Reinstate Cut Faculty Positions and Table Any Plans to Redistrict Students as Proposed in the Groton Dunstable Regional School District FY 2015 Budget

Plenty of teachers out there who will work for less than ours. If thehy have a problem with a salary cut hire new teachers who will work for way less. Theres plenty out there.

Thanks for your response, and clarifying some of the questions I raised. We definitely are in agreement on the big picture. I have no doubt that the 13% admin increase number came from a reliable source. I'd just like to know where one can find the numbers behind it, so that everyone can understand the context and proportion. For example, did the increase come from adding staff or increasing salaries? Was it so large because cuts from previous years were restored? And if we roll back a one-time increase, what's the dollar amount that we're talking about? When I look at the "School Committee and Administrative Services" line item in the proposed budget, it's decreased $14K or 1.1% since 2012. We can look at any one year and see large increases or decreases, but over time it looks pretty flat. Just want to make sure I'm looking at the right numbers.

Any program offered at schools are used to promote self-expression and community bonds within the student partaking in it. Letting go of one particular ones because of the budget is simply careless of

This is too important to ignore!!

Drama and Theater are very important to the lives of many and can help students both acedemically and socially.

Drama classes and after school programs are so important to so many people. Getting rid of them will not save much money and make no one happy.

Jeff, Thank you for your comments. As one of the originators of the petition, I welcome all discourse around the proposed school budget. After the original petition went out, I had to revise the increase language to better reflect it was a one-time increase. We have multiple sources that it is an accurate figure. Superintendent Bent made the adjustment when he came to the District. The originators of the petition want fairly paid Administrators. However, in a time when the budget was grossly mismanaged, a key role of the Superintendent's office and the School Committee, we feel it is fair to request that these increases are looked at as a cost cutting measure. In terms of "right-sizing", we are asking that it start with the school choice students from outside of our towns. We only asked that it be tabled until a well thought out plan is in place. We are not trying to create a faculty vs. teachers atmosphere. If that is the current atmosphere in our school district, it was not created by this petition. We do feel strongly that the teachers and students have faced the outcome of this "nickel-and-diming", and ask the School Committee and Administration to go back to the drawing board with the proposed budget to help alleviate the impact at the schools. We welcome the new Superintendent and hope she will bring strong leadership to our District. You are 100% right that the bill has come due and that it is time to get serious about the education of our kids by creating a sustainable source of revenue and better fiscal management. Gina Cronin

12 years ago Featured

Does cutting the lowest-paid faculty members really make a difference? To better effect meaningful change in the budget, faculty cuts are not the way to go and only serve to punish students and teachers for administrative mistakes.

Thank you for your consideration.

Well said Jeff! I couldn't agree with you more!

First, let me say that I commend the spirit behind this petition and thank the organizers for drawing attention to some of the issues with the proposed 2015 budget. However, I find myself challenged to say that I support all of the items. While I certainly do support reinstating positions that may increase class size or impact the quality of education, I can see that there may be some areas where "right-sizing" may be necessary given declining enrollment. I also don't find it very productive to make this into an administration vs. teachers fight--the fact is they're both important to a high-quality school system. We've had too much turnover at the top over the past few years, and this is not the right tone to set as we welcome a new superintendent. Could the petition organizers provide references or methodology to support the 13% increase in admin salaries? I'm going through the proposed FY2015 budget, and while there was an increase between 2013 and 2014 (after a cut from 2012 to 2013), the district admin budget has been cut 3.8% for the 2015 budget. If Groton and Dunstable are serious about providing a great education for all of our kids, we need to stop looking for places to cut, and step up and fund our schools. It's the responsibility of ALL our residents to ensure that the next generation is educated, and that means providing a sustainable source of revenue through higher taxes and better fiscal management. We have been nickel-and-diming for too long, and the bill has finally come due.

12 years ago Featured

I hope means of raising funds to cover the deficit are considered that do not involve cutting services to our children. The FY2015 budget should be made without trying to cover the $2.5M carry over spending.

Please keep Groton-Dunstable Regional School District from falling down the stair of less-than-adequate-education and option.

For the kids...

Time to have administrators that can do their job. You know the one that they are paid for. Every year this is a problem. Can we just figure this out once and for all. Superintendent after Superintendent and still all the same problems.

Class sizes over 20 are not effective for elementry students.

I completely agree. Our priority as parents is to foster our children's growth and development to its greatest potential. This is our time to unite as a community to ensure the best decisions are made for our children from here forward. Thank you for organizing this petition.

We must take action to rectify the wrongs of the past. Our children the future should receive the proper education they deserve. Not be penalized by an over crowed under-funded school system. My family bought a house in Groton 3 years ago. The main motivation purchasing a home in Groton was the reputable school system. I personally can not even understand how such gross oversite in budget and funds was allowed to occur.

It's clear that the administration has been irresponsibly tracking, allocating funds and negotiating with the teachers unions. As a tax payer and parent with a child entering the schools system I encourage the administration to take a long hard look at the impact these decisions have on the future of our families and the stability of our community. Minimizing the size of our government and administrative staff is far more responsible than just simply cutting teachers and blending classrooms.

Groton, MA