A comment was posted that the blog is a waste of time. Whose
time? And anonymous April 19, 2013 at 11:11 PM will you ask your mother what
you are talking about. No one else can figure it out and I want to know what
questions I should respond to. And shut the light off before you go to bed or
pull your shade. A h----what you need is a tour with Jeff Bennett in
Afghanistan. Oops my mistake, you could not pass the physical, especially the mental.
Hey anonymous April 20, 2013 11:03 AM get some help before
it's too late and don’t mess with mother nature, you know her powers. Hee- hee -hee.
Hey anonymous April 19, 2013 11:31 AM, you are so right if
you knew then what you know now-what would you say about the recall? Come on answer
in detail so all can read it on the computer, on this blog. Spread some truth
about the recall, thank you. Just for bringing it up to the taxpayers.
Hey anonymous April 19, 2013 7:01 PM the only reason VW can
do a much better job than Jeff R is -poor Jeff didn't heed proper warnings
about a ” Viper”. I am making Jeff R a snake stick to keep in his office. It
works on regular snakes also.
Thanks for reading my opinion. Pauly
Blogs have been posted stating the facts with links to emails, lawyers bills, letters, etc. so we can read the facts right from the source. We can read them several times over and over again. We can print them out and ask others their opinion. We can view selectmen meetings via the blog. We can watch them as often as we want even months later. We can listen to what people say at these meetings again and again. This said I am confused, with all this information, facts, copies of letters, copies of e-mails, copies of invoices etc. I see no facts posted to dispute anything. Only insults, name calling and nasty statements about certain people. If the turbine is fixed please let us know what was done to it and how much it cost to repair it. If an opinion was gotten from a turbine expert that it's okay to run the turbine without fixing it, please let us see it, the opinion, and let us know who the expert was that checked it out. If the light and water board voted to get a legal opinion on the citizens petition, show us a copy of the light and water meeting minutes, show us the light and water attorneys opinions, the work they did for $10,000. To quote Pauly "put it on paper". If all this information and facts on the blog are so wrong, put your proof on paper show us your facts supporting your information. What is so wrong with people asking questions of those that we have elect to our verious boards.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. It is very frustrating to try to observe two sides to a story when only one side shows proof and the other side spends time making pointless and quite disturbing remarks. I, too, would like to know about the wind turbine. When someone from L&W fielded a question at the last Candidate's Night, it was the first time I had heard anyone give any kind of information in front of the public. And, you could hear a pin drop during that discussion. Everyone was listening intently. But, when we go to a L&W meeting and ask questions, they do not answer questions or provide documentation. This new L&W website would be a great place to keep the public updated. I am interested in knowing what the L&W attorneys opinion was on town government. Why did the BOS vote 3 to1 against reading the 10K opinion we paid for? Why is asking questions such a bad thing?
DeleteUsually when someone has something to hide, is my guess. Both of these blogs bring about very good pointed questions that should be answered if they want to keep getting the wonderful salaries & benefits they receive from the taxpayers & ratepayers. There are still a few who cannot concede the power & control they once had & in my opinion they are quite upset about it & what may come forward with all these questions & the Atty General's investigation. If all these questions had been answered previously & put on paper, I don't think anyone would have asked for a review or investigation. Then we would know what transpired with everything. There is a reason, I believe, that more information has not been shared & that is because they don't want the townspeople to really see where all the money has gone & who else might be involved to a much deeper degree than we have seen publicly!! All my opinions
DeleteWhat is wrong with letting the public know what going on. What is wrong with keeping government transparent. What is wrong with keeping taxpayers and voters informed. Nothing. All these boards and commissions are public entities and we the taxpayers and voters should not be bullied for wanting to get infomation or for asking questions.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. All the more reason to vote for new people on the BOS and L&W Commission. We need people who will ask questions and keep asking them until answers are given. Julie's been asking questions for years and years which is why certain people try to discredit her and make her out to be a "troublemaker". Pauly has been seeking answers to questions for almost ten years. Look how certain people have tried to frame him. There are plenty of examples right here on the blog. Bullying, misinformation and personal insults will not make the questions go away. They don't want to answer them. Someone on the blog asked why Julie is harping on things that happened years ago and why she posts minutes on issues long over. Well, its because no one gave the answers. How many times was documentation asked for by the BOS from the Muni Building Committee and they refused to turn them over? Hell, they wouldn't even appear at the BOS meetings. And when they did, they had a very defensive attitude. Hmmm kind of sounds like the L&W Dept now. What's the big deal about appearing at a BOS meeting and answering questions? Isn't that what the BOS is supposed to do? You see the Highway Dept and other depts there all the time fielding questions...even ridiculous ones like when Virginia asked Bud to plow and sand the roads but not to "overdo it" to just save money. It was a silly question but it is her right as a BOS member to ask it. And Bud gave her a very great answer. He didn't sit there and refuse to answer it. Transparent government on a regular basis would cut out half the infighting in town immediately. All of us should demand it from our local government.
Deletetransparent government is for a government with nothing to hide !!! can't get it here!!! can't get it from POTUS!!! don't ask questions, just shut up and pay !!! just ask mrs miller !!! NO on the override !!!
ReplyDeleteWell if people do vote NO on the override get excited for the state to come in and set the budget for us! Ask some of the surrounding towns like barre how that worked out for them!? We can either stop fighting and figure out our budget or the state WILL be stepping in!! Stubborn people equal unmaintained schools and lets face it there are state regulations and they WILL Mandate upgrades and regulations. My Opinions based on FACTS!
ReplyDeleteA state run school system means bye bye money..school choice will flush dat money down the toilet
ReplyDeletePeople don't seem to understand that if all these kids school choice out, all our taxes will go up to pay these towns schooling them. State law says all students have the right to school choice! We already pay over $600,000 for Monty Tech, need I say anymore?! Being Stubborn is a slippery slope! What's that saying, cut off your nose to spite your face!
ReplyDeletePlease note Monty Tech is a Regional School district much like Nrragansett is and Monty Tech has 16 member towns and the $600,000.00 or whatever exact number is equalts Templeton's share of the school district budget, this differs from school choice. The override is for the NRHS budget which is brought forward by the NRHS school committee rather than the Montachusett Regional vocational technical school district committee. Just so we keep the apples and oranges separate.
Deleteregardless the point is... if the school does not have adequete funding people school choice out..which costs money per child... yes apples and oranges but they both are fruit, excellent deflection tactic btw... again the point is if the district cuts and cuts people choose to send their kids elsewhere under the law this requires the town to pay for each child leaving..furthermore, few to no children will choose in to NRHS creating a cycle of shortfalls fiscally...the state will have the last say if the town does not pass the override.
DeleteSo if NRHS gets more kids to come by way of school choice, NRHS gets more of someone elses tax dollars as you point out, so rather than Templeton it is some other town getting taken over. Just so you know, the point of the above post was to remind people the budget for monty tech has nothing to do with the override. Now for fruit, if apples are 2.00 per pound and oranges are 4.00 per pound, I will be eating more apples. No deflextion, just putting the fact that override and monty tech budget is different. Unless you wish people to vote against the override because they think the monty tech budget is to high?
DeleteI am worried about this up and coming school year ..what my kids are telling me that they will cut out all after school activity's sports included ..I find this unacceptable kids need things to do after school .a busy kid is a kid that stays out of trouble !!!!and if they do cut sports my girls will do the school choice route to go to a district that has sports ..my oldest will be a senior next year and she loves softball and I all ways told my girls play all the sports you can in school as soon as you are done it all stops ..have fun and enjoy you school time ...so please people take this over ride request seriously..
ReplyDeletemike c
Your kids are telling you that the school will cut sports? Have you been to any meetings where you could ask this directly to the administration? I am sure that your kids are reflecting what they have been told, but they are kids after all and would probably not question what they are being told the way a taxpaying adult would. Having gone to the override website, there is a lack of good information there to convince me yet.
DeleteIt is mis-information to infer that a state takeover of NRSD will be the result of rejecting the override. What would be the basis for this takeover?
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone send their kids to another school district when NRSD has better results than all bordering communities?
As the USA has proven, spending money on education does not improve results. Look carefully where your education dollars are spent, it's your money, you should pay attention to how it is spent.
The basis for the state takeover is that NRSD is underfunded by Templeton and Philipston when compared to state averages. The School Committee has already publically stated that if the override fails they will go to the state.
Deletewhere has the USA proven spending money on education does not improve results... i hope you can show some data, articles or show professional feedback from case studies conducted.. because witout it that statment sounds very..... limited to be nice.. remember love overpowers hate... i learned that from the blog...what a country.. America!
DeleteHere is some reading for you:
Deletehttp://www.akdart.com/edu4.html
Mis-information is what we ALWAYS get from the school officials, teachers and mis informed parents. ALL we ever get is threats about taking activities away, and it is always the same "In Dire Need RIGHT NOW" from the superintendant. I have been following the school and their "Needs" for over 20 years here in Templeton and it is ALWAYS the same, Crying Wolf only to find out after the vote that it is once again Over-Dramatic BullShit. NRSD is a joke, my kids went to Monty Tech and actually learned and were teached and not told day after day that "we can't teach you we need new stuff", go home and tell your parents. The 2 previous Superintendants took the district for a wild expensive ride and it looks like it is happening again
ReplyDeleteMonty Tech = $17,000+ per student. Templeton sends about 20 students each year. 4 years of high school is almost $70,000 per student attending Monty Tech. Monty Tech provides a good program but so does Narragansett. Acceptances at Harvard, WPI, UPENN, Dartmouth, Holy Cross, BC, and many other great schools. Not bad for less than $45,000 per student over four years of high school. If we are talking fairness and equity perhaps the NRSD should be given 17K per kid and they would NEVER ask for an override again. Also, do you realize that regional vocational technical high schools do not have to go for an override? All they have to do is raise their expenses and assess the towns more money. When the Monty Tech budget comes up at toen floor you will see there is NO opportunity to vote no. Vote no and they still get the money at the rate they have set - not Templeton or the other member towns. Julie Farrell, who i do not agree with most of the time, makes a great point on this blog. Funding in MA for schools is broken. Why can Newton build a nearly $200 million dollar high school with substantial MSBA funding (your state tax dollars) but other schools are bare bones?
DeleteIn prior years my kids would come home telling me that Ms Batallas (Gerry's daughter) was telling them in class that she was going to loose her job if the parents didn't vote yes for the override. My son was so upset by this. I also remember one year that the override passed and in March my kids still came home saying that the classrooms needed supplies like paper donated. Does the extra money ever trickle down to the classrooms.
ReplyDeletemark 8:00 and anon 8:14, right on !!! some people actually speak the truth!! nationally in 50 years, student population has doubled; teaching positions have increased 250 % ; admin has grown 700% !!! scare the hell out of kids with what you are going to cut, but never think of getting rid of the assistant vice secretary to the 5th vice principle !!!
ReplyDeleteWhere is the fifth VP at Narragansett? Didn't they run 4 elementary schools with only two principals and no vice principals for many years? I believe last year both the high school and middle school cut secretarial staff. I think that should be asked of Dr. Miller. I for one would want to take the information from an accurate source rather than one that cannot spell "principal" correctly. Special Education needs have increased in the last fifty years as fifty years ago that was not an issue. Now you MUST provide extra resources for those students regardless of cost. Sometimes that means two teachers in a class. Hard to believe how people think schools are trying to get rich off the tax payers. Are Narragansett's parking lots filled with BMW's, Mercedes, or other luxury cars? I know a teacher who scoops ice cream to make ends meet.
DeleteRocco, I do not believe that the point of “yelarb” was that the teachers are driving BMWs. I think they were talking about the incremental difference between the amount of teachers and administration over time. Would you dispute this difference? If not, could you defend this difference if it exists?
DeleteThe schools are not just saying these things! Ruth is not the past superintendent, she is good and wants the best for this town and our schools! Vote Yes to preserve our schools!!!
ReplyDeleteThis blog entry shows how thoughtful Pauly will be with citizens who may not have the same view as his if he gets elected. If he keeps posting and responding in this manner, will anyone want him as their representative or representing the town to others?
ReplyDeleteFor all the People talking about crying wolf! The schools are going to be short teachers and necessities! People have been denying the school money for a wile. Now the time is here! Next step State takes over! $10-$15 if we override, could be $100 plus if state decides! Don't believe, ask surrounding towns about their mandate taxes!
ReplyDeleteThis is the nonsense State mandates put on all of us when they don't do as they are supposed to by the taxpayers. Where is all that aid to education, arts, culture, roads, etc. etc. money that was touted as the reason for initiating a Lottery in this state. Where is all that money?? Does someone want to ask Cahill & others who were associated with the not so responsible dealings with "our" money. It just goes on & on, the greed, mismanagement, lies, misleadings that people do to get what they want. Maybe Pauly doesn't always say exactly what he means the way certain people would want but he has tried to make others be accountable for their actions who were supposed to disperse revenue correctly. I would rather have someone tell it like it is, whether crudely or not in someone's eyes, than to have someone who hides things from the citizens to achieve their own personal agendas & possibly personal financial gains. No one has all the answers & there will always be somebody who is "hurt" by a decision but we need to tighten our belts all the way around to get out of this mess we are in due to the past selfish & careless leadership of a few who thought they could do as they wished regardless of what the majority of the town wanted. Again, in my opinion, this is why some folks are nervous about the state investigation. I have my doubts about fair representation coming from there, too, but we certainly are not going to get unbiased reviews from past local leaders who may have had their hands in the till. Also, as far as the teacher shortage goes, that may be true, but you may want to take a look at the unions, pensions, administrative salaries a bit that have heavily burdened the taxpayers & tell me if this may be a problem why we are so short on funding for basic education. I know requirements have changed but we don't need the best of the best of everything all the time. The Board of Education could cut expenses in many areas if they were truly doing it for the kids, as they like to have people believe when they are going after more money from the taxpayers who are already Tapped out!! Again & again, I refer back to the DOR report that was recently done here that states the yearly salary for the average taxpayer in Templeton is ONLY $23,000.00. How do you expect those people to give up any more of what little they are trying to survive on?? Some people need a Major reality check. I am all for quality education, as I think most people are, but I have heard it several times stated that those who don't vote for the overrides simply don't care about our schools or children. That is plain Nonsense!! It is a matter of survival these days. We are not living in the glorious days of a few years ago when it seemed that the gravy train would never run out of gravy or the well would never run dry. Well, it looks like they are both running on empty right now & it is not only the schools who face serious challenges & require changes in the way things are funded but the families here are in crisis & lives have been thrown into major upheavels with losses of jobs, leading to foreclosures, less tax revenues, etc. Would it be great to just put an X in the box that says yes to everything everyone wants, sure, but it is not the time to be impacting on the general population for more & more & more. These wants are Never going to stop until we get a grip on ourselves & the spending of other people's money. We simply cannot do that in the same way anymore, at least not at this time. Taxpayers have had to cut way back on everything & so will the school have to! They can do it just fine if the "powers" that be had a mind to do it. You have to do what is right for the taxpayer, as well, or pretty soon there will be No taxpayers left to fund anything anywhere!! Those are my views & opinions as I see them this day. Thanks for reading & sharing yours! Have a good Sunday evening everyone!
ReplyDeleteWell when all programs are cut and kids are getting into trouble because they don't have positive things to keep them grounded you same people that say Deal, will complain that this town is getting too high of a crime rate! Taxes will never be at 0 and they will go up! My Grandparents always told me that there are two things inevitable in life, Death and Taxes! But they also taught me how important school is! I agree with the supporters above! Vote yes for Gansett Greatness!
ReplyDeleteI happen to agree with you on this. That is what I am saying. They do not have to cut programs for the students & I don't think they should, but they do it as a way to get the money even when people are struggling to make ends meet. And that is what a lot of the parents of these children are having to do when many of them are losing their jobs or have already. They have to dig into their savings (if they have any left) to help the kids school activities when the responsible thing to do is keep the programs regardless without making parents, grandparents, taxpayers feel guilty in order to pass the override. It can be done! Agreed, Gansett is great, I graduated from there & also concur with your Grandparents about how important school is. As a taxpayer now, I already pay heavily for the subsequent generations & am happy to do so but there needs to be more balance when making cuts. The overseers can do this with more thought than threats of discontinuing valuable programs. Thank you for your thoughts on this, as well. Sounds like you had good role models & a good upbringing.
DeletePauley I like to see you mocking people, you will fit right in on the split war zone BOS! I was afraid for ENOUGH to spend all our money but you will trash the town and all it's people on this lovely blog! We should let the local and state news see how together Templeton has it. My Opinion!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I being clueless here but is there a school budget (line by line) published somewhere. I want to make an informed decision but I need the facts.
ReplyDeleteLmao FACTS sorry that is not how the school dept works here in Templeton.
DeleteYou'll be lucky to get the budget the night of town meeting. It should be on the website for the override...along with a listing of the school department salaries from the annual report.
ReplyDeleteHow about it Pauly, can you get teacher salaries, positions, expenses for maintenance etc posted to the blog? Is there a break down for the $11,000.00 plus per student cost so people can see what the amount of those dollars are spent on teachers and benefits, what part in dollars is for books, what part in dollars is spent after school sports. If someone is able to come up with a cost figure, they should be able to present a cost breakdown.
ReplyDeletehttp://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/finance.aspx?orgcode=07200000&orgtypecode=5&
DeleteFollow the above link. Pretty much ALL expenditures below state average. Admin is higher than state avg but that is a result of being small. Asupers salary divided over more students makes it less but gansett has a small number of kids.
Great link, however it does not answer all of the questions that Jeff has asked.
DeleteThe challenge for supporters of the School override is the disparity between wants and needs. I appreciate your passion for the school. I still do not know how the people on the edge of foreclosure and bankruptcy (many in town) can afford any more money out of pocket with an override. You want a better school, I want afford my house, therein lies the challenge.