The Real Mulberry Street Project: Saving the Mulberry Street School

The ABC's of the Mulberry Street School Closing: Lessons Learned

2006-05-15T15:13:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

Unfortunately as many of you know the Berwick Area School Board voted to close the Mulberry Street School. Though I do not agree with their decision to close this valuable community asset it has highlighted the importance of long term planning for the fiscal solvency in our state's schools. This fact is of little consolation to those people whose lives have been touched by the Mulberry Street School; however, I hope that their hardship in losing this school will serve as a wake up call for voters who want to see a better future for our area.

I am writing this final post for two important reasons: First, I want to thank all of the people who signed the petition and helped promote the cause of keeping this great school open. Second, I want to announce that my advocacy for our community will not end with the closing of the Mulberry Street School.

I believe that advocates on all sides of this issue came to the table with the understanding that school financial decisions can often be very difficult but we must demand that our policy makers effectively balance the interests of good education and fiscal responsibility. Though our advocacy for keeping open the Mulberry Street School was not successful we have brought to light some important issues affecting education affecting both our local community and schools around the state.

The impact that the Mulberry Street School had on the students that were lucky enough to attend will last a lifetime and this impact will not soon be forgotten. Nor, will your efforts to help save the school for its students and for the community be easily erased from the public memory. I hope that those of you who were not active in public discourse before this issue are now emboldened by this noble fight. Rarely has our area seen so many people from such diverse backgrounds stand up for a singular cause such as this. I must admit that advocates on all sides of this issue impressed me; it is heartening to see people take such an active role in the public discourse.

The people who were actively involved in the debate over this issue understand that we must demand more for our children and our community in all aspects of education. This call for accountability should not be limited to our school's administrators and school boards but should be extended to policy makers on the State and Federal levels.

Seeing the amazing impact the Mulberry Street School has had on the lives of the students who attended it has strengthened my passion for promoting the cause of good education. Additionally, seeing the impassioned appeals of taxpayers who are feeling the pinch from local property taxes has strengthened my heart felt belief that our state legislature should stop playing politics with tax reform.

Our state has reached a turning point where we can no longer ignore the negative impact our current property tax laws has had on education and the taxpayers. The closing of the Mulberry Street School became a rallying point for taxpayer advocates who justifiably seek reductions in property taxes. The efforts of these property tax reform advocates was noble and I believe that most of the most outspoken advocates for closing the school truly believed it would help decrease the financial burden on our District's homeowners.

However, I feel the School unfairly became a symbol for the problems with our property tax system, which resulted in intense public pressure to close one of our area's best schools. We all know that the excellence of an individual school cannot be judged merely by the test scores or the quality of its education but must be judged by its impact on the community and the lives of its students. I feel we are lucky to have many great schools in our area and I feel the Mulberry Street School was most definitely amongst them. It served as a ray of hope to a section of Berwick that has suffered greatly due to the economic conditions of our local economy. The powerful impact that hope can have on a community cannot be judged in dollars and cents but this impact is intangible making it a negligible factor in the decision making process of a fiscally troubled district.

The Berwick Area School District is not alone in its fiscal troubles there are a great number of school districts throughout our state that are suffering from a declining tax base. Additionally taxpayers throughout our state are suffering under the burden of property taxes and this burden has disproportionately affected our senior citizens who live within the boundaries of fixed incomes.

Given that this is a statewide problem it requires a statewide solution and it also requires that our state's legislators take action to help our ailing schools and our over-burdened taxpayers. The inaction on property-tax relief has caused our state's school districts to further burden its taxpayers with higher taxes while closing some of its best schools. This is a moral crisis that requires immediate action and will require cooperation between all interested parties. Education and tax-reform advocates must find common ground in crafting a positive solution for this crisis. With one voice we must demand that the lawmakers in Harrisburg stop playing partisan politics with tax relief and elect new lawmakers that truly understand this is an issue of critical importance to our state.

My understanding that the current school funding system has failed both Pennsylvania’s students and its tax-payers has bolstered my desire to promote a better future for our area and has compelled me to run for State Representative. After watching the nearly criminal inaction on tax relief in our state legislature I have concluded that without new blood in our General Assembly reform will be impossible. I will do my best to help promote the interests of our state's taxpayers while insuring the long-term solvency of our schools. We cannot wait for a perfect solution but must demand that our legislators stop their partisan posturing and provide immediate tax relief for those who are most in need. The most recent tax relief plan proposed by the Senate was not perfect our state desperately needs a long term solution for reforming our school funding system. However, I strongly believe that this compromise could serve as an important first step to long-term reform and would help give immediate relief to those in need. I would love to hear your ideas for long-term reform and would be honored if you would take a moment to visit my website.

When you visit my campaign website you can see my qualifications and learn more about my vision for our State's future.

Here is the link to my web site:
www.davidslvick.com

Thank you again for your interest in promoting excellence and accountability in education. I am proud to have gotten to know many of you through this Blog and through our joint efforts to save the Mulberry Street School. I hope that through my campaign for State Representative I will be able to get to hear more of your ideas for our state's future.

Sincerely,

David Slavick

The Waiting Game

2006-03-10T02:54:00.000-05:00

As we wait for the Berwick Area School Board's decision all we can do is keep hope.

Show Your Support Come To The LAST Mulberry Street Project Meeting Tuesday

2006-02-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

Show your support by attending the Mulberry Street Project meeting next tuesday night, February 28th, tell them the real "Mulberry Street Project" is emulating the school's success, not shutting it down.

Click Here to Help Save the Mulberry Street Elementary School by Signing the Petition.

Get Directions to 500 Line St
Berwick, PA 18603-3300, US

Take the Poll: Where Should the Berwick Area School Board Seek the Funds to Save the Muberry Street School?

2006-02-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

We Need More Signatures, Let's Show Our Support

2006-02-02T11:17:00.000-05:00

Click Here to Help Save the Mulberry Street Elementary School by Signing the Petition.

Sign Up For The Newsletter

2006-01-31T16:12:00.000-05:00

150 Signatures!

2006-01-27T15:54:00.000-05:00

In only three weeks we have collected over a 150 signatures through our online petition. I want to thank everyone who signed the petition showing their support for saving the Mulberry Street School. Tell your friends, family, neighbors, and fellow church members about the petition.

Click Here to Help Save the Mulberry Street Elementary School by Signing the Petition.

Sign Up For The Newsletter

2006-01-25T16:59:00.000-05:00

Thank You for Coming To Tuesday's Meeting

2006-01-25T16:20:00.000-05:00

I want to thank everyone who attended the Mulberry Street Project meeting to voice their support for saving the Mulberry Street School. For those supporters who did not have the opportunity to attend, I will be posting some information regarding the information discussed. Together, we can help save this school, but we must double our efforts in order to get the job done. Get informed about the reasons why Mulberry is not only vital to its students but to our long-term community development plan by reading
"How Does Closing the Mulberry Street School Fit Into Our Growth Management Plan?" Its a short article discussing why our community needs to plan for future growth, and the role in which the Mulberry Street School should play in that plan. Print this information out for your friends, family, and fellow church members. If you would like to receive a periodic newletter which includes news and information pertaining to the Mulberry Street School click here:

Click Here to Help Save the Mulberry Street Elementary School by Signing the Petition.

Some Thoughts On Last Night's Meeting.

2006-01-25T06:42:00.000-05:00

The community hears your voice, now let the sceptics here the facts.
Quick Facts:

-If you take the District estimates at face value roughly $300,000 will be cut out of the budget.

-That means that if the District has an estimated $37,000,000 in debt, then factoring in the possible savings reported by the District administrators the District would still have $36,000,000 in debt in Ten years.
-The District administrators admitted that under the proposed plan for redistributing Mulberry Street School students they would have no safety net to help buffer the effects of additional students.

-The question remains whether the estimated costs proposed by the District includes the Revenues gained through Title I funding. Title I allows qualifying schools with grants for teachers and aides to help serve underserved populations.

The Berwick Area School District receives three teacher's salaries through this grant, at least one of which is stationed at the Mulberry Street School. It is possible that all three of these teachers are stationed at Mulberry. Meaning that there is a total of $169,000 in teacher salaries included as part of the school, that number may be considerably less based upon the number of teachers funded through Title I grants. For instance, if three teachers with an average salary of $30,000 are funded through Title I grants then the total savings from teacher costs would be considerably less, lowering the actual overall savings by up to 30%.

Example: If they have three teachers whose salaries are paid through Title I grants the overall cost of the operation of the school would be $90,000 less than the District estimates. Dropping the actual overall savings to the district to $210,000.

Mulberry Street Project Meeting Today: Make Your Voice Heard

2006-01-24T12:02:00.000-05:00

Show your support by attending the Mulberry Street Project meeting tonight, January 24, tell them the real "Mulberry Street Project" is emulating the school's success, not shutting it down.

Click Here to Help Save the Mulberry Street Elementary School by Signing the Petition.

Get Directions to 500 Line St
Berwick, PA 18603-3300, US

100 Signatures

2006-01-23T16:47:00.000-05:00

In only a little over two weeks we have collected over a 100 signatures through our online petition. I want to thank everyone who signed the petition showing their support for saving the Mulberry Street School. Tell your friends, family, neighbors, and fellow church members about the petition.

If You Have Not Yet Signed the Petition Click Here to Help Save the Mulberry Street Elementary School by Signing Here.

How Does Closing the Mulberry Street School Fit Into Our Growth Management Plan?

2006-01-22T13:39:00.000-05:00

As Hazleton, Reading, Allentown and York deal with the issues of unexpected growth they have seen an equally unexpected growth in crime and poverty. This is in part due to the fact that the growth management plans of these cities did not anticipate the dramatic change in population and demographics that have occurred in recent years. Nor could the planning commissions and school districts of these cities have been asked to do so, as this dynamic change in growth patterns equals only that of the influx of Italian and Eastern Europeans in the early 1900's.

The inevitable population growth of the Berwick Area is being pushed by three key factors:

-(1) The influx of new comers seeking a more comfortable environment as places like Hazleton, Allentown, Reading and York become overpopulated cities.

-(2)Local native citizens from surrounding communities leaving their roots due to overpopulation in these areas.

-(3)The glut of available housing stock that will open up in the next 5-10 years.

Anecdotally, a friend of mine has told me that the Hazleton Area School District, a mere 19 miles away, has an average of 40 plus new students per month come into their district. It is not long until Berwick also achieves such growth rates, it is only logical that as Hazleton becomes so overcrowded that newcomers will move to surrounding communities looking for a place to settle down with their families, and some native local citizens will leave neighboring communities and come to places like Berwick and Mountaintop.

Mountaintop has seen a rapid expansion in new home construction, with many new homes valued around $250,000 plus, this growth has been fueled by native local residents leaving their roots in Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton due to the influx of population.
Nearly 20% of Berwick’s population is more than 65 years old, many of which live alone in single family homes. Meaning that a likely 30% of Berwick’s available housing stock is now occupied by only one person whose children are already adults, in the near future there will be a large glut of property available, each home able to house an average four person families in each. Two things can happen at this point, Berwick is going to lose either 20% of our population and see a rapid constriction of our local economy, or it will see a population boom. Hopefully we will see an increase in our population as:

Population=Consumers, Consumers=Profit, Profit=Increased Wealth.

Community members, local merchants, and school administrators need to prepare for this growth we can shape how this growth affects our community if we engage in effective “growth management.”

Growth management is a planning approach that
addresses the problems of rapid development. It is
as much a philosophy as it is a collection of tools
and techniques. Growth management is an
approach that recognizes growth is inevitable,
whether a community desires it or not.

Here is a list of issues that we as a community must address in our growth management plan:

-(1)Given the inevitable rapid population growth what are we doing as a community to help shape our future?

-(2)Are we doing all we can to ensure the town we will become is one that we will still want to live in when our population grows?

-(3)If the Mulberry Street School is closed could we even absorb one month's worth of the Hazleton areas student population growth? According to the recent article in the Press-Enterprise the Mulberry Street Project Committee has acknowledged that absorbing the children from the Mulberry Street School alone will likely cause over-crowding in our other elementary schools.

-(4)What are we doing to prepare our district for student population growth? If our district’s schools can barely absorb the existing student population is it even feasible to think about absorbing Hazleton levels of student population growth?

-(5)If we do not start planning now for this inevitable growth what will we as taxpayers be left with? Will the overcrowding of our schools, lower property values?

-(6)After the Mulberry Street School is closed the District will have build new elementary schools, or add on to existing elementary schools in order absorb the increase in student population. Where will they build these schools? Will they use eminent domain to procure the land for the new schools? Are the existing schools structurally sound enough to handle expansion? How will these projects be funded? It is my guess that they will be funded in part, or in whole by property taxes.

-(7)What affect will these inevitably higher taxes have on our community at a time in when almost everyone you know has taken out a home-equity loan? What will people do when they start to lose equity in their homes?

-(8)How does closing down the Mulberry Street School fit into our Growth Management Plan?

Please discuss these issues with your friends, family, business associates and fellow church members; we cannot go on as a community without addressing these key issues. Our community needs to be mobilized to prepare for the inevitable, the more ideas that we have for smart growth management the better off we will be. Send me your ideas and insights ,and I may contact you to post them on a site I created that will be dedicated to discussing the economic future of our community and our state. The site is still under construction, but with your help we will have a forum for an open dialog about improving our economic future.

If You Have Not Yet Signed the Petition Click Here to Help Save the Mulberry Street Elementary School by Signing Here.

Aristotle and You: Great Minds Think Alike

2006-01-21T03:20:00.000-05:00

All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have
been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth. ~Aristotle

I want to thank each person who has signed the petition to help save the Mulberry Street School. You the petitioners, like the great philosopher Aristotle, realize that successful education will help ensure the future of our community and of our nation. Your contribution to this important cause serves the vital role of informing the District's Administrators and the School Board as to the wide-spread public support for this vital anchor for our community.

You understand that our area will prosper when it has excellent schools that teach its children both their three R's, as well as, to be good public citizens. We all recognize the important role that community based education plays in developing a child's natural born ability to be a productive and positive member of our society. This natural ability thrives in schools where students feel a sense of ownership in their education. This sense of ownership has its roots in the understanding that they, as an individual, make the school a better place to be. These values carry on in life, producing students who can take an active role in helping develop our community.

The Mulberry Street Elementary School excels in developing well-educated and community minded students. Therefore, we need to continue to inform the public regarding the school’s success. Please help inform your family, friends, neighbors and fellow church members about our petition and about this site. Help educate them about what we all already know that there is no lesson to be learned by punishing student achievement. Click the mail icon below to send this page to a friend.

If You Have Not Yet Signed the Petition Click Here to Help Save the Mulberry Street Elementary School by Signing Here.

Article In Press Enterprise Regarding Classroom Sizes And The Closing Of Mulberry Street.

2006-01-19T00:21:00.000-05:00

Berwick panel, public debate fate of school
By SUSAN SCHWARTZ
Press Enterprise Writer

BERWICK — If Mulberry Street School were closed, classes in other elementaries could grow to 22 students, school officials said Tuesday.

That's above the 18-student limit that experts recommend for a classroom, said Superintendent James Kraky. But one second-grade classroom in Salem Elementary has 24 children now, said Holly Morrison, curriculum director.

Morrison said she based the class-size figures on current Mulberry students, and didn't include next year's kindergartners or transfer students.

I was happy to see that in the most recent meeting of the Mulberry Street Project committee its members recognized the fact that that closing Mulberry Street would increase class sizes in every school in all but one elementary school in the district. The implications of the influx of students from an outside school would be both socially and economically profound. However, since talking turkey regarding the budget implications of closing of Mulberry Street appears to be the flavor of the current discourse espoused from both tax-payer advocates and the Berwick administration these facts should be addressed on their merits. So in doing so we must look both to the cost savings of closing the school, as well as, the revenue losses that the district will incur if they shut down the school. Under an external grant the school district receives renumeration for the salaries of patients whom teach in schools with smaller classes. According to experts trained in these matters the borderline between a small classroom, which qualifies for external aid, and a large classroom is 18 children. At the recent meeting, the committee stated that moving the children from Mulberry street will disqualify the district of funding for three teachers whose salaries are provided, at minimal cost, to the District due to their adherance to the classroom size standards. Therefore, in total the school district would not only have to hire three teachers to keep existing class levels, they would also have to look at the big picture which are both socially and economically profound. , in this assessment of the growth in classroom size that would occur if the Mulberry Street School was closed is the

This Tuesday Come to the Mulberry Street Project Meeting @ 7 PM: The Line Street Administrative Building

2006-01-17T08:51:00.000-05:00

Show your support by attending the Mulberry Street Project meeting this tuesday night, January 24, tell them the real "Mulberry Street Project" is emulating the school's success, not shutting it down.

Click Here to Help Save the Mulberry Street Elementary School by Signing the Petition.

Get Directions to 500 Line St
Berwick, PA 18603-3300, US

The Facts Speak For Themselves, Now Speak Up for the Facts

2006-01-15T11:31:00.000-05:00

The statistics don't lie, Mulberry Street works, with 89% Proficiency in Reading and 100% proficiency in reading according to the District's own web-site. Unfortunately, the school district's website does not list any mention of the Mulberry Street Project. However, they have made available a helpful email address where citizens can send their questions and concerns regarding this important issue.

Ask Any Questions and Voice any Concerns You May Have Regarding the Closing of the Mulberry Street Elementary School by Clicking Here.

Here's the Link to the District Report Card Via the Berwick Area School District Site(Warning this is an Adobe Acrobat file may take a few moments to load.)

Help Save The Mulberry Street Elementary School By Signing the Online Petition Here

Help Mulberry Street Elementary School: Email the Berwick Area School District's Administrators by Clicking Here.

Please help stop the Berwick Area School District from punishing success!

2006-01-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

I am writing on behalf of the Mulberry Street Elementary School, a small neighborhood school in Berwick, PA. The school serves a predominance of economically disadvantaged students and a high number of special education students, yet was the first of the district, and one of the first in the Northeastern PA region to get on track to meeting their No Child Left Behind and PSSA performance targets. The school achieved 100% proficiency in Math, and 88.9% proficiency in Reading better than any other school in the District and nearly twice the state average. Due to some poor financial decisions the School District made several years ago including the financing a multimillion dollar gymnasium in anticipation of skewed tax revenue projections that never bore fruit. They are now choosing to cut corners but cutting the most vulnerable of our district's population out of the budget. Under PA law when a district attempts to close a school that primarily serves economically disadvantaged students they must create a committee and have open meetings to the public to discuss the community’s reaction to the closing before making a decision; however, unfortunately, based upon the facts they've presented it is likely that the District’s administrators have already made up their mind. With an equally unkind slight of hand they have titled the project discussing the closing the "Mulberry Street Project," its sort of like calling an act that will cause people to work more hours without additional pay the “Family Time Flexibility Act.”

Please help stop the Berwick Area School District from punishing success! Help save the Mulberry Street Elementary School, because the REAL Mulberry Street Project is emulating this school's model for success not shutting it down. I would like to give the school’s administrators more credit but all the reasons they have given for the school's closing are based on such unsound reasoning that it begs the question if they even bothered thinking about a good reason to close the school. The school district's Superintendent Jim Kraky has given some budgetary reasons for closing the school, most of which are based upon seemingly biased accounting practices. The statistics presented by the school's financial director have been construed in such a way to make the relatively cost-effective school look like it is a money pit. In one such instance, the District's budget placed 100% of the cost of a Title I Instructor who serves 50% of their workday serving eligible students at the local catholic school. Additionally, the District's budget included numerous unnecessary future discretionary expenses added to the costs of the school stating that the school needed a $40,000 stage curtain because the existing curtain was dangerous, not realizing the curtain had been taken down by school staff and the possible safety risk no longer posed any threat. The District has presented many such flawed statistics while being notified of their inaccuracies prior to presenting them to the public. However, the misrepresentation of budgetary statistics is not the most problematic act committed by the District, they have called for the school's closing in the face of the fact that it is the best performing elementary school in the district. Despite the seemingly contradictory fact that the school serves the most economically disadvantaged students, as well as, a high proportion of students with special needs. These facts alone demand the attention of public service minded individuals.

Furthermore, the District has failed to factor in the important role this school plays in anchoring our community. Without this school I fear that many students who lead transient lifestyles may become even more disenfranchised, a problem that will have a ripple effect throughout our community, and throughout our region. Please support this cause, included in this post is a link to the petition I created to help garner support for the school, and the text of the Press Enterprise’s article describing the first meeting of the "Mulberry Street Project." Susan Schwartz truly is a great investigative journalist, unfortunatly she has lots of stories to write and cannot dedicate all her time to this issue.

Thank you for taking an interest in the future of the children of Berwick, Please voice your support, positive solutions only come through active civic participation, please help stop the Berwick Area School District from punishing success.

Sign the Petition here:

Help Save Mulberry Street Elementary School By Clicking Here.

Article: "Supporters say students won't get the same help elsewhere By SUSAN SCHWARTZ Press Enterprise Writer BERWICK - Students at Mulberry Street get the help and support they wouldn't get in any other school, said a group of parents fighting to keep the elementary open Tuesday. Statistics gathered by school administrators back them up. For the last two years, Mulberry pupils have scored the best in the district on state proficiency tests, even though they come from the most impoverished families. About 18 people showed up to the first of three public meetings on the fate of the school Tuesday night. A medal winner Debbie Klinger marched her fiancé's daughter, Sarah Watson, 6, to the front of the room. Sarah was new to the district, and in the
first few days of school, the staff realized she was having problems, Klinger said. They had her tested and found ways to help her, building her self-confidence along the way. In fact, the morning of the committee meeting, Sarah won a medallion for her academic achievements, Klinger said. The little girl, still wearing her medal, beamed as the crowd applauded her. KIinger said it took more than three years to get the help her son needed at another school. Tracey Kane, whose daughter Skylar is in second grade at Mulberry, said even the children help each other. "The kids hug each other every day," she said. "The teachers are like family. ... Why can't you take children having trouble learning and move them there; not the bad ones, but the ones who need the extra love and care they get there? "There are a lot of single mothers here. But we're important, too. And our kids may take your job some day, and they'll know what they're doing." Rebecca Hess arrived at the
meeting sporting a T-shirt that read "Mulberry Street Parent." "Because we're economically poor, you want to take our school and close it," she said. "... Our scores are so high. But you would take our school and put our kids in with other kids, in places where they might think - how would they say it like in 30 Seconds - us poor people should stay where we are." Superintendent James Kraky told the parents that the committee hadn't made any decision about the school's fate. Members are gathering the information they need to make a decision, he said. Facts and figures Mulberry was designed to be a small school to help children from the economically depressed area, Kraky said. Last year, 73 percent of fifth-graders passed the reading test, while 93 percent passed the math test. The state target was only 54 percent for reading, and 45 percent for math. All of the third-graders passed both the reading and math tests. They accomplished this even though 76 percent of the
children at the school qualified financially for free or reduced lunch, the highest percentage in the district. As a group, children from impoverished families usually don't do as well as wealthier youngsters. Physically, the elementary building is in good shape, Kraky said. An engineer's review last year showed it could use some improvements, including $25,000 in additional wiring for computers and other technology, and $35,500 to insulate the glass blocks. But other schools in the district have much more immediate and expensive needs, such as new roofs, he said. Money issues Still, the 92-student school is the smallest in the district. And enrollment at Mulberry, like in all Berwick schools, is dropping. Meanwhile, it's costing $1.1 million to run the school, said Business Manager Christina Martz. And as one resident pointed out, the district has financial problems that forced it to take out a $5 million bond to make ends meet. Small schools worthwhile? Joe West
said he wanted to know exactly how much money closing the school would save each taxpayer. After all, the Mulberry students would still have to be educated, he noted. He has two children attending Mulberry Street: Joseph Jr. in first grade and Laura in second. Both are doing well, he said. "Is it worth $50 (per taxpayer) to educate kids in smaller groups?" he asked. "If these 92 kids get dispersed, they'll get less of an education, plus you'll be pushing more kids into schools that already have lower scores." Kraky said he'd look for the information West was looking for. David Slavick said he found studies showing small schools can help a community's economy. Slavick's mother, Sandra Slavick, teaches at the school and sits on the committee that is researching whether Mulberry should stay open. He cited studies showing small schools can be more cost-effective than large ones. There's federal funding available to promote small schools, he added. "And this type of
school is something that can anchor a community," he said. Small schools could attract new people to the borough, he said. Residents will be asked for their comments at two more community meetings, on Jan. 24 and Feb. 28. Both take place at 7 PM in the school board room at the Salem administration building. The committee will eventually make a recommendation to the school board, which is scheduled to make a final decision at its board meeting April 10. "

Sign the Petition here:

Help Save Mulberry Street Elementary School By Clicking Here.

Make Your Voice Heard By Contacting Public Officials

2006-01-10T14:07:00.000-05:00

Contact each of these public officials and demand they take action to help save the Mulberry Street School. Fill in "Message" box with this message:

I am writing to ask you for your help in saving the vital educational institution which is the Mulberry Street School. Excellent neighborhood elementary schools prepare students for the educational demands of secondary education, and provide them with skills they will carry with them for life. I understand and value the important role Mulberry Street plays in the educational and social development of the under-served population of central Berwick. Given these facts I request you support the Berwick community by keeping alive this vital anchor of our community. Please invest in Berwick's future by keeping the Mulberry Street School alive.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME HERE

-OR-

Add your personal comments or stories stating why you want them to help us save the Mulberry Street School.

Here is the list of Public officials to contact:

Contact U.S. Congressman Kanjorski and tell him to help save the Mulberry Street School

Contact Pennsylvania Senator John R. Gordner and tell them him to help save the Mulberry Street School

Contact Chairman James J. Rhoades (R)of the Education Sub-committee of the Pennsylvania Senate and tell him to help save the Mulberry Street School

Contact Chairman
Ralph Musto (D) of the Education Sub-committee of the Pennsylvania Senate and tell him to help save the Mulberry Street School

Contact Chairman
Jess M. Stairs (R) of the Education Sub-committee of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and tell him to help save the Mulberry Street School

Contact Chairman James R.
Roebuck, Jr. (D)of the Education Sub-committee of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and tell him to help save the Mulberry Street School

Contact the Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education and tell them to help save the Mulberry Street School (Email)

Contact the National Association of State Directors of Special Education and tell them to help save the Mulberry Street School

Voice Your Support For The Mulberry Street Elementary School

2006-01-10T12:58:00.000-05:00

Here is the petition I created to help save the Mulberry Street School,

To: Berwick Area School Board, Berwick Area School District
Administrators
I am writing to ask you for your help in saving the vital educational institution which is the Mulberry Street School. Excellent neighborhood elementary schools prepare students for the educational demands of secondary education, and provide them with skills they will carry with them for life. I understand and value the important role Mulberry Street plays in the educational and social development of the under-served population of central Berwick. Given these facts I request you support the Berwick community by keeping alive this vital anchor of our community. Please invest in Berwick's future by keeping the Mulberry Street School alive.
Sincerely,

YOUR NAME HERE
Sign the Petition here:

Help Save Mulberry Street Elementary School By Clicking Signing the Petition Here.

Where Should the Berwick Area School Board Seek the Funds to Save the Muberry Street School?
	Giving extracurricular activity staff salaries commensurate with Districts in the surrounding area?
	By saving money increasing the competitive bidding for District services?
	By saving money through opening up athletic facilities to community based managment?
	Other.

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