Sandwich Teachers Union President Resigns -- Fed up with Union Bullies!

"Unfortunately there are ​also ​a few representatives on ​your executive board who are filled with hatred and anger​. They have no interest in resolutions, only in bathing in their own vitriolic sentiments ​ and bullying others​. "

The below email was sent to SEA members across Town yesterday.  I have never met outgoing SEA President Paula Chambers, but her email shows a tremendous amount of bravery and professionalism to make very public what has long been a major problem in the Sandwich Schools.  (Thank you to all of the folks who sent me a copy of this -- all of whom made the stipulation that their names not be used.)

Dear Friends and Colleagues;

I​ ​am writing to inform you that I have resigned as President of the SEA. I have worked very hard to represent and advocate for all SEA members, and am grateful for the support and guidance many of you have given me along the way. 

​During my year as president I have gotten to know some very good members of the executive ​board ​ who work tirelessly to represent the people in their buildings. 

I want to publicly thank them for their dedication and hard work this year. Unfortunately there are ​also ​a few representatives on ​your executive board who are filled with hatred and anger​. They have no interest in resolutions, only in bathing in their own vitriolic sentiments ​ and bullying others​. 

There is a definite disconnect with my approach and that of this vocal minority. My belief is that Unions should be there to find positive ways to resolve differences, to support each other and to make the schools better. I don't believe in a union that looks for ways to rip people ​apart and to cripple their own school system. 

I am sorry if I have disappointed any of you, but the current board is ​ one I can no longer be part of.

You may hear rumors of what happened at the last Eboard meeting, so I thought you deserved to hear it from me. 

Although every Eboard meeting has been confrontational, the last meeting really went south quickly. The issue was my request for president release time for next year which we had previously discussed at earlier meetings . I wanted to get a final vote on the issue before bringing it to all of you at the next general membership meeting on Monday. President release time is customary in most towns of our size, and I believe it may be part of the reason that we have always had such difficult relations in our town. There has to be time to work out problems, not just file grievances. True success should not be measured by the number of grievances filed, but rather by the number avoided by adept problem solving skills. A board member said to me that she didn't understand what I needed time for, and that "all that is involved in being a president is contract negotiations". That mentality is why there have been so many problems in the past. Filing grievances is a quick response to issues but it is very short sighted. Building healthy relationships and working out problems requires effort, time and the proper skill set. As a successful president you need to have time for negotiations Yes- but also time for a multitude of other subcommittees, time for listening, time for researching solutions and for attempting conflict resolution, you need time to meet with and to communicate with Eboard members, to write newsletters, and to communicate with all of the schools and all of the units - not just the teachers. You have to have time to contact the Supt., administrators, MTA , local and state representatives, time to speak at, and watch school committee meetings, and if there was enough time,some presidents get involved in advocating for legislation and educational policy at the local and state level. 

I especially thought time would be important next year with all of the changes in store for our district. The supt. had agreed to president release time - funded by the association or by the town- he was open to either, I had put it on the agenda to discuss with the Eboard and then present the options to the general membership for hopeful approval on Monday. I had also seriously contemplated taking a pay cut if the membership didn't think it was possible to fund the release time and did not agree to let the town fund it. I thought it was that important .

​ In the meantime my teaching schedule for next year ​was up in the air and It had been set up with an open block - not yet filled - in case I was able to work this out. Some Eboard members took this opportunity to let me know how much they didn't trust or like me and launched a personal attack on my character for even attempting to get release time. When others tried to speak in defense they were shouted down. 

​When I looked at the angry mob in front of me I decided I was all done. ​

I tendered my resignation which was met by "Finally, Its about time!" from the biggest bully in the room. 

T​his particular issue was about my position, but it wasn't about me- as some may want you to believe. I still​would ​urge you to consider release time in the future for presidents;​ as I think it will be key to ​a successful union.

​I understand that the the meeting for Monday was cancelled, which is a shame because I do think members should be kept up to date on what is going on. Here are a few key issues you may want to know about:

1. The custodial contract has been settled, with a tentative agreement. 

2. The ESP Contract was ratified.

3. The Secretary Contract was ratified.

4. The Teachers Negotiations team has hired a private mediator to come in for the next 3 sessions to help us find solutions. 

5. There s a new component of the evaluation system going in place next year - it involves getting student feedback through surveys. My suggestion to the JLMT group is that the surveys next year should only be used for teachers to review privately. No one should be required to share feedback with admin in the first year of implementation, as we all have enough to stress about next year. I had worked this out with Maureen Wiklund and I hope this verbal agreement remains intact.

​We have a lot of changes in store next year, the Supt. has stated that there will definitely be an overall loss of jobs. Buildings and schedules will be changing and we will all be struggling with trying to keep a positive attitude and doing right by our students while feeling a bit overwhelmed and uncertain at the same time. Although I am no longer on the SEA board, I am always interested in meeting with people who want to create positive change in our school and who want to find thoughtful and equitable solutions. I will work to promote candidates for the board next year that exhibit these types of qualities . Feel free to contact me if you want to talk about improving school culture. 

Members need to speak out to​ create the union they want. ​If  you are silent, ​that is a sign of your approval with the status quo. 

I truly wish everyone the best of luck. I hope everyone has a great summer and comes back refreshed for a successful school year.

With Love and admiration of my colleagues - 

Paula Chambers 

​- your coworker

The School Configuration Kerfuffle Made Easy

Like most situations -- this one has a lot of angles & perspectives:

Superintendent:  UPSIDE:  Reconfiguration would produce efficiencies and consistencies and allow existing resources to be leveraged to provide some good opportunities for students of all ages.  Resources, or events, that may not be feasible in 2-3 locations could be affordable in one location.

DOWNSIDE:  It's going to cost some money to reconfigure schools (think smaller toilets) and there will be some costs with moving equipment and changes in transportation.  Also -- there will be much loud discussion and public angst which will distract from the everyday effort of running the District, and implementing the STEM program.  BUT -- this is a good opportunity to deliver on the eventual cost-savings and efficiencies you have been promising.

Teachers:  UPSIDE: They will work with more colleagues in their own grades and have access to more shared grade-specific resources.

DOWNSIDE:  Kids are liable to be distracted by changing building so the first few days may be confusing. Teachers will be expected to deliver consistent curriculums -- may not be able to wander off and "do their own thing".   Besides, moving is a pain in the ass and change is bad.

Parent Group #1:  UPSIDE: Absolutely none!!!!!

DOWNSIDE: Kids will be put through too many traumatic changes if they have to go to a new building. They like having their kids in one place. They don't want to drive to Forestdale. They didn't vote for that! And, why do they call him "Dr." anyway -- does he have a medical degree?

(One thought about the "traumatic changes" some folks are worried about:  This is 21st Century Sandwich. With so many kids expected to routinely adjust to Step Mother, Step Father, Mom's Boyfriend, Dad's Girlfriend, Two Moms, Two Dads, raised by Grandma/Grandpa, joint custody, custodial parents, Mommie's house, Daddy's House, job relocations, mortgage foreclosures, etc. --- I'm thinking they can probably adjust to changing schools every three years -- especially with all of their friends being in the same building with them.)

Parent Group #2:  UPSIDE:  Everything, great idea.

DOWNSIDE:  Absolutely none!!!!!.

Parent Group #2:  UPSIDE:  Oh, are they thinking about changing the schools?  I haven't heard anything about that!  Will this impact Pop Warner or Youth Soccer?

DOWNSIDE:  Oh, are they thinking about changing the schools?  I haven't heard anything about that!  Will this impact Pop Warner or Youth Soccer?

School Committee:  UPSIDE:  Might be able to do something that will have a long-term impact on the School Department -- without receiving a subpoena!

DOWNSIDE:  Few members have any real background in education (and a couple act like they have no education)  -- They know that no matter what they do -- somebody will be pissed off!  

CONCLUSION:  The Committee will catch Hell either way.  The only thing they can do is attempt to make a rational, educationally sound decision based on the information presented to them.  They have heard from the public ad nauseum over the past several weeks -- there is little to be gained by listening to the same people repeat the same things one more time.   I think the School Committee's question to themselves should be:  "Have we heard any legitimate issues raised that conflict with the professional judgement of the Superintendent and his team?'

Decision-Making By Cat Fight

A while ago somebody asked what I thought about the idea of restructuring the school system into K-2/3-6 or leaving it K-6.  I really didn't have an opinion.  As I said back then, I was far more concerned about getting three of my kids back and forth to three separate high schools next year --- and hoping that Kid #4 put her college degree to good use teaching somewhere.  Anywhere.

But, I have since developed a few random observations and opinions:

1) The Superintendent shot himself in the foot by applying for a job in Idaho in the middle of the most significant change in the Sandwich Schools since they installed indoor plumbing.  After all of his discussion about this being "his last job" and how "he had always wanted to retire on the Cape", his credibility (unfortunately)  went right down the crapper -- particularly after reading he also had a house in Idaho and had always wanted to retire there also.  It was made worse with his silly comments about "not looking for the job", "mutually decided it wasn't right", and being "committed to his new 3 year contract".  I like the guy --- but let me translate --- He applied for a job, they didn't hire him, and now he's committed to staying here ---- until the next opportunity comes along and he decides " he always loved Toledo, or Wichita, or Marshfield ..."..

It's too bad -- the idea that he planned to focus the remainder of his career doing what needed to be done here -- without worrying about the political bullshit that drove his predecessors out was encouraging.  Now we are left wondering if he has the stomach to keep dealing with the natives, and, if not, how soon the next search committee will be convened.

2) A very vocal group of parents has formed in support of the K-6 structure.  It's sort of an amusing group to watch because very few of them seem to have paid attention to anything over the past few years but now seem to think that decisions should be made based on how many times they repeat their personal opinion.  They also seem to think that somewhere in the Constitution there is a clause giving them the right to vote on anything they decide they want to vote on.  Interestingly, the group has been emailing their views to the  School Department and while their opinion does hold a slight majority of responses -- there are so few letters received in relation to the total number of families in the District, that is not much of an advantage.

3) The School Committee -- while I would point out that the School Committee is generally pretty lame (some members MUCH lamer than others!),  they were elected to make this decision.  If a member of that Parents group felt so strongly about the issue, maybe they should have run for a seat.   Instead, they allowed two dopes to be (practically) unopposed last year, and three more people to wander in off the street unopposed tis year with no public vetting process or without any review of their experience or education.  If you read the Parents' Facebook comments, a lot of them don't even know who's on the Committee.  (Yeah, I know -- they're very busy people .... no time to pay attention ... blah, blah ...)

I do think most of the Committee has shown some common sense by electing a well-educated and professionally-qualified Chairperson.  I hope he will continue to do what he thinks is correct for the District -- and not bow to the pressure of a very small, very vocal minority of the population -- on this or any future issue.

3) The Teachers Union did their own poll on the issue and that also came out slightly in favor of maintaining the K-6 configuration.  It's been decades since my last stats class, but I would certainly question the margin of error and the validity of that process.  The quality of the last public poll by the Union was on the level of something usually seen in a third world nation that produced bananas.  It was so bogus it would have been humorous -- except for the damage it caused.  These folks are experienced educators, but given the deeply entrenched reluctance of some members to change anything, I am actually surprised the results were as positive as they were.  I was expecting a resounding "no way" -- but I'm not seeing it.

4) And then you have the Administration -- overlooking the wounded Superintendent -- the rest of his team seems on-board.   But, then that's WHY they're on his team!  BUT, they are also experienced professional educators.  They are trained and licensed to educate kids. and will be doing it long after the kids of these parents have graduated.   Longaberger / Silpada / Tupperware / Etsy / Babe Ruth / PTA experience ain't the same as an advanced degree in Education.

So ....?

This will be a defining moment for the School Committee.   Do they go with the professional opinion of the experienced Superintendent that they hired to run the District, do they go with their own deeply held convictions (which may or may not be the same as the Administration), or do they just fold and bow to the wishes and personal opinions of a relatively small -- but very loud -- group of parents?

We shall see.

Battle of Irrelevance

The Broadsider has an amusing story this week about the local Hysterical Commission being concerned about the addition of a sign saying some hacks from Sandwich, England got together recently with some of our home-grown hacks and decided to declare the namesake towns "Twin Cities".   Yawn ...

Next week, I hear some folks from Subway will be in-town asking to be declared the "official Sandwch Shop(pe) of Sandwich" --- an honor that I assume will also come with a sign.  At least we something in common with Subway ---- since sub shops (or "shoppes" in "The Village") are one of the few growth industries in town.

The following week, there is a group from Forestdale scheduled to visit Town Hall to request to be designated "The P.A. Landers Cultural District".  That seems fair since at least Landers is still in business and pays way more in local taxes than the Glass Company ever did!  (BTW, I assume all those trucks and loaders parked off Rte. 130 are registered in Sandwich -- and not still paying excise and personal property taxes to Plymouth or Hanover instead?   Maybe somebody should check that?)

I find it amusing that in a town where a $70 million budget passes without a single question, a town where the roads and public safety building are falling apart -- yet votes to spend $1 million to fix a swimming pool that nobody will admit to having any idea what the operating costs are --- yet they get excited about 1 more stupid sign.

Of course it's a stupid sign!  People want to know where the bathrooms are, and how to get to (any other Town's) beaches.  Nobody cares about the egghead mini-districts, cultural districts, or signs commemorating coincidental name similarities.  Those are all amusing hobbies for people with too much time on their hands or those who feel a need to justify their existence --- but otherwise -- who cares? 

The only thing more amusing than listening to these dopes argue for their irrelevant pet projects is when an equally irrelevant group wants to argue about it. It's too bad somebody has to win the argument!

The School Department announced that buses will be delayed along the Service Road this morning  ...

A Modest Proposal ...

Now that we have managed to compress the discussion period for the entire $70 million budget into less time than it takes most folks to order their coffee, its time to start working on speeding up the rest of the meeting.

Hell, if it takes 2 minutes to approve $70 million, why do we need to waste hours on arguing about the Special Interest du jour ...?

Retribution can be a Bitch !

A group of Barnstable oyster farmers recently rented a giant crane in
 an unsuccessful attempt to steal Joe's Lobster Mart

WTF ?

This potato was unable to attend Town Meeting tonight -- but if it had, it would
 have asked the same number of questions that those approving the budget asked.

I turned on Town Meeting this evening (The Daily Show & Colbert were both repeats).  I thought I was watching a speed reading demonstration -- the articles were passing as quick as they could be read, and re-read, and then re-read one more time.

The over $70 million dollar annual budget was passed in seconds --- with absolutely no comment or question from the audience --- not even a stupid one!  Other towns take multiple nights to discuss and approve what Sandwich can knock off in minutes!

Does anybody really think Town Meeting is still relevant to the operation of the Town?  It's a numbers game  -- out of 15,000 voters, maybe 250 will show up.  If you want something bad enough (pool, astro-turf, the ability to chase away illegal aliens) all you need is 125 warm bodies.

Yeah, I know... it's Democracy!

Which brings us to the Giant Potato above.  

The Magic Valley Times News (which is apparently in Idaho)  is reporting that a Dr. Richard Canfield was named one of two finalists for the Blaine County School Superintendent's job -- but didn't get the job.  What a coincidence, Sandwich has a Superintendent of the same name.  Wait a minute -- I recognize that face! According to the local papers, Canfield and his wife love the Blaine County area and have been vacationing there for years.  That sounds vaguely familiar... that's what he said about Cape Cod a couple of years ago -- usually in the same paragraph with the phrases "last job" and "going to retire here".

Here we go again.  A new Superintendent comes to Town, turns the system inside out -- and then either gets driven out of the District or flees before the locals can gather their pitch forks & torches!

Well, at least we still have a strong, experienced, School Committee -- except for those three folks who walked in off the street unopposed and two others who have been described as the special interest devotee and the un-medicated third grader.  Damn.

Well, at least we are getting a new astro-turf field!  (Because it would be disrespectful to veterans and 9/11 victims if we didn't spend pennies a day to prevent 400 kids from getting grass stains.  Or something like that.)

Gimme a break.

Consultant to the Committee on Consultants Who Hire Other Consultants

So far, the best reason I have heard to build a new Library is that Town Hall needs a bigger building in which to store their collection of Consultants' reports. (I hope they save a special place for the Consultant who thought it was a good idea to spend $3.5 million to renovate Town Hall and reduce the amount of space usable by Town employees!) The latest farce is the employment of a consultant to determine how residents feel about building additional recreational facilities.

It's no secret that the Town needs more space -- the constant beating the fields take is second only to the constant beating the School Department takes for their poor condition.  The reality is, if the schools are spending money on fields (or pools), they aren't spending money on academics.  It's that simple.

If an outside group wants to use a school field they need to pay for their share of the maintenance.  It's an old argument that that taxpayers shouldn't be expected to fund private group use of public facilities out of the school budget  -- especially if these non-profits manage to find ways to pay some of their "volunteers".  If a group decides some of its people deserve to be paid -- than they should damn well be paying for the use of taxpayer-funded facilities.

For more details -- see the Mass Attorney General's Office online database of non-profit organization tax filings at:  www.charities.ago.state.ma.us, 

Just for old-time's sake, I looked up one particular group that has always benefited greatly from the use of school-funded facilities -- and -- sure enough, the nastiest,  most foul-tempered little troll who constantly fought against any usage fess was ... wait for it ... the highest paid "volunteer" listed on any of the tax returns. When asked about her group's ability to pay, the Troll had sneered. "I'm not showing you our tax returns!"  She was too stupid to realize they were already available online.

But that's an old argument -- and we have already seen that few really give enough of a damn to speak-out on the issue.  This "new study" will show two distinct groups:  (1) People who want more facilities and (2) Everybody else who won't show-up.   

At the risk of sounding cynical, I suspect there may be a "solution" all ready to go -- just waiting for a consulting "study" to justify it!  And, I suspect the consultant is not going to be the only one making a grab for my tax dollars in this deal!

So let's not pretend.

Grab Your Flux Capacitor ..... We're Going Back to the Future !! (By Bob Guerin)

Good news!

Town Hall has decided to begin a conversation with resident taxpayers about recreation space, fields and Sandwich Hollows. Most folks in town consider this a dialog that’s long overdue.

At least 10 and perhaps 15 years ago, the Sandwich Hollows Golf Advisory Board, of which I was a member, brought a detailed plan to the Board of Selectmen and Town Manager that showed exactly how 25 to 30 acres of Hollows’ land could be cleared, leveled and used for recreational fields. Our plan included detailed parcel maps and identified resources willing to clear and level the land at no charge. We had imagined that Little League, Sandwich Youth Soccer, Sandwich Lacrosse and Pop Warner would use and maintain the lands at little to no cost to the town, just as they do other fields today.

Amazingly, this is almost exactly the same Hollows’ land use idea that Town Hall has just announced that it is now willing to explore with the help of a paid consultant.

When I recently asked a Selectman why it’s taken almost 15 years for the Board of Selectmen and our Town Manager to act on what was once a no cost proposal I was told: “we had other priorities.”   

Knowing that the Sandwich Hollows’ land use project was once a no cost / low cost project, I am eagerly awaiting the cost estimates for this new recreation proposal. I’ll bet it’s not going to be cheap.  

I hope the new recreation project is at least as good as the free 30 acres of recreational fields that the Sandwich Hollows Golf Committee proposed building almost 15 years ago.

Could it be a coincidence that there were reports of an odd-looking

 DeLorean  tooling around Sandwich Hollows recently?

 It was obviously one of the Consultants trying to go back in time

 to find a way to charge for the same answer that was obtained

free in a dozen years ago!!