Friday, January 27, 2023

Pennsbury Morrisville Merger Feasibility Meeting on 1/31 @ 7pm

OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THE FEASIBILITY OF A MERGER BETWEEN PSD and MSD

The Pennsbury - Morrisville Merger Feasibility Committee will present the findings of a study conducted by Dean Kaplan, Managing Director for PFM.  To be clear: the report, which you can obtain by clicking below, doesn't make any recommendations about whether PSD and MSD should merge.  It's important to understand that the purpose of the report is to lay out how the options in the event that the districts decide to merge; there is no date set for a merger/no-merger vote of the Pennsbury School Board.

Click here for a description of the Feasibility Committee and click here to read/download PFM's report.

Location: Pennsbury High School East - Auditorium
(705 Hood Blvd., Fairless Hills, PA  19030)
Time & Date: 7PM on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023

It's quite likely that you've heard about this meeting from elsewhere and that you are under the impression that a decision will be made that night; that's misinformation.

Quite simply, this is a meeting to learn the outcome of the study and for the public to ask questions about the study.  If you are being encouraged to make a public comment for the purpose of telling either school board why they should not merge, you are probably jumping the gun, but hey, it's a free country, so carry on.  On the other hand, if you wish to ask intelligent questions about the assumptions made in the report, the thinking processes used, or to gain clarity about one paragraph or another, then you should definitely participate in public comment. 


From the Feasibility Committee's website:
"PFM’s work will provide the Boards of the two school districts with information to help determine if a merger or tuition relationship is in the best interest of both districts, including but not limited to whether instructional opportunities would be enhanced for all students at a similar or reduced cost to taxpayers."

From PFM's report:
"The report does not tell the boards whether they should move forward. Rather, it aims to provide sufficient information for them to determine under what circumstances they could do so, and provides guidance on what issues will need to be discussed and decided next. Undergoing a merger or beginning a tuition agreement are complex processes that will require many months planning and discussion before they could become a reality."