The Oley School Board’s behavior is getting so humiliating that taxpayers may have to put bags over their heads from embarrassment.
The board’s actions are attracting continued negative coverage in the news media.
“Oley School Board remains in denial”, “Proposed changes block Sunshine Act”, and “Public’s business must remain public” are the glaring editorial headlines describing the board’s blatant defiance of the Sunshine Act.
Preventing the public from seeing a public document or inhibiting participation at meetings casts a dark shadow over the valley.
What does not receive attention in the local media is even more concerning.
The board surrenders to the wage and benefit demands of the teachers union.
Duplicate tax bills are sent to some residents.
The district loses track of $741,000 of revenue and they must hastily patch the 2005-2006 budget.
The board lets a track repair turn into a feeding frenzy of spending on a non-educational expense.
The district still owes a steel contractor for Middle School work. They run up hefty legal bills and lose in court.
They waste the windfall from the Nextel lease agreement on a grandiose athletic facility and ignore education.
They refuse to release the list of Big Ticket Items of future spending.
The eleventh grade PSSA test scores are discouraging.
Finally, the board raises taxes for the ninth consecutive year, while having over $5,500,000 sitting in surplus funds.
At this pace, there will not be enough bags to hide the shame.
Posts
574 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 574 of 574"When you can't think for yourself quote others."
Me
Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves.
Sydney Simon
I forgive you for your mean-spiritedness!
The truest greatness lies in being kind, the truest wisdom in a happy mind.
Ella Wilcox
"Compassion is no substitute for justice."
El Rushbo
"If Thomas Jefferson thought that taxation without representation was bad, he should see how it is WITH representation."
Russsssssssshhhhhh
"No nation ever taxed itself into prosperity"
Again, Mr. Limbaugh.....
"Gossip is the Devil's radio..."
George
"From your other pocket"
current board member
This blog has run out of gas. It's a joke.
Yes, that it is! haha
But it is oh so entertaining!
You must be starved for entertainment. There's more entertainment at a funeral. This is just sad.
It's only sad when the quote is about you.
...or your spouse...
...or your pappy....
Personally, I would like some of those quotes to be about me.
...but I agree, it is pretty sad for the OCCers!
At least the folks connected with the OCC are trying to call attention to the things which should change to benefit the students. More focus on learning, less on running and tossing the pigskin. That can all be done at the youth league, with your family, with your school friends, and on your own time.
Let the teachers spend more time teaching and less time waving bye-bye to the kids going on the sports bus.
The Oley lefties would love to sweep their failed agenda under the rug in the name of harmony, except every year we get a bill for their self indulgence.
"This blog has run out of gas. It's a joke."
Just more wishful thinking from the hapless. Judging from the number of comments on this one post alone, 420, it appears the blog is growing more rapidly than predicted :)
Yes, pretty sad for them indeedy
You assume this blog is dying?
Never assume.
423 posts and only a half dozen that have any worth. The rest are all nonsense. The OCCers have just plain run out of new things to complain about so they repeat the same stuff over and over. Blah, Blah, Blah.
7:06
Blah, blah, blah...?
If this bores you and YOU have a lot of time on your hands...why not volunteer your expertise to the school. And/or the board! I bet they would appreciate your help!
There might not have been anything new on this blog for awhile, however, the board meeting is coming up next week, and I'm sure it will be interesting.
Heard through the grapevine that the board is not pleased with the installation of the NEW TURF FIELD.
We got the soccer e-mail and it looks like all teams will be practicing at the elementary school and middle school for the first week of pre-season practice. Heard the hockey team will be practicing there also.
Looks like this may be plan C, D, or E.
Problems with the new turf field, the track nowhere near being done, the grass not growing on the modified hockey field, the wrong lines painted on the NEW TURF FIELD.
This situation does not sound good.
Perhaps we could all donate our old used green outdoor rugs for the teams to practice on.
You know, maybe the board should have hired people from our own neck of the woods to install a fancy new track. Somebody around here should have been able to do a better job than the imported labor. Plus we could have been keeping our own friends and neighbors working. Everywhere you go around here, you see local excavating companies. Were they contacted about any of this work? Charity starts at home. Unless you live in Oley, where the board likes to farm out the work to total strangers that DON'T DO A GOOD JOB.
The law requires that all work on a project that size be put out for bid. Since it was advertised, any local company could have bid the work. I guess if any local companies submitted bids they weren't low enough to get the contract. That's not the board's fault. It sounds as if they have even bigger problems to deal with now. If even half the problems cited are true then someone must be held accountable. Are we going to have more potential lawsuits to pay more attorneys to litigate? Let's hope not.
If the local bids were too high, that should indicate the fact that Oley is not such a "reasonably priced area" to live in. It's not that hard to figure out, is it?
The board is not guilty of orchestrating who put in the lowest bid, but they seem to be quite negligent in hiring the company that would do THE BEST JOB, THE COMPLETE JOB, THE JOB THAT DOES NOT END UP IN COURT, which will cost more than the difference between the lowest bid and the bid offered by a thoroughly experienced company that can do a job from start to finish...correctly...the first time.
That's the danger in contracting based on the lowest bid. As the saying goes: You get what you pay for. Lowest is not always the best.
'...If the local bids were too high, that should indicate the fact that Oley is not such a "reasonably priced area" to live in. It's not that hard to figure out, is it?...'
No correlation between the cost of living in Oley and local contractor(s) not recieving the lowest bid contract.
I doubt any local contractors even bid on the contract because of the specialty involved. A local contractor may have the experience in excavating, but installing artificial turf or installing the track is a stretch. Only someone with such a specialty construction background would even know where to buy the necessary materials or how to estimate the cost.
That's great, but it seems that Oley picked the wrong company, as the turf field is screwed up.
How can someone doing a job, not know which field their consumer needs?
How can lacrosse lines be painted on a field in a district that does not even offer lacrosse.
I also heard that these companies are working on several different projects at one time - perhaps another school gots Oley's field.
That is pathetically sad.
Whoever was supposed to be overseeing our construction project, namely someone from the board or administration, should have been out there making sure that this project was done correctly.
Once again, Oley fails.
How many times do situations like this have to happen before our board and administration are held accountable?
The board and administration do not care - they always have the taxpayers to fall back on to pay for the mess they create.
10:09....No correlation between the cost of living in Oley and the amount of a bid? Baloney! People bid to get the work, but will not lower their prices to levels less that what they need to survive.
Nice try 10:09, but how dare you to try to use common sense and logic on this blog. This blog is reserved for chronic complainers who are too busy to help!
Try try again!!!
Nice try, 1:46!
Well, it's not really a nice try. Or even a good try.
Sorry, no star for you.
Feel free to try, try again.
I suspect you're quite familiar with doing things more than once, until you get it right.
10:09....
You doubt anyone would know how to buy the necessary materials? Wow, that's pretty humerous. Local contractors are, for the most part, born and bred here, and educated here, too. Do you feel our education system could not teach the basics to everyday working class people and small business owners? How do you think they learn all the things they do? There's more to those jobs than meets the eye. In order to survive and prosper, they research, study facts, learn, and do.
As for knowing where to get the needed materials? There's this little device called the computer, remember? Anyone can use it. Even you!
For a "dead" blog there seems to be a lot of activity. What is dead are the brains of the board and their buddies.
Oh my goodness, take a nice pill!
I saw the track tonight. It's looking very good.
It might look good, but we really don't know what the finished product is supposed to look like.
Doesn't matter anyway -
THEY PAINTED THE WRONG LINES ON THE FIELD - IT CAN LOOK AS GOOD AS IT WANTS, BUT CAN'T BE USED AS IS - AND THAT PRESENTS A PROBLEM, AS PRACTICE FOR HOCKEY AND SOCCER TEAMS BEGINS NEXT WEEK!
Our teams do not have fields to practice on, only makeshift fields.
Go Oley Go!
"I saw the track tonight. It's looking very good."
Unless you did not "feel good", too, then we wasted $1,600,000.
Better watch out Oley Youth Football -
YOU'RE LOWEST ON THE TOTEM POLE!
How many laptops can be purchased for $1,600,000?
I saw it too. It's almost finished. Don't know what the naysayers are talking about once again. oh well, chalk it up...
"Don't know what the naysayers are talking about once again."
Even a horse when walked to the water will eventually see....but not the clueless or the careless.
So, if in fact the track is usable in time for school, will you apologize for wrongly criticizing?
The track will be finished in time for track season, but the TURF FIELD INSIDE THE TRACK HAS ISSUES, AND THAT IS WHAT WILL BE USED COME SEPTEMBER.
Any idiot knows that the track will not be used until May.
Per the e-mail from the soccer coach, the field is not ready.
Per the grapevine, the school board and administration are not happy with the TURF FIELD.
This is fact and is not made up.
Also, for you people with no brains, the lines are for lacrosse and are incorrect for our field.
Looks like we need to buy green paint.
my my Cindy
Don't like the OCC's attitdue towards yet another botched project???
try dialing this:
1-800-JUSTIFY
10:18, my my you!!! When the facts are put on this blog you freak!!! Time will tell how this mess of a track and field has haltered the use of it for the fall sports. We tell the facts you freak, and that is a fact.
Ding Dong - the blog is dead, the blog is dead.
Ding Dong the wicked blog is dead.
NOT.
1-800-JUSTIFY:
Invalid number - Oley School Board
Did you mean:
Oley Valley School District?
Heckman High?
Heckman Valley?
Recycled waste products track & field?
my, my, my Cindy
Can anyone who is involved in the Oley Valley School District ever do anything right? Never mind.... I think the "facts" posted on this blog already show us the answer to that question.
No school district is perfect. Nobody from OCC would ever claim that.
OCC is not expecting PERFECTION from the school board. We are requesting IMPROVEMENT. There's always room for that.
HONESTY AND THE TRUTH ARE ALSO ON THE OCC's LIST OF WHAT THIS BOARD IS LACKING. THE LIES HAVE TO STOP. THE BOARD SHOULD BE WORKING FOR ALL THE PEOPLE AND ALL THE CHILDREN OF THIS DISTRICT AND IF THEY CANNOT HANDLE DOING THAT, THEN IT IS TIME TO STEP DOWN.
Okie dokie
Hey, I heard they painted lines on the turf for a tennis court! Anyone here that?
..or wait! was it a horse ring. It was one or the other, I'm sure of it. It's a FACT!
Now I remember. The lines on the turf field are painted for swimming lanes. Imagine that. This board is so incompetent that they think they installed a swimming pool. I'm sure this is correct, because my neighbor's cousin's uncle's landlord told me. He lives in New York, but his neice's grandson's neighbor's dog lives in Oley, so I'm sure he has the facts correct!
Oley school board, how dare you have them paint swimming lane lines on our lacross turf field!
If you're looking for facts, just go directly to the horse's mouth.
GO TO THE BOARD MEETINGS.
AND IF YOU'RE ON THE BOARD, GO TO THE MEETINGS AND LISTEN FOR A CHANGE. This is NOT a game.
Sorry to disappoint guys.
You give me too much credit.
The posts are not mine.
CS
The board bungles the Middle School project and the contractor sues the district.
The board bungles the lawsuit in court twice and we face the potential of a larger law suit.
The board bungles the price of the track and they pay too much.
The board bungles the windfall from the Nextel deal.
Now, the board bungles the oversight for the track and we have useless lines on a new $1,600,000 turf.
The board remains silent. The apologists smokescreen with "can't we all get along" as the people they elected put us deeper and deeper in a hole.
They say the politicians are the face of those who elected them...too bad Botox can't be used to solve the problem instead of tax dollars.
why not? Botox should be easy to get really cheap..HERE IN FARM COUNTRY.
Botulinum toxin...
In your spare time, look up:
German physician and poet(!)
Justinus Kerner...
See, even in Germany the DOC's need a second way to earn a living!
I heard there have been provisions made on the new field fo football goal posts. If that is true at least they have done something right.
"I heard there have been provisions made on the new field fo football goal posts. If that is true at least they have done something right."
If the board has anything to do with posts of any kind, they may be installed upside down in the wrong location on the wrong field.
Yes, they'll see what we mean when they can't use the field at all this fall! Boy will we be saying, "I told you so!"
Maybe we could go back to using Nerf Footballs, then it won't matter where the goal posts are. We can use old clothesline holders.
As for the painted field markings...how about silly string? If they're wrong, it's removable. And at the very least, amusing.
My friend who is very reliable just told me that they put the turf on upside down!
You need a new friend.
Upside down? Come on.
Well, that's not true, but I did hear that the lines were painted for rugby. That's not even a high school sport.
The track will not improve test scores in reading and math.
Want to voice your opinions? Go to every meeting possible. Why would any board feel pressure from empty seats?
Oh,No: Now don't say the step-son is going to get the job that is now available at the HS for a PE/Driver Ed/Health Teacher. Here we go!!!
Wait a minute, if he does not have a teaching degree that would be a "NO" for the new HS position available.
I see the OCC fact, I mean rumor mill is in full swing. I heard from an OCCer that the track now will be used for car races taught by the new drivers ed teacher
What was wrong with good old fashioned grass? And what was wrong with cinders?
And what was wrong with hiring teachers that don't have your same last name?
Is that what they call keeping it in the family?
8:18, stupid as always. Look at the record of this district. Many family members work at this district. The step-son has worked at Oley already as a Guest Teacher, who's to say he will not be hired to replace a great teacher that has decided to leave our HS. There are tooooo many family members working under one roof in this district. Or maybe two or three roofs the max. Get the point 8:18. You are making a fool of yourself again. Go ask the big Super about his step-son working at our district or better yet ask one of your kids if you have any, if they have seen him in all 3 buildings working.
Why do they even have a track to begin with? They should get rid of all sports and extra activities.
Doc:
Maybe you should go get a job and find something useful to do with all your spare time.
You're on this blog as much as anyone, doing your best to agitate.
It's hard for you to disguise your posts, even when you post as someone from the side you disagree with.
You will never be able to hide your true colors.
To 9:28PM
Please Move!
America is about prosperity and providing more for your children and grandchildren than what you had. Since the school and track are 60+ years old,(which, by default means most of us had such activities offered when we were in school), to eliminate such activities, whether you believe or don't believe them to be productive in the educational process, is just plain and simple ANTI-AMERICAN!
PS: Support the troops. Many of the churches and youth groups are currently involved in donation drives for those fighting our wars. Support them, be generous and be proud of them.
12:42 you are wrong. The HS was built in 1961. It is the same age as myself and I am not falling apart. Maybe if the district maintained the property and fields all this time, the building and the fields would not be falling apart everywhere. Also, the track did not have to cost the $1.6+ million. The district had different options and they decided on the most expensive option. What do they care anyway, it is not their money. Also the electric for the lighting, etc. was not done, now what, will they have to rip everything up. Stupid board is what we are dealing with. They are recking this district everyday they are in office. Time for a clean sweep.
There was a show on cable discussing state test scores as they relate to the No Child Left Behind requirements.
There appears to be a systemic problem of states gaming the scores. According to the show, they can accomplish this cheating by using either a confidence factor or lowering the passing grades.
The confidence factor is similar to the standard deviation used in statistics. The larger the standard deviation or in this case, the confidence factor, the overall results are distorted to make them appear better than they are.
In addition, states can lower the passing grade for proficiency thereby lowering the standard for proficiency.
Million dollar tracks for public relations rather than education or suspect test scores, can only be described as a rip off of the students and taxpayers.
Isn't it amazing that anyone actually has a problem with the OCC wanting to make things right for the students AND the taxpayers?
Oh my! So much to write about! First of all, 10:25, I, for one, must be pretty good at "hiding my true colors," because I wrote that post and I am not the doc.
Secondly, Al, I wrote something very similar to what you are quoting many months ago when pointing out that PSSA scores are similar across the country (with the exception of some inner city schools). The bureaucrats are beginning to realize that they were mistaken when they falsely assumed that 100% of all students will be able to reach proficiency by 2014. Unless someone invents an intelligence pill by then, it will be statistically impossible.
You will say that I am wrong, or stupid, or a liberal idiot. I say do some research. You can google "bell curve and intelligence." You may find it interesting. What it all comes down to is that it is not an Oley problem. It is not even a national problem. It is a world-wide problem. What does that tell you?!?
How come many other countries have better grades coming from their students? It is an Oley problem even if we are not the only one. Just because other schools might not test well does not mean Oley should be like them.
We expect more for our students in this small district. Education must come first. The students are the future of this country.
They need the best education they can get. They need to know that the teachers and administration are here for them to help them succeed.
Sports should not be the first priority.
We are paying taxes for education.
Stop sweeping low tests scores under the rug.
Stop cheating on the tests. That happened here in Oley and the state was called about this. The big Super was called from the state.
Who cares what the whole world is doing on test scores? We're not held accountable for their children. Taxpayers in Oley School District are supposed to be guiding OUR students to success. Not to merely survive in the mainstream. Not the students in New Jersey, not the students in Iowa, not the students in Peru, England, or the land down under. Just here in Oley School District. And buck for buck, our students and those paying the bills are getting ripped off.
Dear 12:03, which one of the previous blogs were you speaking of -
Your 12:03 blog does not sound like the mish mash of blogs I was referring to.
Please don't assume I was answering your blog.
'...12:42 you are wrong. The HS was built in 1961. It is the same age as myself and I am not falling apart...'
I am glad you are not falling apart. I also do not disagree with any comment that you made. I agree 100% with your comments. I believe that the school has not been maintained as well as it should have been, and I do not believe that the track needed to be as large as it was mad, and I prefer a grass field to the fake stuff installed. I am in favor of the synthetic track over a gravel repair, but six lanes (versus the 8 or 10 which was installed) would have been fine, and it could have been done for probably $600,000 instead of $1.6mil.
I believe that you misunderstood my rant.
10:30, I am glad we both agree on something regarding this district and the way they are handling our monies and education.
Have a nice day. And remember The Super said in today's Reading Eagle that the community can use the track after the big ribbon cutting ceremony.
Maybe I will see you walking/running on this $1.6+ million non-educational feel good purchase.
I hope the children get alot of use out of it.
I also hope the district does not forget that education comes first. They seem to forget that.
Oh my gosh! I just read the blogs about the lines being painted all wrong! What are they going to do about that? I bet they cant even use the track now. The OCC knows what they're talking about. The public would never have known about this problem if it wasnt for you. Thank you.
No problem, Mrs. Kappa. You may feel free to ask the OCC anything you really want to know.
Did anyone forget to mention that the entire issue about the lines being painted wrong is another "fact" from the OCC. IT IS A TOTAL LIE. GO AND LOOK FOR YOURSELF
8:28 you are the one that is wrong. The Boyertown Times took a picture of the painted lines and wrote and article about the track saying the lines were completed for lacrosse, field hockey and soccer. When I showed this picture to a lacrosse player they said yes the lines in black (it was a black circle) are for lacrosse. Now they are gone. So you lied. How stupid for you to think we would make up that BS when anyone can look for themselves in the paper and at the track and see the lines a few weeks ago. Hello, what about the screw up with the electric not being put in by the track, is that a lie tooooooo, I do not think so. The board and administration do not know what they are doing ever.
Wow! Looks like someone will be eating crow over the issue of whether or not the track will be used this fall. I wonder who that will be.
No big deal if the track is not done by the time school goes back. Those Oley roads that the DOC said were fine for running on....are STILL HERE. AND the LINES are right!
The "lie" was printed in the Boyertown Times as a lacrosse field.
If we cannot rely on the information supplied by the district to the reporter of the paper, then how many other "LIES" have been printed in the Boyertown Times?
So now the district is responsible for a reporter's mistake. That actually makes me laugh!
The district would benefit from telling the reporter that the lines are for lacross???? Come on people. At least make sense!
Why does this even matter? The track is there, it's going to stay there, the funds are spent and life goes on. Get over it! Move on to another issue you can blow out of proportion.
Time for bed Doc.
The lines of the field are NOT painted on. The lines one the field are sewn in.
The only line painting is the lines that go on the track, which have not been done yet.
The reporter made an error. LaCrosse lines were never on the field.
Boyertown Times makes alot of errors. Look at yesterdays insert from the Oley Valley School District. The whole 8th grade homeroom's are not printed. The 9th grade was printed twice. Come on you for saying the OCC lies. The Boyertown Times needs to get their act together just like our school board. How can they print anything without proof reading it first. The whole community gets this paper, if ordered. This is just another thing we need to deal with. First we have the board misleading the public on alot of issues, now we have the local paper not printing what is really the correct news. What next???
According to a Boyertown Times/OCC Poll 100 percent of people on this blog have no clue.
If that 100% figure is true then that must include you since you are on this blog.
11:11 I like that. Yes Cappa and all his board buddies AND feel gooders do not have a clue.
What do you suppose it would take for them to get a clue?
Perhaps they could mutate from the the leeches that they are and stop sucking dry the taxpayer pockets.
Realistic? No, but it's a nice thought!
I was just down at the track and there is a sign there saying that the track has been closed by the courts. It's a fact. Go see for yourself if you don't believe me. It said that they are sorry, but the track is closed and it was signed by the American Athletic Courts. See, right there you have it! A fact...OCC style! :)
10:40-
Is your life that useless that you have to come on here and waste everyone's time and act like a complete fool? Ask your therapist to suggest other ways to to rehab.
Forget the rehab, pal. Head straight for our new track. Scale a fence or two, if need be. Lace up your most comfortable shoes and get your sorry butt in the fast lane, and run like Hell. You need it. If I were your grandfather, I'd take the likes of you out to the woodshed and refresh your sorry memory as to how to be a responsible adult.
7:25 and 10:29 Looks like you forgot your nice pill today! I recommend taking it as soon as possible! ;)
What does being "nice" have to do with raising children good and proper?
Parents that hand their children everything under the sun...on a silver platter..create the adults we're stuck dealing with today. It also creates people that think there's a PILL for everything.
The following are all postings that were recently placed on the blog by others....
1. ...That's great, but it seems that Oley picked the wrong company, as the turf field is screwed up.
2. How can lacrosse lines be painted on a field in a district that does not even offer lacrosse.
3. THEY PAINTED THE WRONG LINES ON THE FIELD - IT CAN LOOK AS GOOD AS IT WANTS, BUT CAN'T BE USED AS IS - AND THAT PRESENTS A PROBLEM, AS PRACTICE FOR HOCKEY AND SOCCER TEAMS BEGINS NEXT WEEK!
4. I also heard that these companies are working on several different projects at one time - perhaps another school gots Oley's field.
That is pathetically sad.
5. Whoever was supposed to be overseeing our construction project, namely someone from the board or administration, should have been out there making sure that this project was done correctly.
Once again, Oley fails.
6. Even a horse when walked to the water will eventually see....but not the clueless or the careless. (I must say...this one is very ironic!)
7. Time will tell how this mess of a track and field has haltered the use of it for the fall sports. We tell the facts you freak, and that is a fact.
Well, here we are - ready to have the track officially opened and dedicated. All the lines are correct, and it will be ready for the start of school. Can you say W-R-O-N-G?
P.S. Before you start typing...No, I am not a board member, or the doc, or a teacher, or a spouse of a board member...etc. Just another proud Oley citizen!
Good news for all! The track is ready to go!
Is it paid for?
Do the participants on the track know how to read, spell, and can the count up to 1,600,000?
Do their parents suggest that they take a happy pill when things don't go their way?
Justa wonderin'.....
Yes, yes, and no. We don't need happy pills. Do you?
...and I sure am happy that we have such a beauuuutiful track and field! The kids will benefit greatly, and so will the community!!!
8:27pm:
Those comments you refer to is one reason the OCC loses credibility with the general public. I wonder, though, how many of those comments were actually made by OCC people? Since every comment on here is written by "anonymous" we have no way of knowing and you know what happens when you assume anything.
How can the OCC lose credibility that it never had.
Bwahaha
Well, that should be easy to understand. When Russ and Barb were on the board, at least they tried to make the board credible. What do we have now?
Barb is still on the board, and still working to make it credible...as are others. ...and no, I am not Barb or a board member.
Barb always whispers her vote, and never with any of the conviction that she had prior to being on the board, when she loudly berated the board with issues that she believed in.
What happened to those issues Barb?
Where is the help that you promised?
Someone from the Republican party called you more of a Democrat than a Republican.
How true this has proved to be!
Lone soldier retreat
5:25 you cannot be more correct. Yea, Barb what happened to you?? Got scared to speak being on this circus of a board??? You have made alot of people angry with your 100% change in your behavior and voting record. You wasted 4 years being on this board. You should of stayed home with your family. Now what, your husband takes over where you left off? Oh dear Lord, help us. You have been a liberal spender with our tax dollars for the past 4 years.
....now, your husband takes over? Ewww...just what we wait a lifetime for, the MAN to do the job. Great going, Barbie!
Next thing you know, you don't get to drive, vote, or wear make-up...!
You do drive, right?
Tooooooo little tooooooo late having JB take over for BB!!
You should be embarrassed to be writing such mean-spirited comments!
Thank you, Barb Bieber, for serving on the board the last four years! You could have stood on the sidelines and complained, but instead, you took action, stepped up to the plate, and did your part! I applaud you for that!!! (and so do the vast majority of Oley citizens)
And to the very small number of you who have nothing but nasty things to say - I sincerely feel sorry for you.
You can feel sorry for Barb all you want - she did not follow through on the campaign promises she made, and turned into someone with no backbone and no convictions - unlike the Barb of old.
By the way, the person who said she was more of a Democrat was someone on the Republican Committee, which I believe she is a member of.
Barb has not brought one issue up that she followed through with a vote on.
She voted YES, ALONG WITH ALL THE PUPPETS ON THIS BOARD.
Had she stood up for what she believed in, her daughter would stlil be enrolled in the Oley School District, and not some other school district.
Obviously since she could afford to send her daughter elsewhere, she abandoned her cause.
What happened to the CAUSE, Barb?
Yea Barb, what happened????
Barb did sit on the sidelines, the sidelines at the board table. She did nothing she said she was going to do when she got voted in. Did you ever read her paper that she gave out at the polls??? What a joke!! She did nothing, you hear me, nothing. Very sad and bad that she wasted 4 years on this board doing nothing she promised her citizens she would do.
Pick the log out of your own eye before you search for the speck in someone else's eye! (I think you all know who said words very similar to these.)
It's very disappointing to see that fellow Oley community members behave in the manner you do. You've just displayed a real class act!
P.S. I suppose these blogs were also posted by people "posing" as OCCers!!??!!
Unfortunately, I think we've all just witnessed the "real deal."
Telling the truth again for the 10th million time upsets you, well sorry for that. But sometimes the truth hurts. And yes, this board member also hurt all the citizens that believed in her to do the right thing and she did not do the right thing on this board. Sorry again.
Stop attacking the messenger and look at her record over the past 4 years and than look at what she promised the citizens 4 years ago.
You're looking for a sincere thank you to Barb B.? Don't narrow it down so much. Pass out that sincere thank you to all of the board members. Really! Thanks to the entire board for:
showing up to MOST of the meetings
voting YES for raising taxes..again
voting for the expensive track
etc, etc.
And a special spineless thank you to the board members that don't have the courage to tell the arrogant and ignorant fellow board members that their behavior is unwelcome and out of control.
It's amazing that anyone wants to run for board, but even more amazing that once they get on the board, they act like they are BACK IN SCHOOL, and listen to the super and president---even when they are totally off base.
What do they do to well meaning people that run for board and get elected? Where do these well meaning citizens change lanes? And WHY?
"Well, here we are - ready to have the track officially opened and dedicated. All the lines are correct, and it will be ready for the start of school. Can you say W-R-O-N-G?
P.S. Before you start typing...No, I am not a board member, or the doc, or a teacher, or a spouse of a board member...etc. Just another proud Oley citizen!"
For the record , the lines on the field comment originated in a local newspaper, not OCC....
"Why does this even matter? The track is there, it's going to stay there, the funds are spent and life goes on. Get over it! Move on to another issue you can blow out of proportion."
Let's sweep another million dollars wasted under the rug, so the board and their apologists can waste more.
“...and I sure am happy that we have such a beauuuutiful track and field! The kids will benefit greatly, and so will the community!!!... No, I am not a board member, or the doc, or a teacher, or a spouse of a board member...etc. Just another proud Oley citizen!"
A classic case of ostrichism..the longer you stick your head in the ground the less painful is the truth.
Oley Motto: Feel good is more important than education.
Maybe they can stick their heads under the track, instead of in the sand. The vapors coming from all of that unnatural turf may do them a world of good.
The tax and spenders priss OCCers are not credible. These are the same clowns that wail that not enough is spent on the education of their children, then applaud pouring millions into a feel good track...Huhhhhh??
Talk about hypocrisy.
See Bob run.
Run Bob, run.
Run around the track, Bob.
Run fast!
Run far!
Run through that big gate.
Keep going, Bob.
Do not stop, Bob.
Do not look back.
Run Bob, run!
I'm sorry but this is disgracefully. Do you people actually believe you are furthering your goals by attacking everyone and everything? You do realize that attacking Mrs. Bieber will get you nowhere. It just makes the OCC look worse. How many of you anonymous posters ran for office while Mrs. Bieber has served this community? None! You sit at your computers and spew out mean posting while doing nothing to attempt to change things. This is not the way government works. In order to enact change, you most act yourself, like running for office. Until you do that, you will have no credibility. The people who wrote those posting attacking Mrs. Bieber should be ashamed of themselves!
I agree with you, 12:41. I hope that doesn't hurt your credibility...
Dear Oley Student/12:41 posting:
I also agree with your opinion. Those among us who waste their time to spew stupid comments should in fact step up, help out and be part of a solution. If they do not, they are part of the huge problem that exists with the Oley School District.
However, please proof read your writing before you hit 'publish'. You first sentence will allow weak minded individuals to use you as an example.
Telling the truth to you is attacking. We have been trying to help this school district out by asking questions and having concerns given attention by this board, however they refuse to talk to anyone with a concern. They give dirty looks and put on a list of bad parents and citizens. They are the ones that do not care. We try to keep this board held accountable for their votes and spending. We would run on this board if the current members all of them were gone. We can get more accomplished asking questions, even if you and your buddies do not like us to ask.
I will never stop being a caring parent and citizen in this district as long as I am physically able to.
Never, never would I let these innocent children down. All the OCC citizens care about everyone in this district, DO YOU GET IT :).
"You sit at your computers and spew out mean posting while doing nothing to attempt to change things."
Ms. Bieber running for office did not change anything.If anything she made matters worse. You do not need to run for office to start change, ask any media source.
To get a lecture from a person who probably does contribute a penny to his parent's property taxes about keeping quiet about Bieber or any other board members sorrowful performance is about as compelling as listening to a politician who says she will make changes only to stab her supporters in the back.
How much have you accomplished asking questions? You complain that your questions go unanswered so how is that accomplishing anything? If you really want to accomplish something begin now by finding four other like-minded individuals and start laying the groundwork to run for school board in two years. Even if you fail at least, then, no one can criticize you for not trying.
'...They give dirty looks and put on a list of bad parents and citizens. They are the ones that do not care...'
If your skin is that thin, and your feelings and opinions lack that much, then you get what you deserve. If in fact, you truly believe in your cause, you would not not be concerned with other people and their respective 'dirty looks'.
If you are truly concerned about something, you will do whatever it takes to accomplish the change you deem necessary. Failure to do anything less is the immature act as well as an act of a coward.
I have fought and complained with administration for several years on various issues, without any concern of retribution to my children, and anyone who hides behind such an argument is merely hiding from the parental responsibilities!
Hello 2:05, you seem to have missed what I was saying. I do talk to the administration and I am not worried what they think of me. My children have had situations that I had to talk to the big guys. It is never fun to have to sit in on a meeting in this school district, for your child or for the community.
I will fight for the right education for my children forever.
RS, we need nine openings not four to make a major change in this district. All the current board members need to step down. We need term limits.
What we need and what we will get are two seperate things. Term limits aren't going to happen and nine members of the board are not going to magically step down just because you think they should. There is no recall provision in the school code of Pa. No, the only way you can get the changes that you want is to work through the electoral process. Otherwise, you will continue to be frustrated and disappointed.
Under Act 50, there were real controls over spending. There were not the porous exemptions under our current legislation.
There would be little need to run for board because extravagant spending on non-educational wish lists would be reduced to a trickle.
The board would be forced to prioritize its spending for education, only.
The thought of having the public vote on budgets was abhorrent to the board and feared by the teachers union.
In a grandiose tax funded charade, the fear mongers claimed class sizes would be larger and programs would be cut. In other words, education would come to a halt.
Yet, most of these neysayers think paying $1,600,000 for a luxurious new synthetic field is a good use of tax dollars.
Act 50 would have prevented frivolous expenditures. We would have begun to see the fruits of the legislation on all families disposable household income today.
A great deal of effort by a number of concerned citizens was put into getting a new tax structure considered locally. To accuse them of being nothing but complainers and not getting involved is uninformed.
As was predicted, the modest controls on spending are being attacked by the Pennsylvania School Board Association.
A more detailed post will reveal the PSBA's agenda on their version of property tax relief and their strategy for overriding referendums.
"However, please proof read your writing before you hit 'publish'. You first sentence will allow weak minded individuals to use you as an example."
You are kidding, right? This student is obviously well spoken and a competent writer. The typo was clearly the kind of typo that we all make. Do you seriously want people to point out all of the grammar mistakes made by some of the OCCers that are obviously mistakes made by someone who has not been educated? I think not!
Good job, Oley student! Your point was well made and you are a proficient writer. You are most likely an Oley Valley student who scores proficient or advanced (probably advanced) on the PSSAs. We should ALL be proud of you!!
The following comments were posted on the blog by OCCers in the past 3 days:
1. Perhaps they could mutate from the the leeches that they are
2. Cappa and all his board buddies AND feel gooders do not have a clue.
3. Is your life that useless that you have to come on here and waste everyone's time and act like a complete fool? Ask your therapist to suggest other ways to to rehab.
4. If I were your grandfather, I'd take the likes of you out to the woodshed and refresh your sorry memory as to how to be a responsible adult.
5. You wasted 4 years being on this board. You should of stayed home with your family.
6. ...voted YES, ALONG WITH ALL THE PUPPETS ON THIS BOARD.
7. A classic case of ostrichism..the longer you stick your head in the ground the less painful is the truth.
Oley Motto: Feel good is more important than education.
...A good demonstration of the level of character exhibited daily on this blog.
3:48 your nuts. Oops, I said something bad. How would you know who wrote anything on this blog. The true facts being put on this blog are driving you nuts. I know someone that has been writing that do not even live in this district, but have come to meetings in support for me. They here, see and read alot about this district in the paper and at meetings and it is not a pretty site.
:) :) Happy, happy, joy, joy!!!!
"This student is obviously well spoken and a competent writer. The typo was clearly the kind of typo that we all make."
You must be the person grading or should we say "gaming" the PSSA scores.
To OCC i.e. Al,
Your mention of the PSBA reminded me that I read in the paper last week that the Kutztown School Board commissioned the PSBA to do the search for a new superintendent. When a board gives away those kind of responsibilities to the PSBA it won't be long until they no longer run their own district and local control is a thing of the past. You can see what the PSBA really is when you check out on how many issues they agree with the PSEA?
"They here, see and read alot about this district in the paper and at meetings and it is not a pretty site."
Yes, we do HEAR and see a lot on this blog as well.
And, no...the rumors being circulated on this blog are not driving me nuts, but it is pretty easy to drive some of you OCCers nuts! Not a difficult task at all as we can all see from your responses to other citizens.
I, for one, am quite happy with living in the Oley Valley, quite satisfied with my children's schooling in the Oley School District, and quite amused by this blog.
...and by the way, the PSSAs are scored by PA bureaucrat hired scorers, not teachers - as one of the blogs implies.
...and your statement referring to the "gaming" of the PSSA scores sets you up nicely to be able to be a Debbie Downer no matter how the students score this year. If they score low, then Oley has failed. If they score well, then the scores are "gamed."
And I suppose your glass is always half-empty as well.
4:59 and 5:01 YOU SHOULD SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR CHILDREN AND STOP BEING AMUSED BY THE FACTS BEING WRITTEN ON THIS BLOG. YOUR GLASS IS HALF FULL IF YOU THINK GAMING OR CHEATING ON THE PSSA'S IS AMUSING. ASK DR. Z. WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE STATE CALLED HIM ON CHEATING ON THE PSSA'S THREE YEARS AGO!!! WHEN THE CHILDREN DO NOT SUCCEED IN LIFE YOU WILL NOT BE AMUSED. GOOD DAY :)
Thank God ACT 50 and ACT 1 failed!
"your glass is half full....
.Your glass is half empty...?"
Wow, you still have a glass! Lucky you!
5:10 you failed!
Maybe the act 50 folks need to talk to someone in an area where it works. You know, in those areas, apartment dwellers pay taxes, too. Not as much as home owners, but certainly more that $15 a year.
WHEN THE CHILDREN DO NOT SUCCEED IN LIFE YOU WILL NOT BE AMUSED. GOOD DAY :)
Oh, I'm not worried! You, however, amuse me! :) :)
WHEN I TYPE IN CAPITALS IT MAKES ME FEEL POWERFUL! hahahhahaha
Get a life above blogger. You must not care at all for the children in this districts future. You are a nasty person. Smile all you want. Can you really feel good looking in the mirror, I do not think so. I feel sorry for your family living with you.
Oh my goodness, Mary! Be nice now!
Wrong person!
As long as we've known Mary, she's always been happy and cheerful.
Maybe you need to clean YOUR mirror, your smile needs help!
Joyous blessings to you and please be nice to YOUR children. And while you're at it, cut your mom and dad a break, too!
Smile!
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