After reading the post from last night I realized taking the high road won't work. When I confronted McCarthy last night about resigning, this was not the first conversation we have had about this subject. A few weeks ago I confronted Matt on the phone with the same allegations I made on this blog last week. Not once, but on two occasions this happened over a two week period.. He emphatically denied them and said he thought he knew where at least one allegation had come from. He was wrong, but I told him that I would not reveal a source. He got mad when I talked to him on the phone about this and categorically denied every thing I spoke to him about. For my money Matt has been in Hick's pocket for some time going back to when I asked the SC to get rid of Ralph when the prior committee let him go, and it was quite obvious then that he would be nothing but trouble. McCarthy then as now was adamant (as were most of the SC) not to make waves and keep Ralph on. It didn't work then and it ain't working now with Ralph still trying to run the SC by proxy thru McCarthy. Oh Matt moved to motion to get Ralph off the Building Committee last night in what I thought was a real cover your ass move due to the hammering he was getting on this blog. Too little too late Matt. I have known about these allegations against McCarthy for months and sat on them in hopes that either he would break off from Hick's ear, or the SC would wise up and deal with it themselves. Matt told me he wanted to know why his "hand holding of me" during the budget process last year was not in my blog. I was dumbfounded since McCarthy and myself talked at length about the budget, and he is right in one respect. I had not one clue what the hell was going on since the ground underneath the budget moved like a house built on sand. He expressed exasperation with Hicks and the budget numbers even publicly calling Ralph out on it, and when Hicks gave out the wrong CBA numbers. McCarthy hit the roof in public calling Ralph out on it in a public meeting over this disaster. I guess that was when Ralph stopped holding his hand. Or Matt's allegation of his incredible support of me. To be fair, he did tell me privately (and I mentioned once on here) that he thought I should stay on the SC, but there was not one sound publicly from any member of the SC and when I left, it was like I was never there. But as I reminded Matt last night, it was he who told me after getting the agenda package that Friday night and finding our I was getting sued by the Union that, "We can't support you as a committee." Which he lied about last night pronouncing once again that it was a lie and he never said it. Unfortunately for him my wife who was in the next room came out and asked Matt, "What did you say?" Matt reiterated that the SC could not support me and she left to go to the store because as she told me, she was so angry that if she stayed she would have said something she would regret. For the record (and I told McCarthy the same thing to his face), is a liar. Of course I added a bit last night calling him a f____ing liar. For my money McCarthy needs to resign. he has lied his ass off and when you lie as much as he does (in my opinion) you forget the last lie. As I posted earlier, this was a major disappointment for me as I respected Matt and moved for him to take the chair. None of this would have come out had Reza not looked into a job in Pittsfield, and I was not about to stand by and watch this unfold and do nothing about it knowing what I knew to be the truth. This district deserves better than it had, and having Howard and McCarthy screw this for everybody (in my opinion) was not going to happen. People do not like the light being shed or the curtain being pulled back, and that is why McCarthy's initial reaction to me was what it was, He got caught pure and simple, and he felt cornered. Too bad. As I always say on this blog, when I am wrong I will admit it. I was wrong about McCarthy and we paid the price with all this BS and lies. He needs to go with Ralph a far as I am concerned and the sooner the better.

Ralph was a no show tonight. Who knew? Does this mean he is gone or merely planning the next attack? On a lighter note I went up to Howard and McCarthy ( I know sounds like a comedy duo) and told them that they should both resign to their faces. I don't believe in writing on a bog and not confronting the people I write about. Needless to say I think the Christmas card list just got shorter. As to the meeting, it went quickly with Mary Gershman as Chairman and Josh Cote as Vice Chair and for my money two good choices. In executive session they will be discussing a contract extension for Dr. Namin to show the support of the SC. For my money I would have waited for the dust to settle and make sure all questions are answered, but it's their call. All in all not a bad night. For now, the ball is in the good Doctors corner and it will be interesting to see what the next step is for OZ.

Tonight is the SC meeting and for my money I would not miss it for the world. Check out the agenda item under Old Business marked a.

SPENCER-EAST BROOKFIELD REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE

May 15, 2012, 7:00 P.M.

David Prouty High School Auditorium

CALL TO ORDER
School Committee Organizational Meeting (Vote Required)
1. Election of Chair
2. Election of Vice Chair
3. Election of Secretary

HEARING FOR VISITORS
1. Presentation of 2012 David Prouty High School National Championship
2. Congratulations to Chris Wallace for being accepted into the United States Navy Research Laboratories Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program

APPROVAL OF MINUTES, WARRANTS

1. Approval of the minutes of regular meeting of April 10, 2012 (Vote Required)
2. Approve and retain the minutes of Executive Session meeting of April 30, 2012 (Vote Required)
3. Approval of Warrants and the Expenditure Report of April 30, 2012

OLD BUSINESS

1. Vote to approve the recommendation of the building committee to request the removal of Dr. Ralph Hicks from the Building Committee (Vote Required)
2. DPHS Building Project Update (Information)
3. Approval of the 2012-2013 District Calendar (Vote Required)
4. Approval of June 20,2012 as the Last Day of School for 2011-2012, half day for students and full day for staff. (Vote Required)
5. District Technology Plan on Status of Servers. (Information)
6. SEBRSD Cafeteria Report and Program Review Approved by the DESE (Information)
7. SEBRSD Technology Plan has been approved by the DESE (Information)
8. New England Association of Schools & Colleges Commission on Public Schools Committee on Public Secondary Schools has accepted the DPHS progress report and voted to continue its accreditation(Information)

NEW BUSINESS

1. Approval of 2012-2013 School Committee Meetings (Vote Required)
2. Report on the status of FY11 Audit in regard to Bank Fees (Information)
3. Implementation of ROTC at David Prouty High School (Information)
4. Approval of the Intra-District School Choice Application File 5-413 (Vote Required)
5. Approval of the District Participation as School Choice. (Vote Required)
6. Approval of the Bid from Casson-Foster Photographer Inc., Auburn, MA , 9-12 School Pictures (Vote Required)

REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
1. District
  1. Last day of School report of events from principals. School Social Event by the School Committee
  2. Congratulations to Melissa Thurlow for being accepted to the 2012 Art All State on June 1st and 2nd, at the Worcester Art Museum.

1. School’s Culture and Climate Reports (Please see attached)
2. Personnel Report (Please see attached)
3. Enrollment Report (Please see attached)
4. Financial Report (Please see attached)

REPORT OF THE STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVE
REPORT OF THE SPENCER-EAST BROOKFIELD TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION
REPORT(S) OF THE COMMITTEE(S), SUBCOMMITTEE(S)

1. Educational Programs
2. Finance & Facilities
3. Policy & Planning

ITEMS FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
ANNOUNCEMENTS
HEARING FOR VISITORS

EXECUTIVE SESSION

1. In accordance with the M.G.L 30A, Section 21, Meeting of Public Body in Executive Session
  1. To conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with nonunion personnel;
  2. To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares

DATE OF NEXT MEETING
ADJOURNMENT

I don't know about you, but that will be worth going to the meeting. It is the beginning of taking back this district, and for my money, it is about time. It is also time to remove Howard and McCarthy from any type of power on this committee. Simply my opinion, but it needs to happen. This will not stop Hicks from screaming from the rafters, I have no illusions about that. Or that he will simply go away because he has that recessive gene that makes him always right and everyone else wrong. The real fun is in watching who stands up for this man. THAT might be interesting, and will tell a whole other story. Then again, maybe he will go quietly........Nah. Ralph will always be in the background whispering because of all his relatives still in the system. He will never go away, but maybe, just maybe this will slow his roll. I can only hope that the turnout is good and people actually stand up for Dr. Namin and what he and some members of this SC are trying to do. Please do it for the kids.

Once again, here we are treading the same tired ground. A group of people want to push the agenda of this district forward, and yet again, a group wants to push back. Due to wounded egos, misguided alliances, and all the other BS that goes on in School Committee business, you start to understand this is the most divisive and political football in local politics today. You have to ask yourself why that is? This is the the only job in politics that the town has little to no say in the everyday workings of this committee. The superintendent if left unchecked, can run rampant within the system, move money around without the purview of the town, and can boondoggle the SC at will, or in other words, mislead where the money is, where it is going, and how much you actually have in the system. As I have mentioned before, you can not move money around within accounts in a town budget without the town voting where the money goes in town government. It is a very rigid and regulated system of checks and balances, but not so in school systems. In school systems, you can move money around, shift money from accounts, and the superintendent is not beholden to the voters of the managing political body in any given town. This alone makes this a VERY politically charged job. Look at Leicester High School as an example. The SC is under fire (and by association the superintendent) for not revealing line items much like the town budget is run. The problem for Leicester town government ( I am imagining) is that they do not have a sure handle on where the money is being spent of where it is going because they do not have a line item vote on each issue. It is open to the interpretation of the superintendent in any given school system. Dr. Namin wants to change that and have votes on each line item in an agenda, make it public, and let everyone in the community know exactly where the money is being spent and how it is being recorded. He also has instituted a new computer accounting system that sets up accountability. If you have a line item of say $15,000.00 and a payment comes out for over that amount, instead of simply moving money around within the system from another account, the program flags it telling you the money is not available for the purchase. This is true accountability within a system and lets everyone know that money is being spent that is not available within a specific line item. But this is not the way it has been done in the past in schools, and is “new “ thinking, and some folks do not like this. What a shock. This is a new idea and it comes up against a wall of folks that hate change. See when people in town government can't see how money is being spent or managed, this causes great consternation among the people that try to set the town budget because you do not have any clue where the money is, where its been, or even where its going. This is the way it has always been done (from what I am hearing) and Dr. Namin is trying to change that. Why? Because if you know where the money is going, what it is being spent on, as a voter and a parent you can make a better informed decision. Superintendents are truly the last great bastion of OZ, and what we are seeing with Bay Path as well as other districts is people want to know where the money is going and how it is being spent. At no time but in a financial disaster do we pay more attention to all of this than right now. When things are going well, no one cares we just pay out what is due. But when you have to account for every last dime it becomes of paramount importance, and so it is that we pay particularly close attention now. That is why this is so important, and people want to bury all of this and act like, “ Look the other way while we play out this shell game”. Now I am not saying malfeasance is rampant in the public school systems, but don't you find it more than a little unusual that all of this is being brought to task, and people are scrambling? We have a former superintendent who feels like Dr. Namin stole his job when that is not the case. He also is constantly questioning the way the budget is done (and this is my opinion) superintendents might just be afraid that the old way of doing things is going the way of the dinosaurs. For too long public officials have been concerned about the assessed values they get from school systems because they can not follow the money. It is time to take this at face value and accept that the egos of others are playing out all over what this district is trying to accomplish, and in other districts all around us. A change is coming and with any change, there is resistance. Kind of amazing given what schools do. Teach us to adapt to change within our environment, but there is the great puzzle. It is time to move past all of this and accept that there is a new sheriff in town, and let the hand play out. If for any reason Dr. Namin is not getting the job done, we can let him go. But to this point, that is not the situation. So my suggestion is to get past this, lets move on, and make SEBSD district the best it can be. It's not hard, lets put the kids first and move on and stop lending any ear to a voice that is not in the best interest of our district or for that matter our kids. And most importantly, lets follow the money and how it is spent. Let's make sure we know where it is going and how it is being spent because it is about the kids in this district, and it its time to make it a first class district. In spite of what other people want or think.

For Charlie

Charlie was 25 years old and found out she was pregnant. She decided to keep the baby because her conscience would not let her do otherwise. Being a mom meant the world to her even though she was not married. In her 16^thweek she found out she had breast cancer. She had a choice a to make. Abort the baby and have a greater chance to save her life, or continue the pregnancy and possible risk her health. Against family advice, she decided to continue the pregnancy. She delivered a healthy 8 lb 6 oz. baby boy. Thirteen month later Charlie lost her fight with cancer. In my life I have known many brave women, but none braver than my kid sister who gave her life at 26 years old to have a child she truly believed should have a chance at life. In her memory I dedicate this day to her and many others like her that make the choice I believe few of us could make. I miss my kid sister every single day. Every day I can only hope I can be half the person she was and can hopefully make her choice count and hope she is proud of me and the choices I make. To every mom that makes hard choices every day I say thank you for being there, and being the true unsung hero's every single day by being the people you are. We should only hope to be as strong as the mothers in our lives, and be to have lucky to known them. Happy Mothers Day, and thank you.

I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.
Abraham Lincoln

Judging from the numbers on this rag I would say people out here are incredibly invested in this district with over 2700 hits in the last two days. Now is the time to actually show it. Tuesday night is the School Committee meeting at 7 pm at Prouty. On the agenda is a recommendation to remove Dr. Hicks off of the School Building Committee along with a vote for the Chairman, whoever that might be. I know it does not need to be McCarthy or Howard. If you believe in this district, if you believe in the kids, and you believe it is time to take back this district, then show up and support Dr. Namin. It's not brain surgery folks, and these naysayers should not and can not have their way on this. This is too damn important to get it wrong, and we are starting to get it right. Problem with some folks is they just don't get it even when things change for the better. Take Gary Hurl for example. He was promised a job if Ralph got to stay on as superintendent. Didn't happen so he joined the whisper campaign against Dr. Namin. As to McCarthy and Howard, my opinion is that Hicks (being the bully he is so well known to be) has dirt on these two. Strictly my opinion, but for what its worth this is not a conspiracy but a conspiracy of dunces. McCarthy has been heard bitching that he tried to straddle the line and listen to both camps. Matt here is a hint for you. Hicks is no longer the superintendent, and your loyalties lie with the man we hired to do the job. Stop whining and do the damn job. When your own personal agenda gets in the way of the folks you are supposed to be representing then perhaps you have it all wrong. Look at the list and you start to see the picture. Some people are in it for all the wrong reasons and perhaps we should show them the door. You know, the one that swings both ways? Just don't let it hit you in the ass on your way out. See when facts get put out there the name calling starts, the BS starts, and the misinformation campaign starts, but with a blog you can respond much quicker that a newspaper can. And due to to fact that I am home with an injury has been most fortuitous for some, and a detriment to others. I will continue to put the real story out here (for what that's worth) because people don't need to be lied to, just told the truth once in a while. If I am wrong (and it has happened as you all well know) I will admit it and take my lumps. But to date on this issue, I am dead on and many folks are getting nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. And with good reason. Time will tell how all of this rolls out, but I will guarantee you one thing. The truth will continue to come out and this rag will be the place to argue it out. For and against. And for the record? Dr. Namin will make mistakes, but that's what happens when you are trying to revive a district so badly beaten down by its predecessor. You change things, you take chances, and if it does not work you try something else. But the very definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Keep in mind he has been on the job for less than 10 months and has already changed expectations about how all of this gets done, and has raised the bar substantially. Thanks for reading this mess and continuing to be part of it all. And for the record? It is supposed to be about the kids. Lets continue to see that it happens. Remember, you are part of the plan or part of the problem. It is a choice.

Update. Dr. Namin has withdrew from the Pittsfield Search Committee after receiving many phone calls from staff, parents, and students asking him to stay in our district. Now for the record, Dr. Namin did not feel as if McCarthy or Howard and possibly another member of the SC had his back. Now why would this possibly matter? I looked at Dr. Namin's contract again this morning and found a very important clause in it.

It reads, “The Committee may terminate this agreement any time during it's term for good cause. Where good cause exists, the Committee may discharge the Superintendent upon a two-thirds (2/3) vote thereby terminating this Agreement prior to the expiration date stated above, provided the Superintendent has been informed of the charges and cause or causes of his of his proposed discharge and has been given an opportunity for a hearing before the Committee prior to official action being taken.”

In other words, withMcCarthy working with Howard and others to undermine Reza (in my humble opinion) all they would have to do is sway two more members and the fix is once again in and Ralph gets what he wants. What does Ralph want? To come back to this district, heal or wounds, and lead us to the righteous land once again. Oh, and make Proutythe Ralph Hicks Memorial High School. Welcome to how all this is done in Spencer, and just another day at the office. Now say you are working in a district at a job you love and do not have the backing of at least 1/3 of the committee? How would you feel? What if everything you did was scrutinized, the former superintendent was waging a major campaign against you, they leak the information to the press about you possibly looking into another district, would you want to stay in that district? When people have gone to the lengths that some of these folks have gone to what would you do? You would think there was a possibility of being removed from the job and try and cover your ass and seek employment elsewhere. Now for the record yesterday I was pissed at Dr. Namin about doing this until I re-read the contract. That single clause changes everything, and keep in mind who was on the Contract Committee. Myself, Peter Rock, and McCarthy. Now for the best part. The paper that carried the story about Dr. Namindid so (and this is merely my opinion and a guess) due to a leak. I was on the Super Search Committee and we were told in no uncertain terms NOT to mention ANY single individual that might be on the list of applicants. Why? For exactly the reasons that all this blew up so badly. When people in this industry look for a job they want and need the anonymity to do so and not lose their employment in the district where they are currently employed. Doing so could not only jeopardize their jobs but their reputations. Just such a thing happened yesterday, and the blog is not the first place this info showed up. The info and link for the paper in question was sent to my blog at 8:14 am yesterday, yet some folks knew about it prior to arriving at school yesterday. This blog alone took over 1200 hits yesterday but only after the flames were fanned by someone else who released the info earlier. Now who might that be? One thought (and again this is my opinion) is that Glen Koocher who is head of the MASC (Massachusetts Association of School Committees) and head of the search for Pittsfield and Hicks are buddies. We used Glen and the MASC to conduct our search and I am not saying or implying that anything happened to compromise Dr. Namin, I just find it unusual that the papers would announce this without Dr. Naminofficially being interviewed originally as part of the finalists. Purely speculation on my part (and my humble opinion), but it sure does not feel right to me. At the very least this might be construed as un-professional, and damaging Dr. Namins' reputation within our district when all he was looking to do was protect his family in the event that he might lose his job. Why look at other places to work if you feel secure in the place where you are currently employed? Basically all of this smoke and mirrors due to one man. Hicks. It is time as a community to tell this man to go away. Run your own district Ralph, and weave your spider's web somewhere else. The time to lend Hicks your ear is over and I am going to make absolutely sure of that if I can by exposing him and all he did or did not do in our district, and continues to do. Hicks is a bully pure and simple and he continues to weave his tragic tale in our community even though he is currently running another district. Where do you find the time Ralph? As to McCarthy and Howard, I would just as soon see themresign from the committee. The damage these two have done is reprehensible from two people posturing like they care about this district or our community. Strictly my opinion but for what it's worth, they bothmake me ill and they bothneed to go. With their buddy Ralph.

Couple of things here. The voters (the few that actually gave a damn and turned out) and Laura Torti and John Stevens are the new Town Clerk and SMrespectively. Congratulations to both and the sitting SC members. On another note I am seeing two towns turn down the Bay Path agenda itemto help renovate the existing school. One, North Brookfield did a 180 in voting for it in town meeting, then beating it down at the polls. http://www.telegram.com/article/20120507/NEWS/120509523/1246/newsrewind#.T6pWVQu40FY.email

Then you have Dudley turning it down due to possible misinformation on the ballot.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20120508/NEWS/105089949/1101/local#.T6pUvjxLsyk.email

Now for me this is very interesting because now (according to the new superintendent who took over for Mr. Pagnini, said that if one town votes this down, it then has to go to a 10 town (all the towns that participatein the program) for a towns wide referendum voteand even if it gets defeated by ONE vote, its all over. Now for the record I have some issues with the way Bay Path has done business. It seems that Bay Pathonly takes the top tier of kids from any given school. That means if you are not a B student, with ANY infractions involving discipline you have little or no chance of getting into Bay Path. I have been told that if any student becomes a discipline issue at Bay Path, they get sent back to the respective school from whence they came. Now in an article posted yesterday Bay Pathhas a stateleading .4 dropout rate. Hell if I only took the cream of the crop from ten different schools and could send back a student deemed a "discipline" problem, then our rates would be through the roof too. Then couple all of this with the huge stink Bay Path made when Dr. Namin refused to let Knox Trail kids take a day off from school (in an under achieving school that is a Level Three school) for what he (and others including staff and parents) thought could have been done on a after school basis or on a weekend. Bay Path kids for the record are NOT at school on the Visitors Day at Bay Pathas they all get the day off from school!. Instead of dealing with this in house, the superintendent of Bay Path went to the press and started a huge mess in what should have been handled behind closed doors. A little heavy handed to say the least, but this is how Bay Path rolls. I am hoping that under new direction Bay Path will take a calmer course in the coming days because it offers what our kids need, and it is a very valuable program to the district. On another note, Leicester SM are concerned about the total lack of line item agenda on their SC.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20120508/NEWS/105089977/1101/local#.T6pVInNO1Wk.email

See, SC'sare the only member of a town that can move money around different accounts without having to have the town vote on it. Town meetings (you know those meetings where no one ever shows up?) we have to authorize pennies to be moved from any account. My reason for bringing this up? Our superintendent is all over accountability and being transparent unlike his predecessor and it showed in the recent budget hearings, and in the presentations to the town. That is called doing the job correctly, and just one more reason Dr. Namin has been successful at this district in such a short amount of time. I can only hope others see and understand this as this truly is about the kids and for the kids. Nuff said.

Once again Dangerous Donnie is finiteproof that you can't fix stupid. You also can't tow, push, or pull it. On top of sending postcards, sending letters to the editor and leaving me wondering if (and this is only my opinion) he paid for last weeks flyer in the New Leader. The Dangerous One parks his truck to the left of the Town Hall with his business signs on it (so of course y'all would know who exactly is endorsing Larua) and has Votefor Laura Torti signs on it. Subtle as a hand grenade Donnie. OK, you win, we get it. You want Laura for Town Clerk of that there is NO doubt in anyone's mind. I really like Laura, class act and a hell of a nice lady. But Donnie while not breaking any ethics laws, is certainly going way overboard on all of this and you have to ask yourself why. Why go to all this trouble unless (and again this is merely my opinion) Donnie is worried about possibly someone getting this post and perhaps not being on the same page as Donnie. I do not know where Laura stands on any issue as she does her job, does it very well, and deserves a shot at this job. I do not believe for one second Laruawould EVER do anything that was not totally above board, but with Donnie going on like this I would imagine he just wants to be sure. But Donnie in his nuclear way, is putting the question in more than a few people's minds. Donniehas the absoluteright to endorse whoever he wants, but to go to the lengthshe and his buddy Petedid it was wrong and ham handed like everything else these two ever did. I remember when he and Pete and everyone else on the SMknew the override was a mistake and the fix was in, six weeks prior to the voteI knew it as well and brought it to their attention. They all voted for it and even good old Petegot up and made a plea at Town meeting prior to the vote. Even though they all knew that over 1.2 million would be found in the town coffers left over from the Terenzini regime they went ahead and lied to the town about the lack of money we had. When it was reported in the papers about "finding" all of the money (it was hid in insurance accounts and a couple of other places) everyone feigned shock and awe. Nobody does shock and awe like Pete and Dangerous Donnie. For that reason alone Donnie doing all of this makes him suspect, and he is the Chairman of the town. Have a little class (or as little as possible Donnie) and next time stay out of all of this. Better yet, join Peter in the StateHouse as this is your ultimategoal. Good luck withthat, and maybe, just maybe Pete will endorse you! Hell I will even drive your truck. I just hope the brakes work.

Graduation 2012

Since 1857, Mechanics Hall on Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, has featured such prominent and diverse speakers as:

Susan B. Anthony

Barbara Bush

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Charles Dickens

Frederick Douglass

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Henry David Thoreau

Mark Twain

The musical styling of:

Berlin Philharmonic

Enrico Caruso

Judy Collins

Ella Fitzgerald

Mel Torme

Vienna Symphony

Yo Yo Ma

Six United States Presidents have graced the stage:

William Jefferson Clinton

Gerald Ford

Woodrow Wilson

William Howard Taft

Theodore Roosevelt

William McKinley

And on Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 6:00 PM, David ProutyHighSchool will hold its Graduation Ceremony at this prestigious and historical site.

Each graduation senior will receive five tickets (there is no charge for tickets and extra tickets are available upon request). Additionally, each graduating senior will receive one free parking space next to Mechanics Hall. Handicap parking and seating is also available. All of this information will be provided to our students. If you have any questions, please call the high school at 508-885-8505.

We look forward to this change of venue. Central air will be welcome by all. Additional seating will ensure we can accommodate all ticket requests. More importantly, Mechanics Hall will provide a level of sophistication that our graduating seniors surely deserve.

Want to know something amazing? All of the things Dr. Naminhasdone, Dr. Hicks could have done the same thing. Hired teachers, kept teachers on staff, gotten rid of sports and band fees, invested in the elementary school programs, told the truth, given the citizens of Spencer and the students the benefit of the doubt and just been honest with us. That never happened. This is just one in a long example of what could have been under another administrator had he chosen a different path. The school you now see is a different animal than the one that preceded it a year ago, and Dr. Naminandthe SC and the teachers and staff in our district are the reason for that. All they have ever been looking for is someone to lead them. You can see it in the attitudes of the staff, the administration, and the pride that is being instilled at all levels within our school system. I am extremely proud of the work that has been done in a very short period of time, and sorry that in the six years that Dr. Hicks had this system in his grasp he never reached or strived for the goals that this current administrator and his staff has reached for. Instead of, "We can't" or "We can't afford it" we are now realizing all of this could and should have been attainable. This isn't smoke and mirrors but progress and pride. This is truly for the kids. Thank you all. Nuff said.

Well Ralph has amazed me again and proved me wrong for a second week by not having a letter to the editor in the paper. While Ralph runs his campaign behind the scenes, he has been quiet on the Moral Outrage Tour including NOT showing up at last nights Town Meeting, as maybe he had another school to run besides ours. Jean Mulhallended her term as a Town Clerk and best of luck Jean and enjoy your retirement. Oh yea, Peteleftand got a clock last night. Probably to tell him what time to leave the State House prior to important votes. Donnie got to take a bow for all his hard work at the Town Hall painting it. Donnie is starting to look like Carol Macpherson in the look what I did category. Thanks to Lew Evanangelidisandhis crew at the jail for getting the job done for the town. Town hall has never looked better. Very small turnout at the meeting last night, and just goes to show you that unless there is going to be a good fight over an issue, no one is interested in supporting town government. Fastest meeting I ever went to to say the least. Lastly, the town Senior Center vote got passed over last night I am hearing from a technicality of some sort. If there was an issue then why put it on the ballot? For my money the seniors in this town deserve their own center, and it is time to make that happen or at the very least, make provisions for this in the future. They currently use the remodeled Fish and Game club for a space which is a major upgrade from whathey had with better facilities. Have a great weekend, and that rumbling sound you hear? It is only Ralph groaning as we stumble towards the 15th of May.

Bank of America is at it again, and my favorite reporter is nailing their sorry asses to the cross. When will the Obama administration take charge on all of this and do the right thing? It would seem that Skankof America is once again doing what they do best. Single handedly taking apart the banking institutions and molding themintotheir own brand of sleazy politics. Try and get a loan these days. Good luck with that as banks do NOT loan to you unless you have money in the bank. Here is a clue for banks. If we had money in the banks, we would probably not need you, but when you needed the American taxpayer to bail your sorry asses out you called on us. Enjoy the article and try not to pull too much hair out.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/bank-of-america-too-crooked-to-fail-20120314

You can read the post below as I just put it up an hour or so ago, but this came across my desk as I was working on tomorrow's post. It has been rumoured that Dangerous Donnie(and the moniker works for him as he keeps proving) has been soliciting votes for Laura Torti withpostcardsto local citizens. Now while I have not seen them or their content, this is what I am hearing. Imagine that. Donniedoingsomething that might just smack as being if not unethical, is at the very least unprofessional. (that is the opposite of professional Donnie) Not only does he serve with Pam Woodbury's husband Gary on the Select board, this is something he and Durant should have stayed the hell out of. Donnie here is a suggestion for you. Next time you want to do something that might just be construed as a dumb move, punch yourself in the groin or shove some more candy into that pie hole of yours and just keep your considered opinion to yourself. Just once try and act professional and above the fray in all of this. I feel bad for Laura as she does not deserve this and I am sure this is embarrassing for her. Way to go Donnie. I wonder if Donniewill get up at the Town Hall meeting this Thursday and ask all the voters in joining him to voteforthe candidate of his choice? Just when I thought you might be all right without Durant you go and prove me wrong. You are a fiasco all on your own.

For once Facebook did something that might actually matter. Instead of videos of morons doing something stupid, FB has launched an Organ Donor drive to sign people up to be organ donors. I have done it since I was 18 and already over 18000 people have signed up. You can save a life, someone's eyesight, or just improve a persons' life through this exceptional gift. Please visit Facebookandsignup. On a local front, it would appear that Dr. Hicks is the ultimate Energizer Bunny and does not stop even when asked nicely. When he is not filing AGcomplaintsagainstpeople that he think are out to get him, he is showing up at Building Committee meetings even after they voted him off. To be fair, the Man Who Would Show Up is not “officially” off the committee until the SC has a chance to vote on it at the May 15^thmeeting. That should be an interesting meeting, and I may even have to film it and post it on YouTube. Keep in mind this was originally done behind the scenes to avoid embarrassingDr. Hicks, but the good doctor being who he is would not go quietly into that good night. No doubt Ralph will go on and on about his many storied accomplishments, his service to the district, and his grandchildren that are still in the district, but for my money I would be happy with an apology for what he has done (in my opinion) to this district. Gosh can't wait and maybe, just maybe he will comeup with something we have never heard before. Doubt it, but it could happen. Finally a sad farewell to one of the class acts in football Junior Seau who died of an self inflicted gunshot wound. Junior was a great player who will long be remembered for giving back to his community thorough his various charities. RIP Junior.

So Wachusett must slash one million dollars from their school budget, http://www.telegram.com/article/20120501/NEWS/105019980/1101/local#.T6BgGe_uA9w.emailQuabbin Quabbin recently cut one million dollars from their budget, http://www.telegram.com/article/20120501/NEWS/105019893/1101/local#.T6BgsLgxNvw.email

and a teacher I am working for who works in the Ware school district has worked without a raise for two years, and our local MTA will want a raise and continued lack of participation into higher health care input. It must be great to live in Disneyland, but there you have it. Not a peep from these Warriors of the American Way, yet while other districts struggle, I will be willing to bet our MTAwillfightfor the annual raise that I know James and Co .feels is due them. Even though it's quiet now, if this goes into the summer and a contract is not signed, the MTA will do a Krushev and beat on the podium at a SC meeting and demand that we get this done. For the kids. Because God knows without a raise there will be havoc, kids will flunk MCAS testing, and folks will feel the pressure to start a can drive. This is not brain surgery folks, the MTAneedstostep up to the plate and realize our folks have it pretty damn good. Not according to James and the kids, but look around at other districts and you realize how lucky somepeopleareto just have a job. Unfortunately these folks did not get the memo, and James (rumour has it) will be retiring in the next three years, and as anyone knows who follow this rag, those are the Golden Years as the last three years count towards your 80% mostly taxpayer funded pension, AND you get a 10% bump on the way out the door for being phenomenal. I wish I was that phenomenal. I'm just a taxpayer trying to make these kids happy with their lot in life. I can only hope I can do enough for these folks. God knows they deserve it.

Now who knew when I posted an article about a Muslin woman working at Wegmansit would start the fracas it has. I posted it because my brother sent it to me and I agreed that once again, we as a people and as a nation bend over backwards to accommodateeveryone in the solar system. No other country does this and I know this for a fact. Living in Europe for three years gave me an advantage into looking at America through their eyes, and they are laughing their collective butts off right now at us. What I did not expect was the virulent postings from the Liberals. I have been told that I am now a Tea Party follower. a leader of mental midgets, and that I could possibly be a bigot. Now for the record, I voted for Obama, some of my best friends are black (also Asian, Puerto Rican and Homosexual not that there is anything wrong withthat, hope I didn't miss anyone but I digress) and that I am a disappointment to at least one of my readers. I will reiterateonceagain, this blog is my opinion. I am by no means the final say on anything, and if you do not like it don't read the damn thing. But you can't help yourself as is evident by the numbers each month. I am not under any illusions that I know more than anyone else, but argue withme and you could comeaway with that perception. I argue hard and long if I think I am right, and if you have no beliefs, don't argue. I can and have been swayed by another's argument ( I voted for Obama against better judgement because of such an argument and the fact that Bush was such a Nazi) and how has that worked out for me? I am very proud of my blog, and to all my racist, liberal, Repuglican, Gay, and minority based friends I say you all have a place to express your opinion. I am just amazed that the liberals among us are so nasty when you don't agree, but then I used to be a Liberal. It has only been in the last couple of years that I became disgusted with BOTH sides. I have been an Independent since 1975 because I believed in the person not the party, and have always voted that way. I can only hope I can continue to spout off on here and continue the conversation even if I continue to disappoint my fan base. I disappointed my mother, my ex wife, and the 1975 Susquehnanna Valley Sabers when I missed the goal in the playoffs. Such is life.

After watching Obamamakingtheeducationboondoggle news, I realized this is the last gasp of a desperate man. College aid had fallen off significantly for kids and my kids currently have an 8% loan from Parents Plus which is a program to help kids pay for school. 8%. Think about that as a new car loan is about 2.9 %, a mortgage around 3%, and kids are currently paying 8% for these loans. It is ridiculous to say the least, and once again we get to hear Obama pay lip service to the education needs of our kids. Of course that is because these very same kids voted his ass into power the last time, and NOW he wants to show how he is behind our kids. Obamabeing behind anyone makes me nervous as a parent. Imagine paying an average of $150,000.00 for an education, then paying more in interest for an education than you would pay for a home. Needless to say, this is going to be a major sticking point for not only my kids, but the future of education in America. Since the average education is out of reach for most people, then how the hell will this country ever re-gain it's foothold in the world market? Simply put, it won't. I am waiting for the next Obama campaign slogan. I am thinking ObamaForYourMama. On yet another front there is a campaign afoot within the SC to spread rumors about keeping Dr. Hicks on the School Building Committee. People want to tread very carefully here because the BS low level light is flashing, and people will be called to task for all of this crap. Let's move on with the program, and do the right thing by the district. Its really not that hard, you just have to have a clue. OK, maybe it is that hard. On yet another front, it is VERY quiet on the CBA contract front, and I can only imagine that the MTA is looking for their usual hand out. If there is $20.00 left in the coffers, then MTA will want $10.00 and damn the consequences. Here is to hoping that the powers that be do the right thing and the MTA for once does it too. I believe in fairies and unicorns for the record. And finally I was wrong about the good Dr. Oz posting a letter to the editor, but there is always next week and Ralph will not let me down.

I watched a ABCnews report on illegal aliens and what is costing the stateofArizonaforthisfolly. The toll to date for this year? 1.6 billion dollars. BILLION dollars for Health care, Education, and criminal care and procedure in Arizona alone. Does this make sense to anyone? We are paying for people to break the law. If you steal a car, you go to jail. If you rob a store you go to jail. If you enter this country illegally, and get a job you get healthcare, education for your children, and a way of life, and we get to pay for it. Where does the madness end? Not with Obama since he has relatives that not only benefit by all of this largesse, but thrive here. It is time to put an end to all of this BS, and the Supreme Court seems to be paying attention finally. Even Sotomoyor (a liberal on the court) has acknowledged that the systemis not working, and Arizona has been forced to take the law into their own hands and try and do what the Feds refuse to do. Control the flow of illegal immigrants. It is time to say no and start enforcing the law even if the Democrats refuse to acknowledgethatthese folks can NOT vote(and God knows we do not ant to make them mad). I am not advocating closing the borders, but it is past time to enforce the law. You want to be a citizen, fine. Take the test and be a productive part of our society. Otherwise it is time to go somewhere where you can gethe same benefits as living here. Which would be .................nowhere. We are the last stop for people that want a free meal ticket and it is time to stop that ride. You want to play you have to pay. Just like the rest of us. In future posts I will explain how our own kids can NOT afford school because of the crushing debt that accompanies such an education, and how our kids are being screwed out of this right. God bless America. Just don't have the disadvantageof being be born here and you wil be all right.

One thought here. Why do you suppose somefolksarecampaigning so damn hard to keep Ralph Hicks on the School Building Committee? Guilt? Remorse? Or something more? What is it they are trying to hide? And the $64,000.00 question, What does Ralph have on them? As Alice once said, "Things just get curiouser and curiouser".

Couple of quick hits here. Congratulations to Adam Gaudette for the high marks received from the SM Monday night. Well deserved, and a very classy letter in the New Leader to all the Town employees thanking them publicly. I am sure they appreciated it as they have given a lot back to our town. Now if the MTA would only pay attention. How much do you want to bet there will be a letter the the editor in the New Leader on Thursday from Dr. Hicks? I would put money on this as Ralph has been burning up the phonelines, and rattling cages on his Moral Outrage Tour. It seems Ralph is not going to go quietly from the School Building Committee, and has even gone so far as to complain to the AG'sofficeinanofficialcomplaint. Apparently Ralph was pissed because, #1. This was not posted properly (it was it was posted on Thursday and the meeting was on Tuesday night) #2. There was no discussion at the meeting. Of course there was no discussion, as when the floor was opened to discussion, Ralph did the “Ralph thing” by explaining his value to the district, his incredible experience, and more than likely that he is actually Superman. When he finished, no one else spoke for our against him, and I guess this made Ralph mad. #3. There was an open meeting violation. Yes Ralph there was, the violation is that you can't stand that someone else is running “your” district and it is eating you up. And so it goes Sports Fans and the next step in this drama is that it goes before the SC at the next SC meeting in May. I can only hope Ralph just hands out a sheet of his accomplishments, because by now everyone can recite them by heart. I know I can.

When did it get so damn hard to tell the truth? When did telling the truthbecome something that people got so good at avoiding that the real story got lost constantly along the way? In the coming days many stories will be told and some of themwill not have one ounce of truthto them. Perhaps this is because people lie to cover their own mistruths, their asses, half lies, or outright BS, but some of that just might be coming to an end. When you lie you have to either be smart enough or live long enough to remember the last lie. Withsome folks that is a tall order because the amount of lies overwhelms the individual's ability to keep the gerbil wheel going and some folks are getting tired right now. Ego often wins out, but eventually it all comes to a screeching halt. See if you live long enough you hope to see some form of justice being done and you never know when that may happen. Point here is if you live the lie it will eventually run your ass over. All you will have to show for it in the end is tire tracks on your back. Here's to hoping a little truthgets out in the coming weeks, and changeiscomingfolks. Trust me and Karma is the ultimate bitch.

This is from my good friend and fellow Catholicl and blogger Dennis Martinek. I could not agree more, and could be why the Catholic Church is in the state it is in.

SpeakOutSouthbridge! published a new post entitled "Catholic Church putting themselves out of business?" on 4/23/2012 7:42:07 AM, written by Dennis.

Catholic Church putting themselves out of business?

I was raised a Roman Catholic, and was an altar boy for nearly seven years. When I reached High School, my parents decided to send me to Catholic School, despitethe fact that I lived in a town who's school systemwasandstillis, in the top five in the state.

The main reason was discipline, and although I hated it at the beginning, by the time that I graduated, I came to appreciate the decision that they made for me. Although there were a lot of the same problems that you would find in a public High School, it was to a much lesser degree, and, there was a lot of respect for fellow students and teachers.

They have no tolerance rules in place before it was fashionable to do so, and we abided by it. It was during this time in school that I started questioning my faith. I asked many questions, but the answers that I received were vague or non-existent.

Although I am pro-choice when it comes to the awful subject of abortion, it's because I believe that everyone will have to meet their maker one day, and just because I find it abhorrent doesn't make me right, or someone else wrong. My biggest issue is with its use as birth control, but, the Catholic Church doesn't give people much of a choice in this area either.

A bunch of old, predominantly white men, who take a vow of celibacy, try to tell people how they should run their sex lives. I could be wrong, but I don't remember Jesus Christ doing this, and that, in a nutshell, is one of the big problems with the modern day Catholic Church.

The Church should focus on the thoughts and actions of Jesus, trying to get people to emulate His ways, and not dictating policy. When I was in school, I had a number of nuns, the majority of whom I liked and respected, but one was an unbelievably cranky person, who no matter what you said, had nothing pleasant to say.

Which is why I find it ironic, thirty years after graduating High School, that I'm defending, of all people, nuns. Not because they're bad people--they're not--but because I have seen many of them as activists, some might say Liberal activists.

Last week, a story caught my attention in The Daily that was titled "Vatican will have Nun of that". You can click on the link to the full story, but in essence, the Vatican was scathing in a report condemning nuns for promoting "radical feminist themes". This from a bunch of men promoting backwards thinking on a subject that they are supposed to know nothing about.

I would take advice from a priest on my sex life as seriously as I would take advice from my mechanic on the same topic. Frankly, I don't care what either one has to say about it, as neither one is qualified to tell me what to think or what to do (although I do have a very down to Earth mechanic who I do respect).

Today, I view nuns much in the same way that I view nurses. While I respect doctors, nurses, in my opinion, take as much risk if not more than doctors at times, having to make sure that the doctor's orders are in line, so that they don't follow them, and as a result, lose their nursing licenses.

While I may not agree with everything that nuns say, they are the frontlineoftheCatholicChurch, and appear to be more in touch with the ways of Jesus Christ than many of the priests in the forefront of the management of the Church.

The Church, the Vatican in particular, didn't handle the priest scandal properly, and still doesn't know how to handle it. Should they really be the voices of the Church if they can't get this one key issue straight?

I don't think so.

At the ratethe Catholic Church is going, they are doomed to push more and more people away. The Church is supposed to be about compassion. If the Vatican can't find it for women who devotetheirlivestotheteachings of Christ, but can forgive politicians, like Ted Kennedy, for supporting abortion, free from condemnation, their hypocrisy will catch up with them.

What the Church needs, and needs now, is fresh, young blood, that can get with the times, before there is no one left to lead. Shame on the Vatican for publicly condemning the nuns, when they still haven't condemned publicly, with vigor, the priests who have stained the name of this institution forever.

Permalink: speakoutsouthbridge.com/2012/04/23/catholic-church-putting-themselves-out-of-business.aspx

Every once in a while I nail it. At those times I feel good, but not this time no siree Bob. It would seem that Ralph has started the What About Me campaign and it is in full swing. I am hearing from the town hall that Ralph was in the office the other day and was bitching and moaning to beat the band about of all people Dr. Namin. See, Ralph didn't lose his job (in his mind) but rather, Dr. Namin came in and took it from his bony hands. I am hearing he wants to send the AG's office a complaint about Dr. Namin. Based on what God only knows, but in Ralph's mind this is legit. No Ralph, my complaint I sent to the AG's offic is legit. It is a question now as to wethertheyagreeornot, but I digress. In Ralph's world, the sky is always blue, he is revered as a teacher of men, and he has never made a bad decision. In reality it is just the opposite. Dr. Naminhad nothing to do withRalphgettingvotedoffthe committee as this is school building committee is made up of a group of professionals only looking to forward the agenda of the district and do the right thing by the kids. And trust me it does run counter to Ralph's vision. This is the same guy that after building two schools, never had the forethought to include Pre-K and 1 thru 6 in that vision and eliminate two schools. He has been disruptive in meetings, constantly te-telling stories (I built two schools, I am not going away, I was in this systemfor 15 years,etc, etc.) up to and including arguing withthearchitectsatthelast meeting. That's right, even after getting voted off Ralph will NOT go away as it will not be official until the SC votes to remove him or not. Unfortunately for us, Ralph has the recessive gene that does not allow him to be embarrassed, but rather this gene forces him to believe he is not always right, but beloved. Ralph Oprah is beloved. Santa is beloved. You are a major class A pain in the ass. Move on, move over, or move out, but for the love of God develop a sense of the fact that you are in the way of the very progress the SC and Dr. Naminare forwarding in the district. Can someone please sent the good doctor a memo? I will volunteer to deliver it and even read it to him. Please? Also in a completely unrelated matter take a minutetofillouttheSpencer Cable Access survey found at the town web site. They are loooking for input and volunteers, and it can't get better without your input.

Some things just don't changein our little slice of heaven. For the record I do not endorse political candidates. This blog is for opinions, and after my track record on voting I don't think I should even enter into this realm. But I am disturbed by the lack of political distance in the recent New Leader letters to the editor. I like and respect bothLaura TortiandPamWoodbury. I know Laura from many trips into see Adam and dealing with her on the phone. I also met Pam when she ran for SC during the run off that elected Paul Fournierand liked her and supported her withmy vote. I have been told by seniors that they think the world of her and the job she does for themas the head of the Council on Aging and the Senior Center. Having said that, when I read what had wroteaboutone candidate, "Being the only logical choice". I felt it was an insult and I am sure others felt the same way. Never mind you serve on the board withherhusband, but look at the two who endorsed in the paper. One is a State Rep and the other a Chairman of the Board of SM. For my money Pete can't leave fast enough. Donnie is a good SMbuthasnomindof his own. When Pete finally relinquishes the keys to the kingdom, perhaps Donniewill finally find his voice, and I felt this was extremely unprofessional from two men that should have known better. They certainly have a right to their opinion, and the right to post in in the New Leader, but they should have taken the high road and stayed out of this particular fray. Bothcandidateare very qualified, bothareverygood at their jobs, and they did not need any of this BS in an election year. This could and should be avoided in the future. To bothwomenIsaybestof luck and whoever ends up winning this post the town will be in good hands and I am sure the transition will be smooth.

Got to hand it to Ralph, he is like a dog witha bone. Unfortunately for Ralph, he is wired differently from you and me and some bones biteback. Where others see injustice and a lack of truth, Ralph sees as a question for HIS truth and justice. Take this email for example. Due to his divisive nature (and I have heard this from more than one or two board members on the Building Committee) Ralph is being asked to step off of the board. The board voted last night to remove Ralph from the board which will have to be approved by the SC at the next meeting. Dr. Namin put him on the SBC originally as a gesture of goodwill when Reza first took over. As the Irish say, no good deed goes unpunished, and Ralph is a prime example of that is this email to Trip Elmore the point man for the firm we hired to oversee this project and a good man.

From: "Dr. Ralph Hicks" <rhicks@awrsd.org>
Date: Apr 17, 2012 9:51 AM
Subject: RE: SBCMeetingagendaandmeeting minutes from 4-3-12, with attachments from Design Partnership

Hi Trip,

I assume item# 2 is Mr. Fournier’s attempt to remove me from the building committee. This is pretty outrageous given my background and institutional knowledge. I am not just the former superintendent. I also served 15 years as a SEBRSDschoolcommitteememberand5 years as a Spencer selectmen along with serving on a number of other town committees. For 16 years I served as a member of two school building committees, chair of KTJHS, where both projects came in under budget and on time. I don’t recall any building committee member being asked to resign or be voted off either building committee. This begs the question, who is trying to hide what?

Furthermore, it is my detailed SOI that gained us MSBA funding and my presentations that helped us to gain local funding. This is an insult not only to me but to anyone who has served as a public servant. This type of bullying has to stop or our school district will be doomed to failure.

Ralph E. Hicks, Ed. D.

As you can see, Ralph is taking all the credit as he so often does for bringing the project in on time and under budget. Ralph, you are not the Project Manager or the General Contractor, yet he makes it sound like he laid all the bricks and did some of the plumbing. Ralph is one for taking the credit where he can, and laying off the blame whenever possible to avoid the appearance of being wrong. Ironically Ralph mentions bullying. How appropriate that a man who mentors bullies and worked with them in our district would expound on this. Ralph was famous for hiring bullies and being quite the bully himself. Look at the the misinformation Ralph gave out. Told us on the former SC that:

You can't see the budget prior to the SC meeting since it was an Open Meeting violation (it wasn't I found out after the fact.)
You can't discuss in Executive Session anything that happened at the CBAmeetingsexceptingeneralities. (wrong again Ralph, you can and should since you have to vote on the contract and need ALL the info)
Helped keep an attorney on board that (and this is my opinion and obviously the opinion of the current SC) did little to help me or the SC do the job.
Gave the CBAteamthewrong numbers to negotiate with.
Tried to lay off 12 to 17 teachers when we had the money to HIRE 12 to 17 all along.
Told the SC and the public we might have to get rid of the sports and band programs.
Gave administrators not only raises but contract extensions after being told not to by the SC.
Has carried out a person attack campaign against Dr. Naminfor.......taking over his job after he was voted off by the former SC. He has called administrators and misled them on details about their employment, written to other area superintendents while he was still in the job disparaging Dr. Namin to his colleagues, and helped run a whisper campaign against Dr. Naminalong with two other SC members, one former and one current.
Misled the entire district about the money we actually had in the district. So far 1.2 million has been ”found” with possibly another $550,000.00 that might still be “found”. Ralph then backpedals saying he knew the money was there all along.
Constantly stonewalled SC members on matters concerning the district from the busing fiasco (which was all on Ralph) to the school choice numbers and how many kids we were losing in the district.
Ralph brags about building two schools without mentioning in all of that, that he failed to build a Pre K to grade 6 and possibly combining it with either Wire Village or Knox Trail and eliminating not only Maple St. but Lake St. as well saving the taxpayers in maintenance and building cost alone. THAT Ralph would have been the smart move and NOT sending our kids to 5 different school to graduate, but I am silly like that.
Cut and pasted a comment Dr. Namin had put on my blog and sent it to a former employee of his district. Tell me again Ralph, when you do this how does it help our district? What am I missing?
At School Building Committee meetings Ralph has argues with many folks about ideas they come up with because Ralph has been Super here and knows what voters will go for even if it might just possibly be in the best interest of said voter. Just not in Ralph's opinion which is the only one a the end of the day that counts. Just ask Ralph.
Came up with four different versions of the budget with each one being more of a disaster scenario than the last.
Tried to coerce the SC into tying JFYNet systems for educational software around Dr. Namin'sneckand the school district despitethefactthat many using the system did not like it.

Than you have the question Ralph asks? This begs the question, who is trying to hide what?

Good question Ralph and who better to answer all of these questions and more than the head of the Righteous and True Society but you? You hid more money than a rabid Easter Bunny hiding Easter eggs. ( in my opinion of course) No one hid more than you or misled (in my opinion) the SC and the public and the teachers than you and your buddies. That is all changing, and Karma is a bitch Ralph. It is no longer creeping but slamming with leaden feet towards you. See Ralph, you can only dance for long until the music stops and you have run out of chairs. Tell me one thing Ralph. How does misleading the public, disparaging Dr. Namin to others, and your continued email and phonecampaignworkingtoforwardany goodwill in our district? Problem is. It is not forwarding any agenda except the Ralph Hicks agenda, and you are worried about what might be coming down the pike. See Ralph, this district under Dr. Naminhasalreadyimprovedbyleapsand bounds over your administration (in my opinion) and this is an OPEN and ACCOUNTABLE system that includes maintenance staff, teachers and students. That means nothing is hidden and questions asked are questions answered. I can almost guarantee the next Ralph Move. Call the papers, go on a MAJOR calling campaign to anyone that can stand your voice for more than 30 seconds, (he has five count 'emfive grandchildren in the district!) all the while trying to discredit the members of the School Building Committee and anyone else withtheunmitigatedgalltoquestionOz. Imagine that Ralph. Being held accountable. I suppose its good you have the week off because you will need it to continue your Ralph Is a Hero Campaign and it takes a lot of work and fortitude, but you will carry on Oh Valiant Warrior of Truth and Justice. It is now time for the Ralph as a Martyr and he will wear that halo and bear that cross well. God help us all.

I was thinking the other day, Black folks have the United Negro Collegefund, they have the NAACP, and the point systemthat gives all minorities an advantageduringcivilservicetests, and I decided to start the White Boys for RomneyCampaign. I plan on putting out a commercial for this endeavor, and hopefully all of my WhiteBoybrethren will unite withme to elect this whiteman. All you Rednecks need to unite for the common cause. Grab your guns, your dogs, and load the pickups y'allitistimetostand up and be counted! Unite for Whitey Homey. Sound ridiculous? It is and more than a little racist (tongue in cheek) but it makes a point. I have been working nights and heard about Obamacoming up with just such a commercial. http://youtu.be/BdjoHA5ocwU

Can you believe it? Look at what is going on right now. The Zimmerman trial (and for my money this guy is a wannabe cop and no one knows the real story) and finally the good Reverend Jackson and that lying windbag Sharptonarefinallyrelevant again. The bottom line with all of this is the ridiculousness of the entire situation. It is NOT about race, yet Obama goes and puts out a commercial for his "people" his "fan base". Not only is this racist, but I can't believe this is happening. Whenever you say anything about Obama wetherits the birthcertificateissue, foreign policy, whatever, you are a racist for speaking out against him. Really? How about he is one of the worst presidents we have ever had. Not GeorgeBush bad as that would be a feat of unparalleled bad luck, but he is a poor commander. And for the record, I bought into all of his rhetoric and voted for him. I know, what a racist. I didn't votefor the whiteguy. This time I am going to work on my campaign for WhiteBoysandcanonlyhope you will all join me Faithful Reader as we elevate WhiteHistory month, the Association for the Advancement of White Folks, (AAWF) and become the minority we were always meant to be. Really. Check out Joe Pags view on all of this and his answer to the Obama For Your Mama Campaign. http://youtu.be/phyLOxE94Do

Then check out this guy's rant. I posted it last year and it still resonates. Loudly. http://youtu.be/VL2313MRn1E

On another point, the article in the T and G about not showing ID is another yet farce being foisted on all of us. http://www.telegram.com/article/20120416/NEWS/104169976/1101/local#.T41WXY68QUA.email

Now what is the big deal? I mean, you show ID to pick up a package at Fed Ex, to go to the Registry, to show a cop, to pick up a layawayforGodssake. Yet we can NOT show one to vote. If you think it's not a big deal, remember back in 2000 in Spencer when Durant ran the Recall Election against three SMheaccusedofmalfeasancewhothe Ethics Commission later found not guilty of anything other than an accusation? Over 200 dead people voted at that election. Gee I guess it can't happen here? Yet all the liberals feel this is an infringement on our God given rights. Yes, showing your ID will hurt all the Seniors who carry everything but the kitchen sink on them. Yet at the polls they get their address shouted out for all to know where they live. OK, makes sense to me. Why not yell their Social Security number out too? Now to be fair, State Rep Anne Gobi'sbilleliminatesthispartof the process. Hey Ann, how about a bill that makes you show an ID to vote.? Or will that make too many of your fellow Demsangry? Or you PeteDurant. You made the voter ID an issue at the last election (for all the wrong reasons) and you should be championing this as an election issue. Now on that we would agree for once. When Pete's buddies Empower America (yea, those same folks holding campaign fund raisers for him that he denied) they were harassing Hispanic voters at the polls asking for ID when it was not yet a law. Needless to say, it kept some people away from the polls, but I digress. If it becomes a law, and someone is inconvenienced, then I guess next time they will remember the ID. It is a simple matter, and once again we are going to complicateit with all this BS. Want to buy a gun? Show an ID. Get pulled over? Got to show an ID AND your registration. Bastards. Once again infringing on our rights.

One issue no one bothers to bring up is Pay for Performance raises just like in real life. In the real world, you are hopefully paid for what you are worthandwhatyouputintothe job and the students. Now I am not dumb enough to assert that this is a perfect system, but how can a systemwhereyouallgetthesame thing for doing different work? This is unfortunately Socialism at its absolute zenith. See, in a Socialist regime you all get the same thing regardless of how much you put in because we all share equally in the bounty. But in a Capitalist systemyoushould be paid according to the work done and the expertise you bring to the same work. Teachers are paid across the board for what they do according to a STEP and lane changeapproach. Get more education, and you get more money even though that same education may lend little to your actual skills you bring to the job. The theory of course is the more education you have the better the teacher you are when the opposite may be true. What about the teacher that give of their time, does their job, and give their all for the students? What about that teacher? Or the teacher that is in the systemfor over 15 years and is looking down the road towards retirement (because they can after twenty years) and still stick around because the last three years of your employment count for the 80% of your pension upon retirement. What is the incentive for themtogobeyondtheirjoband do the extras for the students when you get no added incentive for your effort? In other words, it is a system withabuilt on a failure quotient and teachers do NOT want to hear that even if it is true. If this were not true, why would nationwide our kids do so miserably when ranked worldwide? What about the taxpayer that after an averageof three years of a teacher using their funds towards their pension, exhausts the pension and the balance is picked up by the taxpayer until this teacher in question dies? How is this fair to us who are actually funding the MAJORITY of their pensions? What can we expect for this investment to their retirement? Doesn't the taxpayer have a right to expect for this investment to get the best and brightest teaching our kids? The systemisbrokenSportsFans and it is time to re-evaluate how we do all of this. As long as the MTAhasany say this will never change. It is NOT about doing what is best for the kids, but what is best for the teachers and by proxy the Union. Of course all of this is BS, but the Union will tell the rank and file this is best for you and because they benefit momentarily, there is zero incentive to change things. Got to love that logic. Now while people will slag me off for being anti teacher (once again instead of being honest) it is about the kids. How about (and this is really going out on a limb) doing what is in the best interest of the kids and setting up a performance based systemthatrewardsteachers who put in the extra effort and actually care about student performance which is the true indicator of how well you do your job? Teachers should be paid on an individual basis and on their particular job performance just like industry does it. You then get the best performance based on what you actually do and what you bring to the job, and not somearchaic system that depends on you merely going through the motions of doing your job. Time to wake up and realize if you can't or won't do the job, you may be held accountable. I know, a serious reality smack for many, but think about what this could mean for the SPEBSD? Just a thought in another in a series of rambling thoughts about how to move this ship forward.

Couple of quick questions for you today Faithful Reader. Why are we looking at getting involved in Syria, why hasn't it rained, and why won't Ralph just go away? It would seemheisstill emailing people in other districts doing what damagehecan do out of a sense of...............what? See, Ralph's biggest downfall (besides having Short Man's Syndrome withanegothesizeof a Buick) is that he just can't let ANYTHING go. He wrote in an email to Mark Wilson how Dr. Naminwasgoingtotheschoolsand planning on meeting with parents to get to know the district. Ralph of course, wanted Dr. NamintodoONEmeettheparents, and meet ONCE with administrators out of his usual paranoia. Mark Wilson writes to Ralph after Ralph asks for his feedback,

"I support whatever transition plan the two of you work out that best meets the needs of our students. I invited him to events that are already scheduled and open to the public, including Hero's Night this Friday evening and our 6th grade set up day events in May." Mark

Hicks replies, (and you have to love the ego issue) "Mark- That is nice. Just remember that I am still the superintendent and there is only one superintendent at a time! I hope I get invited to the same events!" Ralph.

If this is not a glaring example of Ralph's issues than there is just not enough evidence to show you how paranoid he was about someone notonlycomingintothedistrict, but more afraid of what they may find. Ralph also (in a public service no doubt to the district) poisoned the well with other administrators by giving his considered opinion about Dr. Namin(and I have the emails to back all of this up) and doing what he could do damage Dr. Namin's credibility prior to his official start in our district. Again, does thssound like a man withthis district's best interest in mind? Hardly. This is not over yet as Ralph will not let it be over, but I am doing my part to help. I already have heard from the AG'sofficeonacomplaint I filed with themoverDr. Hicks and his association with JFYNetandGaryKaplan. I felt it was suspect and filed paperwork withtheiroffice. Time will tell but in the meantime Ralph (as I know you still read this rag) GO AWAY. Run your own district as you see fit (or not) and try and stay out of our business. Just a thought, but don't you have enough on your plate out there? Perhaps I can get my hands on the email where you tell an administrator how you heard they might be "losing their job" and perhaps I can email your Chairman (again) and send him some of the emails I have from you and share how much you "helped" our district. See Ralph, I only contacted him after all the BS you have put us through, and sent him the link to the Coffee Club only after you contacted Kim Ring recently. I am also a sharing kind of guy as well as a helper Ralph. And boy do you need help.

If you follow this rag you have heard me talk about teacher evaluations. Back in 2009 the School District paid teachers and 2.0 over $60,000.00 to attend seminars and paid themto get a teacher evaluation done. The evaluations were done but because in 2010 we had a very contentious labor talks withthe Union, James and Company decided to take the negotiations withtheSCpublic. 2.0 in his astounding wisdom held the school district hostagetotheteacherevaluations by NOT implementing them in 2010 as planned, because as he put it, “We are in negotiations”. So the district gotscrewedoutofwhattheybyall rights should have had and had already paid for. Apparently the courts agreed as Dr. Hicks (in his one true lucid moment as superintendent) took this to the courts and they sided with the district and demanded that it be implemented. Fast forward to 2012 and Josh Cote gets on the sub committee handling Policy for the district and realizes that the teacher evalsdonedue NOT meet Statestandards. Long story short, he brokers an agreement with James to get this done and FINALLY James proclaims, “We are ahead of the curve on this” at a recent SC meeting. UhMark, we are BEHIND the curve on this as it should have been in place two years ago, but then accountability has NEVER been a hugeUnion issue, and 2.0 is merely following orders. See things are never as you think they are, and this should clear that particular piece of info up. James thinks holding the district hostageis the way to go to get what you want, when actually all it does is hurt the kids. If teachers are held accountable for doing or not doing their job, it gives the school district the ability to changethat and that is something the Union abhors. Accountability. Oh, and change. They hate change too. It's a brave new world Mark, best get in the game and understand people are starting to catch on. Too bad you missed that particular bus, but then you are no longer driving it.

Funny thing about writing a blog is that 50% of the folks who read this rag hate it, the other 50% love it, and there is no in between. Take for instance my stance withthe teachers. I have always believed if you allow something to happen or stand by and watch something happen and do nothing about it, you are as guilty as the person (or persons) perpetrating the act. Needless to say, that does fly withthe overwhelming majority of teachers. On many occasions I have stated that we have many hard working teachers in the systemthattrulycare about their jobs and the kids. But in any industry, there are those that coast and do as little as possible. As you read this you know that some of you can think of a few off the tops of your heads. Having said that, I find the teachers most invested tend to be in the Pre K programs right up to Knox Trail, then the trail runs cold. Most of our veteran teachers are working at Proutyandthereis where the rubber meets the road. In my opinion some teachers there do as little as possible and I think that goes to the STEP and lane changeprogrammorethananythingelse. Yes, there are teachers in the system(I can think of a number of themoffhand that I personally know) that put in their best effort and are there for the kids. To be fair, I do notknowthat many teachers, only the ones my kids came homeandtoldme about or that I served on committees with. But because of the STEP and lane change system, give teachers in years 17 get no raises other than the COLA raise negotiated in the contract, and then receive no STEP or lane changeuntilyear22, it leaves folks with little monetary incentive to do the job. Of course the teacher evaluation will help, and now it will finally be implemented two years after spending $60,000.00 to get this done, only to have a half assed eval at the end that needed to be re-structured. Guess we weren't so far ahead of the curve eh Mark? Now this will no doubt piss some people off but there it is. See, when I post something on here about teachers there is not a sound, not a peep, and very rarely any push back. It is what it is and I accept that, but in saying that I realize my mistake is in going after the people I believe have the control over not only their destinies, but their students as well. My mistake is not going after the true bullies in all of this, the MTA. No one can deny the bullying posturing of Big Lou and Mark James, and the fact that there are rarely any secret ballots taken in public session withthesefolkswhentheyhavemeetings speaks volumes. When you do a secret (or written vote) no one in the union knows how you voteandtheuniondoesnot like that. How can you possibly control the discussion if you don't know how others vote, and the power of the mob is where the true seat of power lies. Isn't it amazing that we have bullying protocol in place to not bully kids, yet teachers on more than one occasion have felt bullied. Teachers at Knox Trail and teachers in the district have come forward to say how they felt that Dr. Hicks was not running the schools in a even handed manner, and I had heard when I first got on the committee that teachers were afraid to speak up for fear of reprisals from management. I was stunned because like many other people, had a totally different opinion of Dr. Hicks at that time. And once again when I found out that Mark Wilson was runingaschool that teachers felt stifled by the ham handed nature of management I was floored. As a SC member I had no clue and felt I let the kids and the district down, but how can you have info when no one speaks up? I get it, I truly do, but how can you do your jobswhenyoufeellikeyouhaveto look over your shoulders or have a fear (and a very real fear) of losing your jobs? How effective can you be and what is this doing to help our kids? The answer is you can't do a damn thing, and it is time to change that. The article I posted on Big Lou yesterday proves that, and if you read the article you realize that the MTA on some level (and this is merely my opinion) loves a guy who is notafraidtogetheavyhanded in his dealings with the towns or School Committees. In my humble opinion, I think James and Big Lou do nothave a problembeingheavy handed withthefolks who contribute a notinconsiderableamountoftheirownmoney to the very organization that tells them that, "We are looking out for you!". Right. Witness last night's meeting and the 32 B agenda item. The Union the first time packed the halls because (and this tends to be the case more often than not) the Union had all the teachers primed for a fight (in my opinion) and they came ready to try and squash 32 B or at the very least, voice their considerable opinion. Funny thing here is 32 B allows municipalities to control health care costs only in the amount of contribution towards co-pays. Teachers in our district are already maxedoutonco-pays, so in truth this matters little to their bottom line. Someone finally gotthismessage across to them (as well as getting the right info to the teachers) as the SC meeting looked like a SMmeeting with VERY few people there. Bottom line is it is time for the MTA to wake up to the realities of the economy, and start working WITH the towns. its citizens, AND its teachers and stop treating Spencer like their own personal bank. Time to pull the curtain back and expose Oz.

Once again I get to tip my hat to a group of folks that truly get it. As usual I am talking about the town employees. And by employees I mean the folks who work at the Town Hall, the police, the Highway department, and all the other departments that run and make up this town. If not for their deferments, pay freezes, higher input for health care (around 40%) and now higher co-pays these people exemplify what is means to be a town. Since 2008 according to chairman Donnie Berthiaume we have lost almost two million dollars, and thanks to a combined effort this town has not lost ONE job or laid anyone off. Know why? They all pitch in when its needed, and never has it been needed more than this past three years. I can only hope the MTA is paying attention (although unless you are willing to pay for this I doubt they will) as the free ride is over. Without these folks making the contributions they have consistently made, we would not be functioning as a town. Thank you is not enough, but this is the least I can do for the people that keep our town running. Thanks for all you do and know that your efforts are appreciated. On another front, the Town Administrators evaluations went out to SM last night, and for my money Adam Gaudetteisdoingatremendousjob. He is always forthcoming when I call with questions, and I never have to call him twice. This guy gets it and does the job he was hired to do. You can't ask more than that from the people who work for us and the SM have done a very good job this past year. We don't always see eye to eye, but this group has gotten a lotdone withnoneofthetraumaand drama of past boards, and you have to appreciate that. Great job to everyone, and keep up the good work. Hopefully the MTA will get on board and notcontinuetoback over the town withthebus. In fact, if you really want to expedite things why notdo the contract negotiations publicly? I mean, if bothsidesareagreeable(and that is what it would take for this to be legally done) we could probably get this accomplished in no time flat. Problemhereis2.0 and Big Lou would never go for it. I guess its easier to hammer this out behind closed doors and out of public view. More is the pity as I personally would love to see 2.0 in action. He is after all so mild mannered and easy to deal with that I can't imagine this not going well for him and the rest of his kids.

In all the conversations the SC has, the one conversation they cannothaveishowthecontract negotiations with the MTA are going. Why? Its a law that you can nottalkaboutthesenegotiations even with the member of the SC who are not on the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement team) In other words, members of the SC can ask very vague questions but can notgetdirectanswers. Then after all this muddle you get to voteonacontract with the MTA. Now this is purely conjecture on my part, but can you imagine what these"talks" must look like behind the scenes? If (and this is based on fact) you remember the August meeting in 2010 when all the acrimony started with the MTA, teachers, and the SC, I was noteventhere. I was out with a blown back that night when Miller and James (sounds like a bad wine) ranted and broke the CBA agreement (something they accused me of and I was not even on the CBA team) by berating the SC on a number of occasions for not getting a new contract done. The best part of that argument was that James actually had the balls to say that this would be in the best interest of the kids. Right. Who's kids 2.0? Keep in mind it takes two to get it done, and when I reviewed the meeting on tape three days later I was amazed at the vitriol from these two MTA reps. Big Lou must have been proud. Now my point is this, if this is how they act in public, how must they act behind closed doors? I am willing to bet (an again, this is only my opinion) they act like the bullies they were as in every consequent meeting after in public session. Perhaps this is why we still do not have a contract, and keep in mind, this is 2.0's last swing for the fences as I am hearing he will retire in the next three years. Stay tuned Sports Fans as I am sure this will only get better. In closing, my condolences to Tony Pepe and his family over the loss of his mother last week. Your family is in my prayers Tony.

It's amazing the power of music, and this video showcases this point beyond any doubt. Also congratulations are in order to the Prouty Cheerleading team heading to Nationals in Florida. Way to go guys and you all make us proud. Hope everyone has a great Easter, and enjoy the day.

http://www.wimp.com/reactionmusic/

If you read Paul Fournier's post And Now For Something Completely Different you realize two things. One, this is notyouroldSC. Two is this guy is going the extra yard to do the right thing as are most member of the SC. New blood has made a hugedifference as it often does, and the changeis evident. Morale is much higher, the teachers are becoming much more engaged, and this is how changehappensandformymoney, its about time. The whole point is to empower the people who can have the greatest impact, the teachers. Now while I have had issues with the teachers in the past, I understand what they face and how hard some of this is to accomplish. Transient students, a greater number of kids on reduced lunch, kids living near or at the poverty line, and kids having kids, just to name a few. I understand that some kids in the Pre K and kindergarten classes still have""accidents" due to parent notknowinghowtotoilettrain, yet adding yet another thing on the list for these teachers and their aides to deal with. I am hearing about teachers at Knox Trail doing an after school homework classes with excellent attendance, and doing this for free. No stipend, nothing, and to add to that, purchasing snacks at BJ'souroftheirown for the kids and even giving themrides home after the class. Its all voluntary and the kids are benefiting big time. When change is positive, good thing happen and they are happening in our school district. For all the negative BS being purported by others, Dr. NaminandthisSC, administrators, and the teachers are getting it done. This is how a community that cares starts. Small steps, and with little or no fanfare. Great start, and here is to hoping it continues. Congrats to Bob O'Brien who from what I understand is doing well after surgery. Glad to hear this as Bob and Dave are a great team at Prouty and I am sure he is missed there.

SMOC (Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council) has a building on Main St. that is a home for transitional housing. Great idea, and a way to help folks to transition into supporting themselves. Unfortunately, SMOChas a very nasty reputation of getting a foothold into a community and then overstaying there welcome. Just ask anyone who lives in Framingham how they feel about SMOC. SMOCruns abuse shelters, transitional housing centers, Needle exchange programs, and drug and alcohol abuse centers. What SMOC does not tell you is they are not always upfront about what the facility will actually be used for and this will bear watching. Now before you think I don't know what I am talking about, I worked for four years as a sub contractor for this company and have seen the stunts they pull on unsuspecting communities. I showed up at the initial hearing for SMOC when they applied for this permit years ago and spoke out then. Needless to say, I lost the contract working for SMOC because SMOC does not like negative publicity especially when it comes from a knowledgeable source. Everyone at SMOC is all on board, and the director of SMOConeJamesCuddyhas no such facilities in his hometown despite his agenda of putting these facilities in other towns. SMOC also runs the PIP shelter in Worcester, and recently bought a home on King St. that is coming under fire for the same practices they pull in other towns. http://www.telegram.com/article/20120403/NEWS/104039941/1101/local#.T3w8C-TEY4s.email

SMOC will tell you a shelter is being used for one use, then turn it into a different kind of shelter all together. Depends on SMOC's agenda and need at the time. Spencer (and the SM) need to keep a VERY close eye on what is going down on Main St. as it may be a Trojan horse. How fitting that PeteDuranthashispicturein the paper touring the facility. Pete, you might try actually finding out what the orginization is all about prior to the photo op. Just a suggestion. Google SMOC and see what pops up. It is certainly eye opening. SMOC has a long history of making other towns very angry like the time they put a shelter of homeless women in Milbury (a project I worked on) and a year later it had homeless men bumming cigarettes and harassing locals living nearby when they moved in. I heard about this first hand from people living in the neighborhood when I was back there to do some work at the facility. Great neighbors those SMOC kids. On a final note, this is the reason to bring em all back home.

http://youtu.be/wNPUpkbxT38

I have noticed a change in the times of meetings at the town hall recently. I check every few days to see whatsonthecalendar (since any meeting has to be posted 48 hours in advance to make it legal) and noticed a disturbing trend. Since the SMmeetingsstartedgoingoffat6pm (the dinner hour for most of us) I have seen other committees following suit. Now I realize most of these are volunteer positions with little or no pay, but in the best interest of the public shouldn't these be at 7pm when most can attend? I mean isn't that what the 7pm time frame is supposed to accomplish? And if this is such a good idea how come two member of the SMcould not vote because they could not make the time of 5:30 pm for a special meeting and had to forgo voting? This has been a ridiculous time for meetings since a lot of us get home at 6 or slightly before, and if you need to or want to attend these meetings you have to haul ass to get there, be retired, or on disability. I do notice that the Town meetings are still at 7pm. I guess because they actually want people to show up for this shindig. Lets do the right thing and put these back at 7pm to make it easier for all to attend.

I keep reading about the demise of health care in this country should Obama/Romney health care gets slammed down. Keep in mind the people who really need this are already covered. If you make below the poverty level for a family of four or as a couple then you get Mass Health Care and food stamps depending on the circumstances. My neighbor got hurt and had no insurance two years ago and needed back surgery. He walked into Southbridge(Harrington Hospital) and walked out with free health care, free dental care, free prescription care (sorry, he has to pay $2.65 for all meds now) and free eye care including glasses. This program does NOT cover businesses who are already struggling to pay for everything else including an elevated tax for owning said business. There are many good things in this program without a doubt including keeping your kids on your health care until they are 26, help for seniors, and this is basically a good idea and there are many fine parts of this program. BUT the fact that you are fined for NOT having health care is ridiculous and that is at the heart of this issue. Wether the government can force you to buy something. If that were the case we could "make" homeless people buy or rent apartments or homes thus ending the homeless issue. Problem here in all of this is simple. If you want health care, you are going to have to PAY for healthcare. Simple. IN business we all understand there is no such thing as a free lunch, and when I spoke to Senator Brewer (who by the way is currently paying $365.00 a month for premium health care) he asked me what do I do if I do not have health care and go to the emergency room. He asked me who pays for that? I was dumbfounded. I told him I do and I did. I gotmy ankle x rayed and taped and paid over $500.00 for this service. Imagine that. You get a service and you pay for it. In Steve's world you walk away from the bill because you can and often do. Steve, I am funny about paying my bills is the way I have always been that way, but that'showI roll. Maybe that is the probleminthis country. With welfare, you sit on your ass and there is NO compulsion to EVER go back to work since you get paid to do nothing, get free dental, eye, and health care, and if you go back to work the bennies are notasgoodasbeingonwelfare and you get paid every month to do nothing. Who would go back to work, why look, and why notstayonwelfare? Hell with that reasoning I can see why we spend so much on all of this and why Obama and Romney bothfeltthiswasagreatidea. BS. Make us pay for heath care and raisthe taxes to do so. I lived in a socialist country for six years and let me tall you, they had a 19 % tax on everything you bought because (and you Obama fans need to take heed) you have to pay for all of this somehow and there is NO free ride, there is no free lunch, and as Chris Rock says, there is no sex in the champagne room.

I think Facebookis a place where people put stuff about there lives that would be better left unsaid and not shared. Then every once in a while someone posts something that absolutely blows me away. This is one of those moments. I hope you enjoy the surprise as much as I did. Very moving.

http://youtu.be/ZsNlcr4frs4

After talking to a friend of mine today I realize what a vindictive administrator Ralph really was. Mark Andrews last year was not supposed to have his contract renewed, and once Dr. Namin get hired............BOOM! Mark Andrews gets a contract extension AND a raise. Amazing but true. Does anyone really think this was in the best interest of the kids and the district? Seriously? Now think about this. In the entire time Ralph was superintendent we continually LOST teachers in the district. When a teacher retired, we did not re-hire another teacher which is a nice way of saying we lost teachers without really having to say it. In fact the only time Ralph ever pointed this salient fact out was when he was suggesting to the community that we may need an override to get this done and stop the flow of teachers leaving the district. Or when we lost core courses (math and science teachers at Prouty) due to budget cuts. I remember a science teacher getting up at my first SC meeting pleading withus to bring back mathandscienceteacherstoProutyandthemoney might have been sitting there the entire time. When we needed books (and this goes back three years when my daughter was in school) Ralph always spent the bare minimum on textbooks the life blood of any decent school. When questioned by me recently about the low test grades and the fact that we had three schools under administrative warnings, Ralph said we were on par with the rest of the district. Great Ralph, we get to set the bar so low a midget could jump over it. What if money was in the budget all the time? Dr. Naminhas already found over one million dollars in the budget and there might be more found yet. You have to ask yourself, how the hell long has this been going on? And the larger question who really benefited from this shell game? If I seemlikeIamharpingIamandfor one good reason. The more I hear about how badly we were all misled the madder I get. Take the meeting the other night with Deb Zablockitalkingaboutthedistrictandtakingquestions from parents that have issues with the district. How much of this could have been avoided by being transparent and open about all of our budget dealings and how we do business as a district? The next year will be spent cleaning up the mess (and it is a big one) that Ralph left behind. I think the thing everyone forgets is Mark Wilson (then principal of Knox Trail) told us at every single meeting how well Knox Trail was doing and in the meantime the teachers felt trapped there by a principal that notonlyhijacked the system, but started his own trimester program for the school without telling the SC. Notonlyis this illegal, but it benefited no one in the program. Parents and teachers were complaining and all of this fell on deaf ears withRalph. Unfortunately we let people run the systemwhoperhaps(and in my opinion) should have been working at a car wash. Now I have pointed out the foibles of the system before, but more and more is coming out and the landslide will not stop anytime soon. Now the reason for this diatribe is simply this. The people we trusted in the past need to say there, in the past. The way of doing all of this before has NOT worked, never worked, and put us in the Stone Age educationally speaking. Not only did Ralph not buy books, not hire teachers, and notrunthe district in a responsible manner, but he misled the public and the SC and led everyone to believe we were doing better than we actually were, which is the major reason Ralph is so worried that all of the truthisstartingtocomeoutnow. As I always say, karma is a bitch. Ralph, how did this all help the kids or our community? I am pissed and will keep telling this story until people get it, or actually start to wake up and see what is going on. Maybe it is time to get in the game and for parents to take an active interest in the school district and actually pay attention to what is going on. It is for the kids and it is past time to start standing up for them. I know the teachers are standing up for them and its time for the parents to get involved. After all, you have skin in this game.

I was considering what Ralph "I care about the district" Hicks might do next. I am thinking he might give an interview to Channel 5 or go on SCA and complain, so I decided to help him out in his quest. I sent the link to the Spencer Coffee Club to his Chairman of the board in Ashburnham. See, I figured if he saw how much Ralph cares about helping the new superintendent here, then he would realize what in incredibly committed individual he has in Ralph. After all, much like Ralph I consider myself a helper. I didn't do this before because there was no reason, and figuring once Ralph and his merry band of helpers got revealed, all of this would calm down. But Ralph is a valiant warrior in the Japanese sneak attack style of hitting your opponents when they least (or in this particular case) should not expect it. Ralph I am here to help and you just let me know what else I can do for you. Because I care. Congrats to Dr. Naminand the SC on some much needed good news about the budget and getting it done. I hope Ralph sees it and his head does not explode. Also keep Bob O'Brien in your thoughts today as he goes in for back surgery. Best of luck Bob and hope this time it cures your back issues once and for all.

I watched a 60 Minutes piece about the new CEO of Fiat and Chrysler and noticed similarities between he and Dr. Namin taking over floundering companies. Bothworked very hard, bothareshakinguptheperceptionsofhow a company should function, and both re-structured their companies. And do not kid yourself, a school (especially this school) is a 26 million dollar company that educates kids. Look at other districts in the paper lately. Tantasqua has a 19 million budget, Leicester has a 17 million dollar budget, and look at ours. Does that even make sense? You can not put your imprint on anything if you just keep the same old staff, or have people on board who are not on board. Take Sherrie Stevens for example. She is currently a finalist in the Westboroschool system, and from what I am hearing Dr. Naminfoundoutfrom an associateat that system that she was even applying for the job. Ditto Mark Wilson when he left. I respect Ms. Stevens, but if she goes then best of luck to her. She was (and still is) one of Ralph's kids and I wish her the best of luck but it is a situation that people decide that where they are working is notgoingtowork out for them and they need to move on and I respect that. I am sure she is notthe only one looking and again, this is part and parcel of the process. You are either part of the plan or part of the problemandyoucaneitherlead, follow, or just get the hell out of the way. To those that stay in our system, I say smart move. This school has already changed the outlook and the way students are being taught and I say that is an excellent start. If what we did before was working than why did the SC voteto not renew Dr. Hicks contract? Simple. It was not working and change is what was needed. I can only hope in moving forward people get on the damn bus. It should be an interesting ride.

Since its Friday I will make this short and sweet. I have long suspected this because of a source telling me but have never had second party verification to say anything. I got that last night from an unimpeachable source. He told me last year when James was taking his victory lap due to my resigning from the SC that he and Ralph, "Worked a long time getting me off the School Committee". This does not surprise me in the least as neither one of these men had or have the districts best interest in mind, and I was rattling the status quo of the teacher's union. I suspect one other SC member and I will eventually be able to talk about that here. In the meantime James and Hicks, that sound you hear? My footsteps and I am bringing facts withme. That should be enough to have these two worried as all they ever dealt with was fear and bullying. One question for 2.0. How is getting me off the SC working out for you?

When does it turn from concern to vindictive? Ask Ralph. The Grandfather With Five Grandchildren In The District who has elevated his"concern" to a new level. Take for instance how this all started. First its Ralph whispering in people's ears. Then he ups the antetalkingtoadministrators telling them how he heard a "rumor"of their impending demise through Dr. Namin's re-structuring, then it goes up yet another notch to Ralph constantly calling SM, SC members, and other citizens. Then Ralph out Ralph's himself by calling Kim Ring a reporter who covers our town for the T and G and tells her that the Collaborative that is being ended at Prouty after this year (they rent space from us at Prouty) had kids from Spencer attending. For one, there are NO students from the district attending the collaborative at Prouty, there is another collaborative at Wire Villagethatisstillopen(and mandated by the state) and Ralph misled Kim about all of this. I am not sure how this all goes, but Bob O'Brien (principal at Prouty) at the last SC meeting asked the SC to end the agreement with the collaborative due to the fact that due to space needs, they needed the two classrooms currently rented out to the collaborative. Ralph tells Kim that kids from Spencer attend the collaborative there. Now where in all of this does the SC Chairman find the balls to tell Ralph that his meddling ways or bending over to listen to Ralph becomes an injustice to the people he serves? As long as you give this OCD former superintendent your ear, your time, or your patience, he will continue to try and destroy any good Dr. Naminis accomplishing and to what end? He now goes from whispering to everyone who will listen to talking to the press. Ralph, if you really care stay the hell out of the district'sbusinesssinceYOUNOLONGERWORKHERE! The thing you have to ask yourself is what is Ralph afraid of and what is he trying to hide? I can tell you two things I believe, in my humble opinion. The money that is yet to be found in the budget, the fact that Ralph misled this district for so long, and the fact that he misleads anyone who will listen. I have had enough and plan on filing with the AG'soffice about Ralph's alleged improprieties. Enough of this BS is enough and I am tired of him pissing in everyone's ears. How does this help this district move forward, or move in a different direction? The fact that Ralph is the HEAD of the Collaborative should speak volumes, and he needs to go away. Far, far away for my two cents. I am sick to deathofallthefolks that lend credence to his bullshit, and it is time to turn a deaf ear to the hate that spewsfromRalphforhisownself serving ways. I have been proven right on a couple of different fronts recently and it is time to start paying close attention. Don't believe me? Check out Ralph's Mail Bag and lets follow the connection with JFYNet and Ralph "helping" JFYnet. It should speak volumes about this man and his supposed belief in the district. I for one, could use a lot less Ralph and a lot more positive news about all the good things going on in the district. Much to Ralph's chagrin as it does not serve his needs.

The problem with a story like EB is that you will notknowuntilitisallover. There are three sides to a story. Yours, mine, and the truth is somewhere in the middle and I think that certainly applies now. Rumours are rampant, and the facts notyetknown. I can only hope when its all over the truth comes out about how this really went down and what really happened. Having said that this once again proves that Mr. Andrews (in my opinion) needed to go some time ago. The fact that an incident went down and a child was allegedly threatened and Andrews did notevennotifytheSuper, is nothing short of ridiculous. This guy was phoning it in for some time now and his other escapades at the school were downright strange. The best thing that could have happened is that he is now done at our school and should have been gone some time ago. I am waiting for ALL the info to comeoutonthis one and hopefully the school is cooperating with parents that could not make the meeting and answering questions about the incident. If ever the phrase" Its all about the kids" fits, its right now and we should not lose sight of that fact. Lets all keeping mind that the kids are going to be hurt by rumours and other allegations and we should all wait to see how this shakes out. In the meantime I believe Dr. Namin and the Staff at EB will do everything to make sure the kids are safe. As to the student getting more of a suspension, due to Mr. Andrewsgiving him only one day there is nothing more that can be done legally, and keeping the student out of school is simply illegal. That and no one knows the full story yet, lets not lose sight of that fact. As a parent I totally get it and would ask the same questions many are asking, but I trust Rezaandthestaffto protect these kids and get to the bottom of all of this. Lets give themthattime. In the meantime this comment from yesterday's article provides another insight into all of this.. Accurate or not, it does give possibly another side of the story.

Cowbellwrote:

What ridiculous things I'm reading here! Only a misinformed adult blessed with a "cookie cutter" child would mumble such disgusting things. Starters, this case is pending investigation due to the information reported being FALSE. This student has a disability and has been bullied this entire year, not only by a new student, but by the principal himself. Last June there was a similar situation, however, this student was the recpient of the threat. This student was then searched, locker searhed and questioned who in his family has weapons, when the other child was the one to threaten bringing in weapons. That childs parents.....NEVER CALLED! This situation was then handled through the then superintedent and the targeted child's parents resulting in the principal getting reprimanded for not following protocol. Sound familar? Today's accused student has suffered monthsof retaliation from this principal withmultipleunjustin-school detentions losing 90% of recesses. Add to that a new bully in class that repeatedly goes to this vindictive principal with false allegations and HIS OWN MAKESHIFT WEAPONS stating they belong to this student. These "weapons" were in fact recovered from the "bully's" desk, not found on the child accused, hensetheINVESTIGATION! No teachers or staff witnessed anything that is reported either. This student did spent time in another school learning to deal with his disbility and has earned his way back into the public school. If you were to see the accomplishments last year and the timeline of events this year, you'd see what I'm explaining. his poor child is currently battling the world. Your children are not afraid of this child, but you are, becuse you donthavethefactsofwhathas REALLY been taking place in that school. Also, this students homelifeis filled with love, support AND discipline where needed. You should be ashamed!

The article from the East Brookfield incident is below. I am not sure of all the details, but Dr. Namin did not know of this incident until Saturday morning when he received an email from the parent who's child was involved. You can't move on something that you do not know about but as a parent that had a child in a bullying incident at ProutyI can tell you emotions run high. I would be concerned for my kids safety and can completely understand how this can get blown out of proportion. Having said that the safety of ALL the kids is paramount and needs to be addressed. News articles do not tell the entire story and I will try and get more info and post it on here tonight.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20120320/NEWS/103209921/1116#.T2hWCLlWu9s.email

Mark Andrews has been put on administrative leave today from what I understand for issues arising from bullying at the school. Given the circumstances and the fact that you really can't say a whole lot about employees of the school district (due to possible litigation) Dr. Namin had to make the call and put Mr. Andrews on leave until this can all get sorted out. Apparently protocol was notbeingfollowedandrather than make a mistake with a student where his safety is concerned, Dr. Naminisdoingthe best he can in a difficult circumstance. He directed a reverse 911 call to the district telling parents about a meeting at EBESat6 pm tonight and from what I understand quite a few folks showed up. Because this involves kids Dr. Namin is trying to move carefully in all of this. There are other mitigating factors that make this a tough call, but time and common sense will eventually prevail and the whole mess (I hope) will get aired out as it usually does. Not trying to be cryptic here, but there is very little info to go on. I trust the SC and Dr. Namin to do the best thing by the kids and the district, and in the end I have no doubt this will all get expunged and the whole story will come out.

The thing you have to ask yourself in all of this is what is Roger Pontbiandthinking? I mean, with all of this cash being "found" in the budget what is his role in this drama and trauma? If someone starts pointing a finger at anyone, Roger is first in line since he has an intimate knowledgeofthebudgetnumbersand how they came to be. I can only think back to a conversation I had with Roger on my last night on the SC. After we sat through another of Ralph's "budget dramas" I leaned over to Roger and said, "If you know anything Roger you may want to get out in front of all of this BS" I can only hope that those words do not go unheeded as I like Roger a great deal and think he is a very decent guy. Unfortunately he owes a lot to Dr. Hicks since prior to Ralph leaving he gotRogerathree year deal with the old school committee. Things are changing rapidly and the ground is shifting. I can only hope Roger has the answers needed for the questions that may be asked. It can be like standing on quicksand.

Now for someone who has as many opinions as I have you would think what would would one more matter? But as is the case in point of the Sound Off column, it seems once again someanonymousposteris questioning the school district. Fair enough. But where was your voice of reason when Dr. Hicks repeatedly misled this district over budget concerns? What about the no confidence vote taken by teachers at Knox Trail Junior High over a principal? Have you called or inquired how they are doing at Knox Trail now or how much better the atmosphere up there is? What about the No Peanut policy or calling 911 for a loose turtle on the grounds of East Brookfield Elementary or an entire class of kindegarteners being held back based on "testing"? Or the fact that Dr. NaminandtheSCisaddressingthe numbers in the school district and looking into hiring four more teachers to help reduce the numbers. Or the re-structuring that will hopefully lead this district in to a more streamlined process that actually helps educateourkids. Or the process where we build a BETTER professionaldevelopmentprocesswhere the teachers can actually get better at their jobs. You must have missed that memo. Or when Dr. Hicks gave the CBAteamthewrongnumbers losing this district money or when the numbers consistently went down over the six years of Dr. Hicks tenure? Or when Dr. Hicks proposed cutting the sports and band programs I don't believe anyone wrotetoomuchaboutthatprogram. Or when he suggested an override or firing 12 to 17 teachers I don't recall so much as a letter to the editor from anyone in or out of the system. Or when Josh Cote or Mary Gershman caught so much flack for doing what they were voted into the School Committee for which is to look out for the best interest of the kids. Gosh where was that voice of justice then? Sign your name? No wonder you thought better of it Hemmingway. Withallthemisses in the system you failed to bitch about I would be emberassed too and I agree. Don't sign your name to that mess.

I found this article this morning in the T and G and found it amusing. I can only imagine 2.0's head is spinning right now as well as many teachers. It seems the SC is looking into eliminating vacations and having a more college style Spring Break. This would mean eliminating February and March vacations. Can you imagine that conversation? Maybe 13 people showed up last Tuesday for the closing of the budget hearing to finalize the school budget, yet I can guarantee you the house will be packed when they have this particular conversation. Oh yea, the teachers will storm the Bastille to make sure this doesn't happen. Imagine having to go to work withnovacation for 3 1/2 months? The horror, the horror............... On another front Bob O'Brianisgoingin (again) for back surgery later this monthandIhopethistime they fix the problem. Best of luck Bob and you will be in our thoughts.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20120315/NEWS/103159900/1116#.T2G52JOOqo8.email

Just like cockroaches, when the lights get turned on they scatter. Needless to say, a VERY small turnout to approve the budget tonight, and Hicks, Hurle, (Mute John had to show up, he is on the SC) were nowhere to be found. I guess the effort of whispering into everyones ears burned the man out and he could not be there to cast the first stone against the "Man Who Took His Job". Ralph, that was your job to lose and you did so let Reza do what we paid him to do. Fix your mess. Too bad as I would have had an answer for Ralph and Hurle. Get over it boys because Paul took you out at the knees and exposed Ralph (and by proxy Hurle) for the people that they truly are. Gotsomethingconstructivetosay? Save it for the Building Committee meeting where I am sure Ralph has explained to them all about Lamarouex and Pagano(Ralph's buddies and favorite architects who did NOT get the job) and how many schools he has helped build. Maybe now the SC can move on to more important things like approving 32B (to help control health care costs) getting the Union to make concessions on health care and STEPS and lane changes, and thankGodtheyapprovedtheAprilvacationsagain. It was only fair, and they did say they would re-visit the issue. Good call as 3 1/2 months without a vacation would seem like forever. Also hear Peter Rock has taken out papers for SC. This is going to get interesting.

Here is to hoping the SC meeting tomorrow night at 7 pm will be the closing of the school budget and some people can finally stop micro managing the new Super. We hired this gentleman for his knowledge of budgets, his ability to reach out to the district, and his ability to be transparent. Bingo on all three counts but apparently that is not enough for some folks. Too bad as a rash on your ass is easier to get rid of than some of the attitudes (and former employees) in this town. I am hoping for a little more support from some members of the SC and maybe just maybe they should stop letting Ralph whisper in their ears so much. Who knew he was such a silver toungeddevil? If he did that great a job or was that much of a whiz withbudgetswhydidthepreviousSClethimgo? Remember Ralph lobbied very hard for the next six months with pleas of, "I don't know if I will be here next year......" until I finally told him at a budget hearing he would NOT be back next year. Perhaps we can name a men's room after him in the new school. Gosh Dr. Hicks how can we ever miss you when you won't go away? It's those pesky grandkids. And this litttle beauty from a Faithful Reader.

California REPRESENTATIVES

Quote Of The CENTURY :

"Frankly, I don't know what it is about California , but we seemto have a strange urgetoelectreallyobnoxiouswomen to high office. I'm not bragging, you understand, but no other state, including Maine , even comes close. When it comes to sending left-wing dingbatsto Washington , we're number one. There's no getting around the fact that the last time anyone saw the likes of Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, Maxine Waters, and Nancy Pelosi, they were stirring a cauldron when the curtain went up on 'Macbeth'. The four of themarelikejackasseswhohappentopossessthe gift of blab. You don't know if you should condemn them for their stupidity or simply marvel at their ability to form words."

-- columnist Burt Prelutsky, Los AngelesTimes

I respond to all of this mess in an email to the chain.

The problem with writing a blog is that sometimes when you are right you get no enjoyment out of it. This is one of those times. For the record when I started out on the SC I was defending Dr. Hicks in what I saw as a problem between he and Peter Rock. I soon came to realize what made Peter so angry also angered me. You all know the rest of the story so I will not go into a history lesson, but out of all of this, this is what I have gleaned from all of this.

#1. If you have a problem withsomeone who has taken over your position in any company, you should either let it go (or as in Dr. Hick’s case and his five grandchildren) talk to the person currently in charge about your concerns as a tax paying citizen. But what happens when it goes beyond expressing your concerns to everyone in the administrative staff, teachers, politicians, and anyone else who will listen, it becomes a bad case of sour grapes. Of in this case (in my opinion) you have something to hide and are afraid it will be exposed. Saying you have a concern and carrying on a discreet whisper campaign smacks of an extremely unprofessional attitude that does absolutely nothing to forward the district’s agenda or helping our kids. Listening to someone complain once is justified and totally understandable. When the carping goes on and on ad nausem, you have to wonder what the true agenda really is. It is time and the only fair thing to do to give Dr. Namin the support and the chance to fail or improve our district, but he deserves the chance to try without all of this meddling on so many fronts.

#2. If Dr. Hicks constant addressing of the budget numbers are so correct, where was the indication of an excess of cash in the budgets presented to the SC and the district? Why the Chicken Little sky is falling rhetoric, the doomsday budgets, the cutting off (or threatening to) of the school sports and music programs, or the override proposed? Is this the realistic and rational view of a leader who constantly proposed that we could not only NOT hire teachers (he and Roger Pontbriandarguedagainsthiringteachers for Maple Street as well as nurses in the district with federal funds) and destroy programs?

#3. When the CBA gotthewrongnumbers to negotiate with it was Dr. Hicks who readily threw Roger under the bus. Yet when I questioned Roger he told me that Ralph asked him in passing about what last years numbers were. Roger not realizing these numbers would be given to the CBA committee, told him the numbers. Had he known that these would be presented as gospel to the CBA, the numbers would have been far more concrete and based on fact and not last years numbers just being thrown out in a passing conversation.

#4. Our district has steadily lost students in the last six years. Whether it was through attrition, kids moving out, students school choicingout, a lower birth rate, or in Dr. Hicks words, “my blog”, we lost kids in this district. I think it is fair to say the lack of technology innovation and investment, the lack of core courses and APcourses, and a lack of leadership had more to do withthis rate than Dr. Hicks will admit to. Throw out all the facts, figures, and BS you want, but in the end it starts and ends at the top. If a corporation does well it is the result of the team concept and leadership. For far too long this has been a rudderless ship and that is being addressed. Finally.

#5. Budget numbers. When Dr. Hicks put out budget numbers, not only could we on the SC not understand it, but when I asked for a Power Point presentation, by Matt Bolduc’s own admission it took him over eight hours to put it together. Why? Because Roger and Ralph kept changing the numbers to suit their needs. A budget is a simple thing once you have all the figures. You plug in the numbers to the slot that they belong to and you move on. The four budgets we got constantly changed. Drastically. When I complained, I was told I was being difficult. I own a business and if I presented this to my accountant he would have a heart attack. Numbers don’t lie, people do.

#6. When Dr. Hicks constantly pushed our district to put into place the JFYNet system, he and Mark Wilson put out youtube videos for JFYNetschillingforthecompany. You may remember the last meeting Ralph attended he was still trying to get the SC to implement a program that from the administrators and teachers I spoke to, had no use for the system, yet Ralph never stopped trying to implement it into our school district. This (and this is my opinion) was illegal. A superintendent who tries to put any system into place and whether he benefits from it financially or not is illegal. Period. I have emails that go between Kaplan (the owner of JFYNet) and Dr. Hicks withKaplanaskingDr. Hicks if he knowsanyonefromtheTempleton school system. This is and was wrong. Only after Matt McCarthy told him he would not saddle Dr. Namin withthis system did Ralph finally have to give up. After that we STILL had to pay $25,000.00 to JFYNet after Ralph (after being told nottospendanymoremoney) spent money with JFYNet systems. I can produce the emails between Hicks and Kaplan if anyone doubts this.

#7. Dr. Hicks has spread a continuing misinformation campaign to anyone who will listen. I know of an email to an administrator where Dr. Hicks alleges the administrator in question may lose their job (from what he had been hearing) and how does this exactly forward our school district? I for one am sick to deathofDr. Hicks meddling, BS, and innuendo that is nothing more than a diatribe against the man that took over his job. It is time for Dr. Hicks to stop proving me right that he is a petty individual who present his grandchildren as a birthright to keep screwing withour school district. For my money Ralph needs to do his job in his district and shut up and stop being the huge pain in the ass that he does so damn well, and start focusing on the job in Ashburnham that you were hired to do. I just don’t know if that is possible or he has it in him to let our district go, but if you folks keep giving him you ear, your time, and your patience, it will never stop.

Then of course Ralph responds:

Thank you Bob!

By now you have figured out that I no longer read your blog.

Contrary to your thinking, the SEB school choice numbers went up early in my tenure as I campaigned to bring school choice students into the district. For the record, SEBschoolchoicenumbersonlywentnegative when Mr. Rock started throwing rocks! Feel free to call Martha and compare the numbers. Yes, I was prudent withspendingand denied certain personnel requests. Because of this the District can now invest $600,000 in E&D money in next year's budget. I was prudent because I inherited an over half-million dollar deficit my first year and knew money was going to be tight for the next couple of years. I did not want to see a deficit happen again. Despitetheinfusionofthis $600,000, my analysis of the FY13 budget is that there is still not enough money to fund previously given, and unfunded, salary increases that were granted last spring plus the new positions and services that are in the proposed budget. I tried to warn a couple of SC members. Why is it that every other district in the state is asking for a budget increase and/or cutting staff?

Lastly, don't worry about my new district. I consistently work 60-70 hours a week and actually get into the office at 8:00 AM because that's when the action starts, unlike somebody else who pretty much comes into work when the school day is half over.

We shall see what happens with the budget next year.

Enjoy you blog!

Ralph

Ralph, what about schilling for JFYNet which you conveniently pass over or the other assertions I made? I guess Howard and Hurle keep giving you bad info as every morning when I go by the school (or late at night or on weekends) Rezais there. As to your reading my blog I could care less Ralph but trust me, your hugeego will trip you up. That and your inabillity to stay out of our business. Keep using your grandchildren as a sheild, and as to your numbers Ralph, I have seen them and the kids coming in have consistemtly gone down over the six year periordyou were there. Also if we had $600,000.00 in surplus where did you hide it because hide it is the answer here. You NEVER showed it in the budget. Period. What color is the sky on your wolrd Ralph as it must be rose colored.

Notice Ralph never responds directly to an accusation but tends to pick out one point he thinks he can pound on and stay away from the facts. He did the same thing in the New Leader, and will continue to be a pain in the ass because he is the "Grandfather of Five Grandchildren In The District". Good for you Ralph

Granted,I do not agree with all of this rhetoric, but it is nice to see the other side of all the BS.

http://youtu.be/eQdwr-xNJIU

Every once in a while the Blogging Gods smile on me. This is one such occasion. I am going to refrain from commenting on all of this for now, and am putting this up as a public service. It would appear that someone had the balls to stand up and say enough is enough, and it would appear that what I have posted for the last seven months was not a hallucination. And for the record, this is ALL a matter of public record. Enjoy Sports Fans.

Dr. Hicks,

        It has been brought to my attention from various emails, telephone calls and One on One conversations with people from our district that you continue to think you are still employed by the Spencer/East Brookfield school district. Your repeated telephone calls to our administrators, school committee members and other members of our community, complaining about how/what we are doing must stop IMMEDIATELY. We are running the school district as we see fit and do not need any of your negative help behind the scenes. You have helped spread false rumors of our district restructuring which has lead to unnecessary meetings and added undo stress upon everyone involved in this restructuring.

    I also have reason to believe that you have been running a negative campaign about our superintendent, Dr. Reza Namin. I am not sure why you need to do this. Dr. Namin, to this date, has done an outstanding job in a short period of time, leave him alone and let him do the job we hired him for. You don't see or hear about anyone from our towns calling everyone in your district and questioning every move you make, I don't think YOUR school committee in the AWRSDwould appreciate if they did. Please run YOUR district as YOU see fit (as a superintendent) and leave ours alone.

      As a taxpaying citizen in town you know you are free to question what is going on in the district as well as the budget, I suggest you call the person in charge, Dr. Namin, instead of everyone else. I believe the best way to get an answer is from the person in charge.

      I am asking politely and ONE time only to please refrain from your telephone calls and negative input concerning our school district. Also I have written this email through my school district email to serve notice that this is now public information and is available for anyone to see. I have nothing to hide.

Paul Fournier
Tax paying citizen of Spencer

And of course, Dr. Hicks replies:

Mr. Fournier,

First, I have no desire to still be employed by the Spencer-East Brookfield RSD. I too am a taxpaying citizen of Spencer. As such, I have right to speak to elected public officials. I can also speak to whoever I like after school hours. This is not Russia or Syria!

I also have 5 grandchildren who will be impacted by the district’s budget. In addition, I served on the SEBRSDC for 15 years and was a member of the Spencer Board of Selectmen for five years. I also served on two school building committees for over 16 years. I have been involved in this district and/or the town of Spencer in one capacity or another for over 40 years. You have been on the school committee for less than a year.

I find it strangethat even withthe reorganization, you have budgeted only a $179,906 for an increase in classroom (teacher) professional salaries when last year’s teacher raises totaled some $504,000 based on a 2% COLA at $109,000 per 1% and the two steps at $143,000 X 2 = $286,000 for a total of $504,000. At least that’s where it stood last June. It would take quitea bit to suddenly have that figure change so dramatically. This money was not in this year’s budget and therefore must be budgeted for FY 13. Also, this does not include any other salary increases that might be collectively bargained, or from what I can tell, the new positions that have been created this year and those for next year.

As a special education director for some 30 years, I also see large numbers of students going to out of district placements as a result of the reduction of the five positive strategies teachers. At one point last year, the programs that were developed over the past few years reduced the number out such placements from 65 to 35. Placing these children in regular classrooms with teacher aides will ultimately do harm to these children and eventually cost the district a ton of money. It is short term thinking. Where will this money come from?

You statethatnooneiscalling my present district. You should know that someone did circulate the recent T&G article about the SEBRSD budget to my school committee chair. Perhaps this helps to explain in part of my vigor on this issue. Lastly, be advised that many of the Estimated Receipts and Revolving Balances are by law only to be used for specific purposes. In addition, I question if the $160,390 in the School Building Revolving Fund is debt excluded and should be returned to the town? Lastly, the way money is spent in accounts such as the McQuaidGiftFund are clearly spelled out and in most cases only the interest incomemaybedisbursed. Any deviation in the way any of the money in the Estimated Receipts and Revolving Balances that runs contrary to state law or courtdecrees would invitefinancial and possible criminal sanctions. They should NOT be a part of your FY 13 budget discussion.

I left the district with over ¾ of a million dollars in Excess and Deficiency funds because I knew the next two years would be lean. I could have added teachers and spent the money, but I acted prudently. I remember my first year as superintendent when I inherited an over one-half million dollar deficit. It took several years for us to dig ourselves out of that hole.

Senator Brewer has consistently stated that the earliest the state will be able to send school more Ch. 70 money is FY14 or even later. I also knew both towns didn’t have a lot of new revenue. I was looking ahead. I know you are spending $600,000 of the E&D to balance next year’s budget. This is one time money. This money should be spent sparingly. What will you do in FY 14? The towns will certainly not be able to cover this plus whatever increases you will need for that year. Costs like health insurance and fuel continue to rise.

As a long time school administrator I think it foolhardy that our district is asking for only the state minimum contribution in the town’s assessments. It is well known that quality districts spend beyond the Foundation Budget (Minimum Contribution) as experts readily agree it is inadequate. It is my opinion that the district should be looking for at minimum a 2.5% increase in assessments.

I understand you and your committee will do what you want to do. God willing, I will be around in future years. Rest assured that if the SEBRSDincurs a deficit in the future I will make sure the public knows how it happened.

Good Luck!

Ralph E. Hicks, Ed. D.

Then, Ralph responds to a letter from a citizen in this email chain with this charge:

On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 11:38 AM, r. Ralph Hicks <rhicks@awrsd.org> wrote:

Thankyouforagreeing with me that I have the same constitutional rights as all Americans who have not served as superintendent of schools in their home district! Unfortunately, for me, I know more about the SEBRSDbudgetthanyoudo. I also know Westbrook, Maine had a $3.7 million dollar budget deficit last year. You can go to their web site as read about it and the positions that were cut to cover it.

But, enjoy the changes. We shall see what happens!

Ralph

And then Dr. Namin enters the conversation:

Then Paul responds to the email chain:

Good morning everyone,

          Here is my original e-mail asking Dr. Hicks to refrain from calling people in the district. I understand he has taxpayer rights and can question anything he likes but he should follow the same rules as everyone else. We all know what his intent is and has been since Reza was hired. We can not contiue to give him the satisfaction of chewing everyones ear off about everything and anything we do. To give him any time or a response is useless, remember everyone: HE DOES NOT WORK HERE ANY MORE. I myself couldn't stand it anymore and decided to do something about it.

         As you can see, my original e-mail said nothing about him not being able to "question" the budget but rather for him to ask the 1 person who wrote the budget. Got questions, got to the top to get your answers!!

         I am not sure why he went in the direction he did, perhaps something to hide, perhaps time will tell. Not once in any of his e-mails did he defend himself concerning the "negative campaign" or the "rumor"comments that I wrote. Don't you all find that a little strange?

        I did originally CC admins and specific people in our district because some of those were the ones constantly getting phonecalls, I wanted themtoallknowthatIamtrying to put a stop to it. He has every right to call anyone he wants but he was way off base in calling everyone to bad mouth the SC, Dr naminand everyone else involved for trying to change the perception of the district.

        I have not and will not respond to any of his e-mails, i made it quite clear that i was politely going to ask him ONCE to refrain from his tactics. I will not play e-mail volleyball with him, I made my point and I am not going to get caught up in his BS.

        You all have my number, call me if you wish to talk further on this subject.

Paul (I am glad I wrote the email) Fournier

And Ralph responds to Reza:

Dear Reza,

First, please understand that I did not start this e-mail chain. Mr. Fournier started it and included the SEBRSD administrators just as you just did. In addition, Mr. Fournier was also "kind" enough to also include my school committee chairman. What happens in ths SEBRSDhasnothingto do with Ashburnham and Westminster. When someone sends me an e-mail, and I respond to it, I also respond to everybody who was included in the original e-mail. I will continue to do so as this is propoer protocol.

I have made my point and am more than willing to end this e-mailing.

It should be pretty clear that I do not think the SEBFY13 budget is solvent. Time will tell. I wish you well with the budget for the children's sake.

Good Luck!

Ralph

And finally, a citizen responds to all of this mess:

And with this I rest my case, Ralph can never stop. I am starting a pool on how many words will be in Ralph’s Letter to the Editor in the New Leader. The closest guess without going over wins.

And with that I bid you a fond bye bye. Hope this explains about what has gone on in the past and the bs that is currently going on. I love history, and I want to help.

Paul Fournierdidagood thing yesterday. It seems Paul has set up times to talk to teachers at all the schools to address issues they may have, and to see where they are at. The first of several meetings withteacherstookplaceatKnoxTrailandwas well attended. Now this is a great idea and apparently the teachers showed up and responded. This bodes well for the district as this opens up lines of communication towards making this a better district. Hats off to all who attended and to those that couldn't I hope they email Paul with concerns that they may have or just to feel him out. Paul has worked very hard to find a common ground in all of this and is to be commended for putting forth the extra effort and thinking outside of the box. It is exactly what this district needs and deserves. Lets hope this is the start of something good for the kids and the district.

Rolling Stone writes a great article review about the new Sarah Palin movie on HBO called Game Change. In the review they liken the race to Survivor and I disagree. It's more like Celebrity Apprentice. Look at the recent primary for the Repugs and you get the picture. They pander to all the folks out there who love trash and a lack of content. We get Bachmann ( even more of a wing nut than Palin), Cain and all his blustering and gospel singing his way out of an adulterous affair, Santorumwith his Call to God credentials, Newt who the Repugs ran out of town (ironically enough) in 94 for being a crook, and Romney. Now of all these fools Romney is the most vanilla and the most likely to come out of this thing in somewhat of one piece. Keep in mind he never met an opinion he could notspeakoutonboth side of. Think Durant to the third power. Out of all of this where does this leave us? As late as last week some talking head for the Repuglicans said it was not too lateforsomeoneelsetostep into the fray. Are you kidding me? How bad is it in American politics where we settle for absolute mediocrity and yet pray for a savior to save the Repugs from themselves? We get Obama or Romneytochoosefrom? Thanks but for the first time since I turned 18 I will not vote in this election. I am sick and tired of voting between two socially awkward buffoons. One voted in healthcare, the other started the ball rolling as governor of MA, and how well is any of this working for us? And to people who say if you don't votedon't complain I say BS. I pay taxes, own a business (and pay even MORE taxes than normal) and am a Vet. I will not participatein a process that does NOT offer choices. Keep this in mind as you go to the polls. In an electoral process regardless of the votes, the electoral votes of the entire state goes to the winner in each statemaking even someone who wins some of the votes still the loser as each stategives all electoral votes to the winner. Not part of the votes, all the votes. This needs to change, but since it is in the best interest of the political parties it never will. Mores the pity for all of us. In closing, this article proves once again why Dr. Namin was the best move for this district.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20120306/TOWNNEWS/120309731/1308/Spencer&TEMPLATE=TOWNPORTAL&WT_TOWN=Spencer&WT_CAME_FROM=MAIN_PAGE

One group no one talks about is the Building Committee. These guys will be and have been putting in some hours already trying to get this done for the district. This group is made up of many talented individuals who bring a lot to the table. The group is well represented in the building field and run by Glen Nelson who knows a thing or two about building, and supplemented by all aspects of the building community and some folks who have served on past building committees. I have no doubt these folks will do whatever is in the best interest of the community and the district, and I think this group is in pretty capable hands. Then on the other side of the political spectrum, we have the Repuglicans turning on Romneyled by none other than Hometown Hero PeteDurant. See, when Peteisnotemailingfundraisingmaterials to your truly, he is turning down the offer to help out one of his own. Pete puts it best in his own words in an article from todays Boston Herald:

"Yesterday, state Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer) insisted he could do more for Romney’s president bid than simply cut him a check. Durant said he’s done a lot of “grunt work” for Romney’s presidential campaign, knocking on doors and making phone calls.

Said Durant: “I can help Gov. Romney in more ways, in better ways, than just donating a hundred bucks to the campaign"

Oh I will bet old Pete is beating the hell out of those doors for Mitt. Maybe the Macphersonswill ramp up the PeteMachine but unfortunately Peteburned so many former supporters they are all still trying to get the bus marks out of their clothing. Perhaps people now realize what a lying windbag PeteisbutmaybeIwill do my part and show up to this fundraiser for Pete. After all, I only want to help. Also check out the Jamboree for Jenupdate on the Public Service Announcements. Hope this link makes you laugh:

http://www.youtube.com/v/mgCIKGIYJ1A&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><paramname="allowFullScreen"

Funny things happen when you are not paying attention. Take for instance the CBA's currently going on right now. Did you know that Mark (aka 2.0) James is possibly planning on retiring in three years? Neither did I and that makes these CBA's a personal issue for this Head Warrior of the Educational Way. See, in the last three years of a contract a teacher in our district gets a 10% bump based on their last three years in their pension! It means if you are making $70,000 the teacher will get an additional $7000.00 for ...........what? Yesirree Bob, just for being one hell of an employee, and teachers get this on top of all the other perks in their contract. Now imagine this, 2.0 giving ANYTHING up in this contract? Plan on raises, keeping STEPS, and lane changes, and everything that makes some folks so damn special. Can you say Conflict of Interest? Old 2.0 will go to the mat to make sure it status quo time not because this is in the best interest of all concerned, but in HIS best interest. Gosh I love when people get what they want, and trust me this will get ugly before its all over. But knowing 2.0 he will make sure we all get it that this is all about the kids, and that there is not a hypocritical bone in his body. Right.

An article showed up in the T and G (listed below) withyet more good newsabout the school and I could not be happier. Good news about our district has been a long time coming, and I have to say its about time. But having said that, you can not look forward without acknowledging the past. Historians have often said , “History repeats itself” and all too often that has been the case. Lost in all of this rhetoric and moving ahead is the one thing that keeps us anchored firmly to the past. Ralph Hicks. If Ralph would simply move on then all of this would be a view in the rearview mirror, but due to Dr. Hicks’s unquenchable mission he just can’t seem to let any of this go. From whispering to administrators, calling staff, and contacting SC members, Dr. Hicks and his little friends have stayed in our district wether we like it or not. And his little friends Howard and Hurlehave not gone anywhere either. From questioning the way the budget was presented to citizens (its all wrong you can’t do it that way!) to spreading rumors, to questioning everything Dr. Namindoes, to poisoning the well withareasuperintendentsthrough emails, to trying to saddle us withhisbuddiessoftwaresystem at JFYNet software systems (http://youtu.be/hW3pCqDyags,) he has never left us. I am personally sick of writing about the good Doctor, but he is like a bad cold. He won’t leave and hangs on like grim death. Not a word is brought up by anyone about any of this. Not the FinComm, not the SC, and only DonnieB. brought it up in this article in the T and G. Everyone notices the change, and only people who feel like they have something to lose are sticking up for Dr. Hicks. If Dr. Hicks had his way, we would not have zero sports fees, we would not have hired teachers last year or this year, we would not have latebuses to promotesorts and after school activities, we WOULD have had an override, and might just have lost sports and music at the school. The ironic thing here is that I keep hearing this was money already in the budget, and no money was hidden from public view. BS. Then why all the screaming about all the things listed previously, and notgettingthisdoneonhiswatchifthemoney was merely lying around? No, instead we get lame ass answers to all of this witha smile and a let’s move on kiddo, its in the best interest of the district. But not a peep, not a chirp, not one damn thing from anyone pointing a finger. Now why is it so important to call Dr. Hicks out on all of this? Because the discord in this district has NOT stopped and Ralph and others continue to do the damagethatany good whisper campaign accomplishes, and everyone is standing by and smiling and saying, “Boy it sure is sunny around here lately” while in the background people are doing what they do best. Spreading misinformation and rumors. Haven’t we as a town and a district had enough of this BS? The Selectmen are getting it together, now its time for the school to follow suit. Keep in mind, Dr. Hicks is causing somediscontenton the School Building Committee constantly shilling for his favorite architects and acting like he runs the board. It is past time to put the blame of what has gone on before at the very feet of the man responsible for all of this mess that is currently being cleaned up (in my opinion of course) Ralph, you need to leave. I don’t care if you have a truck full of grandchildren in our district, it is time for you to step out and let Dr. Namin do his job. We let you do yours (much to our collective chagrin) now its time to let him do what we all hired him to do, run our district.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20120228/NEWS/102289922/1101/local#.T0zhEraeLAc.email

I called Senator Brewer's office again yesterday (after last weeks query went unnoticed by staff there) to question again about 32 B. Due to the fact that they won’t return phonecalls, I had to go elsewhere for the info. Thanks Steve. Here is what I have found out so far. A municipality (SC, Select board, etc) can votethisinbut it does take time to approve it. It seems it goes before a review board, must be petitioned to the Union employees affected, times and dates need to be posted, public hearings, and after almost 3 ½ monthscould be approved by the powers that be. Now why would the Teacher's union worry about this? Simple. ANY single itemthatcausesthemto pay ten cents more for healthcareandthey will whine, cry and beratethose people who by approving this measure (or at least voting on it) will be helping to keep healthcarecostsdownandlookoutforthe district. And how do you do that you may ask? By changing co-pays as these tend to be a major driver in cost. Now tack that along withthefact that while other districts (as has been reported in a recent T and G article) have enjoyed lower healthcarecostsproviding savings for towns and districts, our district has an unusually high claim rate which is yet another factor in rising healthcarecosts. Keep in mind town employees and police currently are approaching 40% for healthcare for their contribution, yet the Educational Warriors still pay 15%. Now the question begging to be asked is why not implement this measure? Needless to say as I recently reported, the SC did not do this at a recent SC meeting and the teachers were in FULL attendance at that meeting proving one again, it truly is about the kids. They were deathly afraid that the SC might just might voteon this and start the ball rolling. To be fair, the SC did not feel it had enough information on the subject at the time, and there was a time factor involved here. It takes over 100 days to implement this and it would bump up against the renewal rates in May. That could change the price we pay for healthinsurance, and if what I am being told is true; it could have an adverse affect on rates moving forward that would NOT be in our best interest. Fair enough. But let’s get the ball rolling now for next year. If the teachers do not get an agreement prior to this being implemented, then they will be held to the 32 B provision. If (and this is a huge if) they get their contract done prior to this being voted in, then the three year contract takes precedent over the 32 B option, and can notbeinstituteduntilthecontractcomes up for renewal three years later. In other words it is in the best interest of the teachers to get this contract done prior to a 32B being forced onto them. Gosh, I wonder if Big Lou or the infamous 2.0 apprised the rank and file about this? This of course makes you wonder, why teachers feeling that they have no stake in this or why do they feel that us continuing to pay for their healthcareisourrightandthat we owe this to them? The CBA'sare currently going on and this will be brought up (I hope) and if this SC does notholdtheirfeetto the fire on this issue than this will continue to cause us no end of problems down the road. It is past time for teachers to step up to the plateandpaytheir fair share. It is time to take themoff the pedestal that they have put themselves on and get this done like every other single employee in this town. On top of being held accountable now, there is a lotofrumblinggoing on because of the changes. Changes that are moving this district forward and teachers hatechange. Especially when it is expected of them. It is mostly the Veteran teachers who will bitch the loudest and make their voices heard above all others. Too bad as there are some great teachers in this systemthatarebeingleftoutof this system due to pressure to conform. When voting takes place it is rarely a secret ballot but rather a hand ballot so everyone can see how you voted. No pressure there, no siree. It is time to changethat thinking and just once I would love to see one teacher speak out about all of this. If it did happen (in the alternate universe) that teacher would be ostracized. But it won't happen, nor is it likely that teachers will step forward and help to pay for health care like every other person in this country any time soon. Too many followers, not nearly enough leaders. More is the pity as this IS all about the kids.

All this talk of religion in politics makes me nauseous. Am I to presume Santourmis a better candidatebecause he and his wife decided to go ahead and have a daughter knowing she had physical limitations? Are you serious? This was a family matter and this politico parading her around like a poster child for religious reckoning makes me sick. I respect anyone in this position that chooses this challenge don't get me wrong, but this pontificating windbag needs to get a clue. I would respect him more for keeping her out of all of this and notusingherlikeacommercialfor his moral values. This election is making me realize there is no one to votefor worth my taking the time to pull the lever except to flush all these fools down the toilet. This is without a doubt the most ridiculous election I have ever seen. Romney is even out Romneying himself in trying to appease every voter, Obama is a fool, and Gingrich makes the Wicked Witch look like Oprah. Whatever happened to telling us what you will do to get us back on track? Like Governor Patrick who wants to raise the gasoline tax, now there is someforward thinking. I guess this is his mandate to push thought some " wicked important legislation". Can the Illegal agenda be far behind? Kind of what Obmawilldoif he gets elected again which he will consider to be a mandateof the people, and if the Repuglicanfield is any indication, we are all in deep doo doo. Lets just hope we don't step in it. On another note Peter J. Durant is not runing for SMandIfor one think this was a smart move. Leave it to Pete to make it sound like he's breaking up the Beatles. All in all a good decision. Want to check out some fun reading, Google the Capps law and watch your head slowly explode. Obama may have his way yet. Have a good weekend.

Now as anyone who knowsme knows, I believe in speaking my mind and saying what's on it (or whats left of it). In that vein, I have decided to open up the Front Pagetoeditorialsubmissions. Got something to say or just want to contribute a rant? Email me at bobc91@verizon.net or just go to the About Us page and send something along. Please, no libelous or slanderous diatribes, but other than that you have free rein wetherIagreewith it or not. And while we are on the topic of speaking your mind, perhaps Dangerous Donnie should do it less. He is the Chairman of the SM, and after Tony Pepe'scomment about unfunded pensions to Senator Brewer ( a major financial killer in the short term AND the long run), Donniecomesup with busting Senator Brewer on the new cell phone bill. Seems people are coming up to the Chair and running this by him. Oh yea, I can see that happening at Laneys or Cumbies, "Hey Donnie, you really know what bugs me? Not unfunded pensions, not the economy, not even the lack of upportby the SenateorState House. Frigging cell phoneusewhile I am driving. Can you believe these guys in the Senate" OK. Here is a hint Donnie. Sometimes it is better to have folks think you are simple than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. You realize people are getting killed over texting and cell phone use and there is this amazing new technology called a "hands free" device. Its a device that allows you to keep your hands on the steering wheel (where any driver ed teacher will tell you is where they belong. HELLO.) I know, cutting edgebut that's what I am here for. Next time the Dangerous One wants to contributeona State level just cram some of those ju jubes or whatever diabetic delight he has on hand into his pie hole instead, or suck down that Cumbies coffee. Oh yea, and give up the seat to Tony. At least he understands what is important. In the meantime you have a new topic for the DonnieandMarie Show. Cell Phones. Are they really dangerous when driving, drinking coffee, putting on makeup, and eating while driving? You be the judge.

Two days ago I called Senators Brewer's office for clarification on the 32 B fiasco. Needless to say as of today at 5:43 pm I still had no response. What a shock. Perhaps If I call the office and say I have a check for Steve I will get a call back. Better yet, I should say I am from the Big HealthCare Company and they will invite me to lunch so long as no one gets hurt. On the other side of the coin, a friend of mine from Holland sent this to me and I got so mad watching it I had to turn it off. This is truly what entitlement looks like. I had heard about it, but to hear this woman speak and who she is related to, well lets just say I was not a bit surprised, but very angry because she is only one of a growing number that our government looks the other way on. Matter of fact, he also has a drunk uncle who is here illegally also. Way to set the bar really high. Remove all sharp instrument prior to watching this beauty. I think she may have been a teacher in Kenya. http://youtu.be/4iLcCeSUU8g And last but notleastanoverdueshoutoutto two businesses in the area. Five Loaves Bakery on Mechanic St. has excellent lunch AND dinners from what I am hearing, and is worth the stop in. Its BYOB and reasonably priced, and I am hearing the food is to die for. Also Paul C. Mckinneyownsa company called William Paul Productions and apparently some folks from Spencer have written a screenplay that Paul produced called Fish and Chips that you can view on his website: http://www.williampaulproductions.com/ He produces movies and is currently seeking investors so check out some of his work (although the site is under construction, you can view some of his work) Best of luck Paul and welcome to Spencer. That is all.