...is that they cost too damned much to educate, and this cost is affecting our annual salary increases.
This, it seems, is the unspoken viewpoint of those who run our education system. But...there's a problem with this "me-first" outlook:
Just like paying into Social Security provides for those who passed us our country, paying into education provides for those whom we'll do the same. Our democracy (or, if you prefer, our republic) requires that we ensure that every voting citizen have the ability to participate in her or his government, and have the tools to live and prosper in this country.
Just like paying into Social Security provides for those who passed us our country, paying into education provides for those whom we'll do the same. Our democracy (or, if you prefer, our republic) requires that we ensure that every voting citizen have the ability to participate in her or his government, and have the tools to live and prosper in this country.
Let's cut to the chase. Our schooling system eats up about two-thirds of every tax dollar we pay. I don't think many would quibble with paying this amount....provided our tax dollars were spent wisely. However, it is clear to anyone who looks into the matter that fiscal wisdom has long been sadly lacking in this area: the West Haven Board of Education has become worse than the worst of the Federal excesses. Its administration has become bloated with overpaid individuals whose sole qualification for taking taxpayer dollars is which political power with which they are (or were) friendly. This is not caused by the current administration; but - by not stopping this practice - they have wrecked the system.
It is time to take the power away from the politicians who have dominated this snake pit of political patronage. However, there is no obvious political party or group which shows any promise of fixing this situation. The Morrissey Group? Fuggedaboudit! The Picard Group? Fuggedaboudit! As far as our "independent" chairman.... Fuggedaboudit!
No...the only political faction we can depend on is: We the People.
We have the power to make the City government do what we want. All that is needed is the people to make this happen. The City Charter has a provision for this:
It is time to take the power away from the politicians who have dominated this snake pit of political patronage. However, there is no obvious political party or group which shows any promise of fixing this situation. The Morrissey Group? Fuggedaboudit! The Picard Group? Fuggedaboudit! As far as our "independent" chairman.... Fuggedaboudit!
We have the power to make the City government do what we want. All that is needed is the people to make this happen. The City Charter has a provision for this:
CHAPTER XVIII - INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM
POWERS OF INITIATIVE: The electors shall have the power to propose to the City Council any ordinance or resolution appointing or removing officials, specifying the compensation or hours of work of officials and employees, appropriating money, authorizing the levy of taxes, or fixing the tax rate. If the City Council fails to adopt such ordinance or other measure within thirty days after a petition making such a proposal shall have been filed with the City Council, the electors may adopt or reject the same at an election held within ninety days after such proposed ordinance or measure was originally filed with the Council, provided such petition shall be signed in ink or indelible pencil by qualified electors of the City, equal in number to at least ten percent of the registered voters at the last municipal election. Said petition shall be accompanied by affidavits signed and sworn to by each circulator of such petition, certifying to the authenticity of the signatures of such petition. The Town and City Clerk shall determine the sufficiency of the petition and the affidavits. A majority vote of the electors qualified to vote shall be necessary to initiate such ordinances or measures. Unless at least twenty percent of the electors entitled to vote on the question shall have voted, such proposed ordinance or measure shall not become effective and the result shall be construed as against adoption. No ordinance or other measure which shall have been adopted in accordance with the provisions of this Section shall be repealed or amended by the Council except by petition and vote of the electors.
If those in office don't listen to the voters who hold the power, we still have the ability to make them hear us. If we don't use our power, we can blame no one but ourselves.
It's up to us...can we do this?
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8 comments:
I'm sorry a few more kids per class is not taking away their education and that's what will happen WHEN the teachers are layed off and the schools close.
Im not sure if the people realize this isn't open for debate so unless 7 million magically appears this is going to happen.
The teachers are using the kids as a pawn in all of this.
When I was in WHH schools in the 80's's we used to have books with the names of people who had them before us written inside. Some of these books went back to the 60's
We couldn't even have a baseball tream at bailey because of money, what could that have possibly cost ?
I see you make no mention( I'm not surprised) that we have 1,000 less students enrolled in our schools, what should we do hire more teachers and build more schools ?
I say people with kids should pay extra taxes, maybe $3,000 a year ( which is not anywhere near what it costs per student) would be a good start.
Anon - that sounds really reasonable...until you consider the following argument:
Would you deny the best level of education to your children? And I assume you have children. If so, you wish your posterity to be slaves to the rest of the (better educated) world...they'll be the hall sweepers and hole diggers
everyone needs.
Or, do you think the level of education you were given by your parents (through their taxes) was wasteful? And I assume you had parents. If so, you chose to throw away your chances to make the best of your life.
You have the right to insist on keeping your own ignorance in our society; and you have the right to try to persuade others in your ignorant ideas.
But....neither you nor I have the right to enforce our peculiarly ignorant opinions on others; and neither you and I have the "ordained right" to propagate the continuation of this stupidity by enforcing the same upon those born after us.
Let's fix the system, without breaking the process.
Who is going to be the first person to start the petition? Anyone know a lawyer preferrably Pro-bono?? We should petition the removal of Cavallaro or at least reduce his salary to ohhh say the median income in WH.
Anyone can start a petition...but it's best for a group, since you'll need 2,900 or so signatures. Plus, you'll need a current voter list to check off the number of valid signatures.
As for a lawyer, I'd recommend contacting the Yale School of Law...one of the best in the country, and they'd have students (and faculty) willing to participate pro bono.
I'd love to see all city salaries lowered to around the median, but it's not really practical. But it is a good starting point for negotiations....
Hey what happened to my last blog, the one I mentioned I was an "ignorant CCIE" LOL
Anyway good luck bringing down salaries to the WH median as if you took cops, FD and BOE workers salries out of the equation it would be around 30K a year.
Good luck getting Yale to help against Picard.
As I have said MANY times before, do you even read what you write and if so do you really beieve it ?
Yale helping out pro bono against Picard. Thanks for my laugh of the day.
"And how much additional costs will be incurred helping these kids to become acclimated to a new school, new friends, and new teachers?"
Well lets start with the kids won't be alone in changing schools and will know many people from their old school as well as some of the teachers.
Last time I checked kids get new teachers EVERY YEAR regardless of what school they are in at the elementary level.
Thanks for the chuckle though
Hey Anon - I didn't have to imply you were ignorant...your last two posts made that statement in of an by them themselves.
Are you inplying that The Mighty Pic-Hard has absorbed the entire Yale Corporation? Holy Boolah Boolah, Batman!
What exactly was ignnorant ? How about we make make ANOTHER bet (maybe this time you will pay up) about Yale givinbg pro bono work in a lawsuit against WH ?
This blos should be called
whbobslatest/bs/iamasoreloser/update.com
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