How Our School District Is Wasting Millions on Band-Aid Solutions While Other Districts Innovate

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School districts are notorious for bureaucratic inefficiency, but what happens when one citizen decides to pull back the curtain? This raw, unfiltered breakdown of Council Rock School District's facilities management exposes how millions of taxpayer dollars are being misallocated while neighboring districts achieve better results with similar budgets.

The financial disparities are striking. Council Rock approved a $5.8 million custodial contract with ABM based primarily on "binders" rather than performance, while Pensbury manages with just $4.2 million. The Chancellor Center saga exemplifies wasteful spending at its finest – up to $16 million proposed for renovating an administrative building, monthly payments of $15,000 for a temporary chiller, and relocating staff to a 60-year-old building with no ADA compliance. Meanwhile, Lower Moreland built an entire middle school for less money.

Richboro Middle School emerges as another symbol of neglect with its ancient boilers "collecting social security" and roof leaks comparable to "a teenager's Snapchat account." The district's reactive approach stands in sharp contrast to neighbors like Lower Merion, where QR codes and data dashboards track maintenance needs, or Central Bucks with its hybrid oversight model that balances efficiency with quality control. Through comparative analysis and biting commentary, this episode not only highlights the problems but offers a straightforward alternative plan that could save millions. For parents, taxpayers, and anyone concerned about fiscal responsibility in education, this eye-opening examination reveals how your property taxes are being spent – or misspent – in ways that affect educational quality and community resources.

• #CouncilRockSchoolDistrict
• #CRSD
• #CRUDFacilities
• #SchoolSpending
• #WastefulSpending
• #ChancellorCenter
• #RichboroMiddleSchool
• #FiscalMismanagement
• #FacilitiesManagement
• #SchoolBudget
• #TaxpayerDollars
• #PropertyTaxes
• #Accountability
• #Transparency
• #FiscalResponsibility
• #EducationalFunding
• #SchoolMaintenance
• #Bureaucracy
• #BucksCountyPA
• #PennsylvaniaEducation
• #DemandBetter
• #InvestigateCRSD
• #SchoolReform
• #EyeOpening

Peace, Love & God Above! :-)

Episode Transcript

Speaker 0 (00:00):
What's up guys?
Dj ESG, and yeah, usually I'mhere bashing the superintendent
and his mini midget.
But, honest to God, today I'min it for the kids, I'm in it
for the parents because this ismy district, this is my town and
, honest to God, I really wantto see this school district
thrive and be the number onedistrict in all of Bucks County,
if not all of Pennsylvania.
You know my hatred for Baldo 1and Baldo 2, it is what it is.

(00:26):
But, honest to god, afterlistening to the facilities
meeting last night, I'm gonnabreak this down for my parents
and friends in a layman's termthat you guys will understand
and tell you the good, the badand the ridiculous in a very
short period of time, not thethree plus hour meeting that we
had to listen to yesterday.
I'm gonna try to get this downunder 15 minutes, which would
have saved a lot of people, alot of time, money and tylenol
last night.
So last night the schooldistrict met usual suspects,
board members, consultants and afew people who couldn't fix a

(00:47):
thermostat with youtube in threehours of free time.
The topic district-widemaintenance and the chancellor's
center again, but nothingscreams functioning government.
Like revisiting the samebuilding with a water problem 10
years running.
Okay, let's start with what'sbeing recommended for action
Fuel bids, propane boilers and,oh yes, the glamorous world of
custodial RFPs Riveting.

(01:09):
But let me break it down in away that even Superintendent
Dumbo can understand.
You see, while other districts,like Lower Merion and Radnor,
are installing solar panels andSTEM labs, council Rock's big
move this year a floating gasprice contract and a $33,000
change order for a nanatoriumboiler.
That's right, folks.
Our innovation is redundancyfucking loops.

(01:31):
Now let's talk custodialservices.
Six companies submittedproposals and ABM, the existing
vendor, wins again.
Why?
Because they had binders yes,binders.
Like it's 1999 and office maxjust open.
But al was very happy.
Golf clap from home.
Let me explain why this matters.
Year one 5.8 million that'sright.

(01:52):
You could hire 83 full-timecustodians at 70 000 a year with
beanies and still have room forswiffers.
Instead we get abm's 80 staffretention rate and an annual 4%
price bump Genius.
Now Council Rock versus localdistricts Custodial budget FY25.
Council Rock 5.8 million.

(02:12):
Abm 80% retention.
Binders.
Hensbury 4.2 million.
In-house and contracted Localoversight.
Better cost control.
Central Bucks 5.0 million.
Vendor mix of private andinternal audit.
Lower marion 5.5 million.
Hybrid tech-based reportingsystem.
So while lower marion janitorsare tracked by qr codes and data
dashboards.

(02:33):
Counselor rock is over hereflipping through laminated
charts like it's a sixth gradescience fair.
Now back to the chancellorcenter fucking soap opera.
Let's get to the main eventagain the chancellor center,
home, admin offices and probablymold spores, older than the
Declaration of fuckingIndependence.
The big decision whether torenovate, relocate or just pray
harder.
So here's your cost breakdownon a place that your kids don't

(02:57):
even go to Patch job, throw atarp over the problems and light
a candle $6.5 million.
For $7.7 million dollars we canfix the big stuff hvac leaks
and still look like it's 1972inside.
For 11.4 million we can get afull cosmetic glow up.
But wait at 16 million, sitework and interior reno aka.

(03:20):
We should have done this in2015.
Now let's pause.
You mean to tell me we'respending $16 million renting a
temp chiller for $15K a month,moving staff to a 60-year-old
building with no ADA compliance,just to avoid phasing?
Lower Moreland built a wholemiddle school for less A whole
fucking middle school.
All right, rms Retirement Homefor Boilers.

(03:40):
If you're not familiar withRichboro Middle School, let me
paint you a picture.
Imagine your home for boilers.
If you're not familiar withrichboro middle school.
Let me paint you a picture.
Imagine your grandmom'sbasement now.
Imagine teaching administrativestaff to work there and charge
you 60k to move them in.
The building is the physicalembodiment of the phase just
warm, safe and dry.
Except it's barely any of thosethings.
The boilers are collectingsocial security.
The roof leaks like a teenagersnapchat account.

(04:03):
And don't even get me startedon ada compliance.
Unless you're a fuckingmountain goat, you're not
getting around.
The district has about 120million in borrowing potential,
but somehow can't prioritizeprojects without consultants and
four different versions of thesame powerpoint.
Again, al, you're fuckinguseless.
Let me be clear.
We don't need another facilitystudy.

(04:23):
Stop balancing saffron likeit's musical chairs with
asbestos and maybe, just maybe,stop throwing half a million at
temporary leases when we couldhave bought a warehouse, gutted
it and called it chancellor 2.0.
We should sequence newtownelementary and chancellor in
year one to two, welsh in yearthree to four and fit holland
lunchroom in between.
There done?
I just did the three-year planwhile drinking cold brew and

(04:44):
reading last month's agenda.
Dude, what the fuck?
Oh, and remember, I justapplied to be a hall monitor.
Now let's wrap this up.
Here's what we learned todayCouncil Rock is still duct
taping its way through $16million decisions.
Rms should be a museum, not abackup office.
We can't trust floating fuelprices, but we can trust binders
.
Apparently I, esg, just solvedyour five-year capital plan,

(05:07):
saved taxpayers millions, and Idid it with more charisma than
anybody in that boardroom with150 uhs and 175 uhs.
So to my friends on the board,my dear superintendent Dumbo and
everybody else spending myproperty taxes like it's
Monopoly money, maybe letsomeone with a clue take the
fucking mic next time.
Harvard's calling.
I'll put it on hold for now.
Before I go anywhere, I'm goingto play a little game with you

(05:30):
people.
It's called the Facilities PlanShowdown.
Fix it or fling it.
I am the host of this amazinggame show concept where the
price is right meets ESPN'sfirst take Full of sarcasm, fake
awards, side-by-side smackdownsand some serious fucking shade.
You know why?
Because that's who the fuck Iam.
Welcome to Facilities PlanShowdown, the only place where
boilers, budgets and brain cellsgo head-to-head.

(05:52):
Let's meet our contestants.
Council, rock School District,aka the Repeat Offenders
Strategy, restudy the samebuildings every three years like
it's Groundhog Day Signaturemove, $16 million in renovation
plans and a $15K slash monthtemp chiller Catchphrase.
Let's kick the can just alittle farther down the road.
But we also have Pensbury, thecost cutters In-house custodians

(06:13):
no fluff, uses duct tape, butsmartly, I told you I liked that
fucking superintendent.
Signature move 4.2 millionfaculty spent with a side of
practicality Catchphrase.
It's not sexy but it's solvent.
And that's why you hiresomebody from Jersey Central
Bucks, the hybrid hustlers Comboof contractors and real
oversight.
It's weird but it works.

(06:33):
Signature move mixing QR codesand elbow grease Catchphrases.
If it ain't broke we mightstill renovate it.
Lower marion school districtthe elon musks of maintenance
strategy tech forward solopowered and probably building al
janitors.
Signature move fire suppressionwith flare.
Catchphrase we don't fixboilers, we replace buildings.
Let's go into the ab comparisonchart, the actual metrics.

(06:54):
I'm going to compare fourschool districts right now
average facility age count rock50 years.
Pensbury 45 years.
Central bucks 40 years andlower marion 25 years.
Custodial budget forecasted for25 count rock 5.8 million.
Pensbury 4.2 million.
Central bucks 5.0 million.
And lower marion 5.5 million.
Admin relocation plan rms with60 year old boilers.

(07:18):
Pensbury, an unused elementaryschool wing.
Central bucks, a split wing use.
Lower marion corporate leaseheadquarters.
Chiller strategy rent 15k amonth.
That's council rock.
Pensbury own it, maintain it.
Central bucks, high efficiency,lower marion geothermal.
I'm telling you, the guy atpensbury, tom smith, is a
fucking genius.
Decision-making process,committees of chaos.

(07:40):
Council Rock ops-driven board.
Pensbury central box facilitiespanel, lower Merion consultants
and data and known for CouncilRock, binders and delays.
Pensbury stretching money, cbsdsteady upgrades, lower Merion
total overhauls.
So let's be honest, councilRock's facility plan is like
watching a toddler try to buildIKEA furniture with a fucking

(08:00):
hammer.
It's enthusiastic, it'sexpensive, but in the end the
whole thing leans to the leftand smells like mildew.
Meanwhile, lower Merion isgiving SpaceX for school energy.
Pensbury is doing more withless, like grandma stretching
soup.
And it's a bloodbath out here,folks, it's a fucking bloodbath
out here.
So final ranking the goldenwrench awards gold wrench, lower
marion for building schools soadvanced.

(08:20):
Even chat gpt needs a manual tounderstand their hvac.
Silver wrench, pensbury formaking 4.2 million feel like 10
million, grandma approved.
Bronze wrench, central bucksrespectable, consistent and only
moderately bureaucratic.
And the participating plungeraward goes to counselor rock for
for 60-year-old boilers,30-year-old excuses and the
newest addition to the rentalchiller industry.

(08:42):
That's it for this week'sFacilities Plan Showdown.
Reminder when it comes toschool repairs, don't float your
fuel prices, unless you're alsofloating your logic.
I'm ESG, your host, your taxwatchdog and your favorite
walking spreadsheet of sarcasm.
See you next week when.