Joe Hilliard 2819 Rhonda Ln Allentown PA 18103 610-349-7030 jhilliard@leadershipforliberty.org www.LeadershipforLiberty.

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Leadership for Liberty, Inc.

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LEADERSHIP FOR LIBERTYS ALTERNATE BUDGETS SAVE TAXPAYERS ALMOST ONE MILLION DOLLARS
Allentown, PA - July 9, 2012
Leadership for Liberty, Inc. and its affiliated committee the Pennsylvania School Board Coalition (PSBC) is proud to announce that our Alternate Budget strategy was successfully implemented by a few school board directors in Catasauqua and Upper Perkiomen school districts which saved taxpayers over $900,000. LfL Chair, Joe Hilliard said, It is exciting to know that we were able to assist some citizen legislators develop and propose zero tax hike Alternate Budgets which saved taxpayers in both districts a combined $900,000. First Year Catasauqua School Board Director Christine Naegel said, I was very happy to see the zero tax increase, especially with being able to bring back the fourth grade music program. Catasauqua School Director Dawn Berrigan said, Leadership for Liberty helped us put together three amendments for the budget. Although they were not used, I was very happy our administration was able to produce a new zero tax increase budget to replace the 2.2 percent proposed budget. Hilliard continued, This is a tangible validation that this strategy works and taxpayers benefit with saved money that will remain in their households to pay bills or to be spent in the local economy by citizens. LfL Vice-Chair and Chair of PSBC, Kim Schmidtner said, Instead of just complaining that taxes and spending are too high, we assisted school board members in developing tangible, specific, and responsible solutions to the fiscal challenges facing their school districts that preserve a high quality education for the children. Naegel continued, However, I feel that there are still plenty of areas we should be looking into to save money. I hope we can pay for the essentials and cut the waste without affecting the students education and even offer a tax decrease next year. As a result of Director Naegels hard work, which included literally going line by line through the detailed budget, she has been named Chair of a newly formed Budget Committee for the Catasauqua School Board. First Year Upper Perkiomen School Director Raeann Hofkin said, I was newly elected to the board and was given advice to vote no if I didnt understand the budget, because it was the administrations job to explain the budget. I disagree with that advice and as a board member it is my responsibility to learn what is in the budget and make an informed decision. Hofkin continued, I spent weeks reviewing the financials in order to learn about the budget and cast my vote. I believe my vote was justified. Hilliard said, Alternate Budgets are a new approach which requires a line by line detailed review and challenging all the tired, old assumptions about budgets. Schmidtner said, The standard defensive stance that many fiscally responsible school board members have taken in the past by merely voting against tax increases is not enough any longer. I applaud individuals like Raeann Hofkin,

Christine Naegel and Dawn Berrigan who have stepped forward, taken their elected responsibility seriously, and have quickly become leaders in their districts. Hilliard said, LfL and PSBC will work with any school directors and taxpayer activists to show them what is possible. We help take the mystery out of understanding school district budgets and compare ideas with other school districts to determine the best solutions to common problems. Hilliard continued, The first step is to simply learn what to ask for and what to look for. We hear far too often that school board members and the public are told that detailed budgets dont exist or that there is no need to look at them. Such attitudes are irresponsible and we applaud the handful of dedicated and motivated school board members like Christine, Dawn and Raeann who are setting new expectations. We also applaud the other school board directors and Superintendents in these districts for their willingness to listen to other ideas and implement many of the recommendations or develop new budgets that acknowledge the economic realities of distressed taxpayers. Hilliard concluded, Hopefully the gold standard for next year will be responsible tax cut Alternate Budgets in many school districts in the region.

Leadership for Liberty, Inc. is a non-profit corporation registered with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Our mission is to analyze public policies and government actions, educate the public about government operations, especially at the local level, and empower the citizenry to take action. We also believe it is essential to share knowledge, techniques and solutions. The biggest hurdle for many citizen activists is an incredible 'learning curve' required to gain confidence, competence and credibility to analyze government operations. We will greatly shorten, or eliminate, the learning curves associated with many aspects of government. Our goal is to develop an army of citizen activists with the 3 C's (confidence, competence, and credibility) to shape public opinion to force elected officials to be responsible and accountable. Our Motto: Lumen, Veritas, Libertas - Latin for "Light, Truth, Liberty"