Here are the results of today’s votes
Registered Voters: 4764
Total ballots cast: 1335 28%
SAD 35 Budget Validation Referendum Passed
Shall MSAD35 accept the budget that was adopted at the Budget Meeting on June 5, 2008?
Yes 740 | No 581
South Berwick Charter Amendment Failed
Shall South Berwick amend its Charter to provide for the recall and removal from office of elected municipal officials?
Yes 498 | No 833
Maine state primary and referendum results to follow.
Are you sure you’re not barking up the wrong tree? Is there really some other message you’d be more effective in making?
Bill,
While I agree that $6,000 is trivial compared to the 26.2 mil budget, some things come to mind.
1) Unless they have a household email address for evey house in both towns, they will still have to send out mail to every house, so no real reduction in postage.
2) School Board meetings are public sessions unless they vote during the meeting to go into executive session. Will board business now take place out of the public forum via email? What rules and processes have been put in place to avoid misuse in this way?
3) The main reason provided was so they didn’t have to pass out hard copies of board documents during and prior to meetings, which is a noteworthy goal. However, what precautions are being taken to back up all of this data?
4) All of these documents are part of public records with the exception of personel related issues, which for the most part should be maintained in the Superintendants office.
How are these records now going to be available to the public?
Dave your 100% correct. It will now need to matain for a public E-mail
access, and create another policy as how to release the emails to the public. in turn more reason for the public to become frustrated. There is by law only one keeper of the personel records. It can not be the computer taken home!!! We need now to get a copy of the use of public computer policy!!! Keep up the great work
Dave,
These are competent people, with competent administration. These would be dedicated machiones with dedicated use, not to be mixed up with home email addresses. They would save a lot of printing and postage.The pit-falls you suggest will be avoided.
If your point is efficiencies, I would suggest you support the lapotops, and get on to some other thing. I honestly think this is the wrond example to be chasing. I think the credibility of the argument is lacking.
You guys are something. There are no conspiracies. The board and the administration would assure that there is access toi all documents. You think that the laptops are a ploy to get around that? Come on… This is a simpel modernization; every business does this all the time; those that don’t fall by the wayside. If you want to make a point about costs, I would suggest you think of something else.
This reminds me of the description I heard several years ago about a tax cap group that was off base:
“They know the cost of everything, but the value of nothing”
Bill,
I was refering to the savings on postage you were refering to.
The home email addresses I was refering to are yours and mine etc… not their own home emails, because a bulk off the postage costs is sending information to every home in Eliot and South Berwick.
They are not mailing forms and paper work to each other prior to every meeting, but are passing them out at the meetings..
It is not out of the question to expect that policies be put in place to avoid misuse.
I am not accusing anyone of anything, just stating that having these policies in place prior to any problems arising is good business practice.
As I said to Susan Pullar, I don’t disagree with modernizing and reducing paperwork, I just believe that policies need to be put in place prior to anything like this going into practice.
I also feel that considering the fact that the state cut funding this year, there are many things in this year’s budget that could be looked at, and some of them put off until next year. This includes the laptops only because they are not a dire necessity at this time.
How are they going to avoid the multiple emails going back and forth, which could legally constitute a meeting?
You may be sure that these things will never happen.
I believe that policies and procedure should be put in place to make everything clear on proper useage.
OK…….. but take advantage of the efficiencies of laptops; they’re cheap and will have advantages that ought to start now. Again, there may be things that could be delayed or eliminated, but this is the wrong example. I think Catalina will be using this as a poor example of what she’s concerned about, and her argument will be diminished by that poor example.
I think Catalina has every right to ask for a explanation concerning the vans as well as the laptops. Unfortunately I wish I could have attended the school board meeting and I look forward to reading about the outcome on this website. This is a great tool to keep the public aware of what is going on in town and gives us a voice. thanks Molly.
Bill take a deep breath!!!!! your lacking a little O2. back to earth !!!!!!
Anon,
My O2 levels are just fine, but thanks, but I still think you’re barking up the wrong tree. Your message may have validity, but your focus on those examples is not significant. The argument gets lost.
I would like to know why the school budget has no money available for energy saving devices or systems.
The County Court House installed a Geo-Thermal system and went from$50,000 a year heating and cooling to $4,000.
Oil prices are not going down, ever.
There are all kinds of grants etc. out there. I will try to get to School Board meetings after the summer break.
Do I have to ask for permission to speak beforehand? If so, how democratic.
We need to have the School Board be more responsible to the citizens who are paying through the nose. we ask that our Town Council be more responsive, why not the School Board.
Oh by the way, some people may have high credit card debts,etc. etc.most people do not need to be in that situation.
When I grew up I was told to buy only those things I could afford, or wait to buy till I had saved enough. My credit card debt is 0 and I am on a fixed income.
With energy costs exploding and town taxes going up, I will have to cut back on a few things, no more splurges.
I voted against the school budget in the hope that if it goes back they would have to do a little tweaking, sadly the scare tactics of education getting worse and teachers having to get canned, and what not, worked.
The School Budget is the majority of my taxes, everybody got on the Town Council to cut and cut, including the circus with every item having someone to introduce a new number, the paper ballot on each item etc. but the school budget went with no major complaints. Go figure.
Have a good summer all, the bees are doing fine.
George,
I believe that items that are scheduled for a school board meeting would be in the lines of some sort of presentation, and would not include questions about budget items and such wihich would be more suited for the public comment part of the meeting.
If you had a dog and pony show to provide information on the Geo-thermal systems, with a recommendation that the board look into it, then you might want to schedule time.
I could be wrong, but that is the impression I got at the last meeting, and from the rules and regs of the board meetings on the MSAD 35 web site.