The CCT is reporting that Town Manager Bud Dunham "found" enough cash floating around Town Hall to eliminate the possibility that Selectmen would need to propose a Prop 2 1/2 Override to fund the implementation of the Academy of the the Sacred STEM. Previously the Board had decided not to decide on presenting the Public Safety Building to the voters.
Looks like we're switching philosophies from "Let the Voters Decide" to, "Never Trust The Voters with Anything Important" !
(To be Continued ...)
13 comments:
The proposal being submitted to the Selectmen will indicate some serious risks being taken in order to get this off the ground.
Keep in mind the saving from the Wing school is actually a debt to the town if it takes it over. The school will not maintain it at there expense so it is a one million dollar saving to them, but a very clear DEBT to the towns side of the budget to take it over. Be sure to watch tonight BOS meeting for some eye opening events. It will be interesting to see which selectmen will take a risk on the proposal and an over ride next year for sure, if it gets approved the way it is now.
The only school saving will come from them turning over the Wing school to the town, but as indicated above a disaster for the town as it will be a pure debt to operate it.
Parents just received n email from Gil Newton announcing STEM staff for next year. Lo and behold there was a familiar name, Wendy Pierce. Did Jim Pierce actually vote on anything to do with funding the STEM program? I can rememberer the hysteria over perceived conflict of interest when similar situations occurred on the SC. I can recall Mr. Cahill, specifically, not voting on many issues due to a conflict. I also recall Nancy Crossman was in a similar position. I do not recall Mr. Pierce excusing himself from any votes. What a sham!
I'm sure its just a coincidence that the Chair of the BOS was a big supporter of both the
pool and STEM .... and that he has a relative on the payroll of both programs.
How about Samantha Austin (Michelle Austin's daughter -- yep -- the school's business manager's daughter) being appointed to the STEM Academy in 8th grade math, even though none of the current teachers were given the opportunity to apply for that position or even told about it before it was filled?
STEM....same building, same teachers and the same subject matter all for the low low price of one MILLION dollars. Now, who is stupid?
So, if I'm reading this right, student population has been dropping and costs have been rising.
And,this new STEM program will be adding relatives of the BOS Chairman and the School Business Manager as new employees?
Why doesn't the local press seem to notice? Oh, Maybe because they also hired an Editor's daughter?
This place is starting to look like a Banana Republic.
Look?
I don't know the in's and out's of the teacher's selection process for the stem hiring process but one thing I DO KNOW is that Ms. Austin has been a teacher in the district at the high school level for at least 3 years now and believe me she knows her math inside and out at advanced levels as well as her sciences too! So I do not believe for one moment her hiring has anything to do with her mother's position! Believe it or not sometimes people can and do stand on their own!!
I can personally tell you that due to medical reason's off and on for 2 years of my daughters high school years Ms. Austin tutored my daughter! Also, throughout her other remaining high school times and throughout my daughter's 1st year at college I hired Ms. Austin to be a private tutor to assist and advance my daughter math and science skills and knowledge!
She is going to be a great asset to the stem program! I just wish she could be in both the stem and high school as I would love for my son to be able to have her in the high school! Ms. Austin is a great asset to the Sandwich School System!!
2:19 just missed the entire point of these posts. I'm sure Ms. Austin is a very competent young woman. But it's not about her!!! We are discussing the process of these hirings, not the individual employees. Dr. Canfield has consistently overlooked his school committee (entirely, in my opinion) and is now marching across many well qualified, experienced teachers who for whatever reason are not being supported by the SEA. Apparently, 2:19 can't see the forest through the trees (or just one tree)! I just hope she can climb down off that high horse before she falls and gets hurt. Welcome to Sandwich where nothing is exactly as it seems.
To Mrs. Beasley
If you read my first line I stated that I do not know the ins and outs of the hiring process for stem but my point was that Ms. Austin is a qualified teacher and that she can stands on her own and doesn't need to be referenced through prior posts as being the daughter of the business manager suggesting that's why she got the job!
Furthermore why does the SEA need to support the personnel? Hirings, position advancements should be done on merit, qualifications, personal growth not because one has the support of the SEA or not! (The SEA is another whole concern and/or issue for the town in my view.)
I can tell you that I am not on any high horse and I that I see through the entire forest since I was was born and raised here and have a very successful business within the town! What I do wish is that the town still had many of the trees still in the forest that it once had as we didn't have the all these issues back then because everyone worked together instead of working against one another! Too many folks have moved in and have to tried to change and/or add to the town the same from where they came from! Which is a shame in my eyes!
In closing if you didn't like what Dr, Canfield is doing nor the school committee go and speak at one of the committees public forum! I pay close attention to those meetings and I have not seen many folks attending and/or speaking at them! Easy to sit and just type away while throwing in innocent names!
" Too many folks have moved in and have to tried to change and/or add to the town ... ! Which is a shame in my eyes!"
Yup -- that's the root of all of our problems! It's those damn foreigners from the other side of the Bridge!!
We were just fine -- just because our only commercial tax base was a rapidly depreciating Power Plant....at least we kept those nasty businesses and retailers out! Who wants their tax dollars and who needs their jobs?
I'm sure everybody is very qualified --- but I'm sure Mrs. Beasley isn't the only one that thinks it amusing that after an exhaustive nationwide search, relatives of both the Chairman of the Board of Selectman and the School's Director of Finance were hired for the newly funded STEM jobs!
To anonymous of 4:05: I just wonder why we don't have a real newspaper in this Town. The "empty prize" should have picked up on the hiring of relatives, it just plainly smells to hi heaven. Shame on the School Committee for letting it happen without any serious question for the public to see, hear, or read.
I finally figured out why Mr. Pierce attends all the SC meetings, its so he can suck up to the SC and land a job for someone. All this, while others who need jobs can't find them.
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