Guest Column by "Looking Forward"

I received this comment this morning that I think is worth it's own posting:

If you think my post is worth sharing on your blog please feel free. Thank you for allowing people a place to voice their thoughts.  I apologize in advance for the length of my observations/ideas/comments.

1. I have thought of this idea for awhile and ironically it is what Provincetown will be voting on as written about in the CCT earlier this week, regarding all their town buildings. Redesign/contruct Oakcrest, to house all town office personnel. (DPW, Fire and Police not included.) Wouldn't it be great to have them all in one building? Once the decision is made to renovate Oak Crest and relocate employees, put on the market the town buildings that would be empty upon renovation and relocation of employees. Clark Haddad (I voted to sell), Annex, Jan Sebastian, Council on Aging and dare I say the new Town Hall. Did I miss any town buildings?

2. Imagine the Rec. Dept. having some of our more mature residents volunteering/mentoring/helping the Rec. Dept., especially during there summer programs. Also, the council on aging could offer great recreational activities for our more mature population. (Walking/hiking trails, kayaking etc.)

3. Now don't get all panicky about the idea of selling the new town hall. Maybe a group that can get the monies from our preservation funds could buy the building. Imagine the tax money we put into the preservation fund going back to the town. Some ideas for purchasers, the new Economic Development group, historical society, or the Sandwich Chamber. They could also generate income from the second floor meeting room. Even a residential buyer, look at the former doll museum.

From Today's Cape Cod Times ...

Demanding job deters candidates

gbrennan@capecodonline.com
By George Brennan
March 27, 2011

During interviews for the Sandwich superintendent's job, all four of the finalist candidates stressed the importance of being available in the community — shopping at the local supermarket, holding coffee hours and attending meetings at the senior center.

But it's just those types of demands, experts say, that are shrinking the pool of available candidates for what in most communities is the top-paying municipal job. Add to that the educational and license requirements, the stepping stones of being a principal or assistant superintendent first, and the high cost of living in many Massachusetts communities.

"The environment today is really tough because you have higher levels of accountability, more scrutiny from the public and declining resources," said Thomas Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.

And then there's the politics. (CONTINUED ...)

Welcome to Sandwich, Dr. Canfield

Charles CanfieldCape Cod Times/Ron Schloerb

The Sandwich School Committee unanimously appointed Dr. C. Richard Canfield as the new Superintendent of Schools effective July 1.


Dr. Mary Ellen Johnson issued the following email to District employees this morning:

Dear Staff, 

Well, tonight concluded the superintendent’s search process, with the School Committee voting to appoint Dr. C. Richard Canfield as the Superintendent of the Sandwich Public Schools as of July 1, 2011. 

Dr. Canfield has spent many successful years in education.  He is currently serving as an Assistant Superintendent for the Monroe Public Schools in Monroe, Connecticut.

We have much to be proud of in the district.  The excellent teaching and learning that is taking place in our district was noted by all four of the finalists for the position.

I want to thank you for all that you have done and continue to do on behalf of our students.  You are a smart, collaborative and caring group of people who continue to do remarkable work on behalf of our students.  It has been an honor and pleasure to work with you over the past four years and I look forward to continuing our work over the remainder of our time together.

Thank you for your ongoing support and please join me in welcoming Dr. Canfield to the Sandwich Public Schools.

 Sincerely,
Mary Ellen

Welcome to Sandwich, Dr. Canfield!

Half-Assed idea of the week ...

The husband of a School Committee member spoke at the BOS Public Forum this evening encouraging the Board to pass a policy preventing members from using electronic devices during meetings to communicate with "unknown people".   It's particularly humorous since his wife voted to eliminate the Superintendent of Schools based on the comments of "unknown people".

While I am sure Emily Post may disagree, a quick read of the Open Meeting Law doesn't show any prohibition against communication with constituents -- only a quorum of fellow board members.  In fact, I think communication with taxpayers (or anybody else) is already protected by a "policy" -- The First Amendment!.

And, yes, I did text this message to several Board members!!

Quote of the Day:

“  I just want the school committee to spend as much time selecting a new superintendant as they did on the copier contract. ”

(Name withheld)

Meet the Neighbors! (A Guest Column by Dr. No)

According to data available online from the Mass Sex Offender Registration Board, the Upper Cape area plays host to numerous Level 2 and 3 Sex offenders living and/or working in the area.

For more information, contact your local Police Department or the SORB.

UPDATE -- 

Barnstable numbers are also reported by Village.  In addition to the above, Hyannis ALONE has 32 more level 2's and 21 level 3's, Marston Mills has 4 more 2's and one  3.  There may also be separate numbers for Pocasset, a village of Bourne.

Bottom Line --- you don't know who may be in the locker room with your kids.  (It also may explain WHY so many Barnstable folks go to Sandwich to swim!)

Holy Catfish, Aqua Man !

I can only repeat what I have said before, "Even a broken clock is right twice a day."

Today's CCT editorial came out strongly in support of the Superintendent's propsal to limit access to the pool area during normal school hours. I don't recall ever using "CCT", "Superintendent", and "support" in the same sentence before!

An interesting quote:

One might think that the only remaining question would be why on earth it has taken eight years to institute what most would consider a common sense approach to protecting Sandwich's children. That, however, was apparently not the first question on the minds of the Sandwich School Committee.

Yes, the committee allowed Johnson to move forward with her plan, but the group also voted 4-2 to table further discussion on the topic until April 6, when it will presumably have more input about other options. 

We would respectfully submit that the only thing left to discuss is how this practice was permitted in the first place and why it has been allowed to continue for the past eight years. The person or persons who initiated this arrangement and who authorized it to continue should be held to account for potentially endangering the safety of students, as well as for putting the town at great financial risk.

That's probably not a quote you will see on anybody's re-election ads this year!!

There was also a letter from what I assume is a very nice lady from Marstons Mills who talked about her pool fees being used to support the swimming program and to supply scholarship funds to young people.   Somebody should point out that her fees don't even cover HER usage of the pool -- let alone any scholarships for anybody!  

Superintendent Search - Day 1 (By Ellen Guerin)

(This was an open letter sent to all members of the School Committee today by Ellen Guerin)

Good afternoon everyone,

I enjoyed watching the interviews last night and was very impressed with both the candidates and the questions you asked. Although I do think it was a little light on Special Education. Be that as it may, I was struck by two things which were glaringly obvious. One, was how they both completely validated all of the great programs, initiatives, technology, and the approach to how they were introduced and how they are being sustained in addition to the many other great things that have happened in this district. Someone must have been doing something right. Although may not perfect all of the time, but after all, who really is. I am sure that whoever the new Superintendent is, they will have their flaws too.

Which brings me to the topic of communication. I want to thank those of you on the school committee who responded to my e-mail yesterday in such a timely manner. I appreciated your honesty and candor. I will give those of you who did not get back to me the benefit of the doubt that you were busy. I can appreciate that, because I am in the unique position of truly understanding the time commitment being a school committee member can be and the sacrifice it is to you and your family and quite possibly your job. That being said, if I was hearing between the lines at the end of Dr. Mazzola's interview last evening, two of the board members indicated that communication was an important component to the relationship with the Superintendent.

Well if that is true, then I hope in the future I (we as a district) can count on that coming from all of you as well, because if there has been a lack of communication it has broken down everywhere, just not with the Superintendent. Going forward, you ALL need to be better communicators and listeners amongst yourselves, to your administration, all of your teachers and to ALL of the people in the community. Especially the ones who are brave enough to get up in front of you and tell you like it is. If memory serves me correctly, the majority of the people who would come to you in public forum had the exact same story as our two candidates had with regard regard to the state of our district. Right down to the Responsive Classroom. 

How does a school committee support the programs that a Superintendent puts in place to enhance our district and is able show that they are working, but not support the Superintendent? After listening to the candidates last night, it is even more confusing to me.

You are the leaders of our School District with an awesome responsibility to our students, parents and our teachers. You are the face of the Sandwich School District and it is my sincere hope that you will treat whoever may be selected to be the next Superintendent with much more respect, and professionalism than you have on the past, even when they tell you something that you may not want to hear. We hire them because this is what they know. One great example was Dr. Canfield's position on safety. Children's safety is paramount in an immediate situation the same as our current Superintendents. Can it be that all of these people with the professional educational experience can all be wrong!!!

Some Financial Perspective...

It's amusing that some of the most ardent critics of the School Department's efforts to restructure pool operations come from "foreign" zip codes --- Barnstable, Mashpeee, Falmouth, etc.

An outside, independent audit showed that the Community School lost $180,000 for the year ended June 30, 2009.  Of that amount, $129,000 was related to pool operations. This means that the Community School had to dip into their cash reserves to fund the deficit.  This cash reserve had been generated (in part) from the "profits" generated by the Pre-School Program, Drivers Ed, Adult Ed., etc.

This reserve had also been built up through the rental of School facilities AND because the School District had been paying the bulk of Pool utility costs for years.  Both of these items were funded by the taxpayers of Sandwich through the School District budget.  (Not surprisingly, once the Community School began paying for their utilities, they began losing money.  Reality sucks.)

All of this has been hashed and re-hashed previously.  The point is -- the taxpayers of Sandwich have been  investing in the operation of the pool -- yet it's the residents of other Towns that are among the loudest complainers!  

The Community School charges nothing extra for non-resident 10 visit pool passes, and only $10/year extra for non-resident annual memberships.  What did you pay for a non-resident Barnstable beach sticker?

Maybe there is a reason their own towns don't have taxpayer-subsidized swimming?

What makes anyone think they are entitled to have the Sandwich taxpayers subsidize their hobby?

Fan Mail !

I am completely disgusted at the behavior of those that run this blog. But truly its nothing new on this blog! If one is on your side boy oh boy then you post and give credit but when they arent and whenthey don't side and/or write among your beliefs they get thrown to the wolves and get mugs named after them! But boy how a tune can change when they write an article that is among your beliefs! Do you might just think he and/or others are just stating and writingfacts and and not trying to side with one or the other!!

===============================================

And, for you my friend, the NPTA Editorial Staff has collaborated to produce THIS special mug:

http://www.cafepress.com/NotThePTAorg 

You can't make this stuff up ...

I have had countless disagreements with the CCT over the years -- and I'm still convinced that the editors have their heads so far up their (deleted) that they will never see daylight -- but I think reporters George Brennan and Cynthia McCormick have nailed this issue with three good articles this week.  This is not a new problem -- and it is not the result of just one parent's complaint -- people have been complaining for years.   This is just the first time that a Superintendent has had the (guts) to try to fix the problem.  (They can't fire her twice can they?)

Sex offender warns of adult access to pools

By George Brennan
gbrennan@capecodonline.com
March 21, 2011

He would go to a pool like the one at Sandwich High School and leer at children getting dressed in their bathing suits. It's how he got started as a sexual predator, a life that ultimately led to possessing child pornography, indecent assault and battery charges and registering as a Level 3 sex offender.

The man reached out to the Times and agreed to tell his story if the newspaper promised not to use his name.

The high school in the town where he grew up had a pool similar to Sandwich's. He would go into the locker rooms, sit and watch children and teens undress.  (Continued ...)

I hope he didn't have a pool membership ...

Convicted of raping 8 year olds

From this morning's CCT:

Court assessing elderly pedophile
By Cynthia Mccormick
cmccormick@capecodonline.com
March 19, 2011

BARNSTABLE — Gray head bent and shoulders stooped, 79-year-old William F. Mulcahy of Sandwich made a pitiful figure as he was escorted into Barnstable Superior Court in leg irons and handcuffs Friday.

But a forensic psychologist told Judge Gary Nickerson that Mulcahy poses a continuing danger to children despite his advanced age.  (CCT Story continued...)

------------------------------------------------

OK,  before everyone starts jumping up and down -- the point is there are predators everywhere.  In the last few years, this guy (a Eucharistic minister and admitted child rapist), a former school committee member, and two school-related police officers were all involved with inappropriate contact with kids -- and that's just in our happy little Town of Sandwich.

We have two level 3 sex offenders in Town and numerous level 2's.  Do you think any of them may swim?

What about our neighbors in Mashpee, Falmouth, etc.  How many offenders are lurking over there?

We can't protect our kids from every danger in the world.  But, can anybody really say (with a straight face) that its unreasonable to prevent strangers from getting naked with our kids while they are in school between 7:30 and 2:00 ?

Too bad.

Interesting Discussion (But a day late, and a dollar short!)

Parts of last night's BOS meeting make interesting viewing.

First,  there was a budget discussion with the School Department.   The SC Chair delivered her prepared remarks with the warmth and style of a Hostage Video.  The SC's Vice Chair didn't say anything of relevance beyond uttering the phrases "work in process" and "working together" -- both which mean little when dealing with a $30 million budget -- particularly when nothing seems to be in process, and nobody seems to be working together!  It was clear that neither had any concept of what was in the school budget.  The Superintendent made the bulk of the presentation which seemed to boil down to maximizing the FY '12 local contribution in order to conserve cash for FY '13 -- regardless of who is running the District.  The School Committee leadership didn't seem to recognize the seriousness of the FY '13 budget situation.

Later, the BOS held a surprisingly lengthy discussion on the idea of sending the School Committee a letter stating their concern about potential legal liabilities associated with their handling of the current Superintendent's contract and asking for a delay in signing any new contracts until those liabilities are resolved.  It was agreed to refer the matter to Town Counsel for further discussion.  

The reality is the SC is planning to anoint their new leader next week.  It would have been nice if the issue was raised months ago --- or even an hour earlier when the School Committee members were actually in front of them.

UPDATE:  See related CCT Article

Go ahead, make your own joke!

Fox 25 Coverage of Pool Discussion

Pool policy changes in Sandwich:

MyFoxBOSTON.com

Unique Fundraising Idea -- Wandering Naked with High School Kids ?

It's ironic -- you can not accompany your own child on a Field Trip unless you have passed a CORI check.  But, for the cost of a pool entry fee, anybody can walk off the street and wander around naked with high school kids in the locker room they share with the Community Pool.  (And -- it's even the same price for non-residents -- we wouldn't want to exclude our friends and neighbors from Barnstable and Mashpee from this local service  -- just because they don't pay taxes here!)

This is nothing new -- it's been an ongoing problem (see My Swim with The Alligators).  But, it is also indicative of the strength of the Community School Pool contingency.  I would predict there will be a lot of little wet footprints leading from the pool area to tonight's School Committee Meeting to protest any attempt to block adults from the kids' locker rooms during school hours.

As one caller said this morning, "The pool people probably think the real problem is letting kids into THEIR Locker Rooms!"  

At the risk of inappropriately mixing financial issues with public safety concerns, this issue will also no doubt  exacerbate the financial issues that have been plaguing the pool -- particularly claims that revenue from other Community School programs have been used to subsidize the pool, and concerns that the School District is not properly allocating all of the operating costs to the pool programs.

Given the strong pool representation on the current committee (Crossman is a paid pool employee and Marshall was on the Community School Board for years), it will be interesting to see how the Board balances common sense public safety concerns with what will likely be the very vocal concerns of their chlorine-coated constituency.

(See this morning's CCT story here.)

So much for Public Input and Transparency ...

This week's School Committee Agenda has the announcement of finalists for the Superintendent's post AFTER the second Public Forum.  It also lists the next meeting as April 6.

However, according to the MASC's brochure, the job is scheduled to be filled the week BEFORE that, on March 30.

I have to assume there will be some opportunity for public comment before the final decision is announced?

The Finalists have been chosen, why hasn't their background information been released to the public so they could raise any concerns or questions they may have at the next public meeting ? 

Why is it this discussion the very last item on what looks like a long agenda.  Given past history, approval of the minutes alone could last for two hours!

If the information isn't released sooner, I would hope somebody (at the very least) makes a motion to move up the announcement -- while the public is still awake!

Now Available in Tee-Shirts, Mugs & Bumper Stickers !!

Show Your Support for The Next Great Idea !!

http://www.cafepress.com/NotThePTAorg

Ding Dong ...

(Thanks for the calls and emails --  All is well here in the NPTA Bunker deep below Forestdale  Fuel Spill #12. I'd also like to thank my new friends at Ready-Rooter and their big silver pump truck  for preventing our latest potential Shit Storm!  I must say, however, that my front yard is not the only thing that stunk this week.)

"Ding Dong, the Witch is dead ..." You could practically hear the chanting in certain areas this week.  Yup, the person who insisted that teachers be properly licensed and evaluated, and that they deliver a modern curriculum which is consistent between schools, between grades, and  consistent with that taught in other towns, had been driven from the District! The person who had the audacity to support a prior school committee's efforts to make the Community School truly self-supporting would be no longer!  The person who reduced transportation and SPED costs by bringing the services in-house and eliminating sweetheart deals with outside vendors had been given her walking papers!

Yup, that was progress.  Yay, Sandwich, we done good!

I'm not going to re-argue the case (although I bristle that anybody could ever use the term "secret meeting"!  That meeting continuation was better publicized than any regular meeting in 4 years!  But, no, there was no notice on the clerk's bulletin board.)  I wanted a Judge, I got a judge.  The judge said an error was made and my team lost.  Maybe there will be an appeal, maybe there won't.  But, there will probably be a new Superintendent.  And, hopefully, in May there will also be a new School Committee.

Maybe the new majority will be more concerned about our kids' education than their own family incomes, their own pet projects, or covering up years of poor decision-making.  Maybe the new Committee will even be described as "hard working, experienced professionals" -- instead of "petty, vindictive amateurs".

Maybe the new Committee will hold the line with the SEA leadership and convince SEA members that they are far better than the leaders they may have elected.  And, that the time the union leadership wastes on foolish imaginary grievances would be far better spent on building public support for the teachers and the District, improving teaching techniques, and maybe even focusing on the needs of the student.  (Remember the students?).  Maybe they will even negotiate a realistic contract.  (A real contract --- not a fictional "handshake" agreement with a single member!)

Maybe, once those things happen, some of the Sandwich residents who chose this year to send their kids to Choice or Charter Schools (which we pay for), or to Private Schools, or even accept the challenges of Home Schooling, will begin to return to their own District.

Maybe the voters will show up on May 5 and make this happen.

A Sad, Ugly Chapter ... (By Bob Guerin)

This morning’s court house news officially closes a sad, ugly chapter in Sandwich school history. As time passes it will fall to future observers and pundits to judge the real results and impacts of what has transpired both in the courtroom and the school committee meeting room. Taxpayers, parents and students meanwhile are hoping for the best.

Today, school buildings are in disrepair. Students are fleeing the district in near record numbers and teacher moral is low. The entire Administration of the schools has been or will be replaced and new to our schools and community – there is no continuity. And, the overall school budget has been reduced year over year and its unlikely that any new investment in the schools will be forthcoming. To say things are bad is an understatement.

Our schools need and deserve an Administration and School Committee that brings vision, leadership, stability and competency to everything they do. This does not exist today – that’s an opinion most in town share.

Much like a home repair project undertaken is haste, the town now finds itself with a shell of a school system, its infrastructure has been gutted and its foundation weakened. The rebuilding should begin immediately. We all want to know: do we have the tools, skills, materials and know-how to rebuild and where’s the design plan we’re going to follow and who created it?

Here’s hoping that the next chapter in our school’s story is in every way better than the one we’ve just finished. Our children deserve nothing less.

Rumor Control -The Taj MaLibrary Boardwalk



Next Stop, Oakcrest Cove !



Shelving the plans for the proposed Taj MaLibrary in South Sandwich means that the plan to connect the new Library with the Oakcrest Town Offices, the Jan Sebastian Town Offices, The Dump,  Sandwich Village, The Old Library, the Town Hall, the Town Hall Annex, the Marsh, and the Marina via a series of Boardwalks (some of which would have utilized the NStar right-of-way)  will not be receiving further study. 

However, citizens interested in joining a newly-formed committee to explore the potential of constructing a high speed monorail line along this same route are encouraged to submit a letter of interest to Town Hall.

In related stories, The Emptyprize reported this week that the stairway access points to the Town's beaches remain condemned and that it would be "illegal and unsafe" to use them.  No word on the timing or cost of the neccesary repairs.  It was also reported that out of 15,000 registered voters in town, only 3 were willing to run for the 2 open seats on the School Committee, and 3 more for the two open seats on the Board of Selectmen.

Just say "No!" (By Bob Guerin)

Disclaimer:  While I am sure Nancy Reagan is a devoted
NotThePTA follower, she has not (yet) expressed an
opinion on either the Library or the Boardwalk.

It’s a Very Good Start

Congratulations to the Board of Selectmen for finally finding their voice and leading by saying:  "No!"

Last night’s decision to not press forward with plans for a new branch library, likely to cost taxpayers $8 million to build and hundreds of thousands to operate, was the right decision at the right time.This is exactly the behavior taxpayers expect and deserve from their elected representatives: mature, informed, responsible decisions that reflect our collective fiscal realities.

It’s too bad that the Selectmen waited and let real money and precious time and resources get spent furthering this pipe dream over the past months. In these times especially any waste is too much waste.

Next up? Selectmen must kill the Boardwalk project now before any more time, energy or money gets wasted.

If you see one of our Selectmen out and about please be sure to say: Congratulations and thank you!

With more than $100 million in proposed building and repair projects floating about town the Selectmen need to know that we all appreciate and expect them to: Just Say No.

 

To avoid any impression of exaggeration, the proposed
 Library branch did NOT have a reflecting pool.

Yeah, but that next step is a doozie!!

One small step for the Library,
 one giant leap for the Taxpayers?

The Emptyprize is reporting that the Library "is just a few steps away from realizing a long-held dream of building a library branch in ... South Sandwich."

Ok. But those are pretty big steps that still have to be taken!

(WARNING!   PLEASE READ THIS DISCLAIMER CAREFULLY!!  I am a fan of the Library.  I think the Library staff does a great job and they do an amazing job of managing the large number of programs and services they offer.  I think we should name a building after Stu Parsons -- preferably one that doesn't leak! I would love to see a Library on my side of Town with parking.  I just have no idea how we would pay for it.)

While the possibility of receiving $7.6 million from the state is lovely, the idea of wrestling the other $7.6 million from the taxpayers of Sandwich is daunting at best. (Maybe "ludicrous" is a better word?).

The Library Trustees will be requesting that the Selectmen put an article on the warrant giving voters the opportunity to show public support and accept the State grant money -- but without obligating the Town to provide funding.

Yet.

For the sake of efficiency, let's just skip over that "showing support" step.  Accepting State money is a fine idea.  Accepting State money with the expectation that taxpayers will contribute an equal amount just ain't gonna fly.

Let's just put this dog down and move on to facing real problems.  Why not move directly to proposing an article requesting public support for a $7.6 million debt exclusion to build a new library and be done with it?

Then, the Trustees could find a nice shelf in the old library to put the plans on until the economy starts to change.  Once houses begin to sell, once foreclosures begin to stop, and once we are sure that Police and Fire Headquarters aren't going to fall into the marsh -- we can dust the plans off (probably increase the cost) and THEN ask the voters to dig deeper.

One of the features of the proposed library would be more public meeting rooms.  I would propose that the existing school buildings probably have space that is already heated, lit and maintained that could be used for that purpose.  I would also point out that the Schools all have existing libraries.  Could the School libraries be incorporated into the Town library system?  (Back in the Dark Ages, my elementary school library was part of the Town Library system and was open at times when the school was not.)

Again, I'm not against the library.

I'm just looking at a rapidly growing municipal shopping list and I can not imagine how we can put a new library anywhere near the top of the list -- particularly since we have been unable to maintain the buildings we already have.