Organizing to support the school budget on FB
Cheshire residents are organizing on Facebook to Save Cheshire Public Schools!
I think FB is a great way to organize. I've set up a few groups that I expect will be useful and fun over time. And I love the fact that people are keepin' me honest! Ha! It's great. It's often the activists who make big things happen.
Tim White
8 comments:
Great, maybe they can set up a similar downloadable form like the Alumni Turf Field supporters have done so that people can make donations. With all the people wanting to spend more on education, they should have enough money raised in no time!
You would be amazed how many times in a year that people in this community willingly and happily open their wallets and make donations to help the school system out and support different programs within the schools.
It is so very sad that we have come to a place where all we do is argue. I have read these posts with interst and it seems as though it is one group pitted against another. The town agains the teacher, the parents agains the taxpayers, the council agains the BOE... too bad we could not all grow up a little bit, repsect one anothers different opinions, roll our sleveves up and try to work constructively on solutions. That may mean we all need to give up a little something... instead of everyone being only worried with me, me, me and what is mine, mine, mine.
12:35
You have a valid point, but then I went to the FB page and saw these people with their insensitive remarks about this blog and the people who write here and it angers me.
They say that because we feel the need to remain anonymous, that we don't have anything valid to say.
One poster actually said that "there are some council members who want the pool enclosure to pass" at $6 million. Please lady, get a reality check.
You are way too gullible if you believe that.
Perhaps if ou came to this blog before this all happened, you would have been prepared for this.
These are hard times. Towns all over CT are threatening layoffs and school closings. How much of that will come to fruition? Probably very little.
I am amazed at how the teachers took the focus off their pay increase and threw it back on the BOE and TC. Why aren't these people on FB talking about that?
They seem to have gotten their own professional consultant in Laura DeCaprio. I didn't think we would hear from her so soon.
Why aren't the Chapman parent more up in arms about the CMT scores at Chapman being significantly lower than any other school in the town? Who is to blame for that? The teachers? The parents? Both??
I understand we all have to work together and when I read the description on the left of that FB page it sounded like they did too. But after reading some of those comments, I believe they are targeting this site more than anywhere else.
Anonymous,
I think you might want to read the posts on that FB page again. The person who posted the comment about the pool funding claims that what she posted is from an email exchange with Tim.
Also, the comments on that FB page were not directed at Tim's blog. They were directed at the comments on Tim's blog.
I agree with many things you said. Everyone does need to work together. Everyone will need to give up something and painful decisions must be made. I, for one, would like to see some real concession offers from the teachers' union. I don't think they are undeserving of raises. However, times are very tough and most people in the private sector are not getting raises.
I really wish everyone would take a deep breath and do some research and listen to what is actually being said. Many of the people at Tuesday night's meeting were asking the same questions over and over and not listening to what Dr. Florio said. People are upset and their thoughts are scattered. A lot of people don't understand how state grants work. A lot of rumor and innuendo is circulating.
The best thing people can do is to respectfully make their opinions known to all involved...the Town Council, BOE, teachers, adminstrators, parents, etc. We accomplish nothing by arguing.
If people paid attention a few years ago when things started to go down hill maybe we would not be in this situation. I believe all the D's voted not to go to arbitration. This was a huge mistake because if the union was given a reasonable raise of let's say 2-3% we would be Ok for a least three years. Now it causes a problem that can only be solved by true concessions, raiding our piggy bank,cut spending or raising taxes. We have raised taxes every year and some years by a huge amount. Taxes are paid by businesses as well as homeowners and both are hurting to stay alive. Look back at some of the decisions that were made in the past and you will see that some BOE and TC members made some wrong ones. The ones that remain must figure this out witout dividing people. Tell the people the truth and stop this BS.
"I believe all the D's voted not to go to arbitration. This was a huge mistake because if the union was given a reasonable raise of let's say 2-3% we would be Ok for a least three years. Now it causes a problem that can only be solved by true concessions, raiding our piggy bank,cut spending or raising taxes. "
I am not a fan of our local Ds but reality associated with binding arbitration is not understood by many residents. Basically binding arbitration could be equated to a one sided process where the union always wins and the taxpayers always lose. The huge mistake happened years ago when our state legislature allowed for this form of binding arbitration - - the legislature's D's have been shaking down CT tax payers any way they can for years and years.
The problem you speak of being solved only through true concessions is way bigger than the greedy, unjustified 15% teacher pay raise. The real problem is our broken economy and our out of control government.
The only growth industry in this state is local and state government. Unfortunately government only consumes what those in the private sector provide. Most other sectors of the economy, the sectors that can provide money for government consumption, are just shrinking as they head out to greener pastures.
That may mean we all need to give up a little something..
There are givers and takers. The taxpayers have been giving too much for too long and the teachers are only takers and whiners.
When you have a school superintendent that live out of town and who is a union member, he will not do the job he is paid to do. He could care if taxes skyrocket, as long as he gets his, that's all it's about.
I hope he's still not getting a car allowance, for what he's paid, he can well afford to pay for his own transportaion.
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