Category: Good Government On The March, Politics || By

Let's say you're White Oak Borough, and all of the elected members of the McKeesport Area School Board are from the city of McKeesport. There are no representatives from White Oak.

What could you do to correct this problem?

• A.) Organize, raise money and field a strong slate of White Oak candidates for next year's election;


• B.) Band together with the other communities in the school district --- Dravosburg, Versailles and South Versailles Township --- and petition the school board to change to election by district, instead of at-large; or


• C.) Pitch a hissy fit.

If you chose "C," congratulations, you should run for White Oak Borough Council.

. . .

Sorry, but that's the only way I can read last week's news that certain White Oak elected officials think the reputation of McKeesport is so terrible that they should secede from the school district, or perhaps change its name.

(In fairness to those officials, they told the Daily News on Saturday that the name change suggestion was the "least important" item they discussed. It's possible that the Post-Gazette blew the story out of proportion.)

This isn't about the school district being named "McKeesport." It's about the fact that all of the elected school directors are from the city, and several of those are politically aligned with McKeesport Mayor Jim Brewster.

And some people who are upset are pouting, instead of taking action.

. . .

First: If they're truly worried about the reputation of the McKeesport Area School District, nothing is more harmful to its reputation than having elected officials bad mouthing the teachers, students and administrators in public.

In fact, if they wanted to encourage people to move to White Oak, that's the worst possible thing they could do.

. . .

Second: One White Oak councilman was quoted by the P-G as saying that Penn State McKeesport Campus' enrollment "spiraled" when it changed its name to Penn State Greater Allegheny Campus.

Well, spirals must be very small in White Oak.

According to Penn State University's Budget Office, enrollment is up by 22 students, to 783. That's 2.8 percent --- about what Penn State enrollment has gone up systemwide. Maybe I missed the traffic jams on Eden Park Boulevard, but I don't think so.

. . .

Third: Like it or not, White Oak is in the McKeesport area. McKeesport is not in the White Oak area.

McKeesport is three times larger than White Oak. And to get to White Oak, you have to drive through McKeesport. Two of the four main entrances are from the city.

So unless the borough plans to dig up roots and move someplace else, it's stuck with McKeesport as a neighbor.

. . .

Thus, White Oak's best interests are served by having a healthy McKeesport --- and that means a healthy McKeesport school district.

And the city's interests, naturally, are served by having a healthy White Oak, and West Mifflin's best interests are served with a healthy Duquesne, and so forth.

State Rep. Marc Gergely told the Daily News that he's against any name change. "The Mon Valley must continue to be more cohesive, from West Homestead to West Elizabeth," he told the News. Yes. Exactly.

. . .

Laughter may be the best medicine, and this story gave everyone in Pittsburgh another news article from McKeesport to laugh about. Jim and Randy of WDVE had a field day.

But we didn't need more people laughing at us. And those two councilors' comments sure didn't make anyone feel better, or solve any problems in the McKeesport area.

Come to think of it, those two White Oak councilmen hurt the reputation of the McKeesport Area School District. Maybe McKeesport should secede.