff cut/tax hike options during a two-hour worksession Tuesday. The plan that Schools Superintendent Susan McGinley and Business Administrator Michael Simonetta outlined that won't cut school programs instead calls for a 2.1 percent tax hike and cutting 23 positions (12 professional, seven support, one assistant superintendent and three Act 93 posts.) That plan, which would also use $500,000 …
Yvonne Osmun
10:28 am on Tuesday, April 30, 2013
I hear the NFSA does a good job helping school districts and from the list of PA schools a number of local schools, like Parkland and some in Bucks County participate. Maybe this is something Easton needs to do. http://www.schoolfoundations.org/en/about_nsfa/ more ›