64°
Julie Kelley, Stacey Jackson, and Bob Remillard
Comments
Pandiscioisabully:
Well Said Wachusett Parent!!
What is going to happen when cuts to local aid hit this spring? We will have spent this 1 million on the test phase of this project. Then we will find that the district needs to lay off 50 teachers. Then we will need another over ride to pay for those additional costs.
Our school committee members need to stop drinking Tom's kool aid! Wake up!! You are elected to represent the people not your own self interest and Tom's bloated ego! Time to vote no on this.... People are enraged!!
Maybe it's time to vote out these school committee members who are NOT listening to the people who have elected them!!
Lets not forget that this will turn into a multi year expenditure that will result in MILLIONS spent. This plan is absurd!
Submitted on November 21, 2011 - 6:37pm.
wachusettparent:
I attended the meeting regarding this initiative and left concerned that our superindendent is in a crusade to spend money in an area that he himself, as he admited that night, knows little about. He showed a video from Canada to try and sell us on this idea that we should be spending, or approving additional funds towards this intiitave, rather than discuss how technology will be used in OUR schools with OUR own children.
There was not one bit if hard evidence that spending this money will improve test scores, or grades for our children. It would have been nice if they followed up with the Canadian video with facts about how technology improves education but Dr. P apparently didn't do his homework, or felt that we were all just going to go along with his silly idea. This idea of iPads is ridiculous and the public is is outraged by this but the committee and he are not listening to the public. We don't want this, and you should remember, that we have the right to say so, not only that but you should consider that we may be right. I believe in technology, having worked in high tech, I certainly am a proponent of bringing technology to the schools but not when it's being done carelessly.
I have two questions for this panel:
1. Have you taken a tour of Glenwood's technology center in Rutland? I know for a fact that Dr. P has never entered it. Do you know how technology is being used there and how it is being taught to the children? I suggest this group in the above letter go in and see what can be done with 1 million dollars, other than iPads.
2. What other things have been considered when deciding how to spend this 1 million? Did you price out smartboards for everyone in the district? did you price out getting more comptuers into the school? Or, are you so smitten with Dr P. that you are just doing whatever he asks without forming your own opinions?
Submitted on November 21, 2011 - 10:53am.
janiceandco:
Silly idea? Really?
1. Without WiFi, you can't have a technology center that is mobile even from classroom to classroom.
2. Smart boards are a step backwards. Perhaps we should go back to chalk?
3. Computers are not the newest technology and are also a step backwards. They cannot be shared as easily as a tablet. And they cost the same if done right.
The main thing lacking is the mobile access of WiFi even in the newest buildings.
I believe the rest of this "Silly Idea" could be funded with grants. But the infrastructure is a capital expense and should be treated as such.
If you work in "high tech" then you are really not paying attention to the needs of the workforce. Even line workers need to use tablets now in manufacturing plants.
I think everyone is just hung up on the word iPad. Regardless of how you implement net technology it it is still going to cost money.
Submitted on November 22, 2011 - 1:35pm.
Name Withheld:
Thank you to Ms. Kelley, Ms. Jackson, and Mr. Remillard for their thoughtful, articulate argument in support of this plan. However, as Mr. Meyer wrote in his equally compelling piece recently, the fact remains that we as a Town, as a community, indeed as a nation, have got to start regaining a sense of fiscal responsibility- not only to ourselves, but indeed to our children.
It may well be the case that technology initiatives like this are critical foundational endeavors for the future of our children’s education. It is also undoubtedly the case that being good stewards of our taxpayer dollars is an imperative for the futures of all of the children of our Town.
In that regard, what concerns me immensely about the myriad newly proposed spending measures mentioned in Mr. Meyer’s previous letter (e.g., the seemingly inevitable push to substantially renovate, if not outright rebuild the Mountview Middle School) is that we seem to be at the point in our public discourse where we have omitted almost entirely the fiscal realities involved. And this piece on the Technology Initiative is, unfortunately, wholly in keeping with this disturbing trend.
We would doubtless be a “safer” community if, for example, we could install a satellite fire station in every last quadrant of the Town of Holden. The fact remains, however, that the fiscal reality precludes this. We would doubtless have a better educational environment for our children if we could double to triple the pay of our teacher, but while only retaining the most elitely-qualified and credentialed teachers. The fact remains, however, that the fiscal reality precludes this.
But the salient point is, we have got to start regaining a sense of balanced, measured discourse about these spending initiatives, predicated on fiscal reality. The seemingly endless chorus that repeats logically-challenged mantras like “it is only going to cost the average citizen, or the average family, the cost of one cup of coffee a day” every time a new major spending initiative is proposed is exactly the type of thinking that could well ultimately lead our Town to fiscal ruination. If anyone doubts this, look at what is happening in Europe- the direct consequence of decade after decade of the uncontrolled, unmitigated fantasy that one can have “free serves for everyone” when in point of fact, sooner or later the folks paying for these “free services” can no longer afford them. Sooner or later, we shall all enjoy our very last “cup of coffee” if this mindset is left unchecked…
Having said this, to Ms. Kelley, Ms. Jackson, and Mr. Remillard are to be applauded for their use of civil discourse and their eschewing the type of base vitriol so common to this category of debate. Those of us who are growing gravely concerned about the myriad spending initiatives being proposed in our Town, and at a time of true fiscal peril in our Town, our Commonwealth, and our county, do not hold our beliefs because we “hate” or because for some unexplained reason we “want to see our children left in the stone age” or because we “want to see criminals roaming the streets” if we oppose the next multimillion dollar public safety complex.
Quite to the contrary, we hold to our beliefs precisely because we love our Town, our Commonwealth and our nation, not to mention most of all, our children, and we wish them all to have a future.
Submitted on November 19, 2011 - 11:37am.
edmeyer:
How interesting that they show a web log from NEW BRUNSWICK CANADA and that neither of their supposed testimonials even mention iPads. Perhaps it would be better if they could show us a single city, town or regional school district in Massachusetts that has spent millions of tax dollars on such an expensive experiment.
Submitted on November 19, 2011 - 10:18am.
edmeyer:
How interesting that they show a web log from NEW BRUNSWICK CANADA and that neither of their supposed testimonials even mention iPads. Perhaps it would be better if they could show us a single city, town or regional school district in Massachusetts that has spent millions of tax dollars on such an expensive experiment.
Submitted on November 19, 2011 - 10:14am.
edmeyer:
How interesting that they show a web log from NEW BRUNSWICK CANADA and that neither of their supposed testimonials even mention iPads. Perhaps it would be better if they could show us a single city, town or regional school district in Massachusetts that has spent millions of tax dollars on such an expensive experiment.
Submitted on November 19, 2011 - 10:14am.
I will start by saying that I have alot of respect for Julie, Stacey, and Bob. They are all good people. But I disagree with this project. I have copied a letter that I sent to the Daily Holden last week. It has not been published yet. Please read below.
Dear Editor,
I fully understand the importance of technology in today's society. Technology is a very important part of everyday life. Our children certainly need to understand technology and become proficient in its use.
The district is proposing to spend one million dollars to get this new endeavor off the ground. The cleanup at the Jefferson School came in one million dollars under budget and these funds would be used for the IPAD project.The buildings will be set up with wireless technology and students will be receiving IPAD's. In a perfect world, this would be a scenario that would benefit the students, teachers, and schools.
However, as we know our economy has been far from perfect for several years now. It is not news to anyone reading this that we have been in the deepest recession in generations. It has been the worst downturn in the economy since "The Great Depression"
Many parents have lost their jobs and are struggling to pay their mortgages. Gas prices continue to rise. Property taxes have continued to climb. College expense is at an all time high. Families are being squeezed in many different directions and can barely make ends meet. Is this the right time to start a project that will most likely result in millions in expense over the next few years? From my understanding this first one million dollars is for the test phase of the project. How much in additional cost are we looking at in future years?
How many teachers have been "let go" over the last few years? How many more are in danger of being "let go" this school year? If we rush to vote on this project in January, will we know the full effect of upcoming budget cuts to cities and towns? It would be a shame to approve and spend this one million dollars in January for the IPAD project and then find out in May that we need to "let go" of 25 teachers. Personally I feel that the one million dollars that was not spent in the cleanup project should be returned to the towns of the district. However, if the money were to be spent to save the jobs of 25 teachers, I would consider that to be a viable use of the money.
As we have also seen, technology is moving at light speed these days. What is a new and cutting edge tool today can be antiquated by tomorrow. A few years back, Blackberry's and Laptop's were considered cutting edge. Today it is IPAD's and IPhone's.. Who is to say that two years from now that IPAD's won't be antiquated technology? In reality, they most likely will have been replaced by a new cutting edge product.
I can certainly see the value in having wireless internet in our buildings. We will then have the connections that will be necessary to host the changing products such as the IPAD. However, we cannot underestimate the rate that the technology will change and the expense associated with those constant changes.
To me there are alot of questions that need to be answered. There are alot of scenario's that need to be investigated. We need to slow down and think about this proposal to make sure it is the correct decision for our district. No one can argue that technology is important. But I also argue that our teachers maintaining their jobs is important. I believe that middle school foreign language is important. I believe that families need to be able to survive in this very difficult economic climate.
Without our teachers in place we will not have people to teach the proper operation of the IPAD's to the students. My request is that we do not vote on this important issue in special meetings to be held January. We need more information from the district. We need to find out what the total expected cost of this project will be. We need to find out how many teachers will be in jeopardy of being "let go" this spring. I feel that we are being pressured to act without having answers to many important questions. We are not buying a used car. We are considering a major investment that that will effect all of us. Lets all take a deep breath and vote at the town meetings in the spring. We cannot rush into this blindly.
If we receive more details about this project,we can decide at the spring town meetings if this is the right time for this project. It could be that this is just not the right time for this project. Let informed parents make the decision in the spring. We all deserve to understand and consider the entirety of this project without making an uninformed decision that will effect all of us for many years to come.
Jon DiVito
Rutland, MA