NFT Answering Machine Message Causes Confusion

The Neshaminy Federation of Teachers resumed calling Neshaminy School District parents and taxpayers this week. However, a message left on a taxpayer's answering machine by a NFT volunteer caused confusion.

The NFT representative stated in the message that the Neshaminy School District is sitting on $21 million of “uncommitted” personal funds.

“I have absolutely no idea what money they are referring to, and just once I wish the NFT would use accurate data instead of pulling numbers out of a hat,” School Board President Ritchie Webb said of the NFT claim.

The district's acting Business Manager, Barbara Marowitz, who was involved in the recent meeting with NFT financial representatives, told Webb that she was "not sure" where the NFT came up with that figure.

In addition, district officials reached out to the American Federation of Teachers financial consultant, Jewell Gould, who said that he thought "there is a misunderstanding on someone's part."

“This is a deliberate attempt by the NFT to mislead the public that we have tons of cash just sitting around,” Webb said in a board issued press release. Webb added, “In my limited dealings with Mr. Gould, I can say that he appears committed to the accuracy of the numbers. I wish I could say the same thing for the NFT.”

The NFT issued a press release Thursday evening to clarify:

"In the ongoing contract talks between the NFT and the Neshaminy School District, it has taken four long years for us to get to the point where we are able to have correct and up-to-date financial and workforce data to guide our negotiations. We have tried to share with the Neshaminy community this fact: There is agreement on the costs of various proposals, and the two sides are actually closer together than previously thought.

We learned today that some members of the community are questioning the accuracy of a telephone message left by the NFT during recent phone calls to the Neshaminy community.

In some of those calls, NFT volunteers referred to $21 million in 'uncommitted personnel' funds that could be available to the Neshaminy School District to settle economic issues in our contract talks. We now understand that our use of that term may have caused some confusion. In the jargon of budget officials, 'uncommitted' or 'unallocated' are words often used to refer to a general fund balance. NFT callers did not refer to 'surplus' funds, as some have suggested.

In our previous offer to the board we identified $21 million in cost savings to the District based on changes made to our proposals including wage and benefit issues. That figure is based on:

• The budget savings that could be achieved with our agreement to make a significant contribution to healthcare costs; and
• The fact that we now have exchanged accurate personnel information and budget figures with the district so that we can determine the real costs of various proposals.

Our message simply conveyed the truth of the matter: A fair settlement is possible. We look forward tosorting out the details during our next scheduled bargaining session on Nov. 1."

In a Neshaminy Taxpayers press conference, Neshaminy taxpayer and parent Larry Pastor referred to the voicemail message as "the kind of propaganda the NFT has been spreading around our community."

In addition to the voice message, Pastor and other Neshaminy taxpayers and parents presented a list of misinformation they said the NFT has issued throughout the contract impasse. The list presented at the press conference is attached as a PDF above. 

A group of Neshaminy parents and taxpayers held a press conference at Maple Point Middle School Thursday evening in an attempt to show support for the school board; to demonstrate how the last CBA has "hurt" the school district and how NFT demands are "unaffordable" and will increase the budget cost; to "correct" NFT "propaganda misinformation" spread in the media and community; to show how NFT "control" over the district has resulted in "mediocrity" and "some failing schools;" and to call fellow school district residents to action.