I saw a friend of mine the other day who works in the cafeteria and I asked her how everything was going due to Michele Obama's edict of nutritional values changing in the cafeteria, and how it was affecting them. To my surprise she told me that the cafeteria staff has always done ALL fresh food whenever possible, and it was not big deal. From pizza dough to sauces they try to do homemade as much as possible. The cafeteria folks do NOT have an easy job. What with food allergies, parents, and administrators making demands, this is not an easy job. I know the head of food services (Cathy Laprade) and some of the folks who work there and they do a fantastic job. Cathy personally goes out and tries to get fresh produce on her own time and transports the same produce in her own truck by buying at Farmers Markets whenever possible. This kind of attention to detail gets lost along the way, and these folks who work in Food Services deserve a shout out for the job they do each and every day to ensure our kids have the best meals possible. Great job.
We love acronyms in this country. Think FUBAR (Fuc--ed up Beyond All Recognition, or SNAFU (Situation Normal, All Fu--ed Up) and now we have FIFO (First In First Out) and no, this is not a military term. It means First In, First Out as in hiring teachers. The current system it is first hired, first fired. Normal enough thinking except that you have a system that is upside down. This system might work if people in the system were held accountable for job performance. Problem with teachers is there is a teacher's evaluation that we have tried to get put into place for two years and due to Mark (2.0 the new version) James insisting that since we were in negotiations last year, to NOT implement the tool since it may actually hold people (read: teachers) accountable, and seeing that we were in negotiations and the Teacher's Union (and the teachers) were not getting what they wanted, they held off on doing this until they were forced by arbitration to do so. Ironically it was the one decent thing Dr. Hicks did for the kids by taking this to arbitration. Now it is a State mandate and the hollering can be heard across the state. Oh James will play nice in public, but behind the scenes he will be a busy little bee. For too long we have held teachers to a different standard than the rest of us. Because we had kids in school we did not cross that line and actually demand to hold them accountable, when that is exactly what should have been happening. Read Adam Gaudette's comments in the New Leader (and for my money David Dore and company are the only ones paying attention to Spencer) and see what he has to say. Town employees will AGAIN take a pay freeze, not fill jobs left vacant, and toe the line to get us through this financial mess which is still going on. Kim Ring Ace Reporter was at the meeting the other night and (as Donnie B. put it) too busy texting to pay attention to what is going on. Read the article and watch what the teachers do during this negotiation. It will not be done by May since the elections may move a couple of positions around on the SC. Fournier, King, Nordquist, and Silent John are all up for re-election this May. Chris is undecided (although I hope he pulls papers) Nordquist and Fournier will pull papers, and Silent John will run if no one opposes him. I know, that's how he rolls. The teachers union will wait out the May elections to see if they get any Conti like players in the mix and try and stall the change that is inevitably coming. Problem here is that there are some very good teachers in the system, but the Old Guard is fighting tooth and nail to just bide their time and retire with an 80% pension and an extra 10% bump on the way out the door. This group needs to get a clue, or NASC (Needing A Serious Clue) since we all love acronyms. As I pointed out in today's Letter to the Editor Dr. Hicks and the rest of his cabal do not like the facts, but that's all right. I am not going anywhere and since I am NOT the teacher's employer anymore there is not much they can do as long as I stick to the facts and am expressing my opinion and God knows I have plenty of opinions. And trust me, it is killing them. Since I did not get a Christmas card from 2.0 I am considering giving him a hug at the next meeting and telling him all is forgiven. OK, maybe not, but I will still give him a hug.
Who knew this idea might catch on? Imagine a world where teachers are actually held accountable for what they do (or don't do) and they are called on the carpet for their actions? I mean what is the world coming to! Next thing you know all workers in the United States will be accountable for job performance, credibility, and accountability. Sounds like a crazy place to live, but who knows. This idea might actually work! The major surprise is that 2.0's head doesn't explode what with all this information being passed on to the general public. Is there a Mother Theresa or patron saint for teachers? I wonder if he sees the missile coming at him this time? Isn't karma a bitch?
Pats. What else is there to say? A class organization with players who stand up for their community and fans. Then you have the other side of the coin. Joe Paterno and all the Penn State fans who villified the Assistant coach who turned in Sandusky when he saw him raping a minor in the shower. Got to love sports and the sometimes tilted morality often inherent in the Big College system and in sports in general. I saw on Facebook this morning people commenting on Paterno's passing and had to wonder how they feel about the kids hurt in all of this? Where is the outpouring of grief for kids who believed in the man who ran their program only to be destroyed by the man and the institution that let him prey on kids? Paterno "turned Sandusky in" according to him to his higher authority, his bosses. Didn't Paterno have a thought to confront Sandusky with these charges or pursue the matter further? Or when Penn State allowed this man to continue using their campus for his program didn't Penn State bear the responsibility to look into this pervert if nothing more than the safety and well being of the kids? This was not a kid who turned him in but a coach and a member of the Penn State system. And why did this coach when he saw the act being committed not stop it? There is plenty of blame to go around, but now that "Joe Pa" is dead there will be plenty of folks to sing hosannas for him and praise his integrity. I can only hope there is s special place in hell for the people who let this go on, and allowed a criminal to abuse children. Watching the crime is the same as carrying it out, and hopefully the people responsible will do as much time as Sandusky.
As a blogger I never cease to be amazed at the stupidity of a situation or the lack of reasonable thought. First people complained about the schools and former and present members of the SC voted Dr. Hicks out as superintendent. Then you get change, the very same change you were hoping for as a part of being involved in the process. Then you complain about the change, or better yet as one former teacher did, send a letter to the editor in and chastise folks she held signs with for, “ Not doing their jobs!”. Keep in mind these very same folks have the opportunity that all of us have, and should have the God given sense to know how this works. Being intimately involved with the system you should know you can call, visit, or contact either the Superintendent or a SC member and voice your complaints, but you would rather bitch and moan and lament about how things are going downhill because Dr. Hicks is pissing in your ear and telling you it’s raining. So how is that working out for you? The Contis, the Hurls, the Howards, and others should know better but due to what I like to call the “Ralph Factor” (aka the Old Boys Network) they ignore common sense and a direct route to getting answers to their questions. They would rather hurl innuendo and complaints into the paper rather than go the source and voice that complaint which in this town passes for commentary. I never have seen Hurl or Howard or Conti for that matter get up at a SC meeting and let their disappointment in the system known. If you re truly invested in the health and welfare of the school system and the kids why not show up at a SC meeting and voice your opinion? I mean what a novel concept! You are now given two chances to speak at SC meetings, once at the beginning and again at the end. No one is impeded at the podium from speaking their mind as long as you don’t make it personal and keep it professional. I can only wonder if Ms. Conti or Hurl will run for SC and show us a better and more enlightened way? Ghandi and Jesus did it, maybe these folks and others will get on board and do it the right way. I get so confused. As time goes by and more things are brought to light, you have to ask yourself, if Dr. Hicks did such an awesome job, why doesn’t he still have that job? Perhaps Dr. Hicks (and this is merely my humble opinion) should stop calling administrators and others and spreading rumors. Stop all the negative campaigning, and let the SC and Dr. Namin do their jobs that at least seven of them were ELECTED to do and they are doing it while trying to figure out the mess Dr. Hicks left behind. And if anyone thinks I am making any of this up, think again. Keep in mind when Dr. Hicks ran unsuccessfully for SM, he finally petitioned the town to change the board from three to five members to allow him to finally get on the SM board. Dr. Hicks has a looooong memory when it comes to grudges (real or imagined) in my opinion. However long it takes, he will try and get over and this is personal with him. It’s too bad he can’t move on and do the job he was hired to do and I wonder what the phone bill is at the Ashburnham school district or if Dr. Hicks is using his own cell phone? Or for that matter is the SC in Ashburnham is aware of his diatribes and phone calls? Or that the Sound Off post in the New Leader about Wire Village is not Dr. Hicks once again "educating" the masses here in Spencer? Either way, he is burning up the minutes and running out of time. Karma is a bitch and catches up to you eventually. This house of cards will eventually fall, and I can only hope to add to the breeze.
Couple of quick hits here, met with Tony Pepe the other night and I have to say the guy goes the extra mile. He regularly holds meeting hours for town folks to bring any complaint or ideas forward. He is a huge part of why the SM are heading in the right direction. I also heard a rumour and considering the source, I had to pass this one on. It seems the teachers are gearing up for a run at the SC and I would imagine have their ducks (or quacks) lined up. I am hearing the way they are going to try and get some SC members out is to use Dr. Namin as their foil. The deal is to say that Dr. Namin comes in a noon, works from home, and is rarely there and when he is he is changing everything. And the SC is to blame because they hired him. Those bastards. OK folks, if you are going to do this DO NOT TELL PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT GET IT!. Just a suggestion and you got to wonder how these folks came to teaching the first place. First thing I would teach them to do is keep their mouths shut. Too bad that boat sailed. Let's just say one of the individuals thinks they have a "sporting" chance. Best of luck with that idea as Reza is usually the early guy in and last to leave not counting Saturdays that I have caught him there. Gee, maybe you could ask Karen Conti to run she has some really special ideas on hwo to do all of this and she is retired. Or maybe just tired I am not sure.
Much to my disappointment I missed the Tea Party soiree the other night, but I think I found a new hobby. In the coming weeks I will share that hobby with you Faithful Reader, and we will go on a voyage of discovery together. As you may have noticed, Dr. Hicks responded to my letter to the editor a couple of weeks ago, and he should be dizzy from all that spinning. No matter, the truth always comes out and sometimes in ways you never, ever figured. So slip into something comfortable and hang on because trust me, it's going to get good.
Now can someone explain to me how Chinese firms and Chinese workers can work on multi million dollar bridge projects in the US? Last time I checked, import laws into China were so stringent it was damn near impossible to work thru the maze of technicalities to even think about doing business there. Unless you are Coa Cola. I saw this and could not believe it. The link below is the ABC news report on it. Speaking of reports, I am going to a Tea Party meeting tomorrow night in Spencer at the American Legion for 7 pm with a friend of mine. I want to see how the other half lives. I suspect (and I could be wrong) as in most political decisions made today we will vote for a candidate based on the fact that he is not the other guy. Here is to hoping I am wrong.
With all of the rhetoric and innuendo going on let’s take a look at what Dr. Namin has done to this point.
#1. Went to every single school prior to taking over the position of superintendent and met with any families that had questions, concerns, or issues. This was done over a two week period.
#2. Revised and updated our entire web site for the school district.
#3. Eliminated the IT position and restructured the position responsible for the lack of Professional Development our teachers received. This was a major complaint by not only teachers but administrators for the lack of quality PD and the subsequent follow up of which there was none.
#4. Dr. Namin Is in the process of looking at the needs of the districts and what is in the best interest of the kids. This means eliminating positions and allowing people to re-apply if necessary in new positions and reducing redundant positions or combining two jobs into one.
#5. Addressed the total lack of maintenance and the lack of any sort of management plan to maintain equipment (checklists on last serviced equipment, maintenance records, etc.) as the lack of follow up on any of these items is costing the district thousands. The policy in the pas has been if it’s broke, we will buy a new one. Not anymore.
#6. Accountability. This is where the rubber truly hits the road. The lack of it in the previous administration has led us to where we are today. The changes being implemented with this being the number one priority from what I understand will make all the difference in our district. I have heard the Union is on board with implementing the evaluation tools and teachers are for the most part, ready to embrace this. This will include ALL facets of the operation from the Superintendent on down.
#7. Hiring more teachers. This started with the School Committee last year and will continue once the money free cash gets certified by the State. On three occasions at open meetings (most recently the presentation to East Brookfield SM and FinComm members) Dr. Naminhas expressed the need to hire more teachers to reduce class sizes and improve the overall education of our kids.
#8. Inclusion. Nowhere does this come into play than in the SPED program. Rather than keep on with the status quo, Dr. Namin wants to see more kids included to a larger extent in the classroom to help make for a better education for the kids.
#9. Losing the sports fees. How many parents in this district are possibly keeping their kids out of the sports and music programs due to fees? And I am not talking about lower income kids who get a pass in our program, but middle class folks who are just trying to make ends meet. This will not only keep kids in school, raise grades, and make more students aware of how well they do in school. Bad grades? You don’t play. It always got my attention and made me a more focused student. I think that the lack of sports fees will bring kids into our district. and this view is shared by Bob O'Brien the principal of David Proutyand the main champion of this issue. These are points Bob has brought up time and time again in meetings withthe SC. Some area schools do not have certain sports programs and for sports minded familiesand music families, this will be huge. All the school around us have sports fees and as Dr. Naminputs it best, "It is a double taxation on the families in this district."
#10. Transparency. Dr. Namin and the SC are trying to be as above board and keeping everyone in the loop as much as possible. This is the hardest part to pull off because there is always someone who will be disgruntled in the system. The key here is Dr. Namin and the SC has an Open Door way of thinking. Don’t like what is going on? Call Dr. Namin or a SC member and make your dissatisfaction known. Recently the SC announced a Citizen Input at the beginning of the meeting and again at the end. This is how you find out how people feel. Hopefully this will end the “whisper campaign” that is still ongoing in our district.
If I missed anything, feel free to post opposing opinions, or agreeing opinions or what you think could be done better. All in all, for six months on the job, Dr. Namin is doing one hell of a job and so is the SC. Keep up the good work.
When I was still on the SC I sat down and talked to Josh Cote. I remembered telling him that I knew his wife was a teacher and that Josh had insights few people have into their way of thinking. I told Josh one thing that I knew might come true. I told him the first time you cross the teachers and they think you are doing something they do not agree with, they will trash you. Thank you Karen Conti for proving my point and spreading misinformation in the process. If you read the letter to the editor in the New Leader, you will see Ms. Conti bring up several points. The first is the trashing of Mary and Josh since they are the new committee members that teachers campaigned for. I guess if you are two members out of seven, your voice (and the fact that you are new members) will be heard louder among the others due to the fact that teachers championed for you, and a debt needs to be paid. These two are doing the job they were voted in to do. Looking out for the kids and the district, and for the record, Josh and I have had our disagreements, but to be fair he is doing a good job and looking out for the kids from what I can see. I have pointed out on this blog that I think the SC and Dr. Naminare doing a great job and that includes Mary and Josh. Ms. Conti sees doom and gloom and I am wondering if Dr. Hicks is whispering in her ear. Change is what was needed, and the more that comes out about the previous administration, the more I am convinced the previous SC made the correct decision. Only Mark Labairte and John Howard voted to keep Dr. Hicks on at the time. Marie McDevitttvoted originally to let Ralph go, then when she saw the votes against Ralph, she abstained. They were right. For the last 20 years we have been bleeding kids to other districts, yet to read Ms. Conti'sclaims, we just started this process with Dr. Namin. Please. She also mentions gutting the SPED program which accounts for 20% of our budget. The thing to understand here is that the schools are given their own budgets in the budget process. SPED accounts for twice that of any single school budget, and who is to say there is not some fat to be trimmed there? I am all about educating ALL kids, and have friends who have kids with disabilitiesand will be the first to champion for the help for all the kids. The fact that some positions might just be redundant and need to be re-structured (and re-structuring is the key word here) is not a bad thing. If someone loses a position they can re-apply within the system. This is what RE-STRUCTURING is all about. Dr. Namin is asking to include more kids in an inclusion program, rather than excluding them making for a better environment for the kids to learn. That doesnot sound like someone looking to destroy the program Dr. Hicks built but possibly do something with the program that might be better for the kids. But since Dr. Hicks built this, is it any wonder that someone is challenging a possible loss of the program that benefits our kids? As to the "wonderful, caring teachers" being fired, or the loss of administrators, all I can say is name them. Mark Wilson left when he realized that he and Dr. Naminwere not on the same page, and add to that he got a NO confidence vote from the very people he manages. Mark Andrews from what I understand is not going to have his contract renewed. Keep in mind this is a principal that sent letters home to an entire class of kindergartnersthat they would be held back, instituted NO PEANUT policy as a over-reaction to a child witha peanut allergy, called 911 because of a turtle on the school grounds, and when peanut shells were found on school property during a sports event had maintenance staff come out and wash the ground withsoap and water to remove any residue of the offending shells. I only wish I was kidding. According to Dr. Hick's reply to my letter to the editor an under performing school is normal and our standards should not exceed the norm. Really? How low can you set the bar, and if this is the way to champion for a better education for the students in our district then I feel sorry for the kids. Then she takeson Peter Rock and chastises him for championing Dr. Namin, when he actually wanted to take another look at another prospective superintendent. The committee (which I served on) was unanimous in our agreement of Dr. Namin as a possible superintendent; Keep in mind there was two SC members, an administrator who served on another committee (ironically the committee that took Hicks over Namin6 years ago), three teachers, and a couple of parents. This committee was well represented, yet she takes Peter Rock to task. This begs the question what color is the sky in her world? As to thankingDr. Hicks, this says it all for me. Obviously Ralph is bending her ear (along with many others from what I understand) in an attempt to discredit Dr. Namin. Change is a bitch folks, and for some more than others. Mary and Josh do not deserve the BS that is being flung there way by a former teacher with nothing but misinformation. If we were doing so well than why are our schools under performing Ms. Conti? Gee I guess that just happened since Reza came aboard. We did not do a site visit because anyone who has a clue will tell you you can NOT disparage anyone for fear of legal repercussions, so what would spending a day in Maine have accomplished? Going to the outlets to shop? I own a business and was against going all the way there to get no information we could not get through google or any other search. Add to that Reza was a Superintendent of the year candidate, and I am very sure they look VERY carefully into the backgrounds of individuals up for this award. And finally we get to Ms. Conti's assertion that we gave Reza as Ms. Contiput it in her diatribe," a three year contract ("another unheard of decision") Are you serious? The standard contract for any superintendent moving his family from another state, uprooting his life, and taking on a school that needs help and offering him a one year contract is not only unfeasible, but an insult. We paid him less than other Supers have been paid if you read the paper, and Peter Rock negotiated VERY hard with Reza to get the best deal for the school district. How do I know? I was on the Negotiating Committee Ms. Conti, and he made Reza work for everything he got. To end this mess, perhaps Ms. Conti needs a hobby, or better yet a clue. Want to do a better job Ms. Conti, run for SC and prove me wrong. I can guarantee you can get teachers to hold a sign for you. Just don't disagree with them.
I attended the hearing at the East Brookfield Finn Comm on the ProutyHigh school Building Committee presentation and was impressed. It seems everyone did their home work and led to a very spirited discussion. The idea of combining grades7-12 was talked about and the short of it was East Brookfield felt it was better to not explore the option due to the fact that they already helped build one Junior High with Knox Trail, and they were not comfortable after asking voters to pay for a Feasibility Study for 9 thru 12 to turn around and ask them to build a 7 thu 12 thus changing all the numbers in the increase mode. Both points well taken. While this decision to go the 7 -12 route would have solved a couple of problems for us, it was not in the best interest of East Brookfield or the people the SM there represent. It was a great idea, but it did not pass muster. I have gotten to know the SM and the Finn Commfolksand have a great deal of respect for all of them as they truly look out for the best interest of their district. I am disappointed but it is hard to fault their logic. Speaking of logic, did anyone catch the teacher in Carver who has a step son that was wounded in Afghanistan and she wanted three days off with pay to greet him at the airport when he comeshome and spend a couple of days withhim? It seems she has none of her own time left and petitioned the Super for the time off withpay. Not time off mind you, time off withpay. Now at first I thought about how entitled she must feel because if the shoe was on the other foot and the Super asked her to work for three days without pay she would flip, and by proxy the Union. But because her son was wounded she decided to do what any American worker would do. She called Fox News so they could cover the outrage. Imagine if you were in her shoesand NOT a teacher. Not only would you be doing this on your own time, but you may not have a job when you got back. But she got the crowd worked into a lather and vets were there comparing the SC to the folks who abuse servicemen during Vietnam. I get it. She should have been allowed to take the time off WITH pay because she is a teacher and her son is a vet. If my son or daughter were hurt in similar circumstancesI would take the time off without pay and do what I needed to do to be withmykids. But that’s me. I would do what I had to do and not whine to everyone and use the excuse that she did and say that she could have called in sick and got the time off with pay. Yup, real role model there and not like any of her students will catch her on Fox News. Thank God she teaches in Carver.
On the anniversary of 9/11 I wrote a piece about who we are as a nation. This video explains better than I ever could who we are and why we will never be defeated as a nation.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/MDOrzF7B2Kg?rel=0ill
The recent new that the teachers will be trying to changethemakeup up these current SC is not a shock to anyone that follows all of this. I have heard rumours and some names have been bandied about. I no doubt will see Jeff Berthiaumeshowingup and throwing his hat in the ring. You may remember Jeff from the run off with Paul Fournier and Marie McDevitt last year, and Jeff explaining that teachers pensions are self funded. YesJeff, they are. Until their benefits run out in about 8 to 10 years and then the taxpayers in town get to pick up the bill once your benefits are exhausted. Remember it was Jeff and some of the other kids that gave away the farm to the teachers a few years ago. Do we really need to go down that road again? On another note, a friend's daughter was trying to get a paid internship with some local hospitals only to find out that they were for minority students only. Really? And they announce this on the site. Amazing but true I came to find out, so in the interest of White Guys everywhere I am starting the United White Guys Fund. This fund will sponsor kids who are white and we will ask legislators to lobby for White Guy week where we discover the fun of guns, NASCAR, and all things football. Oh yea, and beer. We will also ask for a "minority" preference be give to us for civil service test, tests be done in English, and you have to press any number to speak English. For a $50.00 donation we will mail you a slevelesstanktop, and hat with"I voted for the other guy" on the lid, and a bottle opener. Our slogan will be, "Fighting for an averageAmerica". I mean if the United Negro College Fund can do it why not us? Hell, according to the most recent survey we are a minority anyway, and I can AKSthings with the best of them. Hell, I might even work! And all of our welfare forms will be printed in English only. So join me in the fight to rectify the balance of nature and support White Guys everywhere. Now you can open that Bud.
Of the four questions being sent to the house for ballot review for approval for May 2012 for the election, the one that really caught my eye was the issue that would require that teacher's effectiveness rather than seniority, be the prime consideration in the hiring and firing process. Now can you imagine how hard the MTAwillbelobbying to delay or bury this notion? Can you possibly imagine a workplace and culture where teachers are held to standards of accountability like the rest of us? I am trying but can't quite seem to get there. Now there $700.00 a year in dues will help to fund this lobbying action and trust me they will be lobbying. This is one of the few bastions of municipal employment where the employee is rarely held accountable for their actions or inaction as the case may be. The very fact that we have three under performing schools in our district doesnot merely reflect a lack of leadership but a willingness to go withthestatusquo of ,"Well this is the way we have always done it". Too bad that is not working for us, and this administration and by choice, the SC is right on board with expecting more of the teaching staff. If you work at a Ford plant and make crappy cars how long do you think you will keep your job or stay in business? Same goes for the teaching profession and we need to hold teachers responsible for what and how they do it. This is a piece of an article in Commonwealthmagazineaboutthis issue and for once I agree with the NEA.
"There are two big drivers behind the push from the federal education department: The increasing recognition that a highly effective teacher is the single biggest variable within a school that determines student progress, and the woeful state of existing evaluation systems. Most districts use a binary evaluation system, with teachers rated either satisfactory or unsatisfactory – and the overwhelming majority of all teachers are given a stamp of approval, suggesting the reviews are fairly perfunctory. A report last year from the Washington-based National Council on Teacher Quality found that only half of Boston public teachers had even been evaluated during a recent two-year period, despite the requirement for evaluations every two years. What’s more, less than 1 percent of those who underwent a review received an unsatisfactory evaluation."
Obviously some within the NEA agree too. It's about time, and the efforts to standardize evaluations and actually perform these evaluations are one way to weed out the folks who are not doing their jobs and in turn, not working in the best interest of the kids.
I felt the need to comment on the recent Iowa caucus and the results. Apparently Iowa is Bible Belt territory, and in any national caucus to elect the next rep (be they Dem or Repub) is based on surroundings and Iowa does not recognize any aspect of teaching that does not include a church, a belief system beyond the Creationist Theory, or NASCAR. Having qualified that, the second place finish of Rick Santorum(who according to his website) has the "courage" to run for president happen anywhere but in America. I mean, if I thought this putz had a chance I would go out the Hunter Thompson Way and buy ammo and pull the trigger. We need to expect more from the pandering massesthatrunfor president. Yet we applaud some talking head toeing the line and not trying to offend anyone with totally inane coments that mean at the end......nothing? Think Mittt the Nitt here. This guy would do a Ghandi and not run over an ant if he thought it would buy him the insect vote. If only it were that easy. Now as much as I believe Romney and every other Repub is the Anti Political animal we really need them to be, they are not offering options in the traditional sense. Thank God Bachman had the God given sense to drop out, Cain's wife got tired of his moral infidelity, and hopefully Gingrich will stroke out and be put in a nursing home sponsored by the Democratic YouthSociety. Such is justice. The one question anyone with a clue should ask these defenders of the American Way is simply this. How much is a gallon of milk, a gallon of gas, and how much doesitcostto fill a typical 200 gallon oil tank. Answer this and not only will I be impressed, but I may vote for you. But let's not kid ourselves, Obamawon't know this answer either since his family is busy withtripstoAfrica and Hawaii. God love him and the American Way that makes all of this happen. I do applaud his decision to appoint Richard Cordray shows a willingness to possibly grow a set and oppose the pinheads that run the Repubsfor a change. That and given the track record of Cordray against giants Bank of America and AIGmade bode well for this country. Wouldn't that be a change? Past due, and past time, but anything can happen. Speaking of which now that we are in the final year for us (according to the Mayan Calendar) I expect to see Dr. Hicks apologize, Hurleand Howard go mute, not having to press one for English, English as a FIRST language, Newt speak in tounges, Kardashianbe struck from our national language, and everyone get together in a big group hug. One can dream....................
I got a call from a business owner in another town the other day and thought it was amusing to say the least. It seems that he has the top tier of the Blue Cross plan and recently had shoulder surgery. He got a form letter from a rep at Blue Cross telling him that they would no longer be able to cover any more of his bills for the post surgery care as he had "exhausted" his limit withBlueCross. Now, who knew they had a limit, and why wasn't anyone told? Is this a big secret with insurance companies? Do they teach you a secret handshake when you get this info or a decoder ring? He calls the insurance company, makes some noise and gets a supervisor on the phone. They went on to assure him that there was no limit to his healthcare. Fast forward to today and he gets yet another letter from our friends at Blue Cross explaining to him that they have allowed for his physical therapy, but may not authorize it. That's like telling your wife you are leaving and living in the garage. I guess I am confused. I mean, Senator Brewer told me what a good deal all of this health insurance thing is and how it's (I swear to God) there to protect us and to not overburden the healthcareindustry with emergency care visits. OK. How? I do not confuse easily, but if this little story above does not wake you up nothing ever will. Health care is there in name only. When you actually God forbid use it, you get penalized. My healthinsurance (when I had it) went from $900.00 a monthto $1670.00 a monthbecause my daughter had knee surgery and had test done when she was at school at URI and fainted in the classroom. I guess when you actually use it (and these issueshappenedwithin a three month period) we got told we got put in a higher bracket as part of a new "pool" of insured. I'll say, and we are the oneswhogotsoaked. When you use your homeowners insurance as so many of my customers recently did they got cancelled and put in a high risk pool due to actually using these policies that they paid into for years. Use it and lose it seems to be the insurance company mantra, and by God business is good. Now lest you think I am making this up, in the next day or two I am going to take a ride and see my buddy and get this letter from Blue Cross from him Then I am going to post it on here, and send it to Senator Brewer because gosh, I am just so confused? DoesSteve and Annie (Gobi) and Pete (Durant) have these issuesor is it just all of those of us who are not politicians have to struggle withaplanthat they want no part of? All the State Reps, Congressmen and Senators opted out of this plan as well as all of the folks at the White House so how good is this plan to begin with? It's good enough for the unwashed but not the Political Elite? I hope I get some answers so stay tuned Sports Fans.
As a P.S. You may enjoy reading this from FactCheck.org. No wonder Senator Brewer is not complaining about his health care on top of the fact that they vote themselves a pay raise every single year. When I asked Senator Brewer about his pay raise he told me, " You and the other voters voted it in". What he neglected to tell me was they have the option to vote it DOWN every single year. Only thing is that they never do. Read on Faithful Reader and try not to pull your hair out. At least now I know why they never fight for us.
Like other large employers, the government pays a large share of the cost of coverage. On average, the government pays72 percent of the premiums for its workers, up to a maximum of 75 percent depending on the policy chosen. For example, the popular Blue Cross and Blue Shield standard fee-for-service family plancarriesatotalpremium of $1,120.47 per month, of which the beneficiary pays $356.59. Washington, D.C.-based employees who prefer an HMO option might choose the Kaiser standard family plan. It carries a total premium of $629.46 per month, of which the employee pays only $157.36.
In addition, members of Congress also qualify for some medical benefits that ordinary federal workers do not. They (but not their families) are eligible to receive limited medical services from the Office of the Attending Physician of the U.S. Capitol, after payment of an annual fee ($491in 2007). But services don’t include surgery, dental care or eyeglasses, and any prescriptions must be filled at the member’s expense.
House and Senate members (but not their families) also are eligible to receive care at military hospitals. For outpatient care, there is no charge at the Washington, D.C., area hospitals (Walter Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval Medical Center). Inpatient care is billed at rates set by the Department of Defense.
Now in all this talking about the free cash I wanted to give people time to think about where this all came from. Now the absolute irony here is that not nine months ago Dr. Hicks was rolling out the first of what would be many memorable budgets. The first was the Doomsday Budget telling us at the library at David ProutyHigh School that we would need to lay off 12 to 17 teachers and I as well as others told Ralph that was not acceptable. Then the next monththere was the scenario of an Override. Again I (along withothersonthe SC) told Dr. Hicks that this was not acceptable. We were told this would happen to stave off the many layoffs that were sure to come if we did not move in a forward thinking manner to ward off certain fiscal disaster. Then (and I truly believe this was Ralph’s shining moment in Despair Economics) he brought in the Big Guns, The Kids. This was the,” We are looking (we being a French term here) at possibly losing sports and music”. Cue loud outragefromstudent, faculty, parents, etc., and rightfully so. Except for one thing, we on the SC found out about this disaster scenario when we received our packages. As a matter of fact, not ONE single time were we ever apprised of any budget until we sat down at the SC meetings only to have Ralph pull the rug out from under us withdiverse and mystifying numbers. In all of this arguing Peter Rock and I were fighting withRalph over all of this, and Peter and I were being told that we were being petty and divisive by the Union, teachers, and parents. Keep in mind Faithful Reader that in all of this we were the first SC in some time to actually hire teachers in the system and not lay them off in spite of Ralph. During all of this and the other minor dramas that played out in Ralph’s final days, not one word was ever mentioned that we actually had the money to pay for this and more. We had not only hired teachers from part time to full time, hired two Special Ed teachers, and a nurse or two, but we could have done more like possibly re-investing into our technological structure which was something being talked about at lengthatthetime. But according to Ralph, we not only did not have the money, but in the dire economy we were in we had to ask for an override from the voters. Funny how these things actually work when you have ALL the facts. If (and this is just my opinion) all this money has been found where was it in the first place? I mean, was it under a bed or a desk, in a gym locker under dirty gym clothes, or was it just misplaced? The job of a Superintendent is to know where the money is at all timesandtrust me, with the misinformation we on the SC received on an all too regular basis, we were lucky to know where the lunch money was. And now we have money in the system that we were led to believe did not exist. Add to that the problem of giving the CBAteamnegotiatingforthe SC the “wrong numbers” from the previous year and not the current numbers for the year we were negotiating for, and it makes you wonder about how all of this came about. Gee things just get curiouser and curiouser. The most curious thing in all of this is that Peter and I were right to call Ralph to task on all of this and in looking back; we hit the nail on the head for not trusting Ralph. But then perhaps Ralph just “forgot” where the money is, hell it happens in Washington all the time. And look how that is working out for all of us? I guess I am just funny like that. I expect folks to tell the truthespecially if they are in a position to help our kids and do the best job by them. I guess playing a shell game withthecashweactually had and crying wolf was the way to go to get this done. And then again, maybe not since we are the people who are supposed to protect our district from all of this and make sure this all got done to the best of our ability. Makes you wonder doesn’t it? Kind of like finding out that three of our schools (Knox Trail, East Brookfield Elementary, and Wire Village) are underperformingacademically and one school is a step away from the State coming in and taking over. I guess Ralph didn't feel the need to tell anybody on the SC or the public at large that salient little point either. Or how he extended Mark Wilson's contract and gave him a $10,000.00 raise AFTER being told by the SC to NOT spend anymore money. I guess he felt this was helping the district out once again by giving the principal at an underperformingschoolaraiseand a contract extension. That Ralph, always looking out for the other guy and the district. My only question left to all of this is when are we going to have an independent audit? I asked for an audit on a couple of occasions prior to Ralph leaving and was told to wait for the new superintendent to really scrutinize the books. Are we waiting for Ralph to weigh in on all of this? I would love to see that as I love a good story just like anyone else, and I am thinking about the little puppet who became a real boy. I love stories like that. Now if you think I am wrong about all of this, this is a response to a reader on my blog last year when I mentioned that I thought Dr. Hicks was not working in the best interest of our district when I was still on the SC. Funny how things come full circle.
Dr. Hicks,
#1. Misled the SC when he told us we could not see the budget ahead of time as it would be an Open Meeting violation. When I called the AG’s office they actually laughed at this. Why Dr. Hicks did not want member looking at a 24 million dollar budget, then would berate us and that we needed to pass the budget. This from a guy that would not let us look at the numbers to make an informed decision on where the money was going, or how we got the numbers we had. Which I believe, you kind of need to know.
#2. In spite of your rah rah stance on Roger Pontbriand’s budget, I had to ask for a power point presentation so everyone could see what was going on and possibly understand it better. There are members of our board that to nothing but work with numbers like these, and were lost with the explanations.
#3. When he failed to get us to pass the budget (which by the way included originally laying off 12 to 17 teachers which I voice quite loudly that this was not an acceptable budget or situation) he proceeded to tell us of layoffs to bring in a level service budget. Gee maybe this was the way to go and would have been the responsible thing to do?
#4. When this didn’t work we got the Doomsday Budget with sports and music being cut out which as I remembered correctly, your wife took me to task on at my blog and it was not ever our intention or proposal, but Dr. Hicks as a scare tactic to propose an override on the voters. We (the SC or Evil Empire, your call) never believed we couldn’t get this done without doing layoffs or burdening the community. Keep in mind that oil next year will be roughly $4.50 a gallon or $450.00 to fill your tank with 100 gallons. Now imagine you get $1100.00 a month for Social Security.
#5. Then the Override to save the children. The last gasp of every politico when they can’t get it through the normal channels, go after the kids and say it is all about them. We shot this down as Spencer (despite your rosy numbers) is one third fixed income, and Knox Trail has a 37% poverty line among their students, and this would be 42% if the Feds hadn’t just raised the numbers to make it harder to be poor.
#6. Not one time EVER advocated that teachers pay more into health care until the teachers ratified their contract (with no health care input as they still pay 15%) that health care is killing us and they need to step up and help out. Too little, too late.
#7. And the biggest “mistake” of his career he gave the Collective Bargaining Agreement Team the WRONG numbers to negotiate with. But in your mind, this was no biggiesince it was a major advantage for the teachers since we agreed to the deal (the CBA team that is) based on bad numbers. Yes, the teachers dealt in good faith, and did the best by their constituents which is what the Union does, and they did their job. Good for them as they negotiated in good faith. No argument here. But Dr. Hicks hamstrung this region as the money we might have saved had the numbers been right, would have gone out to buy much needed materials for the kids like computers, or smart boards, or better books as well as put some money towards next year’s budget. But now that will probably not happen.
Rarely do I ever get that fired up about someone else's opinion about the world around us, but the video a reader sent me absolutely blew me away. If four people watch this I will be happy and I think you will be as impressed as I was. Too many things are going on around us to stop caring and this clip got me pissed, angry, and wanting to expect more out of our elected reps and my president. For too long we have put up with rhetoric and bullshit, and in four minutes and 54 seconds this guy hit it out of the park. Please take the few minutes and watch this and if you agree with it, pass it on. It is time for all of us to become engaged beyond our own small circle of influence. Want to be "energized"? This will do it.
Last night I went to the SC meeting and was fairly impressed. Not only does this group seem to be hitting their stride, but there seems to be quite a bit of transparency. We have not seen this on the SC in quite some time and I am very glad to see it going on now and that there seems to be an open feeling to everything. In that vein I have to admit I was not surprised to hear that there will be just under $870,000.00 to be certified in free cash this year. Now this begs the most obvious question, where did the money come from? Now I will address this at a later date, but for now lets just stew on this. Second is the immediate reaction from some teachers at last night's meeting. It was overheard after the meeting from a couple of teachers commenting on how they gave in on health care benefits (they pay a larger co-pay now) and now they hear about all this free cash. Doesanyonerealizethatthis was not a move by the SC to mislead them? Guess not. Adding to the this "What about us?" moment was a comment a teacher made during the discussion about when to take the 5 days that need to be made up in the vacation schedule. First they thought about taking three days from each vacation (February and April) making the kids come in for a Thursday and Friday of each vacation. Then it got tabled until January. During this discussion a teacher spoke up (and I swear to God I am not making this up) and said that taking an entire week in April would mean that there would be no vacation from February until (gasp!) June and that students and teachers need the break to become "energized" Occasionally God gives me these moments to write about as it just goestoshowjust how entitled some folks in this system feel. Not all mind you, but a fairly largegroup. Gosh I guess the other 180 days off just aren't enough to "energize" some folks. Anyone with a clue should be absolutely amazed at this remark and it tells me a lot. Watch it on the SCA replay. Then Mark Jamesbringsupagood point that we should not table this decision and the SC says OK and chose a week to delete to the utter dismay of teachers in the room. You would think they shot Kennedy again for all the furor. Face it, no one was going to be happy with this decision and polling folks was not going to work so they handled it and it is a done deal but it was funny as hell to watch. Then comes the 2.0 show after hearing about the money to be declared free cash, and if it's like last year, Jameswillconsiderthisto be one half for the teachers. Now if you know 2.0 then you know that he can spin the story (or his version of it) better than anyone I know and that smile/snarl doesn’t fool anyone but teachers. 2.0 started talking about the new teachers evaluation tool and mentioned how we are ahead of the curve compared to other schools. He’s right on that point but the truth is stranger than fiction. 2.0 could have implemented this two years ago but because he is 2.0 so he and the MTA decided NOT to implement this wonderful instrument that might actually make teachers accountable for what they do and how they teach and how well their students do. And why you might ask, didn’t Mark and the CBA team for the teachers NOT implement this tool that these very same folks worked on it to bring it to the district and were paid for by taxpayers funds to the tune of over $60,000.00? Why because we were in the middle of contentious negotiations and they had to be forced by a lawyer and an appeal by Dr. Hicks for a ruling by the State to force them to implement it this year. Pretty neat huh, and history is so much more interesting when you have the whole story. Mark spins like a fan at a Grateful Dead show. But is is fun to watch a master at work. I personally can’t wait until the CBAnegotiations start. He will spin so hard he will leave our orbit. Last I would like to personally acknowledge Mary Gershman for standing up for the district and Dr. Namin and voicing her opinion on the Bay Path Fiasco. It has been a long tradition (until Peter Rock and myself) to not voice opinions about controversial subjects in open session, and Mary waded right in and good for her. We need people to tell it like it is and I thanked her after the meeting last night. This is exactly what this committee needs, someone looking out for the kids and the school. All in all a great meeting and I think this SC is heading in the right direction.
Nowhere in politics is it more political or more feeling more easily hurt than in the world of school politics. Take this apparent fight in the papers to see what I mean. I emailed Dr. Naminand wanted to get his side of the story as this article did not sound like him, and in my dealings withthepresshalfthestory gets lost in the ozone. He responded that he tried to get this done with the SC at Bay Path and the superintendent and keep this out of the papers, but that was not meant to be. I will let Dr. Namin's response tell the other side of the story.
I have access to secure portal to take a look at the graduation rate calculations and the list of students who are shown as not graduated. the graduation rate is based on Cohort of incoming 9th graders and 4-5 years of data to see of they graduated. We have identified 26 students in that cohort as students who entered Bay Path and still showing as not completed the program. We also have nine students who transferred back or kicked back by Bay Path. Bay Path has 17% and 10.7% Out-of-School Suspension Rate. the average rate is 6%. This would mean that if Bay Path not like a particular student, they will kick the student out as they call it "Safety Reason". In reality, the student with some discipline and or high SPED cost get kicked out often.
Egos tend to drive school politics and nowhere is it more evident in the old, "Well that's the way it has always been done theory" and I would be willing to bet Dr. Hicks and the superintendent of Bay Path are good buds. But that is purely an opinion on my part but I would bet I am not wrong. Bottom line is the Superintendent is supposed to look out of the best interest of the kids. I personally think Bay Pathhas an excellent program and for the record would like to see us continue a relationship withtheminthefuture. But as taxpayers we need to have all the facts and the fact that the former superintendent may not have been forthcoming with the details is something to think about. This would not be the first time something went on that was not in the best interest of the schools. (in my opinion) One thing to bear in mind is the upcoming cost of a 27 million dollar renovation at Bay Path that all 10 schools that currently participate will have to pony up their share to get this done. We are talking (if it is based on equal participation in the program) of a 2.7 million dollar bill that will come due to fund this. I will try again and get a response from Mr.Papagni this week.
The one conversation no one has had to date is a simple one fraught with hurtfeelings and"Gee we don't want to make anyone angry" but needs to be talked about. With the under performing schools not meeting state standards where are the teachers in all of this? Why have we fallen so far so fast if at least some of these folks were not complicitintheproblem? It is not all about upper management. If you work in a factory and you produce an inferior product doesn't the workers bear part of the blame? If you build a house and your subs are not working up to acceptable standards are you building a good home? We are not building a good home, and it's time to look at all the aspects of this organization. Now from what I understand, the keyword is going to be accountability and it needs to happen. If every single person is not pulling their weight or meeting local standards, or our kids are not meeting the state standards then we have a hugeproblem. That this situation could get like this speaks volumes not only about leadership, but the rank and file members in the trenches. Where were these voiceswhenthe situation got worse, and who would have more of a first hand knowledge of the situation than a teacher? Now the issue becomeshowtorighttheship and will the rank and file pull together to get us through this? The answer is not easy as it will require wholesale changeanda belief in the system. A start would be effective bargaining with salariesbasedonjobperformancewhichis something that is NOT happening now. Do your job and get paid despite what is going on currently is not getting it done, and we as a community need to demand more of the administration, the teachers, and the SC. I believe two out of the three are trying to get it done and can only hope this new administration is a stepping stone to those changes. No one likes to be told that they are not getting the job done but let's face it. This group is not getting the job done and the numbers bear this out. Question is what will the MTA and the teachers do about it and how quickly will they move to get this done?
Want to help straighten out the money trail in Washington? Check out this link and decide for yourself if it is worth signing and forwarding on. I did.