First
Day of Fall…
Wednesday, September 23 is the first day of
fall. Summer heat, thunderstorms,
the beach, vacation, traveling and trying to stay cool are now mere memories.
In my view, the beauty of fall is far too short-lived: the brilliance of the
leaves before they fall, the crispness of the breezes before they chill the
air, the look of the sun against a brilliant blue sky before it dims with
distance and clouds, all depart long before the official end of the season on
December 21. My point in these
ramblings is this: we need to enjoy each season for what it offers and find
something positive to celebrate as often as possible. Last year's early October snow and our first weather-related
delay on November 26 are proof that we may be celebrating winter even
as fall lingers on. Get that
shovel and snow-blower ready to go….
Fall athletics at Central Cambria are in full swing.
Randy Wilson has taken over the duties of long time Athletic Director Ron
Stempka. Randy has been proactive
in preparing for each fall sporting event with regards to busing, officials,
field preparation and equipment.
Good luck to all our teams and extracurricular participants.
Here we are at the end of September with no budget
from the State. At a meeting I attended in Harrisburg, we heard Secretary of
Education, Pedro Rivera; he had no real answers related to a time line for
resolution of the budget impasse.
He did indicate that the Governor was not planning to sign any stopgap
budget. At the heart of the debate
is the increase in taxes that Governor Wolf feels is necessary to fund public
education and other programs. This
delay has caused over fifty districts to be dangerously close to operating in
the red. Some districts are taking
steps to procure loans, dip into their cash reserves, and/or cut back on staff
and programs to make ends meet.
The Erie School District is now considering closing the district for a
brief period to save money; how sad—and utterly wrong—that it has to come to
this. Please take time to contact
our local legislators to let them know that the budget stalemate needs to end
and that they need to provide all districts with the funds to which they are
entitled and which they desperately need.
Local contacts are:
·
John Wozniak, State Senator, 814-266-2277
·
Brian Barbin, State Representative, 814-536-9818
·
Frank Burns, State Representative, 814-536-8400
Thank you for your attention as I rant about a
problem that just doesn't seem to go away. Now, on a much less serious note, I
would like to switch gears and talk about the Buccos, who are currently in
place for a wild card playoff spot.
They have had a great year but their inconsistency (3 out 4 loses to the
Brewers, arrgh!) this year has been difficult to watch and, more importantly,
reduces the likelihood of success in the postseason. Hopefully, their accurate pitching continues and their bats
stay hot.
And the Steelers, who got shredded by Tom Brady
and Gronkowski, did the same to the 49ers' secondary; I am getting too old to
deal with such inconsistency by the teams who impact my sports-watching
happiness. They are now 1-1 but I still have some serious concerns about the
head coach and offensive coordinator (my eldest son, Adam, would agree about
the OC but not the head coach).
But can anyone, Steeler fan or not, argue against Antonio Brown being
the best wideout in the NFL? He is absolutely amazing. Who knew that the 195th pick
in the 7th round of the draft, could be so good? Is it the coaching? The right mix of players around him? Or
is it a combination of both? I am just glad he wears Black and Gold.
If you haven’t seen the changes in our buildings
from the summer, I encourage you to stop in and see how good the buildings look
(new flooring in the HS and CES, colorful paintings on the MS walls, and new
entry doors at JES, to name a few changes). My thanks to all staff who have made the start to this
school year so seamless and smooth.
Let’s take time to not only enjoy this fall season, but also to thank
those who help our district remain top notch – the staff and our Board of
Directors!
Until next month, stay well. Dr. D.
