Community
History
Introduction
| Location
| Geography |
Climate |
Our Ancestors |
Our History
INTRODUCTION
The Midland Borough School District is the only school district
in Pennsylvania to bus its 9th through 12th grade students out-of-state
to attend and graduate from East Liverpool High School in Ohio.
Rising to the pinnacle of prosperity and national notoriety, then
falling into the depths of despair and depression not once but
twice. The first time was during the great depression of the 1930's,
the second, in the less talked about deconstructing of the American
steel industry of the 1980's. The only thing that saved Midland
Borough and the Midland Borough School District was its people.
Their character was forged in the same manner as was the iron
and steel in the mills in which they worked. Never say die and
never say quit, the same skill, knowledge, honesty, character
and pride that were built in their work ethic has led them once
again to share in the rewards of what has become "the best
school in Beaver County" Midland Elementary and Middle School.
This is the story of Midland Pennsylvania.
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LOCATION
Midland
Borough is located on the north banks of the Ohio River in Beaver
County which is situated on the Pennsylvania-Ohio border. Midland
is approximately 40 miles northwest of Pittsburgh and 2 miles
east of East Liverpool Ohio.
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GEOGRAPHY
The
terrain of our area is characterized by flat plains adjacent to
the Ohio River which slope gently upwards to form the rolling
hills of the western side of the Appalachian mountains. A true
"sylvan", the area is full of broad leave trees with
a wide variety of vegetation including stands of pine trees. Wildlife
is plentiful with large populations of eastern white-tailed deer,
rabbits, squirrels and other small animals including beavers.
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CLIMATE
Our
climate is affected slightly by our nearness to the Atlantic Ocean,
but more so by the Great Lakes, which are just 100 miles to the
north. Midland is approximately 40 degrees north latitude, 80
degrees west longitude. Our average January temperature is around
29 degrees and our average July temperature is 74 degrees. We
get between 30 and 40 inches of rain and snow a year and thunder-
storms are quite common during the spring and early summer months.
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OUR
ANCESTORS
For thousands of years Native American's thrived in Beaver County
including the area which is now Midland. The fertile land was excellent
for farming and the woods contained boundless game for hunting.
Three of the modern groups of natives were the Shawnee, Seneca and
Delaware. In 1752, George Washington came to the area to meet with
Queen Aliquippa, the Seneca leader of the local tribe of Delaware
natives. Queen Aliquippa settled several miles south of Midland
on the Ohio River. A local native group remains active today, hosting
a week long festival at the local Beaver County Community College
every fall.
Prior to 1905 the area where Midland now stands was inhabited by
settlers who moved into the area from Virginia. The early settlers
were of Scottish, English and German descent who settled on the
banks of the Ohio River. Many became farmers raising beef and dairy
cattle, sheep and crops including wheat and corn.
In the early 1900's as the Midland Steel Company grew, its demand
for more workers grew. This demand was meet by Italian and Slavic
immigrants. The Slavic immigrants were made up of large numbers
of Serbian people. Later, during World War II, a number of black
people came from the south to work in the mills and factories.
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MIDLAND
HISTORY
The
town of Midland started when a man by the name of T.K. Miller
purchased 1000 acres of farmland from J.A. Neel, Daniel Kaine
and the McCoy and Brucker families. Mr. Miller represented an
industrialist combine headquartered in Pittsburgh who were looking
for a site to build a blast furnace to produce iron.
By 1906 the Midland Steel Company of Midland Pennsylvania had
begun operations. Interestingly, although it was named Midland
Steel Company, it produced only iron. There are two theories of
how the company and town got its name. The first, is that it is
located "mid" way between Pittsburgh and Wheeling WV
on the Ohio River, the second is that it was named after a steel
producing region in England know as "Midlands". The
town of Midland developed to support the workers who came to work
in the new steel mill. Houses were built, stores and shops were
opened, churches and a school grew out of what once was four family
farms.
THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS - 1905 TO 1955
In 1911, the Midland Steel Company was bought by the Crucible
Steel Company of Pittsburgh to produce iron for its other plants.
One reason Crucible Steel found the Midland plant desirable was
because it was located directly on the Ohio River, which was needed
to transport coal from the coal mines to mill. At the time Crucible
Steel was the largest producer of specialty steel in the United
States.
The US Navy has a special award called the "E" award
which was given only to navy personnel for "Extraordinary
Effort". The "E" award is actually a navy-blue
colored flag with a single large E in the center. During World
War II, President Franklin Roosevelt honored Crucible Steel and
the people of Midland for their "Extraordinary Effort"
by presenting them the Navy "E" award, the FIRST time
in history that the award was given to anyone outside of the US
Navy. The flag flew high above the Crucible plant as evidence
to the community that it had served its country well. During those
years Crucible's blast furnace was producing over 1,000 tons of
iron a day.
THE NEXT FIFTY YEARS - 1956 TO 2000
In 1956, Crucible Steel greatly expanded its stainless steel producing
capability and upgraded all facets of its plant. These were good
times and Midland prospered and grew as a result. In 1968 Colt
Industries bought the Crucible Steel Company and continued expansion
until it was a completely integrated manufacturing unit, from
producing iron, to turning out finished stainless steel products.
It was the LARGEST integrated stainless steel producing plant
in the country and perhaps the world. In 1983, LTV Corporation
(Ling Tennco Vought) bought the Crucible Steel Plant from Colt
Industries. LTV Corporation was the parent company of the Jones
and Laughlin Steel Company (J&L). The plant was renamed LTV
Specialty Steel Products Company and it continued to manufacturer
stain-less steel. In 1986 the business was sold to a team of J&L
senior managers who renamed the business J&L Specialty Products
Corporation.
The relationship between the steel mill and the town of Midland
was one in which the borough and town's people did as well as
the steel mill. If the mill did well, the people did well. If
the mill did poorly the people did poorly. What the preceding
paragraph doesn't tell you is the pain and anguish suffered by
the people of Midland during the tumultuous years of the late
1970's through the early 1990's.
THE FALL - The late 1970's through the early 1990's.
Crucible Steel, Colt Industries, LTV Corp, J&L Specialty Products,
in a span of 18 years, the magnificent iron and steel producing
facility changed ownership no less than four times. With each
change in ownership employment fell. What was once the source
of several thousands well paying jobs was eventually reduced to
employing around 500 people. The decline in the steel industry
had many causes, staggering inflation, then recession and the
first world energy crisis and increasing tension in the middle-east.
When the steel industry looked to the government for help none
came. The result was that the steel companies chose to cut their
losses, close their plants and seek opportunities elsewhere.
It was a mass exodus, not only from Midland but from Beaver County
and adjacent areas as well, people emigrated as quickly as they
immigrated in the early 1900's. At one point in the early 1980's
Beaver County had the highest unemployment rate in the nation.
When the steel companies and workers left not only did they take
their families and belongings, they took their local tax dollars
as well. People weren't working so there was no money to buy houses
and in many cases food. The price of property and houses fell
in an effort to sell more of them. But when they were sold for
lower amounts it resulted in less property tax being collected,
and since few people were working little wage tax was being paid.
Property tax and wage tax, a major funding source not only for
the towns but for the school districts as well.
Midland Borough and Midland Borough School District suffered more
through these trying times because of their comparatively small
size. There were few economies-of-scale to spread the burden,
in fact the burden fell hard and it fell dead-center on the face
of Midland.
EFFECT ON THE MIDLAND BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
When people moved out Midland to seek employment elsewhere school
enrollment dropped drastically. Teachers had to be furloughed,
programs were eliminated and class sizes were increased. The remaining
teachers lacked supplies and teaching tools which resulted in
plunging test scores. For example, in 1994, when the first Pentium
computers were introduced Midland students were still using 8088
computers built in the early 1980's. Eventually even the schools'
physical condition was affected due to repeated repairs and patches,
because nothing new could be bought.
School taxes had to be increased by 40% giving Midland the highest
school tax rate in the Beaver County. Relations between the teacher
union and school board were poor. The school board lacking vision,
was in disarray and divided by in-fighting. The Midland School
District was bankrupt financially, educationally and spiritually.
HIGH SCHOOL CLOSES
In 1985, the school board voted to close Lincoln Jr-Sr High School.
With only 150 students in these grades they could no longer afford
to operate the school. Midland had only 420 students in grades
K through 12 making it the third smallest school district in the
state. Not only were the doors closed on the high school that
day, they were closed on a long and proud tradition. This school
was once held in high esteem for its academic and sports achievements.
In its gym played a proud 1965 Leopard basketball team led by
Simmy Hill. Not only did they win the state championship, they
are still touted today as the "best high school basketball
team in history of the state". It was certainly a bitter
pill to swallow.
THE FIRST TUITION AGGREEMENT
After two failed attempts at merging with neighboring Western
Beaver School District, the first as early as 1965, and the second
in 1985, the Midland School Board joined a handful of other school
districts in Pennsylvania by entering into a tuition agreement
with a nearby school district. Midland School Board entered into
a 5 year tuition agreement with Beaver Area School District. The
tuition agreement would be in effect for the school years 1985
through and including 1990. Midland would bus their 9th through
12th grade students to Beaver High School 11 miles south of Midland.
BEAVER SCHOOL DISTRICT DOES NOT RENEW TUITION AGREEMENT
In 1989 the Beaver School District decided not to renew or attempt
to negotiate a second tuition agreement with the Midland school
board. As it turned out, many people in Beaver were not in favor
of the first tuition agreement with Midland. In fact 7 of the
9 school board members who voted in favor of the 1st agreement
were voted out of office by the time the agreement expired. Several
theories exist as to why a new agreement was not offered. Some
teachers and residents disliked the former superintendent who
made the original deal with Midland. Some Beaver residents believed
the district would grow because of the opening of the new Pittsburgh
International Airport. This might require construction of new,
larger schools unless they got rid of the Midland Students. And
lastly, some residents believed Midland was not paying enough
tuition to offset the cost of wear and tear on the school facilities.
Midland was paying $200,000.00 a year tuition.
Another factor was also at work here that affected the relationship
of the two school districts and their residents, cultural differences.
Beaver was a much more affluent town where 1 mill of real estate
tax generates about $158,000, in Midland 1 mill of real estate
tax generates just $25,000. In Beaver 10.2 percent of students
are on the free or reduced price lunch program. In Midland 68%
of the students are on the free or reduced price lunch program.
In Beaver 1% of the student population is black, in Midland 40%
of the student population is black. That being said, the Midland
students never felt welcome at Beaver. Alienated, they felt that
they were not part of the school let alone the community.
SECOND TUTION AGREEMENT ALTERNATIVES
With the Beaver School District choosing not to renew it contract
with Midland, the Board entertained offers from three other districts.
Western Beaver School District offered a one year tuition agreement.
Aliquippa School District offered a tuition agreement with future
options to merge. East Liverpool offered a 10 year tuition agreement.
The Midland Board of Education rejected the Western Beaver offer
because of the lack of the security of a long term relationship.
The Board also declined the Aliquippa proposal partly because
of the lack of a secure long-term relationship and on the believe
that Aliquippa was lacking in resources, such as the physical
condition of its high school, Also, Aliquippa is located approximately
15 miles from Midland we was seen as a negative feature for the
bussing of students. The Board felt that Aliquippa's own future
would mirror Midland's past. Aliquippa had lost the majority of
its tax base when their major employer closed in 1981. Aliquippa
also has seen drastic decline in student population, losing over
2000 students in 25 years.
The Board had hoped for a merger proposal from Western Beaver.
Western Beaver had offered a tuition agreement with Midland in
1985 but Beaver Area was able to provide a financial incentive
that would help bring Midland's district out of an excessive deficit.
The one year deal offered in 1994 proved to be unacceptable and
controversial. Some Western Beaver Board Members resigned or refused
to seek reelection because of their district's inability to gain
a merger. Western Beaver had also seen a decline in enrollment
and was also in need of a larger funding source. The outcome of
the meeting to decide on a merger resulted in a vote of 5 members
against and 4 in favor. (9 member boards in Pennsylvania)
MIDLAND STUDENTS TO GO OUT-OF-STATE
Of all the neighboring school districts that the Midland board
approached concerning a tuition agreement, the only positive response
they got was from East Liverpool Ohio. The two boards worked out
a 5 year agreement beginning in the 1993-94 school year, thus
making Midland students the only students in the state of Pennsylvania
to earn their high school diplomas in another state.
East Liverpool City School District is located only 2 miles from
the Midland Borough line. The high school is located 6.5 miles
from the Borough boundaries or a 15 minute bus ride. East Liverpool
has a fairly modern facility that houses 1200 students in 3 buildings
on a 12 acre campus. Enrollment in East Liverpool has steadily,
but mildly declined. This district offers 151 course selections,
extensive extra-curricular programs, and an on campus Vocational-Technical
Program.
The Midland students who attend East Liverpool High School are
happy, well adjusted, and have been accepted by the Ohio students
and their community. The Midland students have consistently out
scored their fellow Ohio students on the Ohio aptitude test. Midland
Students also take the Pennsylvania aptitude tests. So pleased
have the two communities been with the tuition agreement, that
they entered into a 10 year agreement extension last year.
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