A comment on the budget..

I am still weeding through the budget, and attempting to sort through where the spending is going and actually needs to go. Please keep in mind, that without a real thorough "BIG PICTURE" as a guide, it very easy to not understand what might be necessary for a functional budget- here is my comment for now... until I have a better picture of everything.

"Further review needs to be done of it. There are some pieces of the budget that go with the Strategic Plan, and parts of the Budget that I have seen first hand the needs for being a volunteer in the school system. These items I would hate to see pulled from the budget, as it would seriously halt the progress that is being made in the school systems to date. I will will comment on them in a later post in more detail.

I understand that when there is a greater than a 20% increase in the budget we really need to look at why there there was such an increase and exactly how that money is being spent. It is also the job of the School Committee to clearly communicate what that proposed school budget is made up of and why there is such an increase to the different demographics of this town.

I believe the most important is the 'why' behind the need to approve the budget, any budget- what ever the #'s may be after reviewing them. The why that is important to me may not be important to my neighbor across the street on the fixed income. However, educating the children of this community should be all of our responsibility as they are the next generation, if they are in schools they are not getting into trouble, they are becoming citizens themselves in the community, and are the investment for our future."

It is my view that communicating all of the details, and all of those details in the new budget, falls on the School Committee at this present time. In the future, I would like to see a more interactive role between School Committee and the Superintendent to communicate with the community and the town groups so when the final number is said at the approval meeting everyone will be on the same page as to where, how, and why the money is being spent.

Some interesting information that unless you really dig a little and look, even on the school's web site web site you probably don't see or bother to really look at or follow too closely at least, unless you are involved in the education system some how, but in this instance will affect you. The MA State EQA Report reported negatively on Auburn school district for not having curriculum leaders in the schools. The report also stated that we need to continue to work to fully establish and align curriculum at all grade levels.

The EQA Report is available from the state on any town's school district. As any papers are because of the Freedom of Information Act, as an aside.

In the Conclusion section of the EQA Report from the state ( this report is just one guideline to judge the health and state of our school systems) it was stated the following and I am quoting directly from the report here:

"Due to the fiscal constraints within Auburn, the town's revenue, rather than the student achievement data, became the driving force in the budget process. Auburn's budget and supplemental funds were not adequate to provide for effective instructional practices or sufficient operational resources."

In regards to budgeting process again, I know that we need to be fiscally responsible, I am not saying that we shouldn't. We need to get the long term plans in so that we can set our goals and work towards them, and none of this is going to happen over night. I do want accountability and deadlines met.

But in regards to budgets, at what time in the future Mr. Selectmen (current and future) and community are we going to change the way we do things in this town and show that the students come first (really and truly) so that people and businesses want to come and live and work and hire the children that are in our school systems. When those children go off to college they will want to come back here and stay or open businesses here for the right reasons and raise their kids here?

Where oh where is all the information?

Being an information person I am driven to seek out the correct information so that I can make informed decisions. I then share that with everyone I come in contact with. If I find out some of the information is actually I wrong, I make sure to share that too. Otherwise, how is anyone supposed to make informed decisions? They aren't, and they can't. Even I have been wrong, and will change my opinion if the facts bear them out. After all I am only human.

I am more a skeptic by nature, so I question everything and everyone. And I am writing this because I started this all because I went searching for information for the School Committee Meeting Minutes- where else? On there site where you would think that it should all be accessible given this day and age of technology.

I found what looked like the meeting minutes for most of 2007, which thankfully gave me some of the information on the Pappas gymnasium issue, but certainly not all. When I asked for more information I was told to go to the Town Clerk at the Town Hall and that all of the School Committee's Meeting Minutes have to be on file there. OK. So, I went up there to inquire about getting - yes paper copies - of the meeting minutes for my reading material and was saddened to find further missing information...

It was brought to mine and Town Clerk Office's attention that the School Committee's Meeting Minutes from September 07 to now April 08 are not currently on file there in the Town Clerk's Office as they should be. Now, the correct individual that I need to be speaking with was out at that precise moment I went up there 8:45am -ish, but that being what it is, the bigger issue to me was the missing minutes.

Bottom line- is the appropriate Town Clerk's Office contact will notify the School Committee that they now have 10 days to produce the missing Meeting Minutes from Sept 07 through Present meetings. The Town Clerk's Office will then contact me when they have them. That was what went on yesterday. So, 9 business days and counting....

Why did I go and inquire? To get more details and be able to hold accountable certain things that don't seem like they are getting done. I read through the minutes on the web from 2007 and I have a sheet full of questions that I will need to have answered to to see if they were acted upon, followed through on, or need to be put into an action plan. This is whether or not I am elected.

Information NEEDS to be made available in a format that is accessible to the residents, community groups, students, and teachers so that we are all on the same page in order to move the education of the students into the 21st century. The only way to do that is to do it TOGETHER.

Good New, Great News and Bad news...

I write this thinking about my cousin who is in the service serving our country, other members of my family have through the years. It seems that everyone knows someone who is affected by the war(s) and yes I say plural. It's just one contry is talked about more than the other.

My dear cousin Matt is home visiting and I just received news that he is getting married some time in August. So, my -not so baby cousin- is finally happy in the midst of all the growning up he has done and horror he has seen. I couldn't be happier for him. And she is a great girl, and they are a great couple. I haven't seen him smile this much in .. I don't know.. forever! What is good about them is that she compliments his personality and vice versa. She also knows what she is signing up for with him being in the military, it won't be easy while he is in it. She knows has the full support of the families which will be crucial while he is away serving. I can't say enough of how proud I am of my cousin. He has already served three tours overseas and knock on wood, come home safe everytime, and because we have such a big and caring family, we all make sure he's OK when he is home.Yet, we already know he will have to go back over again, we are just not sure where yet. My son and I area already preparing those fun care packages to mail over- have to have candy and cookies, and maybe a fun toy.

Having seen first hand and heard about so many of us being affected by this, and having to send our loved ones to serve in Afghanistan and Iraq for 12+ months at a time is tough on those serving, those left behind, and then returning. We need to simply remind ourselves to keep faith in our family, friends and those service men and women. Every one of us who are directly and indirectly involved are providing an important benefit or service, and it really does count. God Bless our Service Men and Women.

Community Reading Day

Bryn Mawr Elementary had a successful event where they invited the community (parents, grandparents, or family members) to come in and read to their child's class. It was a great event where everyone involved loved interacting with the children and the school.

Being a volunteer in the library at Bryn Mawr, I know how it is so important to read to your child every day and to expose them to all types of reading materials. I read to my son's class two books from the Pigeon series by Moe Williams and a story called Under The Bed. I managed to get a few giggles and smiles, so it was a good day.

HOW I WILL GET THINGS DONE:

1.) Comprehensive research and investigation of the issues so that confusion and incomplete information does not drive the decision making processes.
2.) I will be PROACTIVE vs. reactive. I plan to solve issues with an accountability for results that is transparent to the public.
3.) If there is a need to be reactive to something/incident then I will try to solve it accordingly while putting a plan into place so that a PROACTIVE plan can prevent a recurrence.
4.) The Strategic Plan is a good starting point, but it is just that and will need to be followed through on, or further developed if the goals set forth are to be achieved.
5.) I will begin by holding everything to dates and accountability of deliverables.
6.) Also the biggest step would be to clear up the communications. This cannot be emphasized enough. Consistent messages, up to date information, clear and concise information from one source to another being shared fluidly must be employed.
7.) I will work at getting all of the groups communicating: school committee, teachers, parents, community and the groups that make them up, and the town administration.
8.) I will actively work to develop a thorough School Master Plan with the School Committee. I will do this by looking at the immediate needs/ demands of the current school system, and then make sure the long term plan for improvements and facilities are then planned for accordingly with the towns projected growth.
9.) As a member of the School Committee I will work towards providing resources necessary to promote the success of every student and teacher in this new technology driven environment.
10.) I will look at school safety, to insure that students and teachers have a safe environment for learning.

TOP 5 TALENTS THAT I BRING?

1.) Background in communications, particularly in Information Flow Management, Communication Process Flow Management and getting it to work from the “Big Picture” to the running product/ service.
2.) Skills in research, focus groups and outreach to the targeted groups that have needs that are not being met.
3.) Contacts and networks in various industries that are supportive, and my passion for education. I am also very willing to go out there and get whatever information or contacts there are that we need to be a success.
4.) I have a wide network of contacts at the college that I graduated from, Simmons College, Boston, MA. I am able to tap into all sorts of those resources for information, some of them being- their programs for library sciences and information, children’s literature, education, and communications. And this resource has also given me contacts into the area colleges as well- Worcester State, Assumption College, and Clark University.
5.) Project management skills in which I deal with multiple tasks, sites, deliverables and deadlines. I have training and experience that assists me in project management assignments for vendors, costs, deadline oversight, selection of consultant/ contractors and other project items to full project deliverables.

WHAT QUALIFIES ME FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE?

1.) I am a parent with a child in the Auburn school system.
2.) I have quite a few friends and associates that are teachers or are in the education field.
3.) I volunteer in the school system and have seen the problems that are there and want to be a part of, as well as shape the solutions to the problems that must take into account more than just one demographic.
4.) I have in the past been a substitute teacher at the high school level in another district and have seen issues not just at one level of education.
5.) I know that any type of situation needs to have an inclusive vs. exclusive solution in order for it to be successful.
6.) I am an active alumna in my college and alumnae/ie association. So I am very familiar in dealing with various diverse groups such as academics, teachers, community, personal contacts, and alumnae/ie and having to work with them to accomplish goals.
7.) I look at all of the solutions and take into account the “Big Picture” to make sure that the option selected is the best one for the long term, not just the short term outcome.
8.) I have negotiating experience that is results and solution based.
9.) I have the training, understanding, and experience to work with the multiple groups necessary to clear up the multiple communications issues that exist.
10.) I will be auditing education classes starting in the fall to expand my knowledge base.