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| " When donkeys fly!? " |
I have to admit it -- I haven't watched more than a few minutes of a School Committee Meeting in months. I tuned in to one school budget meeting recently and saw three empty chairs -- so apparently some of the members weren't paying attention either. (Maybe they were watching American Idol?)
I don't think I've missed anything. I have caught parts of Selectmen's meetings -- as much as I do like Canfield, I cringe when I hear the phrase "I haven't discussed this with the School Committee yet". Apparently, he doesn't take them seriously either?
Smoke and Mirrors aside, somebody needs to call a spade a spade.
The Poolies fought successfully to get almost $1 Million in public money to fix the swimming pool --- despite never producing a Business Plan or operating budget to show ongoing operations would be funded.
Now, just a few months later, the School Department needs an override. But, of course, its not to cover the increased pool operating costs, it's for (say it together!)...... STEM. Some folks seem to think the mere utterance of that magic word has the ability to waive away all budgetary restrictions.
I think STEM is a fine concept, and I think Gil Newton will do a tremendous job running it. I also think the proposed school realignment and Wing-ectomy are both good ideas. But I'm not hearing anybody ask any tough questions or discuss any alternative solutions.
Could we have made do without the pool until the savings from the Wing-ectomy started to kick in? That pool had never been available to students during the day anyway until recently when it was publicly acknowledged that anybody could buy a pool pass and wander naked with the high school kids. (Despite the initial tar and feathering -- it now appears to have finally become obvious (to most) how stupid that Community School policy was.)
What happens if there is no override? Are we going to shut-down the pool we just paid a million to fix, or are we going to lay-off some teachers. and cancel some classes?
There will be so many people with their hands out for an Override this year that Town Meeting will look like its being held in the streets of Calcutta. By my rough estimate so far:
- Stadium Funding - artificial turf, etc.
- Police/Fire -- Public Safety Building (or two, or three!)
- Schools -- STEM, STEM, STEM
- DPW -- Roads, parking lots, etc.
- Library -- Bigger and Better building (to recharge your Nook/Kindle in ?)
- Wing-ectomy funding to study the Reno/Rehab/reuse of Wing
Let the games begin!!!!
10 comments:
OMG...one more time folks. Another prop 2 1/2 for... wait for it.... here it comes... you could never guess... STEM! I wonder if the voters who didn't bother to vote on the pool repair will find the time to stand up and just say "NO" . I think the DPW must remember that the road to hell is PAVED with good intentions. I think the Police Department will, once again, take a ticket for the deli line....and wait their turn. Again. Need I mention the Fire Department? They at least have a new boat to float in when the marsh floods. However, no new home for the troops who deserve it. Again. I am beginning to wonder why Bud Dunham even tries to develop a budget. Our school system has one big EBT card that we all have to pay for. Again. I think everyone is just giving up. A Prop 2/1 over ride from my viewpoint won't happen until hell freezes over! Wait a minute, that is a really bad example to use this winter, considering all the global warming that has been going on! At least Randy Hunt has the intestinal fortitude to scream about getting our money back from the presently sitting governor. Does anyone actually control anything in this state? Methinks not. And Bob, you got the photo wrong. You should have three horses asses! Thanks for lighting the fire. There must be more people out there thinking about where all of this will end.
I have to admit that I am having a very hard time understanding how and why closing schools, consolidating buddings, cutting staff and otherwise reducing in size our school system actually increases both one time and fixed costs.
Amazing to me that no matter how many cost saving plans get adopted like school consolidation, pay as you throw or the town union insurance benefits renegotiation town taxes keep rising, fees keep rising and whatever we’re paying in taxes is never ever enough.
Joe no matter how much money we throw at the infrastructure in our fair town, nothing will ever change The main reason is we have nothing in place to continue the maintenance long term.
The only economic future taxes are being destroyed for a second time by those same folks that have stood up and found a way to not allow this project to happen.
It is not to the benefit of the plan they envision to be involved with.
Some say no offers of a percentage fee for brokering any deals is the prime reason. Some say they are afraid that the business model will transfer financial capitol from the historical part of Sandwich.
Some say it is because the controlling power struggles within Sandwich have not blessed this project, because they do not want to see any business growth that may challenge some back door deals where by they would become the financial benefactors.
You would think we lived in the inner city of Boston, where it appears some gain economic benefits from how well they spin the lies into appearing like the truth.
Our battles are far from over and it will be interesting to see where the next spin comes from on how we continue to need economic growth, but every thing is counter to what the spin is. A few noses have been extended over the past many years. How far they grow depends on well the taxpayers of Sandwich are paying attention to what is going on around them and if they really care.
Good point Joe D. Asking for an increase in taxes when we have lost over 1000 students in the past 6 years is troubling. The idea that we need a bump now doesn't make any sense practically speaking. We are filling empty desks at the High School. If we have to wait for the wish list until the consolidation pays off in returns, so be it. Let's be reasonable. That bump will decrease possibilities for other services. Even if an override passed, it still shifts a disproportionate amount of tax dollars to a school system that has significantly less students. Did I actually see that the superintendent suggest the municipal side look at all town buildings for consolidation. I nearly feel out of my chair. Let's put the politics aside and commit to doing the best we can with the resources we have. We can't keep coming to the taxpayer for increases. We are not that kind of a community. Our economics are what they are. I get what the school system is trying to do, but I wish we could all be more rational.
Working together would mean that the School Committee take the Selectmen's advise on the percentage increase they recommended. You will notice that was not done, so now we will have a debate on who gets what, during the budget discussion.
If the town gives into the school then it means something on the towns side does not get done and vise versa on the schools side.
No matter how you cut it up the pie only has so much inside the crust, before no one will benefit from I.
We reached that point of no return along time ago and we still do not have one engaged in bringing in any new economic development to our town, other then a few hot air experts.
A few thoughts - people need to remember that when we talk about losing students in the school system, it is not about declining enrollment for the town. It simply means that these students are choosing to go elsewhere. That means (if we are lucky) that we simply do not receive money for them from the state/federal government. More likely, we as a town are paying another town to educate our students.
I know that many readers of this blog cannot wait to close the Wing. I do understand how closing the Wing might save some money for the school budget but there is no savings in it for the tax payers as now we simply have another very large piece of land and a rotting building on our hands. Something has to be done with the building once it is turned over to the town. If people think fixing the building as a school is going to cost a lot of money, just wait until they find out how much it is going to cost to complete renovate it into office space. And let's remember that we are talking about the entrance to our historic/tourist area. If the Wing building starts to look like the former superintendent's building on Dewey, what is going to happen to tourism revenue? Oh yeah, it will go to all the towns that our students are going to school in! The ironic part about the closing of the Wing is that Dr. Canfield has actually done a pretty good job of showing how the numbers work without the building and has come up with a very creative and academically sound plan for restructuring the district. Now I would like to hear from the town what the hell they are actually going to do with the building and fields before they are given the keys. Because my guess is nothing and then in 4 years when there is a new bridge and a commuter train and our population has grown to the point that we need a new school, they can just take the Wing back.
This is where I get confused. If the Wing is a school bulding, does the town have to accept ownership of the building when it becomes empty?
If the town doesn't have to accept ownership, that means the school dept. has to continue to maintain and repair the building.
If the town decides to or has to accept ownership of the building, it should be put to voters first, about what to do with it, before the school dept. just hands over the keys. Basically if the taxpayers say no to another empty building or to its sale, it stays a school.
So if the voters, and I hope they would, decide to sell the building, would the town or the school dept. get the monies from the sale? Again, a sale would have to be spelled out specifically to the voters i.e., timeframe of sale, costs involved with sale, what would happen with proceeds, could land be sub-divided so playing fields could still be town owned etc.
This is one area that needs to be slowed down a tad. I can't believe I'm saying that! This is potentially an expensive piece or real estate for sale, and taxpayers need to have a voice in what happens to it, before it just becomes empty of students.
We don't need another Clark Haddad. You know let's just move out of the building and be damned with the consequences! But then again this town doesn't ever seem to learn from its mistakes.
I believe this question needs to be on the warrant in May or at the very latest at special fall town meeting, since Dr. Canfield is fast tracking it to being empty in 2015. Then he can plan accordingly, instead of just assuming he'll get things to work the way he sees outlined.
The Town owns the buildings, the schools use them. If the School Committee decides they don't need a building, they vote to declare it surplus and it goes back to the Selectmen for re-use, sale, etc.
The Selectmen would have to go to Town Meeting to request funding for reno, or to request permission to sell it. The Town could certainly divide the property and keep the fields, and the Town would get the sale proceeds.
Clark-Haddad got hung up when the Selectmen asked the voters at Town Meeting for permission to sell the building and the voters refused.
Since then, everybody has been playing nice and nobody has had any interest (guts?) to say we have no money to renovate it, no interest in donating it to anyone, and no realistic interest/ability to fund/operate a cultural center/museum/shrine.
Public property owned by the town must come before town meeting to decide what if any thing can be done to it.
That includes buildings we own as well as land.
The problem remains that the folks who decide what if any thing can be done stack the floor at town meeting with what ever they feel the vote should be.
If the Selectmen like in previous years can not come to a decision that they can sell to the voters it just sits in limbo. We have had some selectmen spout that we should save it for history, because they do not have the big ones to tell the historic folks that we are wasting valuable time and effort debating a non issue in the big picture of providing new taxes for our town. On the other hand, they will tell those that feel it should be sold, what they want to hear, but they never follow through so once again it sits in a limbo process.
The Truth Maker has left a new comment on your post "Cue The Flying Donkeys ... It's Budget Season !":
Watched last nights meeting after making a public forum appearance and for sure we have some serious stuff going on, with the present school budget, proposed by the school district.
When I hear the board of selectmen instruct the town manager to look at ways that he can reduce his budget to give the schools another 600,000 dollars of one time money I get a sick feeling in my stomach.
This one time money will be paid back the following year in some other form of non payment?? Savings by the district?
What really concerns me is a statement was made that the 6 year proposal for this whole thing to get worked out would stabilize the school district for the future.
Well that may well be the case, but no one today can predict what will or will not occur 6 years down the road.
Just look at the long range plan that has the same items of discussion every year for over 20 years still being placed in some sort of a priority list to get done and is used for an example every year and nothing ever gets accomplished.
That is why a our roads are all screwed up and we still do not have any economic growth for our town.
We also remain the laughing stock here on the cape , because when ever a plan is put in place to correct a problem, we place two more in question. The commercial business folks are very wary of Sandwich as result of many poor decisions over the years to keep them out and nothing seems to have changed. Look around , make your voices heard at the ballot box. Vote in some new blood should some choose to run that are not affiliated with the same mentality and can show us that once they set a goal that it gets accomplished.
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