“The minutes are what five people say they are.”
FC School Board President, Brant Miller
in response to
Board Member Chris Lauff’s requests to amend erroneous meeting minutes
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“The General Assembly finds that the right of the public to be present at all meetings of agencies and to witness the deliberation, policy formulation and decision making of agencies is vital to the enhancement and proper functioning of the democratic process and that secrecy in public affairs undermines the faith of the public in government and the public's effectiveness in fulfilling its role in a democratic society.”
Section 702. Legislative findings and declaration
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This is an excerpt from the Official Minutes of the September 19, 2001, Fort Cherry School Board Meeting:
“Mr. B. Miller discussed a blog posting. He disputed the material on the blog as patently false including comments about Board Members and Administrators. He asked if anyone in attendance at the meeting was the author or provided input to this blog. No response from the audience was made. He asked that such negative and discrediting bullying tactics stop.”
FORT CHERRY SCHOOL DISTRICT
MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE MEETING
SEPTEMBER 19, 2011
Listen to what Brant Miller actually said on September 19 . . .
School Board Secretary, Paul Sroka, created the September 19th minutes that state B. Miller "disputed the material on the blog as patently false".
Actually, as documented on the video, B. Miller's words seemed provoking and immature. He called the authors of this blog, "liars and idiots".
Sroka continues to embellish the minutes indicating that B. Miller "asked that such negative and discrediting bullying tactics stop."
B. Miller never used those words.
“The secretary of the board of school directors shall perform the following duties:
He shall keep a correct and proper record of all the proceedings of the board, and shall prepare such reports and keep such accounts as are required by the provisions of this act;”
Chapter 1, Public School Code of 1949
24 P.S. 4-433
Article IV. Organizations Meetings and
Officers of Boards of School Directors
(D)Secretary
Sroka’s erroneous version of the events of the meeting, as documented in the official minutes of the Board, was approved by:
· Brant Miller
· Ray Miller
· Bruce Sharpnack
· Larry Heinrendt
· Jamie White
· Bev Schwab
· Elmo Cecchetti
Chris Lauff voted “NO” to the approval.
For the past two years, Lauff, has been persistently trying to have the minutes amended to accurately portray the actions of the Board.
For the past two years, B. Miller and Sharpnack have been unyielding; consistently shutting down Lauff’s attempts to amend erroneous minutes by arguing that “the minutes are what five people say they are”. (“Five people” constitutes a majority of the board.)
During B. Miller’s tirade to the authors of this blog:
· He threw insults to the authors, calling them idiots and liars.
· He claimed that the evidence presented in this blog is without merit or foundation
· He accused the authors of rumor-mongering.
Not true.
From the onset, the goal of this blog has been to present documented public information to the residents, staff, and students of Fort Cherry School District.
All information has been obtained legally through right-to-know requests to the Fort Cherry School District, PA Department of Education, PA Office of Open Records , PA Office of the Comptroller, Eastern Illinois University, and Mattoon High School, just to name a few.
How very humorous . . . accusations of rumor-mongering came from B. Miller, who just spewed pages of false accusations upon the FC school board candidates on Facebook . . .
Rumor-mongering . . .
Fear-mongering . . .
On October 27, 2011, Fort Cherry School Board President, Brant Miller, son of member Ray Miller, blogged the following on Facebook:
Brant Miller: “I've been told that some of the school director campaign signs in the FC area have an apple in the upper left hand corner. Apparently this is the teacher's union symbol (PSEA) (information relayed to me). Doesn't it make you wonder why the teacher's union would support a school board candidate over another...especially with another teacher's contract coming up just around the corner? Sorry to post this on here, but someone needs to bring up this issue. Never hurts to be an informed voter.”
“This info has sprung from FC Teacher, to FC administrator to me. . . . The theory abounds that the teachers are trying to shape the board. If anyone gets a solid answer on this, I would really like to know. If Admin is incorrect, I will let them know immediately.”
“If a person interested in the school board race is not interested in knowing of a possible movement to control the board and impact contract negotiations and accompanying fiscal policy, then they are very unprepared and uninformed.”
Get informed . . .
It appears that B. Miller came to a conclusion without truly investigating the issue:
· Instead of checking out information about the companies that create the signs, B. Miller blasts his accusations on Facebook.
· The teachers' contract is only in its 2nd year of a 5 year contract - hardly “just around the corner”.
· Instead of verifying what he claims he was told by FC Administration, he spreads a rumor on one of the most famous public blog spots, Facebook.
B. Miller could have simply asked the candidates about the signs. Instead he chose to spread a lie to discourage people from selecting a candidate other than his father.
The Facebook scheme comes as no surprise. It’s come to light that residents’ who have the new candidate’s sign in their yard have received phone calls from B. Miller. It appears B. Miller was hoping to bully his way around to keep his dad, Ray Miller, on the board. Shameful Mr. Miller!
The campaign signs . . .
In actuality, the signs were purchased using A.G.E. Graphics.
Their template comes with the apple already present; the candidate just inserts their name and title.
This is the template as depicted on A.G.E.’s webpage – and yes, it’s exactly as B. Miller described it - “an apple in the upper left hand corner”.
Political Template 0027
But, no, . . . it doesn’t represent the PSEA . . . or the teachers’ union . . . it’s just a symbol.
The insinuation . . .
And what is Brant Miller implying????
It appears that . . .
· B. Miller is opposed to board members that favor teachers or their union.
· B. Miller feels that there has not been a tax increase because the board does not side with the PSEA and pay the teachers more money.
· B. Miller’s theory is that the teachers are trying to shape and control the board.
Brant Miller: “. . . why the teacher's union would support a school board candidate over another...especially with another teacher's contract coming up just around the corner?”
“The theory abounds that the teachers are trying to shape the board.”
“. . . a possible movement to control the board and impact contract negotiations and accompanying fiscal policy . . .”
“As it currently exists, FC just became leaner and there is no drop off, to my knowledge, of academic standards. Teachers are working a bit more, but then aren't all of us in each of our respective worklife positions? Buses are still troubling and we keep searching for answers while living within our budget. Admin spending is being addressed. The real issue is academic achievement above all things.”
B. Miller: “. . . why the teacher's union would support a school board candidate over another...especially with another teacher's contract coming up just around the corner?”
Get informed: It appears B. Miller is inferring that teachers’ support would influence the candidates’ ability to remain fair and open-minded. How did he come to this conclusion? As board president, is he entitled to speak for all board members, even potential members?
B. Miller: “. . . a possible movement to control the board and impact contract negotiations and accompanying fiscal policy . . .”
Get informed: Administrative contracts place a significant burden on FC finances.
There are 14 school districts in Washington County.
· The FC starting teacher salary is third from the bottom.
Only Burgettstown and Charleroi are lower. Burgettstown has a 2nd year jump that puts its teacher salary above FC’s.
· FC administrators are among the highest paid in Washington County.
Salary figures published in the Observer in 2008 put Dinnen as third highest paid and Sroka as fourth. Both have had significant pay increases since that time.
If you add in all the administrative perks, FC administrators may be the highest paid.
· Full tuition reimbursement
· $5000 bonus for each doctorate degree
· Dinnen now has two; Jacoby and Craig each have one, all paid for by FC taxpayers.
· Frioni and Sroka are apparently working on theirs, again all paid for by FC taxpayers.
· 5% of any grant money obtained for the school
· Generous insurance buy-out plan of $16,000 per year
In addition, FC created the administrative position of Director of Curriculum. That position and the position of Director of Special Education do not even exist in some schools; those duties are handled by other administrators.
B. Miller: "FC just became leaner and there is no drop off, to my knowledge, of academic standards."
Get informed: The budget cuts led to the elimination of teachers and programs and will directly affect academic standards. The tutoring program has been drastically reduced. Class sizes are larger. Administrative salaries and perks remain the same.
B. Miller: “. . .we keep searching for answers while living within our budget. Admin spending is being addressed.”
Get informed: Administrative spending has not been addressed. The $50,000 budgeted for administrative travel was barely touched when the budget was formulated (it was reduced by $10,000). Administrative contracts and raises are approved automatically. Teachers and programs for the students were eliminated; yet the administration remains nearly untouched by the budget cuts.
B. Miller: "The real issue is academic achievement above all things.”
Get informed: The real issue and top priority is student achievement.
The Board has approved thousands of dollars on administrative and school board travel expense reimbursements and administrative salaries and perks, but cut dedicated teachers and programs.
Administrative and Board perks will not lead to student success.
B. Miller sounds like an elitist. Not all students achieve academically; but all students have to be educated in a way that makes them able to contribute to society and succeed in their chosen paths. B. Miller appears focused on the top percent and disregards the rest of the students.
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B. Miller, as the Board President, approves the irresponsible spending of the administration and board members and ignores and encourages the secrecy and deception which surrounds them. (See former posts, including: http://fortcherryinfo.blogspot.com/2011/08/strange-questionable-fraudulent.html)
B. Miller doesn't argue with idiots and liars, he keeps them on FC payroll.
Administrative perks will not lead to student success.
“Student Success is our Number One Priority” . . . ?
Actions speak louder than words.
