Who was Ralph C. Mahar?

June 10, 2010 in Uncategorized by gbunker | Permalink

The original painting by Jan Scott, from which the above image was taken, hangs in the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School library.

He was considered the father of regional schools in Massachusetts. The $2,500,000 Mahar Regional senior-junior high school which opened in 1957, was named in his honor. Born Jan.4, 1912, son of Mrs. Bertha I. (Mills) Mahar and the late Dr. Harold R. Mahar, he was a graduate of Orange High School ’30, Tufts College with a BS degree, 1934, and Northeastern School of Law. He also received an honorary MA degree in 1949 from Tufts College for work in the fields of education, public health, and public welfare. He was a member of the Massachusetts and Franklin County and Hampshire County Bar Associations.

Senator Mahar was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1937 at the age of 25 and served in the Senate from his election in 1944 until his death in 1962. In 1947, he introduced the bill that changed Massachusetts State College to the University of Massachusetts and was said to consider the university his “pet project.” He worked hard to bring a community college to Orange, even though a reluctant school committee at the time would not go all out for the idea. It went to Greenfield. He also served on the special commission for postwar problems following both World War II and the Korean conflict which is credited with the establishment of the Soldiers Home in Holyoke and a complete revision of the veterans laws. He was a chairman of the Ways and Means Committee under Governor Christian A. Herter and chairman of the Education Commission, a member of the recess commission for retarded children and the State Taxation Commission. He took all seven degrees of the Grange and was a member of the state and national Grange. (Athol Daily News: August 6, 1962)

Senator Mahar worked hard in Boston, often against the tremendous odds brought by the fact that the greater population of the Commonwealth is in metropolitan Boston, and is often apt to overlook or disregard the needs of smaller communities throughout the State. His honesty was unquestioned in a State government which had been rocked by scandals during his service. It was rumored that he was to be appointed to a judgeship, and would in his later years be freed from the constant pressure of a State Senator, which anyone knows is tremendous.

Senator Mahar was the principal speaker at the graduation exercises at our school the year of his death (1962). At that time he told the class:

“May you always have faith in yourselves whatever hardships may develop in the years ahead. May you be the individuals in the sense that you make up your minds, that you think straight and that you stand on your own two feet. May you have a sense of social conscience which shows concern for your fellow man, and yet, may I urge you to beware of the philosophy of those who advocate something for nothing.”

Whether it was in behalf of the dam and pond at the Mahar Regional School, a small matter when considered on a State-wide basis, or in behalf of an appropriation for the 6th World Sport Parachuting Championships in Orange, during which he was subjected to some ridicule by other legislators who knew little of what they were talking about in this matter, Senator Mahar always went all out and fought hard for what he believed in. (The Orange Enterprise and Journal: August 9, 1962)

  • A Special Thank You to Janice Lanou, Librarian, Wheeler Library, Town of Orange, for providing much of the above material!

DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

February 3, 2012 in Daily Announcements by gbunker | Permalink

RALPH C. MAHAR REGIONAL SCHOOL

DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

February 6, 2012                                                                                            99th Day of School

 

NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY MEMBERS

Please continue to sell the flower bulbs this week for the fundraiser.  A reminder to members: that the money should be turned in by Friday, February 17.

 

JUNIORS

 Field trip permission slips are now available in Student Services for the National College Fair at the Springfield Eastern States Exposition Fairground on March 5th.  This field trip presents students with an opportunity to find out about colleges from around the country, meet admissions representatives and gather information.  The trip is free; however, students must provide lunch money.  Space is limited to the first 40 students to submit signed permission slips to Student Services.

 

ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT FOR JUNIORS

Juniors may vote on fund raising ideas next week during lunch or by seeing Miss. Smith in room H18 or H19.

 

INTERNATIONAL CLUB

The International Club will be meeting this Wednesday, February 8th from 2:10 – 3:00.  Please note the schedule change.  Come hear Shayan talk about his home country, Pakistan.  We’ll meet in room H-23.  Everyone is welcome.

 

ATTENTION SENIORS

The 2nd scholarship booklet is now available on the website and hard copies are available in Student Services.

 

NEWSPAPER CLUB

The Newspaper Club is still welcoming new members! If you are interested, come to C13 on Wednesdays at 2:00.

 

VALENTINE’S DAY MESSAGES

Want to post a message to your valentine in the newspaper? The Red and Blue will be printing Valentine’s messages in next month’s issue free of charge! Bring your messages written neatly on a piece of paper to Ms. Squires in H22.

 

 

 

HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL FISH ‘N GAME MEMBERS

The ice fishing derby has been rescheduled to Sunday, February 12 at 10 a.m. at North Spec Pond in New Salem. Both the high school and middle school Fish ‘N Game Clubs will meet next Wednesday, February 12. The middle school club will meet after school in the cafeteria and the high school club will meet at 6 p.m. in Room H14. These are both important meetings and refreshments will be served at both meetings. Please plan on attending.

 

Today’s lunch is chicken & gravy; steak and cheese sub; PB&J sandwich or salad bar.

Upcoming Events

February 3, 2012 in Daily Announcements by gbunker | Permalink

 

 

  • 02/10/12: There will be a Middle School Social next Friday, February 10th from 6:00-8:00pm in the Mahar Cafeteria.
  • 02/12/12: Student Art Exhibit – Petersham Arts Center New Date! The opening reception for the Mahar student art exhibit at the Petersham Arts Center in Petersham that was scheduled for Sunday January 22 has been rescheduled to Sunday February 12, 2012 from 3 – 5 PM. Refreshments will be served. The student exhibition will run from February 12 through March 18, 2012

Power School Information

January 9, 2012 in News by gbunker | Permalink

Good morning Mahar parents. 

We have recently upgraded our Power School system. Your old login will no longer work. 

We need to know the name and grade of your student (if you need log in or password information). 

Below is information regarding the new link to your PowerSchool 7.  Please read and follow the directions carefully. If you have any questions or problems, please call. 

  1. Right click on your existing Shortcut to PowerSchool (on your desktop) if you have one. DELETE (Yes, send it to the Recycle Bin).
  2. Login to the Mahar website (rcmahar.org) > Technology > PowerSchool Parent Log In
  3. When that page opens, Right Click in a blank space outside the SignIn box
  4. Click on “Create Shortcut” in the drop down menu. “Do you want to put a shortcut to this website on your desktop?” YES
  5. Close the PowerSchool LogIn window and close the RCMahar website.
  6. Find the shortcut to PowerSchool Parent on your desktop, Open and Login as usual.

Sandra Eklund

Student Information Manager

978-544-2920

 

Class of 2012 John and Abigail Adams Award Winners Announced

November 28, 2011 in Uncategorized by mr. baldassarre | Permalink

Sent to all local media.  At 1:00 PM on November 3, 2011 twenty-eight students in grade twelve at Ralph C. Mahar Regional High School were called to a meeting in the Charlotte Ryan Theater. There, they were met by Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District Superintendent, Michael Baldassarre; Principal, Ismael Tabales; and Guidance Counselor Caitlin McKenna. These students were informed that they had been named recipients of the John and Abigail Adams Scholarships for their performance on their Grade 10 MCAS Examinations during the 2009 – 2010 School Year. There are a number of criteria that a student must meet to be eligible for this honor. First, a student must score in the Advanced category in either the Mathematics or the English language arts section of the grade 10 MCAS test and score in the Proficient or Advanced category on the second subject (Mathematics or English language arts); and must have a combined MCAS score on these assessments that ranks in the top 25% in their school district. Superintendent Baldassarre informed the students named below telling them, “I hope that you see how cooperation, hard work, and preparation bring about circumstances such as these. When you are willing to put in the effort as you have, your success is as predictable as sun in the summer and snow in the winter. ” Students who are named recipients of the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship are entitled to four years of free tuition upon their acceptance to participating Massachusetts public institutions of higher education, such as a University of Massachusetts campus or a community college beginning with the fall 2011 semester. Sadly, this scholarship does not cover the cost of college fees, which can be up to four times more costly than tuition, room and board, textbooks, and other expenses. Ralph C. Mahar Regional High School 2012 John and Abigail Adams Scholarship Winners: Benoit Carley Christopher Capuzzo Leigh Closser Linnea Duley Raymond Fisher Garrett Gale Travon Godette Paige Gonzalez Zachary Gordon Andrew Hough Steven Koonz Nicolaus Kowalczyk Jesse LaCroix Nathaniel Martin Russell McBurnie Jacob Mongeau Kyle Olsen Danielle Recos Gregory Richard Eric Sawin William Simmons Danielle Spear Susan Stewart Michael Sullivan Leah Truesdell Holly Wilson Emma Woodcock Casey Zeman

The Golden Rule: A Lesson From Father Al

November 16, 2011 in Uncategorized by mr. baldassarre | Permalink

I was forwarded an E-mail from Wendell Finance Committee Representative, Jim Slavas yesterday that was quite disheartening. Its content was yet another 1,100 words of opposition to the amended regional agreement that can greatly improve education for the children of Orange. Needing time to reflect on the contents of the E-mail, I hopped on an elliptical machine for over an hour. I could not help but be troubled because the Regional Planning Committee was not provided with the opportunity to have an informational session in the Town of Wendell, as we were in the Towns of Petersham, Orange, and New Salem. Not having the chance to engage Wendell’s residents in open and honest public dialogue with regard to our work was discouraging, to say the very least. As my heart rate went up I tried to recall my own life’s lessons with regard assisting my fellow citizens. Then I remembered Father Al. When I was in my early teenaged years I lived in downtown Niagara Falls, New York. Most of mine and my older brother’s peers were members of a CYO (Catholic Youth Organization). In thinking about this time, I recalled Anthony, a boy who would take into his possession anything that he could carry, and was not screwed down. I remembered Brenda, who had her first child at the age of 16, and David, who always had something harmful in his pockets. More disturbingly, I remembered my brother’s friend Danny, who my mother had to take to the emergency room because he took sleeping pills in attempt to take his own life. Fortunately, he failed. I recall tough times for a lot of tough kids who attended weekly mass, which was presided over by Father Alfred Pearson. Father Al was a good man who took us under his wing and provided weekly guidance in his sermon at what he called his “Youth Mass.” And because we were always prone to fighting with one another, his constant cry was for us to do to one another what we would like to have done to us. This familiar “Golden Rule” could not have been emphasized enough to us then and now that I am thinking about it – to everyone, always. Father Al had the best stories, and he sometimes told them with accompanying cartoons that he, a talented artist, drew himself. I vividly recall his “Golden Rule” story, and I believe he would appreciate me sharing it with all of you. Days after a fight between two teenagers in our group, he really got on us about this concept. He told us one of his amazing stories about the difference between heaven and hell. I remember him telling us to close our eyes while he told the story so that we could use our young imaginations to guide us along. In this story, he told us that in both heaven and in hell people had their arms replaced with forks that extended all the way to the floor. So from the forearm to the bottoms of our feet we imagined these fork appendages. Then Father Al explained in vivid language the difficulties that people had feeding themselves, because the forks were too long for them to get the food to their mouths. He said there was food everywhere, but nobody could eat it. They had to try to throw it in the air with their long fork-arms and catch in their mouths, but more often than not – it did not work. So people were hungry and skinny, for they could not eat. As the days passed, unable to eat they had hunger pains, and they grew weak. They cried, they moaned in agony, and the screamed. They could see the food, they could pick it up, but they just could not eat it. With this they became angry and hostile. Once our young minds had the picture of all of these miserable starving people with big fork arms he told us that this was the equivalent of hell. Then Father Al asked us to imagine the same starving people with their long fork-arms sitting at a long table. He asked us to imagine the table full of our favorite foods, be they pizza, cookies, chicken, or pasta. And then Father Al asked us to imagine everyone at the table taking turns feeding one another. This was his equivalent of heaven – his springboard into his lesson about the “Golden Rule.” The Golden Rule is not specific solely to Christianity and the teachings of Father Al. I read in a book recently the religions of the world with language similar to this teaching: Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man. This is the entire law, all the rest is commentary.” Buddhism: “Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.” Hinduism: “This is the sum of duty; do naught unto others what you would have them do unto you.” Zaroastrianism: “Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do to others.” Confucianism: “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” Bah’i: And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose though for thy neighbor that which thou choosest for thyself.” Jainism: “A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would want to be treated.” Yoruba Proverb (Nigeria): “One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts.” Whether it is because of religion or it is just common decency, Father Al encouraged us to help one another. I recall him telling us that we were to help others for one simple reason….because we can. Back to the Regional Agreement: Among the arguments of at least one Wendell Finance Committee Representative is that the regional agreement should not be supported is the sad finances of the Town of Orange, and the underperformance of Orange’s children. I ask for everyone to keep in mind that at the foundation of this agreement is the improved educational life for our littlest people – the children. Our member Towns of Petersham, Wendell, and New Salem have provided their elementary aged children with the gold standard in elementary education. At the same time these towns have provided the same gold standard for middle and high school students at Ralph C. Mahar. The children of Orange should have these same opportunities. If my arms were forks, I’d feed these children. I hope others can do the same.

Dear Wendell Residents: Our Children Need Your Help

November 16, 2011 in Uncategorized by mr. baldassarre | Permalink

“When the term community is used, the notion that typically comes to mind is a place is in which people know and care for one another – the kind of place in which people don’t merely ask ‘How are you?’ as a formality, but care about the answer.

- Almitai Etzioni, Sociologist

Quite often, when talking about education in the Mahar region we simply refer to our parents, students, teachers, staff, administrators, and member towns as the “School Community.” But when looking at the real meaning of the word community, I sometimes have to stop and ask myself….Are we really a community? Does everyone really care for our children? Or am I just using the word community in hopes that this could be the case?

Next week marks the most critical time for education in the Mahar Region since the year in which the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School was built in the 1950’s. Back then those who were brokering the new district thought that it was a fine idea to set the district up as a standalone from its K – 6 sending school districts, which we have proven again and again was an educational, financial, and philosophical bad idea.

Fast forward 56 years from the establishment of the regional district and the Mahar Region is seven days away from being a single school district. The new agreement provides for a grade Pre-K through 12 regional school district, with a single school committee, a single superintendent, and a single set of educational standards, expectations, and language that supports children. The Swift River School however, will not be a part of this agreement. The Swift River School will be left exactly as it is with its own school committee, its own budget, and well…its own everything.

The reason that the Swift River School is left out of the agreement is because this is what leaders in the Towns of Wendell and New Salem asked of the Regional Planning Committee. Wendell representatives to the Mahar Regional Planning Committee (Mr. Jim Slavas and Mr. Richard Baldwin) also asked that language be in the agreement to ensure that no Wendell or New Salem dollars are spent on Orange Elementary Schools or Students. And this language was created.

Mr. Slavas asked that the Wendell membership on the new Mahar Committee be raised from a single seat to two seats. And the new agreement now provides the Town of Wendell with two of the eleven available seats. Mr. Slavas requested that specific language be added for the consideration of an alternative assessment method. And in response, the Regional Planning Committee added his requested language. It was taken out after leadership in the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education informed Mahar’s attorneys that they would not approve the agreement with Mr. Slavas’ alternative assessment language in it, but we tried.

On Tuesday, November 8, 2011 I attended an informational session in the Town of New Salem to discuss the New Salem vote on the Regional Agreement. This event was held to provide New Salem citizens the opportunity to ask questions and learn how the new agreement does no harm to their Town or their school. Mr. Slavas was at the New Salem meeting and began upon a new argument for why this agreement should not be supported. I was not surprised to see Mr. Slavas there, and although his argument as to why the regional agreement should not be approved has changed time and time again – it remains the same. Mr. Slavas does not support regionalization, and he wants you and everyone else to know it.

I did a little research into Mr. Slavas’ arguments against regionalization and his consistent demand that the assessment methodology he created be adopted. I took his E mails and copied and pasted them into Microsoft Word. In all he has sent me 59 total pages (font size 12), and the word count on these correspondences is 23,967. I, along with the Regional Planning Committee have spent years responding to his requests, adding his language, and hour upon hour of dialogue with him about his concerns. He still remains unsatisfied with the agreement.

In the weekend edition of the Athol Daily News of October 29 – 30, 2011, Mr. Slavas was written to have stated that the Mahar School Committee voted to give me $80,000.00 in bonuses – which is not true. I don’t know if Mr. Slavas actually said this, or if it was some type of error on the part of the reporter – but if he did say it, you now have my official response. It is not true. It was about this time that it dawned on me that this man is doing and saying all that he can to stop the regional agreement from being voted.

Next Tuesday the people of Wendell will have a chance to hear our plea for their approval of our new agreement. It does not harm them in any way, but the old agreement cannot be changed without their vote of approval. Truth be told with regard to finances alone, if the regional agreement is approved the children in the Orange Elementary Schools will be the beneficiaries of:

Approximately $250,000.00 per year in Regional Transportation Reimbursements

Approximately $40,000.00 in state bonus aid for regionalization

Approximately $200,000.00 in funding as their town will be required to fund their schools at the legal level known as Net School Spending

The people of Wendell have only to show up and raise their hands in approval, and the children of Orange will have their educational resources are increased by nearly a half-million dollars. The district will also be eligible for an additional $400,000.00 in transition funds from the state. Nobody will ask a citizen of Wendell to open a checkbook or put a hand in a pocket. They have simply to raise their hands in approval, and the education system for the children in Orange can begin to heal. The children can be given a chance to learn with resources similar to their counterparts at Swift River and Petersham Center.

I beg residents of the Town of Wendell to attend their Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, November 15 and vote for the children. Give us the opportunity to help them maximize their human potential through education! You have only to raise your hand and say “Aye.”

Why People Resist Change: Fear

September 26, 2011 in Uncategorized by mr. baldassarre | Permalink

Not long ago I solved a cryptogram which was a quote from a man that I never heard of. It read, “Only fools and dead men don’t change their minds. Fools won’t. Dead men can’t.” My drive to work each day is about thirty minutes, and when not on the phone I take the time to think as deeply as I can about the issues of the day. On my way in this morning, this quote reemerged in my brain as I thought about the resistance to change that we are experiencing as we move closer and closer to the towns voting regionalization up or down. There are cadres of people who have been against merging our schools for a very long time. The merging of the districts in a Grades 7 – 12 regional school took place 56 years ago and conversations about bringing in the elementary schools have been going on ever since. Unfortunately some people have taken such a stance against our efforts to change that they have refused to listen and refused to think deeply about the possibilities. Still, we have gained momentum and as the times to vote approach and we have been hit with a barrage of questions and concerns that I jokingly refer to as “scuds.” You might recall in Operation Desert Storm the United States Military was quite successful in shooting down Scud Missiles fired by Iraqi forces via the Patriot Missile System. These missiles were renowned for both their destructive power yet joked about for their lack of precision. United States media outlets led the American public to believe that these missiles were the equivalent of a child trying to hit a piñata. Blindfold on, stick in hand, swing away and hope you make contact. Since 2009 information has become increasingly available about how much money has been saved in the consolidation of our offices. Then more information was made available about where new funds will become available. I think it is sad and unfortunate that the only thing we talk about is the money because what we are really trying to do this to make the school system better. Fewer people though seem to care about that. There are about two dozen people in our communities who have taken an active stance against merging our districts, and guess what…..they have no children in the schools. Over the last couple of years I have read a great deal about change in preparation to complete my doctoral degree at UMASS. There is no shortage of quotes about the difficulties associated with change. Famous quotes date back to the 1500’s when Niccolo Machiavelli is stated to have said, "There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." As the regional planning committee has continued to hammer away at fact after fact in support of regionalization, opponents to regionalization have become more vocal with their opinions in hopes of slowing and/or putting a stop to the potential change. But facts have a funny way of messing up opinions, so the opposition has had to call upon a new game plan. The new game plan is rooted in asking questions that haven’t been, or cannot be answered. So much of our energy and time lately has been spent answering questions. In many cases though, those who are asking the questions really don’t care what the answer is. They just hope to find something that is not answered to use as a reason not to regionalize. The Regional Planning committee has welcomed the questions however. Each and every one has provided an opportunity to provide clarity and deeper understanding of the issue. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know what I mean when I write about Ground Truth. In preparation for the votes to regionalize I will be posting reasons that certain groups of people will stand against regionalization. In general there are five reasons why people resist change: 1. People in general reject new and different things 2. People are not interested in change because it interferes with goals that they want to pursue 3. People do not understand the messages and consequences that will change their individual situations 4. People do not trust the person or people who are communicating the change 5. The most important reason: Fear Readers will find that the biggest fear among those who oppose regionalization is rooted in their individual losses of power and control. The next series of blog posts will highlight shifts in power and control that will result from regionalization. Those who read the blog will then have a deeper understanding of why certain groups of people will stand in opposition to this change. This will also provide clarity for voters so that when the time comes they can make the most informed vote as possible.

Benefitting From Debate

September 23, 2011 in News by mr. baldassarre | Permalink

This morning I caught a three minute video in which former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush along with Speaker John Boehner made a plea for citizens to make donations to complete the memorial being constructed in Shanksville, PA to honor those who were killed there in the attacks of September 11th. In the clip President Clinton stated, “What gets things done is cooperation. Conflict may be good politics, but cooperation changes lives.” When the next collection of leadership quotes through the ages is printed, President Clinton’s words will be read again and again. In my most recent blog I responded to a letter that appeared in the Athol Daily News. When I wrote my response to the letter there was not a doubt in my mind that I was absolutely and willingly entering into a public debate (conflict). While the word “debate” may carry negative connotations, there is so much value in it. Buddhist teachings identify debate as a means to develop awareness, improve concentration, reform opinions, and provide clarity to situations while at the same time bringing others to do the same. As a result of debate, I have at times been left to feel even stronger about my personal convictions and have also been called upon to say, “Ooooh…I didn’t think of that!” Truth be told, debate makes people smarter, more equipped, and actually helps us to develop personality. These are some of the many reasons for debate clubs in elementary and middle, and high schools around the world. But the most important reason is that through debate, we learn. In debate you can identify others to be well thought, well-intended, or unfortunately the opposite. Even worse though, try having a debate with an emotionally unbalanced person and you can find yourself in a world of problems. So last night I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Haskins in person. After an exchange of a couple of passages from the bible, and a brief discussion about the fiscal implications of regionalization, we shook hands. I explained to Mr. Haskins that I learned long ago that public statements are subject public responses, and private conversations are well…private. I explained my fear that a person who does not know all of the facts about the transformation that regionalization will bring to our town and schools could vote based on the public opinions of others. Ultimately, it is one thing to say, “Please come vote” and another thing to say, “My group does not support this issue, please come vote.” Mr. Haskins explained to me that he really hasn’t made up his mind about regionalization yet. He stated that he needs to know more about the financial implications of this project. In his letter he did use the words “At this time….” These words show open mindedness and is really saying, “Hey, we want some more information!!!” This request is more than reasonable, and it will be answered in the Eileen Perkins Media Center at Mahar on October 13, 2011. We hope to see you there.

Response to Letter in Athol Daily News from Orange Taxpayers Association

September 21, 2011 in Uncategorized by mr. baldassarre | Permalink

I received an E mail from an Orange Elementary Teacher who copied and pasted a letter that appeared in the Athol Daily News from Orange Taxpayers Association (OTA) Member, Brian M. Haskins. I never actually saw the letter in the paper, for if I had this response would have been drafted much sooner. In his letter, Mr. Haskins indicated that the OTA could not support regionalization at this time.

The first part of my response is simply a series of questions. The first being, what is the Orange Taxpayers Association? From what I have seen at public meetings it is a group of about a dozen or so people who are active participants in school committee meetings, finance committee meetings, and meetings of the Board of Selectmen. I have never asked them what it is that they stand for, what their mission statement is and/or if they have a vision statement. I could not find a website with their name on it, as I was curious as to what were their core values. I did surmise that they have something to do with trying to keep taxes low for citizens, but after reading Mr. Haskins letter I figured I must be wrong.

You see, I did some math today. It is a hard FACT that if the Orange Elementary Schools had regionalized with the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District in 2006, over the last five years $1,374,063.00 would have been available for the Orange Elementary Schools as a source of revenue. This would have come to the schools with no strings attached! With this much more to work with, I can say with great certainty that the roof at Dexter Park would not be in the poor condition that it is in. The $100,000.00 repair would have been covered and left $1,274,063.00 to spare.

The remaining $1.2 MILLION DOLLARS could very well have been used for art, music, physical education, books, computers, professional development, curricular materials, and/or other building repairs. In an Orange Elementary School District that is not regionalized these bills will have to be picked up by the taxpayers. So, I have to ask…Mr. Haskins:

Does the OTA stand for raising taxes or reducing them????

If you say reducing them, why would you reject the hundreds of thousands of dollars in state aid that will come to Orange via Massachusetts Regional Transportation Reimbursement each and every year????

Perhaps you know of some other way to return teachers to classrooms, repair buildings, and bring up to date technology to our schools???

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

September 21, 2011 in News by gbunker | Permalink

VACANCY ON RALPH C. MAHAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE

 

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