Friday, June 21, 2013

WBSM: City Council Blindsides School Dept. with Multi-Million Dollar Cut

Councilor at Large John Saunders proposed the $4-million cut as a way to keep the department’s expenditures under control until it was clear more funding was necessary.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Won't fly. The law says net spending or else.

Anonymous said...

John Saunders is a bloated hack that doesn't know anything about education. Thanks for helping to destroy our public schools.

Anonymous said...

Not sure I agree with the move but they obviously have to fund to minimum net spending. Maybe this gives PRAB pause as to how they spend their money in the meantime

Anonymous said...

Proud of John Saunders for standing firm from these thiefs..who take the money and never send it where it belongs in the classrooms...good for you John....

Anonymous said...

Saunders tells us he is concerned about the taxes people will have to pay-guess what Mr.Saunders-I also pay those taxes! There is no reasoning to this statement. I will pay the same taxes so I will pay for myself.

Anonymous said...

Joanne Correia Marques, the new budget guru, called WBSM to praise the cuts.

Anonymous said...

This is so dumb......it's almost funny. So, because the mayor denied a raise that we in the school system believe the city council should get, the revenge is taken out on the kids of the city. It is already a very difficult job.....large classes....no supplies....discipline issues...very low pay for the level of education as a professional........so the solution is to absolutely destroy the New Bedford Public School system as we know it. Now, make no mistake, there is some waste in the school department for sure.
1.There are endless consultants, coaches, and department heads that do not advance the daily of students at all.
2.There is expensive PD that is very ineffective because there is never any funding for the initiatives proposed. Why not have in-house teachers and administrators run all PD days.....think of the tens of thousands that would save.
3. There are very small schools that have lost there place in this time of fiscal difficulty. When you have a school with under 150 students....and New Bedford has 2 Elementary Schools that fit this description....it leads to incredible inefficiencies. Every school needs a principal, secretary, custodian, nurse, and all the utilities of keeping a building operational......these are very expensive items and the money could be better spent without sacrificing a quality education. There are bigger and newer schools in the district that could absorb these student and all you would have to bring over are the teachers for them while you save on the above mentioned items.
4. Innovation Schools.....reasons why this was a stupid decision are too obvious to state.
5. Finally, can we quit buying out gigantic contracts....how about some care in who is hired.
Thank you....and good luck to New Bedford Public Schools. Why some city council members want to punish thousands of students and teachers and cripple a community to make a political point is not clear. Why not just run for mayor yourself in November and not destroy the foundation of any community aiming for success and a better tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

Something has to be done. How are teacher expected to do their jobs when they have over 30 kids in their classes? There are plenty of teachers who are now buying their own supplies (which is not right ) and they are the ones who should be getting the raises and the praise for all the hard work they do. It makes no sense why there are so many professionals at PRAB that aren't really doing what they should be doing and their salaries are outrageous. You are going to run all your good teachers to other school districts!

Anonymous said...

These are not "cuts". Please don't forget the school department has plenty of money to operate and can continue to do so. Looks in FY 13, they operated with a deficit and the council fixed this issue right smacked down till the end of June. The Council is smart, this is their way to control the money, but there is no question they will at some time, have to give the money again, but they can control why they need it and where it's going - it's the only power play they have to help fix the awful spending in the budget. If the Mayor is going around saying he will ave to cut more or lay off, he's wrong....like he always is and created this overall mess anyways. Plenty of money to still operate and come back for more with a plan. To me, this was brilliant!

Anonymous said...

I will being each city council member this weekend as well as each school committee member. I am a taxpayer and pay quite a bit of taxes. I willl be giving them my thoughts.

Anonymous said...

So according to "these are not cuts" , the district should repeat fy 13 mistakes and hope that the council will fund and hope that the state looks the other way and permits this insanity. The council say they want detail, but the ones asking for detail are the two who didn't attend the budget hearing two weeks ago, Sauders and Gomes.

Anonymous said...

Brian Gomes said on WBSM that he is doing this to punish the business manager who left in 2011. Yeah. Really.

Anonymous said...

Our problem in the school department is that there are too many people working there who live outside of NB. The politicians do not answer to the people of these communities but they do have to answer to me! I was born and bred in NB, educated in NB, have an advanced degree from an Ivy League university, live in NB, and work in NB. I will remember these people come election time.

Anonymous said...

If push comes to shove then the council will have to give the $$ back to the school department. This absolutely sends a message to PRAB that wasteful spending will not be tolerated.
Let me ask anyone here. Has anyone at PRAB received a raise this year and if so is it deserved? How many people were needed to fill Larry O's shoes ? Currently 3 at over 200k combined. How's that for fiscal sanity.

The schools will get their money don't worry, the council is making them sweat for it that's all.
Bottom line is the schools

Anonymous said...

The post about those that live outside of NB is right on target! It is disgusting to listen to those earning big $ here speak with disdain about our city and its people. These folks are destroying our school system by choking whatever resembles an enjoyable and well-rounded education--while demanding the best for their own!

Anonymous said...

"Currently 3 at over 200k combined"......yeah....that's a lie. Sorry dopes, there isn't a big treasure trove downtown. Come July 1 we will have 1/4 less admin, moving us from one of the lowest in the state to one of the lowest in the state. But hey, mythology is far more comfortable than hard numbers.

Anonymous said...

Please add the new director of facilities salary at 90k with the business managers salaries and please tell me the total isn't over 200k. Larry O did both jobs. And if you want more from the "treasure trove downtown " I'll gladly oblige.

Anonymous said...

You want hard numbers. Why did the closing of the Dunbar school reportedly save 700k but closing Rodman and Kempton will only save 300k combined if closed. Straight from Mr. Haskell himself. Two principles and to custodians almost reach that mythical 300k . Lets not forget heating,electric and some of the teaching positions eliminated and please tell me you come up with only 300k.
If these numbers aren't harder I can give you even harder numbers if you like.