A school committee member is elected by all voters in town – whether you
have children in the school system, never had any, or they long ago
graduated – and whether you are rent or own a home.
For too long, we haven't had someone from Mendon on the School Committee who represents all of us. I'm not an "educrat" (a politician who tell teachers how to teach) or someone who believes that more money every year means a better education.
What I am is an average guy who will work hard to ensure that the children of Mendon get the best public school education possible for the dollars that we have available to spend.
When federal and state dollars dry up, we can't shift all that burden to the average taxpayers. We may have to do more with less. We definitely have to look at doing things differently.
Mendon has a strong history of supporting public education. We can maintain this commitment going forward -- we just have to do it differently!
Previously you have advocated for cutting the school budget back to nothing more than the minimum, which would make us the only district in the state to do that. Has your opinion changed?
ReplyDeleteAnd where BVT spending per student is so much higher than MURSD spending per student,how would you reconcile that? Should we raise MURSD spending per pupil or try to spend less per student at BVT to make it equitable?
Please don't put words in my mouth. I have never advocated cutting back to the minimum or "foundation" budget.
ReplyDeleteI asked 2 questions at a Special Town Meeting in Mendon regarding how much Mendon was paying in excess of the state-required "foundation budget" and then why -- if Mendon is funding moe than $1 million above that foundation budget -- were we being asked to give more money to the schools while we had to cut policemen, Town Hall staff, running the Town Beach program, gas for the senior van, etc.
My opinion remains unchanged that we must look at Mendon's ability to financial support all of the community, not just one group (school children) at the expense of others. If cuts need to be made, they should be equally shared. If more revenue comes in, it also should be equally shared.
Regarding the cost-per-pupil of BVT and other schools -- my understanding (and I need to leran more about this) is that the state allows school choice and regulates the processs of how districts charge each other.
What other districts spend on their students doesn't matter to me. What I do think matters is whether Mendon (and Upton) are adequately funding education -- given their financial limits and all other community needs. The FY2013 budget that Mendon voters will approve on May 4 gives education 59% of the operational budget. That should be enough to do the job (and that budget still doesn't restore all of Mendon's staff and services cutbacks).
I am not putting words in your mouth. Your line of questioning seemed to be supporting cutting back to the foundation budget. If that's not what you meant, you were unclear about it at best. But right now it seems more like you're trying to reverse direction, which you're entitled to do, and which I hope you are sincere about.
ReplyDeleteIf elected, I hope you'll advocate for equal per student spending in town and try to bring spending on MURSD students in line with spending on BVT students.
And the spending differential should matter to you since it is a direct tie in to your own support of equitable spending in the community. To brush it aside by saying what other districts do is not your concern is disingenuous, and possibly a conflict since you have a child at BVT who benefits from this.
Well, I'm sorry that you didn't understand me, which is obvious by your absurd claim that I am trying to "reverse direction." I keep moving forwards inb my life! Again, I do not care what other school districts -- BVT included -- spend on their kids. I care what Mendon spends. If my having a child at BVT is a conflict then -- under your logic -- so does any MURSD SChool Committee member with a child in the MURSD system have a conflict.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to have an educated discussion, please call me.