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.
Friday, March 21, 2008
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!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Closing Tax Loopholes and Municipal Flexibility on New Taxes
Last day of school in Northampton today. It was clear that students and teachers alike looked pretty relieved. But the relief felt short-lived when we started talking at a neighborhood end-of-school year party about the dire state of our school system.
Fortunately, there's one bright spot this year. The Patrick Administration is actually trying to get some legislative action on closing tax loopholes and granting municipalities the right to determine local tax vehicles to fund services.
Take a look at this notice from Neighbor to Neighbor. Though the hike to Boston for their rally tomorrow might be difficult on short notice, at least we can still call Sen. Stan Rosenberg and Rep. Peter Kocot to show our support. Please call today, it only takes a moment. And let us know how it goes.
Fortunately, there's one bright spot this year. The Patrick Administration is actually trying to get some legislative action on closing tax loopholes and granting municipalities the right to determine local tax vehicles to fund services.
Take a look at this notice from Neighbor to Neighbor. Though the hike to Boston for their rally tomorrow might be difficult on short notice, at least we can still call Sen. Stan Rosenberg and Rep. Peter Kocot to show our support. Please call today, it only takes a moment. And let us know how it goes.
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| Rally for the Municipal Partnership Act | ||
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 | | You're Invited! | | |
| Greetings! Neighbor to Neighbor is supporting the Municipal Partnership Act (MPA), because it closes the outdated telecommunications loophole and gives our cities and towns choices about raising revenue locally! There will be a rally with Governor Deval Patrick on Thursday, June 21st from 1-3pm in Nurses' Hall on the 2nd floor of the State House in support of the MPA The two most important aspects of the bill are: 1.) Closing the Telecommunications Tax Loophole. This law, passed in 1915 to help bring telephones service to all Massachusetts residents, exempted telecommunications companies from property taxes on above ground poles and wires. The goal of this outdated tax break was accomplished years and years ago and costs the state over $78 million annually. 2.) Allowing cities and towns to make choices about local hotel and meals taxes This will give them flexibility about how to pay for local services. Right now, cities and towns can only use the regressive property tax to bring in local revenue.
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| | Please call or email Erin O'Leary at 617-723-6866 with any questions. Thanks! Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts email: erin@n2nma.org phone: 617-723-6866 web: http://www.n2nma.org | | |
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