Have a Blessed Thanksgiving Day

 

I received this email from Steve Folgate and thought you might enjoy it as much as I did.
Debby

Did you know? The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924 with 400 employees marching off from Convent Avenue and 145th Street in New York City. During this time the parade was accompanied not with the oversized ballons of our favorite cartoon characters, but with live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo -- from camels to elephants.

Wishing you a joyous Thanksgiving filled with friends, family and fun.

      

Steve Folgate
Allstate Insurance Company
Your're in good hands.
Ph: 765-642-2076
Cell: 765-749-8890

November was Election of Officers

Well our November meeting was small but we got a lot of stuff accomplished. We now have our Officers lined up for 2014.

Debby Gilpin - President
Charl Clune - Vice President
Tracey McCaughey - Secretary
Jane Harman - Treasurer

Don't forget the Christmas Party Dec. 12th at Willow Lake Condos. You need to RSVP. Weed a count for the Caterer. We always have a good time at Christmas.

Death of a Member

 
 Larry E. Dudley, 72, passed away Thursday, November 7, 2013 at AMG Specialty Hospital after an extended illness.
He was born March 17, 1941 in Muncie to Karrol Dudley and Kathleen (Branson) Wagner. Larry worked for over 37 years at Vectren Energy. Larry proudly served his country as a Marine veteran. He was a life time member of the VFW and Amvets.
Survivors include his loving wife of 47 years, Jacqueline (Collins) Dudley; three sons, Ray Dudley (wife, Shannon); Larry Gates (wife, Rita) both of Muncie, Terry Gates (wife, Ruby) Oregon; one brother, John Dudley (wife, Patricia) Moore, Oklahoma; 4 grandchildren; and 4 great-grandchildren.
Larry was preceded in death by his parents; and stepfather, Dillon Wagner; and three sisters, Sue, Paula and Sheila.
Private entombment services will be held for the family at Beech Grove Cemetery.
Parson Mortuary is in charge of services.
Military rites will be conducted by the Veterans of Delaware County Honor Guard.
Online condolences may be sent to http://www.parsonmortuary.com.

Christmas Party

Christmas Party

Dec. 12th

RSVP by Dec. 6th

$12.50 a Person or Guest

Willow Lake Condo

Community Building

1501 N. Morrison

Muncie, IN 47304

6:00 - 6:30 Social Hour

Punch and Hordourves

Dinner at 6:30pm

RSVP or Send Checks to:

Heldenbrand, JoAnn & Jack

Classic Rentals & Mgmt

4921 W. Churchill

Muncie, IN  47304

284-4287/ 749-4017

johrealtor@sbcglobal.net

September 19th Meeting Minutes

Call to Order - 7:00pm
16 Member Present and 1 Guest
Introduction of Officers
Introduction of Members
Introduction of the Speaker: John Spafford from the National Tenant Network. John explained to us the necessity of checking credit and back ground on potential Tenants. He showed us how to read a credit report and if the potential tenant is found to be not acceptable NTN will issue a letter back to us that we can send to the Potential Tenant explaing why we are not going to be able to rent to them and at that time they can call or wrote NTN for the reasons why. Another thing is the registry. We can input all of are past and present Tenants and if we do a check on them and one of the other Member of NTN have had this Tenant it will tells us when they lived in that property and how they left. Good information to know.
July's Meeting Minutes are in the Newsletter.
Treasurers Report was given by me because JoAnn was unable to be at the meeting.
Do we want to stay at an every other month meeting or do we want to go back to every month. It was said that if you miss a meeting than you would be missing 3 months but everyone seemed to enjoy the every other month. It has been decided to keep the every other month for another year. We are going to stay in the small room. It suits us. We have had good speakers this year and I expect next year to be the same.
November is election of officers. I know that at this time of the year it is easier to just sit back and let someone else do it but our association as been around for a long time. Including the Apartment Assoc. I would say over 30 years. I have been a member for 13 years. The officers seem to be the same people each year with a suffle every now and then. Maybe this is the year you want to become more involved. Any of the offices are eacy to do. If you do not like talking in front of people then the President position might be a little difficult but just think you know everyone there most of the time. We all talk to each other before the meeting. Think about it. I would be happy to show any one willing to try how to do it.
December is our Christmas Party. The Invitation will be in this newsletter. Please get back to me asap letting me know that you will be coming.
Adjourned the meeting at 8:30pm

NO MORE TAXES

November 6th, 2013
This mornings headlines read:
 NO MORE SCHOOL BUSES. The Referendum Failed. That means they are not going to be raising our taxes. Now it is up to MCS to find another way.

November 7th, 2013
This morning the headlines read:
MIXED MESSAGES. Mayor Tyer disappointed but moving on. MCS is waiting on an answer to their request for a waiver.

November 10th, 2013
This mornings headlines read:
WAITING ON A WAIVER. A Law that was passed in 2012 requiring Indiana school districts to give a three-year notice if they plan to end transportation services, allows districts to apply for a waiver to eliminate the waiting period. Muncie Community Schools applied for a waiver with the Department of Education earlier this year and was told by the IDOE that it would delay action until after the referendum.

Chris Hiatt · Top Commenter · Muncie Central High School  Here's their 4-sentence "backup plan"...(tell me again how much we pay these knuckleheads?)

"The only mandated transportation would be per the federal Title VII-B McKinney-Vento Homelss (Student) Assistance Act as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001"

"The Muncie Community Schools is a one-township (36 square miles) district with nine (9) neighborhood elementary schools evenly located throughout the corporation."

"No elementary child is further than two (2) miles from their closest school."

"Secondary students have free/no fee access to buses of the Muncie Indiana Transit System (MITS)."

DAVID MCINTOSH
Muncie
There is confusion regarding whether the Muncie Community Schools administration has a wavier or has requested a waiver. After a recent call to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), here are the facts regarding the waiver:
1. MCS has requested a waiver from the IDOE. This was confirmed by visiting with an official within the IDOE.
2. MCS has submitted a waiver to the IDOE requesting that the three-year notice that schools must provide prior to discontinuing transportation services be waived.
3. According to the IDOE the request is on hold pending the outcome of the vote on the referendum.
4. The IDOE has indicated that a public hearing will occur prior to determining whether to grant or deny the waiver request. This hearing would occur in November. The public will be able to attend this meeting.
5. The IDOE will conduct the public hearing within the MCS district.
6. If the waiver were denied, MCS would be required to provide transportation for the next three years. However, MCS could notify the IDOE that they will utilize the option of notifying patrons that they plan to discontinue bus service after three years.
7. One other school district in Indiana has notified the IDOE that they will utilize the option of notifying patrons that they plan to discontinue bus service after three years.
8. Of the all the school districts in Indiana, MCS will be one of two that has requested a waiver to date.

Larry Riley wrote:
As I write this, polls in yesterday’s Muncie Community Schools referendum remain open. Results are on page 1 and I presume you’ve read the outcome.
Sunday I wrote that the odds were even up, a toss-up between fearful parents getting told they’ll lose bus service for their kids and exasperated taxpayers at wit’s end with local government’s ever-rising costs.
I think the latter may out-vote the former and that will produce the most interest to me.
MCS officials insist that bus service will be terminated with the referendum’s failure to pass, starting with the 2014-15 school year.
Busing became an issue statewide last year after an Indianapolis school district, Franklin Township, went through several years trying to get more money than property tax caps allowed.
Franklin school officials tried not one, but two referendums for more money, both failing at the ballot box.
Franklin’s financial problems were similar to Muncie’s in that a ton of debt had to be paid off.
The problems were way dissimilar in that Franklin saw a fast-rising school enrollment, going from 6,400 students in 2001 up to more than 9,000 by 2011. The district hastily built more schools and took on lots of debt.
This is in direct contrast to Muncie Community Schools, which during the same period of time saw almost a complete reversal of Franklin as far as enrollment went, dropping from perhaps 9,000 down to 6,700. Nevertheless, school board members decided to spend $55 million to upgrade facilities and take on lots of debt in the middle of the shrinkage.
(Yes, one has to wonder if those school board members learned their critical thinking skills in Muncie school classrooms.)
I actually think that until the Franklin standoffs occurred and officials at that school looked into every option, nobody realized that Indiana didn’t require schools to provide transportation to and from school for students.
But Franklin saw an out, and in its final referendum attempt warned parents (and voters) that transportation would end if taxes weren’t raised because, indeed, state law did not require school to provide transportation. (Federal law requires certain students with special needs to be transported, so officials confirmed some busing would continue.)
 When the referendum failed, Franklin sold its buses to a private firm, who took over transportation, and parents were charged a fee if their kids needed bused. Legislators last year put an end to the practice of charging parents for busing.
Some parents sued Franklin schools, but I think the suit was dropped when Franklin schools restructured debt to free up money for transportation (imagine that) for the 2012-13 school year and going forward.
State legislators also weighed in the importance of school transportation by requiring any elimination of the service to be announced three years in advance. Schools were given a possible out by a provision allowing distressed districts to petition for a waiver from the three-year period.
Muncie school officials said they applied for the waiver, and initially led the public to believe they received an OK from the Indiana Department of Education. Later, under more questioning, they clarified that the state had not approved the application after all, but was waiting for the referendum before acting on the petition.
Perhaps this will be moot now, depending on yesterday’s outcome.
Still, I’d like to see the petition that MCS filed with the state, because the school system should, by law, have included a plan with the petition.
Namely, “a written plan that provides for the safe movement of eligible students to and from school.” And “eligible students” is defined in the law as any individual enrolled and attending school and not required by federal or other state law to receive transportation services.
That’s fascinating. So MCS had — in theory, at least — to develop a plan for how kids would safely get to and from school without the school providing bus transportation.
Wonder what the plan says. If the referendum failed, the state’s DOE will conduct a public hearing, somewhere in the district, on the petition to end transportation. If the referendum passes, I guess the petition will be withdrawn and no public hearing held.
I’d still like to know what the plan was.
Larry Riley teaches English at Ball State University. Email him at lriley@bsu.edu.

 Fran Tucker · Top Commenter · Indianapolis, Indiana

Another thing that is upsetting is the constant claim that disabled children won't have busing. Right in the waiver MCS states it must abide by Federal Law. I knew that to be true, but MCS, to my knowledge, never clairifed that and the Yes supporters continued to tell people that, with no regard to parents and citizens getting upset. That's wrong, folks to play on fears....

Another Opinion of the Facts

Great article in Star Press. One that lists facts instead of emotional pleas, the opposite of the pro-higher tax articles: 

I have been following the latest debate about school transportation, which is the subject of the upcoming referendum. The dialog has obviously divided the community— if yard signs are a fair barometer.I may be able to offer a slightly different perspective on the subject. I have a vested interest in this referendum by being a lifelong Muncie resident, Southside graduate and owner of a local manufacturing company. The referendum, if passed, will have a negative impact on my business and increase my personal taxes. I realize we vote our personal interests to a great extent, whether we are citizens, employees, bus drivers, superintendents or financial managers. But I also believe some of us want to do what is best for the students of Muncie even if it hurts. We also want to do what is right for the city. I am an accountant by education and I often rely on statistical analysis to make decisions. I have read articles in the newspaper but didn’t rely on those rather the actual MCS budget and the law. If you are interested in a few facts I offer the following:•   MCS Budget – 2013 over $74 million•   MCS Salaries/Benefits over 60 percent of budget 2013•   MCS transportation costs $4.2 million or 5.6 percent of budget, 2013•   MCS transportation cost per student bussed at $1270/year, 2013•   Franklin Twp. Indianapolis transportation costs per student $420, one-third of MCS levels•   Revenues from referendum $6 million per year for seven years (.3939/$100 of assessed valuation as it appears on the ballot)•   MCS purchased approximately $2 million of iPads this year paid from the Rainy Day Fund, also usable for transportation expenses•   MCS expenditure per student 2012 over $17,000, fourth highest in Indiana among about 300 school districts•   Average MCS administrator salary $97,500•   Average MCS teacher salary $47,700•   Gap between those salaries fourth highest in state•   MCS enrollment has consistently declined for over 25 years to less than 6,000 today.I realize this is a lot to digest but it does paint a picture. I appreciate MCS tax proceeds have declined. Many of us face similar situations and when that happens we set priorities and make hard decisions. Anyone who thinks this discussion is about transportation is naïve. This is about MCS replacing lost funding so they can operate in a manner to which they have become accustomed — even though enrollment has declined. If you were setting priorities I don’t think you would first look at eliminating the 5.6 percent of the budget that transports more than half your students to school. This administration and board literally stepped over the dollars to pick up dimes. The preceding statistics tell you about their priorities and judgment. They reward themselves and friends first and the referendum enables them to continue.With this referendum they are saying they would rather compromise student attendance, education and safety than compromise their lifestyle. Transportation should not be where they start cutting.There are other ways to economize but those have political risk that they shy away from. Consolidation should have been the first subject on the last several superintendents’ agendas but cronyism, nepotism and self indulgence has prevailed instead.Beyond the numbers there are other factors to be considered. Public Law 145-2012, Indiana Code Section 20-27-13-3, says that no school corporation may suspend transportation without providing three years notice. Waivers from this law may be requested but involve public input and investigation by the State Department of Education. MCS is one of two school districts in the State that have applied.  Please recognize that unlike MCS the state of Indiana considers transportation so important they passed this law to be sure schools did not have freedom to make this choice alone.Muncie has a great challenge if it is going to be an attractive city for commerce or families. Increasing taxes drives away business, makes us less attractive and takes $40 million out of our economy over the next seven years – for MCS to spend.I mentioned Franklin Twp. (Indianapolis) transportation costs because it has budget problems too — because of growth not contraction. That administration decided to cease paid transportation and a bus company was found to provide transportation at one-third the cost per student of MCS.Additionally, Franklin Twp. is now in a lawsuit to determine if ceasing transportation violates the constitutional right of a student to a “free and appropriate education.” I would argue that in light of MCS priorities the right to “free and appropriate education” comes far down their list.When I attended MCS I knew of no students who were transported by bus — although there may have been some of the 17,000 students that were. I realize times have changed and busing is a necessity. I do not think that education is very effective in absentia. But that was the place the board and administrators chose as their beachhead because it is a very emotional issue.I am not a character out of a Dickens’ novel who doesn’t care for urchins or students. But I am someone who evaluates the performance of elected and contract personnel at MCS and finds a vacuum of good leadership and honesty. That may have some bearing in the fact that less than half of these referendums have succeeded statewide.Vote yes if you want these people spending more of your tax dollars. I would rather start a fire with the money than entrust it to MCS. Our priorities just aren’t compatible.John Miller is a Muncie resident and president of Allied Enterprises Inc. on Kilgore Avenue.