Taxpayer revolt fails narrowly in SAD 51

Gotta love Clark Irwin's writing!

quote: I'd bet half the 'no' vote was by people getting a check from the public and their families.

I'm sure you are ready to give up the right to vote for your government check.[ 05-30-2005: Message edited by: Randy ]

Gaffer: It seems to me you have a simple issue that -- unlike the complexities of the school budget -- everyone can understand. Some teachers ran a letter opposing the validation process in the student paper, and that is clearly improper.It's difficult to believe that in spite of all the year-end activity, the high school principal did not spot this as a problem and buck it up to the superintendent. The public might be interested in knowing the names of all the perps in this affair, not only the teachers who signed the ad but any enablers as well.Have you thought about contacting Mr. Giammona, the reporter? He might believe there's another good story here.

quote:Originally posted by Randy:
Ask Hadley Smith how effective he thinks it is.

All I know is, we've saved about $7-8 million dollars of hard-earned taxpayers' money since we got the vote moved to referendum, by containing the budget increases through defeats at the polls.We got rid of the old superintendent, asst. superintendent, business manager, and a few deadwood teachers and principals into the bargain.We now have new administrators who are running the largest business in town ($27 million budget) as if it IS a business.We have three new board members (and one in the wings) who think it NEEDS to be run more like a business.In this day and age, if that ain't success, I don't know what is.[ 05-31-2005: Message edited by: Naran ]

Randy/Naran:The referendum vote in SAD 48 is very effective.The problem is that the district meeting is allowed to reverse legitimate "NO" votes at the polls because voters know that the district meeting is rigged and don't even attend for that and other reasons.

[ 05-31-2005: Message edited by: Hadley E. Smith ]

Mediadog and others:
Yes I have contacted both of the local weeklies and passed them as much info as I have. They are looking at it right now as I just got off the phone with a reporter from the Community Leader. The letter in the Greely Gazette opposing the referendum was signed by teachers Pat Thibault and Jason Curry as the MSAD#51 Teacher's Association. The HS Principal who should have stopped the letter is Chris Mosca, the Supt. is Dr. Robert Hasson Jr. and the Chair of the Board is Polly Haight Frawley. Principal Mosca wrote an email saying he regretted the incident and took full responsibility. My opinion is that someone ought to be fired, possibly all of the above. It is obvious that the teachers union , the administration and the Board are guilty of allowing the unfair and policy breaking letter to be published in the monthly newsletter.Will anything be done about it? That depends on how much media attention it gets. The school district will sweep it under the rug if it can. What is being forgotten is the message that it sends to the students of the district. The message is that it is OK to lie, cheat and quite possibly steal an election. The Board comes across as we are the high and mighty and what you lowly tax paying citizens think is of no importance. Go figure!

It's like the old bit about it being easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.I've had various times in my career where others publicly undermined our position, and then "apologized" later when the damage had been done. A classic ploy.

quote:Originally posted by Randy:
I'm sure you are ready to give up the right to vote for your government check.[ 05-30-2005: Message edited by: Randy ]

Don't need to. My government check is already earned and pretty much guaranteed. I would gladly give up all cost of living increases if ALL govenment employees at all levels including our darling unionized educators do the same. In short, no pay raises of any sort barring promotions. No breathing raises (longevity), no step increases, and a medical plan that mirrors mine. Dump the sabaticals (paid long vocations). I could go on, and on and on.I do object to a program that is done in secret and then foisted on the citizens as a done deal. Let the citizens VOTE on union contracts. The two biggest problems in Maine are unconstrained education costs (all pay and benefits) and out of control medical costs (largely due to over regulation) ;)

Isn't this an ideal time for the Taxpayers' Association to launch a full-court press to bring this issue before the public? You have caught the teachers' union doing something that they should not have done. The principal's letter admits that. So you have a real issue. Simply stating the facts ought to be enough to convince the public that there's a real problem in SAD 51 school administration -- from the top down.

Here is a letter to the editor in the Forecaster that calls it as we see it.Dear Editor:

Although I wish the out come of the SAD referendum had been different it was a very good lesson on dirty politics and the lengths that some will go to for their side to prevail. While we the Taxpayers Association of Cumberland/North Yarmouth pride our selves in maintaining the highroad, I personally was struck by the low level of ethics and tactics shown by the opposition including the lies and so called misstatements put forth by the SAD 51 Board and their cohorts.

I was especially amazed by the paranoid behavior of the opposition to send representatives to set behind me at the North Yarmouh polls and act as election monitors. I was manning a table for two citizen petitions; DontMortgageME and TABOR and while they had a whole hall to do their monitoring from they chose to set a dozen feet to my rear and closely monitor my interaction with the voters as they left the voting area. Intimidation at is finest! And these people teach your children?

One of these so called monitors was a SAD 51 Board member and when confronted admitted that I had always taken the high road. I am shocked by this display of unethical behavior on their part and can only believe that they are judging others by their own standards of behavior which appear to be lower than what one normally expects from a public educators.

There were limits of behavior beyond which the Taxpayers group would not sink, but that apparently was not the case with either the SAD 51 Board, the Neighbors Speak or apparently some teachers. This makes it very difficult to run a fair public discussion and referendum. I for one have learned an awful lot. I am not discouraged. It will cause me to redouble my efforts to ask the hard questions and demand accountability.

The NO messages sent home via the Greely High Gazette should result in the termination of whoever OK'd it, the teacher, Supt. Hasson and the Board chair, as it violated school policy and these people have the ultimate position of authority and supposedly the buck stops with them. It was unethical and smacks of election fraud. The repeated remarks of "I'm sorry" by the Board chair were not only predictable but totally unecceptable.

The citizens of the SAD 51 district should be alarmed by what went on with this referendum as their children are being educated by these people and apparently ethics is not their strong suit.I fully expect a public printed apology regarding the Gazette incident and the firing of whoever takes the responsibility for it. That is the right thing to do!

George Fogg
North Yarmouth[ 06-02-2005: Message edited by: Gaffer ]

Good letter. They should have seen a story in that, but I'm not surprised they didn't. I'll be waiting to see what the Community Leader does, if anything.

Gaffer - I'm damned proud to know you!!!
:cool:

So am I. Keep up the fight. Don't let up.
Your buddy, Jack