Thursday, January 17, 2013
And other notes from Wednesday night's school board meeting.
'A+' Rating Turns out that an "A+" rating in school is good for book reports and bonds. Baldwin-Whitehall School Board member Martin Michael Schmotzer commended his colleagues and B-W School District administrators at their meeting on Wednesday night for helping the district to achieve an A+ rating on its general obligation bonds from Standard & Poor's Ratings Services. Standard & Poor's (S&P's) rating scale goes from "D" (lowest grade) to "AAA" (highest), with optional "+" and "-" modifications given from "CCC" to "AA." S&P's gave Baldwin-Whitehall an "A+" for its school issuer credit, long-term and underlying ratings. According to S&P's official analysis, the ratings reflect S&P's view of B-W's "participation in the Pittsburgh …
40.352561
-79.992891
Baldwin-Whitehall School District Office
4900 Curry Rd, Pittsburgh, PA
/articles/b-w-school-district-bonds-rated-a-by-standard-poor-s
1833949
/locations/8626419
The board voted, 8-1, on Wednesday to, at the very least, not exceed the school district's allowable 2.2-percent millage increase for the 2013-14 school year.
For the second straight year, Baldwin-Whitehall School District officials have gotten word from the Pennsylvania Department of Education that they cannot raise their district's millage rate, without voter approval, by more than 2.2 percent. But unlike this past year, the board's members voted, 8-1, at their meeting on Wednesday night to not apply for referendum exceptions that would have allowed them to raise the district millage rate, without voter approval, by more than that percentage. In other words, although the B-W School Board is far from setting its final millage rate for next year—it will have to do so before the end of June—the rate will not rise more than 2.2 percent above the district's current rate of 23.40 mills. In fact, …
40.352561
-79.992891
Baldwin-Whitehall School District Office
4900 Curry Rd, Pittsburgh, PA
/articles/baldwin-whitehall-school-board-will-not-pursue-hefty-tax-increase
1833949
/locations/8622919
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Molchany represents part of Whitehall Borough and all of Baldwin Township.
Erin Molchany began her first term as a state representative on New Year's Day with a swearing-in ceremony at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. Molchany, a Democrat who bested Republican Chris Cratsley in November's general election, will represent Pennsylvania's 22nd House District, which includes part of Whitehall Borough and all of Baldwin Township. In a statement released on Tuesday, Molchany said that there is much to be done in her district and that the opportunity to speak for that community is humbling. "As I have done before, I again pledge tireless dedication and my deepest commitment to serving everyone in my district," she said. "There is so much to do. I'll be there with you and hope you'll be there with me." In addition to …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
The Baldwin-Whitehall school director was interrupted a week ago.
At a Baldwin-Whitehall School Board meeting on Wednesday, board President Nancy Sciulli DiNardo interrupted fellow board member Nancy Lee Crowder while Crowder was explaining the credentials of her own nominee for a vacancy on the board. Crowder halted her explanation but ultimately nominated a "Karen Brown." Brown failed to earn appointment to the board by receiving only one "yes" vote—from Crowder. Instead, longtime B-W School Board member and former state Rep. Martin Michael Schmotzer rejoined the board by a 5-3 vote. The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch asked Crowder for her full remarks. Here they are (completing part in bold): I have reviewed each and every application as instructed to do so. When there's an open seat on the board, it allows …
40.352561
-79.992891
Baldwin-Whitehall School District Office
4900 Curry Rd, Pittsburgh, PA
/articles/nancy-crowder-finishes-school-board-statement
1833949
/locations/8410058
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch obtained a list of the names on Thursday.
The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch has obtained a list of the names that were in the running for the most recent vacancy on the Baldwin-Whitehall School Board. The school board appointed Martin Michael Schmotzer to fill that vacancy by a 5-3 vote on Wednesday night. Here is a list of the other eight people who applied for the vacancy: - Thomas Barchfeld - Erin Brown - Karen Brown - Richard J. Kirsch - Jerry Pantone - Laurencine Romack - Fred Vella - Greg Zeman Read through other Baldwin-Whitehall School Board items here. And check back with the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch on Thursday for more news from Wednesday night's school board meeting. --- Follow the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for the daily Baldwin-Whitehall …
40.352561
-79.992891
Baldwin-Whitehall School District Office
4900 Curry Rd, Pittsburgh, PA
/articles/see-8-other-names-in-running-for-b-w-board-vacancy
1833949
/locations/8379167
School board members are concerned over students possibly taking study halls instead of physical education classes.
A motion to cut Baldwin High School's physical education requirements in half was shot down by the Baldwin-Whitehall School Board on Wednesday night by a 6-3 vote. B-W School District administration had argued that reducing the high school graduation requirement for physical education, or "gym class," from four semesters to two would give students the opportunity to take other classes that interest them or that could help their careers. They could elect to spend more time at Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School, for example. Also, students could still choose to take physical education classes as electives after fulfilling their two-semester gym requirement. But board members Nancy Sciulli DiNardo, Diana Kazour, Larry Pantuso, …
40.352561
-79.992891
Baldwin-Whitehall School District Office
4900 Curry Rd, Pittsburgh, PA
/articles/baldwin-high-to-keep-gym-class-requirements
1833949
/locations/8380035
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
... but not before a brief shouting match.
Schmotzer Back on Board The Baldwin-Whitehall School Board chose a familiar face on Wednesday night as its newest member—Martin Michael Schmotzer of Whitehall Borough. Schmotzer, whose term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives ended on Nov. 30, replaces his brother, John B. Schmotzer, who resigned from the school board in November for personal reasons. The board voted, 5-3, to select Martin Schmotzer after board Second Vice President Diana Kazour motioned to appoint him. First Vice President Kevin J. Fischer seconded that motion. Board members Larry Pantuso, Nancy Lee Crowder and Tracy Macek cast the "no" votes, but they weren't enough to offset "yes" votes from board President Nancy Sciulli DiNardo and fellow board members Ray …
40.352561
-79.992891
Baldwin-Whitehall School District Office
4900 Curry Rd, Pittsburgh, PA
/articles/martin-schmotzer-returns-to-b-w-school-board
1833949
/locations/8417903
Friday, November 30, 2012
The state representative calls for new direction in Harrisburg.
State Rep. Martin Michael Schmotzer has issued a news release to thank the residents of Pennsylvania's 22nd House District for the opportunity to serve them. Schmotzer's term in the House comes to a close today, Nov. 30. "It's been an honor to serve and represent the people of the 22nd District," Schmotzer said, "from Brookline and Beechview to Baldwin (Township) and Whitehall (Borough). I kept all my promises to you. I had a 100-percent voting record, I didn't take the health care coverage, and I showed up for work every day. "The most important votes I cast were probably those dealing with the (state) budget," the Democrat and longtime Baldwin-Whitehall School Board member from Whitehall said. "I was adamantly opposed to locking in last …
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The former Baldwin-Whitehall School Board member will soon be replaced in the state Legislature by Erin Molchany.
State Rep. Martin Michael Schmotzer gave a farewell speech in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday as his term representing the 22nd Legislative District comes to a close on Nov. 30. "I want to thank my dedicated staff back in Pittsburgh: former chief of staff Janine Palmer, current chief of staff Ryan Buzzelli, legislative assistants Ray Rosing and Melvin Pollard and former intern Elliot Rambo," said Schmotzer, a Democrat from Whitehall Borough whose district includes part of Whitehall and all of Baldwin Township. "Their efforts in constituent service made a difference in people's lives." "I want to thank Speaker (Sam) Smith, Majority Leader (Mike) Turzai and the Republican members for their service and spirited debates. "…
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
The Democrat thanks supporters for helping her to defeat Republican Chris Cratsley.
Democrat Erin Molchany delivered a victory speech to an intimate group of supporters at Redbeard's Bar & Grill in Pittsburgh's Mount Washington neighborhood on Tuesday night. After winning her party's nomination in April for Pennsylvania's 22nd House District seat by defeating current state Rep. Martin Michael Schmotzer, Molchany had a much easier time in bettering Republican nominee Chris Cratsley in this November's general election. Just 40 minutes after polls closed in Allegheny County on Tuesday, Molchany's campaign office issued a news release declaring a win over Cratsley in the Democrat-heavy 22nd District. And about one hour later, she appeared at Redbeard's to thank her closest supporters. Watch the video above to hear part of …
40.430735
-80.007418
201 Shiloh St, Pittsburgh, PA
Redbeard's Bar & Grill
/articles/video-molchany-camp-declares-win-in-22nd-district-pa-house-race
/locations/8111945
Carol Ann
4:36 pm on Saturday, January 26, 2013
Pennsylvania's legislature is being re-introduced to HB/SB76 - which abolishes your school board's authority to seize your home and eliminates the School Property Tax, lowering your monthly household expenses by an average of $300./month!! It’s time to get to work on our first task of the new legislative session. Co-sponsorship memos have been posted for both the House and Senate versions of the … more ›