Has Chairwoman Marshall given an answer to when the full committee met and decided to ask the A.G. office opinion regarding Dr. J's contract? Have they violated OML again? Why didn't the school attorney counsel them to file within 21 days of the Barnstable D.A. opinion? Why didn't the counsel advise them they missed the dealine so the only options left are Breach of contract and possible defamation suit.
or Buy out the remaining years on Dr. J. contract.
Who is the school attorney anyways?
Maybe the school attorney should be fired first instead of the super.
I don't think this leadership of the School Committee can handle the conflicts and issues before them. It does seem that school council is not acting in the best interest of the district or the town. I don't understand who's interest he is acting on behalf of.
I guess giving the leadership of the SC what they want is more important then sound legal advise. He can always blame them. The longer this fiasco goes on, the more money he and his company makes.
Isn't that a piece of all this craziness. Who really wants to resolve it in a timely manner. SC members don't pay for the legal costs they rack up. The school attorney has taken no oath to act in the best insterest of the town. It is so easy to spend someone else's money. In this case education dollars and taxpayer's hard earned money.
Anon 8:24 Your point on the attorney fees is so on the mark. I will do some research and find out how long he has worked for Sandwich and how much money this attorney has made from our school district. I'll let you all know when i get the answers.
(I.) Look at the School Budgets for the past 5 – 10 years and focus on the legal expense line item. What you will see is the staggering cost of negotiating very confrontational union contracts. Soon (this year and next) you will see the added costs of what I will politely call Leadership Change; including the costs of removing the Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent. Every dollar spent here is a dollar not spent on education. The rate of growth here should alarm everyone. (II.) Not only is the current School Committee not prepared to argue for an override, they’re not prepared to manage a budget without an override. The lack of focus on budgets and finances by the current Board is alarming. And, the lack of financial know-how on the Board is troubling. More concerning to me is the fact that the recently hired Business Manger has demonstrated no leadership or vision. She is at best a well qualified book keeper merely presenting numbers. She is either unable or unwilling to express an opinion as to the meaning or significance of the numbers she reports – including staggering line item deficits. (II.) Put aside all of the Community School Pool and janitorial cost sharing and cost recapture nonsense and read the Community Schools’ own financial reports. The Community School looses a ton of money every year. When is somebody going to ask the question how and why is this organization still in business? If your expenses do not equal your revenues than someone has to be making up the difference. Why the heck isn’t the Finance Committee all over this fiscal house of cards? (III.) Its time for the Superintendent to hire an attorney and sue the pants off the district – probably for millions. And, it’s time for the School Committee to select a professional search and recruiting firm and find a new Superintendent. While they’re at it – they should ask the consultant hired if the District needs an Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum Director, etc. Some objective third party education expert should once and for all decide how our Administrative Offices should be staffed and then we should do what’s right regardless of cost.
Best post I've read. It really sums up the negatives in concrete dollars and cents. Emotions aside, the schools are not being managed very well at all. But what price do our children and in return the society we are preparing them for pay if we fail the schools now either through our ignorance, apathy, or lack of action.
Marshall, Linehan, Crossman and Kangas could care less how their decisions and financial incompetance is affecting our childrens educational futures. Make no mistake the SEA union has been calling the shots two years now including leaving Dr. Johnson out as finalist, they knew she would clean house and make significant changes. Chair Marshall and the gang will continue to ignore the real issues because they don't have a clue as to how to solve them. 2.4 million override they will use the usual scare tactics to incite the parents and teachers to vote for the override. Sherry has stated that parents don't vote but once incited they will always vote for an override when it affects their children. Budget season nightmare about to begin and if I were the super I'd let them continue to sink on camera of course. If Dr. Johnson hasn't figured out not to trust the fab four, then shame on her too.
Anon 9:09 Your post is just more of the bitter immature cat fight that has done nothting to solve the problem. I know two of these women very well, one fairly well, and one not at all (she should never have run). I do not think it is a quesion of at least three of them not caring. While I don't agree with their recent decisions and lack of intelligent explanation to the public, I won't jump on your personal band wagon of hate.
One thing that is keeping people away from constructive action on this this problem is not wanting to line up with the nasty anti-majority side. I've heard it said over and over. There is one person on the majority side who really doesn't seem like a nice person, but the opposite side is filled with what seems like, as one person put it "not very nice people," who will spend more time like you, name calling, etc then doing something constructive to help with the situation.
Much of what is happening now is a perfect storm of personalities, problems, poor communication, bad practice, etc. We have to wade through it. Some things we can change, some things we can't. Every SC member who has gone before has had a piece of it. Every parent who has not engaged has had a piece of it. Everyone who has enabled mismanagement of any kind has had a piece of it.
I'm not letting the decisions of the past three months driven by the majority SC members off the hook. I'm not letting them off the hook. But for heavens sake, get a grip anon 9:09. If you are just venting, save it for hoome or like minded friends. Your temper tantrums and bad manners aren't helping.
Anon 9:23 please tell use your idea for solving all these problems? Will you run for office for a seat on the SC in May? Obvious issues have not been solved by the committee and they haven't even started budget season. What would your solution be to solve the 2.4 million dollar override that the town could see coming two years ago? When you take the summer off and hide from the public with no attempt to work at solving the budget issues, contract issue etc. They are our elected officials, step up and do the dam work for our kids.
I may run for SC in May. I agree that the elected officials are not doing their job. The solutions have to be sought through the process so there is buy in, understanding, give and take, etc. It may be impossible not just because of poor performance by elected officials, but because it looks like groups are motivated by holding on to what they have.
Then you have the complexity of the school budget not being controlled by the municipal side but the BOS being the gatekeepers to the budget and Fin Com having a piece of the process too. The overall well-being of the town is not something that can be easily planned for.
Cutting the budget is a question of where to cut. In this climate will the public support anything other then cutting the budget? Certainly not if sensible explanations and accountability don't show up soon. Then there is the trust factor. Will the taxpayer trust town government at this point?
13 comments:
Has Chairwoman Marshall given an answer to when the full committee met and decided to ask the A.G. office opinion regarding Dr. J's contract? Have they violated OML again?
Why didn't the school attorney counsel them to file within 21 days of the Barnstable D.A. opinion? Why didn't the counsel advise them they missed the dealine so the only options left are Breach of contract and possible defamation suit.
or Buy out the remaining years on Dr. J. contract.
Who is the school attorney anyways?
Maybe the school attorney should be fired first instead of the super.
Thr SC's thoughts come by way of immaculate conception.....or didn"t you know that?
Slim Shadey
I don't think this leadership of the School Committee can handle the conflicts and issues before them. It does seem that school council is not acting in the best interest of the district or the town. I don't understand who's interest he is acting on behalf of.
I guess giving the leadership of the SC what they want is more important then sound legal advise. He can always blame them. The longer this fiasco goes on, the more money he and his company makes.
Isn't that a piece of all this craziness. Who really wants to resolve it in a timely manner. SC members don't pay for the legal costs they rack up. The school attorney has taken no oath to act in the best insterest of the town. It is so easy to spend someone else's money. In this case education dollars and taxpayer's hard earned money.
Anon 8:24 Your point on the attorney fees is so on the mark. I will do some research and find out how long he has worked for Sandwich and how much money this attorney has made from our school district. I'll let you all know when i get the answers.
Random and honest observations:
(I.) Look at the School Budgets for the past 5 – 10 years and focus on the legal expense line item. What you will see is the staggering cost of negotiating very confrontational union contracts. Soon (this year and next) you will see the added costs of what I will politely call Leadership Change; including the costs of removing the Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent. Every dollar spent here is a dollar not spent on education. The rate of growth here should alarm everyone.
(II.) Not only is the current School Committee not prepared to argue for an override, they’re not prepared to manage a budget without an override. The lack of focus on budgets and finances by the current Board is alarming. And, the lack of financial know-how on the Board is troubling. More concerning to me is the fact that the recently hired Business Manger has demonstrated no leadership or vision. She is at best a well qualified book keeper merely presenting numbers. She is either unable or unwilling to express an opinion as to the meaning or significance of the numbers she reports – including staggering line item deficits.
(II.) Put aside all of the Community School Pool and janitorial cost sharing and cost recapture nonsense and read the Community Schools’ own financial reports. The Community School looses a ton of money every year. When is somebody going to ask the question how and why is this organization still in business? If your expenses do not equal your revenues than someone has to be making up the difference. Why the heck isn’t the Finance Committee all over this fiscal house of cards?
(III.) Its time for the Superintendent to hire an attorney and sue the pants off the district – probably for millions. And, it’s time for the School Committee to select a professional search and recruiting firm and find a new Superintendent. While they’re at it – they should ask the consultant hired if the District needs an Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum Director, etc. Some objective third party education expert should once and for all decide how our Administrative Offices should be staffed and then we should do what’s right regardless of cost.
JTD
Best post I've read. It really sums up the negatives in concrete dollars and cents. Emotions aside, the schools are not being managed very well at all. But what price do our children and in return the society we are preparing them for pay if we fail the schools now either through our ignorance, apathy, or lack of action.
The School Dept has a long, history of godawful financial management and back ass-wards accounting practices.
It had gotten a lot better ... but it's still got aways to go. I can not imagine what the budget is going to look like this year.
Marshall, Linehan, Crossman and Kangas could care less how their decisions and financial incompetance is affecting our childrens educational futures.
Make no mistake the SEA union has been calling the shots two years now including leaving Dr. Johnson out as finalist, they knew she would clean house and make significant changes. Chair Marshall and the gang will continue to ignore the real issues because they don't have a clue as to how to solve them. 2.4 million override they will use the usual scare tactics to incite the parents and teachers to vote for the override. Sherry has stated that parents don't vote but once incited they will always vote for an override when it affects their children. Budget season nightmare about to begin and if I were the super I'd let them continue to sink on camera of course. If Dr. Johnson hasn't figured out not to trust the fab four, then shame on her too.
Anon 9:09
Your post is just more of the bitter immature cat fight that has done nothting to solve the problem. I know two of these women very well, one fairly well, and one not at all (she should never have run). I do not think it is a quesion of at least three of them not caring. While I don't agree with their recent decisions and lack of intelligent explanation to the public, I won't jump on your personal band wagon of hate.
One thing that is keeping people away from constructive action on this this problem is not wanting to line up with the nasty anti-majority side. I've heard it said over and over. There is one person on the majority side who really doesn't seem like a nice person, but the opposite side is filled with what seems like, as one person put it "not very nice people," who will spend more time like you, name calling, etc then doing something constructive to help with the situation.
Much of what is happening now is a perfect storm of personalities, problems, poor communication, bad practice, etc. We have to wade through it. Some things we can change, some things we can't. Every SC member who has gone before has had a piece of it. Every parent who has not engaged has had a piece of it. Everyone who has enabled mismanagement of any kind has had a piece of it.
I'm not letting the decisions of the past three months driven by the majority SC members off the hook. I'm not letting them off the hook. But for heavens sake, get a grip anon 9:09. If you are just venting, save it for hoome or like minded friends. Your temper tantrums and bad manners aren't helping.
That was an awful lot of words that didn't say much ... you should run for office.
Anon 9:23 please tell use your idea for solving all these problems? Will you run for office for a seat on the SC in May? Obvious issues have not been solved by the committee and they haven't even started budget season. What would your solution be to solve the 2.4 million dollar override that the town could see coming two years ago? When you take the summer off and hide from the public with no attempt to work at solving the budget issues, contract issue etc.
They are our elected officials, step up and do the dam work for our kids.
I may run for SC in May. I agree that the elected officials are not doing their job. The solutions have to be sought through the process so there is buy in, understanding, give and take, etc. It may be impossible not just because of poor performance by elected officials, but because it looks like groups are motivated by holding on to what they have.
Then you have the complexity of the school budget not being controlled by the municipal side but the BOS being the gatekeepers to the budget and Fin Com having a piece of the process too. The overall well-being of the town is not something that can be easily planned for.
Cutting the budget is a question of where to cut. In this climate will the public support anything other then cutting the budget? Certainly not if sensible explanations and accountability don't show up soon. Then there is the trust factor. Will the taxpayer trust town government at this point?
It's humorous that somebody would announce a possible run for office claiming increased accountability --- but not sign their post !
Post a Comment