Farewell Dark City....
14 years ago
Showing posts with label after school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label after school. Show all posts
Thursday, August 26, 2010
School fees, vacation daze, Peabody 100k Club and an interesting blog...
Peabody was actually in the Boston Globe's Globe North section for something besides murder, transgender bashing or being the lowest whatever for a change.
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First, the annual listing of salaries must have made its way to the 'slow week' section of the Globe news desk. Peabody: Pay list shows 40 top $100K We are yearly given a listing of the highest paid employees - not surprisingly which are managers, several light plant senior folks, high ranking school officials and police officers who do detail work.
This is usually followed by a litany of average folks being outraged at how much money is paid for so little work being done. This isn't really true, of course - it is just that EVERYONE thinks someone else's job is simple and overpaying.
I am of the opinion that almost everyone on this list is probably deserving of their pay. Where I take exception is to the public safety officers and the use of detail pay. I have discussed this issue MANY TIMES here and on the blogs and this isn't the intent of this post. We can, of course, discuss this in the comments if folks desire.
I was actually a little surprised to see this published in the Globe. It is usually a 'higher intellectual' newspaper and this is more of a Salem News article - as they have never met a government employee worth ANYTHING.
Of course, unlike the Salem News, the Globe goes into some detail giving some reasons for this high pay - most which made sense to me.
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The next article didn't really concern itself with Peabody... which was good considering the focus. Pressure to Pay looked at North Shore communities and the fees to participate on high school sports teams. It seems that while a few decreased fees, a few more increased fees. But Peabody was not one of these. Our sports fee structure stayed the same at $150 per sport with a $300 cap.
The list of communities with fees shows Peabody to be on the lower end of fees charged with only Dracut having lower fees (Gloucester also has a lower starting range, but goes up to $380 per sport.) I am the first to admit that I don't like fees for school activities. But when the schools are in such dire financial straits, I can not see spending precious academic funds on extra-curricular sports or activities. So I was glad to see that while still trying to recoup expenses, Peabody is trying to maintain a minimal impact on parents and student athletes.
It is only fair to also point out that 19 communities (or regional schools) in the area DO NOT have any fees for sports.
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Ah summer! The time when everyone deserves to spend a little quality time away from their jobs and spend it with family and friends! Unless you are school superintendent Milton Burnett. Seems that because of the budget cuts, staffing reductions and major turnovers of key people (think principals here) he has been playing catch-up all summer trying to get ready for the coming school year.
If you read the article in the Salem News, Superintendent's bid to carry over vacation is denied, and read the excepts from his letter to the school committee... it is hard to imagine them denying him a one-time exception to the rule concerning the number of days one can 'carry over' into the next year.
While I am not a fan or a foe of Mr. Burnett, I think he is totally correct on this one. It was the Mayor and the school committee who placed his department in the position where much more work than normal was required to be done (all without an assistant super) and this resulted in the necessity of missing one of the best perks of being employed - vacation time.
I wouldn't blame him if he simply didn't show up for the next 10 days and let the schools suffer... well actually I WOULD blame him and I wouldn't stand for it. BUT this is ultimately the "fault" of the Mayor and the school committee and they should have allowed this as being FAIR and not played the political game of denying it in the hopes of appearing to be on the side of fiscal responsibility after the Salem News has been trying to stir up trouble with the Annemarie DuBois pension "issue."
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I found this link to a blog run by the MAPC (Metropolitan Area Planning Council.) The Salem-Peabody Corridor Project is a new initiative that, I think, is focusing on the Rt. 128 - Main St. - Boston St. corridor and seeks to find improvements to facilitate improvements in traffic and community along the route. This was recently in the news when a group of planners, business people, city officials and citizens walked along the route (twice?) to get an 'on the ground' understanding of the project.
The link to the blog is Salem-Peabody Blog and the homepage of the project is Salem-Peabody Corridor Project.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Peabody Schools: All News is Bad News?
Peabody Schools in Free Fall? What is it about Peabody and its attitude towards education?
Peabody and Lynnfield Weekly News:....Note: PLWN links expire in 7 days
Greek language course dominates board’s decision on high school cuts
and
Salem News: Principal, superintendent spar over Greek
How stupid is this? We are cutting basic services left and right because "the budget demands it" and yet we have special cases where 27 (yes that is correct, 27 out of 1900 students at the High School) students have enrolled in Greek Language (and culture) classes at PVMHS - and Superintendent Burnett... and a majority of the school committee, including the tie-breaker, Mayor Bonfanti, were willing to keep that program in place and cut teachers in other core curriculum areas.
This is laughable and reeks of special consideration. Yet another black day in Peabody Education.
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Of course... no one was willing to have a three hour verbal fight over the fate of the people most responsible for your children's educational success after their teachers...
Salem News: School Committee mulls plan to cut aides' hours
Lynn Item: Peabody school board continues to search for ways to trim budget
These are just more expendable fodder for the LOWEST TAXES IN THE REGION war that seems to be Peabody's only concern.
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And then this gem of an idea!
Salem News: Peabody schools give parents free passes to games
So we are going to make the parents pay extra money so that their children can participate in all extra curricular activities. We are doing this because the schools do not have enough money. One way they currently raise some money for these activities is by charging admission to these events.
Ready for the brilliance of our elected School Committee!??!
Since the parents are going to be paying a fee for their children to play... they no longer need to pay admission fees! The problem is... they were going to pay this already! Hello!? And then the geniuses figured that since the parents will be getting in for free now... they will bring (drag?) along OTHER PAYING PEOPLE to come and fund the events.
Clue: Most people who attend the majority of these events ARE PARENTS.
===
Here is bad news masquerading as good:
Salem News: Grant will help students, teachers
It seems some industrious Higgins teachers found, wrote and won a $10,000 grant from Verizon to purchase a laptop computer and projector and to get 10 teachers trained to better prepare students for MCAS success. But this grant was undertaken because the very successful after-school MCAS Camp program was eliminated.
===
Maybe you are tired of seeing your Peabody schools being run in ways you would rather not see? Well why not become involved and be a part of the official screening committee for a new Higgins Principal.
TOO LATE! It seems that while Superintendent Burnett invited people to join this group on May xx, 2009... it was really already selected... Just one more public mistake in the land of Peabody Public School Administration? I would like to think so but I wonder if this means the entire screening committee will return a predetermined outcome as well?
Salem News: 32 apply for Higgins School principal position
Salem News: Superintendent invites staff and public to focus groups
....Those interested in serving on the screening committee must send a letter to the attention of:
Human Resources Director Louise Genualdo
Kiley Administration Building
21 Johnson St.
Peabody, MA 01960
= = = = = U P D A T E D = = = = =
In a series of news stories this week the school system and particularly the ADULT PROFESSIONALS who claim to be running it, have shown themselves to be concerned much more about personal agendas and THE BOTTOM LINE rather than how to provide each and every child in the City of Peabody a first class education. I am not speaking of the teachers here... but rather the School Administration, the School Committee and City Hall.Peabody and Lynnfield Weekly News:....Note: PLWN links expire in 7 days
Greek language course dominates board’s decision on high school cuts
and
Salem News: Principal, superintendent spar over Greek
How stupid is this? We are cutting basic services left and right because "the budget demands it" and yet we have special cases where 27 (yes that is correct, 27 out of 1900 students at the High School) students have enrolled in Greek Language (and culture) classes at PVMHS - and Superintendent Burnett... and a majority of the school committee, including the tie-breaker, Mayor Bonfanti, were willing to keep that program in place and cut teachers in other core curriculum areas.
This is laughable and reeks of special consideration. Yet another black day in Peabody Education.
===
Of course... no one was willing to have a three hour verbal fight over the fate of the people most responsible for your children's educational success after their teachers...
Salem News: School Committee mulls plan to cut aides' hours
Lynn Item: Peabody school board continues to search for ways to trim budget
These are just more expendable fodder for the LOWEST TAXES IN THE REGION war that seems to be Peabody's only concern.
===
And then this gem of an idea!
Salem News: Peabody schools give parents free passes to games
So we are going to make the parents pay extra money so that their children can participate in all extra curricular activities. We are doing this because the schools do not have enough money. One way they currently raise some money for these activities is by charging admission to these events.
Ready for the brilliance of our elected School Committee!??!
Since the parents are going to be paying a fee for their children to play... they no longer need to pay admission fees! The problem is... they were going to pay this already! Hello!? And then the geniuses figured that since the parents will be getting in for free now... they will bring (drag?) along OTHER PAYING PEOPLE to come and fund the events.
Clue: Most people who attend the majority of these events ARE PARENTS.
===
Here is bad news masquerading as good:
Salem News: Grant will help students, teachers
It seems some industrious Higgins teachers found, wrote and won a $10,000 grant from Verizon to purchase a laptop computer and projector and to get 10 teachers trained to better prepare students for MCAS success. But this grant was undertaken because the very successful after-school MCAS Camp program was eliminated.
===
= = = = = U P D A T E D = = = = =
Maybe you are tired of seeing your Peabody schools being run in ways you would rather not see? Well why not become involved and be a part of the official screening committee for a new Higgins Principal.
TOO LATE! It seems that while Superintendent Burnett invited people to join this group on May xx, 2009... it was really already selected... Just one more public mistake in the land of Peabody Public School Administration? I would like to think so but I wonder if this means the entire screening committee will return a predetermined outcome as well?
Salem News: 32 apply for Higgins School principal position
Salem News: Superintendent invites staff and public to focus groups
....Those interested in serving on the screening committee must send a letter to the attention of:
Human Resources Director Louise Genualdo
Kiley Administration Building
21 Johnson St.
Peabody, MA 01960
Monday, November 17, 2008
Peabody After School Program in Trouble
The private after school program For Kids Only is in trouble.
After a very successful start in the Burke School in 2006, Superintendent Burnett worked with the company to open locations in other Peabody schools. they now operate in the Brown, Burke, McCarthy and Welch schools.
The link to the Lynn Item story is here.
From the article:
The privately run program offers enrichment activities, tutoring, healthy snacks, and activities focused on art, science, sports and fitness for students at a cost of $21 per day. They also except vouchers and offer tuition scholarships for families in need.
“It provides an after school program for kids that would potentially go home to an empty house,” Burnett said earlier in the school year. “It’s an instructional environment with homework help, recreational activities, and peer-to-peer friend-building.”
The Peabody Schools only charge the company $1.50 per student for utility costs. However, they still need to have 18 students at each school in order to break even. Currently only the Burke and Welch are above those numbers.
The company came to the School Committee in the hopes of spreading the word to more people about this program.
Personally I would like to see this type of program be provided BY THE CITY to all students free of charge. It is a wonderful program and it serves a dire need in Peabody (especially when the mere mention of a Teen Center or Kids Center only gets comments like, "It's a great ideas BUT..." and nothing ever happens).
So if the City can't or won't fund this program I hope that enough people can see the value of this great service and take advantage of it so that it remains available to our children for years to come.
After a very successful start in the Burke School in 2006, Superintendent Burnett worked with the company to open locations in other Peabody schools. they now operate in the Brown, Burke, McCarthy and Welch schools.
The link to the Lynn Item story is here.
From the article:
The privately run program offers enrichment activities, tutoring, healthy snacks, and activities focused on art, science, sports and fitness for students at a cost of $21 per day. They also except vouchers and offer tuition scholarships for families in need.
“It provides an after school program for kids that would potentially go home to an empty house,” Burnett said earlier in the school year. “It’s an instructional environment with homework help, recreational activities, and peer-to-peer friend-building.”
The Peabody Schools only charge the company $1.50 per student for utility costs. However, they still need to have 18 students at each school in order to break even. Currently only the Burke and Welch are above those numbers.
The company came to the School Committee in the hopes of spreading the word to more people about this program.
Personally I would like to see this type of program be provided BY THE CITY to all students free of charge. It is a wonderful program and it serves a dire need in Peabody (especially when the mere mention of a Teen Center or Kids Center only gets comments like, "It's a great ideas BUT..." and nothing ever happens).
So if the City can't or won't fund this program I hope that enough people can see the value of this great service and take advantage of it so that it remains available to our children for years to come.
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