The Mt. Lebanon Real Estate Premium

Here'a a Blog-Lebo comment from earlier today:

Educational achievement is driven by: a) Students, b) Family, c) Faculty, d) Administration or e) Bricks and Mortar

A, B, C and D appear to be the critical factors. The article in today's Post Gazette about Mt Lebanon leading public schools in SW PA in SAT scores, makes me wonder how important "E" is. Will we be off the charts by spending money on a new High School or will it not move the needle? We are doing pretty well with our crummy, old, hard to get around, leaky window building.

Here is the P-G link:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07056/764840-298.stm

Here are the questions that the comment prompts:

To what extent -- if any at all -- should development, re-development, and renovation decisions involving public facilities be guided by the need to protect residential real estate values? If, for example, having a "crummy, old, hard to get around, leaking window building" makes the jobs of Mt. Lebanon real estate agents more difficult, when St. Clair agents can point to a gorgeous new building, how should that factor into decisionmaking about the future of the high school? There are other examples of this sort of issue around Mt. Lebanon, both present and past. The question can be restated more bluntly: My taxes go up; public services may not improve, but real estate churn and a steady supply of "prestige" public and commercial properties ensures that neighboring houses increase in value each year. Is that a bargain that Mt. Lebanon should strike?

Discuss, and include flaws in or modifications of my premises. Thanks.

Books Change Lives

If people had to purchase the books they borrowed from the Mt. Lebanon Public Library in 2005, they would have spent $11,745,800. But the fact that they got them all for free thrills its director, Cynthia K. Richey, who recently received the 2006 New York Times Librarian Award.

Mrs. Richey, 57, who was one of 25 people to receive the honor out of 1,300 nominations from 45 states, has been director of the library since 1996. She joined the staff in 1983, in the children's department. One of the things that brings her joy is hearing real estate agents say people move to Mt. Lebanon because of the library.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/07053/763911-55.stm

School Board Approves Property Tax Installment Plan

Board members in Mt. Lebanon approved a property tax installment plan for the 2007-2008 school year.

The board typically approves an installment plan as an aid to taxpayers, spreading the tax bill over a five-month period. The plan is for non-delinquent taxes only. Penalties will apply if any of the three scheduled payment dates are missed by taxpayers. The 2007-2008 plan was approved by the board on Feb. 19.

The first installment, or 50 percent of the total assessed tax, is due on Sept. 30, 2007. An additional 25 percent is due Dec. 31, 2007; and the balance of 25 percent is due and payable on Feb. 28, 2008.

The plan outlines a 10 percent penalty of any outstanding balance which becomes delinquent, plus interest. Where a taxpayer fails to evidence an intention to pay the taxes in installments, the taxes shall become due and payable immediately, subject to penalties and discounts outlined in the local tax enabling act.

If a taxpayer elects to pay on the installment plan and is delinquent by more than 10 days on more than two installment payments, that taxpayer will not be eligible for payment on the installment plan in the next fiscal year.

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/ML_tax_installment_B2007_02_21T05_14_47

Lebo HS Renovation Blog Feed

The Mt. Lebanon High School Renovation weblog has its own official feed:

http://blog.mtlsd.org/highschoolrenovation/feed2.xml

or find a suitable feed at the blog itself.

This is an indispensable resource for everyone with an interest in the renovation/replacement discussion.

Character Education

A Blog-Lebo reader who observes connections between recent episodes of adolescent misbehavior in Mt. Lebanon schools suggested that I post this link to a recent USA Today op-ed calling for a renewed focus on character education in the public schools.

It's a provocative piece. I'm not convinced that school-based "character education" is a solution. "Character" isn't always the problem; some of the recent adolescent episodes in Mt. Lebanon reflect ignorance, or stupidity, or some combination of the two. When character is involved -- when the flaw is arrogance, or bigotry -- it is often more productive to emphasize the family and the community rather than the classroom. Teachers have enough to worry about with basic education and discipline; testing pushes their limits already; why dump "character" on them, too?

The real problem, of course, is that kids today are exposed to stresses, temptations, peer expectations, and a pace of life that is simply unimaginable to us parents. All of us were kids once, but none of us were kids like this. And Mt. Lebanon is just like thousands of communities all over the country in dealing with that. We're not special; in some ways, if all we have to worry about is excitable high schoolers running onto a basketball court, then we don't have to worry about much. Maybe the blog should focus on drug and alcohol abuse -- by parents as well as by kids.

The differences between then and now shouldn't excuse the kids' behavior or parental recklessness. No one should be indifferent to ignorance or stupidity or arrogance or bigotry, and when we see indifference, we should call it out just as we call out the underlying problems. But we should understand before we blame, and we shouldn't expect results from quick fixes. Start by loving and teaching your children, and work outward from that core.

MOUSER Projects at MLHS

Mt. Lebanon Advanced Placement Environmental Science students' models of a "green" high school might have an impact on future construction in their school district.

Upon completion of a unit on energy and energy conservation, juniors and seniors in Jennifer Cramer's and Lisa Hoover's classes presented their MOUSER -- Making Our School Environmentally Responsible -- projects to their classmates last week.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/today/s_493055.html

Martha's Run and Playground Dedication

Mt. Lebanon has set April 7, the day of Martha's Run, as the official dedication of Martha's Playground at Main Park. The $571,000 signature playground, off Cedar Boulevard, has been under construction since the fall. The playground is named for former Mt. Lebanon resident Martha Dixon Martinez, an FBI agent who was killed in the line of duty. The Dixon Foundation contributed $50,000 to the project.

Martha's Run, a race over the streets of Mt. Lebanon, includes a 10K, a one-mile walk and a two-mile fun run.

The day at the park also will include the town's Easter egg hunt, which will be at 11:30 a.m. instead of its usual time of 1 p.m.

Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07046/762173-55.stm

Possible Speed Limit Reduction on Washington Road

Commissioners will look into the possibility of reducing the speed limit on a portion of Washington Road, from 35 miles an hour to 25 miles an hour, after residents whose children attend Washington Elementary School and Mellon Middle School complained that traffic there travels too fast.

At issue is the area roughly from the Mission Hills neighborhood to Castle Shannon Boulevard, where the speed limit drops to 25 miles an hour as drivers enter Mt. Lebanon's main business district.

Another possibility is establishing a school zone on Washington Road at its intersection with Cochran Road. Although that area is at the high school, taking traffic speed down to 15 miles an hour during certain school times could reduce speed through the corridor, said Commissioner David Humphreys.

Municipal officials will approach the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to discuss the matter. Since Washington Road is a state road, speed limit changes need to go through PennDOT, said traffic board President Mark Spada.

Mt. Lebanon traffic engineer Mark Magalotti told commissioners that the majority of traffic between Cochran Road and Castle Shannon Boulevard travels 36 miles an hour or less southbound and 41 miles an hour or less northbound.

There is no timetable for further action.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/07046/762173-55.stm

Basketball Rematch Ends With No Incidents

There were police officers in each corner of the Mt. Lebanon High School gymnasium to quell any disturbances. But the crowd remained orderly even down to the final seconds of the Mt. Lebanon-Upper St. Clair boys basketball game -- a game that was decided in Mt. Lebanon's favor by one point Friday night.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/07046/762163-55.stm

Smartschan To Aid Superintendent Hunt

The Mt. Lebanon school board has hired the search firm of McPherson and Jacobson of Omaha, Neb., to oversee the search for a new superintendent to replace George Wilson, who hopes to retire at the end of the school year.

To assist the search firm, the board has hired former Mt. Lebanon Superintendent Glenn Smartschan as a consultant. The cost of the search is not to exceed $21,000, plus the expenses of the consultants.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/07046/762108-55.stm

Lebo Superintendent Meeting

The School District announces:

Community Meeting: New Superintendent Search
A Community Forum will be held on February 27, 2007
7:30 p.m. in the High School South Gym for a community forum to gather input for the search for a new superintendent. Dr. Steve Joel and Dr. William Dean, search consultants with McPherson and Jacobson L.L.C., will faciltate the meeting. Please plan on attending to offer your feedback on the strengths and challenges in the Mt. Lebanon School District and the characteristics and skills you would like to see in the next superintendent. Your feedback, along with the feedback from all key stakeholder groups, will help guide the selection process.

Lebo TIF Update

From the agenda for tomorrow (Monday 2/12) night's Mt. Lebanon School Board meeting:

TIF Status – A meeting of the TIF Committee was held on February 5, 2007. Details of what will become a final TIF plan for Board consideration are being drafted. A presentation of that plan is expected at the March 12 Board discussion meeting with Board and public comment solicited after the presentation. Action will be requested at the March 19 Board meeting on the District’s participation in the plan. Once the final plan is complete, it will be sent to all Board members for review.

Answer to MLHS Pay Phone Puzzle

Jo Posti answered my question about pay phones at Mt. Lebanon High School. Quoting from her message, with her permission:

The pay phones were removed due to their high cost to the District. Over the years, usage has declined while costs have increased. After conducting a usage study, our technology director found that the phone with the most use is the one located near entrance C-28 and that phone will remain. This is the entrance at the rear of the school that is used for pick ups and drop offs and students can continue to use that pay phone. They can also continue to use a phone in the office should they need to contact their parents during school hours.

Apparently phones were removed, for similar reasons, from Jefferson and Mellon Middle Schools. Jo says that the principals of the affected schools communicated the change to their respective student bodies after the principals themselves were notified, back in November 2006.

The high school's policy on cell phones is stated in the Student Handbook:

In order to maintain an environment conducive to learning, the use of cell phones is prohibited during the school day. Students are permitted to use cell phones before and after the school day, but cell phones must be turned off and not visible, regardless of the reason, during school hours. Any cell phone that is visible during the school day will be confiscated and parents will be asked to come to the school to pick up the cell phone.

Lebo Superintendent Search Begins

I am told that the Mt. Lebanon School Board has announced that it has hired a consulting firm to aid in the search for a new superintendent. The firm is McPherson & Jacobson (www.macnjake.com), from Omaha, Nebraska. The consultants will be scheduling meetings with administrators, staff, teachers, PTAs, parents, and other members of the community. Watch for announcements about times and locations.

Pay Phones at MLHS

My high schoolers report that some of the pay phones, and perhaps all of them, have been removed from Mt. Lebanon High School. This interests me enough that we are going to ask the School District directly, but I flag the question here to see if our understanding is correct.

I know that pay phones have been disappearing all over the country as cell usage has taken the profit out of the business. Still, my kids don't carry cell phones (and neither do I, usually, unless I'm traveling), and now they don't have any simple way to call home if, for example, they have to be picked up from school (in bad weather, for example). (My kids don't have their own cars, either.) I'm not sure that the phone company would be willing to reinstall the phones even if the School District were willing to subsidize the cost. What should be done here?

In Good Lebo News

My son's Boy Scout troop took time out yesterday from Super Bowl preparations to honor three new Eagle Scouts: Brendan Higgins, Karl Smith, and Shawn Rodgers. All three are Mt. Lebanon HS seniors. Congratulations to them and their families and to Troop 284, sponsored by the Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church, which has a remarkable record of service over *eight* decades in Mt. Lebanon.

If You Ride Public Transportation....

...and you live in Mt. Lebanon (or take the T from here), you should attend the meeting being held next week by the Port Authority to discuss the proposed cuts to some of their routes. Some of the Mt. Lebanon routes will be affected and/or cut if the changes take effect.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/07032/758382-55.stm
Link 2: www.tinyurl.com/2fbboh

Deer Shooting To Begin Without Public Notice

In Mt. Lebanon, it's all over but the shooting. The municipality will have sharpshooters from the Wildlife Services division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture begin to cull the deer herd within the next two weeks. Residents will not be notified, but municipal officials have said they have taken steps to ensure public safety.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/07032/758260-55.stm

Lesson On Insult, Injury Misses

A soft-spoken young man stood before 950 or so other male students at Mt. Lebanon High School on Jan. 24 to tell them a skit that just had been acted out about a student being excluded from groups was reality, not fiction.

"About that guy, it's usually me," the student said into a microphone as he stood in front of the auditorium full of his classmates. "It's not a very good feeling."

His poignant testimony came in the midst of a rowdy session with speaker Cheryl Dellasega, a Penn State University professor and author who has written and lectured extensively on female aggression.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/07032/758386-55.stm

Students Get A Brush With Great Art

Mt. Lebanon School District art teacher Jill Majestic has turned to Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh to teach her students about the importance of art.

"I want to leave them with a real appreciation for it," said Majestic, who has taught art at Mt. Lebanon's Lincoln Elementary School since 1989. Her students in the first through fifth grades learn about the lives and techniques of the pioneers of the art world.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_491126.html

Taser Case Settled

A Mt. Lebanon pizzeria owner and his wife will receive a $100,000 settlement from Mt. Lebanon after a 2005 traffic stop that ended with police using a Taser stun gun. Frank and Josephine Caruso, of Castle Shannon, were stopped for a traffic violation near their Washington Road pizza shop on July 21, 2005, when police said Mr. Caruso became agitated, swore and made threatening gestures toward police, including cocking his fist.

Link 1: www.postgazette.com/pg/07032/758487-55.stm
Link 2: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_491162.html