Bethlehem Area settles on 5.1% hike

[Very Concerned Resident]

I am not sure how the band got into this conversation. For your information, the band DOES raise money for their activities. Do they raise the money for all of their activities...no, but show me one group in the school that does. Before you recommend that band and other arts programs be cut you need to look at the benefits to the school district from these arts. If it is simply a matter of raising money then the school district needs to revisit the "pay to play" policy. Everyone that participates in these activities needs to make a monetary contribution to the activity.

rose wrote:

So now a 5.1% increase is supposed to be a gift to the taxpayer??? Are they out of their minds? I have had it with all of them. Cut the extras and no I don't mean programs for at risk kids I mean things like band & sports. Have the parents pay a fee or fund raise for these activities. No new buses - fix the ones you have! combine the high schools at least where sports and band are concerned - it will save money and eventually stop alot of the problems associated with the rivalry between the two which causes a lot of trouble at and around sporting events. If changes are not made in how things are done this will not be the last time they dip into our pockets!

[Pa Resident]

What the heck. I thought these casinos going up was suppose to cut our school taxes. LIES....

[Very Concerned Resident]

Those school districts have a surplus of money because their boards, unlike the BASD Board, didn't spend it like they were drunk. The BASD Board spent the fund balance on things they wanted and then make statements that they didn't know they were spending the money when they approved the projects. This board is incompetent and a vote of no confidence needs to be made to remove them all and replace them.

The administration has made a number of mistakes, but the board is ultimately responsible. Mrs. Leeson made the statement that the financial problems were primarily a result of the administration's unauthorized overspending of the budget. Time to wake up Mrs. Leeson. The board approves ALL expenses before the checks are distributed. Time to take responsibility for your actions and stop trying to push the blame.

amazing wrote:

wow..only a 5.1% increase!! Let's see my raise this year was...well...0%, but, at least I have a job. So, a larger portion of my income goes to school taxes to get less from the school district.
I cannot understand why Allentown and Easton have surplus money for such economic downturns but BASD does not. I guess they are smarter than we are. But, we in the BASD have nice new buildings. That always makes me feel better when I have less income to support my family...sarcasm intended!

[Gram]

A_Wise_Man_Once_Said wrote:

So they are paying their substitute super $800/day which equates to a salary of more than the actual super. How do they justify that? What's next, are they going to pay substitute teachers more than the contracted faculty?

Makes sense if you follow their lead.

[Tyler]

Let's see, 5.1% increase for BASD taxes, then Fat Eddie wants to up his take to 3.57% and PPL wants a 30 to 40% increase, and gasoline is up 67% this year, then the school teachers want a 30% plus increase in taxes in 2012 to make up for the losses in their cushy retirement fund. Man, the working class is really getting shafted big time and will not be able to survive much longer.

[mmm_cheesesteak]

if the interim super can do a better job at close enough to Lewis' salary i'm not against it entirely. just wish we didnt have to fork out even more money

[CLASS OF 68]

AHHH It is great to read the truth. Thank you.

spread the wealth wrote:

there is something else a lot of you posters seem to forget about (besides the board being run by a bunch of incompetents). real estate owners have to foot the bill for the breeders (you know, the dirtballs who sit around all day living off of the taxpayers breeding their future dirtballs). these are also the majority of people whose kids use the at risk programs, and the free lunch programs, and the bi-lingual programs. so my point is, until something is done to stop the ever growing entitlement population, the ever shrinking working middle class will continue to get screwed.

[concerned]

toni wrote:

<quoted text>pay a guy 800 a day??? why???? and there are no business people on the board---they can use swaps and have no idea what they are doing=--curt teachers salaries and board members' pay----don't hand out free lunches and breakfasts'---no day care for kids in highschool f-them not me

School Board members DO NOT GET PAID. It is a volunteer position, and they don't deserve all of this abuse. It is a very difficult job that most of us wouldn't want to take on.

[New Law]

I continue to be amazed as to how easily our money can be used for garbage like this....

[Philly Fan]

Albur wrote:

This is what happens when the Democrates are in control. Tax tax tax. City by city they destroy. They all ****. This is why no decent hard working people live in cities controled by Democrates.

You want the free-spending but never tax Republicans in charge? That's why this country is in a financial mess.

[Frontier Justice]

concerned wrote:

<quoted text>
School Board members DO NOT GET PAID. It is a volunteer position, and they don't deserve all of this abuse. It is a very difficult job that most of us wouldn't want to take on.

It is not a very difficult job. You just have to be OK in your own skin. You must find satisfaction in doing the right thing for those you represent, rather than worry about whether or not you are popular with teachers or administrators or even the vocal parents group who demand spending on an athletic field or some other extravagance because that is THEIR pet project, or trying to keep up with other school districts' capital spending.

It is not rocket science. But it does requires character. These days positions of power seem to attract egomaniacs rather than those of character.

[Chris]

Good to see that bill of goods savior casino is paying off with "only" a 5%+ tax increase to the sheople of Bethlehem. I suggest we re-institute public tarring and feathering of the corrupt bureaucrats. I moved to NJ and regret it everyday, but it doesn't look like retreating back to PA would make much sense either.

[Philly Fan]

rose wrote:

So now a 5.1% increase is supposed to be a gift to the taxpayer??? Are they out of their minds? I have had it with all of them. Cut the extras and no I don't mean programs for at risk kids I mean things like band & sports. Have the parents pay a fee or fund raise for these activities. No new buses - fix the ones you have! combine the high schools at least where sports and band are concerned - it will save money and eventually stop alot of the problems associated with the rivalry between the two which causes a lot of trouble at and around sporting events. If changes are not made in how things are done this will not be the last time they dip into our pockets!

Band and sports are needed, as well as theater and chorus and journalism, etc. These activites help to broaden a young person's perspective and teaches discipline and focus. Let's stop the free lunches and free breakfasts; those are parental responsibilities. Temporarily freeze the salaries of all administrators. Combining sports teams and bands is not a good idea; extra bussing is one negative aming many. There's nothing wrong with a "pay-to-play"; many activities do that now in some form or raise the money.

[concerned]

Frontier Justice wrote:

<quoted text>
It is not a very difficult job. You just have to be OK in your own skin. You must find satisfaction in doing the right thing for those you represent, rather than worry about whether or not you are popular with teachers or administrators or even the vocal parents group who demand spending on an athletic field or some other extravagance because that is THEIR pet project, or trying to keep up with other school districts' capital spending.
It is not rocket science. But it does requires character. These days positions of power seem to attract egomaniacs rather than those of character.

I feel that it would be difficult to do this job. They need to attend meetings that, I believe, are at least one evening a week. In addition they must keep up with issues going on in the district, budget figures, and I'm not even sure what else. This is all in addition to working a real, paying job.

If you don't think it's difficult, then you should run.

[jones]

Lou DeNaples is having a celebration on saturday at Mt Airy Lodge, 7:00pm for being aquitted of all the crimes the the FBI and State police gathered against he and Father Sica for ties to the Cosa Nostra.

I'm sure father Sica will bless all the slots again and have a ten day Novena to Jesus so Godfather Lou will be the first one to get table games from Ed for the screwing he took from Corbett and the FBI.

[Electric Rate Payer]

Tyler wrote:

Let's see, 5.1% increase for BASD taxes, then Fat Eddie wants to up his take to 3.57% and PPL wants a 30 to 40% increase, and gasoline is up 67% this year, then the school teachers want a 30% plus increase in taxes in 2012 to make up for the losses in their cushy retirement fund. Man, the working class is really getting shafted big time and will not be able to survive much longer.

Not to late to stop PPL! Contact your legislators asks for phase-in for all customer classes including school districts.

[Fed_Up]

I sometimes wonder why I work. I could sit home on welfare and have all my bills paid for me, get food stamps, free medical & dental, section 8 pays my rent, the government pays my utility bills, and I wouldn't have to worry about paying for all these tax increases because the suckers that go to work every day will take care of that for me. I could have all the time in the world to make more kids, get more money for each one, and get them all signed up on SSI disability. Then they will go to school, cause problems and need special programs to deal with them. Isn't life great !!!!

[JUST BS]

spread the wealth wrote:

there is something else a lot of you posters seem to forget about (besides the board being run by a bunch of incompetents). real estate owners have to foot the bill for the breeders (you know, the dirtballs who sit around all day living off of the taxpayers breeding their future dirtballs). these are also the majority of people whose kids use the at risk programs, and the free lunch programs, and the bi-lingual programs. so my point is, until something is done to stop the ever growing entitlement population, the ever shrinking working middle class will continue to get screwed.

Best comment ever, so well said I can not even ADD to it !!!!

[StaberDearth]

rose wrote:

So now a 5.1% increase is supposed to be a gift to the taxpayer??? Are they out of their minds? I have had it with all of them. Cut the extras and no I don't mean programs for at risk kids I mean things like band & sports. Have the parents pay a fee or fund raise for these activities. No new buses - fix the ones you have! combine the high schools at least where sports and band are concerned - it will save money and eventually stop alot of the problems associated with the rivalry between the two which causes a lot of trouble at and around sporting events. If changes are not made in how things are done this will not be the last time they dip into our pockets!

You must be new around here. Cut the band? They pretty much do their own fundraising for most things. The band at Liberty probably has more members per total student body than most schools and is a fine program and has been so for years. Like I said, you must be new around here or you would not say such an utterly stupid thing.

So we cater to students who do not want to learn? I say give 'em a shovel (ready..) and put them to the work that they are most qualified for, manual labor, not annoying those in school that WANT TO LEARN!

[Susie]

I thought the da-- casino was going to pay for EVERYTHING. Bethlehem's prosperous gambling mecca still can't control the greedy leaders in this city. They scammed the public withtheir bond schemes and computer thievery and who knows what else????