Hey Jon....our taxes didnt go up as a result of the state budget. YOU and the teachers are making education funding the #1 issue in this race. This district hates your union. Your candidate gets smoked on November 6th which is nothing more than a reflection of the sentiment of the people of this area. This is alot more to being a state rep than lobbying for teachers pocket books and Deely is going to find out the hard way.

Missed the part where you held Rendell accountable for his actions in using Obamabucks, which he knew were temporary, to plug the hole he dug in education spending.

Or do you not hold Democrats accountable?

There is not enough drugs on this planet to make me vote for a pathetic little weasel like Justin Simmons.

Absolutely. Let me guess, if somebdy gets high in there life that's it for you huh? It's that kind of thinking that fills our prisons up with non-violent drug offenders. The war on drugs thrives with such a philosophy. You'd be suprised how many successful people in both sectors experimented in their life and are right now succesful good people. But then I guess that would be hard for you to imagine right?

Rob what answer does Corbett and Simmons give you? I here no plans only talk. At what point do you ask these incumbent GOP lawmakers to tax the Marcellus Shale like every other state that has it? That would fund highways, education, public pensions, you name it. Here is another question for your guys: How much money will they contimue to pay to increase the prison population? or how about the wasted money on for profit cyber charters which charge a ton more than locally controlled cybers?

as opposed to what, Mr. Sentner? a student from St. Joe's University that's never had skin in the game? I'm not a teacher, and I don't believe in merit pay. How would you pay the art teacher? The gym teacher? Do we use children as pawns in a game for dollars? Do you want to hammer away at the children with disabilities so that they can pass a test some can't read? What about parental responsibility in regard to the child who misses a day or two a week? Are they accountable as well? I think you need to answer some questions as well.

Robert, just so you know. Truth seeker is a teacher union worker. They always advocate for no accountability and much higher pensions at age 56, even if it bankrupts the commonwealth. Deely would represent one constituency, the teachers union of which he is a "head" of. They put a goon against Simmons because Simmons is quite effective in opposing the enemy of the private sector... the public sector union pensioners.

I appreciate that. Although I think Corbett/Simmons should be more closely associated with the word disaster. Again I ask, what is Simmons/Corbett telling you they are going to do about pensons? You seem to assume they have the answer. Also, I want to know what you think school districts should cut. I saw 2 local school districts spend less in a year than the previous year but still have to have small tax raises as the costs for everything (not just pensions) went up.

name those districts please

Parkland this year, East Penn last year.

@TS, sorry to burst your bubble but that's not what the official statement for the recent bond refinanacing and the budget for this year say for East Penn. There has been a significangt spending increase every year. I don't follow PSD as closely, so I won't comment there. See:

1) http://www.eastpennsd.org/Budget/_docs/EastPennSD.pdf (page 11)
2) http://www.eastpennsd.org/Budget/_docs/BudgetBook2012.pdf (page III-1).

Specifically, at EPSD
1) Spending for 2009-2010 was $107,482,758.
2) Spending for 2010-2011 was $110,508,390, a more than $3 million increase.
3) Assuming the $5.7 million reserve was unspent from the $120.3 budget,
spending for 2011-12 was $114,589,971, a more than $4 million increase.
4) Assuming the $5.9 million reserve won't be spent from the $125 million budget,
spending for 2012-13 will be $119,043,909, a more than $4.4 million dollar increase.

All of this supports the fact that EPSD has increased its budget in each of the last 3 years, and refutes your assertion that therwa was spending decrease "last year", no matter what year that was that you were thinking of.

http://www.eastpennsd.org/Budget/_docs/generalfundbudget2012.pdf
going by district budget on website
2010/11 120,804,398
2011/2012 120,319,470

I realize these numbers at the beginning of a budget can change. But this is what the website states.

The bond documents (that I cited) and the 2012-2013 budget (that I cite) show that $110,508,390 was spent in 2010-2011, not the $120,804,398 figure that you cite.

We should all trust the bond documents right? Not only are those audited results, but it's what is presented to investors. Anything else there would be would be a fradulent representation, and I really doubt that would happen.

So why is there a $10,296,002 discrepancy between those numbers? The answer, my friend is that the fund balance and reserve are much larger than they appear, and it's all hidden in bogus appropriation numbers that have little basis in reality!

Hey Srodham 69... You say Simmons doesnt have skin in the game??You must be smoking the same weed as Deely. Last I heard Deely is living in an appt. above a deli ? My vote is with the student from St .Joseph's University. Deely is a union hack. He screwed the good taxpayers in Easton schools and quite a few teachers as well. Simmons will smoke Deely in the upcoming election.

Hey Jon since you don't live in PA maybe you would like to know that School districts are forbidden to layoff union teachers for budget reasons. SO they have to cut whole programs. Tell me how that makes sense. Easton school district was in trouble because of deely's budget busting contract BEFORE Simmons and Corbet came into office. See for yourself

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2010/04/budget_teacher_cuts_expected_t.html

You have no idea what you are talking about Geeting. Corbett is spending more on education that Rendell ever did. The cuts you talk about are cuts of FEDERAL STIMULUS DOLLARS. OBAMA MADE THOSE CUTS.

Go away you liberal loser. Doesn't matter how many teachers Allentown has. The student body guarantees there will never be success there. We should quit spending money as it will never make a difference.

Tell the entire story Bob. The contract was reopened and this awful union did agree to concessions: http://articles.mcall.com/2011-05-23/news/mc-easton-school-budget-teachers-rati20110523_1_kevin-deely-easton-teachers-program-and-teacher-cuts

From the same article: 70% of the districts across the state were considering layoffs to deal with cuts that came from lawmakers like Corbett and Simmons. Easton was nothing unique. It was typical of an inner city school that had previously been properly funded and than had to absorb big funding cuts.

Dear Truth seeker,

If you open your eyes put on your glasses and really seek the truth and look at the dates you will see that that the articles are from 2009 and 10 Simmons and Corbet came into office in 2011. As for your article if cuts were so bad how come 100% weren't looking for cuts and layoffs? Maybe some districts had Teacher union Presidents that could work responsibly and in a grown up manner that Mr. Deely couldn't do. Probably why they told him not to run as president again.

I never heard of Deely until now, but I am very familiar with the Easton situation. Both T.S. and B.T. have half the story and miss half of it.

1) The contract at EASD was reopened during the budget cycle in the spring of 2011, anc concessions were granted by the union and layoffs were avoided for that one year. Unfortunately, most predicted that the concessions would not be enough to avoid a crunch the next year.
2) The contract at EASD was not reopened during the budget cycle in the spring of 2012. Without concessions, the cost of the still onerous contract required over 50 teacher layoffs, some announced immediately, and some others later in the summer.

Ah no Bob it's becasue every school district is somewhat different. Poorer school districts especially urban districts were hit hardest because they were receving more money from the state. It depeneded largely on a number of factors including local tax revenues, budget reserves in a particular district etc. However, it would be accurate to say that all districts were effected. You really didn't know that?

I don't want to get to stuck into this conversation between Bob and TS, but the problem at EASD has a lot more to do with expenses associated with the exceptionally generous contract than it has to do with revenue. Reserves (good or not) don't really enter into it either, since spending a reserve is unsustainable.

Careless why wasn't Easton having that problem before the state cuts? Do you see the cuts and the huge budget problems as having nothing to do with each other? Eastis is far from the only district to go through those problems. Allentown, Reading, Harrisburg etc. I remember the Easton cotract providing a jump. They were also one of the lower paying districts before that jump. Maybe it was too big. the salary freeze and other concession followed soon after.

What happened in Easton is avctually quite simple, and it demonstrates one of the dangers of having a large fund balance. It becomes a target for excess spending that is unsustainable because its one time non-recurring money, as opposed to being continuing revenue.

As you know, at Easton, a 5 year contract was agreed to early in 2008. The line item for regular instruction salaries increased 21% between 08-09 and 09-10. I suspect some of that was an increase in the number of positions, but much was pay rate and benefit increases. EASD's 09-10 budget planned a $6.5 million decrease in fund balance, and it turned out to be a $7,5 million deficit. They couldn't hide the problem any more, and the rest is history. Pay freeeze in 2011, layoffs in 2012.

East Penn had a similar problem two decades ago, and had consecutive 22% and 10% tax increases.

There's no doubt that the meager revenue increases resulting from the economy didn't help EASD, but the bigger problem was the huge pay increases. I have a young friend who survived the cuts so far, but (s)he is laughing to the bank now.

Michael...You have no clue how government is run. Its all about the education right ???? Your a Deely douche bag ,Education is doing just fine. This admininistartion plugged the gap for what Obama 's stimulus took away from education that was caused by Fast Ed Rendell pulling out $2 B before he left the governship. Rep Simmons is doing a great job . He has helped thousands of constituents in this area both Democrat and Republican.alike. Who the hell is this asshole Deely coming in here to think that he wont do what he did in Easton !!! Raise property taxes double digit due to insane teachers contracts that HE negotiated. Teachers lost their jobs as well . This district doesnt need a public sector union hack lke Deely.