First Day of Fall…

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 195^th 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.