MARKILINSKI: Significant Problems

The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them - Albert Einstein

Over the past several years, new positions in the Armstrong School District were created even though the student population decreased.

The ASD is now entering interesting territory seeing that it’s Superintendent has jumped ship, an Assistant Superintendent position was eliminated, and another Assistant Superintendent has left for a neighboring district.

I wonder if there will be any other ASD positions eliminated.

It is budget time so now I digress.

The previous ASD majority board members under the obvious guidance of its Superintendent doled out a whopper of an average wage increase ($17,000) to its teacher population before they left office.
Messer’s Close, Choncek, and Rearick still remain and they need to be held accountable for their actions.
Who, in the real world, received a raise like this?

I even wonder if the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, parent of the Leader Times and the Valley News, gave out these kinds of raises.
Mike? Jeff? ……. Lance?

In doing some home work, I have found out that most teachers will receive a $4,000 raise this coming year. And even that figure is surrounded by controversy according to some internal memos.

We face significant but not insurmountable problems.
Did you think I would trust the old regime to solve them?
Ask Einstein.

Just think about it.

OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR AND REFLECT PAID SPONSORSHIP.

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MARKILINSKI: Game On?

Game On? I’m not talking about the Pens Playoffs here; I’m talking about the ongoing legal feud between community school advocates and those who support consolidation and the super school concept.

This has been going on in middle Armstrong County since the inception of the Armstrong School District in the 1960’s. The latest scenario pits the ASD School Board against some folks from the “other” side of the river who continually try to build “something” to “better” their community.

I have always wondered where the people of Kittanning Borough stood.

Since the early 1980’s the people of the Ford City Area, specifically the Ford City School Board Members, have made sure that Kittanning had a high school in their borough. Just like Ford City, a high school in the community is good for the town and good for business or what little that is left.

The people of Armstrong County do not have much. Heck, we only have one McDonalds.

But we have our churches, we have our communities, and we are proud of our community schools. That’s why we fight, to preserve our communities.

To some this is not a value. They could care less. They think it is “ok” to put a child on a bus for an hour. They think it is “ok” to build a middle school and strip another building of half its students. To them, another building is PROGRESS.

In this day and age, when you can get a college degree online, why would anybody want to build anything?

The people of the Elderton attendance area deserve to have a modern, technological, up to date school in their community.

If the people on the western side of the river want to sign petitions to keep Elderton closed, if they want to file frivolous lawsuits based on how many votes the “box of rocks” got, then maybe we give them what they want.

Let’s push Applewold, East Franklin, West Franklin, West Kittanning, and Worthington to the Butler School District. They do sit side by side geographically. Just like how East Brady went to Karns City. Just like how the previous educationally misguided board tried to send the Elderton Community down the road to Apollo Ridge.

Hey, Route 422 travels East and West doesn’t it?

Wouldn’t the West Hills area get their much coveted QUAD AAAA High School, a QUAD AAAA education, and of course prized QUAD AAAA SPORTS?

And Butler High School is only 25 minutes from McDonalds. That is about the same distance between Elderton and West Shamokin. Redistricting? Game On!

Just think about it.

OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR AND REFLECT PAID SPONSORSHIP.

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