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SaveNASchools has formed a Political Action Committee (PAC) to support candidates for the North Allegheny School Board. The name of the PAC is “The Committee to Save NA Schools” and it is registered with the Allegheny County Board of Elections.
The Committee to Save NA Schools endorses the following 3 candidates:
These candidates were selected because they are committed to:
To read candidate bios, make a donation, and learn more about the PAC, please click here.
Richard Cook, North Allegheny Patch
“Scott E. Russell, the father of four North Allegheny students and an IT Director for General Nutrition Centers, is running for a seat on the North Allegheny School Board.”
Click here to link to the complete article.
Richard Cook, North Allegheny Patch
“Tara Z. Fisher, a member of the group Save NA Schools which has been fighting the proposed closing of any of the district’s elementary schools, is running for a seat on the North Allegheny School Board. ”
Click here to link to the complete article.
Dr. Raymond Gualtieri is now recommending the school close at the end of the 2013-2014 school year.
[To read complete text, click here]
Board member Thomas Schwartzmier said he was very happy with the delay in the Peebles closing.
“I’m glad that we reconsidered that, it’s something that I would have brought up at the vote had we not talked about it in advance,” he said. “I think this will give everyone more time to react appropriately as we move forward.”
Board member Christopher Jacobs wondered about the sudden recommendation to add classrooms at McKnight Elementary.
“I felt the administration did their homework and was very confident in their recommendation,” he said. “Why wasn’t that (adding classrooms to McKnight) part of the initial recommendation? Are we less confident now than we were before?”
“I don’t know that we’re less confident but we heard over and over again from parents that parents were not confident with that,” Gualtieri responded. “The administration was confident that the 12 or so spare classrooms was enough, but we heard that over and over again from 330 people as we went through the various elementary schools and we tried to address that concern.”
Alison Fujito, a parent, told the board she couldn’t buy that argument.
“There’s just too much contradiction here for me to have a whole lot of confidence in your current recommendations,” she said. “I’m kinda shocked that these concerns that we’ve raised, 300 of us have raised, you keep calling them parental concerns, why aren’t they your concerns?”
Board member Ralph Pagone reiterated his opposition to closing Peebles at all.
“The last thing any district should do is close a school,” he said. “I still feel there are stones we haven’t unturned yet and I would ask that we continue to do that. “The thing that’s glaringly missing from this power point presentation to me is the $10-14-million dollars in cost that Bradford Woods elementary is going to need. I’d like to see that addressed. The building is going to continue to deteriorate.”
Board President Maureen Grosheider said, she too, wanted to make sure all options were explored when it comes to operating the district efficiently.
“I want to make sure we’ve done our job and our homework to make sure that we are as lean as we can be in as many appropriate places that we can be,” she said. “I would like to see money in the classroom, that’s where I think it belongs.”
The school board meeting tonight will include a Demographics & Feasibility Update and the Appointment of a New Board Member.
The meeting is at 7pm and will be held in the Central Administrative Office Board Room located at 200 Hillvue Lane.
SaveNASchools encourages all residents to attend the school board meeting Wednesday night.
The meeting agenda includes:
The meeting is at 7pm and will be held in the Central Administrative Office Board Room. Residents interested in registering to speak can do so by contacting School Board Secretary Rose Mary Ryan at rryan@northallegheny.org or 412-369-5437.
In the fall of 2011, when Bradford Woods was being considered for closure, School Board Member Linda Bishop stated, “I think the new housing plays a greater role, almost, in predicting what’s going on and what’s going to happen than the live birth data.”
Click on the link to watch the video.
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2011: Board members express concern about enrollment projections
School Board President’s Comments on Growth and Closing a Building
Community group questions North Allegheny enrollment projections
In the fall of 2011, when Bradford Woods was being considered for closure, School Board Vice President Dan Hubert challenged the administration’s declining enrollment projections and noted that elementary enrollment has “increased.”
Mr. Hubert said, “I don’t think we’re going to see the decrease in enrollment that is being projected.”
Click on the link to watch the video.
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Related posts:
2011: Board members express concern about enrollment projections
School Board President’s Comments on Growth and Closing a Building
Community group questions North Allegheny enrollment projections
At last night’s school board meeting, the board approved the preliminary budget for the 2013-14 school year. The board also approved the resignation of School Board Member Beth Ludwig.
SaveNASchools encourages residents to be respectful when commenting on the website and Facebook page.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette: North Allegheny explores options to reduce proposed budget deficit
North Allegheny Patch: North Allegheny School Board Approves Preliminary Budget, Tax Hike
Pittsburgh Post Gazette: North Allegheny School Board member Beth Ludwig resigns
North Allegheny Patch: North Allegheny School Board Member Beth Ludwig Resigns
There is a school board meeting tonight at 7pm at Carson Middle School. The following items are expected to be discussed:
1. The administration is expected to address whether they have accepted the offer from Architectural Innovations to do a more comprehensive demographics and feasibility study after the firm stated in a letter, “We felt then, as we do now, that without evaluating the District as a ‘whole’, the study would not provide the level of information necessary for the Board of School Board Directors to make appropriate decisions regarding School District facilities.”
2. The board is expected to address the 2013-2014 budget. You can read more by linking here to an article in the North Allegheny Patch.
save NA schools 