Make the Right Things Happen

The current Board does not represent you – they have passed 100% of the proposals the District administration put before them (creating no proposals of their own).
 

The Board has approved raising property taxes every year, even when surpluses were realized which could pay for the next year’s spending increases.

• Note: While tax revenues skyrocket, academic proficiency has declined.
   

The Board approved balance transfers of the surplus revenue from its Unassigned reserve fund

• Transferring this money changes the calculation of the school’s Act 1 Fund Balance %, so that it becomes low enough to qualify for raising taxes without allowing taxpayers to approve the tax increase – that is, to appear to be “cash poor” and needing to raise taxes.

• These balance transfers over 11 years created $56 million in surpluses and a huge reserve fund balance, which can be used for anything it wants.

• Note: RTMSD is tied for highest Act 1 MV/PR AR in the state.  MV/PR AR “represents the relative wealth in relation to the state average, for each pupil in a school district”.
   

The Board acquiesced to District recommendations to

• Not lengthen the school year or days to mitigate the COVID learning loss (pg. 66-68)

• Use ESSER funds for teacher in-service programs (rather than for direct student assistance, such as tutoring) slide 34

• Remove itself from setting Curriculum standards for our kids

• Approve a new Superintendent they never vetted, and more.
   

The Board has not forced the District to mitigate declining Academic Proficiencies

• Math proficiency declines are clearly evident in PSSA test scores for grades 3 through 8 -- ex., 52% of 8th graders are NOT Proficient in Math!

• The extent of the declines for grade 11’s Keystone Exams is hidden by not  administering the assessment to all students
   

The Board has done nothing to address the serious, widespread issues which are reported in the results of the Youth Truth surveys given the past two years, to students, staff, and parents of elementary, middle, and high schools.