tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post873717161132006609..comments2023-10-17T22:56:42.784-04:00Comments on Only in The Republic of Amherst: Who's bluffing whom?Larry Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-80717260134754333692010-02-02T08:12:57.636-05:002010-02-02T08:12:57.636-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-51068658488031890802009-12-12T13:40:00.804-05:002009-12-12T13:40:00.804-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-68550295551338752282009-07-30T21:16:18.543-04:002009-07-30T21:16:18.543-04:00"A Stanford University study of charter schoo..."A Stanford University study of charter schools in 15 states and the District of Columbia found, nationally, only 17% of charter schools do better academically than their public counterparts."<br /><br />"'We find that a pretty sobering finding,' said lead researcher Margaret Raymond, director of the Center for Research on Education Outcomes."<br /><br />http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/16/local/me-charter16<br /><br />Given the huge advantage Charter Schools have, they should be clobbering public schools.Rick Hoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04347110422224233217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-70050083891173822192009-07-30T20:24:49.026-04:002009-07-30T20:24:49.026-04:00I feel that Charter Schools do a much better job o...I feel that Charter Schools do a much better job of education at a far cheaper price.<br /><br />And the Gov seems to agree with me.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-29511819314038884712009-07-30T19:51:59.639-04:002009-07-30T19:51:59.639-04:00Since you were in favor of adding $34,000 to the l...Since you were in favor of adding $34,000 to the library budget because “education is the number one industry” in Amherst, how do you feel about the $1,379,423 cut from the Amherst Elementary School’s budget?Rick Hoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04347110422224233217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-2085458577528707402009-07-28T14:28:34.766-04:002009-07-28T14:28:34.766-04:00It would be embarassing for the state library asso...It would be embarassing for the state library association to drop accrediation for one of the top ranked systems in the state.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-29235677321136809792009-07-28T13:51:45.910-04:002009-07-28T13:51:45.910-04:00Yeah, Mr. Kelley is W-A-Y too smart for that (but ...Yeah, Mr. Kelley is W-A-Y too smart for that (but hey, at least everybody on this blog knows my name.)<br /><br />I'm sure now that Town Meeting has revoted the lower number the waiver of certification will, indeed, happen (unless I get really, really motivated and make a few phone calls.)<br /><br />It is, however, still EMBARRASSING.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-76224646226155550182009-07-28T11:20:13.333-04:002009-07-28T11:20:13.333-04:00I'd like to think that this post this time is ...I'd like to think that this post this time is simply mistaken, but Mr. Kelley is too smart for this to be anything other than deliberately misleading.<br /><br />If you are getting your news strictly from this blog, you are doing yourself a grave disservice.<br /><br />The danger of loss of certification was completely a paper tiger, a red herring, a complete canard, but in this instance, the demagogues on the Library Trustees have teamed up with the full-time demagogue who runs this blog. Birds of a feather......Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-79873997254657304742009-07-28T10:01:32.390-04:002009-07-28T10:01:32.390-04:00This post doesnt go along with this topic Larry, b...This post doesnt go along with this topic Larry, but maybe you can do a lil write-up on this... absolutely stupid ridiculous, and almost tragic situation..<br />This was copied from the MassLive Amherst Forums...<br /><br />This girl came very close to getting hurt very bad or killed when she played chicken with a southbound Amtrak train last week near the Cushman Market in North Amherst. You can see the video here on YouTube...<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyIW0r3-ruA <br /><br />u might have to copy and past the youtube link...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-5052601870928284422009-07-28T08:09:07.502-04:002009-07-28T08:09:07.502-04:00Yeah, but as a Library Trustee pointed out last ni...Yeah, but as a Library Trustee pointed out last night, the Golf Course was allowed over a 5% budget increase.<br /><br />"Virtually everyone" was not given a waiver if 2 out of 28 were denied.<br /><br />And I bet in those two cases the chair of the Select Board did not previously get up in public and say that if they WERE denied the town would pony up the money.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-48179680694056857742009-07-28T07:12:28.206-04:002009-07-28T07:12:28.206-04:00"less than 10% of Massachusetts' cities a..."less than 10% of Massachusetts' cities and towns have been granted a waiver of the state minimum threshold for funding by town tax dollars"<br /><br />That's true but misleading, as it implies that it is difficult to get a waiver. Yes, a small percentage of towns were granted waivers -- but only a small percentage applied for them. Virtually everyone who asked for a waiver was given one (something like 26 out of 28, if memory serves). And the only towns to whom waivers were denied had cut library funding by huge percentages, far more than Amherst's cuts and far out of proportion with cuts to the rest of their budgets.<br /><br />The state's stance appears to be, "We know you're hurting; just don't make your libraries hurt a lot more than the rest of the town." And we haven't.<br /><br />Keith UlrichAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-15919900207893357842009-07-28T00:45:39.047-04:002009-07-28T00:45:39.047-04:00If you go to the town website to get information o...If you go to the town website to get information on articles in the warrant, you can see that very little time is spent providing detail information. <br /><br />I.E.<br /><br />ARTICLE 5. Photovoltaic Solar Panel Systems Contract<br />(Select Board)<br />To see if the Town will authorize the Town Manager to sign a five year contract with DCS<br />Energy for a pilot program to install two photovoltaic solar panel systems for the Department of Public<br />Works.<br /><br />Yep, that's all. Was there more information about costs, contract, electricity generated etc or was this approved without hard data? <br /><br /><a href="http://www.amherstma.gov/index.aspx?nid=790" rel="nofollow">link</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-1733135587099063932009-07-27T23:52:18.182-04:002009-07-27T23:52:18.182-04:00Thanks for your vote tonight, and for this thought...Thanks for your vote tonight, and for this thoughtful analysis: the last thing one wants to result from this is the elimination of standards for municipal library support - the SB/FC (and now, more narrowly, TM) position is a de facto endorsement of just that - what a pity....<br /><br />YouKnowWhomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com