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| Community School Financial Planning? |
The Broadsider ran yet another story this week about the School Committee diverting educational tax dollars to shore up the rapidly sinking Community School program (motto: "Providing subsidized entertainment for Marstons Mills, Mashpee and Bourne at the expense of our own kids ...").
Here's the key point the Committee isn't clearly acknowledging. The School Committee is not "lending" the Community School anything. The Community School is the legal responsibility of the School Committee. By allowing it to operate, they are committing to fund whatever expenses are incurred. In order to fund any deficits incurred by the Community School, they need to take funds away from K-12 classrooms.
That's it. Forget the posturing, huffing and puffing --- when the Community School loses money, the District has to pay it. Its too late to discuss once the bills arrive.
Thanks to several years of renting out facilities which the School Department paid to maintain, the Community School had managed to built-up its own Reserve Fund that could cover most operating deficits. They even had delusions about utilizing the Reserve Fund to help finance a new free-standing Daycare/Early Learning Center. Unfortunately, their income dwindled when the economic downturn reduced the number of people willing to spend their hard-earned disposable income, folks began to question Community School Accounting practices, and other organizations began to provide similar offerings.
The program is now becoming a victim to the town-wide aversion to facilities maintenance as the pool suffered one mechanical failure after another. Even today, the Pool has hemorrhaged more than 80,000 gallons of water, and nobody has any idea where it has been going.
Now What?
Stop the bleeding. Unless a program covers all of its operating costs, and a proportional share of the general & administration costs of the program, it should be eliminated. Period. No more wasted time discussing silly support group fundraisers that have yet to happen. We also need to hear exactly how big a deficit the District may currently be liable for. The number will undoubtedly be ugly -- but we need to hear a realistic funding plan.
An argument could certainly be made that the Pool is a Town resource. In that case, somebody needs to propose an article at Town Meeting to fund Pool operations. This would be a far more honest and responsible approach than diverting tax dollars intended for K-12 education to subsidizing recreational opportunities for people throughout the Upper Cape area. Taxpayers would have the clear option of maintaining or closing the pool.
This has been a long-standing problem. I agree that Dr. Canfield and Lance Kennedy inherited a fiscal mess -- as did Dr. Johnson and Jim Lehane before them. Its unfortunate, however, that the restructuring which began in July of 2009 (and might have saved the program) was allowed to unravel when Kangas and Crossman (who is a Community School employee as well as a former Chair of the Committee which had overseen the Community School) joined the School Committee.
Maybe if some members with professional training or experience had been elected, somebody could have asked relevant questions, done some realistic budgeting, and proposed the necessary programming changes before the Reserve Fund ran dry.
20 comments:
The Truth Maker would ask if there is any truth to rumors that the town gave $100,000 to the community school to pay for other bills they were unable to pay for in the past year? This money did not come from the district or community school acounts. If this is in any way true , then the community school finacial problems are much deeper then we all realize.
The Community School saga represents everything that is wrong with Sandwich public services and government operations; and, why no sane taxpayer has the slightest bit of confidence in our town and its so-called leaders.
This problem, like so many other issues in town, has been known about (and well documented) for years. And, not just a year or three years or six years or eight years but decades.
Nothing gets done. Nothing changes. No one is held accountable. Taxpayers get shafted. Money gets wasted. And, the only solution anyone in a leadership position can ever seem to support is more wasteful spending, more taxpayer costs, more of the same.
How can anyone support any tax increase or override or debt exclusion while this sort of shameful, wasteful spending is happening? God help us. Happy Easter!
It's not going to get any better this year -- the only contested race in town is for School Committee and the choices are hardly stellar. The three candidates could probably best be described as "Dumb", "Dumber", and "Oh My God!". At least two of them couldn't even qualify as substitute teachers.
Nobody will win this year.
I agree this years candidates are pathetic. It appears that everyone qualified for the job has washed their hands of this mess.
The only reason to vote this year is to block that Public Safety monstrosity!
OMG
IT'S ELECTION TIME AND THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL WOES ARE ALL KANGAS/CROSSMAN'S FAULT. WHAT ABOUT THE NEWLY ELECTED SC MEMBERS/WHAT ABOUT THE CHAIR RESPONSIBITY. THEY JUST HAPPEN TO BE UP FOR REELECTION RIGHT BOB. YOUR SO FULL OF SHIT.
You're back!
You're right -- everybody is to blame for letting this fiasco to continue -- not just Kangas/Crossman.
My point was that Crossman/Kangas displaced Barton/Guerin -- both of whom had been working towards Community School reform.
This is an issue now because the pool is closed and the Community School is on the verge of bankruptcy. Kangas/Crossman have no real competition so this is hardly campaign-related.
Kangas & Crossman didn't even get mentioned until the end -- it was obviously a criticism of the entire Committee.
The Truth Maker would say to Brother Bob, it would appear that one of your friends does not like your commentary. Perhaps we cannot blame them , but it would seem they still have not learned how to post without using all capitol letters.
This person has fail to look at the past involment by who she knows can also take some responsibilty of the ongoing problems.
By the way we did not know you let cow manure get spread here?
At this point, I would ask anyone and everyone to write to the school committee and tell them how you feel - it is time to close the doors on the community school. We have no one to blame but ourselves as a town that we allow this to continue. The school board will not shut it down until they hear from the town so speak up; write them or tell them in person but until they truly know that the public is opposed, they will not act.
So is Sean Rausch the best Sandwich can dredge up? Really? He's worse than I got nuthin'! Who's up next year?
The finance committee apparently is very upset with the school committee for not answering questions for the past 3 weeks and/or not willing to attend one of their meetings in that time period. Also, due to the fact student enrollment keeps going down! So much that they voted tonight to reduce their budget by 500,000.
Going to be an interesting Town Meeting!!
Don't often get to say this about a "board" in this town...I am damn proud of the finance committee for reducing the school budget!!!!!
The ONLY way we can change things is to write school committee and finance committee and show up at meetings saying shut the community school down ...It's Time! when we have to cover expenses for this program consistently and yet they have not cut hours of personnel. PLEASE people go and be vocal about this subject. The kids in Sandwich DESERVE the 160,000 we have given to the community school. STOP THIS BULLSHIT of PROTECTING those who cannot produce and move on. we can create new programs for our kids and still save money if we let the community school close.
I agree -- It is nice to see somebody finally stand up and say "enough" !
The School Committee needs a dose of reality -- the purpose of the committee is to represent the students & taxpayers -- not just smile for the camera and make benign comments.
Come on folks, its just not the schools and they are the only ones that constantly are talked!!
Why hasn't one yet stand up to the Police Chief to say what the heck is going on in your department! Why so much in overtime the past 2 years and why so many men constantly out on suspension with paid administration leave?? Can't have that many bad people in one department can we! If we do shame on the Town Admin and Human Resource Deparment for not handling the situation prior! Now its costing us hundreds of thousands of dollars for OVERTIME never mind the LEGAL BIlls!! Also its been know for quite sometime we are short on officers and they allow one of the top men in charge to attend a 3 month training program when we already have one trained in the same program!! When does one stop and question all the wasteful money on overtime!!
All departments need to be micro managed at this point!!
The Truth Maker would add that the Natural Resource Department is one of the most inapt departments the town has. It has been operated for years at the total expense of the whole town.Do you ever see any one from the Natural resource department ever inforce any regulation pertaining to the beaches or for that matter any of of the fresh water regulation.
Year and years of unacountable performances where they hide in the woods under the pretext of working. Where were they before we even had all the winter storms destroy our beaches. They allowed every one to walk all over the dune grass, further impacting a fragile barrier beach dune system.
We can say that as of yesterday they did spend some time to place signs along the barrier beach , about not walking on the beach grass. Nothing like being reactive, rather proactive. What good does placing a sign up after the horse has left the barn? All you hear around town is that this department needs some new leadership in the areas of our Natural Resource, but it is not going to happen. Mean while we get to pay for this lack of enforcement by this department with less excess to our beaches and private home owners taking over public rights to use our fresh water ponds.
Sandwich is now in the midst of a landslide road ways problems, school problems,beach problems and no end in site for a balanced budget that makes sense.
Make sure you pay attention to what the town is attempting to do with the position of town clerk. It is an elected position now, but they are attempting to change it to an appointed position at town meeting. This will not come before the votors in a ballot question.
If it is not ammended at town meeting and it passes we will have the board of selectmen counting the votes for the election of offices.
Ok really, we are suppose to take seriously the recommendation of the Charter Review Committee about Town Clerk when the chair of that committee was the person he defeated in his first election and she was passed up for an appointment. Nice lady, but really that is suppose to be a legitimate recommendation?
I hear Town Clerk is taking the high road on this one. Good for him. This was not the charter review committee to make that recommendation.
The town Department heads are very likely in favor of an appointed Town Clerk. This isn't about the BOS, it is about the town full time government. They want things their way. You can't blame them. It is a strong organization from the perspective of loyalty.
Everyone here needs to spread the word to more people they know. Stick you neck out a little bit and talk town politics for a change when you get together. The lack of involvement, participation, and even general interest has to stop. I know I'm active and keeping track. I care. So it's time to get with your friends and encourage them to participate. Otherwise we get what we deserve. You can't see anything until you open your eyes and wake up.
Anon 7:00
Good point but half the story. As so many say on this blog, trust in government is gone.nothing is getting done, dysfunctional organization, etc etc etc. And they are right!
Leadership is an issue. "Chain of Command is an issue."
You can't blame the citizens who are making a better use of their time. Why try to plug into something so horribly broken?
It will take both awareness, participation and a better mouse trap to turn this around.
Frankly I know lots of people who show they care by not participating in what is often petty and stupid arguments about important issues. A lot more people vote who don't attend town meeting. The majority of people who care about this town are a silent and probably smarter bunch.
The gadflys, town characters, and part time officials hardly inspire most of the time as this blog points out.
Peaceful, productive, honest citizens no matter if they show up at Town Meeting care, if they care enough to vote. Good citizens who go about their lives without bothering others care about this town.
Don't blame the good citizens of this town for the continued mistakes of it's leaders or for the "noise" so many make that makes people hate local politics.
Then you've got our press, who love to crucify instead of report real news. A regular columnist who routinely sings the same old song, we've spent enough money on the schools. OMG
The truth is what is there for citizens to plug into really? It's all about choosing sides. None of it is about coming together. Frankly most of the people I know are just plain sick of it all and are in the survival mode.
The Truth Maker would respond to comments above. The town of Sandwich needs to find new leadership in many areas of town problems. One might even go as far as to say that perhaps we need a complete change in how we operate as a town. The long time standard Town Meeting approach has worked for years, but in todays climate that is no longer the case.
We reward those who do not properly do there jobs, but do not reward those who make every attempt to do the right thing for our town.
Say what you want , but in the scheme of things long time political attachments and chronism and the good old boy network has given us what we have in place now.
Look around and see who is making money from those of us paying the bills and the carefree attitude they display when questioned.
In todays world, we as a town can no longer survive with the present methods of leadership, where the majority do not have the opportunity to be heard, where the minority voice holds the power to dictate policy and control the direction we as a town are heading.
When you voice yourself to much they send you a threat of a law suit and that we can speak from personal knowledge.
Perhaps we as a town need to elect an Mayor, or the very least change how we manage the whole town and not just part of it.
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