In 2015 , let go back and review the day in Leyden.
( SC is for school committee )
Jim McCray of Warwick also expressed his concern over the possibility of adding a public safety officer to Pioneer.
“A school that has a police officer on duty is a huge negative in my mind, and I’m against that unless there is a need for it,” he said. “I don’t see any reason. I can’t see how our school or the reputation of our school is helped by having an armed officer for my kid to see every morning when he walks in.”
Now if I remember correctly , more than just Jim agreed with this unanimously, but was shrugged off by the SC and Miller. Students also expressed deep concern about how they felt and that too was written off. Now, a school that once had 42 teachers has what 14 or 15? A school once know for its spirit and pride now has parents searching to find new ways to educate them and school choice no longer exist. ( Tell us SC hows that working out for you now that you pissed taxpayers money away? Just curious. )
Also the new Superintendent location, remember that?
Another source of discontent was the relocation of the PVRSD’s central office back in January from the Pioneer campus to a space at 168 Main St. in Northfield. The decision came following the discovery of mold in the old office’s basement. The 18-month lease includes monthly payments of $3,030 for an annual total of $36,360.
Scott McKusick, a clerk of the works who examined the mold situation, said at the meeting that the mold was minor, and could have been easily remediated. He sees the administration’s decision as a poor use of taxpayer money.( and it was )
More money pissed to the wind and wasted and the SC once again made excuses stating it wasn't made to last forever .. hmmm but it was OK for Dayle Dorion before you pushed her out right? It was also OK to piss away thousands of tax dollars for a rental when this could of been resolved the first year. Just curious but hows that working out for you now SC?
Or my favorite quote -
Now we can add the teachers who spoke out against Miller, Bacon and Perry. Thats right people, all them teachers gone spoke out against them and now have no jobs.. ANOTHER WARNING YOU DID NOT LISTEN TO SC AND THAT CAME FROM TEMPLETON TWO YEARS AGO. ( Again we jut need to ask how is that working out for you now? Yep, were still curious )
Remember this? This was two years ago.
Two of Franklin County’s regional high schools received “silver medal” rankings, placing them among the nation’s top 9 percent of “Best High Schools,” according to US News and World Report.
According to US News, about 32 percent of Pioneer Valley Regional School students take Advance Placement courses, and the graduation rate is 91 percent. Based on MCAS scores, 97 percent of students ranked proficient in English and 93 percent are proficident in math
Pat Shearer own words:
“Hallelujah,” exclaimed Pioneer school board Chairwoman Pat Shearer, when told of the news. “That has happened to us maybe 10 years ago. I’ve saved the magazine. That is so great. We’ve got a wonderful group of teachers and administrators that are top-notch. That really helps make the kids what they are. It starts from kindergarten on, not just the high school,” Shearer added. “We’ve had graduates go on to military academies, Harvard and Yale, other so-called ‘superschools.’” ( won't be saying that again now will ya Pat) Maybe we should contact these news source to do an update on how PVRS has progressed these last two years, I am sure alot will be said by many.
Look at us now . :( In just two short years our once happy and healthy school has become this today where parents are looking for other sources of education, where school choice is down to zero and where it once was a student-teacher ratio for Pioneer was 12:1what is it now ? (I am sure we are not even close what maybe 75:1 ) Last I heard PVRS is lacking in paras as well and looking for new hires , how nice to throw people outta jobs and than replace them and lets not forget ALL the administration got one hell of a hefty rate increase in salary. I guess Miller needs this extra for when she starts helping her boy friend with his new school . In all honesty people how can we with a good conciousness allow her to go to a private school and do to the teachers and students what she has done to Pioneer and Templeton as well? I know your also reading Templeton , shouldn't the state be aware of this abuse? You had the boyfriend who was also asked to leave due to his behavior by Templeton after Miller made sure he got one hefty raise before leaving.( that came from a Templeton source ) Seriously how can we allow this abuse to continue ? Now were talking about ALL children's lives here and this is not acceptable. It's high time we all write letters to the state to ensure that they are aware before allowing this to go forward. We may of not been able to save our own schools and teachers but maybe we can save others. ( His name is in the blog history)
John Graziano in case you didn't find it .
Now for my final thoughts, two years ago we warned you of Miller and her despective practices ,( Loss of administrators) we warned you how she will want her own space ( moving to main st) we warned you she will explode budgets and give her administration raises, we warned you she would fire anyone who spoke out against her, we warned you of abuse and lying, and here you are , loss of teachers, admins,and now students, and oh, lets not forget a financial source of income , SCHOOL CHOICE. PVRS was once the go to for school choice its not even considered because of the mess of this school and with that in mind you lost over a half million dollars when that class graduated last year. Also, keep in mind if the contractors to take down VY move into Vernon, thats more children and they will ask about schools and you have been black listed , more money you won't see due to abuse of your SC and whats running Pioneer now and yes, that also includes Perry and Bacon HIGH on that list. Jut a FYI for you , many in school choice chose PVRS due to its size and no POLICE OFFICER (they could have that at BUHS) and its academics and teachers and Administration you got rid of . You cut off your own footing here. Not to mention the loss of a great band leader and the two hired quit before they even came . Your batting zero here. SC when are you gonna smarten up?
Be aware we are watching .
NORTHFIELD — With dozens packed into the Pioneer Valley Regional School library, many to speak out against a potential cut of the school’s police resource officer, the School Committee this week sidestepped a vote to axe the position.
The fate of the districtwide resource officer — a Northfield police officer who works 20 hours a week, 16 of which are at the regional school — was saved ultimately by an opinion by the district’s lawyer who said it would be unlawful for the committee to cut the position, which is slated to cost the school $28,000, after both the school board and the town of Northfield previously approved the position.
“The money is in that budget and we need to spend it,” Chairwoman of the School Committee Patricia Shearer said.
Instead, the committee decided to keep everything the same for this school year.
The committee will later discuss its role in reviewing the officer’s responsibilities and to clearly talk about what it can afford in subsequent years.
Spanbauer told the committee that it would not be realistic to cut the position, considering the logistics of the job. He stated that about half of the salary is paid by the school and the other half is paid by the police. And without the position, it “throws our police department payroll into chaos.”
“Now we’re not sure what we’re going to do with our town budget regarding the police,” Spanbauer said. “We’re disappointed, but it is what it is.”
Instead of opening up the room to discussion at that point, the committee moved on with its agenda and returned to the discussion of the police position later.
Member Jeanne Milton of Bernardston got out of her seat and described the importance she sees in the officer. She chiefly cited his ability to offer CPR training to teachers, without an additional cost to the school.
“If we saved the lives of one student, then it’s worth more than $28,000,” Milton said.
She also added the value of the officer as a role model at the school: “To lose another respected male figure in this school is a huge detriment to us.”
Before further conversation ensued, Superintendent Ruth Miller noted “We can debate this, but we have a signed contract with Northfield Police … We have an obligation to Northfield to fill this position at this time. Cutting it at this time makes no sense.”
Hanging over the discussion was conversation on continued budget cuts in the district, as others said the committee needs to be mindful of the money it spends.
Member Susan O’Reilly-McRae of Warwick complained the school board had not reviewed the officer’s job description.
“I can’t find any minutes that talk about the job description being reviewed by this committee. I see it in budgets, but I don’t see it discussed,” O’Reilly-McRae said. “As a job in the building, we should be involved in approving that job description.”
At this point though, the chairwoman told the committee the district’s lawyer said it would be illegal to vote to eliminate the officer’s job.
Nonetheless, conversation continued.
“My suggestion is since we’ve cut so many people, we focus on teachers,” O’Reilly-McRae said.
The superintendent said there should not be debate over the job description of the resource officer.
“A police officer is a police officer,” Miller said. “We can’t change his job description. When he walks into the door, he is a Northfield police officer.”
Later on, Northfield Police Chief Robert Leighton would reiterate Miller’s point when she asked him, “Rob, is there any flexibility in the (SRO’s) description?”
“Not really,” Leighton said.
During this conversation, member Sharon Fontaine of Leyden made clear her position.
“We’re in a tight situation. It’s about the money,” Fontaine said. “It’s not about him,”
In a speech that received an ovation, 15-year-old Ella Potee advocated for the position, although she had initially told her mother she was not a fan.
“I can confidently say now I’ve never been more wrong to start an argument with my mom,” the teen said. She continued: “Last year’s turmoil was stressful for all of the students. I can say affirmatively to have a familiar face is critical.”
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