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Don't be Shocked
It was in the paper in the first article or so in the Ledger. I heard from a union member that the two contract talk had started because the SC was pushing so hard for a first year 0% and knew they'd have to spread any raises out over a longer time to make it work. But there was no way the teachers would have ever accepted a 0% just like the police and fire unions never would either.
By Or Awed
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Conspiracy of Unbridled Cooperat
Why do I have the sense that a conspiracy of unbridled cooperation exists between the school department and those elected by the town to regulate their expenditures!
We have the School committee meeting on a regular basis with the school?’s employees union while planning the schools next budget demands and is, I believe, part and party to the process
instead of regulate and advice.
I believe that they are confused in their roles as elected representatives of the people of this town!
The schools should be run by the school committee not the teachers unions in their demands, and certainly they ,the school committee, should not be a part of the demanding party!
The school committee has the finance committee as a source of information, advocacy and financial advice.
This school committee chair has stated in public her demands for a progressive town in regards to school funding! This from one elected by townspeople to govern expenses!
Our school committee chair has stated publically that they agreed to raises for teachers knowing we would need a prop 2 1/2 overide to pay for it.
This raises some interesting questions.
Does she realize all town employees will expect the same thus insuring the amount needed in the overide will only increase?
Is it not a little arrogant to challenge taxpayers in this way when they have clearly expressed their inability to pay more?
Our high school teachers get one prep period and one ''special duty'' period per day. If they spent one of those periods in the classroom it would be as if we hired a dozen or more teachers.
The selfishness of the teacher's union will inevitably lead to fiscal strife and pressure resulting in lay offs and a further degradation of services in the community.
By Part by Frankreport,, I stole i
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Voted at every election
Voted at every election In town for the past thirty years.
Have always formed, had an opinion and voted yes for those that have made sense or have helped the town, not always the same. Have enjoyed some boards, selectman,
and despised others. Have formed an opinion on the school systems in general and Braintree's in particular. There is a tendency to give because of the childrens needs when in fact the
children needs were not addressed, it was the needs of the greedy.
I have also noticed when ever there was a cry for emergency funds for the school system the lions share went to salaries for the staff. After a while they, the schools tend to lose credibility and my trust.
The ever increasing cost of the school system and teachers compensation have been out of bounds/control for a number of years and have reached crisis proportions of late!
When we ,as a community, wake up and petition our esteemed legislature for relief of
this albatross from around our collective necks we have no say in our budget process,
we can rant and rave but in the end the tyrannical unions will win!
In the process of negotiation with the teachers union the school committee chair voiced her opinion that she wouldn?’t want to live in a non-progressive town as far as school funding went.
This from our elected official, one we voted to represent us as taxpayers to negotiate
the contract in our name, when in fact she was representing those in the unions who want more money.
The school systems in this state have fiscal independence as a result of past peccadillo of our esteemed legislature. They are independent and demanding of continuous infusions of new funds.
If you feel that I am being unfair to the town first and the school department second so be it.
This has to end or all of the towns future will be vested in one very greedy department,
open warfare will rage in this town over the budget.
By History is a Stern Teacher
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what I am saying is...
Braintree The additional $73,000 foundation reserve award money from the state is for the schools to use for the schools. The state gave it out based on recent reductions in chapter 70 local aid. The Schools can use it as they wish.
You are absolutely correct that we must be very careful of spending one-time revenues on recurring expenses. This is something I and many others continue to warn against (both publicly and privately). Using one-time sources of revenue for recurring expenses is what has led to this town's structural deficit. And, in my opinion, we will never get out from behind our fiscal problems if we do not address the structural deficit.
I have made that point abundantly clear and that is part of the reason I called the contract settlement fiscally irresponsible. But I am not one that is going to sit here and bash the School Committee over and over because I disagree with a decision they made. We have a disagreement and there is a process to address those disagreements, ending with a vote at Town Meeting in May.
We have not given the school department a dime in extra money yet. That is still to be decided at Town Meeting and I expect some tough and diverse discussion on the subject both at our FinCom meetings as well as on the floor of Town Meeting.
Again, Town Meeting will have the opportunity to vote not to give the Schools extra money to fund their contract settlement. If that happens, the schools will be forced to absorb those costs within the budget provided by Town Meeting.
This is a discussion we've been having for months and will continue to have right through Town Meeting.
Take care.
-Ted
By Ted Langill, tedlangill@beld
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