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- Thu, May 17, 2012, 10:22 P
Bear cub sighting Hatchery Road
I was driving home from Greenfield via Hatchery Road, about 9.50pm tonight, and saw a black bear cub run across the road and try to climb a tree by the roadside. Funny, that. He had a lot of trouble and eventually gave up and ran off into the fenced-in area that used to have a horse there. I wonder where his mum was.
Jonathan
- Thu, May 17, 2012, 6:20 P
problem
The weather page is messed up. It locks me up and I have to reboot... Anyone else? Or maybe my security upgrade is finding something??????
- Sun, May 13, 2012, 11:20 A
Happy Mothers Day
To All: Let's forget the discussions on schools and all others today and thank all of the mothers for what they do for us. Happy Mothers Day Ladies. Art Gilmore
- Sun, May 13, 2012, 7:39 A
bear in Montague Center
Adult size black bear arrived at sunset, out of the watershed, crossed our creek and driveway over to the woods on the edge of our property. Came back and hung around near the skunk cabbage and mayapple in our woods for a few minutes, left and then reappeared again an hour later crossing back down into the watershed. Definitely hungry, not at all threatening from a safe distance.
- Sun, May 13, 2012, 6:34 A
bear in Montague Center
Visited by a bear last night, at the top of the water shed near the corner of Center St and Federal St in Montague Center.
- Sat, May 12, 2012, 8:32 P
School Committee Election
TrickyDiego - and you'll get no argument from me that the school committee has problems. My question is whether getting rid of Jeff will help or hurt the situation as a whole. Unfortunately, we don't have the option of getting rid of the whole lot and replacing them with people I choose (that's the ideal solution, right? :-) -- oh, wait - -you want people _you_ choose? we gotta rethink this ... :-)))
My take is that given Jeff's knowledge of and experience with the district's financial problems, getting rid of him would be a net minus at this point. It would be a tougher call if I thought that there were others on the committee -- or among the challengers -- who were up to speed on this, but right now I don't.
Jeff is no angel, but he did not storm out of a meeting, and he did not call the superintendent a criminal in a public review. He has been an advocate both for financial sustainability and for educational innovation. I don't always agree with him, but at least he is thinking about these things, which is what this district needs, IMHO.
The challengers present themselves as problem-solvers who can work with others, but they (so far) have shown no real understanding of what the district is actually facing. Maybe ignorance is bliss, but in this case I'm afraid it will just set the district back a few precious months that it can't afford while they get up to speed. The time to start thinking about the FY14 budget is NOW, when the interim superintendent is being chosen, and if we get to next fall and some important things haven't been done then we're going to be in trouble.
Just my opinion, and maybe I'm being an alarmist, but in my defense I saw the last financial crisis coming years before most other folks, and sadly my predictions came true. Happily, the Compact and Table B provided us a way out of that situation, but now they are threatened and we need to act fast. I think Jeff Singleton can be helpful in that effort, and that's why I plan to vote for him.
- Sat, May 12, 2012, 6:59 P
School Committee Election
Just a quick comment re my view of the role of a school committee member in advocating for "quality eduction." I totally agree that this is ONE of the roles of a school committee member and I think I have done so in many ways. Indeed I strongly feel if we are to stabilize enrollment we need to be very innovative in the education area, as well as get out of level four and increase our test scores. I put forward a list of ideas during our professional development session - some from members of the community - and it was tabled. To be honest, I have not heard from any of the other candidates their ideas for educational innovation etc.
But one of the problems I have is that "quality education" is never clearly defined and it generally comes up when folks within the district want town meeting members to support budgets that are unaffordable. In fact, it is in this situation that I have heard the phrase "quality education" most often used. In this context "quality education" always in fact means money!!!
I do not think you can get people in the member towns to support education when they are constantly angry at the school district due to budgets and assessments that are not reasonable. When I first came here the anger directed at the schools was off the charts. People who had spent their lives in the towns and graduated from TFHS thought that the district was a voracious animal eating up the whole budget. A "5,000 lb Gorilla." You do not get much support for education that way.
I feel we need to try to develop a consensus in the towns and district as to what "quality education" means. It was part of the long term plan I proposed almost a year ago.
I will probably not convince "TrickyDiego" to support me but I applaud her or him for getting up here and saying what she/he thinks in a reasonable way. People do not have to agree with me or vote for me but I'm glad there is a big discussion going on around town. That's "education" to me.
- Sat, May 12, 2012, 6:38 P
School Committee Election
Despite the fact that I was not talking about Carl Ladd in particular...point made MikeNaughton. You'll get no argument from me on his account. I was actually referring to the current crop.
- Sat, May 12, 2012, 5:40 P
School Committee Election
"You have hired qualified individuals to do their jobs and then criticize and obstruct them almost every step of the way and inhibit them from doing their jobs."
Are you sure you're not referring to Carl Ladd? I heard there was one long-time school committee member who used to meet with him regularly to complain about what he was doing (and it wasn't Jeff Singleton). And then Joyce Phllips called him a criminal in his annual review ....
- Sat, May 12, 2012, 12:35 P
School Committee Election
I like the way Tricky complains about somebody whittling it down to money and then in the same letter said that Montague Center School was an albatross. (No we can't get over it because we are still paying for the building without benefit of use). Has closing the center school helped the kids quality of education? If it has I haven't seen it.
People may have pie in the sky ideas of how to improve the school district but you also need someone to plan on how to get there that is acceptable to the majority of the voters who do not all have kids so don't care as much as us parents that will soon have kids entering the system for the first time.
Still waiting to hear from the write in candidates to hear their views.
- Sat, May 12, 2012, 12:18 P
School Committee Election
"Advocating for a quality education" is purely in the eye of the beholder, like "working towards a better tomorrow". It seems like what you mean about "advocating for a quality education" is going along with the majority on the SC and not questioning or criticizing the work of the administrators. I would hazard a guess that if we asked Jeff if his actions/opinions/ideas/suggestions/stands are his version of "advocating for a quality education" he would say "absolutely". What good is your questioning his commitment to that simply because you disagree with his views/votes or whatever? It's useless rhetoric. I would imagine that everyone on the SC and everyone running for the SC has their own ideas how best to advocate. Can't we begin by assuming that they're all doing that and then get down to discussing ideas without labeling those you disagree with as "not having a clue"?
Personally, I think the PTA and other school groups do a fine job of advocating for the schools. I want a SC that is representing the entire town, including worrying about how things will be paid for and what the trade-offs are and how they impact other parts of the community.
- Sat, May 12, 2012, 11:36 A
School Committee Election
" TM annually votes to apportion one-half or more of all spending to the schools....I hardly think, based on this steady commitment, that the schools really need more advocacy."
WOW, WOW, WOW! Thanks for proving my point. Again, you whittled this down money. This lets me know that you haven't a clue as to what I mean about advocating for a quality education.
"They need mature, reasoned, cooperative administration."
We HAD that in Superintendent Ekstrom and look how she was treated. You have hired qualified individuals to do their jobs and then criticize and obstruct them almost every step of the way and inhibit them from doing their jobs.
"This write-in campaign smacks of the same kind of group-think that shut down a perfectly-functioning, well-respected, and community-supported village school just a few years ago, because it was viewed by some as "elitist"."
I flirted with not even addressing this. Enough about Center School already. It's dead, stinking and rotting, get over it. It was not a viable school and a financial albatross so if you think that wanting people on the School Committee that are committed to the education of our children is akin to being elitist, then yes that IS a mistake. It's not about voting Jeff Singleton off the school committee this is about voting for someone who in my opinion is more suited.
- Sat, May 12, 2012, 11:01 A
School Committee Election
"...if you serve on the School Committee, your first responsibility is to work with the schools and advocate for quality education for the children of this town..."
I would add John Hanold's caveat, "the highest quality education that we can afford". That's the piece that has been lacking in the past, and it led to budget stalemates and state takeovers, and it could happen again.
I think we all want the best school system we can have, but we don't have an unlimited amount of money to pay for it (or anything else). Just because it's "education" doesn't mean that the rules of arithmetic don't apply, or that it doesn't matter how much it costs.
I think Jeff Singleton is "preoccupied with finances" because the school district is in financial trouble, and _somebody_ has to figure out what to do about that. The finance committee can tell the police department or the DPW or any other town department to spend less, and if town meeting agrees, they spend less. That doesn't work with the school district -- it's its own separate entity, and the only real watchdog over district finances is the school committee. So, yes, of course they have to advocate for education, but they also have to watch the numbers.
GMRSD spends considerably more money per student than the state average, and it gets more money than comparable districts in state aid, and the towns contribute millions of dollars more per year than the state says they need to, and still the district says it needs more. Why? How many people on the school committee are asking this question, let alone offering an answer for it? Was there any hint of it on that flyer you read?
The only reason we didn't have a budget stand-off this year is that the school district brought in a budget with a 1% increase, instead of the 2.5% that Table B assumed they would need. We'll be able to keep avoiding stand-offs in the future if they can repeat that for at least the next two or three years, even though Table B assumes they'll need 3% increases, OR if the state can somehow be convinced to give them more money than it currently thinks they deserve.
I think we need people on the school committee who understand this and have some ideas about what to do about it. Jeff can certainly be difficult to work with (no argument there! ;-), but he does understand it and he does have ideas. Based on what I know, I can't say the same about the other candidates, which is why I'm supporting Jeff for re-election this time around.
- Sat, May 12, 2012, 10:22 A
School Committee Election
Well, see, TrickyDiegeo, this is exactly where we disagree. I don't see the job of any committee member on any town committee to be to advocate for a select or narrow constituency. If we see our town as a collection of constituencies angling and competing for resources without considering how any of our actions affect everyone else, we're simply contributing to a breakdown of the whole. That's how I see it. The problem, for instance, in Washington DC today is the prevelance of this type of approach to governance. "I'll stick up for my people and you stick up for yours." It leads quickly to an adversarial relationship, or no relationship.
I like that people like Jeff S. and Mike N. consider the whole town when they deliberate, and not just the town but the county and the state and the country. They have a real-eyed approach to governance. Then there are others who think their job is simply to advocate "for the children." As if the rest of us are not concerned about the children and won't take the children's welfare into consideration without their prodding.
I don't need anyone to remind me about the importance of providing the children with a supportive environment; beat me over the head with it if I happen to mention, like, "Hey, how do we afford that?" I need people on the SC who don't see the schools as an embattled kingdom that they must defend against the unholy rabble. I want people on the SC who give me the benefit of the doubt, even if I disagree with them, that I want what is best for the children. And can see clearly that providing what is best often means working with other agencies, compromising, looking at the big picture and not at only the narrow interests of the two campuses on the hill.
Finally, just want to say that TM annually votes to apportion one-half or more of all spending to the schools. This leaves the other half to cover: roads, seniors, parks, libraries, police, fire, arts, veterans, public health, public works, crumbling infrastructure, and all other public education functions not taken care of by the GMRSD. I hardly think, based on this steady commitment, that the schools really need more advocacy. They need mature, reasoned, cooperative administration.
This write-in campaign smacks of the same kind of group-think that shut down a perfectly-functioning, well-respected, and community-supported village school just a few years ago, because it was viewed by some as "elitist". That was a huge mistake. Voting Jeff S. off the SC would be a big mistake as well.
- Sat, May 12, 2012, 7:16 A
School Committee Election
"I'd love to know if Ms. Lyons is part of the write-in campaign for Ms. Cogswell to unseat Jeff. If that's the case, I probably won't vote for her (Lyons)."
Who cares if she's 'part' of a campaign? Reasoning like this irks me. I for one will NOT be voting for Mr. Singleton. He may be an intelligent, 'middle of the road' individual (as stated here) but he is NOT the ideal candidate for School Committee. I want someone representing the interests of my child and not someone who is preoccupied with finances. He needs to run for the Finance Committee and not the School Committee. Enough. I too was handed a pamphlet and these ladies, Misty Lyons, Lesley Cogswell, AND Shelly Clark will have my vote. These are people that are currently VOLUNTARILY active IN THE SCHOOLS. That is what you need when you have someone making decisions about the school district. If you are on the Veteran's board, you advocate for Veterans. If you are on the Finance Board you advocate for fiscal stability, if you are on the Town board you advocate for the interests of the town and, yes, you guessed it, if you serve on the School Committee, your first responsibility is to work with the schools and advocate for quality education for the children of this town. I watch the maneuverings at the School Committee meetings and I walk away scratching my head as to whether this man realizes that he serves on the School Committee and NOT the town board. I want someone who is going to push for quality education for my child. He has arrogantly assumed that (despite the fact of external analysis) he is in no way a part of the problems on the current committee. Of course not, it MUST be them, not me. The committee (not all of its members) in its current incarnation CANNOT even be civil to one another, they lack professionalism, cannot conduct a simple meeting and have little or no grasp of their own guidelines. The chair FREQUENTLY posts here admonishing Mr. Singleton about his lack of understanding of law and his reckless commentary but Mr. Singleton refuses to even answer. Again, he may be a very intelligent person, but I don’t want someone like that being a representative for MY child’s educational interests. He was extremely antagonistic and sometimes downright disrespectful to the Interim Superintendent all year long, despite her massive (and successful) push to move this district forward. Now he has ideas to revamp the committee to HIS liking? No thanks, I'll pass and so should we.
- Fri, May 11, 2012, 11:39 P
School Committee Election
Yes, Mike, thanks. It's the Write In Cogswell signs I'm seeing around the hill section that are identical to the Misty Lyons signs. I guess I'd love to know if Ms. Lyons is part of the write-in campaign for Ms. Cogswell to unseat Jeff. If that's the case, I probably won't vote for her (Lyons).
- Fri, May 11, 2012, 11:21 P
FOUND - lop ear rabbit
Bunny has happily gone home. His name was Daisy. :)
- Fri, May 11, 2012, 9:55 P
School Committee Election
PaulK - the vote is May 21: polls are open 7am to 7pm
For Montague, there are two three-year seats open, as there are every year -- Jeff Singleton's and Kris Boyle's. Kris has decided not to run, and Misty Lyons is on the ballot instead. There is also a two-year seat open, to fill the rest of Emily Monosson's term.
There is also one seat open in Gill, and as far as I know Jen Waldron is still unopposed.
From The Recorder (4/4/12):
begin -------------------------------------------------------
"The Gill-Montague Regional School Committee has no competition for seats this year, with four posts open for election and four takers.
"Two incumbents and two new faces submitted nomination papers for this week’s deadline, according to Robin Hamlett of the superintendent’s office, although the papers have not yet been certified by the towns.
"Running for the two three-year Montague representative’s seats are Misty Lyons of 64 Old Stage Road and incumbent Jeffrey Singleton of 27 Center St.
"Kristin Boyle did not file papers to run for another term in the seat she currently holds as a Montague representative on the nine-member committee.
"Incumbent Jennifer Waldron of 15 Oak St., Gill, is running unopposed for the open three-year Gill seat.
"Charles Kelley of 89 K St., Turners Falls, is running to fill the two years remaining in the Montague seat left empty by Emily Monosson’s March resignation."
-------------------------------------------------end
I was handed a flyer before town meeting that urged me to vote for Misty Lyons and write-in Lesley Cogswell for the two 3-year seats and write-in Shelly Clark for the two-year seat. From that, it seems pretty clear there's a group hoping to remove Jeff Singleton from the school committee.
- Fri, May 11, 2012, 9:16 P
FOUND - lop ear rabbit
We found a sweet lop-ear rabbit just now, at the corner of School St. and Main Street, crossing the street. If you're missing a rabbit, please call 413.522-8704 or 413-367.2892.
Very tame, came up to me and cuddled when I picked him up. Worried he should be out this time of night.
Please help find his family, my kids want to keep him and we are not! :)
Laurie
- Fri, May 11, 2012, 11:51 A
School Committee Election
Hi, Joe. I'm glad to hear that Jeff's doubled the number of his lawn signs to 2. Excellent! Still, if lawn signs attract votes - and I suspect they do, because that's the way the human brain works when it's on auto-pilot - he may be in trouble.
When is the vote, what seats are open, and who's running?
- Fri, May 11, 2012, 11:36 A
School Committee Election
Go - Jeff.
I am far from a pinko and I agree that Jeff is a middle of the road guy and he has my support.
I even have a sign in front of my house on TF road.
- Fri, May 11, 2012, 6:12 A
School Committee Election
Wish there was a "Like" button here, like on Facebook !
- Thu, May 10, 2012, 10:55 P
School Committee Election
I can tell from all the lawn signs cropping up that we're getting close to an election day for, among other things, School Committee. Can someone clue me in to when the voting takes place and who's running for which seats? I know Jeff Singleton is up because I've seen his one (1)(!!) lawn sign on the curve in Montague Center and I can see that a few other candidates appear to be better financed and have some support in the hill section along TF Road, including a write-in candidate with her own lawn signs that look exactly like another candidate's lawn signs. Is this a two-fer?
I do want to take this opportunity (or make this opportunity) to throw my public support behind Jeff's candidacy. He's honest, he's thoughtful, he's smart, he works hard, he doesn't make the disagreements personal, he's well-intentioned, he's well-informed, he can handle a debate in an open and collegial way, and I happen to agree with his take on things a lot of the time. He's also completely fearless when it comes to questioning/challenging the status quo and, at the same time, I often find his views remarkably middle-of-the-road compared to my own pinko opinions and ideas.
Vote for Jeff!! (This posting is totally my own doing. Jeff has no idea I'm doing this. It might even piss him off. He might even tell me he wishes I hadn't said such and such or had said such and such. That's why I like him.)
