Now I am not THE expert, but I do have some expertise in the area of web site development.
I can say that the first step is to have one- be it a full blown interactive one like say this blog corporate site, or for that matter my simple blog. You simply have to be out here and interactive with the community.
The second step and this is crucial is keeping the information current. If you don't keep that site up to date and current then you might as well simply pull that information down off the web. It gets to the point where it actually hurts your image. An example of this is the School Committee's Meeting Minutes- they should just be pulled down or get them to be all current. I will also say that if you go out to look up the districts information it is amazingly inconsistent. It just looks bad. I give credit to the principals for keeping their end of the information up, but the consistency that is supposed to mandated isn't there... something that was again also pointed out by the MA DOE.
I will also say, that if we as a town don't get a web site that is up and working, we as a community look like we are still the stone ages. As I said above even if it is something that is simply a higher end blog that is developed on Typepad (which doesn't cost all that much monthly) or work on getting set up a fully functional virtual town hall where town's people can actually pay online their town bills... The following are towns that are in the Worcester County that have sites that are actually getting it right:
http://www.shrewsbury-ma.gov/ The Town of Shrewsbury
http://www.ci.southbridge.ma.us The Town of Southbridge , and check out the library section
http://www.town.oxford.ma.us/Pages/index The Town of Oxford
http://www.clintonmass.com/index.shtml The Town of Clinton
Two of the towns above use the following company. It is something that may be worth looking into and or investing into if we are not going to bringing the technology or expertise or the time in house.
The Virtual Town Hall is a company that does this for Municipalities so the Municipalities do not have to buy Web development software, a Web server, and connect the server to the Internet, back it up at night, and protect it from hackers. VTH takes care of all that. They are the application server provider.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Where are the priorities...
We may have started to make changes, but they are not enough. I am really concerned about the lack of direction. Can we afford to wait? Sure we have a start in the development path for that direction, but it really still feels and looks like we are stumbling around in the dark. Any step forward is soon followed by a five step backward maneuver for any combination of reasons.
Until we are all standing together as a united community and say that enough is enough, on behalf of the children of our community, our educational system is just going to continue to decline over all. As a community our educational system has to be a priority-Period.
How can we fix it? Be stepping forward as adults in times when items come down the pipeline (federal/ state mandates) and to best serve the needs of our children versus the what about "me" mentality that has been ruining the civility of the community. By laying aside the "blame game" from elementary school and "cover your butt" mentality that is prevalent, so that problems can be raised, discussed, addressed AND solved. We can look outside ourselves and the town for best practices and utilize the resources that we have in house- why reinvent the wheel or waste money? All of this can be done, it will take time, but it doesn't have to be at the expense of the children or at generations of them.
Until we are all standing together as a united community and say that enough is enough, on behalf of the children of our community, our educational system is just going to continue to decline over all. As a community our educational system has to be a priority-Period.
How can we fix it? Be stepping forward as adults in times when items come down the pipeline (federal/ state mandates) and to best serve the needs of our children versus the what about "me" mentality that has been ruining the civility of the community. By laying aside the "blame game" from elementary school and "cover your butt" mentality that is prevalent, so that problems can be raised, discussed, addressed AND solved. We can look outside ourselves and the town for best practices and utilize the resources that we have in house- why reinvent the wheel or waste money? All of this can be done, it will take time, but it doesn't have to be at the expense of the children or at generations of them.
Good enough is no longer acceptable
When are we going to stop letting people give the excuse "well, this is good enough", or to settle for something. By doing this we are short changing ourselves and stopping before the job is complete. Or worse yet as a role model showing our children that this is what is acceptable in life, work, school, relationships.
Part of this comment to is about follow through on job descriptions and what being an advocate really means. If the School Committee is to be the advocates for the children in regards for getting there needs met then I will say they have not met the criteria as by the dictionary:
Part of this comment to is about follow through on job descriptions and what being an advocate really means. If the School Committee is to be the advocates for the children in regards for getting there needs met then I will say they have not met the criteria as by the dictionary:
Advocacy:to express support for a particular idea or way of doing things
They may have advocated to a particular idea or project. However I will say that they have not put in measurable accountable criteria to show that their advocacy has been successful.
And if by judging by what Dr Allen said at the last meeting regarding the past 5 years worth of school budgets where the reality of the school budget has only in actuality increased marginally. While in actuality ratio of the school budget to the town section of the budget has gone from 45:55 where it's school: town to where it could be more like 38:62 potentially school:town. And this town wonders why the schools are falling apart, and there is no money in the system? In towns comparable in the Worcester County for our size the ratio is more in line with 60:40 school: town. If you are wondering what I am talking about please watch the last hour of the Monday night meeting where they are talking about the presentation to the town meeting members.
I am going to get all of this information so that I can accurately get this information out to you. This strangle hold on the school system has to change. The state's Board of Education even told the town this, yet unless there is a Charter change in regards to this, and the town makes the education of our children a priority they will soon begin to suffer.
Making more contacts...
I wasn't able to attend the School Committee's meeting on Monday as I had wanted. Instead I attended the MA Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Meeting that was held at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester. I made many great contacts and was able to get a few questions answered as well. I will more than likely be attending next months meeting as well.
I was able to observe the frank and open discussion of the issues that larger school districts are having to deal with in open discussions in a frank and civil manner to at least begin getting the issues out to be discussed and the "silos of control" and the individual kingdoms to begin to be merged for the better of the whole once again. The Commissioners were- Jim Caradonio of Worcester, Karla Brooks Baehr of Lowell, and Eduardo Carballo of Holyoke. Each of them had a set of issues they were dealing with, and at the same time heart warming stories of how the administration and or the communities are involved in the solutions. Yet in each of the cases there is still so much work to be done.
However, Karla Brooks Baehr made a point to remind everyone that even in the midst of a shifting targets - you need to celebrate those small milestones that are attained, even if it is just a little, because acknowledgement is the key to attainment of the long term goals.
I was able to observe the frank and open discussion of the issues that larger school districts are having to deal with in open discussions in a frank and civil manner to at least begin getting the issues out to be discussed and the "silos of control" and the individual kingdoms to begin to be merged for the better of the whole once again. The Commissioners were- Jim Caradonio of Worcester, Karla Brooks Baehr of Lowell, and Eduardo Carballo of Holyoke. Each of them had a set of issues they were dealing with, and at the same time heart warming stories of how the administration and or the communities are involved in the solutions. Yet in each of the cases there is still so much work to be done.
However, Karla Brooks Baehr made a point to remind everyone that even in the midst of a shifting targets - you need to celebrate those small milestones that are attained, even if it is just a little, because acknowledgement is the key to attainment of the long term goals.
Accountability
Having attended the MA Board of Education's Elementary and Secondary's Meeting this month, one topic being one dear and often vocal to this town...accountability.
I feel that not only must the School Committee be accountable and I know that the grippers must grip. But, here is the call to ACTION we as a community must answer as well:
Each and every adult and student in each and every building are accountable (as is the School Committee) for the outcomes of projects in those building.
If we are to succeed in turning our surviving school system into truly educational system that will prepare our children in addition to the foundational "three Rs" skills with the 21st century skills that they will need to thrive and excel in the highly competitive and technical world that is waiting for them.
I feel that not only must the School Committee be accountable and I know that the grippers must grip. But, here is the call to ACTION we as a community must answer as well:
Each and every adult and student in each and every building are accountable (as is the School Committee) for the outcomes of projects in those building.
If we are to succeed in turning our surviving school system into truly educational system that will prepare our children in addition to the foundational "three Rs" skills with the 21st century skills that they will need to thrive and excel in the highly competitive and technical world that is waiting for them.
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