BUDGET REFORM for STUDENT LEARNING at lmsd.info - the lower merion school district alternative information source

Did LMSD Violate 22 Pa. Code §349 Concerning Special Education Classrooms? – You Decide.

The Issue:  For months, members of the community questioned the LMSD Board and Superintendent about why the Educational Specifications prepared by Dancu Associates called for fifteen (later revised to thirteen) Special Ed Rooms, even though the report assigned no enrollment to these rooms.  When Board President Rosenwald and Superintendent Savedoff arrogantly refused to answer these questions, a group of citizens filed a formal written appeal to the PA Department of Education (“PDE”).  The November 1, 2007 issue of "Support or Schools" created by the group "New Schools Now" states:  these people "made serious allegations to the PA Department of ED with the Harriton Act 34 documents.  PDE had no choice but to investigate.  The allegations proved unfounded and the Act 34 application for Harriton was ultimately approved, but after months rather than weeks.” (Note that, originally, we incorrectly attributed this quote to the website of the Democratic candidates for Lower Merion School Board. While the Democrat's website does routinely post the writings of Greg Nowell, one of the authors of the "New Schools Now" statement, this particular quote does not appear on that website.)

Read on to see what the PDE really found!

Are Harriton and Lower Merion High Schools Too Big and Too Expensive? – You Decide.

The Issue:  The website of the Democratic candidates for Lower Merion School Board states:  "Industry publications show that Harriton and LMHS are in line in size and cost with comparable school districts".   In fact, for the past year, members of the community have been asking the current School Board and Superintendent to identify even one new high school, anywhere in the country, that is as big or as expensive as the proposed New Harriton and Lower Merion on a per student basis.  The silence is deafening, leading to only two possibilities:  (1) This Board thinks it is not accountable to the community at large, and can choose to ignore them; OR, (2) No such school exists.  

The Facts:   Below is a table comparing the proposed New Harriton and Lower Merion to other new high schools currently underway throughout the United States. All of this information is taken from the 2007 School Planning and Management Construction Report.