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
News and views from YorkCounts and its partners about the work we are all doing to create a vibrant York County.
02 March 2010
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
15 December 2009
Regional smart growth group hosts forum
YorkCounts is a big believer in regionalism and in better land-use planning. So we're excited about this coalition that was formed recently by representatives from York and Adams counties. And this group, the York-Adams Regional Smart Growth Coalition, is not made up of the usual collection of planners and township managers. This is home builders and real estate agents, businesspeople who have skin in the game for wanting to see growth managed more effectively.
The YorkCounts board recently endorsed the coalition's mission, which includes the following:
- Dan Fink
The YorkCounts board recently endorsed the coalition's mission, which includes the following:
- Encouraging environmentally sound development practices
- Sustaining healthy farms and abundant farmland
- Revitalizing our older urban areas
- Fostering economic growth that brings high-quality jobs to our citizens
- Assuring reasonable housing costs that keep home ownership within reach of most households and providing an array of homeownership opportunities in our communities
- Matching infrastructure development with growth strategies
- And encouraging growth in areas where infrastructure currently exists
- Dan Fink
01 December 2009
Wrapping up the year
Couple things to talk about going into the end of the year.
First, YorkCounts will hold the second in a series of town hall meetings at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at William Penn Senior High School in York. The YorkCounts-United Way Stay in School Report to the Community will again be the focus of the meeting. Bob Woods from the United Way will talk about the report, and York County Judge John Uhler will talk about his work in combating truancy.
Next, the YorkCounts committee working to bring an International Baccalaureate regional charter school to York has three key school board meetings this month. York Suburban and Central York will hold their hearings on the charter school application at the same time - 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7. Suburban's will be held in the cafeteria of the high school, at 1800 Hollywood Drive, York. Central's will be held in the district's education center at 775 Marion Road, York. The York City School Board will meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 14 in the board room of the Administration Building, 31 N. Pershing Ave., York.
The York County Economic Development Corp. (YCEDC), a YorkCounts funder, will hold a series of public meetings this week and next week to inform county residents of the recently completed York County Economic Development Plan. The first meeting is 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2 - tomorrow night - at the offices of the Realtors Association of York and Adams County (RAYAC), 901 Smile Way, York. Go here to see the time and place of the four additional meetings.
Finally, tourism consultant Roger Brooks came back to York one last time to present a more detailed action plan to turn York into a thriving destination for locals and tourists. Brooks unveiled his proposed brand for York - "Creativity Unleashed: America's Industrial Art and Design Capital."
Some other elements of the plan include:
- Dan Fink
First, YorkCounts will hold the second in a series of town hall meetings at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at William Penn Senior High School in York. The YorkCounts-United Way Stay in School Report to the Community will again be the focus of the meeting. Bob Woods from the United Way will talk about the report, and York County Judge John Uhler will talk about his work in combating truancy.
Next, the YorkCounts committee working to bring an International Baccalaureate regional charter school to York has three key school board meetings this month. York Suburban and Central York will hold their hearings on the charter school application at the same time - 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7. Suburban's will be held in the cafeteria of the high school, at 1800 Hollywood Drive, York. Central's will be held in the district's education center at 775 Marion Road, York. The York City School Board will meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 14 in the board room of the Administration Building, 31 N. Pershing Ave., York.
The York County Economic Development Corp. (YCEDC), a YorkCounts funder, will hold a series of public meetings this week and next week to inform county residents of the recently completed York County Economic Development Plan. The first meeting is 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2 - tomorrow night - at the offices of the Realtors Association of York and Adams County (RAYAC), 901 Smile Way, York. Go here to see the time and place of the four additional meetings.
Finally, tourism consultant Roger Brooks came back to York one last time to present a more detailed action plan to turn York into a thriving destination for locals and tourists. Brooks unveiled his proposed brand for York - "Creativity Unleashed: America's Industrial Art and Design Capital."
Some other elements of the plan include:
- Establishing a small Market District, to be bounded initially by Beaver, Market, George and Philadelphia streets.
- Creating a special downtown zoning district to allow for more street vendors and outdoor dining opportunities.
- Making reinvestment in and a reorganiztion of Central Market a top priority.
- Developing new signage and overhaul the parking to encourage people to come downtown on evenings and weekends.
- Dan Fink
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