It was perfect weather for a parade today. Bright sun, cool breeze.

Grand Marshall Peter Tsapatsaris

Many thanks to Barb Souza and her team who put this together once again.

An article in this morning’s Lowell Sun identified Dracut’s Peter Tsapatsaris, World War II Veteran, as the Grand Marshall of the parade.

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At the last Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Town Manager Piendak made a significant report to Article 5 on the Town Meeting warrant, explaining a good deal of the fiscal 2013 budget that will be presented to the town meeting.

One chart that caught my eye:

This chart explains part of the reason we don’t have a great property tax base.  In comparison to the towns around us, Dracut has the lowest per capital taxable single family property. With less property to tax, you get less revenue. (this is only one indicator, but an interesting one)   I will look into the history of this statistic, as I am interested in seeing what the growth in this valuation has been over time for Dracut.  Must of the solution to the tight spending in town may be through growth (limited though it is).

As to the School Spending as a percentage of town spending:

And how is it that he says that the town is putting in more than whats required for net school spending?

So the town is planning on putting in over a half million above what is required by the state towards education.

The rest of the town is having to provide is services with 35% of town revenues.  These are the people who arrive at your home within minutes of your dialing 911. They’re the people managing the recreation programs, the library, patrolling the streets, cleaning the parks, clearing the brush and branches, building sidewalks, and protecting your children.

The question I guess is whether is whether people think its possible to take even more from the municpal services to fund school services.

An email floating around from the President of the Performing Arts Boosters calls for just that:

As parents of students who have experienced the benefit of going through our program, I hope that you might voice your support for our program and let the decision makers know what the music program means to you, your family and our community.  I urge you to attend town meeting to show your support.(bring a friend or neighbor) Without enough support at town meeting to approve the requests for an increase in school funding, measures may be taken that drastically hurt or cut programs.

With the revenues already set for next year, directing an increase to one department by definition will come out of the others.

Dr McNamara’s article calling for a committee to be formed to review town finances is a good one. The detail for the town side is provided in the annual budget book.  We need to go back to having the school budgets available to such detail as well, and that committee, if formed, should probably start there.

There have been some really good exchanges on the Dracut Forum regarding the Dracut School System, the budget, the teachers’ salaries, Dr. Scott’s predictions for next year, and the School Committee’s handling of all of the above.

 The school department is just one of three key factors for determining a student’s success.  The other two are the parents and the student himself.  Of course outside influences can’t be discounted, but in the end, how the student approaches school and learning are greater determinants of where this student goes in life.  Take it from someone who’s been there from the Daoulas years to the Spencer years (and suffered a lot of the same angst today’s parents are going through) – in the end it didn’t matter who my children had as teachers or administrators, or the test scores or GPAs they received.  What mattered more was their approach to school, their inner drive to succeed, and their willingness to be better students and, in the long run, better people. 

 That’s all that matters – what kind of adults your children grow up to be – and only a portion of that is influenced by their school system.  Consider your coworkers.  Do you know by their work ethic where they’ve gone to high school or what town they grew up in?  And do you care?  I doubt it.  What you care about is whether the person pulls their weight, is honest and ethical, and an asset to the company. 

 Throwing more money at the school system isn’t necessarily going to make it better.  What can improve it, however, is discussing with your fellow parents how you can support your children, the teachers, and the school department to make it an effective and productive system.  Become informed and educated about your town.  Watch or attend School Committee and Selectmen meetings, go to PTO, School Council, or other school- and town-sponsored meetings.  Attend Town Meeting and learn about your local government, make sure to be an active participant at Open House and any Parent/Teacher meetings, and volunteer your time and energy where needed.  This past election was an indicator of how many people are concerned with how their town and school system are run.  There were approximately 3800 voters.  Where is everyone else?  Do you realize that there are more students in the Dracut schools than there were people voting? 

 Raising children is an 18-year minimum, 24×7 job, and the results may not be visible until after the child is older or leaves home.  But, it’s the most significant job a parent can have.  Which is more important – knowing the contestants to American Idol or knowing your children’s teachers?  Where should you be – at the local watering hole or at home helping your children with homework, reading to them, and preparing them for the next school day?   Many parents are willing to pay for sports and dance equipment, camps, and singing or music lessons, but will they pay for a tutor or SAT prep classes?  Not always, and they’ll justify it with “our taxes should cover that” or the school system should.  Why go the extra mile or spend the extra buck for your child’s muscles but not for your child’s mind?

One could argue that the people posting on this forum fit the bill when it comes to supporting the school system and their children, but there are many others who aren’t as involved.  Reach out to them so they realize their efforts are important and will result in positive benefits for their families and the schools.  The school system and teachers should not bear the responsibility of feeding our children breakfast, teaching them not to bully, and providing everything they need to know about sex education.  That is the parents’ responsibility and when parents take back that control they automatically make the teachers’ job more focused on educating our children.

 By all means, keep posting on the Dracut Forum and opening up discussions.  But along the way, look at your neighbors, parents of your children’s friends or teammates, and others outside of your inner circle and do all you can to involve them and educate them on the importance of being engaged in their children’s lives, the school system, and the town.  Being aware and involved is much more valuable than the dollars spent on school services.

I’ve attached the Dracut Segment of the Saturday Morning live program from this morning’s show.

Warren Shaw and I discuss Dracut issues [ 12:47 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (67)

Earlier this month, we were notified by Senator Barry Finegold that the Senate had passed a bill in support of Veterans, active Duty personell and their families.

The legislation from the Senate requires higher education to award credit for prior military training, coursework and experience, makes it easier for children of active duty service members to transfer from one school to another, tax exemptions to help with housing, and legal support for those veterans needing help rather than incarceration.

The bill allows a longer term for professional license renewals, such as engineering and firefighter licensing. It also allows for a local tax exemption for veterans who volunteer in their community.

Senator Finegold:

“There is nothing greater we can do for our veterans than give them as much assistance as possible when they return home,” said Finegold. “The jobless rate for young veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is double that of their peers. They need educational and employment support. This bill makes money available to veteran-owned businesses and gives academic credit for a student’s prior military service. The best way to repay our vets and their families for their service is to give them the chance to build a successful and prosperous life upon return to the U.S.”

The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate.

Beacon Hill Role Call this week informs us that the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a similar bill last week, also unanimously, including our own Rep Colleen Garry.

From the Beacon Hill Roll Call in the Lowell Sun:

Provisions include facilitating seed money for the start-up and expansion of veteran-owned businesses; expanding eligibility for the Massachusetts Military Family Relief Fund, which provides help with the cost of food, housing, utilities and medical services; requiring Massachusetts to join 42 other states in the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which makes it easier for the children of military personnel to transfer between school districts and states; and permitting communities to provide a property-tax exemption of up to $750 for veterans who do volunteer work.

Senator Finegold this week informed the Dracut Forum that the two bills were very close, and he expected a reconciliation to occur fairly quickly, and expected no resistance from the Governor.

Tags: Finegold, Garry

I attended a meeting tonight at Harmony Hall sponsored by a number of parents of students in the Dracut School system who seem intent on increasing resources for the schools.

In support of that, they planned this informational meeting to help educate others about the current financial situation with the schools, and where school funding comes from.

I did note that they did not talk extensively to where schools (or any other town departments) spend their funds. This effort so far only seems about revenue and total spending levels.

In attendance, beyond the teachers, politicians and staff, town employees and a few others, were about 25-30 other parents. Most identified themselves as members of the school PTO’s.

A number of speakers were invited to speak to the audience, including the leaders of two school PTOs, Senator Barry Finegold, and Tewksbury Selectman Scott Wilson.

Senator Finegold spoke to the fact that this is one of the first in a number of years where we can actually predict an increase in state aid to the town of about $376,000.

He then spoke to the number of successes that Dracut can boast of: its low dropout rate, 10th grade testing results, and the incredible town support as seen by the scholarship program.

He agreed that the town also has some issues common to all, such as consistency in leadership. All the towns and cities are having problems retaining Principals and Superintendents. The systems seems to be designed to encourage their transition.  “Time on learning” could be increased, with the state offering funds to support it (though he mentions others have had trouble getting this started).

He recommended a greater involvement with the University of Mass in Lowell as a way to bring greater AP curriculum to our students.

Money that is used, he said, must be used carefully..with strong oversight. He mentioned the MSEC problem as an example here.

And he emphasized, that if this group makes the issue of school funding about “town versus schools,” nobody will win.

Scott Wilson of Tewksbury emphasized that there they had gotten a number of projects passed and issues resolved by creating a long term, wide ranging coalition of support by all stakeholders: Selectmen, School Committee, employees, and taxpayers.
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For the fourth annual year, Lakeview Junior High School’s 7th grade students had the opportunity to hear the story of Janet Singer Applefield, a Holocaust survivor, on May 16th. Mrs. Applefield was born in Cracow, Poland on June 4, 1935 and was only four years old when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Her parents realized the danger of the situation and sent Janet, whose real name was Gestava, to live with her cousin. Her father was subsequently sent to the Cracow Ghetto and her mother to a concentration camp. She never saw her mother again.

Mrs. Applefield was then sent to live with her cousin and was given false identification papers to conceal Janet’s Jewish identity. The horror continued for hert as she was abused by her cousin and ultimately was left an orphan when her cousin was taken away by the Germans. She was then placed in an orphanage run by Lena Kuchler who helped to save 100 children, including Janet, by smuggling them out of Poland and into France. Janet was among one of the fortunate children who was reunited with her father and in 1947 they relocated to the United States.

For over 20 years, Mrs. Applefield has been speaking to school groups from middle school to college level not only about her personal experience but to spread the message of acceptance, tolerance, and the need for diversity. A message much needed for all.

This year’s presentation was made possible through a grant from the Dracut Cultural Council and Lakeview’s PTO.

Response to all who posted on Shawn’s website regarding the C.P.A. fund. The Community Preservation Act was enacted by our legislators, as I remember it, in December of the year 2000. We, here in Dracut, accepted it in Feb of 2001, less than 2 months after it became, law (did someone already have insider information?)

I was there and voted to accept this act after hearing from an individual, who, at that time, I had no reason to disbelieve, heard him give his dissertation, that the Town would be able to buy land and keep it as open space (80%); preserve Historical places (10%), and housing (10%).
I’m not going to repeat myself on how this one individual sold us a bill of goods, because, no one seems to care. This town is well noted for its total lack of interest and the “little” people who received the benefits of this individual’s lack of conscience, I’ve already singled out and beating a dead horse won’t make them any smarter.

I would however like to bring out a few things that those who posted on the matter might not know or have forgotten: 1. Not everyone in the Town opted to pay the 2% surcharge (yet, I always wondered how many of them might have been at Town Meeting to vote for or against proposals involving CPA funds); 2. Another approval at T.M. that gve the CPA committee the approval to spend 1 million on what the committee considered a “good deal” for the town without Town Meeting approval.
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The Dracut Baseball Association’s 12 Year old Travel Baseball Team is offering up a Red Sox’s vs. Yankee’s raffle for a $20 donation. 

These funds raised are being used to help support this years team participation @ a weeks long tournament in Cooperstown, NY this summer.

This tournament has been a tradition that goes back many years for the 12 yr old team here in Dracut, thanks to the great support from the town.

The Raffle is for (4) State Street Pavilion seats to the July 7th Red Sox’s vs. Yankees Game along with $250 Cash for Hot-dog’s & Beverages.

The 2nd Place offering is a one night stay @ a suite in the Chelmsford Radisson along with breakfast the next morning at the Independence grill.

Raffle winners will be notified by June 7th.

If anyone is interested in offering there support they can contact the Team via our Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dracut-Dirt-Dogs-2012/232154826799233

or Email: dracutdirtdogs@comcast.net

 Updated Since Yesterday, I had inflated the registerd number by mistake

There are more registered voters than on this table, but they fell outside the age groups that participated in the election.

The percentage listed here is the percentage of registered voters within that age group that voted in this election.

At the monthly meeting of the Dracut Housing Authority, Executive Director Mary Karabatsos was congratulated by the commissioners for attaining the Authority’s first “High Performer” rating in a review by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD’s Real Estate Assessment Center measures the performance of a public housing agency (PHA) using the Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS), a centralized system to collect data from housing agencies and rate them as a measurement of the PHA’s management performance.

Under almost all indicators, the Dracut Housing Authority attained, a perfect score.

For PHA Physical Indicator: 98 out of 100, Financial: 25 out of 25, Management: 25 out of 25, and Capital fund: 10 out of 10.

Karabatsos and her staff, both office and maintenance, were commended for this assessment.