Pottstown Packs a Punch at Fair Funding Rally

Photo by Evan Brandt

Many of those who packed three buses from Pottstown for yesterday's Fair Funding rally met out front of the capitol building first. They were welcomed by state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist.

One might be forgiven if, while strolling the halls of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Wednesday, you mistook it for downtown Pottstown.

After all, there were so many Pottstown people there, three buses worth in fact, that it may well have been the single largest contingent from any school district to show up to fight for fair educating funding.

Photo by Evan Brandt

Why do these Pottstown students (and one teacher) who took time 

out of their summer to fight for what's right deserve less of an
education than those in a wealthier district? Answer: They don't.
They are, from left, early education teacher Naimah Rhodes,
Trinity Rhodes-Fisher, Jesus Charriez, Grace Bainbridge,
Kyleaf July, Isabelle Dupon and

Heaven Charriez.

I mean Philadelphia is a bigger school district, but as I understand it, they only filled one bus. Not that we're bragging, but it's safe to say that while Pottstown may be one of the smallest of Pennsylvania's 500 school districts, its voice could be heard from one end of the capitol to the other Wednesday.

That may well be because Pottstown is the sixth most-underfunded school districts in Pennsylvania.

Were the "fair funding formula" adopted in 2016 to be applied to all state education funding, Pottstown would have $13 million more every single year to pay teachers, implement programs and (gasp!) LOWER its ridiculously high property taxes.

To be sure, Pottstown's was not the only voice ringing through the rotunda Wednesday.

Don't believe me? Look and listen for yourself:



And if you're wondering what "Whose side are you on?" refers to, consider that research by POWER Interfaith, the state-wide activists who organized the rally, has shown that the whiter a school district is, the more money it gets per-student under the current funding mechanism.

"How can that be?" you ask. "What about the fair funding formula?" A good question, but the answer

Photo by Evan Brandt

It was not hard to spot "We Are Pottstown" shirts in yesterday's crowd.

is a sad one. Due to politics in Harrisburg, home the second largest and second most expensive state legislature in the nation, only 10 percent of state education funding is distributed through that wonderful formula.

As for the rest of it? "The way we've always done it," which is to say unfairly and the exact thing the formula was adopted to eliminate.

I would say more, but advocate and School Board candidate Laura Johnson, who was the only Pottstown person to make it to the microphone, spoke for us all. Here's what she said:

Like so many here today I have some heros.
One of those heroes is an author named Rachel Held Evans.
I found Rachel so inspiring because she was persistently honest in matters of both faith and justice.
Tragically, Rachel passed away last month.

After her death someone shared a handwritten reminder that Rachel had made for herself and posted above her desk:
It said TELL THE TRUTH.
I’m here today because I need to tell the truth.

Photo by Evan Brandt

Laura Johnson of Pottstown speaks at Wednesday's
fair funding rally.

I live in Pottstown Pennsylvania with my husband and our three children.
Our children go to Pottstown School District.

I’ve had the privilege to volunteer and become involved in our schools.

I’ve been able to see that Pottstown’s schools are really something to be quite proud of.

Because, the truth is, we have caring and committed teachers, many of whom stand with us today.

The truth is, we have a wonderfully diverse student population.

The truth is, we have some truly excellent programs.
But since I’m telling the truth,
I need to tell you the whole truth:

As I’ve become involved in our schools, I've learned some troubling news.
The truth is, that the current education funding in Pennsylvania is racially biased.

The truth is, that students in diverse districts like Pottstown are consistently underfunded.

Pottstown’s schools are underfunded by over 13 million dollars every year.

Pottstown teachers and students deserve a fair shake.

That is almost 4,000 dollars per student.

The results are severe.
Our caring and committed teachers are underpaid.
Programs have been cut.

Our students lack the supports and opportunities they need.

Additionally, our economically hurting town has one of the highest tax burdens in the entire state.

Let’s tell the truth:

The lawmakers know there is racial bias in the current funding.

They know we are desperately hurting.
Many of them have some underfunded schools in their own districts.
Some of them, like our own Joe Ciresi, are champions in this fight against injustice.

The Pottstown NAACP visited legislators Wednesday.

Yet for many others, their approach is to be indifferent to it.
They allow the damage to keep compounding year after year because they say it’s not politically possible to fix it.

Let’s tell the truth:
If you are a lawmaker, your job is to ask what is morally and ethically right and use your power to help make it a reality.

To hide from what you know is right in the name of political impossibility is to fail to do your job.

It is time for our political leaders to find the will and the courage to correct this injustice.

It is time to end the racial bias in education funding.

POWER Organizer Nicholas O'Rourke

It is time to pass HB961 to bring 100 percent fair funding to Pennsylvania schools.

And it is time to make clear that children in districts like Pottstown are every bit as deserving of a great education as their peers across the state.

THAT is the truth.

Frankly, I couldn't improve on that.

We'll have more coverage in The Mercury, but for now, here are some more Pottstown voices via video:

Here's what state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist., had to say on the matter:



And members of the Pottstown chapter of the NAACP agree that with $13 million more in state funding the fair funding formula would provide, that Pottstown would be well set to revitalize by saying that the schools had been improved and the taxes lowered.



Here's what Pottstown School Board President Amy Francis had to say on the matter:



"I am so proud of our community," said Marlene Armato, who helped organize Pottstown's passage to the rally. "We came together like nothing I've ever seen before, we had churches, the teachers federation, students, the YWCA, the NAACP, this is something that has really united Pottstown because it's something that would help all of Pottstown."

Estimates calculated that last year's rally brought 600 people to the rotunda. This year, it was 1,000.

The difference, said Pottstown Schools Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez, who spoke at last year's rally "is the difference between throwing a bullet, and shooting one."

Here are the Tweets from the day's events:

Whose Side Are You On?

Human Relations, Cluster Plans & New Police Officer

Boy, where to start?

It's nearly midnight and I am just getting to this after a borough council work session that lasted 3.5 hours.

The agenda looked dangerously long and, that observation was borne out by the handful of us who went the distance.

Everything from a new police officer, to an in-depth debate about the future of the Human Relations Commission; to an overview of the Pottstown Cluster's plans for the former Wainman mansion on North Franklin Street; to the local Youth Aid Panel and a fistful of grant applications -- all were on the table.

I'd offer some insights if I wasn't about to fall asleep.

Here are the Tweets and video, rest assured we'll be following up with a number of stories in The Mercury.

Celebrity Auction Benefits 15 Organizations

The TriCounty Community Network will hold a celebrity auction at SunnyBrook Ballroom on Friday, Oct. 24 starting at 5:30 p.m.

You are invited to enjoy a reception hour with the celebrities, bod on sports memorabilia, trips, hot air balloon rides and participate in a live auction for a chance to win a dinner for two with a celebrity.

Click here for a list of silent auction items.

Celebrities include:

David Akers, former kicker for the Eagles and six-time pro bowler; 

Bill Clement, former center for the Flyers, NHL all-star and ESPN analyst;

Rian Wallace, former linebacker for the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steeler;

Cherri Gregg, community affairs reporter for KYW Newsradio and master of ceremonies;

Michael Smerconish, CNN talk show host, with whom you can win a studio tour.

Local celebrities include:
State Senator Bob Mensch;
State Representative Mark Painter;
Mason Scherer, Associate Producer, Dateline NBC & NBC News;
Nancy March, Editor of The Mercury and Regional Editor for Digital First Media;
Steady Moono, Ed.D., Vice President, Montgomery County Community College;
Ashley Pultorak, Program Officer, Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation;
Wil Hallman, President, Hallman Retirement Neighborhoods & President, SunnyBrook Foundation;

Tickets are $15 per person.

The event will benefit 15 local organizations including; 

Steel River Playhouse;

YWCA TriCounty;

Operation BackPack;

Laurel House;

Mosaic Community Land Trust;

Alzheimer's Association;

Women's Center of Montgomery County;

Pottstown Area Police Athletic League

Genesis Housing Corp.;

Pottstown Regional Public Library;

Boone Area Library;

Building a Better Boyertown;

TriCounty Community Network;

In Ian's Boots;

Community Health and Dental Care

The schedule is as follows:

• 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Reception Hour & Silent Auction. Meet the celebrities. Enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
• 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.: Celebrity Auction
• 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m:. Dinner for Celebrity Auction Winners. Dinner will be held immediately following the live auction at SunnyBrook Restaurant.

Click here to order tickets.

Give Blood

A Day That Will Live in Activity

Tomorrow is going to be one busy day!

In my business, it is gospel that the busiest months of the year for news and events is September, when everyone gets back from vacation; December, when everyone is getting ready to take a vacation; and May/June, when everyone is getting ready for an even longer vacation.

An excellent example of this, allow me to present September 22, which I am calling "the day everything happens."

There are no less than five major events going on in our coverage area that day, any one of which could carry the next day's paper.

But because they will all happen on the same day, often at the same time, we won't be covering all of them.

(Any and all are, of course, encouraged to e-mail photos and summaries of their events to me at ebrandt@pottsmerc.com)

I will present here, chronologically, a list of all the things going on and the irony is, no doubt I will miss one I don't even know about:

• Schuylkill River Trail Bike Tour Series: 7:30 a.m. registration begins. A bike tour of nine, 18 or 20 miles from Pottstown to Birdsboro on the Schuylkill River Trail. The tour will focus on the Pennsylvania Railroad, its history and impact on the area. Kurt Zwikl, director of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area, which is sponsoring this first of several rides, said reaction has been spectacular and more than 100 people have signed up to participate.
  
  Digital Notebook readers first learned about this on Aug. 8.
  
  Today at noon is the latest to register. Click here to do so on-line, there is no sign-up tomorrow.
  
  Fee is $25 for adults (aged 16 and up); $20 for members; $15 for children ages 11-15. Children 10 and under free.
  
  Price includes refreshments in Pottstown and Birdsboro. Complimentary pre-ride bicycle safety checks provided by Tri-County Bicycles.
  
• Second Annual Pottstown Pet Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.in Smith Family Plaza in front of Pottstown Borough Hall. I neglected to mention in my post on this yesterday, that the Montgomery County Health Department will be there to provide rabies vaccination at $10 per shot. Admission to the event is free. Food and pet items will be sold there.
• Open Garden at Pottstown Community Garden from 12 to 2 p.m. at the garden at 423 Chestnut St. Visitors can participate in a salsa-making workshop, learn how the garden works, and pick vegetables to take home. The event is free.
• Can Jam Festival 2012: Sly Fox brewery, 331 Circle of Progress, the beer-lovers event will host the event from 12 to 9 p.m., it features live music, food and admission is free.
• At 1:30 p.m. the YWCA will host the next in a year-long "Girl Talk" series, this one on teaching girls to be advocates. The event, at 315 E. King St., will be free.
• Tomorrow evening, doors open at 6 p.m., the Pottstown Roller Derby Rockstars will host an intra-league bout between Damage Inc. and Fabulous disaster at the 422 Sports Complex at 1400 Industrial Highway. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
   

On Stalking and Cyber-Bullying

The YWCA's Girl Talk series will hold a session on Cyber-Bullying
and Cyber-Stalking on Saturday, July 28, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

We've all done it -- the cyber-smack down.

In my case, it's often because someone has posted something on the Internet which I find so loathsome, ignorant, or just plain wrong that I unleash a quickly assembled shower of facts designed to "put them in their place."


It's not my most attractive characteristic, although I suppose some might find it entertaining to watch.

I try not to do it too often. I try to be polite. I do not always succeed.

After all, despite my best efforts I suppose I am a semi-public figure in this town and should probably "be the change I want to see in (Pottstown)," all apologies to Mr. Gandhi.

(Also, truth be told, I often get cyber-smacked back and, perplexingly, find myself in the wrong.)

But despite it all, I try not to make it personal.

And that's where the line gets drawn, as I see it, between "spirited debate" and cyber-bullying or stalking.

Cyber-bullying is nothing but personal and the people most likely to be victimized and, paradoxically, to abuse their victims are young people, particularly young girls.

This is also true of cyber-stalking, an even more unnerving situation to confront.

We've all heard the stories of tormented teens, some of whom commit suicide, after being bullied on-line, on their phones, to their point where they feel they cannot even escape inside their homes.

To help them (and their parents) navigate these murky waters rides the Tri-County Area YWCA and their "Girl Talk Series."

The next installment, "Cyber Bullying and Stalking," will take place next Saturday at the YW, 315 King St. in Pottstown from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

The special speaker will be Colleen McIntyre, an assistant Montgomery County district attorney with experience the narcotics, juvenile and sex crimes units.

According to the YWCA's information, "stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person."

They define cyber-bullying as "the use of the Internet or cell phones to harm other people in a deliberate, repeated and hostile manner."

The July 28 event is part of the YW's year-long "Year of the Young Woman," and two additional Girl Talks remain.

On Sept. 22, the subject will be "Advocacy" and on Nov. 10, girls will be urged to "Go Green."

For more information call the YWCA at 610-323-1888 or visit their web site at www.tricountywca.org.