Lebo Citizens blog launched

I just received an email announcing a new blog, Lebo Citizens. From the announcement:

Do we really need another blog in Mt. Lebanon? Yes, we do! This blog features articles that aren’t published on other Mt. Lebanon blogs. The comments reveal information that the School District wants to keep quiet. We’re connecting the dots for you.

On the blog itself, the “About Lebo Citizens” blurb elaborates:

Lebo Citizens is a blog about the high school renovation in Mt. Lebanon, PA. The site is run by Elaine Gillen, who also designed and maintains www.lebocitizens.com, the website of Concerned Citizens Of Mt. Lebanon.

A Newsmaker You Should Know: She's On Mission To Lower Cost Of Mt. Lebanon School Project

At a January school board meeting, a Mt. Lebanon resident stood up and described his struggle with unemployment over the past year and a half. He was one of the dozens of residents who have spoken at public meetings, before and since then, about the high school renovation project.

One resident, Jim Martin, said if taxes went up significantly, he could not afford to remain in Mt. Lebanon. As he spoke, a friend, Charlotte Stephenson, was sitting in the auditorium, listening. She was there because she was also worried about the costs, although she knew the financial burden would not force her family to move out of the municipality.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10126/1055835-55.stm

Group Seeks To Cap Cost Of Renovation At Mt. Lebanon Schools

A group that calls itself Concerned Citizens of Mt. Lebanon is circulating petitions among residents to urge the Mt. Lebanon school board to set a $75 million cap on the planned $113.3 million high school renovation project.

Charlotte Stephenson of Mt. Lebanon is a member of the group of about 30 who have started an online petition, mailed out postcards, placed an advertisement in a weekly newspaper and are going door to door to collect signatures on the petitions.

They plan to submit the petitions to the school district for inclusion with the documentation that will be sent to the Pennsylvania Department of Education regarding the planned project.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10084/1045386-55.stm

Lower Cost Option Petition Making The Rounds

Many residents have spoken and written to the school board about the excessive costs of the planned high-school renovation. These residents, by and large, feel that their concerns have been dismissed. Now those residents are taking their concerns to the people, where they are finding a receptive audience. Collecting signatures both online and door to door, they hope to send the school board a message that cannot be ignored.

Here is the text of the email that is currently being distributed around town:

Dear Mt. Lebanon Resident,

An on-line petition has been created to gather signatures from our Mt. Lebanon residents in support of a lower cost option than the current plan to spend up to $113 million for the proposed high school renovation.

This is because the latest school district budget forecast dated 2/3/2010 shows a 45.3% increase in our real estate taxes between now and the 2015-2016 school year! Here is the projection as published on the school district’s website. http://www.mtlsd.org/district/budget/stuff/budgetfiveyearforecast10%2011.pdf (Look at the Real Estate Tax line and compare the numbers from 2008-2009 to 2015-2016.)

Most residents in Mt. Lebanon simply cannot afford property tax increases of this magnitude. Many of us are on fixed incomes and others of us have not had pay increases comparable to these anticipated property tax increases. In short, this is the time for a cost effective renovation of the high school, not the current plan which shows no sensitivity to today’s economic realities.

Other concerns that could raise taxes include pending property reassessments, an underfunded state pension fund which has to be replenished, possible municipal tax increases, 2011 state and federal tax increases, and an uncertain teachers’ contract. With so much uncertainty, this is the time for a more conservative approach to our tax dollars consistent with a reasonable renovation for our students.

If a high school renovation at a cost of $113 million concerns you please do the following:

1. Click on the link to the petition website: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/mtlhscost and sign the petition (PASSWORD is “spendwisely”).

2. Send this e-mail on to as many Mt. Lebanon residents who share your concern as possible and encourage them to sign the petition.

Your voice will be heard when the petition is presented to our School Board within the next few weeks. Time is of the essence, so please consider responding quickly!

Sincerely,

Charlotte Stephenson
Concerned Citizens of Mt. Lebanon
mtlsdcosts@gmail.com