Westmont Consolidation

[say_oww]

I started this thread because it was brought up under the "National Signing Day" post, but figured it probably deserves its own thread. I wasn't aware of the announcement, until psycho mentioned it in the former post. Recently, Westmont Hilltop School District indicated that they may be interested in a merger with another school district due to budget shortfalls.

Whew, prior to about an hour ago, I didn't know anything about this situation. Then I read the article and all of the comments at tribdem.com. With that being said, here are my thoughts...

To me this is the first situation of its kind in our region, one (presumed wealthy) school district asking for a partner for the purpose of decreasing expenses. From the article, I learned that Westmont gets considerably less funding than other public school district in the area, which ultimately results in higher taxes for its residents (to make up the shortfall). Reportedly, in Westmont's case tax rates have gone so high that people are starting to move out of the district (some have bills as high as $10 - $20 K). Looking further into this I found that many people (local and statewide) feel that the state funding formula needs to be changed to switch the burden of education from the local taxpayers to the state (taxpayers) but nothing has been done about it up to this point.

For me, this situation invokes nothing but questions that beget more questions, all of which are long-term: Will the state amend the funding system? What will happen to the tax rates in Westmont? If funding is secured, will WHSD tax rates decrease? If rates decrease, will home prices decrease or increase? Will people move back into the district, or will the price of real estate, not even counting taxes, still be too high?

What about CONSOLIDATION? CONSOLIDATION has been mentioned, but only as a voluntary measure between possible schools like GJSD, FASD, and CTSD. I am not sure of the specifics, but my guess this would most likely have to be voted on by referendum, and I do not think anyone in those districts would vote for a merger to basically save Westmont residents a tax bill, at their own expense. Will the state decide to change funding, and implement CONSOLIDATION? Or will the state do nothing.

What if state law changes funding guidelines, and cost shifts back to the state? Or what if the state mandates CONSOLIDATION? Does this mean that we are moving closer to SOCIALISM? Its just a question but each scenario has connotations of more government control over school structure and regulation or - SOCIALISM. Or would this be considered reverse welfare, again just a question?

In the short-term, what does Westmont do? Odds are that no local school board volunteers for a merger with Westmont. Does Westmont then raise taxes further? Or does it look to cut, cut, and cut? First staff, then facilities, and even extra-curriculars like sports? Rockwood did that a few years ago and it wasn't pretty.

Again, this revelation only raises questions. Does anyone have an idea of what may actually happen?

[Ghost]

A lot of good points say_oww.

A little birdy told me that there is a proposal on the table to put in an alternative school right down the road from Westmont middle school. How is this viable when they are talking consolidation? Anyone know anything more about this? DoCoogie? Dokkenball?

[wolftickets]

The big save westy idea is killing westy! They wanted to put a strip mall in on the one end of goucher street by the westwood plaza.. a developer was going to pay a 100,000 grand over home appraisal... 15 of the 17 homes all agreed... Then the save westy started... This lost the strip mall, which would have had a huge impact on taxs for the good of people who reside in westy! The save westy people are the reason for westys down fall..... :evil:

[Semantics]

Haven't been in the area for awhile. Sad to see.

The below topics have already been mentioned, but here are the news articles:

2009 - Commercial Zoning:
http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x5464 ... ial-zoning

http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x5464 ... ng-dispute

2010 - New School:
http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x3383 ... ding-plans

2011 - Merger
http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x1227 ... er-options

And as a side note: This was interesting to see. Why is this the first year in which this took place?
http://tribune-democrat.com/sports/x865 ... l-schedule

[psycho]

Taboo topic?????? Merger between Westmont and any of the potential merger candidates, except for Johnstown, will probably not happen voluntarily. As long as the handouts keep flowing from state and Feds to CV, Ferndale and CT, why would they want to break up their little uncompetitive fiefdoms by consolidating with a school district that exhibits excellence? Then their kids would have to try out for the sports teams, may not all be in homecoming court or in the class play and all would not make national honor society -- because there might just be some competition. Sure this is small minded bass ackwards thinking but this is Johnstown where excellence is the object of jealousy (condolences preferred to congratulations).

Johnstown would not be intimidated by Westy. That would be a good match.

But a voluntary deal will be tough. Hats off the Westy board for having foresight.

[psycho]

Wozniak school consolidation bill to make it out of committee. Voucher legislation being debated.

This is just the beginning. Taxpayers are tapped out. There is no more money. Westmont may well be the first school district in PA to declare bankruptcy unless voluntary merger takes place soon or school funding law changes, both of which are very unlikely. There are now 204 homes for sale in Westmont area school district. This is exactly how the decline of neighborhoods and areas begins. People are fed up with 24 consecutive years of school tax hikes and are fleeing Westmont -- or trying to. Property values plummet and Westy will go the way of Moxham and Kernville -- unless CONSOLIDATION occurs now. The money faucet is dry. Expenses have to be reduced.

Teachers unions do not want colsolidation and point to the bail out of wall street as justification for their position. Sure, we all hate the guys on wall street who got the bizzillion dollar bonus' from the taxpayer bailout. Not fair. Not right. In fact a terrible unjust political crime. Taxpayers were screwed. Something should be done to recover that money. But two wrongs do not make a right. And the public union day of reckoning is here. Union frustration is very understandable in light of how the wall street guys got away with stealing billions and then got taxpayer funded bonus' on top of it all. But the public unions, and the stooge imbicilic politicians they control, have been screwing taxpayers for years and got away with it while the economy was good and stock market returns masked the problem. Looks like it's all over but the crying.

Consolidate the 15 public school districts in the Greater Johnstown metro area to 3-4. Slash admin expenses and combine purchasing power. Raise teacher salaries. Reinstitute discipline (uniforms). That's the ticket.

[say_oww]

The real problem with the state and school budgets is that the pension funds took huge hits because of the criminal activities of the banks. Funds lost billions, because of the toxic mortgages that were wrapped up as assets and sold like gold. Bankers and traders should have went to jail, but got bonuses instead. Unfortunately, politicians are in bed with with the same banks and the spin is now deficit reduction rather than big bank accountability and job creation. With the recent rhetoric centered on cutting spending and budgets without raising taxes, it appears the economy will get worse before it gets better. What seems to be happening now is that the Wisconsin situation is inciting the democratic working class the same way the health care debate enraged the right wing. We'll have to wait until we see some town hall behavior before we know the full impact.

Your guess is as good as mine on how this will affect schools. More bad news than good I predict. Anyway, things don't look good at Westmont in the short term. And they aren't looking so rosy at Ligonier, either. The question I have for Westmont residents is how much of this could have been avoided if there were easements on zoning etc which may have made for a larger tax base. What is everyone's take on this, dare I say it, "exclusivity clause". Does this really exist, and if so was it really intended to keep the "riff-raff" out? If so, it definitely worked. After all, if the original residents truly wanted peace and privacy, it looks like they are getting more and more of it each day.

[psycho]

I heard yesterday that the problem at Westmont is NOT a "spending" problem. It's a "funding formula" problem. Westy allegedly spends less per pupil than any school district in Cambria County. Yet the Westy tax rate is almost double that of the other districts because they get much less government money. The PA school funding formula cuts way back the governmnet funding for Westy schools because the average household income is supposed to be higher there. The rich Westy people, who are now fleeing Westmont in droves, are supposed to pony up every year and make up the funding shortfall. This has resulted in 24 consecutive years of school tax increases and the highest millage maybe in all of Pennsylvania.

The problem is that the average household in Westmont that is being victimized by these taxes is not what one would consider "rich", at least not from a monetary standpoint. Yet they are being called upon to pay an inordinate amount of school taxes on their homes.

My buddy who is in real estate told me that there are now actually abandoned houses in Westmont. People couldn't sell them because of the ridiculous property taxes, couldn't or wouldn't pay the taxes and simply skipped town leaving their former homes abandoned. One of them in near the entrance to Sunnehanna Country Club and its roof is allegedly falling in. I don't know about you but this is some spooky stuff.

I wish them the best in solving this serious complex problem. But with all the jealousy and the black hand of the "Johnstown Mentality" that so dominates the rudimentary functioning of the small minds of the Greater Johnstown area, it will be an uphill battle.

[Semantics]

I heard yesterday that the problem at Westmont is NOT a "spending" problem. It's a "funding formula" problem. Westy allegedly spends less per pupil than any school district in Cambria County. Yet the Westy tax rate is almost double that of the other districts because they get much less government money. The PA school funding formula cuts way back the governmnet funding for Westy schools because the average household income is supposed to be higher there. The rich Westy people, who are now fleeing Westmont in droves, are supposed to pony up every year and make up the funding shortfall. This has resulted in 24 consecutive years of school tax increases and the highest millage maybe in all of Pennsylvania.

The problem is that the average household in Westmont that is being victimized by these taxes is not what one would consider "rich", at least not from a monetary standpoint. Yet they are being called upon to pay an inordinate amount of school taxes on their homes.

My buddy who is in real estate told me that there are now actually abandoned houses in Westmont. People couldn't sell them because of the ridiculous property taxes, couldn't or wouldn't pay the taxes and simply skipped town leaving their former homes abandoned. One of them in near the entrance to Sunnehanna Country Club and its roof is allegedly falling in. I don't know about you but this is some spooky stuff.

I wish them the best in solving this serious complex problem. But with all the jealousy and the black hand of the "Johnstown Mentality" that so dominates the rudimentary functioning of the small minds of the Greater Johnstown area, it will be an uphill battle.

'Like' this post!

As to the underlines portion…what other 'rich is there? Rich in spirit?

[psycho]

Yes, rich in spirit and academic excellence. Also intermittant athletic achievement. In this regard, the nice articles in todays paper regarding the Westy hockey and swim teams, well deserved I might add, will not help in their effort to find a merger partner. The merger candidate schools, as is the case with almost all school districts, municipalities and backward thinking, pea brained, vanishing turf protecting "officials" and self proclaimed "community leaders", are afflicted with a horrible case of the "Johnstown Mentality". They do not want to merge with a school like Westmont. It will "mess things up". Might "change their culture" or cause them to "lose their identity". Create "bad feelings" (aka "jealousy", which is the key element of the "johnstown mentality"). Might cause kids to work harder -- they might have to actually expend some "effort" to get minutes on a sports team, get a part in the school play, to be considered for National Honor Society -- and heavens knows that we can't put "that kind of pressure" on these kids!!!! "Mixing" the schools, none of which are located more than 4 miles from the other, will cause "problems" -- you know. And what about the trophy case?

........in reality it would create competition and that's the last thing they want. It's "nice" the way it is now. Ya, mediocrity is easy.