Hit By The Bus ...

The cost of regular bus service (excluding SPED) will be almost $1.3 million in FY '11.

The State requires that the Schools provide free bus transportation to students in grades K-6 who live more than two miles from the school.   It also provides that each student's bus stop must be within 1 mile of their house. (See MGL 71:68)

There is no requirement to provide free bus service for grades 7-12.

Given the condition of the roads and the lack of sidewalks in Sandwich, it is neither safe nor practical to expect every kid to walk to school.  But given the budget situation the Town is facing, I would suspect a reduction in transportation, or at least a reduction in FREE transportation is unavoidable.

Some options:

Is this a Life Lesson ? (A Guest Column by Agent X)

Panhandle - verb; to stop people on the street and ask for food or money : beg; to accost on the street and beg from to get by

It's Fall in Sandwich. That means that you can't enter a Hess, Dunkin Donuts, the Dump, the Post Office or any other business in town without somebody in a uniform jersey with a coffee can accosting you for a buck.

I wonder why the homeless who frequent the Hyannis Noah Shelter don't just throw on a team jersey and hit the streets of Sandwich?

Isn't panhandling illegal?

Is begging a life skill or just something we hope the kids will grow out of?

(Contributor asked to remain nameless --- for obvious reasons!)

A Rose by Any Other Name?

I have had several messages from folks this week asking if I had noticed that many of our favorite dump guys (I mean, Transfer Station Attendents)  seem to be working undercover -- their trademark Flourescent t-shirts replaced by civilian duds!

Could it be that all this talk of budget cuts and "Pay as You Throw" has focussed more attention on the fact that there are more people on duty at the dump each day than the Fire Department?

Are all of these people getting paranoid -- are we actually camoflaging the staff?  Or, are we really using undercover operatives to guard the scrap metal piles?

Maybe we should be re-directing the dump-cam  to keep an eye on the situation?

The Joke's on us ...

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.

Will Rogers, quoted in Saturday Review, Aug. 25, 1962

It's always interesting watching the traffic numbers for this site -- very shortly, we will be showing 15,000 hits since July. Not Boston.com -- but I think I made $28.00 from Google ads! (That's $8 more than a subpoena fee -- and I don't need to wear a tie!)

The response to the online petition drive was underwhelming.  The concept of people putting their names to their opinions just hasn't been fully embraced yet!  The organizers have asked me to take down the link until they re-tool.  That's fine -- if anybody else has a survey/petition they want to try,  send me a link and the NPTA "Editorial Board" will consider it!

I'm still amused about the concern over who "sponsored" the petition -- the petition is sponsored by the people who signed it.  There were 3 statements, sign if you agree, don't sign if you don't agree --- no need to over-think it!  The story is the signers -- not the sponsors !  (I was skeptical about the sponsors being anonymous -- but seeing how crazy it made some people -- I guess they made the right choice!)

The School Committee will be dropping by the High School for a  meeting next Wednesday night.  But, if you would like to share your thoughts with them individually, each member's email address is now listed on the School District's website.

If you are chatting with the Committee, you may want to mention that the Selectmen have been discussing a $2.25 million deficit next year (just in case they don't read The Enterprise -- although I WOULD agree with them on THAT point!) .  Of that amount, approximately $1.5 million relates to the school budget.  Given the fact that the school payroll goes up almost $1 million per year, plus utilities, transportation, LEGAL COSTS, etc ... It would appear that they are looking at a fairly decent sized financial pothole on their highway to excellence.

Pleeeeease tell me there's a Plan.  

Pleeeeeease Don't tell us ya gut nuthin' .... Again.

The Halifax Rule ...

When I was a kid, we used to have what we called "The Halifax Rule" -- the premise being that anything repeated multiple times on Nana's porch in Halifax must be true ... no matter how outlandish it may have seemed.

Last year, we had a similar phenomenon at School Committee meetings when a particularly ill-informed citizen used to get in front of the camera and ramble on about lists of numbers of which she had absolutely no understanding -- nor to the best of our understanding, had she ever made any effort to get an explanation. (For our amusement, when she was off-camera, she also used to heckle the Committee, make faces, and generally act like a third grader in need of medication.)

The problem was, she chanted her nonsense so often that she appeared to be credible.  While anybody who knew what was going on laughed at her -- those who weren't paying attention assumed she knew what she was talking about. Their mistake!

I have no tolerance for people who claim to represent the public but make no effort to gain an understanding of the issues involved and who see meetings only as a chance to play for the camera.

The goal of this space is to present what I believe to be the facts and to attempt to resolve the misinformation and clarify the rumors which swirl around Town like flies on ... well, you know. Readers may not agree with me -- that's fine. But the huge number of good people I have worked with over the past few years know that I've got no axe to grind -- except with the uneducated, misinformed malcontents who threaten to harm my kids' educations, ruin my property value, or waste my tax dollars in order to protect their own self-interests.

THAT is why some anonymous comments submitted to this site have begun to dissappear into that data abyss reserved for emails containing the phrases "Nigerian Lottery" and "male enhancement".  I'm not going to help perpetuate lies, rumors, and deliberate misstatements by publishing them to be read by the 6 people who read this site regularly (OK, "6" is an understatement -- the numbers are good!)

An argument should certainly be made that public debate requires that  all opinions be heard.  The reality is all opinions can be heard -- any idiot can start a blog (Go ahead, say it!).  But, nowhere does it say anybody is required to support the dissemination of undocumented rumors, or deliberate misinformation.

One last point:

The members of the school committee are unpaid volunteers (contrary to the lie widely told by members of a certain local sports organization with big balls) who were legally and fairly elected by the voters.  I may disagree with some of their choices -- but that's fine ... they may even disagree with mine (?).  They are, however, the choice of a majority of the people who showed up to vote.

It's irrelevent WHAT motivated those voters to show up (Ironically, over the past two years, they have voted in some folks who never bothered to vote themselves!)  --- the fact is they showed up!

I do have a huge problem with those who did not bother to invest 10 minutes in improving their town.  They certainly have the right not to vote ... but I certainly have the right to ignore their comments.

Down the Rabbit Hole ... (From Bob Guerin ...)

According the Sandwich Enterprise, the Superintendent’s decision to join  the School Choice Program has generated $150,000 in new revenue for the Town in 2 years.

Free Money!

According to the Enterprise, families in other towns value our Superintendent's curriculum, including ELA and Everyday Math.

So, in addition to running our schools, Dr. Johnson has devised a way to have roughly one half of her current salary paid by other towns over the past two years.

What do you do with an employee like that?

I know…. fire her.

Ethical Scorecard ?

There's been much criticism focussed on the prior School Committee Chairman's failure to properly post the meeting where the Superintendent's contract was voted. 

Despite the fact that the continued meeting was announced 46 hours in advance during a posted public meeting, was widely publicized on local cable, the local paper, and on a large sign in the High School lobby, it was not posted on the bulletin board in the Clerk's Office 48 hours in advance -- as apparently required by law.

While I am not aware of any huge multitude of citizens that trek to the Town Hall Annex on a daily basis to check for possible meetings to attend, the strict letter of the law was not met -- regardless of whether the spirit of the law was.  Although the Committee unanimously voted to continue the meeting, the Former Chairman deserves a kick in the ass for not double-checking the posting requirement for "Continued" meetings.

(Kicking self in ass now)

OK, so besides choosing to disregard the portion of Open Meeting Law requiring a judge's ruling to vacate a contract (thereby opening the Town up to potential litigation exposure),  how has the new Committee fared in their other ethical challenges since the election?

1) Kangas announced at her swearing in ceremony that they had already picked their new Chairman.  Maybe not a violation of the letter of the law because her discussion with her new colleagues took place before she was sworn in (BUT probably after she was elected).  This was, however, certainly a violation of the spirit of the law which requires open public discussion of all Committee business. 

The longer the fiddling goes on, the bigger the fire is getting!

It was announced at the Selectmen's meeting tonight that, based upon the advice of their counsel,  the School Committee has now decided to refer the Superintendent's contract fiasco to the Attorney General's Office for review.

When was this decided?

This wasn't discussed at the last public meeting.  Was there a special meeting called?  Was a vote taken or did the Chairman just act unilaterally?  (I would have acted unilaterally -- but I probably would have been criticized for not consulting the entire Committee!)

That's not my biggest concern.

I am concerned because the law clearly states that, despite a potential OML violation,  only a judge can invalidate an otherwise valid contract AND that any action to invalidate a contract must be brought within 21 days.  So, why keep wasting time with another non-judicial review?

But, it was also noted at tonight's meeting that the Superintendent's own counsel was now involved and Town Counsel had been updated on the situation.  THAT should be setting off some alarm bells in SOMEBODY'S head!

Seen this AM on another blog

"I love this town, but I fear the school district is being taken over by Bears of Very Little Brain, and this in a critical budget year."

Great quote.

Bulletin

Due to concerns related to Security (and possibly good taste) the Sandwich PD has requested that the planned "Mooning" of Air Force One as it flies over Jody Lane later this morning be cancelled.


Just passing this on as a public service ...

Seller's market for superintendents

I received the below comments this  morning from an Anonymous Poster.  I thought they were good -- they also don't appear to be written by One of the Usual Suspects -- so I bumped them up to the top where they are more likely to be seen.

From Anonymous:

Since there continues to be much speculation about Dr. Johnson's salary, I am copying some information I've posted on another blog recently. My original concern was about the pool of talent available to Sandwich should we begin a new superintendent search. What I found was that there absolutely is a shortage of qualified superintendent candidates. Don't take my word for it. Simply google those key words and take a look at the articles that appear. 

In one article called "Seller's market for superintendents complicates search for school leaders", the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents explains that searches yield about 20 candidates, but only a small number come with strong credentials. About 60 of the commonwealth's 277 (about 22%) superintendents turn over each year. The job has become increasingly complex and demanding in a state with a highly regulated education system. 

What's more, in light of this shortage, districts who have the ability to pay are offering attractive compensation packages with added perks to lure the best candidates. I don't think Sandwich falls in this category. Add to the mix the acrimonious atmosphere in Sandwich right now, plus Dr. Johnson's contract in legal limbo, and I don't like our chances.

Great Quotes

Somebody brought up rationalizing other people's decisions recently. This quote sprang to mind. Given that I can't usually remember where my car keys are, I'm amazed I remember it!

Michael: I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex.

Sam Weber: Ah, come on. Nothing's more important than sex.

Michael: Oh yeah? Ever gone a week without a rationalization?

 

The Big Chill, 1983 (Feel old?)

I hate to drop some facts on the latest rumor campaign ...

I received a post from somebody inferring that Bob Guerin had re-written the Supt's contract so that she would receive a substantial raise. That is completely untrue. The contract extension was done a year after Guerin left the Committee and includes no provision for any pay increase.

The Supt gave up her raise in FY '10 and probably in FY '11 (that was added onto the now-disputed contract extension). There was also no raise specified for FY '12 or FY '13 in the contract extension -- that was left to the new committee to decide.

The original contract did allow for an unspecified incentive bonus at the discretion of the School Committee -- but given the state of the school budget, no bonus was ever approved.

The contract also allowed the Committee to buy-back unused vacation time -- which it did at a cost of approximately $10,000.  This expense related to FY '09 but apparently was not encumbered at that time so it was recognized as an FY '10 expense.  The vacation buy-back was also widely discussed in the local press and should not come as a surprise to anyone.

The contract has always been a public document and was also thoroughly dissected by the local "media" when it was signed.

What the poster may have been referring to is funds that Sherry Marshall, the current SC Chair agreed to encumber, presumably for the Supt's Grant Administration work (which is not mentioned in any contract) during FY '10. I assume this will be discussed and voted at the next SC meeting on September 1.

This discussion, however, has nothing to do with prior committees or re-writing contracts. This is up to the current committee.

Things That Work vs. Things That Sound Good ...

I heard somebody criticize the letter in today's Cape Cod Times supporting the Superintendent because it

"seals the fate of ending the "Conference Committee," which currently is the only means of communication between the SC and the BOS since apparently the time old tradition of tri-board meetings is now obsolete due to the mind set of many town leaders as that being a waste of time."

I was one of the many who believed the old Tri-Board meetings were a colossal waste of time.  They were also not much of a "tradition" -- only 2 were held in my 4 years on the Board.  The first one was hosted by the FinCom -- it was really sort of an "almost Tri-Board Meeting" because there weren't enough seats and half the School Committee sat in the audience.

Months later, a second meeting was hosted by the school committee -- it consisted of 23 people (7 SC, 5 BOS, 9 FinCom, Supt & Town Mgr) sitting in a semi-circle repeating the phrases "think outside the box", "roll up our sleeves", "working together", "community input" and the words "communication", "challenging", "transparency", and "budget" -- in various and random sequences.  At the end of the meeting, we all shook hands and went home to watch CSI.

There was little discussion of controlling labor costs, there was little discussion of realistic contracts or controlling any specific operating costs.  If you can find the meeting video, its more painful than watching the Historical  Commission or the Planning Board (Sorry, Dan!).  Even back in "The Good Olde Days" there were several elected officials who were clueless about the realities of budget issues -- but they certainly never let that get in the way of making long-winded comments.

OK, I'm being cynical.

(New Bedford) Management, teachers union remain worlds apart

Just to prove I am one of those folks that believes there really is a world on the other side of THE Canal, I'm including an interesting article from this morning's NBST re: discussions with their local school union.

From Jack Spillane column in New Bedford Standard Times 8/12/2010:

How afraid is Superintendent Mary Louise Francis of the New Bedford teachers union?

Very afraid.

How afraid is the New Bedford political establishment?

Terrified.

The silence from the movers and shakers in this city in the wake of the New Bedford Educators Association's outrageous vote against accepting a one-year wage freeze — a vote that resulted in the layoffs of more than 100 teachers and class sizes as large as 40 pupils — has torn back the veil on the way unions function in New Bedford government.

The only elected official of stature who has expressed any level of outrage at the teachers' selfish attitude — and that was milquetoast — was Mayor Scott Lang.

"I'm not surprised by it, but I also think that it is, again, penny wise and pound foolish from an educational standpoint," he said.

Before you ask me for an override...

The current economic climate does not bode well for an override -- either capital or operating.  There certainly may be some legitimate reasons to ask -- BUT the fact is that too many people have seen their incomes diminished with no related decrease in living expenses.

Before anybody asks me for more of my money, I would like to see:

1)  A Plan -- If we know that municipal expenses are climbing faster than the related tax revenue, what are we doing about it?  Wage freezes are helpful (and appreciated), but long-term, we need to expect a serious reduction in services.  What services are going to be reduced?  What services would my tax increase preserve?

2)  Realistic labor contracts -- the biggest expenses we face are labor-related costs.  We have no choice but to reduce headcount.  Whose heads would my tax increase preserve?  (I would be far more willing to save the heads of the folks who have been trying to solve the problem.)  Like the private sector, we will likely lose some good employees to better-paying towns.  It's unavoidable.

3) More consolidation & cooperation -- what services can we share with other Towns?  Why can't we share Building Inspectors, or Dog Catchers with Bourne or Mashpee?  Why don't we have a centralized maintenance facility that would maintain & repair all town-owned vehicles -- Police, DPW, Fire, Schools, etc.? 

One more Time ...

UPDATE ---- South Hadley case was decided in May, 2011 (see local news article here).  the key quote is

"Although (Judge) McDonald agreed that the Feb. 28, 2010 session violated the open meeting law, he wrote that he could not invalidate the contract vote because it fell outside the strict deadline for filing complaints."


Original Blog Entry:

This is the final entry concerning the wording of MGL 39-23.  There seems to be much confusion  over how a "nullified" meeting can produce a valid contract. 

The bottom line is that it appears a DA can declare a meeting invalid BUT that a complaint must be filed with the court within 21 days for a judge's order to void a contract.  It also says a judge MAY issue an order -- not "will", "shall", or "must".

An inquiry WAS submitted to the DA, but no complaint has EVER been filed with the court.

This is what the law says (see http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/39-23b.htm)

"Upon proof of failure by any governmental body or by any member or officer thereof to carry out any of the provisions for public notice or meetings, for holding open meetings, or for maintaining public records thereof, any JUSTICE of the supreme judicial court or the superior court sitting within and for the county in which such governmental body acts shall issue an appropriate order requiring such governmental body or member or officer thereof to carry out such provisions at FUTURE meetings. Such order may be sought by complaint of three or more registered voters, by the attorney general, or by the district attorney of the county in which the city or town is located. The order of notice on the complaint shall be returnable no later than ten days after the filing thereof and the complaint shall be heard and determined on the return day or on such day thereafter as the court shall fix, having regard to the speediest possible determination of the cause consistent with the rights of the parties; provided, however, that orders with respect to any of the matters referred to in this section may be issued at any time on or after the filing of the complaint without notice when such order is necessary to fulfill the purposes of this section. In the hearing of such complaints the burden shall be on the respondent to show by a preponderance of the evidence that the action complained of in such complaint was in accordance with and authorized by section eleven A 1/2 of chapter thirty A, by section nine G of chapter thirty-four or by this section. All processes may be issued from the clerk's office in the county in which the action is brought and, except as aforesaid, shall be returnable as the court orders. 

Such order MAY invalidate any action taken at any meeting at which any provision of this section has been violated, PROVIDED that such complaint is filed within TWENTY-ONE days of the date when such action is made public."

(Nobody seems to get this  -- the first guy is defusing a bomb.  The second guy is sneaking up behind him to pop a paper bag behind him.  I know nothing is funny if it needs to be explained -- but, I thought this was funny, Damn it!)

This would be funny if it wasn't so serious ...

Replays of School Committee Meetings are available online at www.sandwichtv.org

Letter to the Editor (From Bob Guerin)

This letter was sent to the Cape Cod Times by 7 current and former School Committee members, including 3 former Committee Chairs.

To the Cape Cod Times:

Your editorial of last Saturday, (Time to Move On) regarding the superintendent of the Sandwich public schools was as ridiculous as it was misleading.

To claim that when 16% of voters go to the polls, and less than 9% elect critics of the Superintendent, that a “mandate” for change was “loud” and “clear” is silly and unsupportable.

While we agree that a court fight would be messy, expensive and unnecessary; we believe Dr. Johnson does and should have a right to file claims to defend her contractual rights and her good name. In fact, we find the Superintendents’ claim to have a valid contract reasonable, fact-based and compelling.

We believe that the Cape and Islands' District Attorney's office never opined on the validity of Dr. Johnson’s contract but instead expressed an opinion as to the status of Open Meeting laws.

Likewise, we understand that the town's attorney said that the open meeting law may have been broken but, like the District Attorney, did not express an opinion on the validity of the voted and executed contact.

Your editorial suggested that an individual (the Superintendent) loses or should relinquish their rights under contract law if “schools would be deeply wounded.” We ask: since when? And: why? Apparently, the editorial board of the Times thinks it is right and proper to deny certain select individuals rights and remedies granted to them by our constitution – we disagree.

Lastly, you ask “what about her commitment to the kids?” Our answer: Dr. Johnson is a great Superintendent and despite lots of politically motivated nonsense has always remained focused on what’s best for our schools and our kids.

Robert Guerin, former Chairman Sandwich School Committee

Robert Simmons, former Chairman Sandwich School Committee

Dana Barrette, former Chairman Sandwich School Committee
Trish Lubold, former member Sandwich School Committee
Aleta Barton, former member Sandwich School Committee
Shaun Cahill, member Sandwich School Committee
Andrea Killion member Sandwich School Committee
Barbara Susko, member Sandwich School Committee

Not all opinions are created equal

Anon 3:13 -- your point is well taken, Anon 4:07 has been removed.  That poster probably went overboard.

The issue of anonymous postings is a wide-spread problem on every blog.  On the one hand, you want to encourage people who may have first-hand knowledge to share their information without fear of recriminations. 

On the other hand, you don't want to make it easier for every whacko with a keyboard to spread misinformation -- either intentionally or unintentionally.

I've made my opinions very clear --- and my name is attached to every comment I make.  I think my past experience of 4 years on the School Committee, my experience as a father of 4 kids in the Sandwich Schools,  and my 25+ years of financial management experience, give me at least a little credibility in my comments.  It doesn't matter if you agree with me -- you know its my opinion and you are always free to ignore my comments and spend your time reviewing the '"quality" journalism provided by local media outlets.  ("A non-endangered bird spent the night away from its nest on the 4th of July, blah, blah, blah ..." Remember that story on July 5?)  

Teachers fight for Viagra drug coverage

I read this story in the Cape Cod Times and asked myself WWRHD? (What Would Randy Hunt Do?).  This article is not about Sandwich -- but it is certainly amusing from a budgetary/union perspective -- "Fire my union brothers & sisters -- just don't cut-off my Viagra!"

I'm having a hard time not adding an inappropriate comment ...

BS

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

August 06, 2010   MADISON, Wis - With the district in a financial crisis and hundreds of its members facing layoffs, the Milwaukee teachers union is taking a peculiar stand: fighting to get its taxpayer-funded Viagra back.

The union has asked a judge to order the school board to again include Pfizer Inc.'s erectile dysfunction drug and similar pills in its health insurance plans.

(Continued)

Want to Become a Suicide Bomber ? (Start talking about Field Usage Fees !!)

There are just not enough virgins in Barnstable County!! 

Jonas Salk was an American Researcher known for his discovery of a vaccine for polio in the 50's. Fortunately, he never joined a School Committee and had to deal escalating costs and stagnant revenue -- otherwise he might have been known to history only as "That Son of a Bitch who tried to charge us to Play Soccer"!

The Sandwich Public School budget includes tax dollars to maintain gyms and athletic fields for their own use as well as the use of various non-school community recreation programs.  These are dollars that could otherwise be used for any school-related operating cost (ie. teachers, books, computers, etc.).

I am not under any illusion that the School Department does a great job  job manicuring the turf.  There are no putting greens on school property.  BUT ... they do use tax dollars to maintain the facilities to a level generally acceptable for school use (excluding the running track!).

If a non-school group wants to use the facilities, they should pay the related costs of that usage  -- just as they would have to pay to use the facilities in neighboring towns.  The School Committee made an effort to recover these costs and were met by venemous opposition from the small minority of people that benefit fom the school subsidy of their activities --- and, unfortunately, no reaction from the other parents and  taxpayers who were effectively paying that subsidy.

Cape Cod Times ... an important part of everyone's day ...

if you're a fisherman ...

Or, raising a puppy ...

Usually I write my entry before the comments start. This time I put the picture up first and am adding my $.02 AFTER the comments have started.

If Dr. J walked across the top of the Community School Pool, Brennan's headline would be "Johnson Can't Swim ... and she doesn't have a pool membership!"

A commenter below was concerned that the above graphic was "degrading" to the Cape Cod Times!

I would offer that today's editorial was degrading to the CCT, its readers, Sandwich taxpayers, Dr. Johnson, and members of the past School Committee.  My concern for the "feelings" of the Cape Cod Times ?  Not so much.  I am sure the anonymous poster's concern was related to the name is on the top of his paycheck.

Today's editorial was a piece of garbage -- as was the one on Election Day. The Supt's contract wasn't rushed through.  One of the terms of the original contract was that it had to be renewed by June 30 of THIS year to be in effect at June 30 of NEXT year.

Do you really think somebody whose only School Committee experience is MAYBE watching local cable or MAYBE reading the local paper would have a better perspective than the members of the sitting committee who had been working with the Superintendent for two years? 

So, have you been impressed with the new members abilities and experience so far?

I don't know what the CCT's problem is with Dr. Johnson, or even the town of Sandwich (July 5 news coverage -- "Non-Endangered Bird Leaves Nest for Evening due to activity on a private beach on other side of canal after Sandwich BOS refuse to close beach and make everybody sit quietly." What pea-brained reporter watched the bird all night? Did it have a curfew?  What editor thought a bird out past curfew was newsworthy?  Were any Barnstable birds out late that night?).  It's become so blatant, I don't even care why anymore.

The SEA leadership has gone to much effort to brag about their ability to generate negative press on demand.   Has the legacy of Woodward and Bernstein evolved into "Woodward and Patsy"?

Blood From a Stone / Municipal Budget Discussions

The Selectmen have been having a very useful set of discussions for the past several weeks outlining the major components of our current municipal budget "situation".  (Copies of the Town Manager's presentations can be seen here).

If you really have a high tolerance for pain, you can also check out the streaming video of the actual BOS meetings online at by clicking here.

The gloves are off!

Despite several warnings, the School Committee missed another opportunity to avoid a lawsuit last night when they refused to have a rational discussion about the Superintendent's contract.

Did they really think the matter would just go away?

Does Linnehan think anybody cares that she isn't interested in changing her vote, or does Crossman really think anybody cares about her "anonymous sources" ? 

I suspect we will see that there is already a contract in place.

There was a strange discussion last night about Dr. Johnson's credentials -- specifically whether her PhD from Columbia University was real.  Apparently, Crossman & Kangas summoned her to a meeting with instructions to bring her diploma.  Huh?  Overlooking the fact that I doubt Kangas would recognize a college diploma, did they really think her credentials weren't checked when she was hired?  School Committee members got copies of all her academic records and licenses when she was hired three years ago.

This is similar to several inane discussions the Committee sat through last year when Linnehan questioned the existence of her Massachusetts Superintendent's license.

Just a hunch (call me paranoid), but could this nonsense have anything to do with the fact that one of the first things the Superintendent did when she took over was to investigate an inquiry about the validity of the teaching credentials of several members of the teaching faculty?  Could the fact that several staff members were transferred, replaced, or forced to seek updated certification for their existng positions have triggered this little charade?

I am sure its just a coincidence.

Override? I don’t think so.

From Bob Guerin:

At last night’s meeting the $30,000 “gift” to the Community School was discussed but not voted on.

According to Ms. Marshal and the Superintendent the gift will be funded from the school’s rental fee revolving account.

According to Ms. Marshal this means the moneys don’t actually “come from the operating budget.”

Three points:

First, Town Meeting approved and restricted the use of the rental fee revolving account proceeds and gifts to the Community School are NOT an approved use. The transfer contemplated is simply not permissible.

Second, Ms. Marshal must know that she’s considering moving moneys from different pockets on the same pair of pants! OF COURSE the transfer would impact the operating budget! The maintenance costs the fee account is to pay for haven’t disappeared just because somebody wants to transfer maintenance account moneys to the Community School.

Lastly – for those of you tracking the override discussion: Last night’s school committee meeting revealed $30,000 unspent in the usage fee account, $130,000 planned savings in print costs and $350,000 planned savings in Special Ed costs (minimum). That’s roughly $500,000 in overages or savings for the coming year’s budget.

Override? I don’t think so.

What is Missing on the School Committee (besides common sense)

Ears.

Several members don't seem to hear anything that other people say.  They are so intent on reading their pre-written "talking points" that they don't even notice that their "questions" had already been clearly addressed.

What's worse is that their "questions" don't seem to end with question marks -- they sound more like rambling soundbites which usually include a varied collection of very sincere-sounding, but generally meaningless phrases.

Tonight's meeting was painful.  I have sat through more entertaining root canals.  I have never seen so much time spent saying or accomplishing so little.

They still couldn't even agree on the minutes of the June 16 meeting.  Strangely, it seems the names of many of the Superintendent's supporters who spoke out at Public Forum may have disappeared from the latest version of the minutes.  Ironically, an earlier version of the minutes may have included numerous member comments about the Superintendent's contract which nobody remembered actually hearing.  Those might be interesting minutes to compare to the video -- if the minutes ever get released!

The Best line of the night may have been from Mrs. Killion who pointed out that they had spent far more time discussing -- but not voting on --  a new consolidated copier/printer contract (that would greatly reduce costs) than they did discussing the Superintendent's contract!

The other classic exchange came from Teacher/Parent/Taxpayer Maureen Wiklund who made it clear she was tired of being ignored by certain members who chose to shuffle papers rather than listen to the members of the public who came up to speak to them.

The funniest line of the night (other than any time Linehan said "I understand") was from Kangas who again claimed she may not have violated Open Meeting Law because nobody responded to her illegal email.  Suprisingly, she apparently STILL hasn't read the AG's Guide to Open Meetings (Page 2) which says:

E-mail exchanges between or among a quorum of members of a public body discussing matters within the body’s jurisdiction may constitute deliberation, even where the sender of the email does not ask for a response from the recipients."

No words of wisdom on the budget outlook yet. The Superintendent invited the Town Manager to the next Committee meeting to try to explain the budgetary facts of life to them. (Bud --- talk slow, use small words and lots of pictures!). BUT -- the next meeting isnt scheduled until September.

blah, blah, blah ...

Community School - Bob Guerin Guest Commentary

Hey! I am a taxpayer - give me a break!

The Broadsider reports that the School Committee will consider giving the Community School $30,000 at tonight's meeting.

As a taxpayer, parent and former School Committee member, this proposal leaves me wondering........

In a budget year where staff was cut from our schools, is this gift giving really a priority?

The Assistant Super was terminated because our schools lacked funds, right? This issue is in litigation, right?

And, facing a budget deficit in the coming year of $2 million, this give away is the best course of action, right?

I tell you what this tells me as a taxpayer: The schools have plenty of money, perhaps too much, and they're well staffed, well supplied and have extra cash floating around at year end.

Or, worse yet, somebody's pandering to the Community School and its supporters, including the former Community School Counsel members sitting on the current School Committee. Anyone else see Conflict of Interests in this vote?

Anyone looking for evidence of why the schools do NOT need an override don't have to look further than this $30,000 give away.

Me? - I'd make a motion and vote to return $30,000 to the Town's general fund and give all taxpayers a break!

Searching for Searchers?

The agenda for this Wednesday's School Committee Meeting is now available online.

It's a semi-amusing laundry list of most of the issues I have been rambling about for the past few weeks.  Maybe somebody does read blogs?

It's interesting because they have a discussion of the Superintendent's Contract and a separate  discussion about the Superintendent Search process.  Does the inclusion of that  latter topic seem to give an indication of how discussion of the former will go?  (Although I am sure it will be spontaneous and non-rehearsed nonetheless!)

Overlooking the fact that I suspect the Superintendent already has a contract -- which the Committee may ignore at their own legal peril, the Superintendent Search discussion should be interesting.  Hopefully, the Committee has learned its collective lesson and realized that they have no experience hiring the leader of a $30 million organization without utilizing experienced professional help.  The experience of hiring somebody to wallpaper your living room is not comparable to the experience needed to hire a Superintendent of Schools.

Friendly and well-meaning volunteers certainly have their place -- but deciding who will supervise a $30 million education budget, 500 employees, and 4,000 students ain't that place!