Wellsboro Gazette (Newspaper) - September 4, 2002, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania Southern Tioga will offer retesting to seniors who scored low by Chris McGann Southern Tioga will offer re- testing of the state standardized testing to seniors who scored at the and last year The school board members dis- cussed the issue during their Sept 3 work session Coordinator of special tional services Dave Sikorski re- ported the state is schools to offer the retest The standardized assessment tests are given to students in grade including their junior year sounded like a good idea to jump on the bandwagon with the 12th grade students voluntarily retaking the Sikorski said The district is in tion with the parents to see who will retake the he noted Retesting is scheduled for Oct 28 through Nov 1 The state will be issuing indicating that a student scored either in the proficient or advanced level of and Sikorski continued That was the compromise from the original which was to place a seal directly on a student's diploma Several school board members questioned the value of retesting devalue the original said board member Dennis noting that this is simply a second chance Board member Miller said he is concerned with the problem of stigmatizing those who did well on the test and those who did poorly pointed out that it seems money is being thrown at tertiary things rather than those that have been proven to work in education Miller and Sikorski both noted there is also a problem with re- testing without that taking the time to help dents do better the second time around Some students have a problem said board ber Terry Osborne He suggested practicing skills is the remediation that is needed Superintendent Joe Kalata said the administration wants the opportunity to retest and it is sible they will get no interest from the parents or students He also speculated as to whether the material on the test was taught after the test was ad- Please see TESTS page 2 photo by CHRIS MCGANN A HOUSE FIRE ON SOUTH MAIN gutted the home of a mother and daughter Roxanne Root and her were not home at the time of the fire on Thursday Aug 29 when it was reported at p.m Firefighters from and responded to the which was out about two hours later and were on standby for Middlebury and Mansfield Tioga Assistant Fire Chief Preston could not give a cause of the fire The cause is not but it is under investigation by the Pennsylvania state police fire marshal Firefighters used the borough fire hydrants and a supply line from the Tioga River to douse the fire The house has mostly smoke damage and is still standing The Tioga County Red Cross also provided disaster relief on the scene Township supervisors vote not to contribute to cost of pool Local Farm Service Agency forced to cut back on staff by C R Clarke Mansfield Borough will not be getting anything from Richmond Township for their new swimming supervisors decided Sept 3 The township had agreed at a meeting earlier this year to pay the borough in 2002 They had already paid last on the verbal promise from the borough that township residents would not be charged more for a season pass or daily use than ough residents were being charged But that turned out not to be the supervisors said at last month's meeting did complain to the ough that township residents were being charged the dent Doud said After a meeting between them and borough council members failed to produce agreement Aug the supervisors made their decision According to township sor Vern the council bers abruptly walked out of the meeting after only about 20 utes when Mansfield Borough Council president Bob Swinsick stood up and announced the ing was and left Doud said that when the ough first came to them asking for money for the new they wanted one mill a year for the next 20 which works out to per year There was also discussion about the township paying per year During the Aug 20 according to the township said they were willing to pay the borough per year with the promise that township residents would be charged the same as but the borough wanted more money and a longer ment from the township They said we have to have a long term commitment He knew that there was never any agreement made to pay them It was all in the dis- cussion Doud said Doud also said when he asked borough manager Ed Grala how many township residents used the pool this he was told 29 percent I told him that I wanted to know how not a and he finally told me 16 township residents had bought season passes So they gained but lost he said A season pass for a family is more for a nonresident ily than a resident family In Doud said many residents have boycotted the pool In Neal Richmond Township residents have been going to or Hills Creek State Park to rather than the Mansfield pool The pool is less ex- pensive and Hills Creek is a free facility He also noted ing comments at the Aug 20 when he said wants to Please see RICHMOND page 2 by Henry August The Farm Bureau received news about the Farm Service Agency Office reducing staff during their picnic Aug 28 About 100 were in attendance including representatives of area politicians Sherri Butters of the Tioga County office of the Farm Service Agency while fighting back informed the farmers and political persons gathered at the picnic that she was losing another staff Clara Kilburn Mrs Butters noted that when she came to the Tioga County Of- fice 12 years ago there were 13 staff With the attempted trans- fer of a veteran staffer the office will be reduced to six staff Although they call it Kilburn cannot leave Tioga County to go to Schuylkill County tried asking for an extension so that I could show the volume of business that we do but was re- fused the opportunity This more will cause her to take an early retirement We are fighting an uphill Although she has been to hire two the time required for them to be trained by Mrs Butters will mean in the office staff will be down two persons The office currently handles approximately 20 programs and sometimes has clients lined up awaiting service when the office opens been with the FSA for 32 years and have seen a steady de- cline in the staffing of the FSA Tioga County has 300 farmers while Schuylkill County has 30 It doesn't make any sense to commented Mrs Butters when questioned afterward about the reductions in staffing Mrs Butters questioned Sen John Peterson's Mike regarding any possible sistance from the senator and Glazer promised to look into Butters then stated that she feared that it was too late Mr Glazer stated the ging support for farmers from Senator Peterson and related that Peterson's office was always responsive to constituent needs Mr Dave Stratton from the FSA office said that he noticed a 70 percent re- duction in staff staff in the offices makes the offices nuts with the work Research found that the pre- vious supervisor of the FSA had refused to make cuts but that rent director Richard Pullman had been the person to refuse to reevaluate the staffing needs of the Tioga County office Farm Bureau president John Painter Jr of Westfield and owner of Farms ex- pressed concern about the tion in especially a new gram being developed Mrs Patty senator Arlen our office anytime and we will try to Mrs Bowman also expressed the support of the senator for farmers in general and her tude for being able to attend the picnic She also thanked the Farm Bureau and the Grange for their support of Senator Specter Larry Hutchins expressed con- cern over who would administer a water currently going through the legislature According to want it administered by the De- of Agriculture rather than the DEP We know what happens when the DEP ters laws and programs We want the initiated by the ment of Agriculture not the DEP sponsored You need to con- tact your state legislators and let them know how you Hutchins also Fisher has not been responsive to farmers I guess he doesn't want our help don't contact he won't talk to Hutchins also spoke on ing to remove diversity and sity courses as requirements for graduation from Pennsylvania colleges and universities Someone in the audience involved and support your PAC tion so that you have a voice that is Please see FARMS page 2 sur vein UK Rendell promotes tourism plan during visit by Chris McGann Democratic candidate for Ed stopped in Tioga a traditional Re- publican stronghold the former mayor of has been traveling across the state to learn about problems in urban and sub- urban areas He addressed about 20 Democrats at the county house on Aug 29 are conceding not one square mile of Rendell said In he had visited 63 of the 67 counties as of Friday The urban and rural problems are really pretty Rendell said Those problems include high property rising health care and education Rendell if he in- tends to practice He also noted that ing finances helped him turn Philadelphia around Several times he noted that the New York Times called that city of the most stunning municipal turn He went on to discuss his sion for tourism in Pennsylvania with the included a woman on vacation in think if you ask people in Philadelphia about the vania Grand they would not have a Rendell said Tourism has a billion direct economic he continued Rendell conceded that the lican Ridge administration was the first to focus on promoting tourism can build on what the Ridge Administration Rendell said He intends to spend more on promoting points of historical in- art and and out- door activities As the legislature is facing a billion Rendell said they are still not spending enough have to grow out of that he said He noted investing money ing hard economic times also helped turn Philadelphia around Rendell would like to see more support for heritage tourist arts and and preserving the environment He commented on the large areas of state state and state game lands that are available for hunting and fishing He also noted that there are a number of natural and wild areas in the state areas need to remain sacrosanct from he said Rendell also said the state fish hatcheries need million for repairs He is proposing an tional per ton tipping fee at landfills to fund hatcheries and preserve open spaces and farm land he proposed more money to improve the tourism market For advertising in Canada has increased tourism from that country by 23 percent talk of preserving land for hunting and fishing led naturally to the gun control issue intend to be one of the best governors that hunters and sportsmen have ever Rendell said He said as ers would not be affected by his stance on gun control There is a difference between allowing guns for hunting and allowing felons and juveniles to have he noted only ones who have to be afraid with Ed Rendell as nor are felons and Rendell said He also alluded to a time when the National Rifle Association op- posed a ban on armor piercing bullets After the NRA lost about members in mostly police officers can't remember any elk or moose or deer that wear bullet proof he added Following his Rendell spoke with reporters briefly Regarding school property he did note that the eral Assembly is planning a cial session this but he doubts that anything will come of it if Rendell intends to call another session and vows the legislators will not adjourn for the summer until they have a tax reform package Rendell would like to see state support for public schools in- creased from 34 to 55 percent and property taxes by one- third as a starting He also addressed the spending gap between the top ten districts and those in Tioga County Locally the districts are spending between and less per dents than the top districts In they spend per student less than the top dis- Rendell would also like to in- crease reimbursements for ing projects In the rate is an average of about 20 cent are one of the lowest in the he said As for health care Rendell would like to see tougher tions on malpractice including requiring a signed by a second doctor before pursing such a case am with 40 percent of the cases filed would go he said He also called for caps on tive additional ments for suits found to be and an independent sion to oversee the health ance industry Increasing rates for medical malpractice insurance are blamed for the shortage of doctors in the state DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR governor Ed Rendell Tioga County Courthouse on Aug 29 bf speaks at the
