MY BLACKHAWK RESEARCH

Friday August 13, 2010



Expected budget shortfall in Blackhawk turns into surplus
By: Bob Bauder
Beaver County Times

CHIPPEWA TWP. — A suspected shortfall in Blackhawk Area School District’s 2010-11 budget wasn’t actually a shortfall, the superintendent said Friday.

Superintendent Michelle Miller said about $250,000 in federal stimulus revenue was entered on a wrong line item in the previous year’s budget. As a result, numbers did not match up when she and business Manager Vince Belczyk began working on this year’s budget.

Complicating matters was a break in budget continuity with the resignations of former business manager Eric Brandenburg and Superintendent Paul Kasunich, Miller said.

“That’s part of the issue,” she said. “The two people who were overseeing how that was coming in and how it was coded as we were creating this new budget, weren’t here.”

That made it harder to track.

School directors approved a 1.5 mill tax increase, instead of a 1 mill hike that had been proposed, to address what they believed would be a shortfall. Now Blackhawk is looking at a surplus. Miller said she isn’t yet sure of the exact amount.

“We’re going to have to make a decision now on how were going to use that money,” she said.

She said the school board is split over whether it should go toward ongoing capital improvements or an expected hike in employee pension contributions over the next few years. They will take up the issue at future board meetings.

Blackhawk board clears AD, will pay some legal costs
By: Bob Bauder Beaver County Times

CHIPPEWA TWP. — Blackhawk School Board has issued a public statement clearing longtime Athletic Director Jack Fullen of wrongdoing and agreeing to pay $1,000 toward legal costs he incurred last year as the result of a district investigation.

The school board agreed to remit the money so long as Fullen agrees in writing to release the district from all legal liabilities, Superintendent Paul Kasunich said.

The action taken during Thursday’s school board meeting was the result of an investigation of the athletic department, but it was never clear exactly what prompted the probe.

The previous school board initiated it, and most of the members have left office.

School directors approved the statement and payment by 5-2 vote with Joyce Perri and Geraldine Pander dissenting. Director Don Inman, who voted in favor, said Perri stated publicly that she opposed the measure because she had not seen the release from Fullen.

Neither Perri nor Pander could be reached Friday for comment.

Fullen, of Patterson Township, who has served at Blackhawk since 1974 as athletic director, assistant high school principal, superintendent of buildings and grounds, assistant superintendent and superintendent, would not comment when reached Friday.

His attorney James Ross of Ambridge said he had asked the board on behalf of Fullen for the statement to end any remaining controversy.

“He did nothing wrong, and that’s what this is confirming,” Ross said.

It was apparent last year that the old board was intent on firing Fullen for an undisclosed reason.

Kasunich reported in July that Pittsburgh attorney Daniel Delaney, who was retained by the district, had concluded the investigation, but neither he nor the board would reveal what was found.

Perri, then a school board candidate, told The Times that the district had issued Fullen a letter in June, informing him that his employment been terminated and ordering him to vacate his high school office. A second letter, she said, threatened to have him physically removed if he did not leave voluntarily. She would not reveal the source of the information.

Two previous board members — Jake Barsottini, now a supervisor in Patterson Heights, and Deborah Lambert — reported that at least part of the controversy involved the falsification of swimming records by swimming coach Jeff Jackman, who since has retired.

Inman said on Friday that he reviewed Delaney’s report and found nothing to indicate Fullen did anything wrong.

“It was ridiculous,” he said. “I’m not supposed to say what I read, but there was nothing there. Why it ever got to that level is beyond me.”

Inman said he voted in favor of the resolution because it was the right thing to do.

“I think it’s justified to reimburse the money,” he said. “It should have never happened, but it did, so we’re trying to clear up old wounds and make things right.”



February 12, 2010



Bob Bauder can be reached at bbauder@timesonline.com


Jun. 23--CHIPPEWA TWP. -- Incoming Blackhawk School Board members on Monday decried $20,000 performance bonuses that the current board awarded last week to two top administrators, saying the money was excessive and unjustified.
But a school director, who voted in favor of the bonuses, said they were more than warranted for employees who far exceeded expectations over the last year.

"I actually was able to measure their achievements, and their achievements were outstanding," said Jake Barsottini, who heads the board's finance committee. "They exceeded their goals on every position they had."

On Thursday, the board unanimously approved $20,000 bonuses for Superintendent Paul Kasunich and assistant Superintendent Michelle Miller. The bonuses came on top of a 3 percent salary increase the pair received at the beginning of the school year.

Kasunich earns $108,000 and Miller $97,850 annually. The average salary for a school superintendent in Beaver County this year is $108,315, according to the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit.

The board last year approved $15,000 performance bonuses for Kasunich and Miller.

"I'm appalled," said Don Inman of Patterson Township, one of five new directors who will be seated on the school board in January. "Basically what they've done is they've given $70,000 to two administrators over the last 10 months, and the question is for what?"

For one thing, Barsottini said, Kasunich saved the district about $1.2 million without cutting services. He said Kasunich and Miller also upgraded educational programs, improved student performance and improved the district in other ways.

Inman and Cindy Burger of Chippewa Township, another of the new directors, questioned the process by which the bonuses were awarded. They also questioned the timing during a national recession.

"I think everyone is concerned about the economy, and I think the voters spoke loud and clear (in the primary) that they're concerned about the way the board spends the district's funds," Burger said. "I was not pleased when they spent the money that way."

Publication: Beaver County Times (Pennsylvania)
Date: Tuesday, June 23 2009

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Blackhawk building foes file complaint

Mar. 14--CHIPPEWA TWP. -- Residents opposed to a Blackhawk School District building project have filed a formal complaint with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, alleging the district has failed to meet state funding requirements.

The voluminous document -- more than 70 pages complete with diagrams, aerial photographs and statistical information -- outlines 13 objections residents have with the plans.

Blackhawk administrators have proposed closing Highland Middle School in favor of a $36.5 million addition at the high school that would include classrooms, administrative offices, a new gymnasium, and other upgrades to the building and grounds. The district has reported that it can receive state reimbursement for up to 20 percent of construction costs.

The project has triggered strong opposition from residents who favor a less expensive middle school renovation. Opponents aim to delay the project and eventually stop it by electing a new school board majority this year.

Last month, the board voted to send the plans to the education department for review as the first part of a lengthy, multistep process known as PlanCon in acquiring state funding.

Under the state school code, residents are permitted to lodge an official complaint in such cases if they believe a district has not met requirements.

The complaint was filed by Cynthia A. Burger of Chippewa Township and Frank Matsukas and Donald Inman, both of Patterson Township. It asks Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak to cease processing the district's request until the department can investigate.

Education department spokesman Michael Race said the department received the complaint and is reviewing it to determine whether further action is necessary.

Among other things, the complaint contends that the district has failed to comply with zoning, traffic and education department regulations necessary for reimbursement approval.

It also alleges the school board has failed to properly advertise its public meetings for 2009 in violation of the state's open-meetings law. In December, the school board voted to advertise its meetings in The Times. But no record of Blackhawk meeting notices turned up in a review of newspaper legal ads.

A media law expert with the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association said a court could void all action taken by a board during meetings that were not properly advertised.

Blackhawk Superintendent Paul T. Kasunich said Friday he believed all board meetings have been properly advertised. He refused to comment on other specific allegations, saying he had not had a chance to review them.

But he characterized the allegations as "untrue."

"These people can say whatever they want," he said. "It's certainly their right."

In the case of zoning, Chippewa Township Manager Mark Taylor said the school district has met most of the requirements.

Inman, who previously served for years on the school board and as a Patterson Township supervisor, said the purpose of the complaint is to force the board to follow proper procedure.

But the underlying motive, he said, is to delay the process until after the municipal election this year. Residents opposed to the building project are running a slate of five candidates -- including Inman and Burger -- in an attempt to gain a board majority and stop the project.

Bob Bauder can be reached at bbauder@timesonline.com





03/30/2009
Challengers vie for right
to quash building project
Bob Bauder, Calkins Media

BLACKHAWK SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES
Blackhawk School District voters elect school directors by three geographic regions. The district includes Darlington, Patterson Heights, West Mayfield, Enon Valley and the townships of Chippewa, Darlington, Patterson and South Beaver.
Five school board seats are up for election this year; four carry four-year terms and one a two-year term. All of the candidates have filed to appear on both Democratic and Republican ballots in the May 19 primary.
The candidates:
Region I (one seat open for a four-year term)
l Kathleen Meteney, 48, of 457 Hollow Road, Darlington Township.
l Geraldine Pander, 55, of 766 Blackhawk Road, South Beaver Township.
Region II (two seats open for four-year terms)
l Cynthia A. Burger, 54, of 108 Rama Road, Chippewa Township.
l Chad Calabria, 60, of 125 Redbud Drive, Chippewa Township.
l Jeffrey R. Emge, 49, of 140 Pinebrook Drive, Chippewa Township.
Region III (one seat open for a two-year term)
l Crystal A. Baldwin, 41, of 714 18th Ave., Patterson Township.
l David J. Gabauer, 40, of 112 Watson Trail Drive, Chippewa Township.
l Joyce S. Perri, 51, of 860 Achortown Road, Chippewa Township.
Region III (one seat open for a four-year term)
l Kevin Klein, 51, of 114 Gilliland Ave., Chippewa Township.
l Don Inman, 68, of 1016 Highland Ave., Patterson Township.


Bob Bauder
CALKINS MEDIA
CHIPPEWA TWP. - A slate of five candidates opposed to a proposed building project in the Blackhawk School District is running for school board this year in an attempt to win a board majority and quash the plan.

The current board plans to eliminate Highland Middle School and build a $36.5 million middle school addition at the high school on Blackhawk Road.

Opponents say the plan is unnecessary and too costly.
The opposition candidates say they are running for the express purpose of winning a board majority and stopping the project. They also say they fear project costs would prohibit spending for such things as teacher salaries, school supplies and expanded student programs.

Proponents, including the current school board and administration, argue that the project is necessary to upgrade deteriorating buildings and offer students state-of-the-art learning facilities.

They maintain that the district would have enough cash left over to pay for a new contract for teachers, supplies and expanded programs.

School administrators have said the project would require tax increases totaling 6 mills over the next four years, but opponents think it could be more. They favor renovating the existing middle school.

Five of the nine school board seats are up for election this year, and a total of 10 candidates are running for them.

The candidates include incumbents Jeffrey R. Emge, David J. Gabauer and Kevin Klein. Two other incumbents - Janice Wagoner of Darlington Township and board President Richard Caputo of Chippewa Township - are not running.

Emge, Gabauer and Klein could not be reached for comment.
The opposition slate includes Cynthia A. Burger, Chad Calabria, Don Inman, Geraldine Pander and Joyce S. Perri.
They say the project is unnecessary and too costly.

Two other candidates with no apparent association with either side also have surfaced: Crystal A. Baldwin and Kathleen Meteney.

Meteney was unavailable for an interview.

Baldwin said she has not yet made up her mind about the building project. She said she believes that the district should provide its students with the necessary education to compete in a global society.

"I think for me, there are still a lot of questions about the money and how we are going to pay for it," she said of the project. "There's been talk of tax increases or no tax increases from different sets of people. At this point, I don't have all the answers."

Bob Bauder can be reached online at bbauder@timesonline.com.

School officials say opposition complaint unfounded, project will overcome hurdles
Bob Bauder CALKINS MEDIA CHIPPEWA TWP. - A group opposing a building project in the Blackhawk School District was correct in one aspect of a complaint filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, contending the district failed to file a timely study required to receive project reimbursements.

However, school officials said last week that other parts of the complaint are unfounded.

Last week, the education department rejected the district's application for up to 21.6 percent reimbursement of the $36.5 million project, reporting that Blackhawk failed to meet a deadline for submitting a study of school facilities.

The Blackhawk administration and current school board want to eliminate Highland Middle School and build a middle school addition at the high school. Opponents hope to delay the project long enough to get a new school board majority elected in this year's municipal election and then stop the project.

The rejection will not stop it. Blackhawk architects have agreed to complete the study at no charge to the district by next month, school officials said. The district would then resubmit its reimbursement application.

But the complaint is still pending in Harrisburg.

Filed by Blackhawk residents Cynthia A. Burger of Chippewa Township and Don Inman and Frank Matsukas, both of Patterson Township, it contends among other things that the district has failed to comply with zoning, traffic and education department regulations necessary for the reimbursement application to proceed.

Last week, however, Superintendent Paul Kasunich and school board President Richard Caputo said allegations contained in the complaint were embellished.

They admitted that the district has hurdles to overcome to comply with Chippewa Township zoning regulations, including traffic and parking at the high school. The high school was built in 1972, they said, before zoning laws were amended to require a large number of parking spaces (opponents contend the number would be 1,800 spaces).

Kasunich and Caputo said the requirement was unreasonable, considering that the school was built before the zoning changed and that township officials were willing to work toward a compromise.

They said the same situation exists with traffic.

Opponents argue that traffic congestion occurs daily at the school entrance and that additional students at the high school would only compound the problem.

Kasunich and Caputo said the traffic wouldn't be any worse with the new addition.

Issues cited in the complaint, they said, are things that always crop up and must be worked through in a large building project.

"What we're saying is this is part of the process," Kasunich said. "Dialogue (with township officials) is ongoing and has been very positive."

The two officials said they anticipated the hurdles and they are confident that the district will be successful in overcoming them. They are convinced that the building project is in the best interest of the district and, over the long term, for taxpayers.

"We're doing our diligence," Caputo said. "If the (opposition gains a board majority) and the project doesn't go, it doesn't go, I guess. But we're doing what we believe is best for the students and the district facilities."

Bob Bauder can be reached online at bbauder@timesonline.com.

February 1, 2009 - Sunday
Just The Facts...
We credit Patterson Township resident and former School Board President Don Inman with first becoming aware of certain financially questionable practices.Don spent hours gathering not only pertinent but also quite revealing information for which all Blackhawk residents need to be aware. Here are some things you need to know:

♦ The Blackhawk School District has had a declining enrollment of 40-percent since the 1973-1974 school year.

♦ The District currently has a 73-percent occupancy rate.

♦ The first architect hired by the school board, Hayes-Large, was let go. It was Hayes-Large’s recommendation that the school district pursue renovation as an alternative to a new building or addition.

♦ The minutes of the school board’s July 17, 2008 meeting do not reflect the attendance (approximately 200 people, approximately 95-percent opposed) and the testimony given by approximately 40-individuals who opposed an addition to Blackhawk High School.

A majority of the 40 individuals who spoke also expressed how a significant tax increase would place them in dire financial straits.

♦ One of the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s criterion for school building projects is that “such a project should not cause undue financial hardship for residents of the school district.”

♦ The Blackhawk School District’s 2008-2009 budget was passed with a $906,491.00 deficit, which is equal to 3.91 mills.

♦ There were no open meetings to discuss the 2008-2009 budget.

♦ The current school board was asked to and was unable to provide any quantifiable/statistical evidence that the taxpayers of the Blackhawk School District could afford a cumulative $40,000,000 bond issue BEFORE the current local, county, state and national economic crises.

♦ The current school board gave Dr. Paul Kasunich, a first term superintendent, a 14.2 percent pay increase after he recommended a deficit-budget.

♦ The current school board gave Dr. Michelle Miller, a 14.2% pay increase before she even completing her first year in the position.

♦ Act 1 also is known as the Pennsylvania Taxpayer Relief Act, but Blackhawk taxpayers can expect little relief as your property taxes have gone up each of the last four years and by a total of 10 percent in just the past two years.

So how do the tax increases benefit our students? That's tough to figure out given that the proposed 2009-2010 budget actually cuts school supplies by nearly $300,000.

♦ When asked by a coalition member how the district could or would honor its commitments, none of the current school board provided an answer.

One available option is to apply for a “variance” with the PA Department of Education to further increase the millage, an action the Blackhawk School District NEVER has taken in more than 35 years of existence.

Oh, the aforementioned figures that created our “financial deBlackle” do not factor in the millage increase necessary for the $30,000,000 bond for, in our opinion, an unnecessary middle school added to the Blackhawk High School campus or the new proposal to build a stadium at Blackhawk High School, which may cost several more million dollars.

Please Help Us Save OUR Blackhawk School District From Potential Financial Crisis!



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