5 Reasons CD Residents Should Be Having Sleepless Nights

Hello. Does anyone give a rip about this stuff?

#1 REASON:  Tonight's school board meeting agenda indicates that a superintendent will be hired without first seeking input from the public. (The meeting starts at 7 pm in the Central Dauphin East High School auditorium.)

This out-of-the-blue agenda item is disturbing when the current superintendent is still on the payroll even though he's not working as the superintendent. (He's been assigned a special project and works in a rental office.)

CLICK HERE for breaking news on this issue from The Patriot-News. (Hat tip to community activist Eric Epstein for taking time to stir up some dust on the likely hiring of Carol Johnson to succeed Dr. Gonzalez as superintendent.)

#2 REASON:  The school board and top school administrators plan to cut 74 teachers and 10 other employees and up the property-tax rate by 3.3 percent to balance next school year's budget.

#3 REASON:  If current trends continue, another significant tax hike and more teacher cuts will be needed to balance the district's 2013-14 budget.

#4 REASON:  The district relies too much on The Patriot-News to get word out about important issues.

The newspaper only sends a reporter to cover meetings, which means many important issues that happen behind the scenes never show up in print or on PennLive. For instance, the board's infamous "meetings before the real meetings" should be investigated by a journalist.

#5 REASON:  There's been limited public outcry over the proposed teacher cuts. Heck, parents in a Somerset County district went wacky over talk of 11 teachers getting the ax!