Public Discusses Potential Pennsbury & Morrisville Merger

Residents from the Pennsbury and Morrisville school districts gathered at Pennsbury High School in Falls Township Tuesday evening to discuss a proposed merger of the two districts. 

The much-hyped meeting had about 125 people in attendance. 

The two school systems have seriously considered a merger over the past year. The merger talk heated up as the Morrisville School Districts fights to keep their head above water amid financial struggles. 

READ: Report Details Merger, Other Options For Pennsbury & Morrisville School Districts

Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management Group Consulting presented an overview of the potential merger in a 161-page report issued late last year. 

Three possibilities for the possible merger of the two school districts have been presented as Pennsbury merging with Morrisville and combining student populations; the second is that Morrisville would pay Pennsbury tuition to educate its students in grades 3 through 12; and the third is that Morrisville would pay Pennsbury tuition to educate its students in grades 6 through 12.

The study team didn’t provide a recommendation to the school board.

The school board hasn’t announced the plan going forward, but they did say in advance no decision would be made Tuesday.

Nearly all of the speakers were Pennsbury residents, and there was little public support at the meeting from the Morrisville community.

Several former Pennsbury School Board members spoke at the meeting. 

Howard Goldberg, a former school board member from Lower Makefield Township, called for all options to be looked at. He called on board members to evaluate everything and move forward “if and only if it is in the best interest of Pennsbury.” 

Michelle Deis, a former school board member from Falls Township said, a decision needs to be made by the school board and a timeline on making it should be set. She said the issue has been around for decades. 

“We’ll see how it goes,” she said. 

Alison Smith, a former school board member from Lower Makefield Township, called for a referendum and said the numbers used in the report are “highly flawed.”

She said lower test scores from Morrisville students will leave Pennsbury students behind and Morrisville students frustrated as they catch up. Smith added no cost for catching Morrisville students up educationally has been defined in the plan.

Other speakers called for the school board to put any decision up for a referendum to let the taxpayers directly decide.

A fifth grade student from Morrisville told the Pennsbury School Board he excels at math and reading and wants to go to Pennsbury because the district can help him get more support. 

Lower Makefield Township resident Tim Daly, who distributed flyers painting a merger as having little benefit for Pennsbury, said the combination of the two school systems would put a financial strain on Pennsbury taxpayers. 

Daly added that a merger has more benefits for Morrisville Borough taxpayers than Pennsbury taxpayers in Falls Township, Lower Makefield Township, Yardley Borough, and Tullytown Borough. 

“Very little adds up positively for Pennsbury, while Morrisville makes a killing,” he said. 

The Lower Makefield Township resident said the Morrisville Borough school system should declare bankruptcy and dissolve itself.

Rob Abrams, who was on a school district committee that discussed the merger, called the consultant’s presentation on a merger “bogus.” 

He added Pennsbury would be taking on financial risk and the Morrisville buildings could be filled with asbestos that would have to be remediated on Pennsbury’s dime. 

Another resident said she wants more clarity on specific financial details before the school board moves forward. 

Another resident – a bus driver for the district for 30 years – noted buses would need to be used to transport Morrisville students to Pennsbury. She asked how that would work considering Pennsbury is already having trouble staffing bus routes. 

Dean Kaplan, the managing director of Public Financial Management Group Consulting, told the public and school board state aid would likely be needed to assist if a merger went forward. 

“State support would be an essential requirement,” he said. “Without it, I don’t see how it could happen,” he said. 

In response to comments and questions about Morrisville declaring bankruptcy, Kaplan said school districts can declare themselves distressed and the state can help in recovery, but school districts cannot declare bankruptcy.

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