I just received a call from someone who went to the Narr. budget subcommittee meeting. and I guess they voted to submit a $18.6 MILLION dollar budget. yep that's right people woo boy they are going for an override. according to my buddy, its a $691,000 override.
Are these people soft. Just this past few weeks 6 families have come into the town offices and asked for help seems that they are out of oil and don't have any money to by more.
6 families people. How many people in town are using the food pantry. huh Ann Marie and Dot can you give us a figure. I think this "subcommittee" has their heads in the sand.or somewhere else hee-hee-hee but it's not funny! Yeh I know teachers deal with a lot but people are broke in this town. we are paying back $700,000 that was wasted away by Jerry Skelton, Bob Columbus, Dennis Obrien etc. People are loosing their homes. I just heard about a young family that sent all the papers in to get their mortgage adjusted and after months they were tuned down for a modification. so they will loose there home. and they have kids.
Wake up people the average joe in town can not afford an override. Since school started back in August 22 families have had complaints of foreclosure filed and 12 homes were foreclosed on .
I have a niece who works in the Narragansett school district. she has told me that many of these kids are coming to school hungry.
Wake up people - the people in our town can't give anymore.
one of the BEST i've seen on this blog in the year i've been following it !!!!!!! the teachers union feels they can do what ever they want because the give big$$$$$$$ to obama and he will back then 150% !!!!! we spend more $ to educate kids than any other country. we rank 25th in math and science testing !!!! do we get what we pay for?? i, for one think not !!!!! as i've mentioned prior, get together with other towns and go to charter, or send your kids to monty teck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the teaching profession today is so union heavy that "education" is no longer a priority!!!!
ReplyDeleteLike I have said before, in a way we are screwed! If we do not vote the override, and if we can't agree on a budget, they can go to the state. This happened in the Quabbin School District, last year. The state turned around and told the town to pay up. I thought this was very unfair, but who cares what the people think. This is a bad thing for our town. We are broke enough already. What are these people thinking? Bev.
ReplyDeleteBev, "they" can do what ever they want !!!!! the have the backing of the current federal govt !!!!!!! they can do what ever they want, as you said "buT who cares what the people think" !!!!! un- questionable power is all powerful, and terrible thing !!!!! next time you vote for a school committee member, make sure they are are not a person who spent their working life in "the system".
ReplyDeleteBy now I would hope people realize the federal government is "broke" as well. The advantage they have is the Federal reserve( not to be confused with the federal government) "printing of the money" aka quantitative easing.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to March 1st! No one really knows how sequestration will work. But the automatic cutbacks on the federal level does not bode well for increased educational funding on the state and local level. Pretty soon a few teachers and their families will be joining the ranks in the food pantry lines and foreclosures.
One difference in the budget situation between Quabbin and Narragansett, Templeton is the larger community....broke but on it's way to getting fixed. Last year before the recall derailed any progress that could be made, the town and the school department were considering a joint override. That plan fell through. The town had no option but to live within its means (deep budget cuts, reduced hours for employees, closed on Fridays, elimination of departments)
I don't believe the time is right for an override. I will support the school's request for an override and bring the question to the voters. Many times I've stood outside the polling areas when an override was on the ballot. I have observed numerous brand new vehicles with kids in them, pull in to vote and the override vote failed. Let the citizens decide. I'm tired of people blaming the elderly for failed override votes. If the cause is worthy, the seniors in our town will step up.
Was there any explanation of what would be cut if the override failed?
Was there any dollar amount given that would "be enough" for the school district? Where has the school district made cuts? Cuts that can be verified. What is plan B? What is plan C?
I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Why would you support bringing the override forward if you do not feel the time is right? You were voted in to do what is best for the town. If that means telling the schools "no" then so be it. I don't believe the selectboard has to vote this onto the town warrant which would stop the foolishness there. Maybe the school should also be told the previous overrides they always use doesn't have to go to them either. Some money should go to town government and programs. Keep up the good work but don't cave to this.
DeleteWell Said, The schools or especially Ruth Miller needs to be TOLD the answer is NO. The students have more smart and common sense than most of the administration and teachers!!!
DeleteThese people on the Narragansett Budget subcommittee have no sensitivity for the families stuggling in our town. Wake up Ruth Miller kids are going hungry, they are cold in their homes, Teachers say these kids are coming to school with lots of problems. Did you ever think how stressed these kids parents are? Parents have lost jobs, have long commutes to the jobs, groceries, heating fuel prices all going up too fast, not being able to keep up with mortgage payments. Don't you think the kids feel all these stresses?
ReplyDeleteso what do you people want to do for these kids you all say you care about. Vote a ridiculous budget and put more stress on their parent(s)
Yes, these younger people ride in nice new cars, with payments that last years. They also have nice houses, some they can barely pay for. The American Dream has turned into the American nightmare. Nothing can be done for their bad choices, but the school is out of touch with reality. This override will never fly, and if it does, it will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. I do not think Julie has a choice on weather to put the article on the warrant. It is up to the people to decide, one way or the other. Bev.
Deletethe selectmen can say no and the school can get there 10 sinatures to have it put on the meeting
DeleteThe selectmen have to vote to place the question on the ballot. The override has to pass both on town meeting floor and at the ballot. You can place it on the ballot first, or have the town meeting vote first, but you need the two votes in order for it to pass.
DeleteSchool committee can place the article on the town meeting warrant by citizen petition, but the selectmen have to vote to place the question on the ballot.
If it is on the ballot first, and fails, that gives the school committee time to revise the budget for the annual town meeting. If it passes on the ballot, the school department should be able to get the vote at town meeting. The ballot vote is the most difficult one to pass successfully.
But the Chairman of L+W stated in TGN our tax rates have increased about 70% since 2008. With prop 2+1/2 that leaves a 50% increase for overides alone. How will we eat with tax increases like this, The light and water petition is a way to get more for the town and it will not do to the department what they portray it will. The L+W have not clue like the federal gov. how to reduce their budget. But i can show them how in about 2 hour meeting with the accountant alone.The scare the people article is only a role one plays when their down and out of clout. The people decide who,what,where,when. They vote it that way.
ReplyDeleteDon't raise taxes,Raise the curtain on the L+W show.
Let's get the L+W department in line to better Templetons future and schools.
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Dave Smart