"It's no surprise that the single biggest in-school influence on student academic growth is the quality of the teacher standing in front of the classroom- not socioeconomic status, not family background, but the quality of the teacher at the head of the class."

- Arne Duncan, February 2010

Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

"Since I don't get paid for this, having the ability to wind up union bosses is profoundly gratifying. Heck, we all need a little enjoyment in life."

-Simon Campbell, March 2010

-Bucks County Courier Times

School Board Public Comment: April 8, 2010

I'd like to apologize to Mr. Raffle for interrupting him during public comment at the last meeting and invite him to direct PEA-related questions to elected members of PEA rather than to elected members of this school board if he is truly looking for answers.

"My name in Michelle Marcinkus. I am a psychologist in the district and the vice-president of the Pennsbury Education Association. I am here today to talk with you about the benefits of joining the association. First and foremost, I need to tell you that PEA is not here to protect bad teachers, so if that is what you're looking for- you won't find it here. You are in this room because you are a highly qualified and sought after teacher, and I am in this room to tell you that we are absolutely dedicated to supporting you as long as you do your job."

As harsh as it may sound, this is how I begin my presentation to the new teachers each year because I want there to be no doubt about the mission of this organization. My husband, who operates a small business, suggested that I bring this same message here because to those outside the profession, the mission of the teachers’ union may not be clear. More importantly, it is obvious that some members of this school board are confused about what the association is here to do and how this organization is, in so many ways, an asset to our school district.

It seems so obvious to me that the last thing our association would want is to support someone who isn't working hard each day to deliver quality instruction to our students. A third grade teacher needs a great second grade teacher. An Algebra-II teacher needs a great Algebra-I teacher. The members of this association are interconnected in a way, perhaps unlike any other workforce of professionals. We absolutely depend upon each other day after day, year after year. It seems magical watching the "babies" who entered our kindergarten classrooms as they walk onto Falcon Field at graduation, knowing that they are now moving on to work in our communities, seek higher-education, and protect all of us with their service in the armed forces. But there is no magic at all; their successes are, in large measure, the culmination of years of hard work and dedication on the part of their parents and all of their teachers.

This association, by way of collective bargaining, has worked with the school board many times over to negotiate contracts, and as a result, much of our contract lays out, very clearly, what the expectations are for professional employees. It also lays out, very clearly, the process by which an employee will be held accountable for those expectations. We negotiated that with you. Part of Mr. Miller's job, as the president of PEA, is to ensure that those parameters are followed. It is our promise to members and it is our promise to the school board. If, in the end, an employee (tenured or not) has not fulfilled his/her professional duties, there is little that Mr. Miller can do for him or her; however, his participation in that process serves to protect the school district from protracted litigation by ensuring that appropriate representation was provided from the beginning of the process to the end. And so again, I would assert that what some folks here like to call "union business" is just good business that benefits the district as a whole.

Mr. Campbell recently wrote an opinion piece asserting that as an unpaid school board member, he is entitled to have a "little enjoyment" by "winding up" union members. Union members: our teachers...your teachers. With serious decisions looming with regard to the budget and less than ninety days in which to negotiate a contract with this association, it is shameful to me, Mr. Campbell, that you cannot find better things to do with your time than "wind up" the people who are working so earnestly every day in classrooms and schools throughout this school district.

It seems as though your main objective is to portray our teachers in the most negative light possible, and I fail to see how that is good for our school district. You have talked many times here about the mandate you were given by the voters. I think the mandate with which every school board member is ultimately charged is to make sound, reasonable decisions free of personal bias and political aspirations. Might I suggest that in your abundance of free time, you consider that mandate.

School Board Public Comment: April 16, 2010

Last Sunday I went online to read the paper. When you read an opinion piece at Phillyburbs online, it's immediately followed by a blog. I have never posted on a blog, and if I didn't this past week, I'm sure I never will because what I read turned my stomach. Someone posted a blog about the Pennsbury budget cuts and suggested that the cuts would make Pennsbury like some of our neighboring districts, going on to call them "scum."

The comments were disgusting, and I want to call that person or write him or her a letter, but I can't. I can't because I don't know who wrote it. People who post on blogs don't use real names; they use a screen name and even that is misleading. So, if someone logs on as a Pennsbury Mom, I don't know if that person is a mom or a dad or if the person even has kids at all. I don't know if the blogger lives here in Pennsbury or in another state or even another country. There is zero accountability on blogs, and I guess for that reason, the people who post on them have little concern for the truth and in this case, have little concern for the damage and hurt that their words inflict. Blogs are for cowards who feel brave only when they can hide in the safety of anonymity. I can only assume that the people who create blogs, as one of our school board members recently did, know this.

I'm certain that part of my reaction to the blog was due to my own experiences. In my elementary years, I was raised by a single mother who was not a professional person. She had no college degree, and to make matters worse, she was chronically ill. I know that we received food stamps for at least some amount of time because I remember that booklet of what looked like giant Monopoly money to a kid. And I remember standing in the crowded unemployment office during the summer with a lot of people packed into it. It was always hot. By the time I was in seventh grade, I had moved eleven times, and I had attended four different schools. I'm pretty sure that my family and I were the kind of "scum" to which the blogger referred.

And yet, I can remember very clearly that evening during fourth grade when my mother and I had our first conversation about college. I don't think I remember it because it was shocking; I remember it because I was so excited. My mother was validating, for the first time, what I already knew. I was going to college. And the reason I already knew that was because my teachers had already told me. There is a reason we remember their names so many years later. We remember their names because they change our lives.
In a classroom, it doesn't matter where you live or if you even have a home; it doesn't matter if you have money or not; it doesn't matter if you live with one parent or both, or if you don't live with own parents at all. It doesn't matter what you wear, what color your skin is, or if you even speak the English language yet. In the classroom, every kid gets a shot. My teachers told me that I could do or be anything I wanted so long as I worked hard. They didn't say it to motivate me or to inspire me; they said because they believed it, and in time, I came to believe them. Teachers are the only group of professional people who begin their day by pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and then they get to work, some of the most important work that is done in our community and in our country.

I'm sure that even in the past, people were concerned about their school taxes and perhaps argued the unfairness of having to pay those taxes for someone like me, but I'm certainly glad that they did. As an adult with no children, I now pay school taxes so that some other kid gets the same opportunities that I did. Flawed as some may say it is, this is the beauty of the system.
I don't come to this table to talk about teachers because I'm a union boss. I do what I do, as a member of this union, for one very simple reason: I love teachers. I love them because they change lives. They won my heart as a kid, and the only difference between then and now....is that now they have my heart and my fidelity. I'm not ashamed to say that; I'm not ashamed of where I come from..I don't need to hide in the shadows of the blogs. I come here, to this legitimate forum, and I speak on behalf of teachers and the other members of this union because it is truly the least I can do considering the noble work that they do.

School Board Public Comment: March 18, 2010

A teacher recently sent me an e-mail and asked, "Is this OUR Simon Campbell?" That is because she had attached to the e-mail a number of lawsuits (Simon Campbell vs. Souderton Area School District, Simon Campbell vs. Pocono Mountain School District)

Yes, that is OUR Mr. Campbell I told her and, yes, I knew about the various legal complaints regarding his right to have the W-2 forms of teachers, which, of course, would include their social security numbers, because he had filed a similar complaint in order to see mine. To be more specific he wanted mine, Mr. Miller's and those of the PEA Secretary and Treasurer—only the "union bosses." In fact, I had to go to administration and ask that a block be placed on my district laptop so that I would not receive any more e-mails from citizen Campbell (at the time) while I was at work.

Mr. Campbell didn't need my W2 to know my salary; he wanted more personal information than that—he wanted to know what was I doing with my salary. My salary is already public information. I make $82,654 and I earn every penny of it. I have a bachelor's degree in psychobiology, a master's degree in counseling psychology, post graduate certification in school psychology and eleven years of experience. Like everyone else, I have my own set of insecurities. But not when it comes to my job. I am a very good school psychologist and I work very hard on behalf of this district. Of this, I have no doubt.

Mr. Campbell has said several times that he is, and here I am paraphrasing, appalled by the fact that professional salaries and compensation accounts for 70% of the budget. Isn't that like a shareholder in the Hershey Company being outraged by the amount of money that the company spends on cocoa and sugar? Of course professional salaries are a large portion of the budget. It's what we are here to do: WE TEACH.

But the concern here really isn't about my salary; it's about my union activity as if the role that the union plays is somehow nefarious. In a healthy district, there is a collaborative relationship among the school board, the administration and the union because the "union" is the teachers who work with our kids every day. Each of the three parties brings a valuable perspective to the table and should be participating together to make the district successful.

This union, your teachers, has not asked our negotiating team to go after blood. We are all very well aware of the economic situation throughout the country. To that end, this association was the ONLY association of teachers who negotiated a zero percent increase last year in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The only association in the entire state to say, "Yes . . . we understand." Now we're asking our team to negotiate a contract that is reasonable, one that is fair to teachers and taxpayers.

The real agenda here, Mr. Campbell, is this: You don't want the union, our teachers, to have a say in their salary or in the educational decisions that are made here. If you think you know teachers and education so well, tell me: Who will come work here at Pennsbury? Do you really think that young, bright teachers are going to stay in this district? Do you think that new graduates, the best of the best, are coming to our community? They are not.

Salary and compensation is important but a climate of civility and mutual respect is crucial. This is not just "union" business- it should be everyone's business. And that's the "union business" that I am all for. I'm 100% into this business until we regain that kind of culture in this school district.

~Michelle Marcinkus
~Vice-President, PEA
~Public Comment 3/18/10

Honesty should be the only policy for creating a better Pennsbury

-Michelle Marcinkus, Pennsbury Education Association Vice-President

The English poet, Edith Sitwell, once said, "The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth." I believe that this is the premise from which Andy Raffle (chairman of the group "Better Pennsbury") operates, as evidenced by his characterization of my public comments at the Pennsbury School Board meeting on February 18th.

Mr. Raffle stated that as the Vice-President of the Pennsbury Education Association, I spoke in support of "three liberal school board directors' positions." In fact, I did not support any particular position; rather, I expressed a concern to the school board as a whole about the possibility of significant cuts to the programs, services and staff that have served our students well for many years.

Following the decision to cap the index at 2.9%, members of the school board received from administration the list of cuts that must be considered in order to reach that index. As I feared, the school board crossed the street without looking both ways and, as a result, a tragedy may now unfold: The quality of education in The Pennsbury School District, a district that has long held a distinction of excellence within the county and the state, will be eroded.

The list includes, but is not limited to, the following: Reduction or elimination of Kindergarten specials (art, music, physical education, computers, library), increasing class size from grades three through twelve, deferring the purchase of new textbooks and instructional materials and the demotion of elementary guidance counselors, social workers and nurses to part-time status. In addition, middle school intramural and interscholastic sports programs, as well as some varsity and junior varsity athletic programs, may need to end.

These cuts come on the heels of last's year budget, which reduced the Kindergarten program to ½ day, eliminated Instruction Support Teachers (those teachers who provided targeted assistance to those students who struggle to manage the demands of the general education curriculum) and decreased the hours of the Pupil Assistance Teachers (who, at the elementary level, work with the reading specialists and teachers to help those students who are struggling to develop basic reading skills).

In response to my comments, Mr. Campbell explained to me that setting the cap early in the process is required in order to maintain fiscal discipline. He offered the analogy of giving a child a $20 bill to purchase a movie ticket, knowing that you won't get the change back. I think Mr. Campbell's analogy misses the mark but I won't fault him for his attempt to be quick-witted. I would, however, like to point out that only months ago Mr. Campbell offered public comments as a resident, in which he encouraged members of the school board to cap the index early in the budget process because it "has the added benefit of scaring the union." Well, he is correct: The union, the teachers who work with Pennsbury students each and every day, are scared because the budget cuts are more akin to asking a construction worker to build the same quality house he has built for years but to do it with only half the amount of lumber he once had. Mr. Raffle is a real estate agent. Think you could you find someone to buy that house, Andy?

In addition to misrepresenting my comments, Mr. Raffle also stated that PEA President, George Miller, "held the threat of a strike over the heads of the parents and the taxpayers." This is an outright falsehood. In December, a reporter asked Mr. Miller about the implications of the school board's resolution to support the "Strike Free Education Pact." In his response, Mr. Miller explained that the right to strike is a legal issue governed by the state, not by local school boards. His comment is fact, yet Mr. Raffle sets it out there as a threat to the community. Mr. Miller also said that PEA expects to negotiate a contract that is fair to both teachers and taxpayers.

It is difficult for me to understand how Mr. Raffle's comments, which have no basis in fact and serve to divide our community, are consistent with a "better Pennsbury." Mr. Raffle may believe Edith Sitwell; I do not.

Pennsbury School Board Budget Presentation

Pennsbury Education Association
P.O. BOX 197
FAIRLESS HILLS, PA 19030

February 28, 2010

Dear PTO Officers,

Enclosed you will find a copy of the draft budget for the 2010-2011 school year which includes proposed cuts to the programs, services and professional staff of the Pennsbury School District. As an organization, one of our primary concerns is the quality of education provided to our students. We would like you to review the budget presentation and be mindful that the school board is only hearing from those members of the community who are in favor of these measures. In fact, after learning of the proposed cuts necessary to reach an index of 2.9%, several community members encouraged the school board to go even further and support an index of 0%, which would further cuts. I would strongly encourage each of you to commit three hours of your time in order to listen to the audio recording of the School Board Meeting on February 18, 2010. I am confident that the audio recording of the most recent board meeting will give you a true sense of what is taking place within our school district at this time.

In addition to the budget cuts, the draft budget also proposes a "cost neutral" contract negotiation with the Pennsbury Education Association. While "cost neutral" has not been defined, we have obvious concerns. The members of PEA, the teachers you work with everyday at your school buildings, are looking forward to negotiating a reasonable contract that is fair to both teachers and taxpayers.

We would encourage you to share the budget presentation, which is available on the district website, with other concerned parents. Please consider attending one of the upcoming school board meetings that I have listed below. School board meetings are held at 8:00 pm in the multi-purpose room of the Fallsington Elementary School. Members of our school board need to hear from a cross-section of community members, including and especially parents, regarding the budget in order to make an informed decision.

Agenda Meetings        Regular Meetings
March 11, 2010           March 18, 2010
April 8, 2010               April 15, 2010
May 13, 2010              May 20, 2010
June 10, 2010              June 17, 2010

Sincerely Yours,

Michelle Marcinkus, Vice-President,

Pennsbury Education Association