Bucks County Courier Times (Newspaper) - February 11, 1977, Levittown, Pennsylvania lurks Vol NO 36 February Pages 20 Cents Bowers Did board know where Roger By Carl La Vo Courier Times Staff Writer Were County Commissioners George M and Joseph F Catania playing pool Wednesday at the expense of fellow Commissioner G Roger Bowers sources in the courthouse claimed they were doing just that over the of Bowers a Bensalem Republican Joanne executive said she in- formed both Catania and Metzger of the whore a bouts of Bowers before Wednesday's regular weekly ing of the commissioners in town No knowledge each denied any knowledge of where Bowers was when the subject was broached by re- porters and the audience at the ing asked one man after the business portion of the meeting don't replied a Republican do added a Morrisville Democrat Catania later scored ab- on page AS col y can't they settle Victor Stevens Teachers and school officials in the Centennial School District have been slugging it out over a contract settlement for more than 13 months now They have been through a lockout and a strike for all we could be headed for another strike next fall This both sides turned down a state proposal for a Where does that leave the For some of the we called in representatives of both bargaining teams Their thoughts on the issues still keeping Centennial from a teacher contract are on today's Opinion and Background page See Page A7 Eugene Centennial board files complaint Teachers get day in court over recess duty refusal Joseph F Catania George M Metzger By Susan Sprague Courier Times Staff Writer One hundred and seventy-five Centennial teachers will go to court Tuesday to answer charges they violated the court order which ended their strike Nov 8 Bucks County Judge William Hart Rufe III issued the order for the teachers to appear at the Courthouse at 3 p.m Rufe's order stems from charges filed by the school board in hopes of forcing the teachers to resume toring recess at the district's nine schools The charges filed with Rufe name 107 teachers who refused to monitor recess since last Monday It tains the court's injunction keeping the teachers in school any kind of strike up to and Including June 1977 The charges also maintain tain teachers represented by the tennial Education Association have participated in concerted action designed to interfere with the running of the False sickness Another 68 teachers are charged with falsely reporting sick and ble to attend school The district charges there have been repeated and continuing refusals to report to work by teachers who ly claim to be i.e Reportedly all the teachers at low Date Elementary School have been called to the courtroom to an- swer charges regarding recess duty Ninety per cent of all Centennial elementary teachers stopped forming recess duty last Monday Notification was sent to Dr James elementary education a month before the teachers stopped monitoring In the the teachers toe court order did not require them to perform recess duty CEA president Victor Stevens charged Elementary schools to close early Alt elementary school dents attending the School District will have an early dismissal Tuesday Leroy A an for the said day tbat all teachers and students will be released from school at p.m This Is doe to more than ISO teachers being summoned to court at 3 p.m to answer charges they a court order Centennial serves ter and Upper Southampton Townships and Ivyland ough Secondary students will maintain their normal ule from this duty is clearly a term and condition of the con- which we are currently Proposed contract Recess aides were provided from Nov 10 through Nov when a manent injunction was granted by the courts The teachers performed the duty until this saying they expected the district to provide aides like those employed last year The question of recess aides has not yet been resolved for the posed contract still being according to Leroy A chief negotiator for the district Nelson said he doesn't know whether the district's action against the teachers will harm further tations still have a lot of hard nuts to and they will be there he said this morning If the teachers are found guilty of violating the the district asked that they be fined Any judgement will be made by Rufe When the teachers dec- lined comment on the situation Home rule heading for May date in Warminster By Carolyn Mieser Courier Times Writer Warminster's home rule tee has collected 495 well over the number needed to get the question on the May primary ballot The committee also voted to en- dorse 11 persons to run for election as members of the government study the group which will re- view the township's present form of government and recommend an form Joseph A chairman of the last night said the 11 will meet at least two nights a week and occasionally on Saturdays in an effort to review the second class township form of government we vote on these 11 Is there anyone who can not put in the time Murphy asked Hearing no negative replies the 11 names were approved by tber committee 21 screened More than 20 persons were screened by a panel last week Richard S mer township supervisor and the Bucks County Clerk of Courts worked on the screening committee with Phyllis a township resident and Joseph A former ship manager Township Supervisor Andrew L liaison to the home rule pointed out the township is required by state law to provide legal and printing costs Murphy estimated the total cost to be about an is providing legal services to the committee without charge Murphy said it or printing the charter when it is finished Is the most expensive part of the whole Murphy said Several members of the tee expressed concern that Bucks County voted this week to place the question of home rule for the county on the May ballot Much confusion Hoffmann Is always 0 great deal of confusion about home rule It Is important that this tee get out and Inform the Voters will be asked in May if they want the present form of government studied If the voters are asked to select from the names appearing on the 11 people to perform that study When the study Is the 11 will write an alternative to the present form of government If the question is approved by the voters and the commission the state law permits nine months to complete the study If additional time is needed by the an extension will be granted by Bucks County Court Murphy said the commission must show good reason to request an ex- tension on toe deadline Ready In this point It Is difficult to mate just how much time will be needed It Is also hard to tell if a new charger would be ready for the ember Murphy saHL In order to have a new form of government the sion would have to have the charter prepared by early September Then the full text of the new charter would be advertised In the newspaper at least three times before the ber election The state law also re- quires that the commission hold several public hearings to explain the charter to township residents Only after that Is done can the charter be placed on the ballot for approval by the voters Approving the question to study the existing form of government does not automatically approve a new form of local government Murphy stressed the voters In Warminster are being asked only If they want the present government studied and if the committee will prepare a suggested alternative ers will have a second chance to vote on the suggested alternative The 11 persons recommended by the full committee to run for election to the study commission are Daniel t James Arnold S Jane Angelo nl Robert Joseph Or Robert Martin Westermann and Murphy Other township residents may run for the commission A potential needs to collect 187 signatures of registered voters In Warminster on petition and submit that petition to the Bucks County Board of tions The names must be collected between Feb IS and March when they must be news summary Bucks County 2 Howard wants automatic pay hikes to end Sen Edward L Howard introduced legislation this week to prevent state representatives from receiving automatic pay raises 3 Warm weather may mean floods Unseasonably warm temperatures brought hibernating Easterners back into the but also produced the first signs of what may be a season of floods 3 Resident plead central More help for Lower Bucks victims of drug and alcohol abuse was the plea of area residents testifying before a county commission in Doylestown last night Lower Bucks leads the county in drug and alcohol-related cases 3 Temporary Jobs appealing many In Backs In a wavering temporary Jobs are becoming a way of life fbr a growing number of many Lower Bucks residents 4 IS picket welfare office Bristol Borough offices of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Assistance were picketed yesterday by about 15 people They were protesting the suspension of a public assistance staffer V Witnesses tax woes Witnesses paraded before a special joint panel yesterday to testify to the problems involved in financing schools throughout the state The hearing continues today W Stripes put on defensive over fire Helicopter pad gets grudging OK from residents Residents living near Warminster General Hospital last night gave grudging approval to construction of a proposed helicopter pad 8 21 residents pleased with Falls Township Solicitor Samuel Snipes was put on the defensive last night by charges that he has bungled and delayed court action against nine apartment complex owners in the township It GOP dinner aims al fatter war chest A Republican dinner scheduled for tomorrow night hopes to gain for the GOP spring and fall according to county chairman Harry W Fawkes The first of Rep Benjamin H Wilson's with his constituents only occasionally zeroed In on the issues last but the 21 residents in attendance and Wilson seemed pleased with the Editorial What will we do with our a reader unless we so seriously Into Northampton The tMs formally TV Authority to re Another feeder wants to know how an unmarried can find friends Our opinion a compromise settlement m the Centennial School District contract dispute T Why cant Oey Ht A fe the good evening We can an he thankful Anthony was captured and his hostage freed alive If had been given what he in addition to Im- no one would have been safe Other nuts would have tried the same gimmick had gotten away with the same stunt once before At the end of the ordeal he was getting arrogant and wanted millions In ransom In ad- dition to everything else be had been granted Now let's put him away and throw away the key President Carter startled federal employes yesterday when he told of you who are living in I hope you'll get It was the kind of advice they were used to getting from their not from the President of me United States And those who are living In sin will probably listen to the dent as much as they do to their ents Has Dick Sprague been fired The chairman of the tee he works for wants to get rid of him but the seem to feel otherwise It should come to a down vote next week It's the first time we've seen Con- gress fazed by large sums Sprague wanted million for his tion Some congressmen spend that on their secretaries New York which Is still Ing from the football Giants leaving is now faced with another dis- aster The Jets also want to move to the Hackensack Meadowlands This one Is worse The Jets would be moving Cram comfortable Long Island the Jets have always felt like second-hand tenants In Shea Stadium The Mets won't let them use the field for practice or pre- there's one thing to be said for a certainly Improves the appetite The and traffic signs on some streets are bandy They give people something to read while they're crossing against the light Kit cm cm A HI CM A t night Afters p.m Classified
