Too Big to Fail?
Cumberland Valley School District has an operating budget of over $200 million. This organization constantly references area population growth, yet has been operating without a one, three, and five year fiscal plan to help ensure fiscal sustainability.
Did the administration and the school board think they were too big to fail?
Regulations cap tax increases at 4%. To financially recover from the current dire situation, taxes would need to be raised 16-20%. Many in our community could not bear this burden, nor should they. There are many taxpayers in the district on a fixed income as well as an increasing population of economically disadvantaged families. Currently, 20% of CVSD families are deemed economically disadvantaged.
There has been outcry from residents and the three freshman board members requesting a balanced budget and a cohesive financial plan. These people have been nothing short of mocked. District administration and legacy board members continue to rebuke the dire financial outlook and patronize anyone wanting to address the facts.
The constant public denial has inspired campaigns now running for school board positions in the fall. Publicly these candidates announce the district shouldn’t focus on a balanced budget but instead focus on investing in students. How do you invest in students when you have no more resources to give? Brian Allen, running for school board for Silver Spring Township spoke at the last board meeting disparaging the three current board members focused on fiscal accountability since taking their seats in 2023. Michael Verber who endorses Brian Allen with his CV CUReS PAC, wrote an article in 2023 concluding that that the “status quo” of CVSD continues to be successful. When in reality, the status quo over the years has been detrimental to the financial health of the district.
The school district does not need more school board members that want to be cheerleaders for status quo. The district needs individuals not afraid to bring about the changes required to pull the district back from the financial cliff. Is there anything more destructive to a district than leadership that neglects the reality of a financial crisis? What will be the effect to the educational opportunities and experiences for the children in our community?
As it turns out, Cumberland Valley School District is not too big to fail. The reality is receivership is now a real possibility as the solution to this fiscal calamity.
Concerned Citizen of Cumberland Valley
Harrisburg100 
Verber admitted in a public comment that he doesn’t understand budgeting or even look at his company’s own finances. What a buffoon. His “candidates” are as clueless as he is. Pathetic.
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CV just needs to find someone who can accidentally find a quarter million dollars in a cheer booster. Can you imagine what he could accidentally find in CV’s budget?
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Marty Carreras is now a named defendant in a Federal Lawsuit. Let’s see, he oversees Kristy Shaffner’s (another defendant) quarter million a yr Cheer Booster funds, Bud Shaffner (another defendant) hand-picked Marty to replace him on board, Board Pres Greg Rausch (another defendant) backs Marty so board majority can rubber-stamp Blanchard’s financial suicide desires, and Mike Verber (CV Cures Slush Fund Dir) back backer of Marty. Time to drain the CV swamp!
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Are you serious? The school board candidate was named in a federal court case? If they hand picked him it says a lot about their character.
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Wasn’t Marty the curator of Bud Shaffner’s $$$ safes at his vacation mansions? He’s probably qualified to be Bud Shaffner’s “Accountant”!
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Wasn’t Marty …Bud Shaffner’s “Accountant” and curator of Shaffner’s $$$ safes at his waterfront mansions?
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Every member of the board and administration against a balanced budget should be held liable. Personally liable. Where is the state? Where is the state auditor general and the state attorney general? Get in there and investigate this.
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The rich always steal from the poor. That has been true for ages. Verber might as well scream “let them eat cake” to anyone who can’t afford the tax increase beyond the state maximum that his PAC, CV CUREs is looking for.
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call DOGE
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All current members of the board and all members of the board over the last 10 years have been Republican. Just saying.
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typical liberal liar. Dunn is a democrat and was president for 3 terms of the last decade you liar. Democrat elected Ford is a current board member. All democrats do is lie. Many supposed Republicans are actually democrats in disguise. Everyone knows this. Guiswhite was as liberal as they come. Nestor, Gossert and Rausch are liberals in disguise. The administration tells them how to vote and there is not a single conservative in the school’s administration.
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