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Our View

What do taxpayers want? Good schools or lower taxes?

Attend enough Jersey Shore Area School Board meetings and you will see that — almost with each budget cycle and certainly with each new leader — the board is confronted with proposals to close schools to cut costs. And most times in more recent years, the ultimate decision has been no. Closing of the Nippenose Valley Elementary School was, we believe, the most recent consolidation. Now we see six members vote this week to keep elementary buildings open and remaining K-5 with students being shifted to equalize class size. A board minority voted for a scenario that would’ve ...

Yet another loss with power plant decision, so it’s time to regroup

We are saddened to hear that Bechtel Corp. is pulling out of a plan to build a natural-gas fired, electric generating station in Renovo. Our belief is that Bechtel and the ultimate plant operator would invest in the best available technology to significantly reduce the release of organic compounds from the plant’s emissions. Further, ongoing testing and upgrading that emissions scrubbing technology over time would prove that the plant posed no direct health threat to area residents. We also are very disappointed with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the snail’s pace of ...

Don’t mess with employers’ work schedule needs

We think the environment out there for employees and employers has changed the last few years, mostly because of the pandemic. Some would say that change has been good for employees; others would disagree. Regardless, many workplaces are now much more flexible with their employees by allowing remote work, flexible hours each day, better pay (due to worker shortage) and benefits; and smart employers promote a positive work environment and culture. So talk of moving to a four-day work week just doesn’t fly with us. There are some suggesting — as with the opinion piece by Anthony ...

City should not cut police services, but we concede rising costs are becoming untenable

Police services are expensive. And we believe a vast majority of people — taxpayers — understand that. So we ask city taxpayers — property owners and business owners: Are you willing to have your tax dollars invested in strong police services, knowing your taxes will go up as costs rise? That’s really the big question in the City of Lock Haven as City Council looks ahead at expenses while negotiating a new labor contract with the police union. This is an emotional debate, for sure. Police protection is highly valued, especially by local businesses, as evident of the ...

We need more than just financial incentives to recruit more school teachers

Our public and private colleges and universities have their work cut out for them to graduate more students who want to teach elementary, middle and high school kids. It’s a growing challenge as we face a severe shortage of teachers. Since 2010, Pennsylvania has seen a 66% decline in Instructional I teaching certificates, the state’s most basic teaching accreditation awarded to graduates who pass their certification tests, issued to in-state graduates. Data from the Department of Education also reflect a 58% decline in certificates issued to those planning to work ...

Threat to emergency medical services here has hit a fever pitch

"We’re in trouble.” “We’re spinning out of control.” These are alarming statements by a man who has given his life to sustaining emergency medical services in Clinton County and is now sounding the alarm that manpower and other shortages are threatening such services. So while cynics may see Lock Haven EMS Chief Gerard Banfill’s statements as overly emotional, Gerard is exactly right in our view. His emotion is exactly what we all need to see and hear because adequate emergency medical services are at stake here. Life-saving emergency medical services, we would ...