Leisure Services & Supplemental Education website (note outdated pool event)
If Amherst Police, Fire and DPW departments suddenly vanished, chaos would soon ensue. But should our recreation department disappear, most people would not even notice...and the private sector would quickly and easily fill the void.
In addition to the $43,000 lost last fiscal year on the luxurious game of golf, the recreation department--also known as Leisure Services and Supplemental Education--lost an additional $92,792 on other sport/fitness programming.
Overall LSSE expenses topped $1.1 million with revenues at $977,514...far short of break even . This $122, 486 in red ink combined with the $197,000 hidden cost of employee benefits, paid from a separate part of the town operating budget, brings losses last year to a whopping $319,486. For RECREATION.
And this is far from an anomaly as LSSE budget deficits demonstrate a downward trend over the past few years. Unlike the decline of the Roman Empire, the excuse will be weather and the economy.
Last spring Town Meeting approved a new $400,000 revolving fund for LSSE "after school programs". The schools kicked out private programs that had been in place for a generation and cost the taxpayers nothing, to be replaced by this same failing business model.
Interestingly the government sponsored program at Crocker Farm--"Prime Time"-- that had been competing head-to-head with the private "Crocker Care", missed budget projections by a significant amount (budgeted at $27,000 but only generating $15,000).
If LSSE can't handle recreation--its core business for 30 years now--how well is this expensive new after school business going to fare?
Another hidden cost of government sponsored programs is that they are tax exempt. Simply put, private business generates tax income while government programs consume them.
For instance, Hampshire Athletic Club, which has to unfairly compete with LSSE rec programs, paid the town $36,000 last year in property taxes. And their employees are for the most part full-time professionals trying to make a living at sports/recreation rather than the part-time, independent contractors LSSE relies on.
Even tax exempt Amherst College paid the town $8,000 in property taxes for their Amherst Golf Course which competes with the Cherry Hill Golf Course, a ravenous White Elephant that required taxpayer bail outs of over $1 million to cover operational losses over the past ten years.
Government is vital for providing essential services--especially relating to public safety. Recreation is a different matter altogether.
Why should hard pressed senior citizens living on a fixed income subsidize the recreational activities of the few who can--for the most part--afford to pay the actual cost of their "leisure services"?
80 comments:
I don't have a problem with government providing recreation services, but I do think there are big problems at LSSE that need to be solved. Here are my top 2:
The pools are managed incredibly poorly. There are way too many lifeguards sitting around doing nothing and it is way too difficult to find out when the pool is open. Last I checked, one page on the website still says that War Memorial is "opening soon." Also, why do our pools have so many more rules than other pools?
Second, the new afterschool programs are starting in less than a month, and yet I have almost no information about them. Among the things I don't know are the student-counselor ratio, what a typical day will be like, the types of people they'll be hiring (college students, professionals, etc.) and their discipline philosophy.
Yeah, communication
PR is not their strong point.
I'd like that sweet deal the "private" after care program was getting at Crocker Farm: a "private" business paying NO RENT on thousands of sq. ft. of prime location space, free janitorial service cleaning the space for you, free electricity, full use of our playgrounds that we pay to upkeep... plus the "owner" of this "private" business was making over $50,000/year. She worked from 3:30-5:30 each day for 180 days. There were teachers working in the same building from 8:30 to 3:30 minimum each day making nearly half that. And these teachers have advanced degrees in their field, and I'll bet many paid for these degrees themselves. Did the private owner have any degrees to show that she developed any kind of a "discipline philosophy"? I bet that fueled a little resentment around Crocker. Talk about demoralizing.
anon 10:35... did you attend the registration sessions and raise your questions/concerns there? Have you contacted anyone with these questions? Or are you just here to bitch?
I am not here to bitch. I could not attend the registration session and so called for more information. I was told that a letter is coming soon. I think it will be difficult to get the enrollment they are presumably hoping for when there are so many unanswered questions and so few marketing/promotion efforts so close to the start of the school year. Do you have answers to my questions? If so, I would love to hear them. All I was told is that the curriculum will be similar to the old one (which doesn't particularly inspire me to sign up). You can't beat the price or the convenience, but I want more than that.
It's me, anonymous 10:35 again. Maybe the new programs will be great. But what I know now is that the communication efforts are slow and disorganized. That does not inspire faith. Everybody wants to do right by their children. If you work full time, you want your child to enjoy the hours from 3-5:30 as much as any other child does. If you can afford to do so, you will shop around and choose what you hope will be the best program for your child. You need information in order to do that. I don't see how it is bitching to point out that that information is currently unavailable.
Then I guess you'll be one of the few who will seek more expensive after school care, somewhere off school grounds, somewhere where the people who run the program have to pay for plumbers, water, electricity, grounds maintenance, food refrigeration, outdoor play equipment...
Have you considered how you will transport your child to the private after school program he/she will be attending?
And again: two of the three programs will be nearly identical, as they will be run by the same people, in the same places that they have been for years. It was only Crocker Care who decided not to participate in this partnership which will increase accessibility to all families. I guess it was more about the money for her, because she was invited to participate. (I guess when you've making $138.00 dollars an hour for sitting on your butt at one of the lunch tables we pay for, it would be hard to take less.) I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that these pretty much identical programs that cost a lot less that will be run in the same building where the kids go to school by employees vetted by the schools and LSSE will be well attended.
Here's a marketing plan for you: how about on the first day of school, send out a 8-1/2 x 11 flyer encouraging anyone who hasn't gotten their act together in terms of their children's after school care is welcome to attend the program that will run in their kid's school. And if you can't afford it, talk to us.
As a taxpayer, I am happy to pay for recreation for kids and other town and local residents. Only wish the fees for swimming, sports and camps were lower and more affordable. Active, happy kids are a good investment for all of us to support. Give a little more to support our kids. It's the best of government.
Someone just told me that the woman who will be running the after school program at Crocker Farm is the same woman who ran the after school child care program at Wildwood for many, many years. The point being, all three programs will be run by people who have many years of recent experience running the ARPS elementary after school programs. I'm sure if you are interested (if you just can't wait for that letter) there are many community members who have experience with their kids in the care of all three women who will be running the programs at all three elementary schools, you could seek some personal references.
Does anyone know if the woman who ran Crocker Care will continue to operate her private after school program this year?
I believe she is not.
And did the woman from Wildwood enthusiastically embrace being absorbed by LSSE, or was it simply survival?
Wow! 11:46. I'm sure glad you're not running any after school programs for kids. Speaking of bitching. It sounds like you've had years practice at that. What a nice friendly attitude you convey. Are you on the Amherst Welcome Wagon?
Not on the Welcome Wagon, just not gonna let the negative, whiny complainers in this town bitch and bitch and bitch, they're gonna get it back when they dish it out.
And, Larry, the woman from Wildwood... she is not being "absorbed", she is in a three-way partnership with the schools, the town, and her non-profit business. She is still a non-profit, just like she always has been, nothing changes for her. The woman who will run Crocker's program has always been an LSSE employee, she'll remain one, no change for her either. The only difference is they are all working together to pool resources and open up the after school programs to more kids and families.
The only big change is that this year, no private, for-profit individual gets free rent and utilities and janitorial service and playground equipment etc. on the taxpayer's back, so they can make $138 dollars/hour while they're sitting at one of the paid-for-by-the-taxpayer's lunch tables for two hours, walkie-talkie-ing to the high school kids she paid next to nothing to watch our kids.
Why am I doing your work for you, Larry?
and your names, instead of anonymous are?
Seems like a lot of her current "customers" were very unhappy with her NOT being allowed to continue with business as usual.
And if they did think she was gouging them they could simply have gone elsewhere.
Like for instance the program that LSSE was running along side hers, and apparently not doing nearly as well.
Larry, please support your claims of "it seems" and "apparently" with some facts and data. You know, journalism stuff.
"Thomas", you'd like to know my name... why?
Go to a forum where the administrator doesn't allow anons if this isn't working for you. Nosy Nicholas.
I don't know a lot of fancy math words, or what it means to "operate in the red", but I'd just like to say, Thank You, Julia!
Apparently you have trouble reading public documents.
According to the spreadsheet I uploaded (page 8, three quarters of the way down) the Crocker Farm after school program run by the town ("Prime Time") missed every budget projection.
And you say that was run "along side" Crocker Care? At Crocker Farm? So why was the "private" after care program the one to get to use the enormous cafeteria, the refrigerator, the bathrooms, the playground, a space for a desk, the lights, the school's janitorial staff... you don't seem to want to approach that aspect of the issue.
I thought you were for privately run business, Larry. Was that a fair arrangement the taxpayers had with the owner of Crocker Care, Larry?
Probably because they were there first...by about 20 years.
I am the first person who commented and this is why I am not sharing my name:
"Not on the Welcome Wagon, just not gonna let the negative, whiny complainers in this town bitch and bitch and bitch, they're gonna get it back when they dish it out."
I am not a whiny complainer. I stated my point respectfully and without bashing those with opposing points of view. The response I got was (1) Stop bitching and (2) It is all my fault and/or unimportant that I don't have more information about the new after school program. I think the programs will do better if there is a better marketing and communication effort. I think that is constructive criticism. I hope that someone from LSSE is reading this and thinks so as well.
Remember the days when parents didn't have to pay for their kids to play on public school teams and raise money for uniforms, buses and refs? When public pools were free (wait they still are in metro Boston). Public money for public purposes. We don't expect public schools to cover their costs, or at least not yet.
I believe the question to you Larry, was:
Do you believe the arrangement between the Amherst taxpayers and the private operator of Crocker Care was a fair arrangement for the Amherst taxpayers?
hmmm, let's calculate 20 years of rent, utilities, maintenance workers, outdoor play equipment... one whole wall full of closets in the enormous cafeteria dedicated to storage of materials for Crocker Care's private enterprise for 20 years...
i wonder if aac would still be running if the owner had had virtually no overhead expenses.
to the anon who says "i'm not whining or bitching": here's the point: you could have made these concerns known in a letter or email directly to LSSE or the schools or the not-for-profit businesses involved. you didn't. instead, you come on here anonymously to broadcast to the world "I think they're poorly managed, the teenage life guards are doing nothing, when is the pool open, i can't figure it out? too many rules! i can't get the information i want! where's my letter? here's my two big problems! waaaaah!" you didn't get the answers you wanted fast enough, so you came on here to comment that "there are big problems at lsse" on a post entitled "recreation train wreck". so respectful to the people who work hard every day at lsse and the schools. right.
Did you really come on here because you think this is the place where positive differenecs are affected at the town government level? or did you come to complain? maybe you're new in town, but the people have spoken in the recent past and this blog, along with another that has been taken down, are considered by most to be negative elements here that cause divisiveness and strife, and do not contribute to a positive environment. i'll give you the benefit of the doubt though and assume you just don't know where to take your very positive "suggestions" and you happened upon this blog. i know, i know, i've tried and tried and i just can't get the answers i want fast enough!
All I know is Crocker Care did not cost the taxpayers anything. The same will not hold true for the new aftercare program.
1. Yes, I have spoken to the town about these things. As I said, I was not happy with the response. A blog is one of many outlets for someone who is unhappy with a government's response. Sometimes governments do not make changes after a private phone call. Sometimes they only make changes when people publicize problems.
2. I am not new in town.
3. I disagree that you are giving me the benefit of the doubt.
And I could not help but notice LSSE updated their webpage in the past few hours.
Can we discuss the spending choices for the grant?
http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/hampshire/amherst-residents-have-option-on-how-to-spend-205k-in-grant-money
notice the comment...How about giving some towards the Springfield trash fee?
LOL- if Springfield residents only knew what we pay for TRASH!
ok, anon who commented first, let me try it this way:
first thing to keep in mind: it's not your job to review anyone's performance. if you have any real concerns that you feel need to be addressed, get in touch with the person in charge of managing employees and reviewing performance.
the "lifeguards sitting around doing nothing"? real people, residents of our town. the people responsible for maintaining websites, and setting up rules? real members of our community, probably working their butts off every day, with lots of stuff on their plates. et cetera.
so, maybe they, or their families, or the the people they work with, read this and wonder "who the hell are you and who asked you to critique our job performance? i've been busting my butt all summer long! i'll let my boss review my performance, thank you!" boom, you've contributed to a negative, divisive environment.
or... you see, you could have framed your end of the "conversation" in a positive way, using positive words instead of negative ones. "there are too many lifeguards sitting around doing nothing". you might have chosen to say, "in my brief observations, personnel could be managed more effectively." see what i mean? that way you're not bashing some of our teenagers-specific teenagers, mind you, their identity is not hidden like yours or mine--who go to school here in town, and have enough positive work ethic to get a job for the summer. if the lifeguard situation isn't working for you there... there are other places to swim, including private venues. but, again, nobody asked you to anonymously review our teenagers work performance, thank you.
do you see what i mean? do you see how what are comments that you clearly really do feel are constructive, are not at all? can you get a sense of how your comments can stimulate resentment and anger?
i have an idea. tell me what you're specific job is. you don't have to tell me your name, but that really doesn't matter, because when you tell me your specific job, we'll all figure out who you are exactly. then, i'll be sure to have a few brief interactions with you while you're at work, unbeknownst to you. then, anonymously, on a post with a loaded headline, i'll review your job performance. i'll make a half-hearted attempt to communicate with your superiors my concerns, and if i don't get a response i like, well... i'll be sure to let the whole wide world know that i think you are doing "incredibly poorly", or that i think you are "sitting around doing nothing". i'll criticize your communication efforts. then, you let me, the anon commenter, know how that makes you feel, whether you think my critiques were warranted and accurate. let me know if that feels positive and constructive, or divisive and bitchy and full of complaint .
do you see my point of view, how this whole anonymous critiquing of our town's residents and employees, no matter how respectful and constructive you might think your unsolicited comments are, contribute to divisiveness and bitterness and resentment in our town? Do you better understand the point of view of the majority of residents in town who wanted the blogs taken down?
thanks for reading this, i look forward to your response.
I just love how you--an Anon-- resent "anonymous critiquing of our town's residents and employees."
How about this: Stop talking about how my critiques "feel" to you and assuming how they "feel" to others and focus on whether what I'm saying is accurate or inaccurate. If what I'm saying is accurate, is it not a problem? I think it is a problem. Perhaps you do too. Perhaps you don't. But I think it's more productive to focus on the problem or lack thereof than on the extent to which my comments are, to use your eloquent and not at all sexist (or divisive) wording, "bitchy."
one of my fictional heroes is agent rupert anderson, the character played by gene hackman in mississpi burning.
sometimes, if something is really worth fighting for, someone has gotta get down in the mud, get dirty, and play their game by their rules.
thank goodness the dems in congress are finally figuring that out, too.
but i've said too much already...
and if you really believe crocker care did not cost the taxpayers anything, you really are a bad businessman. the devil is in the details.
teenage lifeguards are not "government".
non-profit child care providers are not "government".
school administrators and employees are not "government".
stop trying to say that you're bitchy complaints were critiques of our "government"
alright, i tried. "anon who commented first"... why don't you go jump in the deep end, and don't come up. we're busy working, which you obviously have no experience with.
Hmmm... a former politician in town also used to have problems when people talked about how things made them "feel" versus what is "accurate" or "'factual' data"...
but, no, no... that person never posts anonymously.
Yeah, yeah... and she used to always like to tell us how many things she had a problem with, as in "I've got three problems with that, let me list them." or, like anon who commented first siad, "Here are my top 2..."
But, hmmm, yeah, no, no... she stated unequivocally once that she has never and will never post anonymously. 'Cause that would mean she has no balls, or something like that...
ah, well, i guess i have a better chance of getting a peek at Mitt's tax returns than i do of figuring out who anon who posted first is.
but... geez, i can almost hear her saying those words that were written...
You guys are creeping me out. Thank goodness I am anonymous.
Anon1 (10:35 am & many more):
You are not alone in your complaints about LSSE. Myself, my family, and others we know agree with most of the points you are making.
Regarding the pools and LSSE's management, I definitely think there are issues with the pool's management. Every time I have called LSSE to ask a question about the pools, hours, lessons, etc., I have gotten different (and often inaccurate) answers. When the War Memorial pool had opened, but the wading pool had not, I called to inquire about when the wading pool would be opening, and was told it already had. When I indicated that I had been there the day before and it was empty of water then, I was then transferred to someone else. When War Memorial added new hours for open swim, those new hours were not posted anywhere on the LSSE web site for a month (they are still not shown under "Outdoor Pool" or Pool Hours" as of when I am typing this), and they were not listed at any of the pools. As a result many people still don't know about them. When LSSE posted the updated War Memorial hours on their facebook page, they left out some of the hours the pool was open and included a non-working phone number for people to use if they had any questions. (and the phone number for War Memorial in the LSSE brochure doesn't work either.)
Then there is the question/issue about why the pools have adult swim time/kid rest time every hour during open swim even when there are no adults who want to swim in the pool during that time. The community pool I used had adult swim time during open swim only when the pool was very crowded, not when it was barely being used, as is often the case in Amherst.
And there is the issue about why on weeks without youth swimming lessons, including last week, the pools still close between 5 and 7 pm, Mon-Fri, and then open again from 7 pm- 8 pm. We were told that the pool was closed during this ideal swimming time (after most adults get home from work, when families have time together) because the lifeguards need "training". I am not sure what "training" the lifeguards need during their two month jobs working at the pool, and why it takes 30+ hours over the summer. Maybe it is for their certification. But regardless, if they do need to do training of other important activities, I might think there are better times they could do so, than in the early evening. For example if they need 2 hours of training, they could close the pools at say 6 pm during those weeks and then do the training from 6-8 pm, or they could do the training when the pool is otherwise closed.
And there is a further issue about how much pool membership costs -- more than many gym memberships -- and why there are no subsidized memberships for low-income families or any caps on how much each family without a pass may have to pay per visit. An Amherst family with two adults and three kids would pay $27 for one visit to the pool. This actually makes the membership costs ($209 for a family for the summer) seem inexpensive. For the hypothetical 5-person family above, the family membership would pay for itself in 8 visits. If we are going to have a community pools, they should be pools that serve most of the community, and with the current fees, they do not, as reflected in the number of pool memberships that LSSE and the number of people who use the pools as members or day visitors.
(continuing previous post)
I have contacted LSSE about a number of my concerns about the pools, and others I know have done so too and there has been some positive responses -- such as the added open swim hours at War Memorial -- for which we are grateful and glad. However, the pools still need better management, and better marketing. The town pool I went to growing up was often crowded and in high use. The pools here are often the opposite, even with War Memorial's big renovation, and even on hot days, and it is sad to not seem them used more.
I am not attacking lifeguards here or other town officials and I am sure that many LSSE employees work hard, but there are some problems with the pools management, with the way the private afterschool programs were dismantled and replaced, and with other aspects of LSSE. The town could definitely do better.
Anon2 (11:03 am and many more): The tone of so many of your posts here are so aggressive and antagonistic to Anon1, to the director of CrockerCare, and to any of the posters here who raise questions about how LSSE is run. Do you think that LSSE is perfect the way it is, and if you do have any issues with LSSE or any LSSE programs, how do you think they should be addressed?
Also, regarding CrockerCare, do you really think that the CrockerCare director only worked two hours per day for each school day. What about on Wednesdays with their 1:20 dismissals every week? What about on teacher training/meeting days when the schools were closed to students? What about the time that goes into running a program, enrolling and interacting with families, doing paperwork, getting supplies, etc., etc. Your suggestion that the CC director worked only 2 hours per day is like saying that a teacher or professor is only working during the time they are meeting with students in the classroom.
to the person who posted this..."And there is a further issue about how much pool membership costs -- more than many gym memberships -- and why there are no subsidized memberships for low-income families or any caps on how much each family without a pass may have to pay per visit. An Amherst family with two adults and three kids would pay $27 for one visit to the pool. This actually makes the membership costs ($209 for a family for the summer) seem inexpensive. For the hypothetical 5-person family above, the family membership would pay for itself in 8 visits. If we are going to have a community pools, they should be pools that serve most of the community, and with the current fees, they do not, as reflected in the number of pool memberships that LSSE and the number of people who use the pools as members or day visitors."
EXACTLY....the argument made at town meeting was that it was hard for lower income families to get to mill river and opening war memorial pool was essential so people without cars could get there....but it is expensive for a day at the pool for a family with admission and food.....as a side point would love to know statistics....such as how many low income families are using the pool and what the attendence and revenues at the pool are...drove by on a hot weekend afternoon counted 10 people plus at least that many employees.
I am at Mill River every afternoon between 5 and 6 or so. I have not seen the lifeguards doing anything I would characterize as training between 5 and 7 during the off weeks when there are no swim lessons. I've seen them picking up around the pool area, sitting and chatting amongst themselves, etc.
The pools are NOT open enough for free swim (I agree that the "rest time" and it's companion adult swim time EVERY hour are a ridiculous waste of precious time for family swim) and they cost WAY too much. I would hazard a guess that there are no low income families using the pools - how could they afford it? And why would anyone want to pay so much money for so little time to actually use the pools for family swim.
As a tax payer I think its very nice to offer all these services to the public. They weren't there when we were young. I'm sorry Larry but not everything in life is profitable or breaks even. But you already know that from experience, don't you. Besides tax money has to go somewhere not just the police and fire departments.
Yeah, by all means let's try to be everything for everyone. Town should open up a five star restaurant. After all, the number one recreational activity is dining out.
Heck we should open a movie theater; that way citizens could make a night of it subsidized by the taxpayers.
The number of trained lifeguards determined necessary by the Board of Health in
accordance with 105 CMR 435.23(1) shall be in constant attendance during bathing hours and no
bather shall be admitted to the swimming pool unless this number of lifeguards is present.
I've called the town regarding the pool. I received a very professional response that reflected thought and care on the part of town officials. I,too, had tried to figure out the pool hours and why so many lifeguards are behind the counter rather than guarding the pools. The reality, according to the town, is that many of those guards are there early for their shifts or are waiting for rides home. That makes sense. I do not know how LSSE could fight the perception that those guards are not "on the clock" and therefore not wasting taxpayer money. It's a perception problem and not an unreasonable one. If there are five people behind a snack counter and you just spent $200 on a membership, it's hard to not feel abused. Call it whatever derogatory term you will, but the only way issues like this get resolved is by someone stepping forward and saying that they perceive a problem. The town seems very much "on the case," but coupled with a lack of organization in putting the word out about the pool and having such low attendance it would appear as though LSSE needs to do better in it's public relations to say the least. Putting one person in charge of updating the website for a little while would help, too. How about hiring someone for an hour or two to update the after school program site, to make decisions for programs easier to choose and earlier in the process? They did update recently, but two weeks ago, until people complained, there indeed was little for parents to make decisions about. See, this sounds like whining, because it is and that's part of democracy.
The residents of Amherst sure do have it hard. Some moms can't even figure out when their pool(s) are open or closed. And this whole "open swim" vs. "adult swim" issue?!
It must be some kind of a conspiracy, because the lifeguards at the beaches I go to on the Cape and in Newport, Rhode Island are always just sitting there, too! And at mummy's and daddy's private swim club, as well!
And how about those cops in Amherst on construction duty... they are always just standing there! And those Staties out on construction duty on the Pike as well!
As a matter of fact, I need a new fire extinguisher--the one I have is just sitting there doing nothing!
It's summer vaca, let's criticize our recreation department.
School's in session, let's criticize our school department.
It's late winter/early spring, there are too many potholes on my street, let's criticize the DPW.
Who are these women who have so much time to be sitting around at our public pools evaluating our town's teenager's job performance? And making phone calls to LSSE so they can play "gotcha" with our hard-working secretaries with a ton on their plates this summer?
Negative Nellies.
And who is this eternal optimist with so much time on their hands to defend LSSE?
whining is part of democracy...
uh-h-h-h... ok, thanks for the civics lesson.
hey, where did anon who commented first go? making she's busy making cookies for the upcoming school bake sales.
Hard to say.
Who defended LSSE anyway? I defended individual residents of the town, the ones at the lowest end of the pay scale, working away their summer, getting picked on by the merciless mommies.
When I have a problem with a town department or an individual working within it, I walk right in to where they are working, face to face, and I almost always get the info I need. I don't go on the whole wide world internets and call them out. That's the wussy way to do it.
Actually it's pretty "wussy" to give customers with legitimate concerns childish grief while hiding under the protective cloak of anonymity.
How interesting that the posts at 2:11, 2:29, 2:38 and 2:56 (maybe by the same person, I don't know) assume that everyone with a complaint is a woman. That is quite the conclusion to jump to.
Yeah, I thought so as well. (It must be a guy.)
it's because they are women... i know because i've spoken to the people in town hall and at lsse that they complain to... i know who they are, and so do the lifeguards. let them prove that they're not women, because they are...
they sit, and whatever's in front of them--in this case teenage lifeguards--they pass critical judgement on it. it's summer, they're bored. when they're standing in line at the grocery store, the checkout boy or girl and the bagger probably aren't going fast enough for them.
Wow,you seem really, really into this...whoever you are.
I don't have time to stop by LSSE to get answers to my questions such as "When is War Memorial opening?", "When is the War Memorial wading pool opening?", "what are the current open swim hours?"
I call LSSE when I have such questions or I look on the web site because I can think I can get the answer more quickly there than making a trip to the LSSE offices.
When I call, I am not trying to trick anyone or play "gotcha". I am just trying to get correct answers to what I thought would be simple questions for LSSE staff in the office. If the person answering the phone doesn't know the answer to my question (such as when are the pools open?), it does surprise me a bit, but it would be acceptable to me for that person to defer the answering of my question to someone they think knows the answer if they do not. What is frustrating to me is when I am given answers that even I know are incorrect (and I don't always know much ... especially about LSSE).
And I just fail to understand too why the pool hasn't done more to publicize the expanded open swim hours -- such as by listing those new hours at the pools themselves and making a few quick web site updates. I know that LSSE staff work hard, but the fact that no one finds the time to make these small changes almost makes it seem as if LSSE just don't care how much people use the pools. ... and if the pool fees and memberships raise any revenue or not.
Anon 4:37 pm, so are you saying that NO males in Amherst have complained about the pools, the hours, and so on? Really..... I was there the day the War Memorial pool opened and overheard someone (a male) complaining directly to David Ziomek about the limited open swim hours on weekends and the adult swim periods that occur ever hour during open swim. The last time (last week) I was at War Memorial pool and the pool started adult only swim at 4:45 p.m. and then was closing for lifeguard "training" at 5 p.m., the person I heard complaining the loudest to the lifeguards and anyone else who would listen and even those who didn't want to, was a male, a dad, whose kids' swim time had been interrupted twice during visit to the pool by the adult swim/kid rest time.
Not all the people who are unhappy with the pools or with LSSE more generally are female ... not by a long shot.
There are as many lifeguards as state regulations require, and we are lucky that we have such a great respectul helpful wonderful life guard staff.
Why not use your real name, for I am not ashamed of mine. Nor, when I have an opinion.Think on these things.
As far as I know, LSSE has always had scholarships for needy children.
It always amazed me when adults complained that the tango lessons were too expensive. Pool for kids, tango lessons for adults. Which seems like a necessity?
By the way, I don't know when Crocker Care evolved into a "private" business. 20 years ago, the parents' fees paid for the one (count 'em, one) teacher -- with teacher certification -- and aides. Yes, the school building was used for free, but that was part of the Town's public service to working parents -- and to the kids who didn't have to go home to an empty apartment.
It's true, Larry, that much of LSSE is icing on the cake. However, many working parents would be hard pressed to make ends meet without their affordable day camps. Again, that is a service to working parents and their kids. Most parents with young children don't have the luxury of one parent at home as a child care giver.
Aug. 8 3:08 PM: How interesting that the posts at 2:11, 2:29, 2:38 and (maybe by the same person, i don't know)...
In the histories of the "My School Committee" blog and the "Only in The Republic of Amherst" blog, that comment, almost verbatim, has been made three times: first time, by Catherine Sanderson on her very own "My School Committee" blog; the second time, on this blog, again by the administrator of the "My School Committee" blog, former School Committee member and politician Catherine Sanderson; third time, today, by an anon.
So, some anon on here:
1) is using a style very similar to the way CS used to present her thoughts, by listing ("I have three comments in response to that..." "I have many problems with that, here are my top two...")
2) has demonstrated, just like CS demonstrated over and over in the newspapers, at SC meetings, on her blogs, etc., that she cannot handle it when people talk about "feelings"... she needs "accurate data".
3) uses her incredible investigative detective skills to recognize that some comments by other anons may in fact be by the same commenter, which obviously bothers her, just like CS did twice before, when she posted with her name and face shot...
Who could this anon commenter on this post be? Again, it can't be Catherine Sanderson, because she, on her blog, in response to a direct question as to whether or not she has ever posted anonymously on a blog, vehemently and angrily denied that she has ever or will ever post anonymously on a blog, and at the same time nastily criticized the anons she allowed to post on her blog and that Larry allows to post on his, calling them cowards and a lot worse.
Who could it be??
Still absolutely, completely and obsessively jealous of Catherine Sanderson after all this time are we?
Still enraged that she made you and your insider mob skitter scatter like ceiling light startled roaches?
What this is, is a war to liberate Amherst.
And it's not going to be lost.
no, just feel like pointing out her incredible hypocrisy and her lies.
RP, you remind me of a southerner waving their confedreate flag, thinking there's still a war to be won.
CS has zero power or influence left, whatsoever, and that's why she has to resort to being a CAN, complaining about the teenage lifeguards.
i think i'll buy sanderson's house, that way she can go join the others that much sooner--like rivkin and wolf--who couldn't stand the same heat they blasted us with for three years.
Roach Patrol, why don't you and Larry move closer to your source of income, the place you contribute your talents to, because the only thing you two contribute here is property taxes and strife. in fact, you're only gonna be a drain if we have extra anti-bullying work to do in a few years because of you two.
Just for the record, I've never posted anonymously on any blog, since I am perfectly comfortable owning my own opinions (on my blog, on this blog, in the newspaper, and in meetings). And althought I've given little thought to the right number of lifeguards at a pool, I witnessed a rescue a few years ago at War Memorial and don't recall thinking then that it was a really easy job being a lifeguard and I wish there were fewer lifeguards. If I form an opinion on whether LSSE has too many, too few or just the right number of lifeguards, I'll certainly share those feelings using my name on this blog.
I'd also like to say that I served on the SC for three years, and continue to feel proud of the things I worked with others to accomplish. But obviously, I failed in what I hoped to achieve, which I imagine you are pleased about. However, I'm fortunate in that I am able to pay for private school (using the term "able" rather loosely) for my own kids, an option that many families in Amherst are currently choosing given their own concerns about the public schools (which they won't voice in public, due to fear about the attacks they'll receive like the ones you continue to give me). Your attacks on me don't improve the public schools ... they just make people less willing to share their concerns, which makes it harder for such concerns to be addressed.
"RP, you remind me of a southerner waving their confederate flag, thinking there's still a war to be won."
I ~already~ won this war, babe.
Additional successes going forward = icing on the cake.
RP
p.s. CS doesn't know me but I think she is
------>GREAT!<-------
i've made my case, the evidence is clear, i've succeeded in putting you on the defensive, got you and RP to lie, it's on the record forever.
you two are so easy to troll!
now, CS, go bake some brownies for the bake sale, and RP, go be a fool in the center of town dressed up like an oppressed middle eastern woman in a veil.
the funny thing is that many of the things you hoped to achieve--more teacher eval, the math program you wanted, certain changes in the admin. staff, etc--are being implemented by someone who is much more socially and politically astute than you could ever hope to be.
you don't like it when we talk about style over substance, but... think about it.
say, how's your buddy alberto doin'?
My work is done here.
Larry, again, your welcome for the high comment count. Enjoy picking on the new crop of teenagers who will be descending upon amherst in a couple of weeks, and also enjoy compensating for your failure to actually join in the defense of our nation or the protection of our residents by going totally uber with your support of all things uniformed, while taking down our school admistrators and elected town governors. we know you're actually a real happy guy.
Well, 'til next time... ta-ta.
It appears that some people in town have a screw loose in their brains about Ms. Sanderson. To see her name come up on this topic is truly amazing.
Here's what's really frightening: some of the people posting their paranoia on here actually vote.
Yikes!
Catherine Sanderson who???
She's yesterday's news. Let's move on and leave her in peace to bake brownies.
"say, how's your buddy alberto doin'?"
Better than your close friend Elizabeth Walsh is doing.
LOL.
Tell em everything you tried to cover that one up.
Tell em.
(Or should I?)
To anonymous 10:35 am...please get your facts straight before you start spouting off. The director at Crocker Care did not make anywhere near $50,000 per year. She has a degree and over 30 years experience in childcare. She did not hire high school students at low rates. She did not sit on her butt 2 hours per day managing the program by walkie talkie. Your ignorance of what happens in afterschool programs is astounding... She and her staff cleaned up after themselves, except for sweeping the floors, as the custodians insisted they wanted to do it themselves. It was not a private business, but a non-profit program. The school day teachers were not resentful or demoralized...they were upset that the program closed. It closed not because she wouldn't be able to make a huge salary, but because she looked at the LSSE budget and realized there was not enough budget to provide the same quality care she believed the kids deserved (40 cents per day for snack, $2000 for supplies for 200 kids for an entire year.) She realized there would probably be a deficit, and the town manager was unwilling to meet with her to discuss her issues. Her staff would have to take a cut in pay.She had been told that her entire staff, including herself, would have to resign and reapply for their jobs. Nothing of her old program-staff, budget, quality of care- would have been guaranteed to remain other than the name. She was unwilling to trade the reputation she had developed over 24 years to be used without some control over what happened. The other directors felt the same way, and have only come to negotiate with the town/schools because they now have offered to make many changes in their original mandate. I know all of this because I was that director, and am heartbroken to have to give up a program I and my staff worked so hard to develop. So make sure you know what you are talking about before you start to speak.
Kathy, To clarify, it's not anonymous 10:35 who made that accusation. Rather, it's the person who was giving anonymous 10:35 such a hard time.
but honestly, re: Elizabeth Walsh... she was not a close friend of mine at all, I did know her. My honest opinion is that there are men and women in jail for shoplifting baby formula, and when i heard that there is a good chance she will only get probation, i was outraged. why is embezzlement of over $100,000 so often treated with kid gloves? it's grand theft, plain and simple, and deserves a jail sentence as far as i'm concerned. it is truly confusing to me why in our system so often embezzlement is treated as a misdemeanor. how is it different than reaching in a cash register and pulling out the cash?
Sorry about that...my apologies to 10;35, and readdress the above to anonymous 11:03... also, there were many other reasons we decided to close, but there is not enough space in this blog to go into it. But another major one was that we were told the programs were to be education and remediation base, with remedial help for children needing extra help only available through the afterschool programs. We were told by one School Dept. administrator, whom I am sure will deny she ever said this, that, "There is not enough time in the school day to teach everything we need to teach, so we need you guys to pick up the slack."
She also said, "What we (the School Dept.) want is an Extended Day Program (which is usually academic based, for those of you who don't know the term) but we would have to pay teachers at their regular salaries and follow kid's IEPs (individualized education plans,for kids who have special needs of various sorts) and we can't afford that. So we want you to function as one."
Afterschool is AFTER school, not more school. You can embed educational concepts in your curriculum, but I don't believe that should be the focus, and especially if it to be carried out by work study students and staff who are being paid $10 per hour, the new rate in the LSSE budget. Kids need to learn to play with other kids, as they now spend so much time on their various screens that I have seen a serious decline in social skills in the last 10 years. They need to have plenty of time outside, healthy snacks, and to have free time to figure out what they are interested in, not more school. They need supervised free play, which research has shown makes a real difference in the reduction of bullying/victimization behaviors. And they need to learn to get along with all kinds of people, to know how to function in a group, to learn how to solve their interpersonal problems, and to know they are loved. All of the kids at Crocker Care knew this, and there are "kids" who came through the program who are now in their 30s who stay in touch with me and tell me how much they learned and how it is so useful in their lives. Go to savecrockercare.com, a site we developed in May 2011, when they tried to close us down the first time, to read testimonials by kids, parents, and staff.
Obviously, I have a lot more to say and no more space to say it...but know that the whole story has not been told, and I doubt it ever will be.
My child is in one of the after school programs and I could not agree more with Kathy's description of what an AFTER school program should be. I do not want my child doing more academics at his after school program. He is already over a grade ahead in reading ability and is at grade level or a little ahead im math. My child goes to after school because I am a single parent who works full time. I wish the school would stop monkeying around with all the very successful programs that have been in place for decades.
Speaking of Catherine Sanderson the Bulletin reports that 39% of Amherst elementary students failed the MCA. This fall the district is adopting the math curriculum Sanderson was pushing the district to adopt 6-8 years ago! So basically a kid entering kindergarten back then was taught a math curriculum the district just got rid of for his/her entire elementary years. This would include Sanderson's own children.
Since we are all sharing in a kind and respectful way and getting off on may tangents, why not continue the trend.
Larry has been complaining about the loss of money for the golf course. I don't know if this is accurate or not but for the sake of argument lets say it is. Could we turn that land into a park, maybe with water park like Look Park, some fields, some gardens, a dog park etc. We certainly have enough golf courses.
So what is the best guess on what happened to the after school program. Was it a control issue, generating more money for LSSE, continuing education without state guidelines, some anon must have more info. The whole thing just seemed odd. I say this as an outsider who has never used any after school program.
CAS and pools?, someone must have invoked their inner Amy Wasserman to go in that direction.
Larry, want to get the comment count up, write something about Mike Morris and why we need a good principal to move to central office, make more money, and do the job each principle is supposed to be doing. I don't doubt that he won't be good at it. For everything I heard about him he is very good at his job. Isn't that more important and harder to replace that a focused skill set like teacher evaluations? Maybe that job has a broader skill set than I realize.
Ok, that should be enough to have offended someone, thought I really did not intent to. So sorry to whomever was offended. I am sure I will find out soon enough.
"and when i heard that there is a good chance she will only get probation, i was outraged."
Outraged?!
WAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
"She is a much loved person. I was hoping it never got to this point."
"We don't have any concerns about Elizabeth's access to the school's financial management," Geryk said. "People definitely held Elizabeth in high regard. I think it is important given the circumstances that we not pass judgment given that this is outside our experience with her."
The only work-place experience with her that mattered to you was the "nurturing" of her support of the criminals running the schools.
Yeah, you're definitely outraged... because she wasn't a discreeter protégée.
So um, save the spin for the Prozac fiends downtown...
and the wheels on their VW buses,
going round and round and round.
RP
Super, Kathy Edgell! Welcome to the world of the blogs. Enjoy living here, getting angrier and angrier, since you couldn't contribute in a positive way to a model school system. Have fun!
RP, you are sounding unhinged.
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