Westford's town meeting has become more entertaining and bizarre are than a 3 ring circus complete with midgets, high wire, and freak show sides!
The town admin spends money like water and the tight fiscal conservative 'watchdogs' look like they are passing kidney stones as the expenditures get approached. I just wish Bob Costas was on hand to conduct post game interviews at the end!

Yes

Yes. I'll be attending.

Yes.

I hear many folks are hoping Jeffries and D Keele are going to preform a pantomime routine at half time and JRoss might work on her snake charm routine! Whooooo hooooo

Absolutely. What particularly has frustrated me about the recent gun discussion is the turnout for that issue (not to mention all the commentary) and yet the other more pressing issues in this town such as the budget gets barely a quorum at town meeting. Town meeting is long and sometimes frustrating but it is important to go and be heard and to be educated on where your tax dollars are going.

Most sane people find Town Meeting boring and hope that the elected officials have enough sense to do what is in the best interests of the citizens as a whole, a whopping big assumption. So, most everyone does something else. Having said that, I'll be there and will encourage others to attend. The boredom is occasionally interspersed with some very entertaining moments, along with some very enraging ones. Plus it is true democracy in action, very few places in the US have an event like Town Meeting where ordinary citizens can have a direct impact on how their taxes are spent and how their government acts.

Unfortunately I will be out of town on vacation. It is important that all town voters try to attend this meeting. I agree with Vicky the budget is the biggest concern of mine. I wish the Town meeting could be more streamed line. Maybe do the Budget as just one session this is the most important part of the town meeting in my opinion as well as the School Committee report.

Now that guns are off the table, the meeting will be packed with people receiving a paycheck from the town and or a benefit from the town which means all these bloated budgets will easily pass with no talk of reductions. Financial crisis! Ha! Spend more, increase budgets and worry about it later. As long as I get my paycheck forget the rest.

Lets fire our unionized teachers, police, and fire and replace with cheap non union foreigners on work visas instead ?

Wow, that is quite a leap. I am simply stating facts. Union employees will pack TM and all vote to approve these bloated budgets. That is a FACT. Then turn around and complain the do not get their steps (see Jamaal on every blog posted)

Not true,
true,
Many WPS teachers are upset over the bloated budgets as you because DESPITE the fact teachers weren't given their steps, the budget for WPS is bloated as ever because our Superintendent and School Committee keep adding more and more positions! They are outraged that last year no money for a fair contract But the approved budget had multiple completely new non mandated positions

There are many WPS staff who would like to see the budget (which has a 0% raise for them yet is bigger than ever) REJECTED at town meeting Sam

Well when there maybe they should stand up and say something because I have been attending for over 10 years and yet to see one utter a single peep. All raise their hands and say yea and clap and applaud like they just won the lottery. Are you at these meetings?

With the climate of animosity and mistrust between many teachers and administration I doubt you are going to see that anytime soon, (if you disagreed with the policy decisions of your company would you stand up and say so at a shareholder board meeting?)
Just giving you a little perspective that teachers have not been feeling like lottery winners of late! Perhaps you mistake teachers with school administration (of which there is plenty)

That answers my question. I understand that teachers got burned last year. I have family members who are teachers and I respect all of them. But if you got your raise and steps we wouldn't be hearing from any of you and at TM we would hear the cheers over passing a bloated budget again. I think each department should be forced to cut 5% of the top. If the School budget cuts come from the administration side than so be it. Without reduced spending we are doomed for years to come. Of course we will hear about how the the town will implode and how can we possibly survive and provide the same level of service with a 5% reduction. That is plain and simple hogwash.

Sam,
I hear where you are coming from!
Perhaps Superintendant Olsen and SC Chair Harkness can answer questions regarding the continued expansion of new positions (you will hear about Sped mandated and numbers justifying it based on their own magic teacher student ratio) yet you raise a good point about level of service, yet they are looking to add administration at WA (English and Math CC full time admin) meaning need to hire more teachers

My point exactly. It is always more more more. Never ever less less less. In the private sector you are forced to make cuts and tough decisions to survive during these economic downturns. In the world of the public sector you simply throw around some union muscle and ask the same shrinking private sector to support even more. It is crazy. We do not have the money! Lets increase budgets, throw in a fire station here, a new loader over here and an assistant town manger there. No worries. hakuna matata. All is well.

No Teachers Union muscle behind these last few contracts thats for sure! Teachers choked with they were basically forced to accept nothing and then watched as a budget was presented and passed with new positions left and right!
Your concern about the thick layer of Admin is legit, I implore you to speak up to your neighbors, friends in town and at TM when the school budget is presented that has MORE administrative positions (School Budget proposal can be found on the town website or perhaps Andrew can link it).
My understanding is teachers want a fair market value contract not with a Prop override but rather with some of the bloat cut back, if someone tells you 'teachers want an override so they can get a raise' that plays loose with the facts. They want their raise by STOPPING all the new positions (which we clearly cant afford!!!)

Completely missing my point. I do not assume they have muscle in the terms you say they do, I am referring to numbers at TM. It's a simple formula. Come this year and watch how they gleefully approve the overspending. To do otherwise may affect the money tree from which they get their checks.

Teachers are going to show up in huge numbers to drool over the money tree?! That's simply not going to happen!! Better chance of Jimmy Hoffa himself leading next years WEA actions

Great then you should show up and recommend cutting the budgets so you can get your coveted steps. You have a lot to say, how about coming to town meeting and say something.

Wasn't it last year's ATM that Diane Weir got up to the microphone and made the motion that all Town Depts. make across the board cuts of % 5? She was shot down was she not? It's not like this hasn't been suggested to our Town Government. They choose to ignore the voice of the average citizen, the vox populi. Is my memory failing me here?

Yes She proposed 3% and was basically laughed at. Folks there pushed these budgets along and then all patted themselves on the back after approval.

While it would be nice if more folks got involved in local politics, to say one is disappointed to see the huge turn out for a gun ban but not routine town business is a little silly. The gun ban infringed on the US Constitution. Its a civil rights matter. While the town's finances are important our basic rights as Americans and human beings are much more so.

How about from the thick layer of Administration we carry? Assistant town manager, 4 administrators (up from 3 a few years back), Athletic director with full time secretary, Math and English curriculum coordinators being moved to full time administrators necessitating the hire of 2 new teachers.....

Preaching to the choir Dan. Andrew, yes it would most likely be personnel. The local economy is a factor but at this point small in comparison to pains of the entire town. These decisions are never easy in the private sector world but sometimes have to be made. They are never made in the public sector. If they live in town they are likely to stay in town. People who are laid off don't die. They continue to purchase goods, although at a must slower pace. To make the comparison saying that laying off an employee at $65 k per year plus benefits outweighs the $5 k they may spend at Panera and elsewhere doesn't hold water.

Of course there is added irony to the reality we are talking about how financially strapped we are, and about layoffs, just after our town leadership saw fit to spend $10,000-$15,000 on a ban guns political posturing stunt!

In my mind the poor financial decisions of our town administration and our being supposedly near broke are not unrelated issues.

I plan to be there. I usually go. I am interested in hearing how the paving of a parking lot for the rail trail vs people who have to live next to it will go.

And of all the districts I am willing to bet WESTFORD was the Only one where the school committee came to the negotiations table with "we areboffering you 0%, AND we are also not honoring your step this year"

But hey have fun implementing the 1001 new things we have jammed down your throats in addition to teaching kids ISTS meetings, UBD, PLC, New Evaluation, Team Goals, Smart Goals, New reading and Math Program, online course recommendations, Parent Portal etc....

Morale STINKS now but administration is too aloof to see Rome is Burning

They are terms for different types of cover sheets for TPS reports.

Dan D, when Superintendent Olsen, Principal Antonelli, or Comrade Cohen do a patch chat maybe you can ask them! Otherwise just file it under 'Comments on behalf of PISSED OFF Westford Teachers'

Private Sector vs Public Sector Teachers, its like East Coast vs West Coast in the rap game. Jesse is S Knight. J Ross is ill Kim. Keele is Puffy Daddy, cast Olsen as Snoop Diggy Dog , Jimmy A is the Natorious Big!

Represent!

I am also seriously tired of hearing town officials and elected people talk about creating new revenue or increasing revenue. This is not a business where you ca expand your product line or service offerings to increase revenue. You people are talking about INCREASING TAXES so just say it and at least be honest about it.