Elderton Resident Refutes Senator’s Comments

by David Croyle

Pennsylvania Senator Don White (R-41) set off a firestorm with Elderton area residents following his Tuesday night comments at the Smith Complex.

White was asked to address a Tea Party group known as the Indiana-Armstrong Patriots. He was asked to comment on the re-opening of the Elderton Junior-Senior High School.

“In my opinion, it wasted about $4 million of taxpayer money in Armstrong County,” White said.

H.E.R.O (Helping Elderton Remain Open) activist and Elderton resident David Brown took White’s comments to task yesterday during WTYM’s Morning Show.

“He has said at Elderton so many times, about supporting the community and this school… and then for him to come out and say it’s a four million dollar mistake… I talked to Don yesterday on the phone. He said, ‘I know I’m talking out both sides of my mouth,’ and I said, ‘That’s wrong! That’s what politicians always get blamed for, Don. I didn’t think you were that kind of a man,”’ Brown said.

According to Brown, White told him that there has been a lot of opposition in Kittanning from some community leaders over the reopening of the school. Brown had a response.

“And I said, ‘How do you feel about the Elderton community? We also pay taxes and we have children.’ So it is devastating to us for him to say such a thing because of one reason. Many of the people in the H.E.R.O. organization had a high regard for him. But now we don’t have the regard we used to have by any means. He said he is going to come to a meeting and talk to us. We welcome him to come to a meeting and talk to us, and talk to our children and see what they are faced with now. For him saying that and putting us on the chopping block, that’s wrong.”

Brown indicated the battle lines are drawn with the Senator.

“This is not over by a long shot. This is one man’s opinion. We had 70% of the people in our attendance area wanting Elderton to stay open, even at the point of succession. It is a total mistake that we ever joined with Armstrong School District.”

Senator White’s comments came only two weeks after Pennsylvania State Representative Jeff Pyle (R-60) also criticized the reopening of Elderton.

“How they can afford it (reopening Elderton Junior-Senior High School), I don’t know. I don’t know the school district’s numbers. But it just seems to me there has been numerous attempts to rob Peter to pay Paul. ‘Let’s close K-T to beef up Elderton.’ K-T was a good school,” Pyle said.

“It’s not my decision to make, but I will tell you this: It’s not prioritizing as I would have liked,” Pyle said. “I am scared to death of the pension bomb coming. I have been telling every school director who will listen to me to put every cent you can into that.”

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20 Comments

• By sweetleur, August 20, 2010 @ 6:48 AM

  And over 90% of the rest of the district voting to keep Elderton closed.Face it , Mr. Brown it is a huge mistake to re-open Elderton.
• 

  By rudytuesday, August 20, 2010 @ 7:32 AM

  I wonder how many of that “70%” are still supportive since KT was sold down the river?

  Also, we are quoting a conversation that Mr. Brown supposedly had with Sen. White. I have video of Mr. Brown saying things that weren’t true that were promptly disputed by two Lenape Vo-Tech students. So, we are just supposed to take his “word” that the Sen. said these things? Sorry, but I’ve seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears that Mr. Brown embellishes the truth.
• 

  By RizzoSports, August 20, 2010 @ 7:56 AM

  White should have blamed the system - which has four high schools in one district.

  If White, Pyle or Bowman were smart they’d start demanding the immediate break-up of the district.

  On a side note the WTYM Morning Show next time Brown is on should try to have Starr or an opposing point of view on, that would be classic I’m sure.
• 

  By rfullerton, August 20, 2010 @ 9:32 AM

  Interesting article. Sen. White said, only this morning, that those comments ( that Mr. Brown is stating) were not what he said. It is interesting how the number 70% is used by hero…. What is that figure in “real” numbers, what is that % of the “total” district ( as ASD is ONE district) and what is that % in actual taxpayer/ resident numbers? Just askin’ because I really do want to know.
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  By scott_starr, August 20, 2010 @ 10:56 AM

  @Rizzo:
  thanks for your vote.
  In all fairness Mr. Croyle did contact me to be on the morning show, but I was traveling at the time.
  I have provided Mr. Croyle with my schedule and am hoping that I can be fit in soon.

  As a reminder, Monday - Wednesday next week, I am available, I can also recommend others if needed.
• 

  By futureconcened, August 20, 2010 @ 1:39 PM

  @ RFullerton
  I just talked to Sen. White. He said he didn’t talk to you today.
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  By rfullerton, August 20, 2010 @ 2:36 PM

  For anyone who didn’t know the senator, congressman and mr. Pyle were all at the Belmont complex today for the Armtech event. Many people talked directly to all 3. I stand behind my above statement. Fee free to reread it if you must.

  Still waiting for those numbers that I asked for on this blog and thel last ms. grafton. Guess i was dead on about never getting accurate answers/ numbers from hero this time without the name calling just the ignoring. Oh well, i guess that says mountains about all the innuendo.
• 

  By Mike Fichthorn, August 20, 2010 @ 6:19 PM

  I don’t know what the biggest in Armstrong County is.. HERO or Solak recruiting MJM to fleece the taxpayers, and then MJM pulling his disappearing act.
  The rumors are flying about MJM.. If half of what’s said is true, then he’ll be getting what he truly deserves.
  I don’t care what half truths Mr. Brown throws out there. Bottom line, there is way to justify re-opening a school to graduate 30 students in this day and age and financial times we are in.
  So these students can wear that God awful green uniforms, and march with the green cap and gown.. They went to the bigger schools, made friends, had more choices for classes.
  Kids are far more willing to change and adapt than the parents. You can’t keep them in a bubble forever.
  So when our senior citizens have to choose between meds and paying their higher tax bills next year because we had to re-open that eyesore, I’m sure they’ll be ok as long as they know they’re doing their part to keep the Elderton students sheltered from the rest of the world.
• 

  By mcfee, August 20, 2010 @ 10:36 PM

  rfullerton - simple answer, easy to look up, according to the LT dated 7/22/09 69.92% of the Elderton Attendance area taxable inhabitants signed the petitions to seceed and the LT dated 7/20/09 equated the notarized and legal signatures to be 2899. The process to seceed from a school district doesn’t have anything to do with the rest of the school district.

  regarding to something you posted after a different article: according to a statement once made by the former director from Dayton, since the WS sits between a “swamp and wetlands”, if you want a swimming pool for the school, I would think if you knew someone with a backhoe it wouldn’t take too much money or effort at all to get it done.
• 

  By GingledorfDerlinini, August 21, 2010 @ 10:17 AM

  For a very long time, I have been reading all of the comments back and forth on the issue of re-opening Elderton Junior-Senior High School.

  The argument from HERO is summed up in that the majoroity of the people in their area want and support a high school. They also pay taxes to Armstrong School District.

  They use the fact that 70% of the Elderton community supports the school. What is that in real numbers? 300 people? 400? 500? Maybe even 1,000??? There are 42,000 resident in the Armstrong School District. There is no way that even 7% of the entire district supports this outrageous waste of taxpayer dollars.

  As for the taxes paid by Elderton residents… what is your average tax bill? I pay nearly $6,000 per year to the Armstrong School District in school taxes… this does not account for township and county taxes.

  Again, I ask the HEROES, what is the average tax bill in Elderton?

  YOU ARE NOT PAYING FOR THE COSTS AT YOUR SCHOOOL - the other 40,000 people in the Armstrong School District are.

  The taxes generated by your community would not come close to the taxes generated by the 30 houses in my neighborhood.

  I wish you were able to break off from ASD. Then you would be on your own and maybe then you would realize that you have been kept aflot by the rest of us.

  As for the comments from Senator White. THANK YOU, SENATOR!!! I appreciate your comments, but must say that I wish they would have come sooner in the process.

  FOR THE REST OF US…. There may still be hope. Both Senator White and Representative Pyle have stated publicly now that they are opposed to the re-opening if Elderton. The PA Department of Education must still approve the reimbursement for the projects at Elderton and Ford City.

  While the 70% of the 300 people in Elderton may support the project, the rest of us need to let the Senator and Representative know that we do not want to pay for this atrocity.

  Write letters asking that they ask the PA Department of Education to deny reimbursement for this project because it is not justifiable.
• By Bolt Upright, August 21, 2010 @ 10:23 PM

  Mcfee: Why is it when the pro consolidation crowd quote the Leader Times we get back, “you can’t trust the Leader Times because it’s political and bias”, but when it helps the community schools, pro keeping a relic open crowd, you quote it with impunity? You can’t have it both ways!
• 

  By rfullerton, August 21, 2010 @ 11:07 PM

  mcfee: so that equates to almost 7% of the approximately 42,000 taxpayers in ASD who want EHS open (and 93% that do not). In fact that 7% is probably significantly lower at this point since KT was sold down the river….interesting, obviously an excellent financial decision supported by the majority of ASD…nice, much like your very mature comment about WSHS. Guess you are showing your true hero colors. I knew no one in support of EHS could respond without a snarky comment or name calling. It was just a matter of time. Mom was right “patience is a virtue”. Thanks bunches!
• 

  By Jan, August 22, 2010 @ 9:20 AM

  Interesting comment above made by GingledorfDerlinini. Here is the bottom line- both Sen. White and Rep. Pyle can provide their two cents on how they feel about the reopening of EHS and the money being spent- but ultimately, they can do absolutely nothing about it. We’re dealing with local government and the only way to change local government is to change the dynamics of it when election time rolls around.
  As a school district, the decisions being made by the board should encompass the entire district, not just a small portion of it.When a decision is made regarding one school, a board member has to ask themselves- “how will this affect the entire district”? This current board of 5 isn’t asking that question- they could care less that the money they are spending on EHS impacts all of us in the district who pay for this fiasco. EHS constituents claim that they paid for their school themselves- however, they forget that maintaining and staffing that school was a district effort- just like every other school in the district. They wanted their school re-opened and they got their wish- but we should not be putting money into that school, anymore than we should be putting money into any school at this time.And we certainly should not be putting money into a school that will graduate 29 students, with low enrollment numbers. I am still stymied by why the state would allow this to happen when they are hounding other school districts with low enrollment to merge with other schools. Here’s the bottom line. The money being spent at EHS and the addition to FC and the discussion on KJHS should not be happening now. The state budget is being re-visited, which could mean a decrease in funding to school districts, we have the Pension Plan fund that is looming and a school board who is willing to dip in to their general fund to make their wishes come true and in the end, we the taxpayers are going to pay for this with tax increases in the coming years. To top it off, we are looking at realignment to the district that would make it more fair and equitable for all and yet, the board will not let this happen ( I think it has to do with certain factions of the board worrying about losing their seats). There are areas of this district that are densely populated who are paying the largest % of taxes to keep these small schools afloat. I for one am sick of paying higher taxes just so a few students can attend their community school!
• 

  By mcfee, August 23, 2010 @ 12:36 AM

  boltu. - huh? I was merely answering a question rfullerton wanted answered regarding numbers.

  rfull. - you are assuming, of course, that not a single solitary taxpayer living in the ASD wants to reopen Elderton except those that live in the Elderton attendance area. You must then have polled the remainning 90% to say that for sure. What a busy person you must have been to accomplish that fete. And regarding the swimming pool comment, I didn’t call anyone a name and IT WAS A JOKE! You can have the last word now, I know you will want it.
• 

  By Elderton Parent, August 23, 2010 @ 6:54 AM

  rfullerton, you are not comparing apples to apples. The only part of the district that was eligible for signing the petition was the Elderton Attendance Area. To assume that 93% of the entire district is opposed to EHS is a bit extreme. As far as the “snarky” comments, pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think?
  As far as Senator White, he is talking out of both sides of his mouth - that’s a fact! But that’s what politicians do when the pressure comes from the big money that backs them! Pyle follows suit!
• 

  By rfullerton, August 23, 2010 @ 11:19 AM

  Well elderparent/mcfee let’s do a poll!!! Mr. Croyle???? Of course people most people in the WSHS attendance area do not read or even know the existence of the KP but I am okay with that…we will just poll the people that DO read the KP and go with those numbers….of course now you can morally only vote once…if Mr. Croyle would be so kind as to construct a poll….?
• By sweetleur, August 23, 2010 @ 11:57 AM

  Don’t you Elderton supporters get it? There is no pro consolidation crowd. There are only people that can’t afford their taxes now and don’t want to re-open a school that will graduate 29 or less and have fewer students coming.Don’t you see all the houses for sale in Armstrong County- they aren’t selling because the taxes are too high on them and in the county and will only get higher.Go ahead , open your trophy school because in the very near future more schools in this district will be closing due to low enrollment, it is a mess and you are only adding to it.
• 

  By phoenix, August 23, 2010 @ 12:11 PM

  So ELderton Parent, I will expect to hear you say Jim, Sara, Rose, Royce and John are all two faced politicians too since they now want to close two schools to save money for the one they just re-opened. I will not hold my breath waiting for you though. Funny, many more people supported HERO and its efforts until the price tag came out, now people who were supporters are no longer supporting the cause. Would not call this being two faced, would call it changing when the conditions changed.
• 

  By Jan, August 23, 2010 @ 2:28 PM

  Rfullerton: I think it would be a great idea if the KP would offer a poll to those who read this forum to see what their feelings are regarding the re-opening of EHS and the money being spent to renovate it, along with the addition to FCHS and the band-aid measures to KHS and closing KJHS.
  I’d also like to challenge the board to offer a poll to the taxpayers of ASD asking them their feelings on the items above. Just read an article about a school district out east that did this. If you’re not afraid of the outcome, I see no issue with doing this. At least the people would feel as though they had some say in this matter. Challenge Fab 5?
• 

  By Jen16226, August 23, 2010 @ 2:39 PM

  Good point Phoenix.

  It seems that everyone will get a say so. Due to the Plancon Guidelines as part of the project justification, the district will now have to hold an Act 34 public hearing.
  This means that the public is permitted to express EXACTLY how they feel about the entire renovation project and why.

  Keep your eyes open for that information!
  Oh and here is a link to the documentation concerning this:
  http://web1.asd.k12.pa.us/documents/agendas/2010/08%20-%20August/10%20-Construction/Construction.pdf

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