Thanks to Tim Fisher and his insatiable energy and curiosity, we've got a new website up and running (in almost no time) at NEATonline. When I went over there tonight, Tim was on one computer and his wife, Carin Clevidence, was on another computer, working on the new site, writing letters and doing research. We are blessed to have Tim and Carin in our community.
Please keep this website address handy so you can click on it for daily and weekly updates and actions. We need your support to make this happen.
From now on, we're going to post all NEAT news to the website the maximize the possibility of more interaction and more opportunities for parents, staff and others to get themelves heard. Please direct your browser to NEATonline.
Thanks,
Jane
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
NEAT Action Agenda -- Part I
Let's be real. The situation couldn't be worse. Closing the budget gap has always come with the dire news of layoffs and program slashes. But this year, it was worse. Closing a school. At first, it was said to be either Ryan Road or Bridge Street. Soon after, the news became clear that Bridge Street would probably be the one to close, based on future projections of expenditures. This one was chosen, even though most people who weighed in on the Sustainable Northampton project a couple of years ago said that having a school close to downtown where parents could walk their kids to town was high on their list of priorities. And then we heard that the pre-school program now housed at Jackson Street would be moved to Bridge Street after all the current K-5 kids are moved all over town. Where would those kids go? Where would they fit? And how do you save money if you don't actually close the school, but just move a new program over? None of it was making any sense.
But look what happened. People started to get informed and started talking with the Mayor and other elected officials. Parents from Bridge Street and all the other schools began calling and writing School Committee members and the Superintendent. Without splitting into factions, we sent out the message that we are all in this community together and we are going to work hard to come up with solutions. We are definitely having an effect, but we must keep the pressure on.
On 3/24 we held a NEAT planning meeting at Jackson Street School Library. Over 30 people showed up (on a night where the Mayor and Superintendent were holding a meeting in Ward 3) to lay out strategies and plans for the urgent crisis, the local efforts and statewide efforts. Here's how you can help. Take a look at what's going on and who the contact person is. Send them an email and let them know you are willing to help out. Even if you can't attend meetings, you can always make a short phone call or email (the phone calls take less than a minute and all you usually have to say is what you stand for and that you want to be counted). We are working on the imminent issues of this year's budget as well as taking time to plan for the future. School budget problems don't just happen, they are part of a structural issue that must be addressed. We are hopeful yet cautious. That's why we all must step up to the plate and do our part.
1. WIN A DELAY ON SCHOOL CLOSURE. We are working with a smaller group to continue to oppose the closure of an elementary school. There is much to be done with several important tasks coming up. The first is the signature letter. PLEASE collect names of supporters to the letter to the school committee (below) urging delay on a decision to close a school. You can give Megan the names of all who agree to sign. We're already up to close to 200 signers and we think we can get to 500 by Monday, if every one of us collects 5-15 more names. We plan to deliver it to each school committee member on Monday, in time for them to mull over the community passion prior to their Wed. meeting. Send the names to Megan.
Here is the letter we are sending -- please help us get more signatures:
___________________________
Dear Elected Officials of Northampton,
There's no question the budget climate is brutal, and that as much as we are all heartsick about it, very painful cuts will have to occur. One possible cut is the closing of an elementary school - a move would be felt far beyond just the children themselves. This decision would affect the entire city. Therefore, we strongly urge you to do the following:
Defer the decision on closing a school for one year.
And during that year, conduct a due diligence study on the full impact (educational and economic) of closing a school, including everything from city property values and the quality of learning to traffic flow and gymnasium crowding.
Show us that every scenario has been considered, and involve the community in the process. This will give us a chance to see - and ideally be part of - the thoughtful and painstaking planning that a permanent step like this deserves. It is in keeping with the city's pledge of transparency and long-term sustainability. It will ensure that as a community we make the best
decision possible. For this year, make cuts that COULD be reversed if the financial
situation changes. Buses can be re-deployed, supplies can be bought, technology can
be upgraded, aides can be rehired.
If, after a year, we've exhausted all possible cutbacks and new revenue sources and are still facing a massive deficit, then we can revisit the option of closing a school. By then the entire community, including planners and educators, will have had the opportunity to weigh in on exactly HOW to do it in the least devastating way.
You have the pledge of parents as well as community members to spend the next year working with you on ways to ease this burden and maintain our wonderful school system. The good will, commitment, and energy of the people of Northampton are among the best things about living in this town.
Please don't squander them.
Signed,
NOTE: IF YOU WANT TO SIGN ON TO THIS LETTER, JUST SEND A NOTE TO Megan.
2. Write a letter to mayor, superintendent, school committee and city councilors to delay closing and support full funding of the school budget (see a previous posting for all of their contact info).
3. Write a letter to the editor. We are crafting an op ed piece but your letters are truly having an impact to support funding of public education. Just go to Daily Hampshire Gazette Letters to the Editor and it's quite simple, actually.
4. Raising Local Revenue. Joel Feldman described how other communities have developed partnerships with local colleges (Wellesley has been giving their town funding since 1928 and it's up to $600,000 this year, Williams just built a $1.5 million elementary school in their town and the list goes on). Smith is not the only local entity we could tap. If you're interested in pursuing this topic, Joel, Kristen Edmonds and Deborah Christakos are working on it and you can contact Joel to get more involved.
5. Raising State Revenue. If you are interested in legislation on the Meals Tax, Closing Corporate Loopholes, progressive taxation, or talking with our State Legislators, there's a lot we can do. We just heard that the Meals Tax bill is currently stuck in the House. It passed a few years ago, only to be vetoed by then-Governor Swift. Let's not let that happen again. But we've got to act quickly. We are setting up constituent planning meetings with Sen. Rosenberg and Rep. Kocot, so please let Pam Schwartz know if you are interested in one or both of those meetings.
6. Proposition 2 1/2 Override. Alden Bourne gave a great update on Proposition 2 1/2 and the pros and cons of doing an override. If you're interested in further strategizing on this, contact Julie. This group hopes to set up a meeting with the organizers of the last override effort for a rundown of how they ran that campaign.
Because of the 2004 setback of trying to get an override and failing by 7 votes, this is a direction we want to choose carefully. No decision on it yet, here's where we are to date.
To get the mayor and a majority of the city council to vote yes, we think a petition drive in favor of adding the question to the ballot could be crucial. If we collected enough signatures, the mayor and the city council would simply be carrying out the will of a significant portion of their constituents. Phil Korman, who's played a major volunteer role in Northampton school issues, points out that a petition drive is also a great method of education. It would force us to talk about the issue with our neighbors and people we don't know. Those who have signed may also feel more committed to the cause on election day. The petitions need to have the Northampton voter's name, address, signature, ward number (if known), and most importantly, the specific wording of the question to be added to the ballot.
This final piece - the exact wording of the question - is the most immediate issue at hand, and obviously, quite critical to whether we could get an override passed. According to state law (M.G.L Chapter 59, Section 21C), the question has to be worded as follows, "Shall the (city/town) of _____ be allowed to assess an additional $_____ in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of (state the purpose(s) for which the monies from this assessment will be used) for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand and _____. The wording of the 2004 proposed override is below.*
A few questions to consider on the language:
b. If we just try to cover the schools, how much should be requested? We think it's important to wait until the dust settles with the school budget this spring, so we know exactly how much money is really needed. In the last few weeks, the school shortfall has gone down because of lower gas prices, and there's a history of the town finding money to cover at least part of the shortfall at the last minute. We don't want voters to sign petitions that ask for a $700,000 override, only to have them read a few weeks later that it turns out the schools just need an extra $300,000.
c. Should seniors be exempted in some way? Apparently, there are two ways this could occur. The first is through explicit language in our override question. The second is if we pass a standard override, and the State Senate approves a bill now before it that would permit towns to exempt seniors. More specifically, the proposed legislation would allow cities and towns to exempt seniors who make less than $60,000 a year from overrides, as long as their real estate taxes exceed 10 percent of total income. Seniors living on fixed incomes are undoubtedly the voters most likely to vote against an override.
If we can get on the ballot, we would have to undertake a serious political organizing effort leading up to election day. We would need volunteers to cover every neighborhood of Northampton. They would be responsible for contacting all the voters in a precinct to find out how they're voting. On election day, we'd mount a standard Get Out The Vote operation: volunteers would be responsible for calling all their yes votes on election day and confirming that they've voted.
*"Shall the City of Northampton be allowed to access an additional $1.7 million in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of school department, Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, police, fire, other public safety, library, public works and general government expenses, and to fund increases in property tax exemptions granted to qualifying seniors who meet certain age, whole estate or total assets, annual income, and residency requirements pursuant to M.G.L. Ch 59 S.5 (41C) for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2004?"
If you'd like to be more involved in this effort, we are planning a meeting soon and you can contact either Alden Bourne or Julie Starr.
Meeting updates:
-- Ward meetings with the Mayor -- latest schedule: Tuesday, April 2, for Ward 7 at Leeds School cafeteria; Monday, April 7, for Ward 6 at the R.K. Finn Ryan Road School gymnasium; Tuesday, April 8 for Ward 1 at the Jackson Street School library; Wednesday, April 9, Ward 5 at Florence Civic Center; Wednesday, April 23, Ward 2, in the Little Theater at Northampton High School. All meetings are to run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the scheduled days.
--The Ad Hoc Committee of the City Council on Best Practices will meet on Thursday, March 27 at 6:00 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Department of Public Works, 125 Locust Street, Northampton. This is the third meeting of the committee established to create and oversee a public process for reviewing municipal decision-making in the City of Northampton and make recommendations to the City Council on ensuring the use of locally and nationally accepted best practices in our community. You can find our more about this committee, their meeting agenda, minutes, etc. at www.northamptonma.gov/bestpractices/ This will be a chance to express your thoughts about this process (or lack thereof) with this threatened school closing.
--Next NEAT meeting: We had initially stated that the next NEAT meeting will be on 4/14, but we realize that may be too soon with all the work going on and the time needed to do it before meeting again. So stay tuned.
--NEAT organizational meeting: For anyone interested in discussing or being part of NEAT's internal structure, we are having a meeting to discuss where we go from here, e.g., do we reinstitute our prior model of a steering committee with representatives from each school or consider other possibilities? We know it's time to formalize our decision-making structure once again, so for all of you who like to talk or DO these matters, this meeting is for you! (If not, you get a reprieve.) It's on Monday, April 7th, 7:15-8:15 pm, at Pam Schwartz and Joel Feldman's house, 22 Columbus Avenue. If you would like to participate but can't make it, please let us know. You can leave a comment at the end of this posting.
We'll have more to report next week. But for now, keep those calls, emails and letters coming. And please comment here on the blog if you have any further updates so we can all join in the conversation. And if you're having trouble with doing that, just contact Jane.
If you know others who might be interested, please pass this along to them. If you'd like to get on our mailing list, just email Megan.
But look what happened. People started to get informed and started talking with the Mayor and other elected officials. Parents from Bridge Street and all the other schools began calling and writing School Committee members and the Superintendent. Without splitting into factions, we sent out the message that we are all in this community together and we are going to work hard to come up with solutions. We are definitely having an effect, but we must keep the pressure on.
On 3/24 we held a NEAT planning meeting at Jackson Street School Library. Over 30 people showed up (on a night where the Mayor and Superintendent were holding a meeting in Ward 3) to lay out strategies and plans for the urgent crisis, the local efforts and statewide efforts. Here's how you can help. Take a look at what's going on and who the contact person is. Send them an email and let them know you are willing to help out. Even if you can't attend meetings, you can always make a short phone call or email (the phone calls take less than a minute and all you usually have to say is what you stand for and that you want to be counted). We are working on the imminent issues of this year's budget as well as taking time to plan for the future. School budget problems don't just happen, they are part of a structural issue that must be addressed. We are hopeful yet cautious. That's why we all must step up to the plate and do our part.
1. WIN A DELAY ON SCHOOL CLOSURE. We are working with a smaller group to continue to oppose the closure of an elementary school. There is much to be done with several important tasks coming up. The first is the signature letter. PLEASE collect names of supporters to the letter to the school committee (below) urging delay on a decision to close a school. You can give Megan the names of all who agree to sign. We're already up to close to 200 signers and we think we can get to 500 by Monday, if every one of us collects 5-15 more names. We plan to deliver it to each school committee member on Monday, in time for them to mull over the community passion prior to their Wed. meeting. Send the names to Megan.
Here is the letter we are sending -- please help us get more signatures:
___________________________
Dear Elected Officials of Northampton,
There's no question the budget climate is brutal, and that as much as we are all heartsick about it, very painful cuts will have to occur. One possible cut is the closing of an elementary school - a move would be felt far beyond just the children themselves. This decision would affect the entire city. Therefore, we strongly urge you to do the following:
Defer the decision on closing a school for one year.
And during that year, conduct a due diligence study on the full impact (educational and economic) of closing a school, including everything from city property values and the quality of learning to traffic flow and gymnasium crowding.
Show us that every scenario has been considered, and involve the community in the process. This will give us a chance to see - and ideally be part of - the thoughtful and painstaking planning that a permanent step like this deserves. It is in keeping with the city's pledge of transparency and long-term sustainability. It will ensure that as a community we make the best
decision possible. For this year, make cuts that COULD be reversed if the financial
situation changes. Buses can be re-deployed, supplies can be bought, technology can
be upgraded, aides can be rehired.
If, after a year, we've exhausted all possible cutbacks and new revenue sources and are still facing a massive deficit, then we can revisit the option of closing a school. By then the entire community, including planners and educators, will have had the opportunity to weigh in on exactly HOW to do it in the least devastating way.
You have the pledge of parents as well as community members to spend the next year working with you on ways to ease this burden and maintain our wonderful school system. The good will, commitment, and energy of the people of Northampton are among the best things about living in this town.
Please don't squander them.
Signed,
NOTE: IF YOU WANT TO SIGN ON TO THIS LETTER, JUST SEND A NOTE TO Megan.
2. Write a letter to mayor, superintendent, school committee and city councilors to delay closing and support full funding of the school budget (see a previous posting for all of their contact info).
3. Write a letter to the editor. We are crafting an op ed piece but your letters are truly having an impact to support funding of public education. Just go to Daily Hampshire Gazette Letters to the Editor and it's quite simple, actually.
4. Raising Local Revenue. Joel Feldman described how other communities have developed partnerships with local colleges (Wellesley has been giving their town funding since 1928 and it's up to $600,000 this year, Williams just built a $1.5 million elementary school in their town and the list goes on). Smith is not the only local entity we could tap. If you're interested in pursuing this topic, Joel, Kristen Edmonds and Deborah Christakos are working on it and you can contact Joel to get more involved.
5. Raising State Revenue. If you are interested in legislation on the Meals Tax, Closing Corporate Loopholes, progressive taxation, or talking with our State Legislators, there's a lot we can do. We just heard that the Meals Tax bill is currently stuck in the House. It passed a few years ago, only to be vetoed by then-Governor Swift. Let's not let that happen again. But we've got to act quickly. We are setting up constituent planning meetings with Sen. Rosenberg and Rep. Kocot, so please let Pam Schwartz know if you are interested in one or both of those meetings.
6. Proposition 2 1/2 Override. Alden Bourne gave a great update on Proposition 2 1/2 and the pros and cons of doing an override. If you're interested in further strategizing on this, contact Julie. This group hopes to set up a meeting with the organizers of the last override effort for a rundown of how they ran that campaign.
Because of the 2004 setback of trying to get an override and failing by 7 votes, this is a direction we want to choose carefully. No decision on it yet, here's where we are to date.
Alden Bourne did some great research on how to get a Proposition 2 1/2 override passed. Here's what needs to happen:
We first need to decide when we'd like it on the ballot. There has been some talk about trying to do it in June through a special election, so that the additional money could reach the city's coffers sooner rather than later. However, Wendy Mazza, the city clerk, told us that holding a special election on the issue in June versus putting the question on the November ballot would cost the city roughly $30,000 extra for election workers and printing up the ballots. If we target November, the question would just need to be added to the state ballot. We think asking the city to cough up $30,000 - especially in light of the pending budget cuts - would cast the entire effort in a negative light. We should also consider whether there are factors that would make a November proposition more likely to pass. Obviously, turnout would be much higher with the Presidential election, but that could cut both ways.
We first need to decide when we'd like it on the ballot. There has been some talk about trying to do it in June through a special election, so that the additional money could reach the city's coffers sooner rather than later. However, Wendy Mazza, the city clerk, told us that holding a special election on the issue in June versus putting the question on the November ballot would cost the city roughly $30,000 extra for election workers and printing up the ballots. If we target November, the question would just need to be added to the state ballot. We think asking the city to cough up $30,000 - especially in light of the pending budget cuts - would cast the entire effort in a negative light. We should also consider whether there are factors that would make a November proposition more likely to pass. Obviously, turnout would be much higher with the Presidential election, but that could cut both ways.
If we go for November, the city clerk needs to notify the state by August 6th that the question has been approved to put on the ballot. To get on the ballot, we need the agreement of 5 out of 9 of the city council members (a vote on a tax decrease can be initiated just by petition, but a vote on an increase requires the city council's assent). The vote by the city council could happen at any of their upcoming meetings, which are held the first and third Thursdays of the month. However, nothing can go on the city council's agenda for discussion without the mayor's approval, so we need her on board as well. I think it's important to note here that we're not necessarily asking the mayor or the city council members to come out strongly in favor of an override, just to let the people vote on it - to let democracy happen.
To get the mayor and a majority of the city council to vote yes, we think a petition drive in favor of adding the question to the ballot could be crucial. If we collected enough signatures, the mayor and the city council would simply be carrying out the will of a significant portion of their constituents. Phil Korman, who's played a major volunteer role in Northampton school issues, points out that a petition drive is also a great method of education. It would force us to talk about the issue with our neighbors and people we don't know. Those who have signed may also feel more committed to the cause on election day. The petitions need to have the Northampton voter's name, address, signature, ward number (if known), and most importantly, the specific wording of the question to be added to the ballot.
This final piece - the exact wording of the question - is the most immediate issue at hand, and obviously, quite critical to whether we could get an override passed. According to state law (M.G.L Chapter 59, Section 21C), the question has to be worded as follows, "Shall the (city/town) of _____ be allowed to assess an additional $_____ in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of (state the purpose(s) for which the monies from this assessment will be used) for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand and _____. The wording of the 2004 proposed override is below.*
A few questions to consider on the language:
a. Do we want an override that would just cover education or the city's full multi-million dollar shortfall? Would those without children in school be more likely to vote for a larger override that might benefit them too, or would the much larger increase in property taxes that would be required make it even more unpalatable to them?
b. If we just try to cover the schools, how much should be requested? We think it's important to wait until the dust settles with the school budget this spring, so we know exactly how much money is really needed. In the last few weeks, the school shortfall has gone down because of lower gas prices, and there's a history of the town finding money to cover at least part of the shortfall at the last minute. We don't want voters to sign petitions that ask for a $700,000 override, only to have them read a few weeks later that it turns out the schools just need an extra $300,000.
c. Should seniors be exempted in some way? Apparently, there are two ways this could occur. The first is through explicit language in our override question. The second is if we pass a standard override, and the State Senate approves a bill now before it that would permit towns to exempt seniors. More specifically, the proposed legislation would allow cities and towns to exempt seniors who make less than $60,000 a year from overrides, as long as their real estate taxes exceed 10 percent of total income. Seniors living on fixed incomes are undoubtedly the voters most likely to vote against an override.
If we can get on the ballot, we would have to undertake a serious political organizing effort leading up to election day. We would need volunteers to cover every neighborhood of Northampton. They would be responsible for contacting all the voters in a precinct to find out how they're voting. On election day, we'd mount a standard Get Out The Vote operation: volunteers would be responsible for calling all their yes votes on election day and confirming that they've voted.
The document below is a primer by the Mass. Teacher's Association on passing an override. It's a few years old, but definitely worth checking out.
http://www.massteacher.org/member_services/comm/override.pdf
http://www.massteacher.org/member_services/comm/override.pdf
If you'd like to be more involved in this effort, we are planning a meeting soon and you can contact either Alden Bourne or Julie Starr.
Meeting updates:
-- Ward meetings with the Mayor -- latest schedule: Tuesday, April 2, for Ward 7 at Leeds School cafeteria; Monday, April 7, for Ward 6 at the R.K. Finn Ryan Road School gymnasium; Tuesday, April 8 for Ward 1 at the Jackson Street School library; Wednesday, April 9, Ward 5 at Florence Civic Center; Wednesday, April 23, Ward 2, in the Little Theater at Northampton High School. All meetings are to run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the scheduled days.
--The Ad Hoc Committee of the City Council on Best Practices will meet on Thursday, March 27 at 6:00 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Department of Public Works, 125 Locust Street, Northampton. This is the third meeting of the committee established to create and oversee a public process for reviewing municipal decision-making in the City of Northampton and make recommendations to the City Council on ensuring the use of locally and nationally accepted best practices in our community. You can find our more about this committee, their meeting agenda, minutes, etc. at www.northamptonma.gov/bestpractices/ This will be a chance to express your thoughts about this process (or lack thereof) with this threatened school closing.
--Next NEAT meeting: We had initially stated that the next NEAT meeting will be on 4/14, but we realize that may be too soon with all the work going on and the time needed to do it before meeting again. So stay tuned.
--NEAT organizational meeting: For anyone interested in discussing or being part of NEAT's internal structure, we are having a meeting to discuss where we go from here, e.g., do we reinstitute our prior model of a steering committee with representatives from each school or consider other possibilities? We know it's time to formalize our decision-making structure once again, so for all of you who like to talk or DO these matters, this meeting is for you! (If not, you get a reprieve.) It's on Monday, April 7th, 7:15-8:15 pm, at Pam Schwartz and Joel Feldman's house, 22 Columbus Avenue. If you would like to participate but can't make it, please let us know. You can leave a comment at the end of this posting.
We'll have more to report next week. But for now, keep those calls, emails and letters coming. And please comment here on the blog if you have any further updates so we can all join in the conversation. And if you're having trouble with doing that, just contact Jane.
If you know others who might be interested, please pass this along to them. If you'd like to get on our mailing list, just email Megan.
Friday, March 21, 2008
NEAT Planning Meeting on 3/24 Changed to 7:30 to Avoid Meeting Gridlock
Due to recent notice that the mayor and superintendent are Budget Briefing in Ward 3 at Bridge Street School at 6:30 on Monday, 3/24, the NEAT meeting on that same night -- 3/24 -- will begin at 7:30 instead of 7:00. We hope this allows people to show up at 6:30 at Bridge Street -- numbers count -- and then move on to Jackson Street School Library for the NEAT meeting with fresh information and ideas. The NEAT meeting will end by 9:00.
Hope to see you in one or both places!
There will be Budget Briefing Meetings throughout the city in all wards. Margaret Miller passed along the following list of all the Budget Briefing meetings being held throughout the city, originally sent out by the JFK PTO Listserve. Thanks JFK parents for this info!
Pick one date below and attend to show your support for all the Schools, Teachers, Staff and Children in Northampton. The goal is to work together at these issues that could affect the whole community: Spread the Word!
March 24th - Time: 6:30 - 8:30
Ward 3 Meeting
Councilor Reckman will host Mayor Higgins and Superintendent Rodriguez-Babcock for a Budget Briefing meeting at the Bridge Street School (wheelchair accessible).
Contact Information: Councilor Robert Reckman
413-584-8905
March 25th - Time: 6:30 - 8:30
Ward 4 Meeting
Councilor Narkewicz will host Mayor Higgins in a Budget Briefing meeting at City Council Chambers (wheelchair accessible) 212 Main Street, behind City Hall.
Contact Information: Councilor David Narkewicz
413-586-7230
April 1st - Time: 6:30 - 8:30
Ward 7 Meeting
Councilor Labarge will host Mayor Higgins for a Budget Briefing meeting at the Leeds School (wheelchair accessible).
Contact Information: Councilor Raymond LaBarge
413-584-5561
April 8th - Time: 6:30 - 8:30
Ward 1 Meeting
Councilor Carney will host Mayor Higgins for a Budget Briefing.
Location: tba
Contact Information: Councilor Maureen Carney
413-584-2904
April 9th - Time: 6:30 - 8:30
Ward 5 Meeting
Councilor David Murphy will host Mayor Higgins for a Budget Briefing meeting at the Florence Civic Center.
Contact Information: Councilor David Murphy
413-586-5461
April 14th - Time: 6:00 - 8:30
Ward 6 Meeting
Councilor LaBarge will host Mayor Higgins in a Budget Briefing Meeting at the Ryan Road School
(wheelchair accessible).
Contact Information: Councilor Marianne LaBarge
413-584-7937
As always, please pass the word. We want to get as many people to these meetings as possible.
Remember: Additions and deletions to the NEAT email list may be sent to Megan Zinn at: mrzinn@usa.net.
Hope to see you in one or both places!
There will be Budget Briefing Meetings throughout the city in all wards. Margaret Miller passed along the following list of all the Budget Briefing meetings being held throughout the city, originally sent out by the JFK PTO Listserve. Thanks JFK parents for this info!
Pick one date below and attend to show your support for all the Schools, Teachers, Staff and Children in Northampton. The goal is to work together at these issues that could affect the whole community: Spread the Word!
March 24th - Time: 6:30 - 8:30
Ward 3 Meeting
Councilor Reckman will host Mayor Higgins and Superintendent Rodriguez-Babcock for a Budget Briefing meeting at the Bridge Street School (wheelchair accessible).
Contact Information: Councilor Robert Reckman
413-584-8905
March 25th - Time: 6:30 - 8:30
Ward 4 Meeting
Councilor Narkewicz will host Mayor Higgins in a Budget Briefing meeting at City Council Chambers (wheelchair accessible) 212 Main Street, behind City Hall.
Contact Information: Councilor David Narkewicz
413-586-7230
April 1st - Time: 6:30 - 8:30
Ward 7 Meeting
Councilor Labarge will host Mayor Higgins for a Budget Briefing meeting at the Leeds School (wheelchair accessible).
Contact Information: Councilor Raymond LaBarge
413-584-5561
April 8th - Time: 6:30 - 8:30
Ward 1 Meeting
Councilor Carney will host Mayor Higgins for a Budget Briefing.
Location: tba
Contact Information: Councilor Maureen Carney
413-584-2904
April 9th - Time: 6:30 - 8:30
Ward 5 Meeting
Councilor David Murphy will host Mayor Higgins for a Budget Briefing meeting at the Florence Civic Center.
Contact Information: Councilor David Murphy
413-586-5461
April 14th - Time: 6:00 - 8:30
Ward 6 Meeting
Councilor LaBarge will host Mayor Higgins in a Budget Briefing Meeting at the Ryan Road School
(wheelchair accessible).
Contact Information: Councilor Marianne LaBarge
413-584-7937
As always, please pass the word. We want to get as many people to these meetings as possible.
Remember: Additions and deletions to the NEAT email list may be sent to Megan Zinn at: mrzinn@usa.net.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Send Your Letters to Elected Officials
Several people have begun writing and calling local and state elected officials. A number of people have asked us to give them the contact information (see earlier posts). Other people have asked us what to write. While we don't feel that there's any ONE letter to write, here's two examples of letters from Megan. The first is to the Mayor and the second is to the Governor. Please don't copy it. Think about the issues you care deeply about, think about your kids and their future education and write from that perspective. Most importantly, make your argument clearly and concisely and make it your own.
____________________________________________________________________
Dear Mayor Higgins,
I am writing, as are so many of my fellow parents, to implore you to help us find a way to avoid closing one of Northampton’s elementary schools.
To begin, the practical: You are quite aware that Northampton attracts many new residents every year. We came here from Minnesota, and we joke that it is really a refugee camp for Midwesterners and New Yorkers. We have all moved here for the tolerant community, the beautiful environment, the arts, the farms, the intellectual community, and of course, the superlative public schools. If we lose an elementary school, as well as other essential school services, the ability of Northampton to attract young families from out of state will be severely compromised.
Secondly, I understand that if we close a school it will likely be prohibitively expensive to re-open it if the need arises. In my more optimistic moments, I feel that the smart, engaged parents of Northampton will be able to effect some significant changes in the way the cities and schools are funded, and that the next year or two, the financial situation will get better. I hope we can keep all four schools open at least a year to see if this is true. In my more pessimistic moments, I look to a future when gas is so expensive that it becomes impractical for residents to live on the outskirts of towns and we all move to the denser areas. What if we have closed Bridge Street, our only school in walking distance to downtown?
Now, the emotional, the love letter to my children’s school: We purchased our house because of its proximity to Bridge Street School. My eldest was only 9 months old at the time, but we were so excited that he would attend the school one day. We were right to be so optimistic. We love this school. It is a remarkable community that provides them (now in fourth
grade and kindergarten) an excellent education. They are supported, challenged, and nurtured, and the education is as good as that of any private school. Johanna McKenna and the teachers know our children and understand how they learn best. It is also an extremely positive place, where the teachers and staff truly work as a team and have an incredible dedication to the children. When I come to the school now and realize that my youngest son may not have the opportunity to learn with Patty Dubiel, Sue Hanno, Jan Battey, or Jed Dion, it brings me to tears. When I think about the fact that my older son may have to spend fifth grade in a new school without his closest friends, it breaks my heart.
I have great admiration for the work you do as mayor and for your love of Northampton, and I know you will do your best in this awful situation. But please do what you can to save our school.
Sincerely,
_____________________________________________________________________
Governor Deval Patrick
State House, Rm. 360
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Governor Patrick,
During the same week that you announced the appointment of Paul Reville as the new Chairman of the Board of Education, the superintendent of Northampton’s schools announced a budget deficit of more than one million dollars. It is quite likely that to close the budget gap, the school committee will decide to close one of the city’s four elementary schools. This is only one step they will need to take. They will also eliminate transportation to the high school and significantly reduce transportation to the elementary schools, reduce art, music and physical education, and eliminate after school programs (the precursor to an extended day for city schools).
The school likely to close is Bridge Street School, the one to which we send our sons. In short, we love this school. It is a remarkable community that provides our fourth-grader and kindergartener an excellent education. They are supported, challenged, and nurtured, and the education is as good as that of any private school. It is also the only school in walking-distance to downtown Northampton. And now it seems clear that this will all slip away.
Northampton attracts new residents to Massachusetts every year. We came here from Minnesota, and we joke that it is really a refugee camp for Midwesterners and New Yorkers. We have all moved here for the tolerant community, the beautiful environment, the arts, the farms, the intellectual community, and of course, the superlative public schools. If we lose an elementary school, as well as other essential school services, the ability of Northampton to attract young families from out of state will be severely compromised. In addition, this is only the beginning. Next year will the situation will likely be as dire.
What can we do to reverse this horrible situation? We must find ways to increase state aid to the cities of Massachusetts. The legislature should pass the meals tax, allowing the city to build revenue from the thousands of people who come to Northampton for its restaurants every month. You can work to close corporate tax loopholes, to keep the Commonwealth from bleeding money. You can help us change the formula for Chapter 70 funding that cheats our schools of essential funds. You could help pay for mandated bussing. You can pressure Smith College to further support the city. (Smith is the largest landholder in Northampton, but pays no property taxes and sits on an endowment of $1.2 billion, the seventh largest in the country).
During Reville’s press conference he asserted that if we want to give Massachusetts’ children “a world-class education, the kind of education that we'd want to give our own children, then we're going to have to spend more money over time.” In support of Reville, Patricia Plummer, Commissioner of the Department of Higher Education said, “We need to ensure that all Massachusetts students are not only ready for college when they arrive, but prepared to succeed and complete degrees.” If we continue to cut and cut and cut our school budgets these dreams will be dead in the water.
Sincerely,
____________________________________________________________________
Dear Mayor Higgins,
I am writing, as are so many of my fellow parents, to implore you to help us find a way to avoid closing one of Northampton’s elementary schools.
To begin, the practical: You are quite aware that Northampton attracts many new residents every year. We came here from Minnesota, and we joke that it is really a refugee camp for Midwesterners and New Yorkers. We have all moved here for the tolerant community, the beautiful environment, the arts, the farms, the intellectual community, and of course, the superlative public schools. If we lose an elementary school, as well as other essential school services, the ability of Northampton to attract young families from out of state will be severely compromised.
Secondly, I understand that if we close a school it will likely be prohibitively expensive to re-open it if the need arises. In my more optimistic moments, I feel that the smart, engaged parents of Northampton will be able to effect some significant changes in the way the cities and schools are funded, and that the next year or two, the financial situation will get better. I hope we can keep all four schools open at least a year to see if this is true. In my more pessimistic moments, I look to a future when gas is so expensive that it becomes impractical for residents to live on the outskirts of towns and we all move to the denser areas. What if we have closed Bridge Street, our only school in walking distance to downtown?
Now, the emotional, the love letter to my children’s school: We purchased our house because of its proximity to Bridge Street School. My eldest was only 9 months old at the time, but we were so excited that he would attend the school one day. We were right to be so optimistic. We love this school. It is a remarkable community that provides them (now in fourth
grade and kindergarten) an excellent education. They are supported, challenged, and nurtured, and the education is as good as that of any private school. Johanna McKenna and the teachers know our children and understand how they learn best. It is also an extremely positive place, where the teachers and staff truly work as a team and have an incredible dedication to the children. When I come to the school now and realize that my youngest son may not have the opportunity to learn with Patty Dubiel, Sue Hanno, Jan Battey, or Jed Dion, it brings me to tears. When I think about the fact that my older son may have to spend fifth grade in a new school without his closest friends, it breaks my heart.
I have great admiration for the work you do as mayor and for your love of Northampton, and I know you will do your best in this awful situation. But please do what you can to save our school.
Sincerely,
_____________________________________________________________________
Governor Deval Patrick
State House, Rm. 360
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Governor Patrick,
During the same week that you announced the appointment of Paul Reville as the new Chairman of the Board of Education, the superintendent of Northampton’s schools announced a budget deficit of more than one million dollars. It is quite likely that to close the budget gap, the school committee will decide to close one of the city’s four elementary schools. This is only one step they will need to take. They will also eliminate transportation to the high school and significantly reduce transportation to the elementary schools, reduce art, music and physical education, and eliminate after school programs (the precursor to an extended day for city schools).
The school likely to close is Bridge Street School, the one to which we send our sons. In short, we love this school. It is a remarkable community that provides our fourth-grader and kindergartener an excellent education. They are supported, challenged, and nurtured, and the education is as good as that of any private school. It is also the only school in walking-distance to downtown Northampton. And now it seems clear that this will all slip away.
Northampton attracts new residents to Massachusetts every year. We came here from Minnesota, and we joke that it is really a refugee camp for Midwesterners and New Yorkers. We have all moved here for the tolerant community, the beautiful environment, the arts, the farms, the intellectual community, and of course, the superlative public schools. If we lose an elementary school, as well as other essential school services, the ability of Northampton to attract young families from out of state will be severely compromised. In addition, this is only the beginning. Next year will the situation will likely be as dire.
What can we do to reverse this horrible situation? We must find ways to increase state aid to the cities of Massachusetts. The legislature should pass the meals tax, allowing the city to build revenue from the thousands of people who come to Northampton for its restaurants every month. You can work to close corporate tax loopholes, to keep the Commonwealth from bleeding money. You can help us change the formula for Chapter 70 funding that cheats our schools of essential funds. You could help pay for mandated bussing. You can pressure Smith College to further support the city. (Smith is the largest landholder in Northampton, but pays no property taxes and sits on an endowment of $1.2 billion, the seventh largest in the country).
During Reville’s press conference he asserted that if we want to give Massachusetts’ children “a world-class education, the kind of education that we'd want to give our own children, then we're going to have to spend more money over time.” In support of Reville, Patricia Plummer, Commissioner of the Department of Higher Education said, “We need to ensure that all Massachusetts students are not only ready for college when they arrive, but prepared to succeed and complete degrees.” If we continue to cut and cut and cut our school budgets these dreams will be dead in the water.
Sincerely,
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
School Committee Contacts
Please write or call your School Committee representative and explain your views to them personally.
Honorable Mary Clare Higgins - Chairperson
Northampton City Hall
210 Main Street
Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 587-1249
Lucy Hartry - Vice Chairperson At-Large
669 Westhampton Road
Northampton, MA 01062
(413) 584-9005
Katherine Foote Newman - At-Large
697 Bridge Road
Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 586-0273
Teddy Milne - Ward 3
15 Walnut St.
Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 584-8547
Lise Glading-DiLorenzo - Ward 2
55 Maynard Road
Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 586-4961
Edward Zuchowski Ward 4
67 Ice Pond Drive
Northampton, MA 01062
(413) 584-5515
Michael Flynn - Ward 7
9 King Avenue
Florence, MA 01062
(413) 584-1456
Davina Miller - Ward 1
33 Summer Street
Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 586-1077
Lisa Minnick Ward 6
44 Winterberry Lane
Florence, MA 01062
(413) 584-9187
Stephanie Pick - Ward 5
32 Middle Street
Florence, MA 01062
(413) 586-5652
The next School Committee's Budget and Property Subcommittee meeting is 3/19 at 5 pm at JFK Middle School. Please attend if you can.
And please pass this along to others who might be interested. If you'd like to be on the NEAT mailing list, just leave us your name and you're in! Thanks.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Meetings Meetings Meetings
SCHOOL COMMITTEE: On Wednesday, March 19, the School Committee's Budget and Property Subcommittee will be meeting at 5:00 pm at JFK. The public is welcome to attend, but our recollection is that there is no public comment period. If anyone knows something different or if that has changed, please let us know.
NEXT NEAT MEETING: On Monday, March 24, we'll be having our next NEAT planning meeting at 7:00 pm at the Jackson Street School Library. All are welcome to attend and we'll be checking in about all the research and new proposals people have been discussing. It's getting very exciting and we've got a lot to discuss so come prepared to report on your research, look at options and continue strategizing.
WARD 3 MEETING: Also on March 24, for all Ward 3 residents, the Mayor (and possibly the Superintendent) will be meeting with Ward 3 at 6:30 at Bridge Street School. This is one of the neighborhood meetings that the Mayor will be holding in each of the wards. Please pass the word on that as well.
NEXT NEAT MEETING: On Monday, March 24, we'll be having our next NEAT planning meeting at 7:00 pm at the Jackson Street School Library. All are welcome to attend and we'll be checking in about all the research and new proposals people have been discussing. It's getting very exciting and we've got a lot to discuss so come prepared to report on your research, look at options and continue strategizing.
WARD 3 MEETING: Also on March 24, for all Ward 3 residents, the Mayor (and possibly the Superintendent) will be meeting with Ward 3 at 6:30 at Bridge Street School. This is one of the neighborhood meetings that the Mayor will be holding in each of the wards. Please pass the word on that as well.
Contact Info for Elected Officials
People keep asking how to get in touch with our elected officials. Here' s the contact info for our state legislators and city councilors. Please share whatever information you receive with others.
State Legislators
Please pass this info along to others. And stay tuned for more info.
State Legislators
Rep. Peter Kocot Local Phone:582-6111 State House: 617-722-2210 Rep.PeterKocot@hou.state.ma.us
Sen. Stan Rosenberg Local Phone: 584-1649 State House: 617-722-1532 Sen.StanRosenberg@senate.state.ma.us
| | |
City Councilors
City Council President 586-1390
jmdostal@comcast.net
Michael Bardsley, At-Large 586-1431
michael.bardsley@verizon.net
Maureen Carney Ward 1 584-2904
mtcarney@comcast.net
Paul Spector Ward 2 413-250-5226
gwanorth@aol.com
Robert C. Reckman Ward 3 584-8905
BobReckman@aol.com
David Narkewicz Ward 4 586-7230
dnarkewicz@comcast.net
David A. Murphy Ward 5 586-5461
david.murphy8@comcast.net
Marianne LaBarge Ward 6 584-7937
mlabargeward6@aol.com
Raymond LaBarge Ward 7 584-5561
Please pass this info along to others. And stay tuned for more info.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
We're back and the homework this week is: Save Our Schools
We're back on line with NEAT! And the homework this week is to save our schools. Over 25 people met in Pam Schwartz and Joel Feldman's living room on 3/11 to discuss the imminent budget crisis facing Northampton public schools. A number of exciting ideas came up and the group took responsibilities to do action-oriented homework assignments for the next meeting doing research on the local, state and national level. And we are trying to use the media to keep our message out there. Within two days of our meeting, over 50 people showed up to the School Committee meeting on 3/13 to voice our message: Save Our Schools, Save Our Future. Thanks to the quick turnaround or great folks, we had stickers and flyers and got more people involved in NEAT. The parents and staff who spoke to the School Committee were eloquent and unanimous in their support of keeping the schools open and working together to fill the budget gap. There was great exposure in the local papers and Channel 40. The next School Committee Budget and Property Subcommittee is on 3/19 at 5 PM at JFK.
The next planning meeting for NEAT will be held on 3/24 at 7 pm in the Jackson Street School Library (we have outgrown our living rooms), so please mark your calendar and invite others to attend this important meeting.
Here's what we are doing:
We will use this blog to keep you informed. Please pass this along to others who might be interested. And keep up the great work!
The next planning meeting for NEAT will be held on 3/24 at 7 pm in the Jackson Street School Library (we have outgrown our living rooms), so please mark your calendar and invite others to attend this important meeting.
Here's what we are doing:
Local Perspective
- Attend School Committee meetings (schedule at http://www.nps.northampton.ma.us/agendas.html)
- Meeting with the Mayor (Katie: kgerstle@verizon.net, Linda: Linda_C_Davis-Delano@SPFLDCOL.EDU, and Pam: pschwartz@nationalpriorities.org)
- Meeting with City Council and School Committee Members
- Find local tax scofflaws (Jane: jane@janefleishman.com)
- Get the timeline for budget process down (Joel: jfeldman@crocker.com)
- Get a historical look at budget cuts over past 10 years
- Proposition 2 ½ Timeline (Julie: Julie.starr@comcast.net and Alden: acbourne@gmail.com)
- Research PILOT (Payments in lieu of taxes) from other colleges similar to Smith (Kristin: edmonds.k@comcast.net, Deborah: Deborah_Christakos@yahoo.com and Joel: jfeldman@crocker.com)
- Meet with Smith College Trustees, President, Alumni
State Perspective
- Research corporate tax loophole and meals tax legislation (Pam: pschwartz@nationalpriorities.org)
- Meet with State Legislators Kocot and Rosenberg (Pam: pschwartz@nationalpriorities.org and Michael: michaelholroyde@verizon.net)
- Research local aid to cities and towns in MA and Chapter 70 formula
- Connect with other similar groups across the state
- Proposition 2 ½ repeal (Stephanie: Osiecki@crocker.com)
- Find out how other comparable states are funding their education budgets
Using the Media and Getting the Message Out
- Create a message: Save Our Schools, Save Our Future (Linda: Linda_C_Davis-Delano@SPFLDCOL.EDU, Lynn: lshelley@wsc.ma.edu, Pam: pschwartz@nationalpriorities.org, Darla: joedargorm@verizon.net)
- Create flyers (Steve: sireci@acad.umass.edu and Rebecca: Rebecca@twentysixletters.com)
- Make phone calls to other interested parents
We will use this blog to keep you informed. Please pass this along to others who might be interested. And keep up the great work!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)