Sunday, November 14, 2010 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 DALLAS SCHOOL DISTRICT Residents still questioning fundraising debacle By SARAH HITE ) shite@mydallaspost.com 1. The Dallas School Board an- swered questions and received comments from nearly 50 attend- ees about the recent state Auditor General's report released last month at Monday night's regular meeting. The report revealed more about former guidance counselor John Wolensky’s actions in misappro- priating funds from practice SAT tests and other fundraisers within the school. Wolensky pleaded guilty in March 2009 to a theft charge and was sentenced to two years proba- tion. He admitted to taking $24,683, but the recent report found that he had taken more than twice the amount originally re- ported. The report also stated that Su- perintendent Frank Galicki was aware of the fundraiser. Residents’ comments ranged from asking Galicki to resign to praising him for his service to the district. Those who spoke at the meet- ing were mainly in search of an- swers. Ellen Hunter, who had two children graduate from the dis- trict and another one currently at- tending school in the district, asked the board questions such as who was responsible for the mon- ey, who had access to the accounts where it was placed and who "Policies and rules are only as good as the people who enforce them. Crooks don't follow rules.” Joseph Leonard Dallas School District resident made the decisions concerning the money. She said, as a parent, she would have liked to have known where the money was going and what fundraiser she was donating to. She asked some board mem- bers who had children in the dis- trict at the time of the scam whether or not they knew of the fundraiser. “I didn’t know at the time,” said board member Karen Kyle. Resident Colleen Slocum said the whole situation was “blown out of proportion.” “Unfortunately, Mr. Galicki has been dragged into this unfairly,” she said. Other residents wanted to en- sure that this would never happen again, and Business Manager Grant Palfey said the new policies put into place are “as tight as we can get.” Palfey also said he wasn’t sure what was earned on the tests with- in the six-year span of the fun- draiser, but he said the tests cost the district $10 in 2007 and stu- dents were charged $25. Resident Joseph Leonard said he was “frustrated” with the or- deal, and that the district could not ensure it would not happen again. “Policies and rules are only as good as the people who enforce them,” he said. “Crooks don’t fol- low rules.” Robert Glicini, of Dallas, said he felt Galicki was not adequately punished for his involvement with the fundraiser. Other board members, includ- ing Charlie Preece and Catherine Wega, admitted they were aware that the mark up was part of a fun- draiser, while board member Ri- chard Coslett said he was not. Stef Thomas, of Dallas, said he was concerned for those who we- ren’t able to afford the test be- cause they weren't aware that they did not have to pay for it. Candyce Fike, a district theater teacher, praised Galicki, saying she had never once questioned his integrity during her time at the school. In other news ... e Resident Laurie Russell brought to the board’s attention that the cameras on school buses See DEBACLE, Page 14 KINGSTON TOWNSHIP Property taxes will increase Property taxes will be increased by .00006 mills, a measure officials say should have occurred last year. Due to an incorrect 2010 county property assessment, taxes were actually de- creased for residents. The increase will cost taxpayers an addi- tional average of $5.87 per residential unit. By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com The board of supervisors ham- mered out the 2011 township bud- get last week, and taxpayers will fh an increase in property taxes costs for community servic- es. Two special meetings were held Wednesday, Nov. 3 and Thursday, Nov. 4 to discuss the townships financial status. As a result, just over $38,000 was left for the capital improvement fund, and officials say this will have a negative effect on paving pro- jects. Property taxes will be in- creased by .00006 mills, a mea- sure officials say should have oc- curred last year. Due to an incor- rect 2010 county property assess- ment, taxes were actually decreased for residents. The in- crease will cost taxpayers an aver- age of $5.87 more per résidential unit. 4 Supervisor John Solinsky vot- ed against the tax raise. Supervi- sor Jeffrey Box reminded the rest of the board that the additional revenue, which will generate just over $15,500 for the township, is sorely needed. “We're watching our infrastruc- ture crumble around us,” he said. One thing the board cannot count on is earned income tax revenues. Township Manager Kathleen Sebastian, who pre pared the budget, said she could not even estimate what the town would receive from this tax. “The number is so volatile,” she said. “People don’t have work.” Community programs such as the annual spring cleaning and summer recreational programs will see an increase in fees and a decrease in manpower in an effort to save some ‘dollars. The spring cleaning program may have its hours tweaked in ad- dition to cutting back on over- time for workers to stay afloat. The program will also see an in- creased fee for permits. The summer recreational pro- gram will have an increase in reg- istration fees. The eight-week program for resident children ag- es 5 to 12 will cost $75, up from $60, for the first child and $50, up from $40, for the second child within a family. The raise will cover the cost of transportation for program field trips, which the township had completely absorbed in the past. Chairman James Reino Jr. said he would rather tweak the pro- gram than eliminate it complete- ly because of the benefits for resi- dent children. “Pve spent 35 years working with kids,” he said. “This is a ser- vice to the whole community.” | The township will also de- crease its donations te local orga- nizations for the 2011 year, and may also do the same for this year’s contributions, which will be decided upon at the next meet- ing on Novem ber 17. ROSS TOWNSHIP Proposed 201 budget is prepared & By EILEEN GODIN Dallas Post Correspondent Looking ahead to a new year, Ross Township supervisors an- nounced the 2011 proposed bud- get is prepared. New meeting dates were also announced at Tuesday night's regular meeting. The proposed 2011 budget, to- taling $499,080, is available in the township office for review. The budget boasts of no tax increases and chairman Stan Davis said the .23 mill rate will remain the same. A mill rate is $1 for every $1,000 assessed tax value. A plan for possible road work, pending grant approval, is reflect- ed in the proposed budget. Davis said the township applied for a $100,000 Community Develop- ment Grant. Although approval on the application has not yet been received, supervisors are required to include costs for the work in the proposed budget. In other news ... ¢ Davis announced that super- visors have received a letter from the Trustees of Pennsylvania Mu- nicipalities Retirement Plan stat- ing their contribution for pension will be $29,986 due in 2011. e The 2011 proposed budget will be voted on during the end-of- year meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28 in the mu- nicipal building. e Supervisors approved a mo- tion to change the regular Decem- ber meeting to 7 p.m. on Wednes- day, Dec. 1 in the municipal build- ing. CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST PA state representative Phyllis Mundy talks to Chet Mozloom, executive director of The Lands at Hillside Farms, about future plans for the educational center named in her honor. Mundy Ed. Center is dedicated State Representative Phyllis Mundy was on hand Saturday to celebrate the dedication of the Phyllis Mundy Education Center at The Lands at Hill- side Farms. Because she was the cata- lyst for grants being allocated to the “412-acre Classroom Without Walls,” the newly re- elected state representative now has a building named in her honor. The center, located at 65 Hillside Rd., Shavertown, boasts 1,800 square feet on the ground level floor and an- other 1,800 square feet in us- able basement space. Along with other renovations to the farm, the cost was nearly $500,000.The Lands at Hill- side Farms received $1 million from the Redevelopment As- Alexia and Isaak Frauntelter, of Chase, enjoy the new Phyllis Mun- Ihe n dy Education Center at The Lands at Hillside Farms during a dedi- cation ceremony of the new facility. sistance Capital Program in November 2009, funding that was secured by Mundy. Nearly half the money was used toward the construction of the schoolhouse and refur- bishment of the Olde Farm Manager’s House located near the Dairy Store while the bal- ance was used to acquire the farm from its previous own- ers. HARPIN' ON THINGS The ‘change’ | hoped for was that the election aise your hand if you were “Hoping for Change” last Tuesday and are happy the election is over. You will now be able to eat din- ner without the phone ringing which will be nice if you don’t have a talk- ing caller ID. I was ex- : pecting a call last Monday evening when he phone rang while the cat and I were eating dinner alone (missed curfew again). I briefly considered asking the Mrs. to ot it, then remembered she s currently hanging upside down in the cellar on this back Heffernan stretching contraption which, oddly enough, looks like the rack of olden days but without the chains. Sideswiping the sec- ond cat and sending the third scampering into the bedroom, I made the mad dash for the oth- er room and grabbed the phone. “This is Jim from the so and so organization and we are en- dorsing blah, blah, blah” came from the receiver before I could say “Hello.” The off button was pushed while I tried to strangle the phone. I made my way back towards the kitchen when there was a muffled sound emanating from behind the cellar door. Knowing from experience that the Mrs. was talking to me, I gave the standard response of “Yes Dear.” Obviously that was the wrong answer this time since the sound grew louder and the syl- lables a bit sharper. How any- one is expected to understand anything spoken from a distance of 30 feet through two layers of flooring, several walls, a stair- well, the washing machine run- ning and a solid wood door is beyond me. Especially with these ears which have spent way too much time shooting guns and listening to loud mu- sic and the sweet roar of a high- ly-modified 427 Chevy inches from the headers. Opening the cellar door, I was hit with a machine gun-like burst of speech echoing up the stairs. I could definitely hear her now but the words were coming so fast all I could catch were a few syllables. Making it down the steps without step- ping on a cat, I turned the cor- ner to see her hanging upside down by her ankles, face all red with her hands keeping pace with the words like an experi- enced conductor leading Wagn- er’s Fifth Symphony. cheese and cracker platters to When I was spotted, the words slowed and I said, “No, no, nothing important. Just some kid asking if we had Sir Walter Raleigh in a can.” Luckily, the bindings were tight on her ankles and there were no objects light enough to throw close at hand so I escaped unscathed. Looking forward to finishing cold mashed potatoes, one of the cats had the same idea and got to the plate ahead of me. It only had a corner of the mound of potatoes gone and there were no footprints in the congealing gravy so ... we ate. To make up for my attempt at humor, we (the Mrs. and I, not the cat) went to the Arts at Hay- field Craft Show in Lehman last Sunday. That is such a good event and, with the cooler weather upon us, the area’s craft shows are a big draw. From melted wine bottles made into would come to an end handmade Christmas orna- ments and key hangers made from old spoons, gifts for every- one abound while local artisans show off their skills and imag- ination. We met Richard Beck from Benton, a blacksmith and wood- carver. His custom bowls with the hand-rubbed finish that bring out the grain are beautiful and very practical. Artist Lor- raine Petyo Elias, who hails from Plymouth but spends her summers at Harveys Lake, had many of her locally-flavored wa- tercolors on display while Jack Monick, Director of Athletics and Recreation Department at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and an accomplished photographer, had many photos on display. It’s nice being able to get out and renew old acquaintances while making new ones. It’s more fun than sitting in front of the TV all day. Just last week I la ran into fellow Stanley Cooper Sr. Trout Unlimited member Joe Gruszkiewicz who was at the craft show with Patty Kramer, Attorneys Joe Kluger and Tom O’Connor while in Wilkes-Barre and Dan Nargoski while at a bal- loon-launching ceremony in Wilkes-Barre. The Atta Boy of the Week goes to Chris, owner of Back Mountain Tobacco. For a little store nestled in Dallas, he has a great selection of the finest ci- gars. Be sure to ask Pam if you need any help picking out your favorite. Atta Boy, Chris. Harp Heffernan was the associate publisher, outdoor editor and chief photographer of the Sunday Inde- pendent, a newspaper that was in his family for 87 years in Wilkes-Barre, You can e-mail him at news@mydal- st.com ct
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers