Election Results

 

 

     Congratulations to Ben, Mandy, and Elizabeth on your election to the Brunswick School Board. Thank you to all who supported my candidacy and voted for me. It is time to move forward and continue the work of supporting public education. I plan to continue regular blog posts on google at clough747.blogspot.com and will soon be launching a mechanism for collecting and disseminating public opinion that represent all voices on the issues our schools in Brunswick face.    

Local Politics, Part 2

 

 

     On Election Day eve, let's all do our civic duty and cast our ballots for our choices for national, state and local positions. Many of us have already cast our vote via absentee ballots. Good luck to all! I have encouraged everyone to become fully informed prior to casting votes and signing petitions that inevitably appear in various locations near polling places. One such petition that has been talked about in the press is a petition attempting, again, to overturn the Brunswick Town Council's vote to sell a coastal piece of property acquired through non-payment of taxes. A proponent group for retaining the land for public use gathered signatures and presented the signed petition to the Council prior to its vote. This group was upset and will plan, as reported in the Times Record on Oct. 20, 2016, "...to circulate a petition on election Day that seeks somehow to reverse the council's course. The petition will be in support of letting Brunswick voters decide if the land should be made a public park..."

     One of the councilors who strongly advocated for the land to be retained for public access to the coast, also wrote an opinion piece in the Times Record on Sept. 23, 2016. He admonished his fellow councilors who voted to sell the land that their interpretation of the town's 2008 Comprehensive Plan was 'very contorted'. He thanked the town's professional and volunteer staff (I will write more about our town's volunteers in another post) for their support. A reading of these groups' reports to the council could also be considered neutral, ie that the parcel had some value vis a vis their group's particular focus, not necessarily advocating directly for or against the town retaining or selling the land. This councilor ended his opinion piece with additional strong words, 'rejecting this remarkable opportunity should mean we reject Council representatives who do not reflect our community in the future.'

     The town's 2008 Comprehensive Plan advocates for obtaining water access, as funds permit. See it here: http://www.brunswickme.org/departments/planning-development/comprehensive-plan-2008/. The town's finance committee, of which this councilor is the chair this year, also recommended to the full Council a plan to fund this Capital Improvement Plan for 2017-2021 and it was adopted on May 28, 2016. See this funding plan here:  http://www.brunswickme.org/departments/finance/financial-documents/capital-improvement-program-cip/ .  It details a funding timeline for future town projects, including school department projects. There are many projects planned and recommended for funding and projects in development as well as desired projects but not recommended for this 2017-2021 cycle. Spending money on the development of this land is not included.

     I speak to this example of using the petitioning process as ineffective in achieving town planning.  We all acknowledge the citizen right to petition their government. But it is also not cost effective. The petition process will be divisive, in fact, it has already been divisive. It will cost the town money that could be allocated to achieving town projects, including school department projects such as a new elementary school. I believe some Councilors were speaking to the fact that the town has many and should prioritize those of immediate need, such as school replacement and closure of the landfill and they stated their financials concerns of being able to balance all these financial commitments and still be mindful of the annual tax rates.

     Please become fully informed before voting and signing petitions. It is convenient to stand with a petition and engage citizens as they enter or leave the building. It is another thing to engage in a fully informed discussion on whatever the petition issue is, examining all the facts leading to every side of the issue.





 

Pros and Cons of Social Media

 

 

     Recall a September 11, 2015 Bangor Daily News article by Beth Brogan, "Brunswick Officials Ask if Closed Facebook Group Skirts Open Meeting Law".  See the article here: http://bangordailynews.com/2015/09/11/news/midcoast/Brunswick-officials-ask-if-private-facebook-group-skirts-open-meeting-law/?ref=comments.  At the beginning of the article, an exchange between three school board members detail a discussion of an upcoming budget vote. "I will not support the....", writes one school board member. "I'm seconding ----'s post", writes a second school board member. "I am as well", writes a third school board member. Then a former town councilor, and lawyer, who must also be a member, warns in writing, "Don't accidently vote before the meeting." While I was not, nor am I now, a member of this group, it is obvious that a lawyer among them seemed to warn that they were about to do something inappropriate, perhaps a violation of Maine's public access law, for which every school board member and town councilor must sign in writing testifying that they have engaged in the training regarding this law.

 

     At that time in 2015, there were 4 school board members (and 4 town councilors) who were members of this Facebook group, which was by invitation and permission to join only. One year later, there are 5 school board members who belong to this Brunswick Community United Facebook group. Following this election there is a possibility there will be more members, perhaps even more than the current five, who are members of both the school board and the Facebook group. The town attorney at that time 'strongly recommended against allowing a 5th member of either body to join the group." The Superintendent of the school department commented, ...."If it's one person talking to another, that may not present a problem.  If there's a quorum - of board members and/or town councilors - talking about a particular issue, I think that could be a problem." 

 

    Regardless of all the pros of social media, increasingly, when social media is used it is very easy to forget or disregard not only minor social norms and values, but also laws like Maine's public access law.  Perhaps the time is upon us for a continued reminder of the town attorney's strong recommendation against 'allowing a 5th member of either body to join the group'.  Unless school board members confirm their membership in Brunswick Community United, how would we know if a quorum of elected officials are members, given that this is a closed, invitation only group? Perhaps it is also time that the Brunswick Community United become more transparent and 'open its doors to all'. 

Local Politics

 

 

     At the beginning of this post, let's acknowledge our right to freedom of speech and to petition our government. Let's acknowledge the desirability of community participation in our schools. These are fundamental and accepted. I will focus this post on how the use of petitions and other political organizing affect our schools.

     I will share that I am not a politician and don't have any political aspirations.  I am an Independent voter.  One might ask why have I chosen to run for an elected seat to represent District 2 on the School Board. Because I am a public school advocate. I don't view my service on the school board as political. In fact, you will not see me campaigning with signs posted all over our roadways. I engage in face to face, email to email discussions with people rather than give campaign speeches or give radio interviews that make promises on issues. I reluctantly offered the Forecaster and Times Record reporters responses to their questions they published. My personal opinions are secondary to actions/votes I may cast that support what is best for Brunswick schools, all children and their access to a great education.  What I support today may be different when a vote is called during a publically noticed school board meeting. My vote depends on all the information available to me at the time of my vote. As a school board member with responsibility as an employer, I want to see professionals collaboratively engaged in the work required to promote teaching and learning. As I shared in a previous post, School Board Roles and Responsibilities, just as soon as a school board member takes the oath of office, they represent the school department and make decisions that are in the best interest of the school department and all children within the schools. I firmly believe that politics have no place in school board deliberations nor the operations of our schools. Political actions only create winners and losers, the complete opposite of what I believe public education is all about. Political actions create divisiveness and bitterness, fueled by the press, public media and increasingly, the use of social media. More on the press and social media in a later post. Schools and the professionals who work in our schools open their doors, hearts and minds to all children who walk through the front doors every day. None of our children should find themselves in a school, program, class, or any other school activity that is the result of winning and losing political actions. We should encourage continuous active staff collaboration with each other to do what is in the best interest of the children they engage with. No staff should be put in the position of siding with one group or another of community members who are using the petitioning process or other political organizing tactics to win at something that they are promoting. It is hard work for educators today to meet the diverse academic and social needs of students. It requires a high degree of knowledge, perseverance, and teamwork. It requires a steady, forward thinking and moving staff.  Forward thinking. Forward moving. Aiming for great educational opportunity for all.

     Enter the petitioning process and our community full of politically active citizens who have no hesitation to use political organizing to influence the operations of our schools.  I have intentionally used the word 'operations' as opposed to a vision, direction-setting. I am amazed that many of our staff are able to stay above the political fray in their day to day activities and create amazing learning and social opportunities for all the kids they greet each morning.  It can be draining to collaborate with your professional peers and then realize that you may have to restart pending the outcome of a petition or other political process. It can be draining to realize that although you, your school leaders and school board are working to better the facilities that you work in daily, it may still be years before your new school is ready because of stops and re-starts caused by petitioning community groups, as well as other external factors. It can be draining to know that these political actions drain resources away from programs, services, supplies. Does anyone know how much inflation has added to the cost of a new school the school board has been planning for 6 years? Imagine what could be done with these millions of dollars - other school maintenance projects, other programs/services, reduction in tax rates.

     Let's ask ourselves - is there ever a time when petitioning and other political organizing does not create divisiveness, an aura of winning/losing, additional cost to the school department, additional cost to the town, additional cost to the taxpayer?  Is there ever a time when we can move forward without the use of petitions for the common good of our schools (and now our town)?

Blue Ribbon Commission



Blue Ribbon Commission



                                                           Blue Ribbon - of high quality

     I have been attending the meetings of the Commission to Reform Public Education Funding and Improve Student Performance in Maine. It has been referred to as the Blue Ribbon Commission since it was created by the Legislature last year. After a controversial closed door first meeting in April, the following 4 meetings have been open to the public. There are 2 more scheduled meetings. The primary focus of the committee has been:

1. "Public Education Finances and Expenditures - How do we more

effectively and equitably raise and spend over $3 billion

of local, state, and federal tax revenues per year for Maine's

public K-12 and higher education?" (Pre-k has since been part

of the discussion.)

2. "Educational Achievement - What are Maine's overarching public

K-12 and higher education student achievement goals and how

do we better align them with Maine's prosperity and quality of

life's aspirations?"

 

"Commission Outcome: A transformative grand bargain/action plan"

Potential : Commission members, together, have the capacity to carry

out substantive change where there is 'consensus' on desired 'outcomes'.

 

 

Here is a link for reading the specific supporting documents for each meeting. http://www.maine.gov/doe/blue-ribbon/index.html   Look on page 3 of the agenda of the closed door April 25, 2016 meeting to read, in part, ...."identify specific data/analysis needs for subsequent executive discussion, policy formation, and decision-making.."  Executive discussion, policy formation?  This sounds like reference to the Governor rather than the Legislature? Who will this Blue Ribbon Commission report its recommendations to, the Governor or the Legislature? It has been reported that this Commission's report will go to the Legislature. Look at the list of possible items the commission members might examine.  Might is a good word. The list is exhaustive and represents enough data for much debate.

     Now let's review some recent past statements made by the Governor. He has criticized.the MEA, the state's teacher's union. He has told local school boards to 'get out of his way'. He has most recently indicated that he will not include money for school superintendents in this coming year's budget. Teachers (through their negotiated contracts), school boards, and superintendents are all targets. He sees them as obstacles to getting his education agenda operational. The BOCES system in NY is one that he might like because it essentially has few checks and balances on state control over local education.

      Examine the BOCES October 31st agenda item and the documents provided. BOCES is New York's Boards of Cooperative Education Services and was established by law to 'provide shared services when 2 or more school districts have similar needs; 77 geographic entities were originally established and have since geographically consolidated to 37; the BOCES services schools can purchase include regional information centers (student information systems, school library systems, technology support to school districts); administrative and back office services (business services, payroll, substitute/itinerant teachers); advanced career tech programs (computer science, medical and dental assistants, LPN, food services)and remote learning/TV instruction (on line classes, especially specialized subjects like physics, foreign languages). Once a consolidated school system joins and begins using services, it is required to stay 'for life', there is no withdrawing from BOCES. The state approves the terms of a cooperative service agreement to receive BOCES aid, then school districts pay for services in the year service is provided, file claims for BOCES services and, if approved, the school district is reimbursed in varying amounts in the following fiscal year based on factors like district property wealth. Most districts can't afford not to use BOCES services because the aid is more favorable than the base aid districts receive.

     What is the role of the 'District Superintendent' in New York? This position is part time local and part time state. It is the chief administrative officer of the BOCES and oversees BOCES operations, but is also a field representative for the state Commissioner of Education, carrying out state initiatives. BOCES boards hire the District Superintendents, but only with the approval of the Commissioner.  Whenever a District Superintendent leaves or retires, the state studies the BOCES and usually results in further consolidation of BOCES units over time. Fewer and fewer true representatives of the towns' schools, larger and larger consolidated districts, and more and more state control. When the presenter, James Kadamus a former deputy and associate commissioner of school finance in NY, was asked if there had been any evaluative studies about the effectiveness of the BOCES system, the answer was 'no'. When asked if any studies had been done to determine if the BOCES system produced any cost savings, the answer was 'no'. Is this the model we want for Maine? It is if you want less local control, more state control. It is if you want to effectively eliminate superintendents in Maine and make them agents of the state to carry out state initiatives. It is if you want a state wide teacher contract which would reduce the strength of the teachers' union. Mr. Kadamus said during his presentation, "It gets pretty political at times." 

     Maine needs and wants teachers who can concentrate on their daily teaching and student learning while backed by a strong union to support a professional salary and working conditions, rather than a state contract controlled by politicians in Augusta. Maine needs and wants strong superintendents who are local leaders supporting educational programs for local students rather than a state education commissioner who might be manipulated by the political winds blowing in Augusta, and increasingly other parts of the country which bring their political agendas to Maine. And Maine needs local school boards to establish local policies and budgets that support their local schools.

     Maine needs and wants stability in its educational system.





Turn Back the Progress We Have Made?  

                         

 

 

 

 

     "I promise to restore chalkboards, overhead projectors, and ditto machines", writes Ben Tucker running for School Board in District 2 on his Facebook page. Sounds like going back in time. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, chalk dust is an irritant that triggers asthma, allergy attacks, coughing, wheezing, rashes and eye irritation. Allergic reactions and asthma attacks lead to increased school absences which directly affect learning.

     Even more toxic than chalk dust are the isopropanol and methanol found in the ditto solvents used in ditto machines invented in 1923 and long ago abandoned by schools. Modern Material Safety Data Sheet guidelines recommend the use of personal protective equipment during exposure to methanol.  Suit up, all you staff you use these machines. 

     Overhead projectors come with their own drawbacks. Unless securely attached, both projectors and electrical cords could present a fall hazard in busy classrooms.
 

     What other school progress would Mr. Tucker like to turn back?
 

     I, Brenda Clough, candidate for Brunswick School Board in District 2, support healthy school environments and practices for kids and staff and continuing to explore how modern technology integration supports teaching and learning.

 





School Board Roles and Responsibilities-What a Balancing Act!

 Roles and Responsibilities of School Boards   

 

 

 

 

          Since I have joined the Brunswick School Board, I have attended several training sessions that presented information on Maine school law as it relates to school boards. At one of the sessions, I received, Maine School Law and Practice for Board Members, written by Drummond/Woodsum law firm and edited by Larry Pringle, Ann S. Chapman, and Eric R. Herlan. The Maine School Management Association also publishes, MSBA Handbook: A Guide for Maine School Board Members and Maine School Superintendents. I have found these resources to be helpful in understanding my role as a school board member. Recently, our board had a refresher workshop on our role as a school board member presented by Melissa Hewey, an attorney at Woodsum and Drummond law firm.. This workshop reviewed the most basic, yet probably misunderstood, powers and duties of Maine school boards which is set forth in Maine law:

 

"a school board 'acts as a public board. It in no sense represents the town. Its

members are chosen by voters of the town, but after the election they are public

officers deriving their authority from the law and responsible to the State for the

good faith and rectitude of their acts'."

 

Ms. Hewey went on to say that school board members do not represent constituents, but rather represent what is best for the school department. It is difficult to reconcile this. The school department is made up of students of all ages with varying learning styles and educational aspirations. The school department also includes many employees, including teachers, support staff, and administration all who have different roles, but all responsible in their own way for creating a safe, welcoming learning environment for students. A school board protects the right of students to a public education, a free appropriate education for those with special education needs, and other support services such as transportation to and from school by following pertinent laws. A school board protects the rights of employees to due process. In summary, a school board, who acts as a whole, not as individuals, is:

 

A Legislative body and policy maker which

1. adopts policies and budgets                                                              

2. adopts a course of study that aligns with Maine's Learning Results

3. adopts a student code of conduct, emergency plans, etc.                 

 

A Judicial body which

1. decides student expulsions         

2. teacher and principal dismissals

 

An Employer who

1. selects and supervises a superintendent                

2. approves teacher/principal nominations                

3. eliminates teacher/principal positions                   

4. builds, manages, repairs, insures school buildings

 

 

It's a balancing act to hear individual constituents' concerns, follow the laws, and promote what is in the best interest of the school department and all students. It's a balancing act to present a budget that advocates for a comprehensive education for all students to the Town Council which does represent the town. It's a balancing act when interest groups use formal and informal powers to influence a school board or one member to do something that falls outside of the legislative, judicial, employment responsibilities of a school board. It's a balancing act to balance current needs with unknown future needs when building a new school knowing it is a huge financial investment for taxpayers. It's best to listen and solicit the recommendations of the superintendent, who in consultation with employees, knows the strengths, needs and constraints of the whole school department.  School boards will then find what's best for all students and employees and, thusly find what's best for their school departments. Finding the balance, finding the 'sweet spot' is delicate indeed. 

 











 



 

 





 

 

 





 

 

 

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