Thursday, April 29, 2010

Wyomissing Assistant Superintendent Blasts Board Over Failure To Renew Her Contract

NOTE: I thought I would share this article since it pertains to our former assistant superintendent Dr. Pamela Pulkowski

The Wyomissing School District assistant superintendent has taken school board members to task for not renewing her three-year contract.

Dr. Pamela R. Pulkowski, who came to the district in 2007 from western Pennsylvania, told board members this week that she believed she was being let go for personal reasons, not because of poor performance.

Read more: www.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=216285

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What Goes Here?


Blog-Lebo and Fake Lebo join forces to fill these tragically empty storefronts in Uptown Lebo! Post your best ideas both here and at Fake Lebo (www.facebook.com/fakelebo). Serious and not-so-serious ideas all welcome!

Note to our new readers from Fake Lebo: Please use your full name in your comment or we cannot post it. Thanks!

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Mt. Lebanon Pulls Off Upset Of No. 1 Baldwin

John Bruni hit a game-winning RBI single in the top of the ninth inning Wednesday to lift Mt. Lebanon (5-10, 2-5) to a 9-7 upset victory of Baldwin, the No. 1 team in the Tribune-Review Class AAAA rankings.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_678660.html

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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

It’s Happening: Mt. Lebanon School District vs. Zoning Hearing Board of Mt. Lebanon

A few days ago, the Zoning Hearing Board released its decision and findings of fact that denied the Mt. Lebanon School District the variances it had sought for its planned reconstruction of the high school. Now, the School District has appealed the decision to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.

In Mt. Lebanon School District vs. Zoning Hearing Board of Mt. Lebanon, the School District asks the Court to grant both of the denied variances (one for lot coverage, one for parking spaces) and sustain that the lot coverage and parking spaces, as planned, are permitted as a matter of right under Mt. Lebanon Zoning Code.

A copy of the appeal was served upon the Mt. Lebanon Zoning Board on April 27, 2010.

Update (5/2/2010): Added the following article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -- Zoning flap gets appeal in Mt. Lebanon

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10 Years After Shootings, Family To Hold Memorial

Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of a deadly shooting rampage that left six people dead.

Tonight, family members of the victims will gather for a memorial as convicted gunman Richard Baumhammers sits on death row.

Read more: www.kdka.com/local/Richard.Baumhammers.shooting.2.1660940.html

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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Zoning Hearing Board Releases Its Findings on High School Project

The Zoning Hearing Board has released its findings about the zoning variances that the School District had requested for the high-school project. At 8 pages, it’s worth a read.

The short story is that the variances were denied because the School District was unable to present a compelling case for them.

Part of the School District’s problem seems to have been a lack of preparedness. “When asked about the square footage of the existing building and structures that contributed to the overall lot coverage, neither the Appellant nor its Consultants provided any clear response to the Board,” wrote the Zoning Hearing Board.

Another part of the problem was that the School District was not convincing in its argument that it had made reasonable efforts to comply with zoning code. The Zoning Hearing Board wrote, “The [School] District provided testimony that other options were investigated and that the proposed design was the sole option to meet the educational needs of the [School] District. Despite that testimony, no other options were presented to the [Zoning Hearing] Board to support this position or to prove, as required by the Ordinance, that the Subject Property could not be developed without the variances.”

Additionally, the Zoning Hearing Board rejected the School District’s (novel) argument that the variances should be allowed because the planned reconstruction made the property less nonconforming: “In the simplest terms, Appellant seeks to take an existing nonconforming building..., tear down a portion of it, and rebuild a new building elsewhere on its property. While the net effect may be slightly less lot coverage than the existing configuration, it will still be in excess of the maximum permitted coverage because of the creation of a new building, regardless of the repair, renovation, or modernization of that portion of the existing nonconforming building which remains.” (Emphasis original.)

In light of the findings, what seems mysterious is not that the requested variances were denied but that the School District ever thought it was going to get them. If you’re going to ask for variances, you had best be able to show that you tried in good faith to get along without them first. If the School District couldn’t make that case, they had to know, going into the hearing, that the Zoning Hearing Board would be unable to overlook the failure. Did it really come as a surprise, then, that the variances were denied?


Read more:

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Monday, April 26, 2010

Mt. Lebanon Child Abductor Incident Just A Case Of Mistaken Identity

Mt. Lebanon police say a reported child abduction attempt was nothing more than a case of mistaken identity.

According to police, a man approached a boy Saturday near the intersection of Sleepy Hollow Road and Sunset Drive and offered him a ride. The boy refused and told his parents, who notified police.

Mt. Lebanon police Lt. Tom White said Sunday that the family later called police and identified the man as a family friend. The youth didn't recognize him when he offered the ride, White said.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_678029.html

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Friday, April 23, 2010

We're Not The Only Town "In The Bubble"

I took these pictures during my trip last year to Florida for Super Bowl XLIII. It looks like we're not the only town that believes we have a bubble around us!



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School Board Gets Lanced (Again)

Another lance in today's Pittsburgh-Tribune Review:

Lance: To the Mt. Lebanon School Board. It's raising property taxes nearly 11 percent to cover the cost of a high school renovation project. Eleven percent. In one year. (And who knows to what kind of tax hike this year's negotiations on a new teachers contract will lead.) What a way to shaft residents -- raise taxes by such a large amount that it makes fleeing (by selling one's house) virtually impossible. In these economic times, such a tax hike is a travesty. Heads are not simply screwed on wrong in Mt. Lebanon; its "leaders" have stripped the threads.

Previous lances can be found here and here.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_677707.html

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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Efforts Won't Impact Budget

NOTE: The following article is a letter to the editor written by Mt. Lebanon resident John Kendrick.

Dr. Timothy Steinhauser's efforts are misdirected and will leave very little impact on the astronomical budget of the Mt. Lebanon School District.

The largest expense in the district budget is employee salaries. At this point, we won't have any meaningful impact on reducing expenses until we start reducing the payroll.

Unlike many Fortune 500 firms that employ a Rating and Ranking system, public school employees and their school board counterparts [like Mt. Lebanon] have vehemently opposed any program to assess the quality of their workforce using teacher competency testing that would systematically drop the bottom 10 percent each year from their payroll.

Further, the district will not consider an on-going effort to reduce costs like a kaizen goal of a 10 percent annual cost reduction. Until efforts are in place to change the DNA of the organization so that a focus on savings becomes as important as delivering services we will continue to see efforts like Dr. Steinhauser's resulting in a 1-2 percent savings, at best.

Read more: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/04-21-2010-Mt--Lebanon-Kendrick

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Under New Leadership, Lebo LAX Plugging Away

Mt. Lebanon entered the boys' lacrosse season as the reigning four-time western Pennsylvania champion. This included last year when the Blue Devils claimed the first-ever title contested under the sanction of the WPIAL.

During this four-year run, Kee Joe Song led Mt. Lebanon as head coach. Song is no longer the skipper, having accepted a lacrosse coaching position in Hamburg, Germany. Despite Song's absence, Mt. Lebanon (5-3) is not about to end its title run without a fight.

Read more: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/04-21-2010-Lebo-LAX

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

KDKA Covers Mt. Lebanon School Taxes and High School Project

Mt. Lebanon's school taxes and high school project, always hot topics in town, are now attracting the attention of Pittsburgh-area television media. In a report aired earlier tonight, KDKA's Ralph Iannotti takes a look at both topics. His report touches on the petition movement, the effect of higher taxes on real estate sales, and the school district's new budget, which includes a planned property tax increase of 10.7 percent.

Video: Mt. Lebo School District To Raise Taxes (KDKA)

Updated 2010-04-21 00:01 to note that proposed tax increase is 10.7 percent, not 10.8.

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Mt. Lebanon School Board OKs Budget, Tax Increase

The Mt. Lebanon school board approved on Monday a proposed $79.5 million final budget with a millage rate of 26.69 mills, an increase of 2.58 mills from the 2009-10 budget.

The board passed the budget by a vote of 6 to 3, with board members James Fraasch, Faith Ann Stipanovich and Dale Ostergaard dissenting.

The millage rate hike represents a 10.7 percent increase in property taxes. The increase of 2.58 mills included a 2.16 mill increase resulting from a $69 million bond issue for the proposed $113.3 million high school renovation, a .37 mill increase for pension responsibility increases and a .05 mill increase for operating expenses in the base budget.

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Monday, April 19, 2010

Results Of Weekend Mt. Lebanon DUI Checkpoint Released

The Mt. Lebanon Area DUI Task Force has released results of a checkpoint that was held late Saturday night into early Sunday morning on Washington Road.

Five people were arrested on DUI charges, and four more were charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. One person was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Ten traffic citations were issued. Police from Mt. Lebanon, Baldwin Township, Bridgeville, Castle Shannon, Dormont, Green Tree, Heidelberg, Scott Township and South Fayette are in the task force.

Read more: www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/23194842/detail.html

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Some Are Still Without Power From Friday's Storms


































Power outages were expected to persist in pockets across the region today as crews work to restore service knocked out by Friday's storms. As of midday Sunday, less than 10,000 people remained without electric service.  spokesman for Duquesne Light said that 1,100 customers were without service as of 10 p.m. Sunday. That was down from a peak of 36,000.

The majority of customers were to have power restored Sunday evening but some outages will persist until this afternoon, according to a news release from the company. Duquesne Light said the hardest hit areas were Baldwin, Mt. Lebanon, West Mifflin and Whitehall.
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Friday, April 16, 2010

Mt. Lebanon To Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

On Saturday, April 24, 2010, Earth Day in Mt. Lebanon will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. This year's celebration will be a zero-waste event, meaning that all would-be waste will be recycled or composted into reusable goodness. Admission is free.

Last year, Earth Day drew hundreds of people. This year, attendees can enjoy plenty of food, crafts, activities, and entertainment; subscribe to Community Supported Agriculture plans from local farmers; and even see solar panels demonstrated.

For more information, see Earth Day in Mt. Lebanon.

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Mt. Lebanon High School Renovation Overdue

NOTE: The following article is a letter to the editor written by Mt. Lebanon resident Lisa Wintner.

I completely agree with Heather Charron's comments. ["Crumbling high school detracts from the community," April 8, South].

I am on the other end of the spectrum; my daughter graduated from Mt. Lebanon in 2007. My daughter's dance recitals were held at Upper St. Clair High School and I saw for myself the first-rate school the community built.

By contrast, I always had to remember that if I attended an activity at Mt Lebanon High School -- even in the dead of winter -- I had to wear summer clothes because of the uneven heating in the various aging parts of the building. Receptions were always held in an area called Center Court, which usually felt like an oven. This was also the location for most school dances. I don't know how the kids could stand it.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10105/1050474-55.stm

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Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Salvation Army Breaks Ground For New Temple

The Salvation Army broke ground Sunday on McNeilly Road for a big new facility to serve the Pittsburgh area.

It will serve as a worship center, but the new building in Mt. Lebanon will be much more. Besides a chapel, it will have a gymnasium, fitness room, senior center and social services office.

Read more: www.thepittsburghchannel.com/family/23118166/detail.html

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Mt. Lebanon Votes To Submit Renovation Plans To State

Nearly two hours of public comments preceded a vote Monday night by the Mt. Lebanon school board on whether to submit materials related to the planned $113.3 million high school renovation project to the state Department of Education.

More than 25 residents spoke before the vote, with some calling for the board to move ahead with the project and others asking the board to scale back costs.

The school board voted 7-2 in favor of sending materials from an Act 34 hearing held in February on the project to Harrisburg. The materials include the transcript of the hearing, which laid out the scope and cost of the project and allowed time for public comment. It also includes a description of the project and all comments delivered to the school district regarding the project

Read more: www.postgazette.com/pg/10103/1050041-100.stm

Read more: www.postgazette.com/pg/10105/1050473-55.stm (Added April 15, 2010)

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Judge Orders Hammer Attack Teen To Remain In Lockup

A Pittsburgh-area teen convicted of attacking his ex-girlfriend with a hammer must remain in juvenile detention for at least three more months.

Allegheny County Judge Kim Clark on Monday ordered Robertino DeAngelis, 18, to remain in juvenile lockup until at least July, when another hearing is scheduled on his detention.

Read more: www.wpxi.com/news/23133729/detail.html

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Monday, April 12, 2010

ML Teen Shadows Legislator For A Day

State Rep. Matt Smith, D-Mt. Lebanon, was shadowed by a Mt. Lebanon High School student recently, encouraging the next generation of decision makers in Harrisburg.

The shadowing was part of the Women and Girls Foundation's Girl Gov program.

Michal Cohen, a sophomore at Mt. Lebanon High School, followed Smith's daily schedule, which included attending a meeting with fellow legislators and a committee hearing, and viewing the Pennsylvania House of Representatives session from the house floor.

Read more: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/04-07-2010-YOUTH-shadowing-Smith--1-pix-

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Saturday, April 10, 2010

School Board Should Face The Evidence that Most Mt. Lebanon Residents Oppose the High School Plan

The school board directors who support the $113-million plan to update the high school have consistently claimed that their plan reflects what the community wants. Their plan, they claim, is the result of an open, inclusive planning process that has engaged the community extensively, providing ample opportunity for everyone to express a point of view.

The critics of the plan, however, say that the planning process was flawed. While everyone may have had an opportunity to express a point of view, it was the school board alone that decided which of those views were acted upon, and which were ignored. This discretion, the critics argue, allowed those school board directors who favored a more grandiose high school to advance their plan over the concerns of the majority of Mt. Lebanon residents.

So who is right? Does the majority of Mt. Lebanon support or oppose the $113-million plan?

In a democratic society, the only way to know for sure is to vote on it. But our community has not been given the opportunity to vote. So how can we measure support for the plan?

One way is to look at a slice of our community that is more easily measured, say only those people who sent email to the school board. If we counted each person’s emailed opinion as a vote of sorts, the counts for and against the plan might tell us something about where our community stands.

School board director James Fraasch has done just that. Reviewing the email sent to the school board about the plan since January 1, 2010, he counted email from 411 residents in total. Of them, 308 were against the $113-million plan; only 103 were for it. That’s 75 percent – three to one – against the plan.

The supporters of the plan will have a hard time explaining away this three-to-one rejection of their plan. Even recognizing that email counts are likely to be a biased representation of the community as a whole, it would take a whole lot of bias to turn the school board’s claimed majority support into the observed three-to-one rejection of their plan. So this evidence makes the notion that most residents of Mt. Lebanon support the plan harder to believe.

As further evidence of broad rejection of the plan, there is the petition movement. On April 5, 2010, petitioners submitted over 3,300 signatures to the school board. Every signature represents a Mt. Lebanon resident who supports renovating the high school but rejects the $113-million plan. Has any petition movement in Mt. Lebanon history garnered such broad support in such a short time?

Again, the plan’s supporters are going to have a hard time explaining away this evidence. If the only opposition to the plan was from a few loud dissenters, where did those 3,300 people come from?

More importantly, aren’t those 3,300 people Mt. Lebanon residents? Aren’t they deserving of representation by the school board, too? Yet what action has the board taken to acknowledge or compromise with these people? Do the school board directors who support the plan think that a growing movement of over three thousand people is just going to disappear because they pretend it doesn’t exist?

It isn’t. Sooner or later, those school board directors are going to have to start treating those people like constituents.

Let hope, for our community’s sake, that they start sooner rather than later.

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Thursday, April 08, 2010

Mt. Lebanon Administration, Board Look To Cut Costs

With real estate taxes expected to rise to cover a proposed $113.3 million high school renovation and increased pension responsibilities, Mt. Lebanon administrators and school board members discussed this week how to cut costs for the 2010-11 budget year and beyond.

In the several weeks since budget talks began, the administration already has reduced the proposed property tax increase by a few percentage points.

The most recent draft of the proposed $79.6 million budget calls for a 10.38 percent increase in the real estate tax, from 24.11 mills in the 2009-2010 budget to 26.72 mills in the proposed 2010/2011 budget.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10098/1048623-55.stm (corrected link -- thanks Dave!)

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Tax Break Issue Weighs On Mt. Lebanon Condo Project

A think tank blasted Mt. Lebanon officials after a developer halted a $42.8 million condo project backed by tax breaks.

In a policy brief, the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy questioned why tax breaks were needed and whether the Washington Park development met state standards for them.

In an interview Tuesday, Frank Gamrat, senior research associate for the institute, said township officials should not have become so heavily involved in the process, instead allowing the market to drive it.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_675303.html

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Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Mt. Lebanon Men Finish Fifth In State During Swimming Finals

Despite only having seven swims at the PIAA championships, Mt. Lebanon finished fifth in the state. In the boys' team standings, the Blue Devils racked up 140 points.

According to head coach Dave Schraven an indication of how well Lebo swam is to compare to the finish of fourth-place squad. Emmaus needed 19 swims to rack up 158 points.

"We improved our time and our seed in every event," Schraven added.

Read more: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-31-2010-swimming

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Sunday, April 04, 2010

Now is the Time to Submit Your Act 34 Comments on the High School Project

As a reminder to all Mt. Lebanon residents who want to make an official comment on the High School project, you have until noon tomorrow to submit your written comments under Act 34. According to the school district’s Act 34 web page, “Written testimony may be submitted to the Board Secretary prior to the hearing and up until noon on April 5, 2010 at BoardSecretary@mtlsd.net or by sending it to the District Administration Offices, 7 Horsman Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15228. All comments will be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.”

If you want your voice to be heard – and if there was ever a time to be heard, this is it – you must submit your comments now, and you must submit them by email or hand-delivered letter. It’s too late to use the postal service.

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