K Ross. FINALLY something that sounds like words on sanity:

"Ross in particular noted his concerns on hiring new staff members after hearing Town Manger Jodi Ross repeatedly say that up to 30 staff members could be fired in Fiscal Year ’15 without revenue enhancements, saying this was unfair to current staff members who had taken painful cuts during contract negotiations and that possible employees would not want to come to a town where they could potentially be fired the next year"

YES YES YES YES THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Where Olsen and Harkness just keep on pushing us down a path or peril here is someone in town who can see this 'big picture' Bravo on this one sir!!!!!!!

NO NEW TAXES!!!! This town has been more than generous to Town employees and School staff over the years.
Way past the time to live within our means!!

More than generous ?!

Comments have been deleted due to violations of the terms of use.

I hope there is a try at 2.5, I will do all that I can to help send a LOUD CLEAR message: NO!

I hope you are more successful than with Mitt Mentum

Town Manger Jodi Ross repeatedly say that up to 30 staff members could be fired in Fiscal Year ’15 without revenue enhancements, saying this was unfair to current staff members who had taken painful cuts during contract negotiations and that possible employees would not want to come to a town where they could potentially be fired the next year.

If we can let 30 town employees go in FY15, then perhaps we can restructure now. Reorganize town positions. There is some fat that can be cut. I hope we are not keeping employees to be "fair."

At best Westford has been fair to town employees in the past, Westford has not been 'generous'. "more than generous"??? Whatcha takingaboutwillis??!

I think more people need to start listening to Mr Ross as he seems to be the only one who 'gets it' in regard to our practice of more and more and more hiring ("to maintain our excellence" according to SC and Olsen) while at the same time we talk out the other side of our mouths that we are headed towards layoffs in a year+.

Either we are incredibly blind and unable to connect the dots between present and future OR the bluster of meltdown in FY2015 is a big bogus lie to manipulate joe public into an override!

None of the have the b.....lls to do what is needed. Massive cuts across the board. The overall system is bloated. It will never ever happen.

Sam, cuts are an abrupt 180 from hire hire hire. How about even a hire freeze this year and next of ALL new non mandated positions ? How can you hire someone one year and plan on firing them the next if your override fails (and teachers aren't going to accept last years 'deal' again next year, 1x take one for the team is their mentality)

I would like to ain't win school excellence but it doesn't look like we can afford it , have to settle for what we can afford ("near excellence"?)

School Chair Angela Harkness: there are many valid questions to be addressed. What is your rebuttal to Mr.Ross' statement above? Residents deserve more than the same tired talking point "mandates and maintain quality". Some town officials say we can't afford it, last year you said teacher steps were beyond our financial means but here is another budget where the schools are looking to further expand staff.

Andrew, Harkness was willing to do a Patch Chat (still waiting on Olsen and Antonelli) any chance you can ask her for another? Appropriate time for her to answer some questions, when teachers are working to rule next year there are certainly going to be questions then!

I suggest the Super and School Committee conduct a survey of staff in the WPS to measure morale then make the results (Data!) available to the public. we would like to know how much of the staff is as disgruntled as the comments here seem to indicate.

wouldn't most agree that teacher morale is linked to a healthy learning environment for kids?

Olsen and the School Committee won't touch the third rail of poor teacher morale with a staff survey, they actually are aware but don't want it public, lets pressure for this to happen and for the result to be public,

IMHO Fat to be cut should include

Police Department
1. Deputy Police Chief
2. Two Captains
3. Two Lts or Sgts

Fire Department
1. Fire Fire Chief
2. Close the Rogers Fire Station
3. Do not build the proposed fire engine storage facility at the soccer fields
4. Lay off 8 fire fighters
5. Start plans to shut down the ALS operation that is running a deficit of $400K+.
Contract ALS like Chelmsford and Lowell.
School System
1. Review all records of SPED students that are being placed out the system at cost as high as $150K/student-year. Specially the SPED students that are new arrivals to Westford. Westford SPED services may be able to better serve the students than an outplacement.
2. The Oct. 2012 enrollment shows that there are no classes with more than 20 students in
K-5. The SC policy is for student capacity is an avg. of 22.5 and 25 max number of students/room. By going to SC policy, a reduction of staff of 12.5% ~ 20 teachers could be achieved. Greater reduction could be achieved if a school is closed like Ms Judy Culver suggested.
3. The Blanchard was built in 1992 with a certified capacity of 900 students. The Oct. 2012 reported enrollment was 568 students or 63.1%. Staff reductions could be implemented.
4. Modifying the WA 7 drop 1 of 42 minute periods schedule to a straight 6 periods/day of 50 minute periods would result in a increase in 14.7% time on task for students with a reduction of 18 to 24 teachers.

How come Mr James isn't a BOS or SC member with this ability? Easier to throw stones than build houses I guess but come on financial cowboy dude we need a guy lie you or my neighbor Creek and who get off going over financial some for us! I am going to write in JJ and get things going. Cut cut cut the fat can be the slogan and so on

I say JJ or 'creek' (Creegan) for town office, nobody knows X's and Os like this couple, great partnership to benefit us.

Teacher reduction says Mr James? Interesting solution when the town isn't cutting but Adding in last year's and this year's school budgets. Please stop adding positions which will be cut in a year or two... Talk about short sighted! Jeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Last year Mr Olsen said at a School meeting he is only budgeting one year at a time, this is both evident and problematic! Let's start the cuts with the new positions we can't afford going forward.

Ah but Jessie, lets wait a year or so when the Library actually proposes and EXPANSION. In today's day and age with all the different media available they are planning an expansion.

I fought against that and their little scam.. The trustees actually threw some guy out there to do their dirty work and acted like they had nothing to do with it.. Typical Westford politics.

Sounds like a great idea. Not only can we get into the past but we can talk about what certain folks are trying to get done right now. The said part is most people only pay attention to the easy to pluck fruit and never really dig deeper to see what is really going on. The straw hats rule and rest of us drool.

Teacher Police and Fire Contracts up next year? Those folks are going to be out looking for 4-5% after the 0 take one for the town deals last time around....AND we are adding all these new positions...whats going to happen in 2015? Mass Layoffs? We going into the RED? My real estate agent already talks about seeing Westford Property Values drastically declining in 2015....Jeepers!

Sounds like we should start preparing refreshments for the BRING ON THE OVERRIDE Parties we are gonna be having then. Every 3 years you say you Mrs. Murray?
Dont underestimate the power of the wealthy pro-education blow in vote when they get mobilized behind the 'do it for the children' crusade.
How do you spell TIME BOMB? (I spell it NEW HIRES and more NEW HIRES)

Readers on this blog should realize that the average income of the Board of Selectmen has been reported to be in excess of $250,000 which brings them to the category of almost filthy rich.
The wealth of the Queen of Hearts is beyond comprehension.
So if you cannot afford Westford then the best advice is to go West or maybe North. I mean Western Massachusetts or New Hampshire, the state that came it without sales tax or an income tax.

Blow ins gonna pork us again when the override wagon pulls up, more worried about the Hookah Smoking Carter pillar myself than ol queen of Hearts! We went down the rabbit hole through the looking glass and found the magic money tree printing phony $3 IOU notes and such

I'd like to know what the alleged surprise "unexpected special education mandates brought forth by the state" were.

I think some of the health services should be trimmed. I dont understand why the town needs to offer all these health services when technically everyone should have health insurance and as a result has access to these same services. Does Westford really need to offer pap smears? Flu shots can be gotten at any pharmacy in town or your pcp. I'd love to see the argument why health services like these should be part of the budget.

SPED mandates seem to be mentioned a ton by the School Committee, are we providing Cadillac Sped benefits in Westford for our SPEDs?

Tolstoy - hardly. Westford is better than some, worse than others. They're not giving away the farm but they do have issues with the transportation and fallout from staff negligence in prior years.

JJ: My ASD child was diagnosed at 22 months and doesn't have a 1:1 aide to keep his whining parents happy, he is in a substantially separate class because he would never survive a full day in a typical classroom, and it is the only thing keeping him out of that very pricey outplacement in terms of the severity if his autism. I would love for him to be in a typical classroom all day long like his siblings, but I would love a lot more if faceless Internet trolls wouldn't make baseless ignorant comments about whether the dollars spent educating him are worthwhile. I know plenty of non-special needs students who grew up to fall well short of their educational ROI to society.
I have no sympathy for a $450k outplacement when a $10/hour paraprofessional (aide) or van monitor -requested and denied by those "whining parents" - would have saved the district the outplacement expense to begin with. If you knew their own negligence and penny pinching is what resulted in a $450k hit every year until the child ages out, maybe you'd not be whining about those 1:1 aides so much. And remember, the current SPED director inherited the imbecilin, and had to move it to a less dangerous boxen (that's a Brian Regan reference, lest your sense if humor fail you).

"Please note that recently the standards for diagnosing Autistic Spectrum Disorder have been changed so that over 70% of the currently diagnosed ASD kids would not be considered ASD."

Mine would, and even without the "label", he'd still be autistic. The DSM-V doesn't make him any more or less autistic, it's just an end-run around providing services to kids who need them.

http://thautcast.com/drupal5/content/panic-over-dsm-v-changes-autism-diagnosis

Life is clearly about dollars, pennies, shekels and bottom lines for some to the 11th degree and those people like the fake cowboy should take a deep breath and chill out, thank god for speak because there are sill people out there that would have these children sitting staring at walls all day. Bring on the override, yes vote from me after reading that

Jesse's draconian cuts seem like a quick solution to a growing problem...but usually quick solutions result in long term difficulties that far supercede the original problems that started it all. I don't think the Fire Department's budget is one that overwhelms the town. It never even caused me pause at Town Meetings when it came up for approval over the years. As a Forge Village Resident, I am glad the Fire Station here is finally occupied with Firemen (and I believe only 2 at a time, which isn't much at all). Having used the police and Firemen for my elderly parents, I appreciate the quick action and professional life saving services they provide. I have learned they only have 8 Fireman who work at a time...to cover all those buildings on 110 and strip malls and town growth? Really? Will it save money...maybe a little...at first. Will it hit the town hard? Yes, especially long term. I am guessing Jesse doen't live in Forge Village. Cut the Fire Chief? I admit, I don't know the Fire Chief, but if it's for budget reasons, don't we all vote and approve the Fire Chief's budget at Town Meeting? Maybe Jesse, you should fire yourself or the Towns people because they seem to be the ones who approve the Fire Chief's budget. Same with the Police...sounds more personal than anything.

You want to look at WFD cost as a cost per fire ratio? Holy mother! You are going to choke when the blow ins get an override vote approved at ATM for the new school staff positions!

See blog post- See disgruntled teacher apply their raise bs to it.

Sam, Jesse wants SPED kids left to stare at walls and not achieve their potential in least restrictive environment, yet you bash Me yet again. If you are tired of posts on an Internet site stop visiting rather than dissing. We know you stood with signs on the green and have reversed. Why?

That is not what JJ wants. You know and I both know that. Let me be crystal clear. I did not hold a sign for the your union, will never hold sign, and did not and will not toot my horn in support. My beef with you and the two other teachers who change names to create the illusion of size is that you post your silliness to every topic. We could have a story on a new cupcake store in town and you and your cohorts would jump in and talk about how we cant afford a cupcakes because of no step raises and the business is doomed because we have some new hires coming in. You didn't get a raise this year! Oh the humanity. Imagine the hardship. Head off to greener pastures. I hear there are few open spots in the high paying Acton system.

Jesse...I can feel the hate towards our public safety personel seathing through your posts. Clearly there is a personal agenda going on here. I can imagine there is FAR more wasteful spending in other areas than the Fire/Police Departments. Empire? My goodness. Yes, I do have warm fuzzies towards the Firemen and Policemen, because they do a job I wouldn't want to do and they are there when needed, like they were for my elderly parents, even though my parents are still around maybe because of them, my warm fuzzies (according to you) caused our town go into finacial crisis. 8 Firemen on duty is not alot for a town of 22,000 people, 7800 structures (as you pointed out) which include houses, large businesses, schools, retail malls, hotels, resaurants, car lots, etc... nevermind old mills. I couldn't imagine trying to put out a fire in one of those buildings with just 8 Firemen, nevermind all the medical stuff or accident emergencies. We should be outraged? Not me. Volunteer Firemen? I don't know how anyone can even be one these days. I am sure their is a lot of training involved and with the economy right now, they most likely need to work a job or two at all sorts of hours...so how often do they go to emergencies? They did about 3000 EMERGENCIES (about 8 or 9 a day, your numbers) How many saved? How do you judge that? If they should close any station it should be one near you, not in our Village. If you said we had 10 stations with 20 Firemen in each, I may agree

I think it's interesting when the town spends itself near the red the blame is placed on teachers, policemen, and firefighters. Humanity!
And Sam the cupcake shop went under but I hear there are some openings in the public sector here in town. Can't imagine the outcry when they cut trash from the budget as I hear is already being discussed for next year (oh the horrors of a back door tax hike)

Over 70% of the spending is for salaries, benefits and overhead support for employees.
The BOS put their collective tails between their legs and ran for cover over the gun bylaw. My money is that the incompetent and inept town leaders will run for cover again. They do not want their properties covered over with garbage, sleeping teachers, policemen or firefighters.

Jesse, You are quickly losing credibility now...and it's almost not worth responding to you. Even I know minimum requirements for a Fireman these days are more than a High School Diploma and being able to pull a 140 pound dummy. They need to go through intense training at a thing (even I know this) called the Fire Academy, just like Police go to a Police Academy. I am sure, especially in this state, licenses and certifications apply as well and are required. I also think they need some sort of medical training...I don't think they just hand these guys needles and medications and say "here ya go". BTW (your term again), I think it's a law where if you work for so many hours, you are allowed to have lunch and breaks, but I don't think Firemen or policemen get the same oppurtunities people like us do to have scheduled breaks...yet they are still allowed to eat aren't they? BTW, wake up call Jesse, Firemen have been sleeping in between emergecncies at night for a couple hundred years or so...all over the world...not really a newsflash here. I would rather sleep in the comfort of my own home in my own bed with my family close by than with a couple guys I work with. BTW..you do realize your example of the ambulance was 25 minutes after you called and the fire engine was 35 minutes? UhHuh.

A Fire Truck came to our house with an ambulace. Thank god they did...my Dad is a little heavy, but he was very sick on top of that. They carried him down the stairs and treated him. They didn't need "moral Support" as you condescendingly stated, but needed the physical help. You say your posts aren't about the Firemen, but they really are. You make underhanded remarks of them in every sentence you write. You claim they are trying to build an "EMPIRE" out of a Fire Department that has 8 Firemen (BTW who are also trained as medical emergency medics) on a shift...to handle an entire town of 22,000 people like you said and 7800 structures of varying sizes, purposes, etc. During the day with all this traffic and business it must explode with people. Stop trying to hurt the Firemen and the safety of this town, as well as their professionalism and the amazing things they do, all because you don't like their Fire Chief...because that is what your doing. Same goes for the policemen. I have no idea about the Chief and his history, but if you have an issue with it, stop trash talking everone else and stop trying to be spiteful. I just think it is sad. Maybe you wanted to be a Fireman once and was denied? So now you hate them? I mean, you obviously spend hours researching item by item by line of the Fire Budget. Did you ask why the Chief needed 1000 dollars worth of bottled water? He might have a good answer for you...but if you don't ask then how ill you know? sad

Support our Police officers, Firefighters, and Teachers! (Welcome to Westford anti-Gun, Anti-police and fire, Anti-teacher, but 2Market Baskets!)

I am disappointed in some residents with their reckless comments

Is it WELFARE programs or Liberal School Curriculum that you dont support yourself?
I think its actually progressive that WPS teaches liberal Sex Ed (and not only heterosexual sex is part of the curriculum but homosexuality and masturbation)

You know the Abbott school classrooms have large OBAMA HOPE posters and dont see much Reagan up in there know what Im getting at.

First let's stop with the repackaged "progressive" talk. You are liberals. Call yourself that. The tired argument about conservatives and their lack of caring about welfare programs is sad. What I disagree with is the waste that goes along with these programs and the glee and entitlement which you clearly get from receiving the benefits. When I see comments like yours, you bet I get pissed at YOU spending my hard earned dollars. And believe me they are hard earned. As far as your liberal agenda being shoved down our children's throats, you bet I disagree. I believe schools should be for learning not for your social experiment. If the tables were turned at our schools and the shoe was on the other foot. Imagine what your outrage would be. You act as if Reagan was against educating our children How foolish. He isn't up there because you and your union and liberal buddies wouldn't dream of actually praising someone other than your own. So as you sit home today during your day off because of snow, enjoy your short lived relaxation. Let the LAYOFFS begin.

Layoffs? The school committee You elected is adding, not subtracting, school positions remember?
Guess that was a No to gay see being part of serial education in our public schools. This is education not an experiment and there us more than one way yo make Hoo Hoo these days is what the schools are teaching, Gay Day of silence in our high school us less than 3 weeks away guess you aren't a fan of standing as an Ally

Vin, teachers GOT their step in year 2 and got 2 steps in year 3, the town originally offered no step butte threat of the Unfair Labor practice suit made them change their tune, don't know why you keep saying no step, the contract is available why don't you read it. Buzzzzz

Thank you 'A Teacher' this is what WPS teachers were up against last year and will be another go round the next. Entertaining how many people start with "I appreciate the work teachers do, BUT..." And then proceed to slam teachers

Vin, I am amused that you throw back ZERO remarks and clearly ASSumed something you knew nothing about, just like you you assume drugs are not all over WA and I am telling you they are. End of story.

Terminated for exercising free speech? For telling the truth? A cancer you say, guess if I was running my mouth about save our guns some people never tire of those rants!
I thought you said in November wish #1 was a Mitt Romney victory to spare you another 4 years of progressive liberalism under President Obama? When we wish upon a star...

Tracked to where? The server? My IP address that is routed through a proxy server? With a warrant perhaps to a business with dozens of access points? To a home where my spouse comments on my behalf as much I as do myself...bluster.
You know TRUTH is defense for both libel and slander. I have made no claims other than my own opinions and truthful assertions. Can you prove otherwise or reference what cases of libel/slander specifically I have committed!.?

Gotcha Andrew looking to keep things civil and fully inside the Terms

For anyone interested in the SPED line being used I researched other school districts throroughly for the year 2011. Here is how Westford stacks up

I can give you schools with roughly similar enrollment numbers for 2011-12 year. Bear in mind Olsen said it costs on average about $100k to teach special ed kids.

Town | Enroll | Sped | Sped % | Tot Teach | Sped | Sped T %
Franklin |6032| 1072 |17.77| 416.1| 81.7 | 19.63
Marshfield |4671| 831 | 17.79 | 323.5 | 50.5 |15.61
Natick |4825| 750 | 15.54 | 333.1 | 28.4 | 8.53
Fitchburg |4881| 1260 | 25.81 | 333.8 | 58.2 | 17.43
Somerville |4855| 1104 | 22.74 | 338 | 33 | 9.76
Chelmsford |5307| 857 |16.14 | 340.3 | 42.5 | 12.48
Needham |5358| 803 | 14.98 | 344.7 | 21.2 | 6.12
Marlborough |4573| 1013 | 22.15 | 348.7 | 45.9 | 13.16
Shrewsbury |5938| 972 | 16.37 | 351.9 | 48.7 | 13.84
Wellesley |4892| 832 | 17 | 357.4 | 48.6 | 13.6
Woburn |4809| 894 |18.59 | 364.3 | 37.1 | 10.18
Attkeboro |5855| 1137 | 19.42 | 365.8 | 67.1 | 18.34
Medford |4849| 999 | 20.6 | 382.9 | 68.3 | 17.84

own | Enroll | Sped | Sped % | Tot Teachers | Sped Teachers | Sped T %
Braintree |5467| 1165 | 21.31%| 384.8 | 70.7 | 18.37%
Billerica |5792| 1284 | 22.17%| 397 | 59.4 | 14.96%
Westford |5291| 609 | 11.5%| 357 | 22.4 | 6.27%
2010
Westford |5273| 581 | 11%| 360.5 | 33.9 | 9.4%
2009
Westford |5308| 588 | 11.08%| 354.9 | 36 | 10.14%
2008
Westford |5284| 580 | 10.97%| 361.9 | 37.6 | 10.39%

It seems that Westford saves SUBSTANTIAL money every year compared to schools with similar enrollment numbers because of the low number of SPED kids. Where has that money been going all these years? I'ts not to the teachers. I'm so sick of the town crying "poverty" when by your own calculations you far less per child to give an above average education, save millions in sped education because your enrollment is so low and pay your teachers below the state average. All you people who are anti teacher, thats fine. But don't you want to know the asnwer to what I just asked you? Where is all that money? I just gave you the numbers, so vs other school districts you save between $25-$60 million? Where is it? This town feeds it's citizens fodder not fit for a pig but people eat it without questioning it.

Nothing new should be bought, until you can pay your town people as you told them you would. That includes not "back door" docking them via insurance.

Should I just repost the towns article on how they saved the town money on health insurance by getting them an equal plan, but just as I said, (because I've done this before, but then again why listen to me) the next year the insurance went up, copays went up. The town advertised that they saved the town money with an equal plan while they could, knowing full well that was the teaser rate to get them to switch, the next year, it went up, now they want to cut the insurance plan and increase costs again.

Your taxes burden (rate x avg value) is higher than all but one of those towns

Your teachers are paid lower than most of those towns

You spend less per child than many of these towns, few spend less than you. But they do not rank in the top 5% of school systems.

You have literally hundreds of fewer sped kids than those other towns. Sometimes they have double the number withh similar overall enrollment.

The sped kids you have statistically shouldn't be that expensive to teach because you have one of the lowest sped teacher ratios.

You just saved a bundle by withholding steps for all town workers.

Your insurance coverage and split is already amongst the worst in MA, you want to make insurance even worse.

This is not longer teacher vs towns men, fireman vs, private sector. I've got the numbers...

I've done the research, Westford has a serious problem on it's hands. You are stacked against the competition in every way favorable to you at the expense of town employees, yet you pay some of the highest taxes. IT IS NOT GOING TO THE TEACHERS NOR THEIR INSURANCE, NOR THE SPED KIDS! Where is it going.

The last round of sacrifices the town employees were more than fair, I can't believe the Town has the gall to try to get more. And they masterfully get you to look at teachers as the problem. I gave you the numbers folks, you are smart enough to add and subtract, what is it going to take for people to wake up and start asking what the real problem is?

Continuing to squeeze your employees is not an option, and none of the unions should stand for it. None. You fold this time around you are just going to be pushed around forever. You've been reasonable, it's time for the the town Govt to show some responsibility and reason.
R

All union protest tomorrow on the common against the Westford beat down of its employees, the reputation is spreading Westford is no longer the place to move and raise family, BOS so out of touch they try for unconstitutional gun grab, SC routinely walks on backs of its educators
ENOUGH! The lines are drawn,