The York Academy Regional Charter School, a new charter school in York that will bring city and suburban students together starting in September 2011, hired its first staff person. Kathleen Eshbach was approved Dec. 13 as the school's first chief academic officer. She is assistant principal at Spring Grove Elementary School in Spring Grove School District. She will assume her new position Feb. 1. A York Daily Record story this week provided more details.
The hiring marked another significant milestone for the school, which emerged from YorkCounts' Metro-York process as a way to deal with the education challenges posed by concentrated poverty in the city. The public charter school came about through the collaboration of the three chartering school districts - York City, York Suburban and Central York.
School officials are also preparing for the effort to enroll the first group of students. The school will open with three grades - three classes each for kindergarten, first and second - with a total of around 225 students. To fill those slots, the school will soon begin the process of distributing brochures to families in the three chartering districts. Brochures and applications will also be mailed to families that had expressed an interest in the school earlier this year. Parents that want to enroll their kids in the school will be able to do so early in 2011.
Around the same time, the school will begin advertising for the first teaching positions. About 50 staff members will eventually be employed by the school, which is located in the heart of the Northwest Triangle project a short walk from Central Market, the Strand-Capitol and Sovereign Bank Stadium.
Finally, the school continues to add more information to its Web site, http://www.yorkarcs.org/. Go there and get a sense of the mission and vision of the school, see the backgrounds of the people running it, or learn about the admission process. You can also download a copy of the student application.
- Dan Fink
News and views from YorkCounts and its partners about the work we are all doing to create a vibrant York County.
17 December 2010
07 December 2010
Mayor Bracey: Another way to protect civil rights in York
York Mayor Kim Bracey, writing in an op-ed in today's York Daily Record, defends her recent position in the discussion of York's 2011 budget calling for changes to the funding of the city's human relation commission.
She points out the enormous budget difficulties that all Pennsylvania cities have, with soaring costs related to public safety, health care and pensions, while at the same time seeing the tax base continue to erode. At a recent city council meeting, as reported by Lacaster Online, she wondered if city residents could be adequately served by the state Human Relations Commission and urged a community discussion of the question.
But in the op-ed, she took a couple of more forceful positions. First, she called out the newspapers:
Then she said it was simply unfair for the city alone to have to carry the burden of civil rights protection for the community.
But Mayor Bracey raises some intriguing questions. And YorkCounts would be happy to play whatever role might foster the community conversation that the mayor is looking for.
How about it York? Is it time to talk about this?
- Dan Fink
She points out the enormous budget difficulties that all Pennsylvania cities have, with soaring costs related to public safety, health care and pensions, while at the same time seeing the tax base continue to erode. At a recent city council meeting, as reported by Lacaster Online, she wondered if city residents could be adequately served by the state Human Relations Commission and urged a community discussion of the question.
But in the op-ed, she took a couple of more forceful positions. First, she called out the newspapers:
"Our local print media has called for the continuation of funding. It has been suggested the specific allocation of tax dollars to the York City Human Relations Commission should continued if for no other reason than based upon the ongoing strained race relations in this geographic area. Meanwhile, the same newspaper rarely depicts stories of the lives of people of color as being part of something other than criminal mischief in the greater York area."
Then she said it was simply unfair for the city alone to have to carry the burden of civil rights protection for the community.
"In an ideal world, either the state Human Relations Commission or a county-wide commission would take on the tasks our city commission admirably has done through the years. Instead of the poorest residents in our county subsidizing the county's only human relations commission, a countywide human relations commission would more effectively serve all citizens in one of the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania.Finally, she proposes a fourth way - not the state HRC, not a city commission, not a county commission, because she understands the political and fiscal realities. She offers an idea that would bring together a coalition made up of groups that could all have an interest in reducing discrimination in York County.
Our county has grown to now over 410,000 people, becoming more racially, culturally and socially diverse each year. On a per 100,000 population basis, York County, according to a 2006 study, ranks second in the entire state for reported bias-related incidents. That is in a state of 67 counties."
I extend an open hand to the county, the bar association, our faith community, and the private sector to collaborate on a fully functioning county-wide commission in the future.YorkCounts spent considerable time over several years working to establish a countywide human relations commission through York County government; it was a recommendation in the 2004 YorkCounts Action Plan. The commissioners ultimately decided they didn't have the money to pay for it.
Can we build on what we have to make our commission more effective without burdening our county's most economically challenged citizens? Can, for instance, the fact-finding or discovery work of the commission be handled by local attorneys doing pro bono work on behalf of civil and human rights?
Since Sunday morning often is the most segregated time of the week, is there a collaborative role for the York County Council of Churches, their member churches, and church youth groups? Can we work on a Metro York pilot program where costs are shared by a foundation, federal grants, the city and the county?
But Mayor Bracey raises some intriguing questions. And YorkCounts would be happy to play whatever role might foster the community conversation that the mayor is looking for.
How about it York? Is it time to talk about this?
- Dan Fink
Public pension primer from Brookings
OK, so the workings of public pensions isn't exactly a sexy topic for holiday party conversation. But I've Tweeted about them a few times recently, noting that state and local governments across the country are dealing with growing shortfalls in their pension funds - meaning that government money going into the pension fund isn't keeping up with the amount of money that's due to be paid out.
And because the problem isn't going away anytime soon - unless there's a miraculous boom in the stock market - you can expect to hear about more strained government budgets and more calls for public pension reform in the coming months.
To help make sense of the rhetoric around what can be a hard-to-understand topic, the Brookings Institution published a primer on public pension funding deficits - how big is the problem, what caused it and how it can be solved.
The first few pages are full of some pretty dense explanations of how pension obligations are calculated. The basic point is that there is a wide range of estimates on the total shortfall of all U.S. state and local pension funds, and no matter which one you pick, the problem is serious and getting worse.
Starting on page 10, the report explores the causes of the problem, identifying several factors:
- Dan Fink
- Bad accounting. The actual liability, meaning the forecast of what will be needed to pay all future claims, has been underestated, which has led to more generout benefits packages and lower funding.
- Risky investments. If pension funds invest too heavily in higher-interest products like stocks, the returns could be higher, but you run the risk of weak stock markets wiping out pension funds. That's what happened across the country during this recession.
- Short-term political horizons. "Pension deficits can be easy for politicians to hide or ignore for their four- or eight-year term in office, which was likely a factor in the growth of the problem over many years," the report states. Some states even made the deliberate choice of skipping minimum contributions, either because the fund had plenty of money (in good times) or because budgets were tight (in bad times).
- Cutting benefits or raising employee contributions for new workers
- Reducing inflation indexing for existing benefits
- Switching to a defined-benefit plan, like a 401(k)
- Raising taxes and increase contributions
- Cutting general government services and use the money for increased contributions
- Seeking a federal bailout
Read the entire report and this York Daily Record story from November on Pennsylvania's pension shortfall, and you'll be able to offer some informed opinions on public pension deficits that might actually turn some heads at the next holiday party.
29 November 2010
Have you found the Clear Blue Sky blog?
The blogger at Clear Blue Sky has started offering up some passionate, optimistic posts about the future of downtown York. The most recent post argues, with a long list of points, that York has reached a kind of tipping point, with momentum building toward what might be "a renaissance":
Clear Blue Sky's love of community jumps off the page. Check it out.
- Dan Fink
"Something exciting is going on in York -- something bigger than all the small stories put together. It's adding up to an authentic renaissance and a real success story in a central Pennsylvania town in the middle of one of the worst national economies in 70 years. ... Despite all the challenges, York is on a serious roll.Another post stresses the urgency of inspiring every child in York County - black and white, rich and poor - to seek their full potential.
What's the difference today as compared to two years ago? Two words: outside money. The out-of-town residents, business owners, investors, artists and hipsters are starting to discover this gem. And the great part is that they can buy property relatively cheap because some local owners don't realize their town is hitting the tipping point. This is the free market working it's magic. This is the perfect storm."
Clear Blue Sky's love of community jumps off the page. Check it out.
- Dan Fink
22 November 2010
YorIT issues challenge
So you think you have good idea for downtown retail, but you're not sure how to find funding? The folks at YorIT might have an answer.
YorIT, a program of the York County Community Foundation, has launched the YorIT Social Venture Challenge to provide funding to the "next big idea." On Dec. 14, the public is invited to the former Futer Brothers building on Continental Square to hear a presentation on the challenge and to promote philanthropy and the YorIT program. The building was picked specifically as a place to have a conversation about the potential of downtown York. The Futer Brothers building, recently rehabbed and looking for tenants, is one of several key vacant downtown buildings that downtown supporters would like to see occupied.
Proposals are due Feb. 11. YorIT has about $18,000 available for worthwhile restaurant or retail proposals.
Click here to read a York Dispatch story about the venture challenge. Visit www.yorit.org/challenge or follow @YorITChallenge on Twitter for updates.
Update, 10:30 a.m. Nov. 24: Mandy Arnold, one of the co-chairs of the challenge, e-mailed me to clarify that the approximately $18,000 "will be available for ideas that can be a catalyst for retaining and attracting retail and restaurants" in York. She added: "While we may consider funding an actual restaurant/retail space, (applicants) need to make the case that it will foster continued growth of other retail and restaurants."
- Dan Fink
YorIT, a program of the York County Community Foundation, has launched the YorIT Social Venture Challenge to provide funding to the "next big idea." On Dec. 14, the public is invited to the former Futer Brothers building on Continental Square to hear a presentation on the challenge and to promote philanthropy and the YorIT program. The building was picked specifically as a place to have a conversation about the potential of downtown York. The Futer Brothers building, recently rehabbed and looking for tenants, is one of several key vacant downtown buildings that downtown supporters would like to see occupied.
Proposals are due Feb. 11. YorIT has about $18,000 available for worthwhile restaurant or retail proposals.
Click here to read a York Dispatch story about the venture challenge. Visit www.yorit.org/challenge or follow @YorITChallenge on Twitter for updates.
Update, 10:30 a.m. Nov. 24: Mandy Arnold, one of the co-chairs of the challenge, e-mailed me to clarify that the approximately $18,000 "will be available for ideas that can be a catalyst for retaining and attracting retail and restaurants" in York. She added: "While we may consider funding an actual restaurant/retail space, (applicants) need to make the case that it will foster continued growth of other retail and restaurants."
- Dan Fink
18 November 2010
The squeeze is on
It's budget time for local governments, the time when elected officials look at the numbers to see what it will take to balance their budgets without a property tax increase.
And rest assured, nobody wants to raise taxes.
Two stories this week show the difficult financial situations that municipalities across the county are facing.
In Seven Valleys, borough council is considering a proposed budget that would double the property tax from 0.6 mills to 1.2 mills, according to a story in the York Dispatch. The increase is needed to pay for a road maintenance project from two years ago:
But that discussion requires nuanced thinking. And that doesn't fit well in the current environment, where politicians just won elections by tapping into the "No tax increasses" mantra. Unfortunately, bumper-sticker thinking won't solve most of these problems. Local elected officials have some difficult choices to make. And if they do their homework and try to do the right thing, they should be applauded, not attacked.
Update, Nov. 19: Add Dallastown School District to the mix. The district held a community forum this week, and residents showed up simmering about property taxes and staff pay. Read the York Dispatch story here. Seems like there might be growing political support (that is, voter support) for new approaches to education - how we fund it, how we organize it.
- Dan Fink
And rest assured, nobody wants to raise taxes.
Two stories this week show the difficult financial situations that municipalities across the county are facing.
In Seven Valleys, borough council is considering a proposed budget that would double the property tax from 0.6 mills to 1.2 mills, according to a story in the York Dispatch. The increase is needed to pay for a road maintenance project from two years ago:
The borough contracted York-based Stewart & Tate for milling and paving work on South and Maple Streets in 2008. The project cost about $255,000. The borough received about $115,000 in federal grants to help pay for the project. To cover the remaining expense, it took out a $140,000 bank loan from Peoples Bank.And a bit further south, New Freedom officials are seeing if they can get a better deal on police service, according to the York Daily Record. The borough pays about $500,000 a year for contracted service from Southern Regional Police Department. The department also provides service to Glen Rock, Railroad, Shrewsbury and the Southern York School district. The story suggests that if New Freedom leaves, the whole arrangement could be in jeopardy:
Over the past two years, the borough has been paying back the 10-year loan by pulling money out of its general fund reserve, Bahn said. By the end of this year, Bahn said the borough will have about $90,000 remaining in the fund.The borough has eight annual payments -- about $17,500 each -- remaining on the loan.
And if it continues to pay for the loan by pulling money out of the fund each year, Bahn said, the borough will "go broke."
New Freedom gave notice during the summer that it would be looking to price options with other departments, officials said. It has been talking with Southwestern and York Area regional police departments. Some people have not been happy with Southern Regional's service, New Freedom Mayor Jeff Joy said, but he thinks they should give the new chief, James Boddington, a chance to fix problems.New Freedom could save several thousand dollars a year by switching to Southwestern Regional or York Area Regional departments. But they'll continue to have the same decision to make every year, depending on what their budget situation is. YorkCounts supports exploring whether a dedicated funding source - like a "police" tax that would be comparable to the current 911 tax on phone bills for emergency services - would provide a more stable financial model for regional departments.
Meanwhile, Glen Rock continues to annually review its options because of budget constraints and now, in light of New Freedom's move, Shrewsbury will weigh its options as well.
But that discussion requires nuanced thinking. And that doesn't fit well in the current environment, where politicians just won elections by tapping into the "No tax increasses" mantra. Unfortunately, bumper-sticker thinking won't solve most of these problems. Local elected officials have some difficult choices to make. And if they do their homework and try to do the right thing, they should be applauded, not attacked.
Update, Nov. 19: Add Dallastown School District to the mix. The district held a community forum this week, and residents showed up simmering about property taxes and staff pay. Read the York Dispatch story here. Seems like there might be growing political support (that is, voter support) for new approaches to education - how we fund it, how we organize it.
- Dan Fink
07 November 2010
Live blogging from Gifts That Give Hope
We're at Gifts That Give Hope York, and more than 20 York County nonprofits have their displays set up and are ready to tell folks what they do. It's an unusual fundraising opportunity, organized by the Women's Giving Circle. Stop in and see if there's a special holiday gift for a friend or relative that will also support a local community improvement. We're all on the second floor. YorkCounts is in a corner room with Kevin from YorkArts, Julie from York Little Theatre, Joan from the York Junior Symphony and Trisha from the YWCA. Stop in and say hello.
Update, noon: Folks are beginning to trickle in after church and lunch. I spoke with a man who said he was interested in buying a gift of tickets to a York Symphony concert because his family supported the symphony when he was growing up in Iowa. That's the kind of personal connection this gift fair can generate.
Update 2, 3 p.m.: Mary Lou Alsentzer, the woman who put this together, said both local newspapers and a TV station have been in to cover the fair. So look for stories about the fair tonight and tomorrow on TV, in print and online.
Update 3, 11 a.m. Nov. 10: The first report from Mary Lou indicates more than $8,000 was raised at the event Sunday, with gifts averaging around $200. Remember: You can help increase that total through the holidays by buying gifts online at www.giftsthatgivehope.org/york/.
- Dan Fink
Update, noon: Folks are beginning to trickle in after church and lunch. I spoke with a man who said he was interested in buying a gift of tickets to a York Symphony concert because his family supported the symphony when he was growing up in Iowa. That's the kind of personal connection this gift fair can generate.
Update 2, 3 p.m.: Mary Lou Alsentzer, the woman who put this together, said both local newspapers and a TV station have been in to cover the fair. So look for stories about the fair tonight and tomorrow on TV, in print and online.
Update 3, 11 a.m. Nov. 10: The first report from Mary Lou indicates more than $8,000 was raised at the event Sunday, with gifts averaging around $200. Remember: You can help increase that total through the holidays by buying gifts online at www.giftsthatgivehope.org/york/.
- Dan Fink
29 October 2010
Mark you calendars
I wanted to mention a couple of community events coming up that are worth your attention.
7:45 a.m. Nov. 5: Family Issues Roundtable meeting will feature York County Truancy Coordinator Leigh Dalton talking about "Truancy in York County: Issues, Players and Solutions." The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, 2000 Loucks Road, near the West Manchester Mall. Cost is $15, and pre-registration is due by Nov. 1. For details, contact Alan Vandersloot, United Way of York County, at 771-3806 or vandersloota@unitedway-york.org.
11 a.m. Nov. 7: Gifts That Give Hope, a holiday gift fair, will offer a Web site and a live event to help raise money for more than 20 York County nonprofit organizations. The gift fair, sponsored and organized by the Women’s Giving Circle of the York County Community Foundation, will allow holiday shoppers the chance to buy gifts to support the community-building work of nonprofits, including YorkCounts. People who cannot attend the fair in person can shop online through the end of the year at www.giftsthatgivehope.org/york. For more information, call Mary Lou Alsentzer at 683-3929.
6 p.m. Nov. 9: The York County delegation of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives will host a free energy fair to help consumers deal with expiring caps on electricity rates and to offer information how to make homes and businesses more energy efficient. Speakers scheduled to appear include John Hanger, secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection; Sonny Popowsky, Consumer Advocate of Pennsylvania; and Marcus Sheffer, energy consultant. For details on the fair, contact the office of Rep. Eugene DePasquale at 848-9595.
7 p.m. Nov. 17: Building One Pennsylvania is hosting a screening of "The New Metropolis," a two-part documentary that explores the challenges faced by older suburban communities and points toward solutions for their revitalization. The film will be accompanied by small-group discussions and a panel discussion. Building One PA is an emerging coalition of community leaders from across the state working to stabilize and revitalize their communities through the direct engagement and mobilization of their fellow citizens. Register in advance by sending an e-mail to events@yorkcounts.org. For details, call YorkCounts at 650-1460.
- Dan Fink
7:45 a.m. Nov. 5: Family Issues Roundtable meeting will feature York County Truancy Coordinator Leigh Dalton talking about "Truancy in York County: Issues, Players and Solutions." The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, 2000 Loucks Road, near the West Manchester Mall. Cost is $15, and pre-registration is due by Nov. 1. For details, contact Alan Vandersloot, United Way of York County, at 771-3806 or vandersloota@unitedway-york.org.
11 a.m. Nov. 7: Gifts That Give Hope, a holiday gift fair, will offer a Web site and a live event to help raise money for more than 20 York County nonprofit organizations. The gift fair, sponsored and organized by the Women’s Giving Circle of the York County Community Foundation, will allow holiday shoppers the chance to buy gifts to support the community-building work of nonprofits, including YorkCounts. People who cannot attend the fair in person can shop online through the end of the year at www.giftsthatgivehope.org/york. For more information, call Mary Lou Alsentzer at 683-3929.
6 p.m. Nov. 9: The York County delegation of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives will host a free energy fair to help consumers deal with expiring caps on electricity rates and to offer information how to make homes and businesses more energy efficient. Speakers scheduled to appear include John Hanger, secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection; Sonny Popowsky, Consumer Advocate of Pennsylvania; and Marcus Sheffer, energy consultant. For details on the fair, contact the office of Rep. Eugene DePasquale at 848-9595.
7 p.m. Nov. 17: Building One Pennsylvania is hosting a screening of "The New Metropolis," a two-part documentary that explores the challenges faced by older suburban communities and points toward solutions for their revitalization. The film will be accompanied by small-group discussions and a panel discussion. Building One PA is an emerging coalition of community leaders from across the state working to stabilize and revitalize their communities through the direct engagement and mobilization of their fellow citizens. Register in advance by sending an e-mail to events@yorkcounts.org. For details, call YorkCounts at 650-1460.
- Dan Fink
19 October 2010
YorkCounts part of Gifts That Give Hope
Gifts That Give Hope, a holiday gift fair, will offer a Web site and a live event to help raise money for more than 20 York County nonprofit organizations. The gift fair, sponsored and organized by the Women’s Giving Circle of the York County Community Foundation, will allow holiday shoppers the chance to buy gifts to support the community-building work of nonprofits, including YorkCounts. The live event starts at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center. Our gift options include:
- Dan Fink
- $25 to help us provide savings bonds for students who perform outstanding community service;
- $50 to help us make our Web site more interactive and user friendly;
- $100 to help us enhance our Indicators Report research.
Details on the gift fair and a full list of participating organizations can be found at www.giftsthatgivehope.org/york. Shopping in person at the Strand allows you to browse among the nonprofit displays and learn about all the great work being done in the community. If you can't make it, the Web site went live starting Oct. 5, so you can browse and buy gifts online using PayPal. The site will remain up through Dec. 31. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.
- Dan Fink
15 October 2010
Talking York City School District
The York City School District has been in the news recently, and, generally, not for positive reasons. First came reports that all but one of the district's schools failed to meet the state's AYP requirements. Then came news that the school board fired Superintendent Sharon Miller, a firing that came with a $700,000 price tag (due to a provision in her contract). This all adds to the community-wide view that the city school district is overwhelmed with problems - vast numbers of poor students and disengaged parents; low staff morale; and tension between administration and the board and even among board members.
Warren Bulette, head of the York County Taxpayers Council and a high-profile critic of several different York County school districts, has thrown open the door on an idea that has been quietly discussed for years: merging the city school district with neighboring districts.
Bulette, in a letter to the editor to the York Daily Record/Sunday News, wrote the city school district has tried for years to reverse declining student performance with little success. He identified this as a countywide problem because all those students who don't graduate or who graduate ill-equipped for a decent job are more likely to drain government resources rather than add to them as a working, tax-paying citizen.
"The city is not going to prosper, nor is York County, unless York city students are better educated," he wrote. "The time has also come for the rest of the school districts to step up to the plate and actually help instead of making it look like they are concerned."
Consider consolidation, he pleaded.
"If the new consolidated organization is organized properly, overall student achievement will improve and the beleaguered taxpayer will benefit — a real win-win."
The Daily Record responded with an editorial - and it agreed.
"The district is just not working - and hasn't been for some time," stated the editorial that ran in the Sept. 28 paper. "... Just bringing in a new superintendent probably won't be the solution. No, we need something more dramatic and systemic."
The editorial called for York Suburban, Central York and West York to divide up the city district. The editorial acknowledged the idea might not be popular - in the city or the suburbs. (Can you say "understatement"?) It offered up - and shot down - some of the expected excuses that opponents might advance to claim consolidation "wouldn't work." It also suggested that consolidation would increase the already growing diversity of the suburban schools, and that would be a good thing.
It concluded: "Yes, Mr. Bullette, you're right. Suburbanites should step in and help the city. They should stop ridiculing and demeaning a struggling district, power up their smart boards and do something to improve the situation."
How long should a struggling school district be given to right itself? Can we as a community make an intentional decision to allow some kids to fail year after year? Is this not an option that should at least be discussed, constructively and sensitively?
- Dan Fink
Warren Bulette, head of the York County Taxpayers Council and a high-profile critic of several different York County school districts, has thrown open the door on an idea that has been quietly discussed for years: merging the city school district with neighboring districts.
Bulette, in a letter to the editor to the York Daily Record/Sunday News, wrote the city school district has tried for years to reverse declining student performance with little success. He identified this as a countywide problem because all those students who don't graduate or who graduate ill-equipped for a decent job are more likely to drain government resources rather than add to them as a working, tax-paying citizen.
"The city is not going to prosper, nor is York County, unless York city students are better educated," he wrote. "The time has also come for the rest of the school districts to step up to the plate and actually help instead of making it look like they are concerned."
Consider consolidation, he pleaded.
"If the new consolidated organization is organized properly, overall student achievement will improve and the beleaguered taxpayer will benefit — a real win-win."
The Daily Record responded with an editorial - and it agreed.
"The district is just not working - and hasn't been for some time," stated the editorial that ran in the Sept. 28 paper. "... Just bringing in a new superintendent probably won't be the solution. No, we need something more dramatic and systemic."
The editorial called for York Suburban, Central York and West York to divide up the city district. The editorial acknowledged the idea might not be popular - in the city or the suburbs. (Can you say "understatement"?) It offered up - and shot down - some of the expected excuses that opponents might advance to claim consolidation "wouldn't work." It also suggested that consolidation would increase the already growing diversity of the suburban schools, and that would be a good thing.
It concluded: "Yes, Mr. Bullette, you're right. Suburbanites should step in and help the city. They should stop ridiculing and demeaning a struggling district, power up their smart boards and do something to improve the situation."
How long should a struggling school district be given to right itself? Can we as a community make an intentional decision to allow some kids to fail year after year? Is this not an option that should at least be discussed, constructively and sensitively?
- Dan Fink
27 September 2010
Doing something about poverty
David Rusk, in his original report to the community back in 1996, listed the concentrated poverty in York as one of the main threats to the health of the entire county.
Fifteen years later, we have made little progress to reduce poverty. It remains an acute problem in the city, and the nation's economic recession has made poverty more widespread across the rest of the county. But there might be reason for hope.
Three major community organizations - Lutheran Social Services of South Central Pennsylvania, the United Way of York County and Community Progress Council - are collaborating on an effort that could finally make a difference. The effort is called York County Circles, and it connects community leaders with a national poverty-fighting organization called Move the Mountain. Scott Miller, CEO of Move the Mountain Leadership Center, came to York about a year ago to introduce the Circles Campaign.
The Circles model works like this: Families living in poverty are matched up with a handful of volunteers who serve as a sounding board. The volunteers, known as family allies, provide a mix of financial advice, career counseling and emotional support. The idea is that poor people have an array of complex issues that need to be dealt with if they are going to successfully pull themselves out of poverty.
York County Circles will hold a community meeting tomorrow night, Sept. 28, at the Salvation Army Community Room, 50 E. King St., York. "What It's Like in York County: A Community Discussion on Resources for Low-Income Families" will give an overview of the effort and seek more volunteers to act as family allies. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. with dinner, followed by the presentation and discussion.
This effort has enormous potential. Move the Mountain has had success bringing Circles to other communities. Scott Miller has spent more than 20 years developing strategies to end poverty. The three organizations leading this locally have been serving York County's poor for years.
You want to know how you can help? Come to the meeting.
- Dan Fink
Fifteen years later, we have made little progress to reduce poverty. It remains an acute problem in the city, and the nation's economic recession has made poverty more widespread across the rest of the county. But there might be reason for hope.
Three major community organizations - Lutheran Social Services of South Central Pennsylvania, the United Way of York County and Community Progress Council - are collaborating on an effort that could finally make a difference. The effort is called York County Circles, and it connects community leaders with a national poverty-fighting organization called Move the Mountain. Scott Miller, CEO of Move the Mountain Leadership Center, came to York about a year ago to introduce the Circles Campaign.
The Circles model works like this: Families living in poverty are matched up with a handful of volunteers who serve as a sounding board. The volunteers, known as family allies, provide a mix of financial advice, career counseling and emotional support. The idea is that poor people have an array of complex issues that need to be dealt with if they are going to successfully pull themselves out of poverty.
York County Circles will hold a community meeting tomorrow night, Sept. 28, at the Salvation Army Community Room, 50 E. King St., York. "What It's Like in York County: A Community Discussion on Resources for Low-Income Families" will give an overview of the effort and seek more volunteers to act as family allies. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. with dinner, followed by the presentation and discussion.
This effort has enormous potential. Move the Mountain has had success bringing Circles to other communities. Scott Miller has spent more than 20 years developing strategies to end poverty. The three organizations leading this locally have been serving York County's poor for years.
You want to know how you can help? Come to the meeting.
- Dan Fink
26 August 2010
Obesity still weighing on York County
The York Daily Record/Sunday News has been devoting a lot of pages to chronicling York County's ongoing weight struggles. "Fat Battleground" started with a story that explored the fact that York is one of the most obese counties in the state. Other stories have covered how and why we get fat, and future stories will focus on solutions.
YorkCounts cares about this because obesity was one of the 38 indicators we tracked in our 2009 report. Depending on which numbers you look at, the county's obesity rate is somewhere in the range of 25 to 35 percent, meaning that anywhere from a quarter to a third of adults qualify as obese. In our numbers, which come from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the rate has hovered around 25 percent. The Healthy York County Coalition, which has been monitoring the health of York County every three years since 1994 through Community Health Assessments, reported numbers fluctuating between 26 percent and 39 percent. All the numbers show us falling short of HYCC's target of reaching 20 percent by the year 2000.
In 2009, YorkCounts and HYCC, along with a small group of community stakeholders, held some preliminary meetings on developing a comprehensive strategy for bringing the numbers down. The reasons for doing so are well established: obesity's the connection to a range of chronic illnesses, the loss of quality of life, the higher costs of medical care and insurance.
The meetings didn't get beyond the preliminary stage for various reasons. But these York Daily Record stories show that a serious public health problem remains. First Lady Michelle Obama brought childhood obesity to the national spotlight earlier this year. Businesses continue to be plagued with soaring health care costs, due partly to overweight employees.
York city recognized the connection between obesity, public health and quality of life when it became an ACHIEVE community this year. ACHIEVE is a national program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that supports communities working to "develop and implement policy, systems, and environmental change strategies that can help prevent or manage health risk factors" related to a range of chronic health conditions, including obesity
The city is the driving force for ACHIEVE, and obesity and its related problems are slightly more pronounced in the city, but the effort surely can be connected to broader action to reduce obesity countywide. That would mean using amenities such as the Heritage Rail Trail County Park to connect walking paths and bike routes to popular downtown destinations. It would mean giving thought to pedestrian access in the site design of economic development projects.
And that's just a start. Other players would include the schools and day-care facilities, which play a huge role with the food choices that offer to children. Fitness-oriented organizations such as the YMCA and the YWCA would be involved. The fledgling York County Buy Fresh Buy Local chapter could be involved as a way to put more locally grown fruit, vegetables and meats in front of local consumers.
What do you think? What should a comprehensive community strategy for reducing obesity look like? Feel free to weigh in with your opinions here.
An update, 9:30 a.m. 8/27: After this post went up, I heard from Cori Strathmyer, wellness coordinator at the YMCA of York and York County. Cori is a member of the 14-person team working on the community-health effort. She said while the program has a city focus intially, the plan is to take what works in the city and eventually use it as a model throughout the county. And while they are part of the CDC's ACHIEVE program, they are branding the effort under the banner "Eat Play Breathe York." We say: "Go, Eat Play Breathe!" Here's their Web site: http://www.achievecommunities.org/YorkPA/Pages/default.aspx. You can read all of what she said in the comments section.
And a correction: In the August e-newsletter that went out this week, I detailed the town hall meetings YorkCounts and the York-Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition were doing, in partnership with the York County Economic Development Corp. and the York County Planning Commmission. If you clicked on the link from the newsletter to the information about the meetings, you might have seen an incorrect e-mail address to register. The correct address is: shanna@yorkadamssmartgrowth.org.
- Dan Fink
YorkCounts cares about this because obesity was one of the 38 indicators we tracked in our 2009 report. Depending on which numbers you look at, the county's obesity rate is somewhere in the range of 25 to 35 percent, meaning that anywhere from a quarter to a third of adults qualify as obese. In our numbers, which come from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the rate has hovered around 25 percent. The Healthy York County Coalition, which has been monitoring the health of York County every three years since 1994 through Community Health Assessments, reported numbers fluctuating between 26 percent and 39 percent. All the numbers show us falling short of HYCC's target of reaching 20 percent by the year 2000.
In 2009, YorkCounts and HYCC, along with a small group of community stakeholders, held some preliminary meetings on developing a comprehensive strategy for bringing the numbers down. The reasons for doing so are well established: obesity's the connection to a range of chronic illnesses, the loss of quality of life, the higher costs of medical care and insurance.
The meetings didn't get beyond the preliminary stage for various reasons. But these York Daily Record stories show that a serious public health problem remains. First Lady Michelle Obama brought childhood obesity to the national spotlight earlier this year. Businesses continue to be plagued with soaring health care costs, due partly to overweight employees.
York city recognized the connection between obesity, public health and quality of life when it became an ACHIEVE community this year. ACHIEVE is a national program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that supports communities working to "develop and implement policy, systems, and environmental change strategies that can help prevent or manage health risk factors" related to a range of chronic health conditions, including obesity
The city is the driving force for ACHIEVE, and obesity and its related problems are slightly more pronounced in the city, but the effort surely can be connected to broader action to reduce obesity countywide. That would mean using amenities such as the Heritage Rail Trail County Park to connect walking paths and bike routes to popular downtown destinations. It would mean giving thought to pedestrian access in the site design of economic development projects.
And that's just a start. Other players would include the schools and day-care facilities, which play a huge role with the food choices that offer to children. Fitness-oriented organizations such as the YMCA and the YWCA would be involved. The fledgling York County Buy Fresh Buy Local chapter could be involved as a way to put more locally grown fruit, vegetables and meats in front of local consumers.
What do you think? What should a comprehensive community strategy for reducing obesity look like? Feel free to weigh in with your opinions here.
An update, 9:30 a.m. 8/27: After this post went up, I heard from Cori Strathmyer, wellness coordinator at the YMCA of York and York County. Cori is a member of the 14-person team working on the community-health effort. She said while the program has a city focus intially, the plan is to take what works in the city and eventually use it as a model throughout the county. And while they are part of the CDC's ACHIEVE program, they are branding the effort under the banner "Eat Play Breathe York." We say: "Go, Eat Play Breathe!" Here's their Web site: http://www.achievecommunities.org/YorkPA/Pages/default.aspx. You can read all of what she said in the comments section.
And a correction: In the August e-newsletter that went out this week, I detailed the town hall meetings YorkCounts and the York-Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition were doing, in partnership with the York County Economic Development Corp. and the York County Planning Commmission. If you clicked on the link from the newsletter to the information about the meetings, you might have seen an incorrect e-mail address to register. The correct address is: shanna@yorkadamssmartgrowth.org.
- Dan Fink
16 August 2010
Thoughts on suburban blight
The Lancaster Sunday News published a story about blight Sunday, but it took a different approach. It wrote about Columbia Avenue to the west of Lancaster. Folks from York County might know that stretch of road as Route 462.
This is suburbia. Except it's not the sparkling suburbia of new developments and power centers with huge big-box retail and fancy chain restaurants. This is 50-year-old suburbia, home of the county's first McDonald's and various strip shopping centers. And it's in pretty bad shape.
David Schuyler, a professor of American studies at Franklin & Marshall College, offered a quick summation:
- Dan Fink
This is suburbia. Except it's not the sparkling suburbia of new developments and power centers with huge big-box retail and fancy chain restaurants. This is 50-year-old suburbia, home of the county's first McDonald's and various strip shopping centers. And it's in pretty bad shape.
Between Stone Mill Road and Rohrerstown Road, a distance of less than a mile, are at least 11 vacant buildings or empty storefronts. Some are in deteriorating condition. Weeds peek through cracked pavement even at sites that are open for business.And how did this happen?
David Schuyler, a professor of American studies at Franklin & Marshall College, offered a quick summation:
Suburbs supplanted cities; now newer suburbs supplant older ones, and the Columbia Avenue corridor is experiencing "the same difficulties — loss of long-standing anchor tenants, the leasing to lesser, more transient businesses, the 'for lease' signs, and declining property values — that afflicted downtown in the 1950s and 1960s," Schuyler said.This hard-to-fight trend is only part of the problem. Another difficulty lies in the fact that local officials are limited in how they can respond. The story also suggests that they don't work together effectively across municipal boundaries to do regional planning.
In part because the road straddles two different municipalities, a plan is hard to come by. In addition, said John May, a Manor Township supervisor, suburban officials have few tools to tackle vacancies and blight.This shows clearly how older communities suffer because of the current government policies related to development and zoning. And that was one of the main points for the recent Building One Pennsylvania Conference. Because until policy makers in Harriburg understand that there are hundreds of suburban townships across the state experiencing the same kind of decline, conditions will not change. And more corridors will slowly waste away.
"We watch this closely at the township, but there is little we can do if there is no nuisance or threat to health, safety and welfare," May said. "It is hard to watch as this Columbia Avenue corridor slowly wastes away."
- Dan Fink
13 August 2010
This meeting should be good for your health
Aligning Forces for Quality of South Central Pennsylvania, a community coalition working to improve health and health care in York and Adams counties, will hold its second annual meeting Sept. 16 at the Holiday Inn, 2000 Loucks Road, York.
The coalition, which includes more than two dozen members from health care, business and nonprofit organizations, will use the event to highlight its recent work. Expect to hear updates on:
- the I Can! Challenge, a creative approach to helping people with diabetes and heart disease manage their chronic diseases;
- the effort to develop public reporting of health system performance
- the Patient-Centered Medical Home collaborative.
The coalition is working on an ambitious, multi-year, multi-million dollar plan to improve the quality of life in York County by addressing a range of health and health care issues, and YorkCounts encourages all of its supporters to attend.
The evening will also feature a keynote speaker, a networking period and a question-and-answer session. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with a light buffet dinner. Advance registration, due by Sept. 9, is encouraged. For details or to register, contact Joyce Ortiz at 801-4830 or jortiz@wellspan.org.
- Dan Fink
The evening will also feature a keynote speaker, a networking period and a question-and-answer session. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with a light buffet dinner. Advance registration, due by Sept. 9, is encouraged. For details or to register, contact Joyce Ortiz at 801-4830 or jortiz@wellspan.org.
- Dan Fink
05 August 2010
Not another test, please
Last year, YorkCounts hosted a meeting about and sent a letter of support for the proposed Keystone Exams. Today, our intern Itzy Otterbein offers a different view. Itzy will be a senior in high school, and the opinions expressed here are hers, not YorkCounts.
Pennsylvania is initiating a new series of tests referred to as the Graduate Competency exams. The tests, also known as the Keystone Exams, will be used as exit exams to measure seniors’ competency and their ability to survive in the real world. As a soon-to-be senior in high school, I have to ask one question:
Do we really need one more test?
Think about it. During a student's high school career, the average student will take around 240 tests, assuming six classes with 10 tests per class times four years. That means that their knowledge and general know-how will be assessed 240 times. This does not include the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests (PSSAs), which are designed to test students’ comprehension of major subjects in third through eighth and 11th grade. Students who do not pass the PSSAs with proficient or above are remediated in order to move on to the next grade. Pennsylvania already has a system of assessment in place along with the basic testing in school. Student’s who can, on average, pass tests will pass their classes and in turn, receive the high school student’s Holy Grail… the diploma. So if the student’s abilities are tested throughout their schooling career, why should they be pressured with once and done, in or out, pass or fail exit exams? If the student has advanced to their senior year and passed all of their required classes, must their graduation rely on one huge, frightening series of test?
Imagine your entire high school career culminating with one large test on each main subject that will, in essence, determine the fate of your schooling. In the coming years, these standardized tests, known as Graduate Competency exams, appear likely to become a reality. In the year 2014, each student would be required to take 10 exit exams. The student's score on the exit exams would be put in the grade book as one third of the student's final grade. Students who fail to pass the test in even one subject area would probably not graduate and would have to come back for an additional year of school. Had they applied to college and been accepted, they would also lose their place and have to reapply the next year. This may have an adverse effect and discourage students from attending college.
I, personally, have never been a great test taker. In my school grade books, you can often see a trend of high A's on homework, class work, and small quizzes, but often B’s and maybe C’s on large tests. This is true for many students. While test are obviously a necessity to assess a student’s understanding, they can also be misleading. It isn’t fair to let one final series of tests prevent an otherwise qualified student from graduating.
Jim Rhoades, a former state Sen. and principal who passed away in 2008, agreed. “A high school diploma is an accumulation of 12 years of tests, quizzes and homework,” Rhoades told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Twelve years of gym classes and research papers; 12 years of getting along with other students. We're going to tell our students, our teachers and our schools that those 12 years don't really matter, that the effort ... wasn't really worth it.”
There is a feeling of unease in Pennsylvania because many people believe that too many of my fellow classmate and others who have graduated before us are unprepared for college or jobs. If this is true, why have the students been advanced through the grades? Perhaps, instead of adding another unnecessary test, the government should ensure that students are receiving the proper education throughout their schooling and are not simply being pushed to the next grade if they are not ready. The PSSAs already assess students. Students who are in 12th grade have passed these assessments or been remediated until they could. There should be no reason that a 12th grader who completes his or her courses with passing grades should not be prepared for the real world.
Do we need to spend the money on these exit exams that will help to standardize America when students are already being tested for proficiency by other government tests throughout their schooling? Should the government test each student’s academic level when it has been tested over and over again for the past 12 years by their teachers and administrators? This brings me back to my very first question…
Do we really need one more test?
Join the conversation and tell me what you think.
- Itzy Otterbein
Itzy Otterbein will be a senior at Eastern York High School. She participated in Leadership York's Future Leaders of York program and is working on her Girl Scouts' Gold Award at the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education. She is interning with YorkCounts this summer.
Pennsylvania is initiating a new series of tests referred to as the Graduate Competency exams. The tests, also known as the Keystone Exams, will be used as exit exams to measure seniors’ competency and their ability to survive in the real world. As a soon-to-be senior in high school, I have to ask one question:
Do we really need one more test?
Think about it. During a student's high school career, the average student will take around 240 tests, assuming six classes with 10 tests per class times four years. That means that their knowledge and general know-how will be assessed 240 times. This does not include the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests (PSSAs), which are designed to test students’ comprehension of major subjects in third through eighth and 11th grade. Students who do not pass the PSSAs with proficient or above are remediated in order to move on to the next grade. Pennsylvania already has a system of assessment in place along with the basic testing in school. Student’s who can, on average, pass tests will pass their classes and in turn, receive the high school student’s Holy Grail… the diploma. So if the student’s abilities are tested throughout their schooling career, why should they be pressured with once and done, in or out, pass or fail exit exams? If the student has advanced to their senior year and passed all of their required classes, must their graduation rely on one huge, frightening series of test?
Imagine your entire high school career culminating with one large test on each main subject that will, in essence, determine the fate of your schooling. In the coming years, these standardized tests, known as Graduate Competency exams, appear likely to become a reality. In the year 2014, each student would be required to take 10 exit exams. The student's score on the exit exams would be put in the grade book as one third of the student's final grade. Students who fail to pass the test in even one subject area would probably not graduate and would have to come back for an additional year of school. Had they applied to college and been accepted, they would also lose their place and have to reapply the next year. This may have an adverse effect and discourage students from attending college.
I, personally, have never been a great test taker. In my school grade books, you can often see a trend of high A's on homework, class work, and small quizzes, but often B’s and maybe C’s on large tests. This is true for many students. While test are obviously a necessity to assess a student’s understanding, they can also be misleading. It isn’t fair to let one final series of tests prevent an otherwise qualified student from graduating.
Jim Rhoades, a former state Sen. and principal who passed away in 2008, agreed. “A high school diploma is an accumulation of 12 years of tests, quizzes and homework,” Rhoades told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Twelve years of gym classes and research papers; 12 years of getting along with other students. We're going to tell our students, our teachers and our schools that those 12 years don't really matter, that the effort ... wasn't really worth it.”
There is a feeling of unease in Pennsylvania because many people believe that too many of my fellow classmate and others who have graduated before us are unprepared for college or jobs. If this is true, why have the students been advanced through the grades? Perhaps, instead of adding another unnecessary test, the government should ensure that students are receiving the proper education throughout their schooling and are not simply being pushed to the next grade if they are not ready. The PSSAs already assess students. Students who are in 12th grade have passed these assessments or been remediated until they could. There should be no reason that a 12th grader who completes his or her courses with passing grades should not be prepared for the real world.
Do we need to spend the money on these exit exams that will help to standardize America when students are already being tested for proficiency by other government tests throughout their schooling? Should the government test each student’s academic level when it has been tested over and over again for the past 12 years by their teachers and administrators? This brings me back to my very first question…
Do we really need one more test?
Join the conversation and tell me what you think.
- Itzy Otterbein
Itzy Otterbein will be a senior at Eastern York High School. She participated in Leadership York's Future Leaders of York program and is working on her Girl Scouts' Gold Award at the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education. She is interning with YorkCounts this summer.
02 August 2010
Hear the latest on rate caps
There's still plenty of uncertainty about what's going to happen when the caps on electricity rates come off. A story from the York Dispatch reports the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has changed its forecast for what will happen when Met-Ed lifts its caps, with less of a spike expected. That's good news. But it's far from the final word.
So this event, from the York/Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition, figures to be helpful. The smart growth group will host "Expiration of the Electric Rate Caps: What York and Adams County Homeowners Need to Know" at 6 p.m. Aug. 3 (that's tomorrow) at Heritage Hills Golf Resort & Conference Center, 2700 Mount Rose Ave., York.
The discussion will cover energy deregulation, Act 129, state funding programs, alternative energy choices and a primer on conservation. There will also be a service provider fair. The event is free, and there is still time to register. Contact Shanna Wiest at 717-880-1230 or shanna@YorkAdamsSmartGrowth.org to register.
- Dan Fink
So this event, from the York/Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition, figures to be helpful. The smart growth group will host "Expiration of the Electric Rate Caps: What York and Adams County Homeowners Need to Know" at 6 p.m. Aug. 3 (that's tomorrow) at Heritage Hills Golf Resort & Conference Center, 2700 Mount Rose Ave., York.
The discussion will cover energy deregulation, Act 129, state funding programs, alternative energy choices and a primer on conservation. There will also be a service provider fair. The event is free, and there is still time to register. Contact Shanna Wiest at 717-880-1230 or shanna@YorkAdamsSmartGrowth.org to register.
- Dan Fink
26 July 2010
Building One PA signals start of movement
On a hot Friday a couple of weeks ago, at a college campus named for a man who won a legislative victory to protect educational opportunity for all Pennsylvanians, a movement began.
More than 650 people from all corners of Pennsylvania convened July 16 in Lancaster, at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, for the first Building One Pennsylvania Conference. It was a diverse group: white, black, Latino, business, labor, the faith community, members of school boards and municipal boards. They came from the southwest corner of the state and from the northeast, from Pottstown to Penn Hills.
They heard speakers and panel discussions make the argument that some have been making for years: that older communities in Pennsylvania - our urban centers, first-ring suburbs and boroughs - have been hollowed out by decades of state and federal policies that have favored new development and subsidized sprawl at the expense of these established core communities.
What was new at this event was that the discussion was happening within the context of a new organizing structure, one linked to various civic and business groups in regions across the state that have come together to advocate on common issues. The convening partners for the event included Good Schools Pennsylvania, 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, the Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project, the Pennsylvania Council of Churches and YorkCounts.
These groups and the hundreds of other organizations that sent representatives agree on a couple of basic ideas. Crumbling infrastructure isn’t just a problem in one older city, borough or first-ring suburb; it’s happening in older communities and now even many suburban townships across the state. Struggling school districts, overwhelmed by the twin challenges of poverty and a declining tax base, aren’t just a problem in Norristown, York or Wilkinsburg; they exist in scores of communities across the state.
The people in attendance realized they have strength in numbers. In Allegheny County, for example, one speaker noted the significance of the shared problems faced by Pittsburgh and its 35 inner-ring neighbors. A lot of people live there and have jobs there. A number of legislators represent that area. Multiply that for various regions across the state, and there is one clear conclusion: These linked groups represent a growing political force.
And it appears that political leadership from both parties is paying attention. State Sen. Ted Erickson (R-Delaware and Chester counties), chairman of the Senate Majority Policy Committee, expressed his support for the coalition’s efforts to address these important issues. Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster County), indicated he, too, was willing to help advance a policy agenda that would reverse the decline experienced by so many municipalities and school districts across Pennsylvania over the past half century.
The work that has been done to date to build this statewide coalition is energizing, and the initial reaction from some of our key legislative leaders is encouraging. In the end, though, success will be measured by the coalition’s ability to bring about policy changes in Harrisburg that will benefit all communities within our great Commonwealth. I hope that more people will join together in this effort to bring a better day in Pennsylvania.
- Dan Fink
More than 650 people from all corners of Pennsylvania convened July 16 in Lancaster, at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, for the first Building One Pennsylvania Conference. It was a diverse group: white, black, Latino, business, labor, the faith community, members of school boards and municipal boards. They came from the southwest corner of the state and from the northeast, from Pottstown to Penn Hills.
They heard speakers and panel discussions make the argument that some have been making for years: that older communities in Pennsylvania - our urban centers, first-ring suburbs and boroughs - have been hollowed out by decades of state and federal policies that have favored new development and subsidized sprawl at the expense of these established core communities.
What was new at this event was that the discussion was happening within the context of a new organizing structure, one linked to various civic and business groups in regions across the state that have come together to advocate on common issues. The convening partners for the event included Good Schools Pennsylvania, 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, the Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project, the Pennsylvania Council of Churches and YorkCounts.
These groups and the hundreds of other organizations that sent representatives agree on a couple of basic ideas. Crumbling infrastructure isn’t just a problem in one older city, borough or first-ring suburb; it’s happening in older communities and now even many suburban townships across the state. Struggling school districts, overwhelmed by the twin challenges of poverty and a declining tax base, aren’t just a problem in Norristown, York or Wilkinsburg; they exist in scores of communities across the state.
The people in attendance realized they have strength in numbers. In Allegheny County, for example, one speaker noted the significance of the shared problems faced by Pittsburgh and its 35 inner-ring neighbors. A lot of people live there and have jobs there. A number of legislators represent that area. Multiply that for various regions across the state, and there is one clear conclusion: These linked groups represent a growing political force.
And it appears that political leadership from both parties is paying attention. State Sen. Ted Erickson (R-Delaware and Chester counties), chairman of the Senate Majority Policy Committee, expressed his support for the coalition’s efforts to address these important issues. Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster County), indicated he, too, was willing to help advance a policy agenda that would reverse the decline experienced by so many municipalities and school districts across Pennsylvania over the past half century.
The work that has been done to date to build this statewide coalition is energizing, and the initial reaction from some of our key legislative leaders is encouraging. In the end, though, success will be measured by the coalition’s ability to bring about policy changes in Harrisburg that will benefit all communities within our great Commonwealth. I hope that more people will join together in this effort to bring a better day in Pennsylvania.
- Dan Fink
01 July 2010
Column makes case for Building One PA
There's about two weeks left before Building One Pennsylvania, and the media mentions are starting to build. The lastest is a spot-on column from Lancaster Online. Jeff Hawkes does a good job of capturing the thinking behind the diverse mix of organizations from across the state coming together around a couple of key issues.
He starts out trying to explain why Lancaster - and, by extension, York and Harrisburg and cities across the state - are struggling.
Do you want to see municipal budgets continue to be strained and school taxes continue to go up? Or do you want to add your voice to the call for changing a broken system? Building One Pennsylvania is July 16 at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster. Go here to register. Do it today.
- Dan Fink
He starts out trying to explain why Lancaster - and, by extension, York and Harrisburg and cities across the state - are struggling.
"The issue has nothing to do with whether Republicans or Democrats are in charge and everything to do with long-standing, deep-rooted state and federal policies that favor new roads and development outside cities and towns and discourage annexation and regional approaches that give older communities a fighting chance.So how do groups like YorkCounts and Good Schools Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Council of Churches find common ground?
With cities and towns in every corner of Pennsylvania hurting because of policies beyond their control, they and their advocates are seeing the need to come together and explore a common agenda of solutions."
"The conveners of the summit include 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project and YorkCounts — organizations that focus on rational land-use policies and effective municipal governance.That's really the bottom line here: Giving people a place to come together and exert some influence over public policy that has too long shoved older communities to the side.
But the scope of regional equity also encompasses the missions of organizations such as Pennsylvania Council of Churches and Good Schools Pennsylvania, both of which are also conveners of the summit.
'How Pennsylvania funded education has not only failed students but contributed to the blighting of communities and sprawl,' said Good Schools' Janis Risch in explaining her organization's interest in the summit.
If the summit is successful, said Marilyn Wood of 10,000 Friends, then advocates of various causes — public education, affordable housing, transit, the environment — will see how they all win if they join forces to reverse the decline of urban Pennsylvania."
Do you want to see municipal budgets continue to be strained and school taxes continue to go up? Or do you want to add your voice to the call for changing a broken system? Building One Pennsylvania is July 16 at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster. Go here to register. Do it today.
- Dan Fink
21 June 2010
Last call for film - and a reminder about Building One PA
The screening for "The New Metropolis" is 7 p.m. tomorrow (June 22) at HACC's York Campus. It's free, and there should be plenty of seats in the Glatfelter Community Room. And don't forget to register for Building One Pennsylvania, the statewide summit on economic opportunity happening July 16 at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster.
Here's a blog post by Bill Dodge at citiwire.net that gets to the heart of several issues that will be examined in the film and at the summit. Dodge writes about the regional future of local governments, making a couple of key points along the way.
First, he says now is the time for innovation, as local governments face the most challenging fiscal environment in decades.
- Dan Fink
Here's a blog post by Bill Dodge at citiwire.net that gets to the heart of several issues that will be examined in the film and at the summit. Dodge writes about the regional future of local governments, making a couple of key points along the way.
First, he says now is the time for innovation, as local governments face the most challenging fiscal environment in decades.
"Local governments have hit financial ceilings, limiting their responses to any tough challenge. They have reached the limit of their capacity to sustain their services, maintain their facilities, and finance employee health care and retirement. Even if individual local governments want to continue to be independent of their neighbors, they can no longer deny the need to work cooperatively to address their toughest challenges."Then he points out that local governments have started working together in a variety of ways, but it all remains "piecemeal."
"Local governments have been reluctant to invest in creating sufficient ongoing capacity to take advantage of crosscutting opportunities and brunt common threats. Witness, for example, the response to the American Recovery and Revitalization Act. Some regions had already invested in cooperative plans and programs for transportation, emergency preparedness, weatherization, or broadband communications, and were prepared to take advantage of the largest infusion of federal funds in this and probably many decades to come. Yet many others had to play catch up and will probably not be as successful in securing adequate funds to address common challenges."His advice: Orient local government around regional charters.
"... regional charter councils (would need) adequate staff and resources to address the tough challenges. (They) would also have access to predictable funding streams for implementing critical actions, including the ability to submit funding options to the public in regional referenda. They would engage regional stakeholders, from all sectors and the general public, but be controlled, or heavily influenced, by local governments. Most importantly, they would be held accountable by the public, such as through annual reports on their activities and periodic citizen reviews of their charters."How does that approach sound? Anybody see any problems with it? Could there be a more effective and efficient way to operate local government in York County?
- Dan Fink
17 June 2010
Child abuse next steps
Here's a quick update on the child abuse town hall from last week. We had more than 250 people come to the York Jewish Community Center to explore the challenges we face in confronting child abuse and to explore possible solutions. It was by all accounts a productive conversation.
YorkCounts emphasized going in that we didn't want the discussion to end at the meeting; we asked for a commitment from the stakeholder group to meet again to flesh out plans for next steps and goals.
That's happening.
YorkCounts is working with Bev Mackereth, director of York County Human Services Department, to bring the stakeholders back together for a meeting in late July or early August. The purpose of that meeting will be to identify one or two next steps that can be undertaken right now and to discuss who else should be at the table for any kind of broad community conversation about child abuse. The group will also explore which organization might be best suited to serve as the clearly identified "face" of child abuse prevention and education for the county. And finally, and maybe most importantly, folks will also be asked to participate in a planning retreat that will be used to develop a structured, coordinated plan for reducing child abuse in York County.
We were pleased at the response to the town hall; it seemed like a community conversation that had been waiting to happen. And now we're energized by the stakeholders and their willingness to take the next steps.
We'll help them in whatever ways we can. And we wish them luck. There's a lot of important work happening in York County, but I'm not sure anything could be more important than protecting our most vulnerable citizens.
- Dan Fink
YorkCounts emphasized going in that we didn't want the discussion to end at the meeting; we asked for a commitment from the stakeholder group to meet again to flesh out plans for next steps and goals.
That's happening.
YorkCounts is working with Bev Mackereth, director of York County Human Services Department, to bring the stakeholders back together for a meeting in late July or early August. The purpose of that meeting will be to identify one or two next steps that can be undertaken right now and to discuss who else should be at the table for any kind of broad community conversation about child abuse. The group will also explore which organization might be best suited to serve as the clearly identified "face" of child abuse prevention and education for the county. And finally, and maybe most importantly, folks will also be asked to participate in a planning retreat that will be used to develop a structured, coordinated plan for reducing child abuse in York County.
We were pleased at the response to the town hall; it seemed like a community conversation that had been waiting to happen. And now we're energized by the stakeholders and their willingness to take the next steps.
We'll help them in whatever ways we can. And we wish them luck. There's a lot of important work happening in York County, but I'm not sure anything could be more important than protecting our most vulnerable citizens.
- Dan Fink
10 June 2010
A film screening and a call to act
Our child abuse town hall is tonight, but we've already been thinking about the next event.
In the past 10 years, YorkCounts has worked to address, among other things, declining urban centers and struggling schools. We have advocated for fairer tax policies and more regional collaboration. We’re teaming up with organizations across the state to convene a statewide summit on issues such as declining urban centers, struggling schools, fairer tax policies and regional collaboration. The Building One Pennsylvania summit will be July 16 at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster.
To raise awareness of the event, YorkCounts and the York Campus of Harrisburg Area Community College will host a screening of "The New Metropolis." You might remember we showed portions of this film at our community summit in March and invited Lynn Cummings, whose work was featured in part of the film, to be our keynote speaker. On June 22, we'll show both parts of the documentary - "Cracks in the Pavement" and "The New Neighbors" - and have a Q&A session afterward. The film will start at 7 p.m. in HACC'S Glatfelter Community Room in the Cytec Building, 2161 Pennsylvania Ave., York. Admission is free.
The issues raised in the film are critical to all of York County. And the statewide summit has two goals: to give visibility during this critical election year to the common challenges faced by our communities and to launch an organizing structure for advancing the state and federal policy agenda that will revitalize and strengthen Pennsylvania.
BOPA has a modest registration fee of $15, which includes lunch, and the day will feature national experts on regional equity, land use, and municipal and school governance. Our partner organizations for this event include 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, Good Schools Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Council of Churches and the Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project. Advance registration is requested; here’s how to do it:
1. Go to http://tinyurl.com/BuildingOnePA and use the secure server to pay online by credit card;
2. Or download the PDF of the registration form at http://www.yorkcounts.org/ and follow the instructions to register by mail.
More information is available on Facebook by searching for the Building One Pennsylvania event. For any other questions, call 866-720-4086 or e-mail buildingonepa@gmail.com.
Remember: June 22 is the screening at HACC in York; July 16 is Building One Pennsylvania in Lancaster.
- Dan Fink
In the past 10 years, YorkCounts has worked to address, among other things, declining urban centers and struggling schools. We have advocated for fairer tax policies and more regional collaboration. We’re teaming up with organizations across the state to convene a statewide summit on issues such as declining urban centers, struggling schools, fairer tax policies and regional collaboration. The Building One Pennsylvania summit will be July 16 at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster.
To raise awareness of the event, YorkCounts and the York Campus of Harrisburg Area Community College will host a screening of "The New Metropolis." You might remember we showed portions of this film at our community summit in March and invited Lynn Cummings, whose work was featured in part of the film, to be our keynote speaker. On June 22, we'll show both parts of the documentary - "Cracks in the Pavement" and "The New Neighbors" - and have a Q&A session afterward. The film will start at 7 p.m. in HACC'S Glatfelter Community Room in the Cytec Building, 2161 Pennsylvania Ave., York. Admission is free.
The issues raised in the film are critical to all of York County. And the statewide summit has two goals: to give visibility during this critical election year to the common challenges faced by our communities and to launch an organizing structure for advancing the state and federal policy agenda that will revitalize and strengthen Pennsylvania.
BOPA has a modest registration fee of $15, which includes lunch, and the day will feature national experts on regional equity, land use, and municipal and school governance. Our partner organizations for this event include 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, Good Schools Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Council of Churches and the Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project. Advance registration is requested; here’s how to do it:
1. Go to http://tinyurl.com/BuildingOnePA and use the secure server to pay online by credit card;
2. Or download the PDF of the registration form at http://www.yorkcounts.org/ and follow the instructions to register by mail.
More information is available on Facebook by searching for the Building One Pennsylvania event. For any other questions, call 866-720-4086 or e-mail buildingonepa@gmail.com.
Remember: June 22 is the screening at HACC in York; July 16 is Building One Pennsylvania in Lancaster.
- Dan Fink
11 May 2010
Child abuse town hall set for June 10
After presenting three town halls to highlight the reserach and recommendations in the United Way's Stay in School Report, YorkCounts moves to a new subject for a community conversation.
Child abuse.
On the evening of June 10, we'll bring together a wide swath of local professionals, advocates and government officials to start the work of developing a coordinated plan for reducing child abuse in York County. We're doing this now because of two things that happened around the same time in April.
First, the York Daily Record/Sunday News produced a documentary to mark the first anniversary of the death of Darisabel Baez, a 2-year-old girl who was killed in a horrific case of child abuse. That documentary, "Carrying Darisabel," by YDR photographer Jason Plotkin, presents the stories of the first responders who were involved in Darisabel's case - the police officers, EMTs and hospital workers. It's a powerful film.
Shortly after that, the state released its latest child abuse numbers. And once again, the number of cases in York County is tragically high. The number of confirmed cases has remained around 150 for the past four years, and the rate of cases per 100,000 has has hovered close to 35 for the past four years. That happened while the state numbers have come down.
The combination prompted us to move. Our approach is to use the data to spotlight an issue of community concern, bring people together to talk about the issue, then find a community partner willing to take the lead on working toward solutions. We hope to begin that process with this town hall meeting.
What programs do we have in York County right now that work? Which ones would be more efffective with more resources? Can we give more help to new parents? How do we catch the signs of abuse earlier? How do we let friends and neighbors know it's OK for them to report something that looks suspicious?
These are some of the questions we want people to talk about. And we hope that people can bring the highest levels of honesty and respect to the conversation. We don't want finger pointing or blaming.
This is truly about finding ways to protect those among us who are least able to protect themselves. So mark you calendar: 6 p.m. June 10, at the York Jewish Community Center. We hope you'll be there and be part of the conversation.
- Dan Fink
Child abuse.
On the evening of June 10, we'll bring together a wide swath of local professionals, advocates and government officials to start the work of developing a coordinated plan for reducing child abuse in York County. We're doing this now because of two things that happened around the same time in April.
First, the York Daily Record/Sunday News produced a documentary to mark the first anniversary of the death of Darisabel Baez, a 2-year-old girl who was killed in a horrific case of child abuse. That documentary, "Carrying Darisabel," by YDR photographer Jason Plotkin, presents the stories of the first responders who were involved in Darisabel's case - the police officers, EMTs and hospital workers. It's a powerful film.
Shortly after that, the state released its latest child abuse numbers. And once again, the number of cases in York County is tragically high. The number of confirmed cases has remained around 150 for the past four years, and the rate of cases per 100,000 has has hovered close to 35 for the past four years. That happened while the state numbers have come down.
The combination prompted us to move. Our approach is to use the data to spotlight an issue of community concern, bring people together to talk about the issue, then find a community partner willing to take the lead on working toward solutions. We hope to begin that process with this town hall meeting.
What programs do we have in York County right now that work? Which ones would be more efffective with more resources? Can we give more help to new parents? How do we catch the signs of abuse earlier? How do we let friends and neighbors know it's OK for them to report something that looks suspicious?
These are some of the questions we want people to talk about. And we hope that people can bring the highest levels of honesty and respect to the conversation. We don't want finger pointing or blaming.
This is truly about finding ways to protect those among us who are least able to protect themselves. So mark you calendar: 6 p.m. June 10, at the York Jewish Community Center. We hope you'll be there and be part of the conversation.
- Dan Fink
07 May 2010
More thoughts on municipal consolidation
Bruce Katz, writing on the Brookings Institution's Up Front blog, explores how state and local governments can better serve constituents. The whole post speaks to many of the issues YorkCounts raises for York County's system of government, but this part in particular makes the economic advantages clear:
Katz says the responsibilities for correcting the fragmentation falls to the states, who allowed this to happen in the first place. He says states should do three things:
So if you're an elected official in York County, how do you respond to the points Katz raises?
- Dan Fink
"Metropolitan fragmentation exerts a negative impact on competitiveness and weakens long-term regional performance. Municipalities routinely expend scarce resources on tax incentives to lure firms from nearby jurisdictions, adding not one job or tax dollar to the overall economy in the process. Fragmented regions often fail to recognize their distinctive clusters of strength in the global marketplace and take the actions, large and small, to leverage their competitive advantages. They compete for growth and jobs at a deficit."(Emphasis mine)
Katz says the responsibilities for correcting the fragmentation falls to the states, who allowed this to happen in the first place. He says states should do three things:
"First, they need to move to consolidate units of local governments, starting with school districts and economic development authorities.Some folks in York County who would read the first suggestion here and probably stop reading. "Big government nonsense," they might think. "Socialism!" "I like my little (fill in name of local government entity here)." "Things work just fine the way they are."
Second, states should move to delegate traditional state functions to entities that govern at the metropolitan scale. California, for example, allocates 75 percent of its federal transportation funding directly to metropolitan planning organizations, enabling these organizations (usually governed by city and suburban elected leaders) to make transportation investments in the service of metro housing, land use and economic development priorities.
Finally, states should promote a new generation of inter-jurisdictional collaboration to gain efficiencies, such as tax base sharing and shared services arrangements like consolidation of 911 call centers."
So if you're an elected official in York County, how do you respond to the points Katz raises?
- Dan Fink
05 May 2010
The charter school debate
We here at YorkCounts think educational achievement and opportunity in York County should be a concern for every citizen regardless of what school district they live in, and we've placed a pretty big bet that the York Academy Regional Charter School will be a step in the right direction.
We have to acknowledge, though, that the question of whether charter schools are some kind of magic cure for urban education is far from settled. Three recent news articles show how complicated the issues are.
The New York Times ran a 3,600-word story May 1 that examines the mixed performance of charter schools nationwide. Yes, there are some success stories, where charter schools have helped students in urban districts outperform their public school peers. We believe the YorkCounts professionals who are involved in the York Academy will make it one of the success stories. But, one recent comphrehensive study puts the number of successful schools at about a third of the nation's 5,000 charter schools. But about half do no better and about a third do significantly worse. From the story:
Here's how the program works: Businesses can to donate to a nonprofit scholarship organization that helps poor families pay private school tuition. Businesses can claim dollar-for-dollar tax credits. A change to the enabling law would expand the program so that more money could be donated and businesses could claim a broader array of tax credits, with the goal of making more scholarships available. Evidence to assess the program's impact is still being developed; the program was created in 2001. But Schaeffer is optimistic.
And now?
The school is attracting a diverse student body. Professionals are moving in. And when they have kids, they stay - for the school. Businesses are popping up (including a gourmet grocery store). Streets are cleaner and safer.
- Dan Fink
We have to acknowledge, though, that the question of whether charter schools are some kind of magic cure for urban education is far from settled. Three recent news articles show how complicated the issues are.
The New York Times ran a 3,600-word story May 1 that examines the mixed performance of charter schools nationwide. Yes, there are some success stories, where charter schools have helped students in urban districts outperform their public school peers. We believe the YorkCounts professionals who are involved in the York Academy will make it one of the success stories. But, one recent comphrehensive study puts the number of successful schools at about a third of the nation's 5,000 charter schools. But about half do no better and about a third do significantly worse. From the story:
"... the challenge of reproducing high-flying schools is giving even some advocates pause. Academically ambitious leaders of the school choice movement have come to a hard recognition: raising student achievement for poor urban children - what the most fervent call a new civil rights campaign - is enormously difficult and often expensive."And we also have to acknowledge that charter schools aren't the only potential answer. In Florida, a program to promote school choice for poor families has the potential, according to education policy analyst Adam Schaeffer of the libertarian Cato Institute, to "revolutionize K-12 education in the Sunshine State." Schaeffer made the argument in an op-ed that appeared in the Wall Street Journal April 30.
Here's how the program works: Businesses can to donate to a nonprofit scholarship organization that helps poor families pay private school tuition. Businesses can claim dollar-for-dollar tax credits. A change to the enabling law would expand the program so that more money could be donated and businesses could claim a broader array of tax credits, with the goal of making more scholarships available. Evidence to assess the program's impact is still being developed; the program was created in 2001. But Schaeffer is optimistic.
"Florida's scholarship program appears to be the first statewide private school choice program to reach a critical mass of funding, functionality and political support. As an ever increasing number of students in Florida take advantage of the scholarship program, other states will find it hard to resist enacting broad-based school choice."Finally, from the Philadelphia Inquirer last month comes a story about the revival in a West Phildelphia neighborhood near the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The Penn Alexander School, a charter school, opened in 2001 in University City. The school was in a blighted section of the city that was full of crime and rowdy and transient college students and mostly devoid of middle-class families. Penn initiated an overhaul of the neighborhood, and the charter school was part of the plan.
And now?
The school is attracting a diverse student body. Professionals are moving in. And when they have kids, they stay - for the school. Businesses are popping up (including a gourmet grocery store). Streets are cleaner and safer.
"'The (area around the school) has turned ... into a stable family neighborhood, with kids on almost every street,' said Andrew Meloney, the West Philadelphia planner for the City Planning Commission."So yes, we bet on the York Academy, and we're confident that the folks running the school will do it right. It won't solve every problem. But wouldn't it be cool to see the Northwest Triangle turn around like the neighborhood in West Philly?
- Dan Fink
22 April 2010
Fair housing on the big screen
Movies have a way of starting conversations. Here's one we think is worth seeing and talking about. It's called "The House We Live In," and takes a look at the ways, as a PBS Web site on the documentary puts it, "our institutions and policies advantage some groups at the expense of others."
"The House We Live In" was originally part of a three-part series called "Race: The Power of an Illusion," which first aired on PBS stations in 2003. The film follows the history of the way different generations of immigrants were accepted into the melting pot that is America. In particular, it looks at the way housing policy after World War II created segregated communities. Again, from the PBS site:
- Dan Fink
"The House We Live In" was originally part of a three-part series called "Race: The Power of an Illusion," which first aired on PBS stations in 2003. The film follows the history of the way different generations of immigrants were accepted into the melting pot that is America. In particular, it looks at the way housing policy after World War II created segregated communities. Again, from the PBS site:
"Real estate practices and federal government regulations directed government-guaranteed loans to white homeowners and kept non-whites out, allowing those once previously considered "not quite white" to blend together and reap the advantages of whiteness, including the accumulation of equity and wealth as their homes increased in value. Those on the other side of the color line were denied the same opportunities for asset accumulation and upward mobility."And what has been the long-term consequence of that, some 60 years later?
"Today, the net worth of the average Black family is about 1/8 that of the average white family. Much of that difference derives from the value of the family's residence. Houses in predominantly white areas sell for much more than those in Black, Hispanic or integrated neighborhoods, and so power, wealth, and advantage - or the lack of it - are passed down from parent to child. Wealth isn't just luxury or profit; it's the starting point for the next generation."What should we do about that in York County? The York City Human Relations Commission will present a screening of the movie at 6 p.m. April 28 at the Strand Theatre to explore that question. Come see the movie, and join the panel discussion that will follow; YorkCounts Director James DeBord is among the participants. YorkCounts has stated its support for a community goal of increasing affordable housing options across the county and ending the practice of concentrating the poor disproportionately in York City.
- Dan Fink
26 March 2010
Summarizing the summit
Eric Menzer had it right.
Sure, it was exciting to see all the successes YorkCounts volunteers had achieved in the past year - the work on Stay in School Report by the United Way, the effort on the regional charter school led by Dennis Baughman and Sue Krebs, the municipal officials who laid the groundwork for a groundbreaking examination of regional policing in York County.
And Lynn Cummings, a community organizer who helped found Neighbors Empowering Pennsauken, offered an inspiring message about the potential of every individual to make a difference.
But it was the outgoing YorkCounts board chairman and former co-chairman of the Metro-York effort who concisely made the case for our mission in the community:
Update, 3/29: I had a few requests from people who wanted to see a copy of Eric's entire speech. You can find it here.
Update 2, 3/29: I put some photos from the summit up on Facebook. Click here to go to the YorkCounts Facebook page, and then check out the Summit 2010 photo album. Penn State York filmed the summit, and White Rose Community Television will rebroadcast it starting within the next week. I will let you know when I have air times.
- Dan Fink
Sure, it was exciting to see all the successes YorkCounts volunteers had achieved in the past year - the work on Stay in School Report by the United Way, the effort on the regional charter school led by Dennis Baughman and Sue Krebs, the municipal officials who laid the groundwork for a groundbreaking examination of regional policing in York County.
And Lynn Cummings, a community organizer who helped found Neighbors Empowering Pennsauken, offered an inspiring message about the potential of every individual to make a difference.
But it was the outgoing YorkCounts board chairman and former co-chairman of the Metro-York effort who concisely made the case for our mission in the community:
“We were created to shine a light on numbers that sometimes we would rather not see. We were created to ask questions that make us a little uncomfortable. We were created to work on problems that one organization can’t solve alone."In other words, we confront issues that nobody else wants. It's hard work. It can take years to see incremental improvements. Folks don't always agree with us. But we do it truly to improve the quality of life in York County.
Update, 3/29: I had a few requests from people who wanted to see a copy of Eric's entire speech. You can find it here.
Update 2, 3/29: I put some photos from the summit up on Facebook. Click here to go to the YorkCounts Facebook page, and then check out the Summit 2010 photo album. Penn State York filmed the summit, and White Rose Community Television will rebroadcast it starting within the next week. I will let you know when I have air times.
- Dan Fink
02 March 2010
One person can make a difference
Last summer, James and I had the opportunity to attend a town hall organized by the Southeast Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project. We saw a screening and community discussion of a movie called "The New Metropolis," a documentary in two parts that tells the story of the problems confronting America's older suburbs, those first-ring communities that emerged after World War II during the rise of suburbia.
One part of the documentary is called "The New Neighbors," and it focuses on a woman named Lynn Cummings who saw white flight destroying Pennsauken, N.J., where she lived. As people of color began moving into town, Lynn noticed one day that a number of older white residents had put their houses up for sale.
"Racism was happening in my neighborhood," she says in the movie. "I looked at myself in the mirror that night, and I said, 'Well, if you want somebody to do something, you've got to do it yourself.'"
I can remember sitting in the dark, watching that movie and thinking: "This woman is my new hero."
When the movie was over, the emcee of the evening introduced Lynn, and the petite blonde who had quietly sat down next to me after the movie started stood up and walked to the front of the room. And she was just as impressive in person as she was in the movie: smart, passionate and willing to share her wisdom.
And I thought that night if we ever had the chance to get her in York, she would get people energized about working for change. Well, we have her as the keynote speaker for our summit, and we're thrilled. If you want to see one person who truly did make a difference in her community, come hear Lynn Cummings.
Update 3/10: Bullfrog Films, the producers of "The New Metropolis," posted the introduction for "The New Neighbors" on YouTube. Click here to watch.
- Dan Fink
One part of the documentary is called "The New Neighbors," and it focuses on a woman named Lynn Cummings who saw white flight destroying Pennsauken, N.J., where she lived. As people of color began moving into town, Lynn noticed one day that a number of older white residents had put their houses up for sale.
"Racism was happening in my neighborhood," she says in the movie. "I looked at myself in the mirror that night, and I said, 'Well, if you want somebody to do something, you've got to do it yourself.'"
I can remember sitting in the dark, watching that movie and thinking: "This woman is my new hero."
When the movie was over, the emcee of the evening introduced Lynn, and the petite blonde who had quietly sat down next to me after the movie started stood up and walked to the front of the room. And she was just as impressive in person as she was in the movie: smart, passionate and willing to share her wisdom.
And I thought that night if we ever had the chance to get her in York, she would get people energized about working for change. Well, we have her as the keynote speaker for our summit, and we're thrilled. If you want to see one person who truly did make a difference in her community, come hear Lynn Cummings.
Update 3/10: Bullfrog Films, the producers of "The New Metropolis," posted the introduction for "The New Neighbors" on YouTube. Click here to watch.
- Dan Fink
26 February 2010
Charter school passes latest test
The final votes are in, and the York Academy Regional Charter School passed. York City School District's 9-0 vote this week means the charter school application was accepted by all three districts that heard the application. As we've said before, school districts typically don't support charter schools, because there is some cost to the district. So to be approved by three districts by a total vote of 24-3, with two unanimous approvals and the support of the city district, is really groundbreaking for charter schools in Pennsylvania.
The votes represent the green light needed for the effort to move forward. That means the YorkCounts committee working on the charter school can proceed to the next phase, which will include marketing and funding issues.
On the topic of marketing, the school now has a bare-bones Web site, http://www.yorkarcs.org/, which recaps the background on the effort to establish a regional charter school in York. Two key points to note:
1. The social problems that weigh on a school district with high poverty rates - York City's is 85 percent - reduce student achievement, which in turn drives away families looking for a quality education for their children.
2. Given that only one county school district is ranked in among the top 100 in the state, there is room for innovation and improvement.
We've been hearing regularly from parents who are curious about the new school. With these school board votes behind us, more information for the broader community will be available soon. Keep checking back to the York Academy Web site or our site, http://www.yorkcounts.org/.
And don't forget to mark your calendar: Our annual summit is 9 a.m. to noon Friday, March 26, at Penn State York's Pullo Center. The agenda includes an update on the charter school and the United Way's Stay in School Initiative. The keynote speaker is Lynn Cummings, a community organizer and co-founder of Neighbors Empowering Pennsauken. Her work was featured in a documentary called "The New Neighbors," which has aired on public television stations around the country.
- Dan Fink
The votes represent the green light needed for the effort to move forward. That means the YorkCounts committee working on the charter school can proceed to the next phase, which will include marketing and funding issues.
On the topic of marketing, the school now has a bare-bones Web site, http://www.yorkarcs.org/, which recaps the background on the effort to establish a regional charter school in York. Two key points to note:
1. The social problems that weigh on a school district with high poverty rates - York City's is 85 percent - reduce student achievement, which in turn drives away families looking for a quality education for their children.
2. Given that only one county school district is ranked in among the top 100 in the state, there is room for innovation and improvement.
We've been hearing regularly from parents who are curious about the new school. With these school board votes behind us, more information for the broader community will be available soon. Keep checking back to the York Academy Web site or our site, http://www.yorkcounts.org/.
And don't forget to mark your calendar: Our annual summit is 9 a.m. to noon Friday, March 26, at Penn State York's Pullo Center. The agenda includes an update on the charter school and the United Way's Stay in School Initiative. The keynote speaker is Lynn Cummings, a community organizer and co-founder of Neighbors Empowering Pennsauken. Her work was featured in a documentary called "The New Neighbors," which has aired on public television stations around the country.
- Dan Fink
26 January 2010
The truth about YorkCounts
Every now and then, I'll leave a comment on one of the York newspapers' forums. Because it can be challenging to have reasonable discussions on those forums - those of you who read the comments know what I'm talking about - I thought I'd use one exchange to make a point here.
Someone who identified themselves as Truth took exception to my agreement with a York Daily Record editorial supporting regional police services. Here is Truth's full response to my comment:
"Dan, please don't distort the truth. Those of us who were present at the various meetings know full well that the suburban police chiefs did not tell YorkCounts that police services should be provided regionally. That has been a perpetuated misleading statement recited by YorkCounts on countless occasions. What SOME, not all, of the suburban chiefs said was that concept is worth exploring, but the chiefs did not jump on board with your concept. Now, THAT'S the truth. There is no reliable data that suggests that regionalization will reduce crime. None."
Had I chosen to respond again on the forum, here's what I would have said:
It's not me who's distorting the truth. The position of the chiefs at those meetings - and we have the names of participants who spoke on the record - was that fighting crime could be done more effectively with a regional department. It was not about "exploring the concept." One of those suburban chiefs - Darryl Albright from Northeastern Regional - felt strongly enough about it that he asked to sit in on meetings to discuss how to do a study of the issue. That's the truth.
Other critics claimed current collaborations such as the York County Drug Task Force are sufficient. They say West Manchester Township is correct in its critiques of YorkCounts' vision of a regionalized force, that it will end up as a bailout of the city police.
And I say: Nobody knows for sure - not people who prefer their small-town department, not West Manchester Township officials, not YorkCounts - how a regional police department would deliver services compared to the way things work now. But we know from talking with a consultant that regionalizing services has worked elsewhere to the benefit of all involved. Our position is: The chiefs said there's a better way to do it; we want to do a study to see what's possible here; and we'll keep working to make that happen.
Others say the city should pay for its own police. Guess what: Books have been written that show how the resources in cities across the country have been sucked dry by the land-use and transportation policies of the past 60 years - policies established by federal, state and local governments to encourage suburban development. It's not York's fault that the middle class moved to the suburbs in the '50s and '60s. It's not York's fault that downtown merchants followed. It's not York's fault that the majority of people who remain in the city are poor renters. So what does a shrinking tax base, concentrated poverty and increased demand for services add up to? It means you don't have enough money or staff to do what needs to be done. YorkCounts advocates for municipal policies that increase affordable housing throughout the county, smart growth that invests in established communities, and fairer taxing policies that would allow cities to shift away from property taxes.
How do you respond to questions about YorkCounts and its work?
- Dan Fink
Someone who identified themselves as Truth took exception to my agreement with a York Daily Record editorial supporting regional police services. Here is Truth's full response to my comment:
"Dan, please don't distort the truth. Those of us who were present at the various meetings know full well that the suburban police chiefs did not tell YorkCounts that police services should be provided regionally. That has been a perpetuated misleading statement recited by YorkCounts on countless occasions. What SOME, not all, of the suburban chiefs said was that concept is worth exploring, but the chiefs did not jump on board with your concept. Now, THAT'S the truth. There is no reliable data that suggests that regionalization will reduce crime. None."
Had I chosen to respond again on the forum, here's what I would have said:
It's not me who's distorting the truth. The position of the chiefs at those meetings - and we have the names of participants who spoke on the record - was that fighting crime could be done more effectively with a regional department. It was not about "exploring the concept." One of those suburban chiefs - Darryl Albright from Northeastern Regional - felt strongly enough about it that he asked to sit in on meetings to discuss how to do a study of the issue. That's the truth.
Other critics claimed current collaborations such as the York County Drug Task Force are sufficient. They say West Manchester Township is correct in its critiques of YorkCounts' vision of a regionalized force, that it will end up as a bailout of the city police.
And I say: Nobody knows for sure - not people who prefer their small-town department, not West Manchester Township officials, not YorkCounts - how a regional police department would deliver services compared to the way things work now. But we know from talking with a consultant that regionalizing services has worked elsewhere to the benefit of all involved. Our position is: The chiefs said there's a better way to do it; we want to do a study to see what's possible here; and we'll keep working to make that happen.
Others say the city should pay for its own police. Guess what: Books have been written that show how the resources in cities across the country have been sucked dry by the land-use and transportation policies of the past 60 years - policies established by federal, state and local governments to encourage suburban development. It's not York's fault that the middle class moved to the suburbs in the '50s and '60s. It's not York's fault that downtown merchants followed. It's not York's fault that the majority of people who remain in the city are poor renters. So what does a shrinking tax base, concentrated poverty and increased demand for services add up to? It means you don't have enough money or staff to do what needs to be done. YorkCounts advocates for municipal policies that increase affordable housing throughout the county, smart growth that invests in established communities, and fairer taxing policies that would allow cities to shift away from property taxes.
How do you respond to questions about YorkCounts and its work?
- Dan Fink
20 January 2010
Teen takes spotlight at town hall
For our town hall at William Penn Senior High School Tuesday night, we had our Stay in School experts, Bob Woods from the United Way and York County Judge John Uhler, to talk about truancy and keeping kids in school. We had representatives from York City School District to talk about the challenges of keeping city kids engaged in school.
That much was all planned.
Then Ginia Moorehead grabbed the spotlight. Ginia, a senior at William Penn, was the first one to raise her hand during the Q&A session at the end of the meeting. She marched to the front of the auditorium, took the microphone and spoke from the heart for close to five minutes. She told her own personal stay-in-school story, how she went from repeating grades and not caring about school to being excited about her classes and proud of her 3.6 GPA.
She said she has started a group at William Penn, called T.E.E.N. (Teaching, Empowering and Encouraging the New generation), so that she can pass on the lessons she learned to help other young girls going through the same situations.
Ginia was impressive. She put a human face on the issue of keeping kids in school. She showed the importance of doing more to help more kids get themselves turned around. By speaking up, she spoke for the hundreds of kids around the county who struggle with societal pressures and problems of all kinds.
And her message was simple: We are worth saving.
- Dan Fink
That much was all planned.
Then Ginia Moorehead grabbed the spotlight. Ginia, a senior at William Penn, was the first one to raise her hand during the Q&A session at the end of the meeting. She marched to the front of the auditorium, took the microphone and spoke from the heart for close to five minutes. She told her own personal stay-in-school story, how she went from repeating grades and not caring about school to being excited about her classes and proud of her 3.6 GPA.
She said she has started a group at William Penn, called T.E.E.N. (Teaching, Empowering and Encouraging the New generation), so that she can pass on the lessons she learned to help other young girls going through the same situations.
Ginia was impressive. She put a human face on the issue of keeping kids in school. She showed the importance of doing more to help more kids get themselves turned around. By speaking up, she spoke for the hundreds of kids around the county who struggle with societal pressures and problems of all kinds.
And her message was simple: We are worth saving.
- Dan Fink
13 January 2010
Documentary chronicles one town's truancy fight
I've been reading a fair amount about truancy lately, and I came across this documentary by KVIE-TV, a public television station in Sacremento, Calif. "High School Dropouts" was part of the station's "ViewFinder" public affairs program, and it looked at the problems truancy and dropouts cause in one California community and that community's attempt to deal with it.
YorkCounts is in the middle of a series of town halls that focus on this subject. We're trying to throw a light on the same problems that exist in York County, by focusing on the United Way's Stay in School Report, and to tell folks that there are programs that exist that can help keep kids in school. The next town hall is 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at William Penn Senior High School.
The numbers in the United Way report are compelling, but they don't quite tell the story the way this film from California does. If you want to see the human toll that truancy has on a community, watch this video. Then come to our town hall and hear what we can do right now to help parents, challenge students, engage businesses and make all of our public schools better.
- Dan Fink
YorkCounts is in the middle of a series of town halls that focus on this subject. We're trying to throw a light on the same problems that exist in York County, by focusing on the United Way's Stay in School Report, and to tell folks that there are programs that exist that can help keep kids in school. The next town hall is 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at William Penn Senior High School.
The numbers in the United Way report are compelling, but they don't quite tell the story the way this film from California does. If you want to see the human toll that truancy has on a community, watch this video. Then come to our town hall and hear what we can do right now to help parents, challenge students, engage businesses and make all of our public schools better.
- Dan Fink
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