NO CUTS in the public services department. NO CUTS in the fire department. NO CUTS in the police department. NO CUTS in ANY OF THE OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES:
- Assessor's Office
- Auditor's Office
- Central Switchboard
- City Clerk's Office
- Collector's Office
- Community Development
- Custodian
- Emergency Management/ Civil Defense
- Finance and Administration
- Health Department
- Human Resources
- Inspectors' Office
- North Shore Home Consortium
- Office of Information Technology
- Purchasing Department
- Treasurer's Office
- Veterans Services Department
- Water Billing Office
- Workers Compensation Office
- Brooksby Farm
- Cemetery
- Legal Department
- Council on Aging
- George Peabody House Museum/ Civic Center
- Peabody Library
- McVann-O'keefe Skating Rink
- Parks, Recreation and Forestry or
- The Meadow of Peabody Golf Course.
That's right. The only place that had people fired because of budget reasons was THE PEABODY SCHOOL SYSTEM. NOT ONE OTHER DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY NEEDS TO MAKE A SINGLE CUT!
I think that this is the first time I will need to agree with the often repeated comment by visitors to these blogs...
MAYOR BONFANTI IS NOT THE EDUCATION MAYOR.
The Salem News: An Overview of the 2010 Budget
The Salem News: Bonfanti plans to weather another term
This is the systematic disassembling of the Peabody School System. I have no problem with the shrinking enrollments... in that case be SMART and close a school to consolidate students and continue to provide quality education. BUT NO. Instead we will hack away at the very people who provide the educational opportunities to our children that will lay the groundwork for the rest of their lives.
According to the article:
The school department has about 800 full-time employees compared to 457 for the remaining city departments. The school layoffs reflect the district's declining enrollment, Bonfanti said.
"You just can't keep hiring people," Bonfanti said. "There's got to be a point in time when you right-size."
City departments, he said, have done a better job keeping spending in check and leaving positions unfilled. "We've always run lean," Bonfanti said.
This is short sighted and will anger many in the community. However... it is politically saavy as Peabody's median population is over 40... meaning that the majority of voters in the City DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM ANY LONGER. Thus the Mayor is promising CUTS to the school system and making the seniors (and others) very happy with only a tiny tax increase.
Now to make matters worse... Bonfanti has now PROMISED to build a new ASSISTED LIVING CENTER on the property at the Torigian Life Center (senior center.) I have no problem with additional assisted living centers as I think it is good for our seniors to have choices for living arrangements. I do not think that the City needs to be the developer for such an enterprise - especially in a market with many opportunites readily available.
There are 8,398 citizens over 65 living in Peabody. And they have a realively new senior center for their use. YET... we have more than 8,800 children aged 5-19 living in the City (according to the 2000 US Census.) This administration (and others) have talked (and talked and talked) about a facility for these children - a teen center or a youth center - BUT NOTHING EVER HAPPENS. Yes, they do have a Skate Park (thank you Vera Kolias), but that is not enough.
Does this not serve as yet another indication that the children of Peabody are MUCH LESS IMPORTANT than everyone else in this City? You can NOT call yourself the EDUCATION MAYOR and do these kinds of things to the youth you pretend to serve.
8 comments:
The city looks at it as 8400 votes compared to 8800 non eligible voters. 8400 votes wins you the corner office.
Very well said. Sad commentary on the state of the city.
Its easy to imagine the bulk of cuts coming from the largest city organization, but ALL of the cuts is a little preposterous.
Quick question that I've been wondering, how many administrators work out of the Kiley?
I am not intimate with the workings of the school system, sorry. Can anyone answer this question?
OG says...
ah yes PI...you have seen the light...you have now seen clear evidence that this community and its majority leadership do not possess value and respect for education...and we never have...Beverly Dunne is right when she states that we have shortchanged education here in Dark City for DECADES....this philosophy goes back to the Torigian era and continues thru the Bonfanti regime...and anyone is runs against Mayor Mike will go down in flames...just like McGeney did a few years ago...there are not enough votes and there is not enough DESIRE to make education king in this town...and that's how OG sees it.
OG,
Dunne also supported the raises that put the school system in the mess it is in. Can she have it both ways? Being the cause of the problem and being the spokesperson for change? You tell me?
Dunne voted NO on the budget. Get your facts straight...
The entire school committee supported the teachers raises... you get your facts straight.
The School Committee votes on seven (7) different contracts with various unions (including one with only one member.)
Here is the most relevant news story from the Salem News discussing the School Committee's Unanimous Vote to Approve the new teacher contract.
From the article:
"...In November, McGeney said union leaders had taken the contract to the members of the Peabody Federation of Teachers before checking the final numbers. The numbers approved by the teachers were, in fact, correct.
The contract stalled after the misstatement, awaiting School Committee approval and then Mayor Michael Bonfanti's signature.
"It was my misunderstanding," McGeney said last night.
Last night's vote came six weeks after teachers ratified the contract.
McGeney last night said he was pleased to announce the committee had approved the contract unanimously in closed session, which they agreed to again in public.
"At the end of good discussion and debate, we voted unanimously to support the contract," he said.
McGeney described union negotiators Bruce Nelson and Anne Marie Dubois as "consummate professionals." He said he looked forward to starting off on a new day.
Committee member Beverley Dunne said the discussion about the contract was very difficult and time consuming. In the end, committee members were pleased and thankful, she said...."
Now... what I believe the Anon was remembering was that Ms. Dunne (and Coach Niz) voted AGAINST adopting the current school budget. Here is the Salem News article.
Post a Comment