Another letter to the editor!!!

Just when I think there are very few things certain board members can do to sink any lower, one of them proves that I couldn’t be more wrong. This week Mrs. Clutter has chosen to thrust herself into new depths of ridicules behavior. How you may ask? Simple, when confronted about issues surrounding the alumni game debacle the board members in question had no comments, questions or remarks. Now, I am sure that if asked, these select few board members would tell you they are not supposed to respond to the public. However, that is their rule, their way of reducing the possibility of an embarrassing moment occurring during any confrontations. How then do they attempt to get the last word in? By writing a letter to the editor or placing ads in the newspaper of course. This then eliminates any possible rebuttal, any confrontation and any possibility of being chastised for their actions.

Is it not time to grow up and move towards making Trinity the type of school that we can all be proud of? Have there not been enough heart ache, turmoil, ridicule, embarrassment and hatred spewed towards the public and towards the very children you have sworn to protect and to educate? The most recent letter to the editor contained defamatory and harassing statements as a reward for a young man whom simply tried to support his Alma-matter by assisting in the development of an alumni game that he and many other’s were proud to be part of.

Let's Answer a Few Questions

Let’s Answer a Few Questions.

In a recent article on the O-R blog an individual stated that there were 5 members of the audience that stood when asked if any one agreed with the board and their decisions. First, I would like to clarify some things. The first person mentioned did not stand, the second one, well truthfully I could not tell if he was standing or not. Carl Fritz was in Ohio so I am pretty sure the attendees could not determine if he stood or not and Rick West was in Florida, I’m rather certain he was not standing at the time. As for myself, I always stand in the back and when she asked the question I and the three people I was standing with either squatted or bent over. The person that wrote the article does not deserve a response but I did feel that the two people that were out of town should not have been drug into such ridicules accusations.

The questions about “Trinigate”

First, it was not on a night when there was a board meeting it was reportedly a Monday.

Second, according to a 1994 ruling school board members have authority individually from “Gavel to Gavel” only. The precedent setting case states that no board member can act or investigate any item without full board approval.

Third I have been informed that tapes at Trinity are accessible for approximately 90 days (I have not fully confirmed that however)

More later.

?????





I guess this says it all



NONSENSE !!!!!

The following is the definition of the word Nonsense by the Webster’s Dictionary. This word, Nonsense was used by Mrs. Interval during the most recent board meeting. This word is used on a regular basis by many people; however the reason why this time warrants further discussion is the context for which the word was used.

The Sentence; “Sandy, call me back when this nonsense is over with”

The Context;

Mrs. Salvatori, speaking in the capacity of a citizen was reading a well prepared, heartfelt          speech about the current actions of the school board. Mrs. Salvatori was offering the state                        and the local recommendations of conduct and operational standards for school boards.

The Definition;

Noun 1. A message that seems to convey no meaning.[Wordnet]

2. Ornamental objects of no great value.[Wordnet]

3. That which is not sense, or has no sense; words, or language, which have no meaning, or which convey no intelligible ideas; absurdity.[Webster’s]

4. Trifles; things of no importance.[Webster’s].

Adjective 1. Having no intelligible meaning; "nonsense syllables".[WordNet]

2. Being absurd, ridiculous, preposterous, ludicrous or irrational. [Eve - graph theoretic]

3. Being silly, foolish, inept, senseless or stupid. [Eve - graph theoretic]

4. Being vacuous or empty. [Eve - graph theoretic]                                            

5. Being pointless or purposeless. [Eve - graph theoretic]

6. Being trifling, insignificant or trivial. [Eve - graph theoretic]

The Actual Nonsense;

·        The fact that some of our board members do not realize that their cell phone is equipped with a mute button. When used properly this simple devise would eliminate the need for everyone in attendance at the meeting from being subject to conversations and noises on the other end of the phone.

·        The fact that when interviewed by the O-R immediately following the meeting, Mrs. Clutter, when given this open media forum chose to complain about people wanting to talk about sports as her main comment.

·        The fact that teachers, clerical workers and coaches are being terminated without considering alternatives or other opportunities.

·        The fact that  a board member orchestrated TRINIGATE by entering the middle school at 7:00 PM with two individuals whom were coerced into assisting in an effort to obtain information off of a school computer in the food service office. Wait, could that be the same computer that the highly private information pertaining to free and reduce lunches are stored?

·        The fact that two board members and the AD decided what coaches should be terminated in an arbitrary manor that will most likely result in additional lawsuits.

·        The fact that we pay exorbitantly for a non-contracted attorney to handle all employment and contractual negotiations and still have not settled contracts with food service or clerical staffs after more than a year.

·        The fact that two board members and the AD made the decision to not allow state mandated hip and tail bone pads to be purchased because the term Girdle pad obviously refers to underwear.

·        The fact that two separate full page ads were purchased by 4 board members and both contained false and fabricated information according to the business office.

·        The fact that we have multiple lawsuits involving potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in awards and costs because of non-professional and ignorant statements and actions by certain currant and ex-board members.

·         The fact that after approval of the budge by the board, certain members manipulated its outcome by disallowing most items listed under the approved dollar structure of the budget.

·        The fact that a board member and a couple administrators decided to reject an offer to have the alumni game at the Trinity field  and then blatantly lie about the facts surrounding the situation.

·        The fact that 3 board members proved their interest in the views of the public when they voted “no” to allowing an extended time period for community comments during the last meeting.

·        The fact that according to one board members direct relative, the actions against a certain coach were a result of a vendetta reaching back 7 years.

·        Te fact that certain members of this board make rude and ignorant comments to each other and to audience members and these same board members appear to not pay attention to any constituent that is addressing them during meetings..

·        The fact that teachers and coaches have developed alternative offerings to assist in the budget needs, all of which were rejected by the board.

·        The fact that “Pay-for-Play” is intended to be the saving grace for budget concerns and we have not yet researched all of the ramifications connected to it.

·        The fact that starting November of 2009 certain board members have spent all of their waking moments attempting to destroy Trinity sports and the Trinity school system.

·        The fact that this letter could go on and on and on recapping the ridiculous behaviors, attitudes and actions of a few board members as they carry out their own agendas and vendettas.

Thursday July 21, 2011 School Board Meeting

This meeting has the potential to be a very important one, there will be many questions asked and hopefully answered at this meeting. If you are available please come and support your school and your children. If you have questions ask them, we each need to become involved in the process instead of waiting for decisions to be made for us. This is not just about sports, it is however about the future of our children and the education of our children. We can no longer allow decisions to be made with malice, contempt and personal adgendas in play but rather these decisions need to be made in the best interests of the students, the educators, the parents and the taxpayers.

Some facts sorounding the Alumni Game

From time to time there are items that we talk about that although we consider them to be important they fall a little lower on the “life changing actions” chart. One such item was the most recent Alumni football game, yes it was important, fun and filled with excitement, however the game itself will have minimal impact on the future of Trinity or Washington School Districts. With that said we recently stated in the blog and others have stated that efforts to use Trinity as the venue for this event were thwarted by Trinity officials. Some of these officials have emphatically denied even knowing of the game, others have said “where is the proof” well here is a direct copy of one email and a brief timeline surrounding the game and the facts behind it. We also have all of the other emails for further evidence if needed.

I realize that this is not as important of an event as the many other items happening now, items such as teacher layoffs, Pay for Play, kindergarten reductions, busing issues and on and on, however this speaks volumes to the integrity of those that we are dealing with for the future of Trinity. Remember these problems are created by a few members, not the entire board.

From: James Varner <james.varner@yahoo.com>;
To: <clutters@trinitypride.org>;
Subject: Trinity VS Wash High Alumni football game
Sent: Mon, May 16, 2011 4:39:47 PM

Hello Mrs. Clutter, I understand that recently a fellow alum. football player (Ben Bell) for Trinity's team had contacted you in reference to information about assistance with this game. Furthermore, I understand that you had said that it was the first time that you had heard of this event and to contact you if there is anything that you can do to help. That was great news for me to hear as we do in fact know of a few things that we would appreciate your help/assistance with. This event usually sees the school reaching out to the alum team to help out with preparation, offer the football field as a venue, etc.. In return the school shares in the full admission fee collection with (Wash High) the other school. However, I spoke with Athletic Director Bobby Jones who stated that Trinity Field is not an option and the event as a whole seems to not be of interest to the school. I noticed a CC of our email exchange had also gone to Mr. Kasunich. I am willing
 to accept that I may misunderstand this concept, but I was unaware that only a board member or two are needed to make a choice on a topic that is brought up involving the school district and events? I would like to make a final push upon your statement to let you know if there is anything that you can do. We would like organization of a band (which in all honestly would give the band real time practice before the real football season starts) for this game and would also appreciate the use of Trinity Football uniforms. All schools in the area support the alumni teams since the school itself will benefit financially. I truly hope that you can help us so that we and also the school can benefit. Otherwise, we appreciate your time and will look to make all monies go to Wounded Warriors Foundation. This is not a small, one time thing. It will happen year in and year out and become a tradition. Though Trinity has expressed that we are a homeless team basically
 in terms of venue (even if we were granted home field advantage) . We our extending our hand with one last attempt for the very school in which we were educated and paid taxes to assist us and also benefit themselves in doing so as this game approaches. This game is set for July 8th, your assistance and expedience will be greatly appreciated.




Best regards,


James Varner

Alumni Game Timeline

March 20^th-Jim Varner emails Bobby Jones and requests a meeting with him concerning the Alumni Game

March 20^th-Bobby Jones replies that he will look into the rules but would be happy to discuss it with him.

March 20^th- Varner  responds and looks forward to discussing the event when he flies back from Ft. Lauderdale toward the end of April.

Early April-Varner contacts  Athletic Director Bobby Jones who states that Trinity Field is not an option and the event as a whole seems to not be of interest to the school. A CC of this email exchange had also gone to Mr. Kasunich.

April 24^th- Big Meeting with both Wash High and Trinity to determine home field.

April 26^th-Ben Bell emails Sandy Clutter asking why their proposal was rejected. He attaches his draft letter and requests a response.

April 29^th-Sandy Clutter replies to Ben Bells email and states that “Iwill let you know ASAP.”

May 16^th- Jim Varner emails Sandy Clutter asking for assistance and support of the game.

Budgeting 101 (The Trinity Way)

Well let’s try to understand this latest attempt at sabotaging sports. The school Board passes a budget, now most of us have a few problems with that budget, namely laying off several great teachers aids and staff members, Pay-for-Play, coaching reduction and so on. But here is one that seems almost comical because it is so ridicules, each department has a budgeted amount of money to spend, generally budgets are based on wish and need lists so you give the board a list of items you will need with the anticipated costs for those items. Then there may be discussions or possibly just a decision is made as to the actual amount that will be allowed, that number is then added to the budget, the budge is then approved and we have a working program for the upcoming year.

The process is a little different here at Trinity all of the steps are the same, except the last one that is. The final approved budget is then taken by a couple of the board members and an adjustment is made to the approved items, not the dollars, just the items. For example, football had all of the normal items included, items that are very important to fielding a team, items that are required by law in some instances. But a few wise members of Trinity Area School Board have decided it is a frivolous expense to purchase mouth guards, girdle pads, and chin straps etc. Almost every sport has been affected by these listing so the money is still but the approved items list is reduced to almost nothing. Once the budget is approved by the full board what would one or two of the board members gain by then changing the list of approved purchases? More importantly what would make them believe they have the power or authority to do so without the entire board voting? I think it is time we all start asking these questions and demanding answers from them. As I stated in the last blog “enough is enough”. Please attend the upcoming board meetings and tell them how you feel The next one is July 21st.

Another Lawsuit??? and She wants to do what with Spirit Wear???

I have waited several weeks for the following information to be reported on but I have not heard or read anything about it. So I thought I would at least put the facts in the blog to allow you the opportunity to stay informed. So, here are the basic facts from a lawsuit filled against The Trinity School District. Docket No. 533-2010-01118 Filled with the United States Equal Opportunity Commission.

Craig Jackson filled an action stemming from an application with the Trinity Area School District, Trinity was ordered to pay Jackson $21,000 and Gregg, Jackson’s attorney $9,000. Jackson agrees to not pursue any further actions.

One part to this that bothers me greatly is that this action is against the Trinity Area School District not the Trinity School Board A few members of the board continue to lump the  great families of Trinity into this type of action and embarrass each and every one of us because of their own feelings, agendas, and prejudices. Enough is enough.

Here is a brief tidbit about recent statements by the President of the Trinity School board, she now would like to open a store in the school to sell spirit wear, and no longer allow booster clubs the opportunity to sell the items without paying licensing fees. Lets look at all the facts here. The board initiates a Pay-for-Play policy, they then eliminate most items that will be purchased by them (more on this in a couple days), then they reduce our coaching staffs by 9, and now reduce the possibilities of booster organizations making minimal profits on Trinity logoed items DO you see a trend here that would include the elimination of sports. I will offer more details in a couple days but that is the start.

Interesting!!

I recently had an opportunity to speak to some of the people involved in the upcoming alumni game featuring Wash High and Trinity. According to these individuals this game was offered to Trinity first, to be held at Hiller field and allowing Trinity to reap the benefits of somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000. Now please understand not everyone agrees that this game is a good idea, and the 15 to 20 thousand dollars is purely speculative from the promoter, however this game could have easily assisted in offsetting pay for play costs and/or booster purchases. (Booster purchase will be discussed in my next blog).

Why? You ask would we have not at least met to decide if this was something we could have done. The promoter had the expense, the insurance, the uniforms and all of the paperwork along with most of the other costs. The school has to use boosters to man the gates and sell tickets and anything else the boosters would like to sell. Seems like a no brainer, however according to the people involved our School Board President stated we were not interested. I guess that is all I need to say on that subject

What's next ???

If you happened to read the newspaper today you are aware of the ad placed in the paper by four of the school board members. I am confused as to why they would need to run that ad if the budget was already enacted. Why would there be a need to pay for an ad showing teacher salaries after the fact. Was their goal an attempt at producing the “shock and awe” effect, usually these actions are intended to achieve a goal, doing it after the fact is simply an attempt to create a reaction. That action is kind of like a policeman shooting a person multiple times and then yelling “STOP POLICE”, doesn’t have the same effect does it, pretty much looses all of its meaning I think.

The plan of certain board members was, first lay off some teachers and staff members. Second, charge the kids and parents for just about anything they could think of and of course reduce services to the kids. Third, it begins to get a little tricky here because there is a long list of “In-again/Out-again” Items added to the budget then taken out of the budget, for example eliminating the Opt-out insurance program (back out of budget) and the no transportation for middle school sports (back out of budget). Then there is the elimination of three positions from the staff including Transportation, Police and Marketing (back in the budget). Reduce coaches from as many sports as possible (back in the budget) and the ever popular evaluate and reward certain administrators for a job well done (tabled again). 4 members of this board’s goal were achieved, in spite of arguments, questions, suggestions and directives. The 5^th member voting for the board apparently voted for the budget because he has been living in a vacuum and did not realize that the Governor had added money back to the school district.  

If you were present at the meeting this past Wednesday you saw an amazing turn out of teachers, administrators, parents and even students, the teachers have shown a desire to work with the board by offering concessions and an open line of communication. The board has rewarded that by attacking everyone. Seems like nothing changes with this group.

Teachers speak out.

  The item below is another attempt from the Trinity Area Teachers Association to right a wrong before it negatively affects our children. It certainly is our hope that the board members will listen to these educators and move us in the direction best suited for the educational purposes of our school district. When I sit to write this blog, my goal, although difficult at times, is a desire to create a perfect combination of truth, accuracy and composure. To speak freely about thoughts, events and plans of the district as I and others see them, however, that comes with the realization that we as a people must prepare for the future through the education of our children. It does not matter what feelings are about a specific teacher or administrator; it is the district as a whole that we must support and protect. We accept the fact that plumbers, carpenters, brick layers, roofers and builders are paid $25.00 to $50.00 per hour to build monumental structures, but we are less willing to pay teachers to build strong minds and successful futures. These skilled laborers are a necessity to our future, just as the children are. Let us not lose sight of that fact. These teachers and staff members have proven their concern for our children, with the desire to love and nurture them and their aspirations to assist in their educational growth. We each need to voice our opinions and emphasize our feelings to the board about the need to educate and and the desire to create future excellence through our children.


School Board Members-
  
     As taxpayers of TASD,  we are writing you to express our sincere dissatisfaction to the possible furloughing of 6 teachers while there are three very large classrooms across the elementary level.  After redistricting, which we know Mr. McWreath did not agree with, Trinity North's third grade is set to have 26 students per class and the fifth grade is set to have 27 students per class.  In addition, Trinity East's third grade will have 25 students per class and absolutely no support in reading.  We cannot understand why the school board would possibly furlough 6 teachers when there is a need in our district.  At the very least, Trinity East is in desperate need of a reading specialist for intervention purposes.  It is unfair to the families of East to be penalized for not qualifying for Title I funding.  The school board has always been concerned with "consistency" among the elementary buildings.  If those sentiments also pertain to East, then it is your responsibility as a school board director to see that a remedial reading program be provided for at Trinity East. 

     We understand the need and desire to be fiscally responsible.  That being said, some of these cuts are just too deep.  If we are understanding correctly, the district may receive up to $590,000 of cut funding back from the state.  As taxpayers of TASD, it is our hope, for the benefit of the students, that the district be willing to put back at least 4 of the above mentioned positions so as not to negatively effect the educational programs offered at TASD.  Feel free to call us if you would like to discuss any of these matters.  Thank you.
Dana and Michael Ledger
South Strabane

We are back, Starting with the budget issues

It has been quite a long time since our last entry into the blog, not because there has been nothing to report on, but rather the exact opposite.   It has been budget time for the Trinity Area School District, and the board members have been addressing many different items. Some of these we have heard about were just ideas, some were facts, and some were just rumors. However, the truth is that the discussions from the board were marred with arguments, innuendos, personal feelings and mistaken facts. We can not at this time attempt to bring to light to all of those conversations but we can speak of some of the major ones.

 

This budget by all accounts is a difficult one; the state has demanded belt tightening and re-evaluation of continuing practices. This edict by the state is a daunting task but one that under the current economic stress needs to be carried out. There is a difference, however, between belt tightening and destruction. When evaluating expenses and reductions due to those expenses, you must always take into account the long term effects weighed against the short term benefits. Therein lies the problem. Certain members of the board, it would appear, have neglected to consider the long term effects of the decisions currently offered.  

 

Let’s take a moment to look at a few of the proposed cuts, changes and offerings under the new budget and why I believe the board may not have  considered the long term pitfalls of these actions. The most important one is the furloughing of teachers. This action could most assuredly eliminate payroll and expense problems; however, this action would also reduce the quality of the education provided at Trinity. During the last meeting eight teachers and eight support staff retired, assisting in the reductions to payroll. The teachers union itself offered a proposal that included reductions in pay and insurance premium increases, along with an open dialog for further consideration, basically in exchange for a temporary "no furlough" condition. The board rejected the proposal in its entirety without even a meeting to discus other options. The board's reasoning included that the proposal contained “too many strings attached to consider” the proposals.

 

Let’s look at the opt-out insurance proposal. The board has been advised by insurance experts not to consider this proposal. Basically, the current health insurance is offered to all full-time employees. If the employee decides not to take the insurance offerings, the school pays that employee $1800 per year. If they do take the option, it can cost the school district around $1600 per month. Trinity has approximately 32 people on the Opt-Out program totaling approximately $57,600 per year. If all 32 employees decide to exercise their right to be included in the insurance program it will cost the district in excess of $600,000 per year.

 

Another major change proposed by members of the board would include “Pay-to-Play” for sports, band and extra curricular activities. This would be either $50.00 or $75.00 per sport per year.This could generate $60,000 to $90,000 depending on the choice. The downside to this is simple: does “Pay-to-Play” means every child plays or every child participates. If a child pays, then can the board still enforce the new grading policy for eligibility? Will there be discounts for multiple sports or multiple children in the same family? The questions could continue here, but I think we all can see that a decision such as this must be accompanied by detailed thoughts and ideas coupled with many discussions from all parties involved. The board can not simply say “that sounds like a good idea” and rush to implement it.

 

Along those same lines is the proposed increase to the student parking fees from $15.00 to $30.00 per year. Although I personally consider this to be a form of double taxation, the proposal offers a clause that states that, in inclement weather, the “Pit” will be closed to all vehicles. Does that mean that the students who park there will be given a discount or refund based on weather conditions?

 

Middle school extra-curricular buses may also be eliminated. Simply stated, there may not be transportation to any academic club or sports function. This action will directly affect only the middle school students; however the problems created can have a much greater negative effect on the entire Trinity district. Without transportation, working parents will in some cases have to prohibit their child from participating in the above stated activities. Most middle school events, sports or otherwise, are held earlier in the evening, prohibiting parent participation in the transportation dilemma. Teachers and coaches will not be able to offer assistance here because of sheer numbers and liability concerns. Dwindling numbers participating will affect the high school because children who have not participated for two years may not be able to rekindle their enthusiasm. The notion that a well rounded student is good for the school system and for the student will no longer be a possibility in the district or will, at the very least, involve many fewer students.

 

Rather than overwhelm anyone with an excessively long letter here, I will be adding additional information every day this week to help understand the current budget and to bring us all up to speed again, at least as I see it.  

  

 

     It should also be noted that Trinity is working with a rather large surplus fund (well in excess of 3.5 million dollars)  that is intended to be emergency working capital. Is this not the type of emergency it should apply to?

It really is not a laughing matter

My last post was a tongue-in-cheek look at Mrs. Clutter and the way the title of  ”President" had gone to her head. The fact is I am almost ashamed of myself for making light of these items because what she is doing is not a laughing matter. The baseballs and baseball hats are just childish muscle flexing, the attacks on the CDL acquisition more of the same, but now she is accusing Levi of managing the baseball team during his hours of work as transportation manager. The theme here is obvious: continue to focus on one person and attack each and every aspect of that person until the board members involved break him or her. This type of action by a supervisor, administrator or board member is improper and immoral.

There is a consistent process from these board members to “search and destroy”. Lets look back:  Tom Sable, Ed Dalton, Chad Daloia, Ed Dalton, the football team, Ryan Daloia, Ed Dalton, Dennis Makel,  Levi Bristor, the entire staff of cafeteria workers, the baseball team (yes, Ed was three times)  I could continue here, but you get the point. Interestingly, most of these deal with athletics or people who genuinely care about our children. We are told “it’s not about sports”. The majority of these items and many others would never be tolerated by the average person. However, because they are directed at teachers, coaches and other school personnel, by school board members, we have begun to tolerate the behavior.

I do not know if certain members of this board will ever develop a conscience. I do not know if those same board members will ever realize the importance of having good, hard-working employees. We can certainly hope for those things, and we can continue to thank those members that have cast away the venomous attitudes of others and allowed common sense and decency to be their guiding factors.

The election will be here soon.  The three members who continue to create the most havoc will not be on the ballot. However, we still have the ability to surround them with new board members that will bring a sense of decorum to the board and could bring respect back to the Trinity School System.

President Clutter to the Rescue

With a potential 3 million dollar deficit looming in the near future, contracts not signed for the service personnel, teacher contracts nearing their end, and contract attorney, Mr. Breth, charging tens of thousands of dollars for everything except contracts, issues and concerns about Trinity South abound.  Add to those the insurance dilemma and the multiple on-going lawsuits. With all of these major issues President Clutter has figured out how to save the day. She has filtered out all of peripheral nonsense and has gone directly to the heart of the problem. She has caught the baseball team (well, at least Coach Levi) purchasing some extra hats. Let’s see: we spend around $8.00 per hat, Levi purchased an extra 16 or 17 hats. Doing the math, bankruptcy is averted. We have potentially found as much as $170.00 savings. We can now breathe a little easier.

Please understand that it is possible for hats to get lost, ripped, filthy or just forgotten.  I think we would have to ask the coach how many we normally use. Of course, he is the one who ordered what he felt he needed in the first place. There will always be a need for additional hats.  Another question for the president concerning Levi:  is there a reason why you are also attacking his attempt at securing a chauffeurs license? It is required in his contract; therefore, he must secure one. Just so we all know, he is paying for the training on his own, and he does the training during his lunch break. While we are talking about examples of likely abuse of authority, let’s look at the accusations made by the President toward the lunch personnel. The actual complaint is that the employees are BUYING food from the company that sells to the school. Will these board members ever stop? Do some of the members not realize that they are only Trinity School Board members from gavel to gavel? They do not have the right to make decisions, changes and adjustments when the meetings are not in session. Each board member is a normal citizen during all other times.  

Here is another Leviism, it appears that king I mean President Clutter has found another way to save millions, or at least another $30.00 or $40.00 dollars. Baseballs, yes baseballs and it appears we possibly have pictures to prove it. There were two gentlemen at the baseball practice taking pictures, we assume of the baseballs in the field. Consequently Bobby Jones then approached Levi and informed him of a need to begin accounting for the baseballs used.  Give me a break, this is ridiculas.

In my opinion it is time for Dr. Kasunich to stand up and say enough is enough. Moral at the schools is at an all time low, certain board members are micro managing every aspect of the school system except the big stuff like, education. Dr. Kasunich is the only local person with the authority to say “stay out of my schools” and “let me operate the schools the way I see fit” however he has yet to put his foot down. Dr. K if you continue to wait it will be too late.

The people of the Trinity School District are very lucky that we have Chris Chambers spending many hours of his own time, researching, attending meetings, and being our watchdog over the insurance program. He has been asking the right questions and making sure that every concern is addressed. Chris was placed on the agenda for last weeks meeting to offer his take on the insurance situation. Chris presented a very concise and informative statement that certainly put things into their proper perspective. I also ask that if you see Chris, thank him for his efforts. His do-diligence has allowed us to express our expectations from the financial leaders of our School Board.

I will advise everyone concerning the time, date and location of the next “meet your board candidate” as soon as possible.

What's next?

Here is a little teaser for you during the next few hours I will put the new blog on, What’s the teaser?

The headline will be:

President Clutter to the Rescue!!!

What is the next step for the election?

Our get-together last night was very productive. It gave several individuals a chance to ask questions, present ideas, and even vent a little. We did invite all of the candidates that we could contact. However, three of the individuals either did not return my calls or I could not locate information on them. Last night was intended to be the first in a series of "town hall" style meetings; it was more of an introduction meeting. We will be having another on March 21st at 7:00 PM, (or another day that week, I will let you know) with a much more detailed agenda. The next meeting will have each candidate sitting on stage at a table. After a 3 minute self introduction, we will provide time for all interested parties to ask questions with timed answers from the intended recipient.

Questions will be asked by the audience members in attendance. We will not allow, nor would we expect, attacks or verbal abuse intended for any candidate. The idea is this:  if the candidate is willing to answer our questions and concerns, then it will become much easier to make an educated, informed decision when it comes time to vote for these candidates.

After this next general meeting we will schedule additional meetings, geared towards the individual areas, addressing individual concerns, meetings specifically planned for the people of Canton Township, South Strabane and so on. This will allow a much more concentrated effort for all of the concerned parties and will allow a better understanding of the needs and desires of each individual community. You may ask yourself, is this all needed? Our answer to that is "yes", after seeing the effects of little to no concern for our school board elections, and the catastrophe that can ensue.  YES, it is needed. We must take the extra steps for all of our children, our tax base, and our future. Never again can we sit back and say “what harm can they do”; never again can we take a lackadaisical approach to our most important and cherished gift, our right to equal and fair representation through the election process. I realize it sounds like a soap box, but we have seen the damage that can be caused by a select few if we ignore our do-diligence when exercising our right to vote.

A very important get-together

We are having a get-together this evening to introduce candidates for the upcoming Trinity School Board race. The gathering will be held at 7:00 PM at the First Baptist Church at 101 College St., on the corner of Wheeling and College. You can park behind the church or in the library lot, since it should be closed at that time. If you cannot be there at 7,  please come later, as we will be there until at least 9:00 PM.

 

For the past 15 months we have been told by attorneys, judges, school officials, ranking  state officials, community leaders and onothers, that the problems we currently have with our school system are actually our own fault. In November of last year we allowed a few people with long term vendettas, agendas and built-up hatred to take over positions on the Trinity School Board. We allowed it because we chose to not vote, or to not think about our vote or to simply believe the lies that some of these individuals spewed to the public in order to be elected. Just a few short months ago no one would have believed that a portion of a nine-member board could destroy an institution to such a degree. Trinity is still a great place, but how much more of the embarrassment, degradation, insults, ridicule and harassment can this wonderful school system and its amazing staff, administrators, coaches and student body endure, I fear not much more.

 

It is time for each of us to let our voices echo through the halls of each Trinity school with a resounding, “Enough is enough”. Your vote in this next election will be one of the many important decisions you will make for your children and for their future. This one action has the ability to impact the lives of thousands of men, women, and children in a positive manor. This is one of those times that one voice, one action; one vote does make a difference. This meeting will help to inform all of us of the intentions of the candidates. We will have an opportunity to ask questions and find the answers to the items of most impotence to our families.

 

I truly apologize for this gathering occurring on Ash Wednesday. It was the only available time, and the importance of having this meeting as soon as possible speaks for itself. Please bring your friends and family with you. I have been asked, “Is it ok to bring children?” Of course it is; they are the reason we are here.

 

As always, thanks for the support. ...See you tonight.

 

Ed Martin

It is time to take charge

Let’s not forget about the gathering tomorrow evening at the First Baptist Church at 101 college. On the corner of Wheeling and College. This will be a good time to ask prospective School Board candidates, what would you like to accomplish as a school board member? What would you do with South? What is your position on the current Insurance issue? What changes to the curriculum would you like to see, etc?  The gathering will be at 7:00 and is open to anyone that is concerned about the school board and school system. No one is going to say yes I have a personal vendetta to settle, instead we can ask candidates to promise to always act with the best interests of the district, students and tax payers and not to let personal feelings over take their decision making process.


There is no charge for this event.  This is to ask question and meet some of the potential candidates. We intend to have some light snacks; cookies etc. so if you need to bring children feel free to do so. Please ask friends and neighbors to come along with you. This could be the beginning of much needed change in our school system and a school board that for a few of them has become known as "Snakes-on-a-Stage"

I truly apologize for scheduling it on Ash Wednesday, but it was the only day available and I am in hopes that scheduling it after 7:00 will help with conflicts. Remember it starts at 7 but feel free to come at any time you are available we should be at the church until around 9 or after so feel free to come when you can.

Some thoughts!!

Something occurred to me this morning that I thought I would share, as parents we spend most of our lives worrying about our children. We worry about the opportunities that have been placed before them. We worry about their future, their college choices, their safety, their education and a multitude of other things that are part of being a parent. So, why do I state the obvious, well, I realized that we have three board members that have children in the Trinity School system and at least a couple that have grand children in Trinity.

How is it possible that most of these board members have spent the last 15 months worried about executing a variety of planned vendettas without even considering the disaster they have created for the children of the Trinity School District, including their own? They have been given an incredible opportunity to positively affect the educational, emotional and philosophical lives of hundreds of children and yet they have chosen to attack some very good people and tear apart the very system that they were elected to protect and develop. How exactly does one hate so deeply that they can do these things and not even consider the long term damage created by their actions.

This is the exact reason that we need to make sure that a new board is voted in this May, educated adults that do not care about a wrestling problem from seven years ago. People that understand that the way they treat the staff and employees of the school district is just as important as the student’s education. People that know how to respect their positions and to create a professional, goal oriented board. A board that believes in Roberts Rules of Order and believes that parent and taxpayer input are a blessing not a curse. Representatives that believe that every child at Trinity is worth the extra effort of the board members, men and woman whom love Trinity more than they love the power of the position.

We will have a gathering of concerned Trinity family members and anyone who is running for School Board in the upcoming election on Wednesday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. The planned gathering will be held at The First Baptist Church located at

101 College St.

it is at the intersection of College and Wheeling St. Parking is in the rear of the church or at the library across the street. This meeting should give all of us a chance to ask questions of the potential candidates and hopefully to understand the reason’s behind each of their candidacies. All are welcome and hopefully we have a strong turnout for this very important gathering.

The FAMILY

The last two meetings of the Trinity School Board have been marred with many interesting, moments. I will attempt to touch on a few of those items here, mostly things that occurred after the actual meeting two weeks ago. The information about that meeting is in this previous blog posting.

Immediately following the board meeting, the father of a board member decided to verbally offer his take surrounding coach Dalton’s tenure at Trinity.  His commentary was filled with false and unsubstantiated accusations concerning Ed. This person proceeded to attack Ed’s character, his integrity and his morality, he did so in an open forum and as usual he spoke loud enough for anyone within ear shot to have heard the conversation. It did not matter that we spent $25,000 to prove there was nothing wrong, and that, according to Mr. Breth no person was found to have done anything improper. However,  “he knew what had been done” This same person has on numerous occasions made similar accusations to additional people throughout town and in much different venues.

One such time was his verbal assault of a past customer during that customer’s visit to his office. Multiple accusations were again bantered about as if there were facts associated with the information. (Of course there were not) However during that visit this person also gave a glimpse into their family’s mind, by offering an explanation as to why terminating Dalton was so important. According to the customer, this person stated that 7 years ago there was an issue with the wrestling team at Trinity and Dalton would not correct the issue to their liking. So, at that moment it was decided the son would run for school board and then terminate Dalton as one of his first acts, do we all remember the first action of this board “open all coaching positions” that was over 15 months ago.

We are aware of dozens of such conversations, held in conjunction with and without board meetings, with and without board members present, and held in locations like Denny’s restaurant, Eat-N-Park restaurant, McDonald’s restaurants, and the list goes on.

I am certainly aware that dozens and dozens of people have been part of, listened too or have heard these stories. I think it is time for as many people as possible to step up and offer written information as to their contact with these board members and what was offered to them as proof of wrong doing. We can not allow a group of people like this to degrade out teachers, coaches and friends in this manor. We as a civilized people must end these attacks and must force these individuals to adhere to the normal standards and practices offered by even the smallest companies. Each involved member should be held accountable for their actions.  

The meeting this week was a bit less eventful, however in a rather spirited volley of words Mr. Keisling made his feelings known, concerning the upcoming self-insured program and subsequent vote, and also the all-day kindergarten debate. Keisling does not want either; however several members of the board and Mr. Kasunich do want both, Could prove to became a serious issue soon.

Kindergarten, the next event!!

The next big event for the school board appears to be tackling the all day kindergarten issue. This will also be a major one because it has such long term ramifications. Attached below are facts through the efforts of Kelly Proudfit. Kelly has put together this information to help educate the board and the concerned citizens and to show the facts surrounding this important issue. This is another item that people must speak out against, the facts as provided through state and local governments are irrefutable and should be considered before the board makes their decisions.

Here is the web site for the parent voice group who also has a blog to follow the ongoing Trinity Saga. http://www.trinityparentsvoice.com/

1. The State of Education Department of PA supports full-day and has been in contact with our district trying to save full day. You can call Dr Daschbach yourself. She was the original education consultant from the state who helped put the full day into place with the previous superintendent. She told me she has been giving the district research and information that only supports full-day and trying to help save it. She is the one who told me there is not much hope because the board simply doesn’t want to pay for it.

2. State Representative Brandon Neuman supports full-day and is trying to reach out personally to each board member to let them know how the state feels. He to said he would speak to you on the record for an article. I have asked him to write a letter to the editor and am waiting to hear back. His number is:  (717) 783-4834

3. The parents of Trinity support full-day. 95% of the surveys to parents fully supported full-day. This was shared at the education meeting.  266 parents signed the trinity parent voice petition to save full-day. This petition has been shared with all the board members.4. The teachers of the district almost unanimously support full-day
5. The Research supports full-day. Dr. Paul Kasunich has now twice in education meetings shown data that supports the fact that full-day is improving reading in our schools.  The state said the data nationally and locally full supports full-day and that is exactly why they have been funding the program. Dr Daschbach has been directly giving Trinity this data.
6. The education committee is recommending to continue full-day for next year. This is the big thing. If our education committee is making the recommendation this has to be public. People need to make sure the board is listening to our specialized committee’s recommendations.
7.   Trinity test scores support full-day.  Marlene Kanuck in charge of the Accountability Block Grant (Grant which has funded fully-day for  past 4 years) says the test data supplied to the state from the district shows that full-day is working. See her direct quote via email:
“I suggest that you go to the district and request a copy of the full Final Expenditure report for ABG from 07-08, 08-09, 09-10 and this years Mid Year Report. Make sure you ask for the complete report - including the Assessment Narrative information. There is data included on test scores that show FDK is working. The assistant superintendent, Dr. Weaver, is the contact person.

8. The state has been funding full-day. Trinity school district has been taking money from the state for over 4 years toward full-day kindergarten. This funding according to Brandon Nueman most likely won’t come to an end next year. March 8th the state announces what money will be available.

Let's start our new blog with the Coach Dalton case and where does it stand? Good question, at this point they have again terminated Ed, well, they didn’t actually tell Ed he was terminated. So, that created a grievance from the teachers union. The vote to remove came on Mr. Bodnovich's last official board meeting. The vote was Bodnovich, Day, Interval, Clutter and McWreath. The remaining 4 all voted to keep Ed as coach, Clemens, Keisling, Knapp and Salvatori. Why did they vote to keep Ed as coach, aside from the fact that he is a good person and the fact that he has proven to be the best, most winning coach in the history of the school, none of the descending 5 could give a reason as to why they wanted Ed gone. They attempted to have their new "contract negotiator" Mr. Breth investigate the athletic department. The goal; to find mishandling of school monies, which by the way they did find, in the form of Mr. Breth charging us $25,000 to tell us that nothing was wrong with the monies. The only real issue (other than paying an attorney $25,000 to audit the athletics) was the lack of some tracking procedures in the business office. By the way our other auditors reported the same thing $25,000 ago.

So now what, well the fab-5 (as mentioned above) decided to hire Mike Wall as the new coach, but wait, he needs a full time job! I know, lets give him the transition coordinators position. We will just bring that position back; no one will remember that we said it was a position that was not needed. But, how much can we pay him? Lets just wait and pay him what ever he wants, because remember he is an assistant football coach in Texas. Ok great full steam ahead, wait, you mean he still has not accepted the position or the job. Well, we will show him, distant relative or not we will hire a guy named Rich Piccinini he will save our football team, after all he is the assistant JV coach at Upper St. Clair. But how much does he want? Who cares he does not want to work here so we will only have to pay him as coach.

Ok, so now let’s skip ahead to the board meeting, Mr. Makel informs the board that they are again circumventing their own rules and the law by changing the agenda to include a name in the head coach item on the agenda. They immediately go to executive session. When they return a new vote is taken to re-hire Ed Dalton the vote is  Clemens, Keisling, Knapp, Salvatori the new board member Harton AND McWreath to keep and Day, Clutter and Iterval to not. There of course are some stipulations but in my mind the only things we have succeeded in doing are to ad more dollar signs or should I say 0's to Ed's law suit. More on this situation as it progresses.

Now what can we (the board) do, lets bring in a guy named Caputo and his insurance company to change our insurance coverage, after all he covers the Blackhawk school district and the, oh that’s right, just the Blackhawk school district. But he must be good he was on the Blackhawk school board and our new attorney, (you remember the $25,000 guy from above) was involved in a law suit with him as defendants. We do have an expert in this field and i will see if he can fill us in more on the insurance problem. I will also see if he would mind adding a few sentences to this blog to keep us all on the same page about the program.

Kaunich’s domestic assault case is scheduled for non-jury trial on May 5^th. We will need to watch this one closely also. Half day kindergarten is much closer than you may think, could be this next meeting will be the start of conversations for it. Lots more to go over but I will send more tomorrow.

Why another blog?

After sending thousands and thousands of emails and attempting to keep up with the daily debacles of this board, I have decided that a blog would help to keep every one informed. This blog should allow each person the ability to read when they have time and also to comment when they feel so inclined to do so. With the emailed letters, the only comments came directly to me and although greatly appreciated it was difficult to pass the comments and information back to the group, this blog will eliminate those difficulties.

There are only a few rules with this blog. First, it is not a gossip site, please include facts and information that is important to the group, we all want to understand what is happening, but need to understand the facts in order to help fight the actions of a few. Second, we are not here to attack the board members, unlike their daily rituals. We are here to inform educate and participate. If some of these board members put themselves in a position to be ridiculed or talked about then so be it, as long as it is factual. Signing your name is not a must; I do understand the ramifications for some people if their name is involved in this type of community support mechanism. But please be truthful, we do not want to stoop to their levels of incompetence and ignorance.

There have been several very well done blogs associated with this board and I certainly do not want to take from their efforts, however after Jane Ann Songer and I discussed the difficulties associated with keeping letters up to date, and with all of the recent happenings associated with Coach Dalton, the Insurance, the 62% increase in attorney fees, the discrimination suit, the Dalton suit, half day kindergarten, the potential closing of South, the bussing issues, the contract negotiations, the lack of contract negotiations for the non teaching staff, the A.D, the Superintendent and his case etc. etc. etc. We decided that a blog would best fit the needs and support of the group.