"The School Messed Up"

Assistant Superintendent Mike Morris (far left) Calvin Terrell (multi-colored cap), none too happy parents (right) 10/3 meeting which Terrell thought was an "emergency meeting"

A friend and l-o-n-g time reader likens my school posts to, "distant underwater tremors that turn into 30 foot waves breaking on the beach."

Amherst Public Schools "Media Climate & Communications Specialist" Carol Ross

My boots on the ground coverage of last week's (10/3) "Coffee hour with the Principal" took a few days to catch fire, but as of now the Comments are fast approaching the limit allowed by Blogger, a barrier previously broken only once (school related of course) out of over 3,368 posts published.

 Today's Gazette editorial:  (go to Google News and search using the headline)

While it took the Gazette almost a week to catch up to the shocking story of race/anti-bullying "motivational" guru Calvin Terrell terrorizing our children, they now seem to be making up for lost time. 

Today for instance, in the highest circulating edition of the week, the venerable Daily Hampshire Gazette presents a very thorough editorial decrying the sorry affair.

Although in their typically diffident manner they fall short of demanding the schools exterminate their relationship with Terrell.

A glaring oversight. 

 Last year Terrell was paid $2,700 for one day gig

Springfield Sunday Republican Reports 

Opposes But With An Open Mind

Mainstream media this fine morning

Okay, which is it? Is UMass President Robert Caret going to keep an "open mind" even though he doesn't "like the feel" of the UMass Police Department informant program, or does he just flat out oppose the program as indicated by today's Gazette above-the-fold headline?

Of course keep in mind this is the same bureaucrat who just days after the Little Bighorn, err, Blarney Blowout, told the same media in regards to the response of overwhelmed police: "There looked to be some unprovoked overreaction." (emphasis mine)

Caret also went on to show how well he does his research (this from a higher-education leader) by questioning why town officials allowed bars to open early on the infamous day of the Blarney Blowout, which is just flat out not true.

UMass Chancellor Subbaswamy has named a "working group" of 11 -- as opposed to a "committee" which would be subject to Open Meeting Law -- to come back by the end of the semester with a recommendation concerning the use of informants by UMPD. 

Considering only one of the 11 is in law enforcement (and his paycheck is dependent on keeping President Caret happy), safe bet the program will be scuttled.

Public Relations taking priority over Public Safety.

In the particular case of Eric Sinacori the one question that really needs answering is did he go from an "informant", where his ID is protected, to a "witness", where his ID is not protected, and then go back to being an "informant".

Because under those conditions, even in the bucolic backwater of Amherst, his safety would have been compromised.

Don't Do The Crime ...

 

Looking southwest Amherst town center

As if being a small business in Amherst isn't already hard enough.  Apparently somebody is targeting them for the quick and dirty way to raise money:  by Breaking & Entering in the dead of night.

Captain Gundersen (note correct spelling) confirmed there have been four business break ins over the past two months, but three of those were just in the past 30 days.  And of course she would not divulge the names of the businesses, but did confirm two were dead in the center of town, one center/east and the other center/west.

Middle School Lockdown

APD & AFD on scene ARMS 10:45 AM

Okay parents set your stopwatches to see how long it takes school officials to let us know the Amherst Regional Middle School went into lockdown this morning for just about an hour.

Amherst police first responded to the school and then called for Amherst Fire Department to do a "psychological evaluation" on a young male student.

After about a half-hour on scene he was transported to Cooley Dickinson Hospital. Yes, having both police and fire personnel come through your front door to deal with a troubled student is certainly worth going into lockdown.

But it would be nice if all parents were notified, so rumors don't get started.

 AFD Engine 2 and NFD A1 on scene UMass Totman Gym 11:25 AM

Not long after that Northampton Fire Department had to send an ambulance our way -- the 2nd one of the morning to come to us via mutual aid -- because AFD was so swamped.

 AFD Engine 4 on scene Fort River School 1:40 PM

And then around 1:30 PM, AFD Engine 4 and Chief Nelson responded to a (false) fire alarm at Fort River School.

Three different school responses all within hours of each other.  No wonder we're known as an "educated community."

Too bad we don't show it by adequately staffing our beleaguered first responders.  

UPDATE:  4:30 PM email sent to parents

If It Sounds Good ...

Calvin Terrell (left), Middle School Principal Mendonsa  (rt) explaining themselves to large crowd of peeved  parents

In addition to screwing up the story of good old Lord Jeffery Amherst and his famously infected blankets, Mr. Terrell also had a fanciful spin on why police did not expeditiously move in at the 1999 Columbine massacre.

Naturally it was a race thing.

Although he is correct that the horrific high school mass murder was a watershed event, forever changing the way police react to such situations.



Just as 9/11 was a sea change for airline personnel who were originally trained to be compliant and go along with hijackers -- give them whatever they want.

After all, whoever heard of using commercial passenger airliners as guided missiles.

Click to enlarge/read

A Satisfied Customer

 Youth Adventure Academy at play July 25

Rather than the Amherst Regional Public Schools spending $38,000 to scare the Hell out of our kids, I wish they would put it to more wholesome team building activities like this Amherst & UMass Police Youth Adventure Academy, which my daughter obviously enjoyed.  Thoroughly.

The recent mandatory Middle School assembly with Calvin Terrell, not so much.

The Final Straw?

CPA Committee voted 7-0 (with 2 absent) to support Ballot Question #5

No surprise the Amherst Community Preservation Act Committee voted last night after little to no discussion to support the ballot question doubling the CPA tax, err, I mean "surcharge," from 1.5% to 3%.  Unanimously.

Which is kind of like the fox guarding the hen house requesting the farmer, "send more chickens!"

Amherst currently has the highest tax rate in the area ($20.97/$1,000 valuation with average tax bill of $6,712/) second only to Longmeadow (at $23.15 valuation with average tax bill of $7,558)  In fact, Longmeadow has the highest tax rate in the entire state.

And our public safety departments are stretched beyond the breaking point.  We badly need 5 additional police officers, five additional firefighters and a new $12 million fire station in South Amherst.

CPA money, however, can only be spent on open space/recreation, historic preservation and public housing.  All of which are admirable, but hardly a priority over public safety. 

In 2008 the attempt failed by only 172 votes out of 10,416 cast.

In the next coming weeks a series of dominoes will fall in support of this financial burden on already overburdened taxpayers including the Historical Commission, Conservation Commission, Leisure Services and Supplemental Education (Rec Dept), Housing & Sheltering Committee and of course our illustrious town "leaders", the Select Board.

Last night, moments before taking the vote, CPA committee Chair Peter Jessop said, "It's important this be a unanimous vote."  The Committee also voted unanimously to authorize Mr. Jessop to act as a PR flack to promote the measure with the mainstream media (what's left of it).

Area Tax Rates & Average Total Tax Bill:

Amherst $20.97/$1,000 total $6,712

Hadley $10.64/$1,000 total $3,278

Northampton $15.39/$1,000 total $4,597

Belchertown $17.72/$1,000 total $4,303

Sunderland $13.98/$1,000 total $3,850

So. Hadley $16.41/$1,000 total $3,682

 
In 2007 Amherst Town Meeting spent $268,000 ($128,000 of it CPA money) to "save" the privately owned Kimball House (brick building foreground) now dwarfed by home in rear

Property Tax Rates For The Entire State (knock yourself out)