The Plymouth-Canton area school district did not choose Paul Kadri for its superintendent's job last night because they saw him to be a person who brings great change to a district in need of it, and they believed their district only needs a little tweaking.
Sounds to me that their reason for not choosing Mr. Kadri is the very reason we should keep him.
This information was provided to me via the Hometownlife.com reporter, Tony Bruscato.
*** Updated Feb 20, 9am *** Click here to read Mr. Bruscato's article.
*** Updated Feb 21, 1pm *** Click here to read the Courier Times article.
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35 comments:
For Neshaminy it is a glimmer of hope for our district that Mr. Kadri will be staying on for now, but as you say, Mr. O'Connor, it is just for now. Unfortunately for Mr. Kadri he is stuck at this time with this board and all its baggage and I know there will be other opportunities for someone as qualified as he is in the future. I hope this community does not waste the precious time that has been bestowed upon us and comes out on February 26 to fight for Mr. Kadri's vision.
You really hit the nail on the head "anonymous" (please pick a name for yourself so we know what to call you). Kadri is "stuck" with this board, and THAT is the fundamental problem. Several board members need to go, but I get the feeling that if one in particular went, things could get better for everyone instantly. We can yell and scream at every meeting but that won't change anything until certain people no longer control the board for their own political agendas.
For the life of me I don't comprehend why the other board members tolerate him, but that's a question for another time. The public must demand a recall vote!
(Editor's note - portions of this comment were edited for content)
Recall! Recall! Recall! Recall!
I don't know why Mr. O'Connor won't let me say the name of who HE is, but I think everyone knows who I am talking about. If you don't then it just proves that you don't know enough about what's going on with this school board, and you need to start paying attention. Don't let this issue fade away. Like spread the word said, RECALL!
ps - I do understand why you edited a couple of my comments Mr. O'Connor. I am sorry if they were a little too extreme. Forgive me for being upset by this situation.
I don't think Kadri's greatest strength is "Change" just for the sake of "Change". He's not Obama. But I think he will implement change if he deems it necessary. He has many, many talents which can contribute to better a education and a stronger community at Neshaminy.
Eccles is the key. He is making it impossible for Kadri to stay. Mr. Kadri told a group of community members that the board becomes even more agitated when folks are vocal and supportive of him at public meetings. I wonder why Mr. Eccles would not welcome compliments to the superintendent he once deemed “the light”? What legal avenues could be taken to get Eccles removed.
(Editor's note - portions of this comment were edited for content)
A NOTE TO ALL READERS:
I truly value all of your opinions but I must ask you to refrain from personal attacks on individuals. It is acceptable to question a person's actions, but it is not acceptable to call them nasty names, use foul language, or conduct yourself in an uncivil manner.
If you want to make true, meaningful change in Neshaminy, then please use words, thoughts and actions that convey just that.
Thank you!
wish *we* were able to do the following in our district. Anyone know who we would contact in order to start the ball rolling to get a procedure in our district in the future?
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/METRO01/801280351
District Administration has confirmed to me that next Tuesday's meeting will be held in the auditorium and it will be televised.
Is everyone really up to doing this? Do you all realize this will take more than just a meeting or two? If we stop coming to meetings because of our other commitments, then this issue will go away and that's what those people are banking on. We can't just be an angry mob who shows up to an occasional meeting and demand a recall or change in board practices or whatever. We have to be organized and be able to speak as one voice.
If several people come forward to organize this effort, then we have a chance. It would be fitting if the movement grew out of Levittown but that doesn't really matter. Are there any Levittown folk out there willing to get the ball rolling?
One issue was raised earlier that I don't understand. Why don't the other board members take a stand against the president? We are at fault for electing him, but you all put him in as president over and over again. What are you afraid of? Does he have compromising pictures of you or something?
Thank you for this blog, William. It is very informative but I end up leaving with more questions about the district than when I started.
Maybe it's because several of the board members who oppose the president are from the same political party and their hands are tied in such matters. I think that's why Mr. O'Connor is powerless right now. Even though party shouldn't make a difference in a school board his party is in the minority. Unfortunately the political sheep on the other side must follow their leader.
I feel sorry for the senior level people in the district. Who are they getting their direction from? Is Kadri still in charge? If some board members were undermining him before, they must be trying to sieze total control now that he is intent on leaving. This will leave a lasting scar on Neshaminy long after our children have graduated.
Paul Kadri is no coward. I think he will continue to lead this district. Look how much has come out in recent weeks regarding how members of the board have treated him? It is time for the public to step up and show their respect and support for those that want the best for the district and let the weasels with political and personal motives crawl back under the "rock'.
I'll place my bets on Kadri!
The Politcal gamesmanship MUST STOP NOW!!
Meet privately with Mr. Kadri to see if he is willing to stay, be 100% committed to making Nesh school district the best it can be.
Call a Rollcall vote and ask the board if they can be 100% committed to Mr. Kadri and his work on improving our district .
We need both sides to agree ,work together and Stop working in opposite directions.
I will never forget the people who politically led a campaign to do wrong by our children and hurt us in the wallet.We got the worst of all scenarios and the problem will revisit us in 10-15 years.
Renovate for the cost of NEW !! Oouuucchhhhhhhhhh!!
Hurt our real estate values.OUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCHH!!
WE BETTER START PAYING ATTENTION!!!
Kadri's quote in today's Courier Times article shows he's committed to leaving because of differences in philosophy with the board, but still WE the public doesn't understand what that means. Mr. Blasch seems to want him to stay, and Mr. Eccles doesn't appear to be shedding any tears if he leaves. The board is obviously divided but those supporting Kadri aren't standing up for him.
There is a real problem here because the parents believe in Kadri's vision. If his vision isn't shared with our board, then it is the board who is out of sync with what the people want and THEY are the ones who should go.
Keep Kadri and send the board packing instead.
Paraphrasing Mr. Eccles -
"I wish nothing but the best for Mr. Kadri"
Is that a Hello ? or more likely Goodbye!!!!!
Let's get to work and resolve our differences .Make this about the kids -priority #1.
I like the idea of a Roll Call by the person in the prior post. I suggest one at the next board meeting. Let's find out who is on board with Kadri and who is not.
Very simple. All these secrets is not what the public wants to hear. We have a superintendent who is getting high marks from the staff and the whole community and we are kicking him out. Makes no sense.
Eccles is wishing Kadri the best for any place other than Neshaminy.
Want some fiscal advice Mr. Eccles? The last teachers contract, the one YOU negotiated, is strangling the taxpayers. Want to close NMS? It would have been closed already AND a new high school built had it not been for you.
For you to expect Kadri to solve our fiscal problems is like OJ hiring a detective to find his ex-wife's murderer.
When do elected officials, who have lost the confidence and trust of their constituents, make the decision to resign their positions for the good of the District and community?
Why does Neshaminy’s Board of School Directors always seem to have axes to grind, and use their positions to exact some sort of vendetta against those they feel have done something to offend them in the past?
When board members or their family members don’t get a position, they seem to be out more for revenge than what is best for the District.
If they had moved forward with a new High School, closed the under-used facilities, and had some sort of plan for the future; we would not be in the financial bind the District finds itself in.
Where is the accountability?
Is there a mechanism in place to solve the problem with the board with a recall, or lack of confidence vote to force some of the dead weight off the board?
Maybe, put some mirrors up in the Board Room, so they have to look themselves when the pull the stunts they pull with regularity, and vote on their personal agendas.
The students, staff, and community all loose out when people vote their party instead of doing what is right, and Neshaminy, I feel has had enough of this behavior.
We should have a referendum, like the one they used to abdicate their responsibility over the new high school, send out flyers to everyone in the District for feedback, and finally, have each board member submit an essay on why the ran for office and what was it they wanted to accomplish during their term.
I agree with the individual who feels Eccles is expecting Mr. Kadri to fix the financial problems in our district. When I read the newspaper article this morning, I came away with the feeling Eccles is going to try to blame the budget deficit on him. This only shows the lack of class Eccles has. I guess he figures that since Mr. Kadri was looking to work elsewhere, he would try to turn the public against him. Well, if he is looking to place blame, then I suggest that he takes a good long look in the mirror.
Let me list why:
1. Eccles, along with Webb and their latest campaign manager and spouse, spread false information to the public about how a renovated high school would cost so much less than a new high school. Not only are the current costs the same amount as the new school would have been, (the project is only ½ way done) but it will be smaller, has prevented the district from closing a middle school sooner and caused the district and taxpayers to miss out on the low interest rates that were available 3 years ago. Funny how none of you ever were able to produce the "cheaper good as new" plan you all said you had in your campaign fliers. I’m sure that we will have to borrow more money to complete the project. And when that time comes, let’s not take it out on the entire board. Let’s make sure we place blame where it belongs.
2. The current teacher’s contract is the highest costing in the history of Neshaminy and Eccles signed on the dotted line without any objection to what it will cost the taxpayers. I’d like to sign on the dotted line to get you removed from the board!
3. Eccles, along with some of the other members of the previous board, sat on the McKissick report for months before it was recently brought it up. Hmm...wouldn’t be because you were worried about how it would impact your campaign for re-election?
4. Eccles constantly undermines “our” superintendent, Mr. Kadri. If Eccles hasn’t noticed by now, the Neshaminy community supports Mr. Kadri. He has the qualities that we want in a leader and can make Neshaminy better than it’s ever been. Can’t say the same about you.
I’m sure that the rest of the board is aware of this blog. And I’ll bet that Eccles visits to see what is being written about him. Having said that, I’d like to speak to Eccles and ask that you save yourself the embarrassment that is coming and do what is right for Neshaminy and RESIGN!!! And while you’re at it...take Webb and Kozol with you.
The OJ crack has to be the funniest line I've ever read. You are now our leader. Please show up at next week's meeting and say that during the public speech time.
No matter what we do, Kadri may still leave. It's important we keep up the pressure so that we stop these antics from happening again.
Someone earlier said if Kadri's vision isn't shared with our board, then it is the board who is out of sync with what the people want. That is a very powerful and accurate statement. If there are any school board members aside from Mr. O'Conner reading this, pay careful attention to that statement. If you are supposed to be representing us, then you must find a way to work with Mr. Kadri. If you cannot, then please step down from your positions and make way for people who reflect the philosophies of the public.
Recall! Recall! Recall! Recall!
I know this is a bit off the subject but in the big picture, I feel it is all connected. Let me preface this by saying that I have been following the Neshminy School Board debacles for close to five years now.
I have observed the following: That any time property values are brought up, many older people, and I'm thinking mostly of the Flowers Mill/Shady Brook set, really just seem to have no reaction. The concern just isn't there as it is with so many of the parents and community as a whole. Why is this you ask? I have a theory and it goes like this:
That particular segement of the community are already in the last home they will ever live in before they're in need of nursing home care, hospital care, or move in with their own children. What concern should it be to them if the rest of us loose property value? They've already sold their homes and been rewarded the payoff for having lived in what during "their time" was a very desirable place to educate children.Thanks in large part to them, we can no longer make that claim.
That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.
To: It's a Darn Shame
Very good point. People who don't understand finance forget to realize that when your house goes up in value your personal wealth goes up also.
When you build a new high school, your real estate goes up more than the average. That is what happened in Council Rock and especially in Central Bucks where realtors said that those homes started going up before the school was even built. When you renovate, you really lose money because your home just goes up or down with the market and gets no additional pop.
When you have a superintendent who has special talents, home values also go up.
As for Flowers Mills and Shady Brook, you are right. They don't care that there home will go up, they just want to be told that their taxes will go down $20 a year. If they want more money in their pocket, they could really take out a tiny reverse mortgage and capture the gain they would get in their home price rising.
So if ther home went up $10,000 due to good news in the community, they could actually put those dollars in their pocket.
Too many residents around here can't look beyond their own noses when making a decision. Over the years I've heard citizens cheer when the board would cut maintenance costs to keep taxes lower, then years later the same people would complain when the buildings needed serious repairs.
You are wasting your time by posting financial advice. The fact that these people could put money in their pockets with increased home equity is beyond their comprehension.
As finance-101 suggested, a reverse mortgage is a smart way for the seniors of this community to be able to pay their taxes and keep their house. Stop worrying about how much money you can leave your children. If your children aren't willing to help you pay your taxes, then why are you worrying about leaving them anything when you are gone? YOU earned the money needed to purchase your home, not you children. I hear this all the time and it drives me crazy!
I’d like to suggest one more way for seniors to save money...
STOP GAMBLING AT THE CASINOS!!!
Has anyone heard something about a rally just before the Tuesday meeting? Sounds like there's going to be a real mob. Perhaps the people are tired of the crap our board is pulling and want to take this district back. It's about time!
I didn't hear anything about a rally but I'm not the most well-connected person around. But the thought of townspeople showing up with torches and pitch forks is appealing.
Question...When the current Neshaminy senior citizens were younger and had children, did senior citizens at that time complain about school taxes and undermine the school board(s) when their children were in school getting an education? I think not. It's full cycle seniors...think back please. My mother is 81 and lives in the Pennsbury school district (where I graduated), and she never complains about paying school taxes. Seems as if a certain group of people are leading to the demise of our district.
I heard some Heckman and Maple Point parents were going to meet up before the meeting but I'm not sure if it's an actual rally.
It's not just the senior citizens who put us in this predicament. By not getting involved in local government, younger adults have allowed things to go bad right under their own noses. Hopefully we'll see that start to change on tuesday night.
It seems pretty simple to me. If we, the parents, are happy with Kadri and we, the parents, are unhappy with Eccles, let's try to do something to fix that. I don't know a lot about it, but one of you must. Can't we call for his resignation? Why are we going to let Eccles run someone like Kadri out of town? Kadri is what we need.
I still can't figure out how 1 person on a nine person board can drive someone who seems to have the support of at least five board member out the door. What do the board memebers we never hear from think about it?
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