Somebody raised a question on an earlier post asking what another poster would propose doing if elected. That's a great question. I'm certainly not running for anything, but here's a few things I would like to hear somebody have the guts to say:
#1:
"The Sandwich Schools are facing tough economic conditions, as are most of the residents of Sandwich. I agree this is not the time to raise fees, nor is it the time to cut back on core academic resources. Accordingly, we will be closing the pool effective immediately in order to reduce utility and staffing costs. If the Town Recreation Department, the Council on Aging, the YMCA, or any other organization would like to take responsibility for the costs of staffing, and maintaining the pool -- including the required capital maintenance work to re-grout the pool, replace the filtration system, and make the pool handicap accessible to comply with the new Federal regulations, they should contact the School Department within the next 14 days. Otherwise, the pool will be drained, and that space will be renovated when appropriate funds become available.
We appreciate the fact that many people use the pool on a regular basis -- and that they will be irate at this decision. Unfortunately, the School Department has no choice given the pool's consistent inability to generate sufficient revenue to cover its operating costs.
We also believe that, while this move may seem drastic, it will eliminate the current financial hemorrhaging AND will allow the Community School to preserve its other valuable offerings, including Adult Ed courses, and the School for Early Learning."
#2:
"We recognize that the most important asset of our school system is our teaching staff. These are the professionals that actually deliver our only product -- the education of our children. It unfortunate that egos, union politics, petty grievances, and more egos have prolonged this process excessively.
Unfortunately, we strongly believe that individual union members are as uninformed of the true status of their own union's negotiations as are members of the general public. I would invite the Union Leadership to join with the School Committee to publicly discuss the status of negotiations. This would allow a great opportunity for the union leadership to explain exactly what they are asking the public to support. This would also allow the Committee an opportunity to explain to the public AND the individual union members what the District is able to afford. Then, union members can make their own decision as to whether to support the contract, or move to another District which they feel may offer better opportunities. The taxpayers would also be able to make an informed decision as to what they are willing to support."
#3:
"We continue to strongly support the concept of a STEM focused education. We do however realize that there is little local appetite for a $15 million renovation of the High School at this time. There is also certainly no appetite for spending $40 million to build or rebuild a new K-8 school.
Instead, we would propose a redistricting process, which would shift current Wing students to either the Forestdale or Oakridge Schools which would allow us to eliminate the Wing building entirely.
We acknowledge that this plan will still require some renovation work at each of the other schools. We will. however, be requesting that our designers prepare a scaled-down renovation plan that could be accomplished in phases. In the event the student population begins to expand, and if there was sufficient local support, we would consider additional renovation or construction at that time.
While we would prefer to have made all renovations as soon as possible, we recognize that current economic conditions, and the large number of capital maintenance items we, as a town, are facing, makes the concept of a major renovation unrealistic at this time."
#4:
"We sincerely hope that the resolution of these three issues will help to begin rebuilding widespread public confidence in our public school system. We believe this improved confidence will be crucial in reducing the number of families who choose to send their students to school outside of the District.
I'm not holding my breathe.
14 comments:
#1 and #3 would be extremely doable to my way of thinking and are good ideas. Those in authority should be thinking more along short term and long term solutions, not just kicking the can down the road. #2 might not be a legal option but certainly more transparency, understanding and honesty would be helpful. It is not a good thing that the majority of the union members aren't happy with the minority radical leadership. #4 speaks to solutions oriented thinking and that can only help. Agenda driven thinking is getting us no where. Thanks Bob for the constructive and direct idea.
Bob, I don't often agree with what I percieve as your ranting and raving. However, you have hit the nail on the head this time. These were well thought out and down and dirty get to the point resolutions that I agree with. Please stay the course without the sarcasm and meaness and I think you will get more people thinking this way and see that the time is NOW. We cannot continue or our town will have no future and the damage will be irreperable.
Thanks. I think?
Anon 12:35. Well said. I agree.
I've worked with Bob long enough to know that he is certainly not mean -- he believes very strongly in what COULD be done if people would pay attention and get involved in a meaningful way -- to do actual work .. not just make self-congratulatory speeches.
He also doesn't hesitate to call a spade a spade -- or use sarcasm or satire as tools to make his point.
(I've also been on the receiving end of Bob's barbs -- he doesn't hesitate to "poke" friend or foe to point out an injustice to students and taxpayers.)
The Truth Maker would add that sometimes you need a good hook to catch a few fish. A good hook will generally have a defined barb and that is what you get with Bob.
The two new candidates that showed up last night, seemed to be very into, bringing about changes where it is needed at the lower levels of the educational pyrimid.
Questions will come from these two,and that no one will be able to smoke them on the answers, thats for sure.
The 20,20 vision plan will undergo a microscopic review and that will be a good thing, going forward for the children of our district
Bob
You have an excellent platform there for your campaign...you might as well run......LOL
Bob, I agree with you for the most part. This would have made for a great campaign. Its too bad that you were as hard an sarcastic to your political enemies. You are a talented man that Sandwich could use, but please, be nice.
Bob, there is a message here with my own comment on 4/23 and the 2 that followed on 4/23 and Rufus. You are an intelligent person...I think the message here is that times are so tough, life is so hard and negative that right now we need solid, pleasent, positive, constructive ideas and people , not sarcastic or negative people anymore. That no longer sparks action but only makes us turn the newpaper pages or take our kids to other towns. The moral and negativity of the adults (teachers, parents, administration at school and town etc) is only hurting the kids. They are learning the disrespectful, nasty and "who gives a crap" attitudes from us. We are raising a generation of "You owe me's" instead of "how can I work/earn what I would like? Yes there are the exceptions, but they are becoming few and far between. I heard the other day that a group of parents are taking a bunch of 8th graders to Canobie Lake (on a school day) for their outing, disregarding the school and the teachers. I understand the frustration, the disappointement, but what is that teaching the kids? Just do what you want when you want. Shame on ALL the adults. It's all so sad, it's all so depressing. Can nobody live with disappointment, rules, guidelines,responibilities for their actions and the ramifications? Do we teach the notion of "if I do this....what will be the reaction/result?
Oh well now I sound negative. Not everyone wins a trophy or not everyone WINS period!
and Sandwich is LOSING quickly.
10:29, at the risk of being "mean" or "sarcastic", you're all over the place. If the folks on this Blog "didn't give a crap" we'd all be doing something else.
I have no idea what "The moral and negativity of the adults is only hurting the kids" even means. Even if you meant "morale", it still doesn't make sense.
Are you saying we should all only think happy thoughts and say nice things -- and that we are doomed because people ask hard questions and point out contradictions and general silliness?
How did that work out for the folks who decided we didn't need any commercial development because the Power Plant would always pay big taxes?
How about the folks that decided we didn't need to spend any money on building maintenance?
How about the folks who kept saying there was no problem in the schools because we had great test scores and all of our teachers were highly qualified -- until they discovered the tests weren't that good ... and that there were problems with the certifications reported to the state?
How about the teachers who thought everything was rosy and continued to elect a union leadership team which has done nothing but wreak havoc with the School Dept?
How about the folks who kept saying the pool was doing great and the Community School was actually "making money for the school dept"?
So much for positive thinking and happy talk.
I agree everyone shouldn't get a trophy (or a step raise) just for showing up. But, I don't see the connection between that and your annoyance about parents replacing the Canobie Lake field trip -- why should the kids lose out because of the raging egos of a very small group of out-of-touch union leaders?
Maybe some union folks are getting annoyed that their tactics seem to be having the exact opposite effect of what The Great One intended?
Damn! I hope my sarcasm hasn't damaged my property values tonight!
Everything you say is true. But it really does seem to be too late. The retired leadership is not going to cut it. The partisan local politics is missing the point. Times have changed and Sandwich has not changed with it. Leadership here looks like the dark ages. It is a game to many and an ego trip for the rest. Or they are making business connections. The emperor is so naked. And frankly I think the passion I see on this blog could fuel the town in comparison to the passion people actually have to build a better mousetrap.
The political cliques want their way for reasons they have probably forgotten. No one is working together. It is all territorial and truly truly backwards. The people on salary don't really care, cause they have their salaries. We have major people from outside who think they know us in a split second. The volunteers in government are doing the feel good thing and their bar is very low, with a lot of power trip thrown in and networking for personal gain. The blame game is the major tactic for resolution. What a catch 22. Local yokels in action and down goes our property values. No accountability except through elections a fraction of the town participate in. We are sunk. No one seems to learn anything from being in government, It is just a means to an end. They just get mad, even, or listen only to the peeps and bask in the glow of tribe. Yikes. What will be the next headline be I wonder? Bob, I appreciate your blog. It is a good place to tell it like it is.
The Truth Maker would ask, what can the board of selectmen do about the contract still unsigned??
Yet again if you watched last night selectmens meeting the union leader is politizing town hall with a sign. If the Union and the school board can not work out an agreement , what makes her think the selectmen can.
I wonder what the school board would do if a town department came before them to declare they have no contract and put up signs to that affect? I bet you a bottle of beach sand they would tell them to take a hike, as it is non of there business.
This union leader needs to spend more time solving the problem she has created and that is with the school committee and not with the board of selectmen
What the so called union leadership did Thursday night is just more political theater, which it seems they have decided is actually doing something. It is feel good tactics that provide no real benefit except for the misguided folks who have not stepped into the 21st century let alone into the realities of the community they now live in.
That town is not energized by the people who came here between the late 60's and the late 70's. Those folks who "made it" and think others have to follow them because of it need to be more realistic and mature. It is not energized by the strong, wonderful (for the most part) but overrun townies. It is energized by the majority of the community which has only been here since 1990. Sadly many of them are becoming apathetic since they moved into what they thought was an upscale safe bedroom community to Boston and now have discovered it to be a dysfunctional town governed by volunteers who seem more interested in their political mantras instead of sound decisions and planning to benefit the town's continued well being. And of course they are very interested in "being somebody."
Choosing sides has become an American way of life. But when it is confused as the only action needed to move forward, we are lost. Leadership is a reflection of the system it hopes to lead. The culture of the union will only change when those in it stop enabling it and expose the lack of ethics of those leading.
For example, I am told that the union now doesn't use school email to send directives. That is new. Think of all the years the administrators and School Committee members let that pass. Now they use private email. Latest directive I've heard about is informing the members to bullet vote Ms Marshall. Last minute decision to be a write in candidate, I don't think so. I'm grateful the Cape Cod Times gave front page to the write-in issue yesterday. Good comments by the two legitimate candidates.
Regardless of feelings of apathy please get out and vote Thursday!!!!
(I left off a few comments here because they dealt with past history and made some unfounded accusations and assertions. And, while I may have agreed with much of it, it would likely have triggered one of those back and forth feces throwing contest that are featured on other blogs -- amusing at first but destined to get tiresome quickly.)
Post a Comment