Coming soon to Amazon:
"The Emperor Has No Clothes - The Story of The Sandwich Community School"
Cape Cod Times had an interesting story this AM: "Sandwich Community School draining district funds".
Most amusing part of the story:
"The money for the bailout is coming from the school district's school choice account, school board member Nancy Crossman said. Crossman had floated the idea of returning to an advisory board to keep a watchful eye on the budget, but said she received no support from the school committee."I would humbly suggest that the Community School is in the shape it is currently in BECAUSE of the former "advisory board". The School Committee should always have been intimately involved with this program -- and they damn sure need to be keeping "a watchful eye on the budget" now!
Running a program of this size with such serious financial issues is not a task that should be delegated to some well-meaning volunteers who like to swim and may have once run a bake sale.
It's also important to note that under Mass. Law, School Choice money for OUTGOING students is paid from the Town budget while School Choice money for INCOMING students goes directly to the School Department. A case could certainly be made to offset the outgoing and incoming tuitions. A case could also be made that the incoming tuition could be applied to the regular school budget.
I can not imagine a case being made that could justify diverting School Choice funds to prop up an adult (non K-12) education program.
19 comments:
The world is flat. The world is flat. The world is flat.
Some folks seem to believe that if you say something often enough people will start to believe it.
Why else would Kangas and Crossman continue to suggest that the Community Schools’ problems are recent? And, that until recently the Community School made money?
As Obama’s pastor once famously said: Well, the chickens have come home to roost.
Years of mismanagement and fiscal ineptitude have both the Community School and School Department teetering on the financial brink. I so hope that the Selectmen and Finance Committee have the intestinal fortitude to force a final and permanent solution.
Anon 8:34 pm. Agree, but it will have to be the SC leading the way. The Community School is part of the school department. The days of them coming to the town for a bail out is over I hope. The SC has made all the decisions about how to get the CS's problems fixed in the years since the truth has finally come out. The myths of the CS have been exposed. All the decisions have to come from school administration and the SC initially. If they want the town to run it or take it over, they have to ask.
Bob is right and has always been right about this. The SC saw this coming, but politics got in the way of staying on a steady course. I think Dr. C. now has a better understanding of what the school department faces. There are 7 SC members. It will only take 4 to get this under control.
6:10 am
I sure hope I do not have to wait for the School Committee to act. Decisiveness really isn’t their thing.
I’d prefer to see the Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen reduce the school departments’ budget by an amount about equal to what the school committee has spent this year and last to prop up the community school plus what the town has spent covering community school costs.
By my calculation, the school department budget should be reduced about $250,000. This would send a clear message to the school committee and administration about accountability, timely decision making and transparency.
Reducing the school budget while it may send a message will cost the town another million is out of school sending cost which has jumped from under $50,000 to almost $3,000,000 in the past 7 years.
Sending costs will soon have to stabilize because all of the receiving schools are physically full. This is what will cap the tide of out of district placements NOT stem. Parents simply no longer have options. They’re stuck! Now nothing will force reform. So, I say: cut the damn school budget; close the Community School. Enough is enough!
Anon 4/4/13 2pm
I agree with you completely. We should be supporting Dr. Canfield's approach to improve our public schools and keep students in district. Now is not the time to cut funding to our schools. The finance committee's action is short-sighted and will end up costing more in the long run.
This is bunk!
Dr Canfield and the Committee have wasted tens perhaps hundreds of thousands propping up the Community School. The Town has wasted another one hundred thousand also propping up the Community School.
Parents and students can’t keep leaving the district because the alternative options are now full – Sturgis and Upper Cape simply can’t take more students. So, Sandwich parents and students are stuck!
No need to invest more in these schools. Let’s recoup what’s been wasted propping up the Community School. Taxpayers deserve some respect and some payback. Want to teach the schools not to waste money? Let’s take back a measure of what’s been misspent.
Oh my gosh....I can't believe I am reading these comments! Parents and students are stuck....so lets cut! So what you are saying too bad to those students that didn't get in at Sturgis or the Upper Cape. Because you didn't we are not going to give you the best education you deserve! All students regardless at Sturgis, Upper Cape or those in the Sandwich Public Schools all should get an equal education! Period!
rean through a complete business audit several years ago. A senior SC member and two new members saw to that. The shift in superintendents and SC members created a break in the focus and you have what we have now. Dr. C. made a big mistake not exploring the issue before hiring a new CS director. Hiring a new director before getting to the essence of the problem just put another driver in place that confused the issue. He's protecting his and other people's jobs first and foremost. That is the unfortunate reality in this town's government. It is common everywhere, especially in places I would imagine like Sandwich, where the biggest business in town is government.
But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Cutting the school's budget is not the right thing to do. Solving the very big problem of the Community School would be the right thing to do. As Bob has been pointing out, that problem has been front and center for years. Kicking the can, though a very popular game among politicians (and please know that much paid staff is as if not more political than any of our poor part time politicians) is a favorite game for most all those playing politics!
I agree that out of school assessment will seattle and that STEM is not salvation, but still say this is not time to cut the school budget to send some kind of message.
Everyone above should be at school committee meetings speaking in open forum and writing letters to school committee about what we want. If we do not stand up to our own school department whom mismanages money than it is our own fault to let it continue. Cut the community school NOW. the taxpayers and students deserve that money not anyone else. ALSO I checked into the DOE and they sent me a message with the laws on school choice funds.....It is Illegal to pay for other debts with school choice funds. How will Dr. Canfield justify this one. Sandwich has turned into the joke of cape cod!
I love the logic here. The schools waste hundreds of thousands of dollars and nobody can be held accountable because our kids deserve better schools? Really? That’s it?
And, while the schools’ enrollment decreases by 25% staff levels and costs increase. Fewer students, more staff, more costs. Why? We’re told: Because our kids deserve better schools. Really?
So, just what exactly would inspire the school committee or administration to do better and manage budgets more responsibly if they’re never held financially accountable? Beats me.
This is much like giving a drug addict a limitless debit card and then simply hoping he or she will turn their lives around. Nobody would suggest that this makes sense. Time for some tough love people. Turn off the money spigot and hold somebody accountable.
Mr. Pannorfi agreed w the Finance Committee. But once again the rest of the board are to chicken to change a vote, when faced with additional facts that would substantiate a vote change.
By the way if you haven't been up to the tech school lately they are building a new building to house the nursing program. So maybe there will be more classroom space available in the comming years. Sturgis just expanded. The private schools are seeing an influx especially since there is financial aid available for kids to attend those school. Sandwich will never see a return to the high numbers of students in the 80's and 90's, just a fact. Never mind the decline in the student population in Sandwich.
If you take the time to talk to parents of SHS kids, they all say one thing the Administration is horrible. Parents care more about their kids being able to fly under the radar of the Administration. Why, because it can be so judgemental and it is well known to have over the top responses to students. Can you say McGrath?
The rest of the board didn't think it was a better idea, which is why they wouldn't got along with Fin Com and Mr. Pannorrfi.
Does anyone else find it odd that a member of the Finance Committee is no longer a resident of Sandwich yet is still able to vote to force the school system to cut $500,000 for their budget?
If you have proof of non-residency, complain to the Town Moderator.
FinCom isn't forcing the schools to do anything. They are proposing to the Selectmen that THEY propose to Town Meeting a reduced budget amount.
Town Meeting has the final word. But, given the nonsense the Schools have pulled in th past year, I have no doubt there will be plenty of support for the cuts.
The Community School fiasco, suddenly "finding" $500,000 for iPads that nobody discussed -- or STILL has any idea what to do with -- or the Johnson case which continues to drag on as lawyers continue to rape the public with padded legal bills.
It would be nice if Selectmen redirected some of their moral outrage away from the gas pipeline that has been in the works for several years and focussed on something they could actually do something about!
You can't tell me that both sides don't have some over budgeted line items!
I wonder if the BRAND NEW F350 truck that was just purchased for Facilities (now they have 3 trucks for 2 guys) was budgeted?
I THOUGHT THE SCHOOL WAS THE ONES THAT BOUGHT THE I PADS. LEGAL BILLS ON JOHNSON'S CASE IS BEING PAID BY THE INS. CO. NOT THE PUBLIC.
12:16, Are you really that stupid?
The insurance company isn't donating the legal costs. Anything they spend on legal fees just gets tacked on to the Town's insurance premiums for the next decade. There's also a cap on what they will pay -- any settlement over that will be paid by taxpayers -- even more so if the Judge awards Johnson her legal fees.
The Schools did buy the iPads (without any prior planning) -- another example of poor management -- just like they did with the Community School.
Can someone please tell me where I can find out (or tell me here) what the requirements are for a finance committee member? Do they need to own property or just rent to be on the board? Thanks!
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