To the editor: Council Rock School Board should discuss issues in public

In response to your story about the Council Rock School Board possibly holding secret subcommittee meetings, there are only three reasons a public board in PA should meet in executive session: 1. Matters of litigation. 2. Matters of land acquisition. 3. Matters of personnel. Given that a Capital Projects Committee is neither of the 3 it should never meet in private, regardless of whether there is a quorum or not.

The elected Council Rock School Directors should scrap this plan and discuss anything not related to the above 3 actions at their regularly scheduled board meetings or currently comprised public committee meetings.

$s D SuEOLc RIficLDO PysHOI , NnRw LW Ls nRW DOwDys HDsy, pleasant and fun to have public discussions about controversial WRSLcs, EuW WhDW Ls whDW wH DOO sLgn uS IRU whHn wH Uun IRU RIficH and we are elected. If that troubles some on the school board I would ask that they simply step down. Public service is not for everyone and not everyone has the time and commitment for it at all stages of their lives.

Additionally this year, there are 4 school director seats up for HOHcWLRn (2 Ln 1RUWhDPSWRn TRwnshLS, 1 Ln 8SSHU 0DNHfiHOG Township and 1 seat that is split between Wrightstown Township and 2 voting districts in Newtown Township). Citizens concerned about the over $200 million school district budget, how those monies are spent, unionized labor contracts, the growing pension crisis which threatens to raise our property taxes and the academic achievement of our schools should cRnsLGHU ORRNLng LnWR UunnLng IRU RIficH WhLs yHDU. ,W Ls LPSRUtant that voters have a choice on who should serve them on the school board given the fact that over 80% of your property tax bill is decided by just 9 elected school directors each year.

These elected directors are also supposed to set goals and directions for the district in terms of academic achievement and student performance. rnfortunately for taxpayers and parents the board failed to list concrete and measurable goals related to student performance in its recent strategic plan. As a parent, a graduate of Council Rock and a taxpayer I found this disheartening. Now more than ever I believe it is time for new leaders, perhaps graduates of Council Rock who now are sending their children to the same schools, to step up and lead Council Rock and make the district the best that it can be.

Robert Ciervo Council Rock parent, graduate and taxpayer

Newtown Township