One for all, all for one

Longmeadow has about half the total population of Amherst, with a property tax rate slightly higher ($18.28 vs. $16.95 per $1000), a school system consisting of three elementary schools with grades K-5, two middle schools with grades 6-8, and a single high school for a total school population of approximately 3,100 students or almost exactly the same as Amherst's 3,086.

Longmeadow's $11,356 per pupil expenditure is well below Amherst's $15, 223 at the elementary level ($16,131 at the Regional High School) or a difference of over $12 million per year.

The Longmeadow School Committee just announced a two-year teacher contract with ZERO Cost Of Living Allowance; and only a 1% step increase both for the current Fiscal Year (2010) and FY 2011 that starts July 1.

Amherst teachers finagled a 3% COLA in FY11 (in FY10 it was 3.5%) and about half the teachers will also receive an additional step increase of 4%. This combo alone comes to $1.3 million next year.

If our diffident School Committee had negotiated the same contract benefits (besides staying employed) of only 1% step increases next year, it would make a million dollar difference. And $1 million would obviate many, many teacher layoffs.

The Republican reports:

And The Republican reported way back when:

Baby, it's cold outside

6:10 PM

Just received this from Umass (advantage of being a "non-traditional" student I guess):
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To the Campus Community:

Staff at the Central Heating Plant are monitoring a potential problem,
which could disrupt the delivery of steam and heat to campus buildings.
Please be advised that the probability of an outage is low, and that all
necessary precautions are being taken. Campus activities will continue
as planned this weekend. We will advise the community of any changes in
the situation.

UMass Physical Plant
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Hey, what do you want for a new state-of-the-art heating plant originally scheduled for $118 million and coming in closer to $138 million.

The Catcher retires

Coming of age in 1969 as a freshman at St. Michael's High School in Northampton you could not help but be smitten by J.D. Salinger's stunning work, 'The Catcher in the Rye'. Plus, the similarity between Mr. Salinger and Emily Dickinson, The Belle of Amherst, was strikingly similar.

My freshman English teacher Sister Bernard Francis whom we all called "Bernie"--but never to her face--had assigned a book report presentation before the entire class on any novel that struck our fancy.

I decided to accompany my daring talk on 'The Catcher in the Rye' with a photo slide show almost like a PowerPoint presentation ; and, being the rebellious Holden Caulfield type, I could not resist shooting the scene where Caulfield--who hates profane graffiti especially when it is within the view of children--erases a "Fuck you," while noting he can't possibly erase them all.

Probably one reason 'Catcher in the Rye' is high on the list of books banned from schools and libraries--although equally high when measuring books taught in public schools.

But this was St. Michael's, a classic old style private Catholic school. The nuns could do whatever they wanted, including corporal punishment.

For my final slide I projected a rather large "Fuck You" etched in white chalk on the red brick exterior of the school; I took the photo holding the camera in my right hand while my left hand used an eraser to cover only the F--so everybody instantly got the idea.

Yes, it caused a bit of a group gasp. And then almost everyone turned to look at the teacher who was sitting in the back of the room with the lights down. Her face had turned scarlet red--readily noticeable against the backdrop of her black-and-white nuns habit. But she said nothing.

As she slowly got up from the small wooden student desk and walked toward the front of the room, I was sure my hand would soon be stinging from the impact of a wooden ruler. She simply said, "Thank you Mr. Kelley, return to your seat."

In those few moments, as she angrily approached me, the angst between her roles as an English teacher and Catholic nun played out, and--fortunately for me--the English teacher won.
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Miss Emily (of course).

I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you — Nobody — Too?
Then there’s a pair of us!
Don’t tell! They’d banish us — you know!

How dreary — to be — Somebody!
How public — like a Frog —
To tell one’s name — the livelong June —
To an admiring Bog!
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My other blog reports

Struggling in a bog

11:45 AM

So this must be serious as the Budget Coordinating Group is meeting twice in one week. They are the budget Override Czars comprised of components of the Select Board, School Committee, Library Committee, and the Town Manager.

I have a young daughter to pick up So I can't cover the entire meeting. But it looks like before the meeting is over we will know what the Override amount will be on the 3/23 ballot. I feel kind of like the Mac folks sitting around yesterday watching Apple unveil the new ipad and anxiously awaiting that all important PRICE point.

11:50 AM
John Musante, assistant town manager, talking about $2 million in cuts and possibly a $2 million Override. Budget growth next year for town about 2.5% (amazingly, corresponds to Prop 2.5) and Elementary Schools about 4% and 3.3% Regional School.

12:00 Noon
Possible going for an Override and if unanticipated money comes in from the state then the town will not implement the extra levy if the Override is approved.

12:40 PM
So Daddy duty called and I will not be able to cover the rest of the meeting (posted to end at 2:00 PM) but I can prognosticate based on the minor amount I observed:

The Override amount will be just under $2 million (and they will promise that if passed they will not come back for another Override for a few years--reminiscent of the "3 year Amherst Plan" that failed three years ago.)

And it's a safe bet the Override will be an all-or-nothing single general amount (actually maybe two) but certainly not a "menu Override" where taxpayers get to pick and choose programs they really cherish.

Say it isn't so Mike

Retired Chief Charlie Scherpa on left and Captain--now Chief--Mike Kent

So I've known a lot of cops over the years and they don't come any better than Mike Kent. Having come of age during the somewhat wild and woolly days of the early 80s where guts and instinct mattered most, to successfully straddling the gap into the new millennium where training, education and professionalism are now paramount.

After almost 30 years of patrolling the streets of the People's Republic of Amherst (not to mention many, many miles of long distance running) Captain Kent transitions to Chief Kent for the town of Burlington.

Not overly surprising to those of us who pay attention to Public Safety. When Captain Kent, who filled in as acting Chief for six weeks, and was then passed over for the permanent position in favor of boyhood friend Scott Livingstone, the writing was clearly on the wall.

Although gracious as always Mike responded: "No doubt he'll do a tremendous job; I will try to be the best second in command I can be." But as the old saying goes, "Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven."

And comparing the departments perhaps those roles are reversed: Amherst PD serves 27 square miles with a permanent population of 34,000, using only 26 patrol officers, 7 sergeants, 3 lieutenants and two captains with an annual budget of $4 million.

Burlington PD serves a 12 square mile area with a permanent population of 25,000 residents, using 42 patrol officers, nine sergeants, four lieutenants and two captains with an annual budget $6 million.

Sounds pretty heavenly to me.

Override rumination

The Jones Library is runner up to the venerable Amherst Public Schools in the pecking order for Sacred Cows in the People's Republic of Amherst. Three years ago the Library Trustees failed to fall into line and vote to support 'The Amherst Plan' $2.5 million Override that narrowly failed.

Recently the Jones Library received an unanticipated bequeath of over $500,000 to stash with their current endowment of $7.6 million.

Yet to save a piddly $8,575 they plan to close on Friday's next Fiscal Year because it is the most visible cut they can make to promote the Override--and apparently Friday's are a popular day for patronage. "This will be an argument for the Override," Trustee Chair Patricia Holland boldly declared.

Well hey, at least she was honest.

And the verdict is...

So now I have done my civic duty twice within a week. Last Tuesday voting in the distinct minority--at least as far as Amherst and Cambridge are concerned--for Ted Kennedy's Senate replacement and today reporting for duty to the Superior Courthouse in Northampton for Jury duty.

There were about 60 of us crowded into a room that looks built to handle half that amount, with one older medium size color tv in a corner with somewhat lousy reception. We arrived at 8:00 AM and let go about two hours later.

Apparently the perp decided to plead guilty at the last moment, after 7 of 14 jurors had been selected last week and seven more would come from my group of 60. The judge told us that our willingness to serve could easily have set the stage for the last minute plea bargain.

Since the case concerned sexual assault and it would have taken seven days of trial, I'm relieved that I did not have to serve, although going through the process would have been interesting. Except of course, jurors can't read newspapers, watch TV news or use the Internet. Going cold turkey for a week would have been hard on this humble news junkie blogger.

Thus the system worked. And like country that created it, perhaps not perfect but certainly better than anything others may offer.

Which is why I defended the right of convicted terrorist Ray Levasseur to speak at the Umass Library symposium on those turbulent days gone by. The man paid his dues and did not forever surrender his rights as an American citizen.

And I also supported on the floor of Amherst Town Meeting the idea of allowing CLEARED Gitmo refugees to relocate to our little town. As long as the word cleared equates to innocent.

If we as Americans cherish our system of justice, then let it apply to all! Bring 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed to New York City for a civilian trial. Let the justice system he tried to destroy demonstrate to the entire world why we cherish it so.

President Obama bows out of jury duty