No Matter How You Slice It
Tom Hylton is full of bologna…Mt. Lebanon Bologna!
POTTSTOWN, PA –Today’s print and online editions of The Mercury contain a recap of last Monday’s President’s Task Force meeting, which was held at the Pottstown High School.
Pottstown elementary schools task force to reveal findings
Today’s article offers promise and hope for the much-anticipated results of the task force, which will solicit community input during two meetings to be held next month in the Pottstown High School auditorium.
One of the reasons we’re so confident that the President’s Task Force will succeed is because it’s a project that’s out of reach of Tom Hylton’s toxic deathgrip.
Mr. Hylton likes to discuss Pennsylvania school districts that he believes are “returning to the traditional smaller school models”.
Let’s take a look at some of the school districts Mr. Hylton likes to refer to ad nauseam.
Mt. Lebanon School District is the public school system in Allegheny County for residents of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The district has a total of 10 school buildings serving its student population of 5,416 (figures based on the 2007-2008 school year).
Mr. Hylton just loves loves loves to talk about the “success” of the Mt. Lebanon School District. We profiled this district back in March on our On the Road to Fiscal Ruin post. In that post, we discussed how Tom was a presenter at a “Good Design Makes Dollars and Sense” day-long workshop in order to “share his vision” with the unsuspecting taxpayers of the district. The workshop was held within weeks of the November 2009 general election, where several Mt. Lebanon school seats were up for grabs. Coincidence? Not for a political hack like Tom Hylton.
And why wouldn’t Tom love to promote this school district – they have seven elementary schools (grades k-5), two middle schools (grades 6-8) and a high school (grades 9-12).
Unlike Pottstown, Mt. Lebanon has the tax dollars to operate and maintain its ten school buildings. And do you know why? Because it has a stable population and a healthy tax base. Two important pieces of the puzzle that Pottstown unfortunately does not have at the moment. So, spare us the apples to oranges comparisons Mr. Hylton.
Here are the real facts that tell the story folks: Mt. Lebanon School District is dramatically raising taxes to support its current $113 million renovation project. From the 2008-2009 school year to the 2015-2016 school year, the district is expected to increase taxes 45.3%. Ouch!
Serving most of the city of Allentown, the ASD is the fourth largest school district in Pennsylvania, with 18,118 students (based on 2005-2006 enrollment data).
Roosevelt Elementary School, one of the Allentown School District’s 16 elementary schools
The district has 16 elementary schools, four middle schools and two high schools. It has lots of buildings…22 reasons for Tom Hylton to love this district.
For what seems like forever, Tom Hylton has been trying to interject himself into the Allentown School District’s spending decisions. You can read an article he wrote in December of 2005 for the local Allentown paper, The Morning Call, here.
Tom “I’m Pretty Familiar with the Sunshine Law” Hylton derided ASD officials because they were, in his opinion, not keeping the public informed, nor encouraging a wide-ranging discussion of all possible options in regards to the district’s $252 million plan to upgrade school buildings. Hmmm. Public officials disregarding the taxpayers and not providing the taxpaying public with all possible school configuration options?? Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black.
The Central York School District covers the Borough of North York and Manchester Township and the greater part of Springettsbury Township in York County, Pennsylvania. The District serves over 5,000 students in its five elementary schools, one middle school and one high school.
Tom Hylton loves to point out that the school district built a new $60 million high school on 138 acres in Springettsbury Township, replacing its former high school in a so-called “traditional neighborhood” of North York Borough.
That was almost ten years ago. And, of course, not the whole story.
Let’s look at the real facts surrounding why the district decided to build a new school. In 2000, the district initiated a Feasibility Study to examine how to address its growing population and limited capacity of the former Central York High School. Through a series of public input sessions, the district received valuable community feedback in support of building a new high school. In 2001, the district purchased a tract of land for the new high school and construction began in 2003. The new high school opened its doors to students in 2005 and has the capacity to serve 1,650 students.
In 2007, growing enrollment created the need to expand the new high school to accommodate the projected student population. Construction began in August and was completed in December of 2008. A swimming pool and natatorium was part of the construction project, giving the Central York community another resource that combines physical fitness and education for community members of all ages. Additionally, the construction expansion created 22 new classroom spaces and an expanded cafeteria facility.
And that’s not all. In addition to the new high school, the district has accomplished other noted projects. In 2004, it began renovations to its three K-3 elementary schools to accommodate the growing district population and subsequently increased student enrollment. The completed renovations provide each school with the capacity to house 750 students. In 2006 the district restructured its elementary grade levels, so that students are grouped in grades K-3 and 4-6. The middle school now houses students in grades 7-8. The district initiated a Feasibility Study Advisory Group to help recommend solutions for managing the growing student population. The newly renovated Hayshire, Roundtown and Stony Brook Elementary Schools opened for the start of the 2006-2007 school year.
Feasibility Studies that involve the community, for the betterment of the community, is a concept Tom Hylton just can’t seem to embrace into his introverted so-called “visionary” mindset.
The School District of Lancaster has a student population of 11,300 educated in 19 schools in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Established in 1836, it’s the second oldest school district in the state.
Tom Hylton only focuses on the well-being of buildings…not the student success stories and life events that take place in those buildings. On his website and on his lecture circuit he likes to highlight how the district renovated an 1850s tobacco warehouse into the Carter & MacRae Elementary School, which serves 450 students in downtown Lancaster. But the real story behind Carter & MacRae is the success that takes place when school is in session.
Check out this 2007 article which appeared in the Intelligencer Journal:
Carter & MacRae: A lesson in success
Tom Hylton is a member of the Pottstown School Board and has the ability to create Pottstown schools into educational success stories like Carter & MacRae Elementary. So what steps has Tom Hylton taken to make this happen in Pottstown? Is he laser-focused on this kind of success for our elementary school children? Or does he only care about glorifying old soul-less buildings?
Bethlehem Area School District
Areas Encompassing: City of Bethlehem, the Boroughs of Fountain Hill and Freemansburg and Bethlehem Township and Hanover Township in Lehigh County and Northampton County
Broughal (Brock-al) Middle School is in the heart of the South Side of Bethlehem, located on the same side of town as the Bethlehem Steel plant, which has closed, but remains a major part of the South Side’s history.
The new Broughal Middle School in Bethlehem, designed as a science, math, and technology signature school
Broughal has three grades, sixth, seventh, and eighth. An ethnically diverse population of approximately 600 students attend the school, which makes it the smallest middle school in the district. The new Broughal Middle School, which opened in the fall of 2009, was designed as a science, math, and technology signature school. As a LEED certified structure, the school features architectural enhancements which have been designed and built to improve energy savings, water efficiency, emissions and indoor environmental quality. These state-of-the-art architectural features that were designed to make the building environmentally friendly also lend themselves to student data collection and analysis.
For several years, Tom Hylton attempted to wedge himself into the school district’s debate to “renovate or replace” their Broughal Middle School. The district, in a wise move, told Mr. Hylton to talk to the hand and moved forward with the construction of their new Broughal Middle School.
Mr. Hylton submitted a countless number of opinion pieces to The Morning Call, similar to the one below, in a feeble attempt to sway those away from what he perceived as the “dark side” of reason:
Remodeling old schools makes cities healthier
And what happened as a result of Tom Hylton’s series of articles? Thankfully, absolutely nothing. The children of Bethlehem now reap the benefits of learning in a state of the art educational facility.
So, now that you have some facts that have been conveniently omitted from Tom Hylton’s paid Mercury advertisements, you may be asking why we’re sharing this information with you.
Simple.
To point out the obvious. Tom Hylton will never support any idea that he hasn’t proposed first. He never has and will never be a team player and should be censured and removed from the Pottstown School Board. He will continue to be an irritant and will continue to bad mouth and attempt to use advertising in The Mercury to dress down the President’s Task Force. We’re confident that once the results of the President’s Task Force are issued, they will expose Mr. Hylton and his vision-less ideas for the tax-increasing fool-hardy projects that they truly are. Mr. Hylton’s cuckoo schemes have continued to contribute in anchoring down Pottstown from its ability to embrace the 21st century and move forward. The question remains…is Pottstown better off than it was when Tom Hylton entered the scene almost 40 years ago? If you don’t think so…spend a few hours reviewing our site and do the math yourself.
It just goes to show that with Tom Hylton…it’s the same old outdated song and dance.
And speaking of song and dance…it’s time to find an empty hotel lobby and dance dance dance!
The last paragraph in today’s SP entry, starting with “To Point out the obvious….” sums it all up nicely. I’ve lived in Pottstown a long time and I have to agree that I have NEVER known Hylton to support any idea that was not his own. And quite frankly, his ideas are… well… to put it bluntly… they always suck.
As much as I enjoy watching Christopher Walken dancing in the middle of the night in the lobby of the Los Angeles Marriot (I didn’t know he had it in him); I would love even more to see Thomas Hylton dance around the President’s Task Force in the Pottstown HS auditorium and fall flat on his face.
seniorcitizen, I just have to say how refreshing it is to see your post. The common belief is that the vast majority of seniors don’t use the internet therefore they are relegated to get their only news from the Mercury. Seniors being the primary reason the Mercury stays in business at all.
It feels like we are done with “sucky” ideas. Please spread the word among your contemporaries and let them know the truth. Heck, teach them how to use the computer and internet – enlighten them!!
All the Best.