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1: Looking at the new SULLIVAN WEST CENTRAL SCHOOL CALENDAR sent out for 2001-2002, we noticed that DV Campus has no graduation date listed. When Superintendent JOHNDROW was asked if DELAWARE VALLEY STUDENTS WILL GRADUATE AT DV, he answered: "Well the date may have been left off the calendar."
Note that the DEMOCRAT July 17, 2001 by Dan Hust stated: ..."That may include considerations about sending staff to DV from J-Y- or sending students from DV to J-Y, akin to the Narrowsburg situation."
[ Do YOU want to send your kids to Jeff? ]
2: Sullivan West's board dropped the Democrat as district's official paper after they ran the editorial stating their negative opinion of the chosen site for the new high school only five days before ground breaking. (This editorial was written AFTER Mr. Stabbert had walked the grounds.)
According to the Tues. July 17th front page article in the Sullivan County Democrat:
"However, on Thursday, the Sullivan West board voted 5-4 in favor of dropping the Democrat as it's official newspaper and going instead with the River Reporter."
"Although certain board members declined to comment or could not be reached, the general consensus of the board as a whole was that the vote was in response to an editorial Democrat Publisher Emeritus Fred Stabbert, Jr. wrote back in June, asking board members to seriously consider the potential dangers in garbage and in the ground at the site of the new high school in Lake Huntington."
"Voting no to naming the Democrat the school's official newspaper were Lander, Vice-President Jeff Nobler, Donna Sauer-Jones, K. C. Garn and Rich Sandler. Voting yes were President Carol Nearing, Jerry Triolo, Bill Erdmann and Lanese."
"A subsequent vote to make the River Reporter the official paper was passed unanimously."
[ At the board meeting (July 12th) Vice President Rick Landers made a MOTION to make the RIVER REPORTER the official SW paper. ]
[ We, the people of the United States, were granted the right of FREEDOM of SPEECH, as well as FREEDOM of the PRESS. Apparently our school board doesn't agree. Note that the River Reporter has been very pro-merger in their coverage of the entire merger issue. ]
GARN said : "I believe our vote was an appropriate one given the Sullivan County Democrat's editorial posture."
SANDLER said : "I don't believe they researched it. I don't feel he [Mr. Stabbert] used factual content."
Jerry Triolo said : "I believe in freedom of speech, and I didn't think it is right to use the political seat we're in for reprisals."
Lanese said of his decision to retain the newspaper : "It was the right way to vote, everybody reads it [the Democrat], and that's where we need to be."
Bill Erdmann added: "We've used you [the Democrat] before. You're part of the district. I wasn't happy with the editorial myself, but you've always been very fair with us... and all over."
Nearing and Nobler declined to comment and Donna Sauer-Jones could not be reached.
Lander declined comment when the Democrat contacted him, although he stated to a daily newspaper reporter on Thursday that the decision to publish the editorial was irresponsible.
{This was stated in the Democrat}
Fred Stabbert III said, "I feel strongly that the board's decision does a disservice to the taxpayers of the district and will disenfranchise them from many of the board's actions, to base such an important decision on only 281 words out of our 111-years history of serving the people of our area seems almost unbelievable."
3:
4: Note this article updated Jan 25, 2000 by TOM VERDIN, an associated Press Writer.
[AP]-The Los Angeles Unified school board voted 5-2 Tuesday to abandon a toxic site where the nation's costliest high school was under construction. ... Instead, construction was halted after the District spent $170 million because of environmental concerns.
[WE DO NOT WANT SULLIVAN WEST SCHOOL DISTRICT TO FACE THE SAME SITUATION DOWN THE ROAD, DO YOU? CONTRARY TO WHAT THE SW BOARD WANTS US TO BELIEVE THIS CAN HAPPEN, IN FACT IT HAS HAPPENED. More than one school's nightmare!]
5: [SW] school committee's wish list could drive local costs higher according to the TIMES HERALD- RECORD:
The numbers-which are not final-have left some residents wondering what happened to the 95% state reimbursement rate, A KEY SELLING POINT OF THE MERGER. BUT THE NEXT PARAGRAPH STATES: It only applies to approved building costs, said Martin Handler, Sullivan BOCES superintendent.
[So why did Mr Handler always say 95% state aid before the merger vote, but not after the merger vote? ]
7: MERGER VOTE IS AFFIRMED
Meanwhile, though Handler agrees with Mill's decision, he is planning to speak with State Senator John Bonacic and Assemblyman Jake Gunther about getting the education law changed regarding merger votes.
"I would love to see the law changed, "Handler remarked, "so that school districts could insist on personal identification or pre-registration."
[ A bit late isn't it? Why hasn't anything been done about this? Need extra votes for something else? ]
8: From the Times Herald Record; June 8:
DISTRICT OFFICIALS DEFEND SAFETY OF NEW SCHOOL SITE
"It's no worse than any other field in Sullivan County," Johndrow said. "We haven't gone and hidden anything or covered it up."
[ If that is true, than why wasn't their ground breaking actually held on the school property? When asked if the location of the ground breaking was on the school property, they asked this question, "Don't you know where the boundaries are?" ]
9: Sullivan County Democrat June 20, 2000
UPCOMING VOTE IS CRUCIAL TO SW'S FUTURE, AGREE ACTIVISTS
He added that the remains of the Green Acres Hotel, which was bulldozed over after a fire decades ago, are not even on school property.
"They're a good 250 yards away," he said.
[ What happened to the excavator, on Boucher property, between the 4th to 12th of July? ]
10: Times Herald Record Annemarie Schuetz
LAGGING SCHOOL BUILDING PLAN MAY BE COSTLY
In 1998 the state added an additional building incentive aid of 10% to the aid ratio. "It was an incentive to get a lot of buildings to renovate", Johndrow said.
"But in seven months, that extra 10 percent runs out, and the districts will go back to their original aid ratio", said Rogers.
"That's not to say school taxes won't go up," Johndrow said, adding that expenditures other than construction impact the tax rate.
[ With no state budget, or less state aid in the budget how much will it drive those taxes up? ]
11: Democrat article by Dan Hust
SULLIVAN WEST PLUGGING AWAY AT MAJOR ISSUES
A QUESTION OF PERCENTAGES
One of the first problems noted by the public is one Superintendent Michael Johndrow says was evident all along. "I thought everyone else was aware of it," he said. "I'm shocked [that some residents were not] but it's understandable." Although 95% building aid was promised by the state, not everything is totally aidable. On the other hand, renovations to the existing school building are totally covered by that 95 percent aid.
[ RENOVATIONS ARE NOT TOTALLY COVERED AT 95% STATE AID. ]
12: Democrat article by Dan Hust
PROJECT
Johndrow added that a public vote on the property and the high school is tentatively scheduled for the third week of June, just a few days before the July 1 voting deadline the state imposed on the district if it is to receive the promised 95 percent building aid.
[ So where did the 95% go? Not here! ]
13: River Reporter article by Tom Kane
PROBLEMS COULD HINDER SULLIVAN WEST SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECT
"We are under a time constraint," Johndrow countered. "If a referendum on the new construction is not held by July 1, our state aid will not be 95 percent but 91.5 percent."
[ Again where is our 95%?! ]
14 : River Reporter article by Denise de Vines
CONSTRUCTIONS FIRMS INTERVIEWED BY SULLIVAN WEST BOARD
Projected costs of building renovations estimated by the original merger study placed the amount at $12,675*. The new centrally located high school has been proposed at an estimated cost of $17,000,000. The project must go to public referendum by June 2000 at the latest.
[ Both of these costs have risen dramatically! Now $28,800,000 for the school, $21,200,000 for renovations ]
* Should be $12,675,000.00 [but article had $12,675]
15: Democrat article by Dan Hust
SULLIVAN WEST BOARD PICKS 134,000 SQ. FT. High School
But advisors have said that-while the renovations are totally covered by 95 percent state aid - some parts of the new high school are not totally aidable.
[ This can be between 70% to 90% As of July 12. 2001 new high school state aid was 67%. ]
16: Democrat article by Dan Hust
TO BUILD OR NOT TO BUILD?
The total cost for everything is $49,898,453, of which the local share will be $10,336,072-which amounts to a tax impact of 96 cents per thousand of assessed value.
However, thanks to millions in incentive aid, taxes will not rise due to this project for the next four years.
[ HAVE YOUR TAXES INCREASED? ]
17: River Reporter article by Tom Kane
SULLIVAN WEST HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING PLAN FINALLY APPROVED
State aid on the entire project -new and renovated-will be between 83% to 85% according to school officials. They estimate that the percentage of state aid for the new high alone will be in the high 60's. During merger discussion, the overall impression was that 95 percent of the entire building costs would be aided.
[ How has the state aid gone down to 67%? ]
18: Times Herald-Record article by Annemarie Schuetz
SULLIVAN COUNTY SCHOOL NOT FREE AFTER ALL
" In reality, there's no backup available for this 100 percent," said David Hingston, an architect with The Hillier Group, the firm working on the district's construction/renovation project. He told the building committee Monday that construction costs have gone up and construction companies are busy and only want to take on extra projects if the money is worth it.
[ Right, it does come down to MONEY, doesn't it? ]
19: Democrat article by Dawn Erlwein (continued from page 8A)
MISLEADING
Mr. Rowley, you, Mr. Johndrow and the school board members have disregarded your responsibilities to our community, and you have no one to blame except yourselves for our loss of confidence, trust and support.
[ Public is only told the bare minimum that these people want you to hear. ]
20: Democrat's Counterpoint by Dawn Erlwein
ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE FOR SULLIVAN WEST
Of course, first there were the deceptions given to us before the merger vote about 95 percent state aid. But even after our administrators admitted the promises made were false, they refused to consider other options for obtaining more "teaching space" than a new high school.
[ Why do we have to build a new high school for better EDUCATION? ]
21: 1998 MERGER STUDY- TAXES
Quoted that 57% of INCENTIVE AID was DEDICATED to REDUCING TAXES of the combine DISTRICTS.
[ THIS IS NOT HAPPENING. WHERE HAS THIS MONEY GONE? ]
22: February 4, 2000 letter from school signed by Elizabeth McKean Business Manager
DELAWARE VALLEY-JEFFERSONVILLE-YOUNGSVILLE-NARROWSBURG CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
With regard to the safety of Route 17B, this school district is not in a position to comment on the safety of this road.
[ This is in regard to transporting students to the new high school. The school board gives the ok for the bus routes. ]
23 : Democrat article by Dan Hurst
SULLIVAN WEST HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT STILL ON FAST TRACK
And speed is still of the essence, said Johndrow, since officials want the new school open by September 2002.
"We hired these companies for that reason," he explained, citing their reputation for speedy work.
"And we're going to hold them to it," added board member Rick Lander. "There's no reason we shouldn't meet that [opening date]."
[ They also said they need 16-18 months to complete this project. Won't be on time, will it? ]
24 : River Reporter article by Tom Kane
PROBLEMS COULD HINDER SULLIVAN WEST SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECT
"I don't see how the school can take possession of the property unless the sewer district is a part of it," said school board member Jerry Triolo. "That's why we were originally attracted to the site."
[ So is the $4 million excavation worth the town sewage? Is town sewage worth the wetland destruction? ]
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