Noticed in the board minutes another administrator is leaving, bringing the total now up to four.
Also, they are paying a per diem rate at Peirce of $450 a day for a fill in assistant principal, and $780 a day for a fill in Human Resources Director. The fill in assistant is a retired administrator for the district and I assume collecting a pension?

For a district that is crying fiscal restraint I have to wonder. But the teachers are the ones we want to call greedy?

And Mr. Murphy, go online and check out the pay matrix of the TE teachers, no comparison to here. And let's look at the taxes paid in that district as well.

Please, you all say you want to learn the process of negotiating. GO TO THE TABLE AND GET SOME EDUCATION. You all look foolish right now as the facts I found in a simple online search, and reading the board agenda online make me question what you are all doing.

Star thrower-, you make a lot of uniformed attacks about our schools, especially in terms of their achievement. For example Hendersons academic team has win the state championship the past two years (defeating Conestoga in the County final in 2011) and Rustin won states in 2010. Most of this is a direct result of the superb teaching done by all faculty members in our High Schools.
How about recent achievements at DECA, where last years state president and co VP came from our district? Or Rustins science Olympiad team placing 14th in the nation?

Lets remember all the great things our district has achieved and stop the uncalled for attacks on the wok of the teachers in the district.

Thank you Max .. your concern for the "Wok" is touching - I promise not to attack it again.

Thank you also RoxyD for your continued sadness .. very happy you are not as hateful this morning.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Halloween Parade tonight. It was so wonderful hearing all of the cheers and cries of support as our WCAEA group paraded by. We saw so many students and former students who are now attending college, along with a lot of adults who expressed their support for public education. Heartwarming to say the least.

Just to let everyone know that Star Thrower is Tanya C. from www.midnightbluesays.com. She always commented on school board races in the past as she is associated with the PA Conservative Council. So do not pay her any mind.

Max Kneis, kudos for a well written response!! Most of us with brains knew you meant work, not wok, so please ignore those who choose to focus on things that are not related to the content of your post.

You do realize that for AYP to even be calculated that there must be at least 40 students in the cohort? So if a school has less than 40 students in of those categories and they all fail, it doesn't count. Do we see the fallacy in this system yet? That is often why schools with high poverty (low income subgroup), high multilingual (large ELL) may not make AYP. Again, this is all available by reading the Dept of Ed website. Not making AYP in any one category has nothing to do with the entire school or an entire district failing or not achieving. If you do a statistical analysis it can mean as few as two or three students in an building of 900 do not make a cutoff. Every other student could test advanced and proficient. The old adage about statistics certainly applies. Therefore, true statistical analysis must be used. While the numbers may be informative, they cannot be used to make blanket statements. If we were to carry this whole AYP mess to the extreme it could mean that unless every student gets a 100% on the test they fail. That of course is nonsense. When perfection becomes the standard nobody can win, as none of us will ever be perfect. To assert otherwise is just plain foolish.

Again, Max, very well stated. Star, be careful who you attack here. Some who post here are not old, crotchey, mean-spirited people like yourself.

Star, be careful who you are trashing. Not everybody who posts on here are old, crotchety, nasty people like yourself.

Where in the world did you get the "teacher wannabe" from? My remark that you are a "Tania Wannabe"? Thank you for making my prediction accurate. Rambling, senseless retorts! Geez, Tea Party members: great representative you have here!! Hee Hee!

Star, AGAIN: Please listen to me: Be CAREFUL who you are trashing!!! NOT EVERYBODY who blogs is an OLD, crotchety blowhard like yourself!!!!

Also, thank you for finally admitting that your are indeed a WCASD SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER! Nice trash talk for a member representing ME; a TAX PAYER!!!

You accused me of hiding behind my username!! What about you???

Have the guts to state your real name and occupation and I will very proudly so the same. Wait...I will begin: I am a Certified Public School Teacher with a Master's Degree in Education (also an undergraduate degree in education). I work as a classroom teacher in the WEST CHESTER AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT. Your turn, chicken sh--!

See? Once again, you are rambling and avoiding the challenge put forth. We do not need people like you on our school board. All you care about is shouting out hateful remarks and trashing my wonderful school district. In spite of your ASSUMPTIONS, WCASD is a FANTASTIC district. You have no clue and your claims of "facts" are pure gibberish. I have stated over and over, and your cyber mind refuses to listen: come visit a WCASD school any time and see the fantastic teaching and learning going on there.

Star - 40 students in a cohort - not a school. So let me explain again. If you have less than 40 students in a category, i.e. less than 40 identified as economically deprived that category in a building it does not COUNT for AYP. So using your TE example, how many students are economically deprived? I haven't checked their stats I do admit. But the point is, that if you have 39 students in a building in the particular cohort, and all 39 test below basic, you would make AYP, as the number in the COHORT is less than 40. Conversely, if two days before the test, two students are identified into that cohort, then the category would count for AYP.

Therefore your rantings and ravings have little merit. Each school, each building, each district must be analyzed on the basis of its particular demographics and community. And, remember, WCASD does have the lowest taxes, and its teachers are paid less. So you pay less you get less - how about them apples? Now I don't believe that for one minute. What I see is a excellent district with teachers that are second to none. They should demand more, they do deserve more. The number of students who test proficient and advance far outnumber the small cohort that may be struggling for any variety of very specific reasons.

As one again who works with statistics and the analysis of numbers daily, I beg you do your homework, or please refrain.

Cathy, as a teacher in the WCASD, I thank you for understanding our value. Thank you, also for your clear and concise explanations of the cohorts. Not only does it makes sense, it is spot on!

Star - the problem is you DO NOT UNDERSTAND. All you seem to be interested in is not responding to actual facts, bad mouthing teachers, pointing out typos (who cares), and making unfounded claims. The district is high performing - not everyone can be number one. The fact that the demographics of our community are different, the fact we pay the LOWEST in taxes, have more students than TE does all plays into how our numbers will be skewed. Anyone who knows even the smallest modicum about how statistical analysis is done can figure this out.

What I know about you and it is only what is gleaned from your posts is this - purely unscientific of course - but that is what you do, so I can join your world for a moment.

-No positives ever matter.
-If you lived in TE you would be bad mouthing their tax rate and the fact their teachers make lots more money and their scores would not be high enough for you.
-You hate, despite your allegations. Your verbiage proves it.
-You name call, but accuse others of this, with no recognition that you do the same.
-You are a bully of the worst order - and get angry when people stand up to you.
-I have never seen you have the guts to come to a school board meeting and speak y our hateful thoughts - come on down - bring it on. But you won't as you are a coward of the worst sort.
-Stop bashing our kids, because in reality that is what you are really doing, and I resent it.

Again, Cathy SPOT ON!!! Once again, thrower has not admitted that it is a school board member nor does it admit that it is a coward. I do not care whether it believes that I am a school teacher or not. I know the great work that I do, and I thank you, Cathy, for being so supportive of our profession, and our schools.

Thrower, you can continue to call us names; however, you have yet to reply to my challenge: have the guts to reveal yourself. As for me: I will be at the next school board meeting as I have been to past meetings. You'll recognize me. I will be wearing a red shirt.

On more than one occasion, Star Thrower has been identified along with her website. There have been no rebuttals to this, so I have come to believe that this is correct information. One photographer of note on her website is Sean Carpenter of West Chester. Is this the missing piece of the puzzle?

Hmmmmm, let's see, s___ thrower. Lies, lies, and more lies. You never get angry? (LIES) You don't call people names? (LIES) You claim that if you were on the school board, you would be at the meetings. but since you are too CHICKEN to come out and say who you really are, AND you do not come right out and deny that you are a school board member, then you must be a school board member because all you do is LIE! You also seem to know a lot about what the members are discussing; just not public discussing it (closure of more than one school.) You like teachers? LIE. You bash teachers all of the time. You call our school distrct a failure (LIE). So, come on. Be brave, for once. Come clean about who you are and what you have to do with WCASD!

As a member of one of the task force committees, I am well aware of what was discussed on that committee. However, that is not what you have been alleging. You have been alleging the possibility of closing more than one school. I happen to know of a certain WCASD School Board Member who wants to close more than one school. That's why I think that you are a school board member. Remember how you said that you didn't hate? Remember that you claimed to not call people names? You just proved in your previous rant that you lie.

oh, and by the way: once again you have avoided my challenge. Come clean about who you are and what you have to do with WCASD.

'Elisabeth Bennet' - On more than one occasion, Star Thrower has been identified along with her website.

How did you come to this conclusion. Please provide proof - IP Address, email address, direct links, etc. Baseless accusations do not count. Feel free to post the info and then link in this comment thread.

Without proof, I have to label you a liar among other things.

Oh, Star! I just realized.....you must have been a victim of sexual abuse! I mean, after all, why would you ever make a claim that there are "3 million incidences of teacher/student sexual abuse" unless you think that every student has been abused. Please, Star, get some counseling or some kind of help! I will pray for you as it is obvious that something is seriously distubing you.

Oh, and by the way? Is this why you won't reveal who you are and what you have to do with WCASD?

As a teacher in the WCASD I have had about enough of the accusations of sexual abuse. I have already written to the Patch about it Star Thrower and if necessary will ask to have your posts eliminated. You are entitled to your opinion but an entire condemnation of all the teachers is not acceptable. You have no right to accuse me of actions in this manner or others for that matter. Enough. Now, you are free to go to the district and complain about me, be my guest. But last I checked I can defend myself in this manner against your baseless claims.

Star, I was giving you the benefit of the doubt, but you decided to be just plain mean and vindictive again. Brick and Mortar school are NOT a millstone around the neck of homeowners ( I am a homeowner), they are sustainable and they are NOT a grave danger. Rosemary is quite correct; however, that you have absolutley no right to accuse every teacher of being a sexual abuser. YOU were the one saying every child was in danger. YOU are the one stating the 3 million incidents. That attitude and accusations are gravely dangerous and very unfounded. As for brick and mortar schools going by way to total cyber? Not in your lifetime or my lifetime. You see, you are an excellent example of why we cannot go totally cyber. Without human interactions, people would all be hatemongers and very delusional.....like yourself.

He or she will cross a line eventually. Mr. Speicher will moderate this individuals comments, and he has agreed. The point is, nobody believes that teachers by and large abuse children.

I will not spout off statistics from one report. Any reporting is worth looking into and anyone can skew anything for their own arguments. The problem here, star, is that you do not like anything or anybody...except your money and cyber school, which I suspect go hand in hand.

You want to open a cyber school? Go ahead, that is your right; however, it is not your right to slander an entire profession through generalized accusations. It is also not your right to be verbally abusive towards people who do not agree with your views.

Star, so now "we" cannot refer to the community, teachers, and those who support our public schools. That just cracks me up. Do you hear yourself? I am a private sector worker who supports public schools - maybe because I went to one. And by the way, my private employer paid for my graduate work. So the idea that this does not happen in the private sector says something to me about your knowledge of how the private sector works, how large employers work. And you are aware of course that to obtain permanant teaching certification and to keep teaching credentials teachers MUST continue graduate level work. So complain all you want, you continue to prove your lack of even basic knowledge.

I think I will join Ms. Decker in complaining to Mr. Speicher about your ongoing rants regarding sexual abuse by teachers. Our schools are safe. Our kids are safe. The fact you want to portray otherwise sickens me, and makes me wonder about what goes on in your sick mind every day. You are way too obsessed on this issue for me.

Cathy, I have been through this with Star T before concerning the licenses required to be a certified school teacher, and yet again, this person continues to ignore what he knows nothing about.

Star, I told you that I would gladly reveal my real name when and only when we have a school board that is fair and unbiased and does not abuse their power. (Yes, I have seen certain current board members throw their weight around in some of the schools.)

In fact, when I retire in about 25 years, I think I might like to run for the school board of WCASD, as I am very confident that we will still existas a successful district.

Edufan, I am not afraid of Star Thrower or the Board if this person is in fact a board member. I am speaking out against this hateful speech. I am sick of reading it and the nastiness directed at our community members and parents who support our schools and the fine work that goes on each day. I would welcome anyone to challenge me or attempt to discipline me for supporting public education, the good and excellent work of the West Chester Area District and the hateful accusations that the teachers are somehow sexual predators attacking our children. All my study of school law tells me that I am well within my 1st amendment rights. Any who know me are well aware I can't be bullied, I do not scare off. So, track me down, call anyone you like to complain. But in the end I have as much right to speak as any other U.S. citizen and will continue to exercise my right to defend my district, my colleagues and myself against such nonsense.

And to Star, you do know of course our Board did try to discipline a teacher for using their home computer, their home email to send information to personal friends about a political action group the board disapproved of. They spent tax dollars to try and do this even after the district solicitor told them they had no basis for this as it was well within the teachers constitutional rights. So, if teachers are afraid to post their names, I get it. Some don't want to fight the fight even with the law on your side. So be careful about the condemnation of those who won't post their names. However, I would wonder why you won't post yours? I see no valid reason.

I would appreciate not being addressed as "Decker", it is rude and disrespectful. And to refer to me as a bully - again name calling and unacceptable. I do not tolerate such name calling in my classroom, and do not have to tolerate it from you. The fact that you do not support unions is fine, but the manner of your disagreement is what is objectionable. In the end there have been no illegal activities of any kind, and to refer to these actions as such is reprehensible.

What I tell my students daily is the use of generalizations is a very dangerous practice. It has led to all types of invalid presumptions and led to very bad decision making. What is evident to me sir or madam is that facts are totally irrelevant to you. It would appear, in my opinion, that you isolate on broad statements and then isolate them to individuals.

And to say that you pay my salary, well that is ludicrous. I can make the presumption as well that as many in the community support the good work of the schools, and the district. In fact my attendance at board meetings would indicate there is a great deal of community support. Not getting your way does make a system corrupt. If you really want YOUR voice to be heard, come out from behind the shadows and post your name. It does matter, it will give you credence.

Your ideology of one of hysterics. Your replies to my post, Ms. Decker's and Ms. Binder's posts are surely proof of that. As for your username? I was aware of its meaning and I finally feel compelled to inform you, as another descendent of immigrtants.........you are NOT the only one who feels that you can make a difference, you are NOT the only star thrower. There are millions of star throwers, and this star thrower (ME) recognizes that many starfish are saved daily and the rescuers come from many ideologies. I happen to disagree with your ideology, and I view it as a right wing radical one. That's my right to view it that way.

By the way, YOUR contumelious rhetoric to those of us who disagree with you is not only immature, but it is unfounded, and unacceptable. We are not gang members; we are not sexual abusers and we are not bullies, and I am not brain dead. As a Public School Teacher, I take pride in my work, my students and my school district. I will also work very hard to maintain the excellent education our children are receiving. Hence, MY username: EDUFAN!!!!

THe paranoia displayed is downright scary. So, I guess I can't read what others write on other news outlets and respond here now without you making commentary? I have seen you do this before, I seen you reply under other names before. You are not new news to me. I just simply choose to keep my commentary here. What is it to you? Are you so enthralled with your own importance (or lack thereof) that you assume that all who do not support your view spend their days as you do at a computer setting up screen names on multiple sites to get at you? Dream on (the name of another public education hater) you dialogue with. So, the fact I read in multiple places makes me what - well read - or in your case someone who has multiple personalities. Do you see how sick and pathetic you are?

So, if you want me to be part of the gang that supports public schools - go ahead and put me there. I am proud to be a part of that "gang".

And I researched Star Thrower too and found an organic farm in Minnesota - and I seem to recall from earlier rants you are an organic farmer. So, is that where you hail from? Or are you just an outlet for their products.

Don't flatter yourself, star, and don't underestimate me; especially concerning literature and vocabulary. I am simply impressed that you know how to find seldom used terms. Wait, of course, you looked it up!

Once again, you avoid the intonation of my post and simply try to attack my intelligence, which again, you've underestimated. I have an assigment for you: look up the word, "respect" and attempt to learn its meaning, please.

Star - you know I am correct - you have used many names in the past - I have followed your diatribes for years on the Daily Local. I have watched you and your conspiracy theories believing that all who disagree with you are the same person. I don't have to prove anything as you say. Many here know who you are. You have been called out on the Daily Local, I followed that little debacle. So, now you are not the organic farmer you formerly professed to be when you used the name "little". Really? Or how about "African Pride" a few years back or the other names you have come and gone under as you were bounced off sites for your hateful speech?

I know what you are trying to do, and believe me keep at it. It will not dissuade me. You simply cannot stand that those of us who do not agree with you do form a coalition of active voices. So we speak as one, and have similar ideas. That does not make us the same person. How easy for you if it were so. Unfortunately the masses do not see it your way. Sorry. And your continually put downs will never help in anyone even giving you an audience.

Oh, Star, if you weren't so ridiculous, I'd be laughing at you right now. You are running out of steam. You sound like a little child who is name calling. Talk about being a parrot!! Your written voice has taken on a "ME? What about you?!?!?!" tone to it. Grow up, and admit that you have your own opinons, I have my opnions and we do not have to agree.

Don't forget to pry yourself away from your cyber world, get off of the chair you almost fell off of, get outside in the fresh air, and go vote.

Thank you, WCASD officials for voting to stay with ten elementary schools.