Can We Clone Penny Peasley, PLEASE

The town of Clifton is more than well served by Selectwoman Penny Peasley. Not only is she wise to the ways of fiscal management, but she is attentive to her duties and responsibilities as an elected representative of the people. As she said at the Citizens Advisory Committee meeting for the SAD63 Budget and Finance Committee (when each town was asked to send a Selectman/woman to attend - are you listening, Eddington, from which no one attends), Penny said, "When they tell me to be there, I'm there."

So she was there last Wednesday night at 6pm at the Holbrook Middle School, along with Jackie Smallwood and Richard Orovitz from Holden. Why? Because the School Board had scheduled a meeting to be there at that time to validate the results of the three towns' votes on the School Budget June 4 & 9 AND to hold a Budget and Finance committee meeting.

Of course, it would have been nice (polite, courteous, civilized even) if the School Board Chair, Don Varnum from Holden - or the Interim Superintendent, Ray Hart, had notified the principal at Holbrook that the School Board group would be there. The principal could have set up the School Board group in the school's Conference Room (perfectly capable of accommodating them) and thereby not upsetting the planned meeting of the Fifth Grade parents who will be Sixth Grade parents next year (many of whom were already in the large lunch room which had been set up for the parents meeting). Nor would it have been necessary for Mr. Hart to be rude to school staff (do I hear the clicking of heels, AGAIN!). What an example for the parents to have observed, Mr. Hart. Shame on you.

And then there were the comments of Mr. Varnum who didn't think it was necessary for the Budget and Finance Committee to meet - even though there were citizens there who clearly remembered that such a meeting had been planned and calendared. Perhaps such a meeting was inconvenient to the private agendas Mr. Varnum and Mr. Hart seem to have going amongst themselves - i.e., Mr. Varnum's announcement (pronouncement) that the School Board had voted to have Mr. Hart extend his Interim Superintendent contract extended past its 6/30/09 expiration date. On what date of which School Board meeting did that take place? - not any meeting in the last three months - nor in any of the Executive Meetings. Even though Therese Anderson, representative from Eddington may say that the topic has been "discussed" - a discussion does not take the place of an official motion, second and vote for the record. And yet, Mr. Varnum felt perfectly free to announce such an action (for himself, apparently) to the public on June 4 as though the Board had taken such an action. The explanation given by Mr. Hart was understandable. There wasn't even the need to point out that Mr. Hart is now serving as Superintendent for CSD8. But Orrington's Superintendent is certainly NOT going to be interested in being Supintendent of an RSU that includes SAD63 and Dedham (even through Mr. hart keeps pushing that consolidation idea).

But, back to Don Varnum - This is not this first (nor, I fear, the last) time Mr. Varnum will consider it his prerogative to make unilateral decisions in the name of the Board of Directors which is sliding perilously close to another legal action for which the taxpayers will have to pay the piper.

Now - Mr. Varnum thinks it is HIS prerogative to give the Clifton School Board rep "another chance" to continue to sit on the Board. The Clifton rep. was appointed to the position by the Clifton Selectmen/women. He was NOT elected by the people.

The Clifton rep did NOT attend the May 13 Public Hearing to review the proposed school budget. Nor did the Clifton rep attend the June 4 Public Meeting for the vote on the School Budget. There are two of the most critical meetings for a School Board representative to attend for the public.

The Clifton rep misses as many School Board meetings as he attends. One of the duties and responsibilities of a School Board rep is to serve on at least two School Board Committees. The Clifton rep serves on NONE. The Clifton rep chose to telephone several individuals in Clifton loudly chastising them for opposing the proposed school budget and admonishing those citizens for not showing confidence in the SAD63 School Board. (Question: Since the Clifton rep failed to show up to the May 13 meeting - how did he have the slightest idea or understanding of the proposed budget?)

Frankly, the people of Clifton have no reason to trust the SAD63 School Board. Not with the School Board lack of representation they have (not) been receiving. No wonder Mr. Varnum supports such an individual. Mr. Varnum receive no opposition from a rep who doesn't show up - who doesn't know what's going on and who can't correct Mr. Varnum when he speaks out of turn or MIS-speaks.

Which is why we need more Penny Peasleys. Selectwoman Peasley pointed out the following at the Budget and Finance Committee meeting that was held (brief as it was) last Wednesday night:

1. There need to be more Citizen Advisory Committee meetings and certainly more frequently than just a few weeks before the Business Manager's Proposed Budget is being submitted for a vote.

2. Finance Reports need to be provided by the Business Manager monthly (not every three or four months as has been the recent history).

(NOTE: When the Business Manager finally arrived with the report Wednesday, the three members of the Advisory Committee who were there had to make a point of asking for copies instead of automatically being provided them.)

3. Finance Reports (and proposed budgets) need to be provided in the same formats that are compatible with actuals (meaning what was budgeted per line item, what has been spent (a) month to date and (b) year to date per line item and then compare that data to what is being projected for the next year's budget - per line item... actual to actual. If certain line items have to be budgeted for 12 months such as teachers' salaries and benefits, then those items need to be shown in projected twelve month projections). And no more of one format for the Finance Reports and an Excel format for the projected budget as the Business Manager did this year, especially since the district's computer is capable of doing all of this - PLUS PAYROLL.

4. The Audit Report for 2007-2008 needs to be made available immediately. The report should have been ready at least six months ago.

NOTE: The Audit is a Public Document and there is no excuse for it not to be available now. (The Business Manager has been trying to say the current lawsuit against the former Superintendent is the reason why it has not been available and that excuse just does not hold water - my statement, not Ms. Peasley's. The Business Manager gave some kind of comment regarding the Auditor's "letter" being ready or nearly ready - and that doesn't hold water, either. Having worked in the financial industry at one point, I know that an auditor's "letter" is used as the cover document stating the process used in the audit and the auditor's "general findings". Like Ms. Peasley reportedly stated, I, too, think the delay is because there is a "problem" in the auditors findings [or somebody is trying to hide something.]. Remember, one of the reasons the Business Manager was hired was because she supposedly has a CPA certification. So, if there is a "problem" noted in the "letter", maybe there are some negotiations going on to try to minimize the wording of the "problem." Frankly, I think it's time to bring in the State Attorney General to look into all of the questionable goings on that Mr. Varnum, Mr. Hart, and Ms. Mitchell seem to want to keep away from the eyes of the public/taxpayers. And remember - all three of them are friends and supporters of the former Superintendent, Louise Regan. If you don't think THAT'S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, then you, too, may have a fox guarding the henhouse.

Penny Peasley is a lot smarter than any of those three would like to acknowledge. She's a lot smoother, nicer, more tactful that I am or ever will be. I admit it. Because I will come right out and say I don't trust any of them. Thank goodness Karen Clark is around to try (I say TRY) to keep Mr. Varnum from doing something clearly illegal. It's clear he doesn't know any of the policies or perhaps he'd prefer to ignore them. But Karen, as Policy Committee Chair not only knows them, she's keeping them up to date and current with the law (and cleaning them up from what the previous Superintendent "changed" without any School Board approval).

Mr. Varnum should be removed from the position of Chair - even though he has stated he will not step down - because he seems to have a problem with memory, with facts, and is willing to totally disregard his responsibilities as an elected representative of the people of Holden. But all three towns' taxpayers will end up paying for any legal problem he creates as Chair of SAD63. And even though Mr. Hart is advocating SAD63 consolidate with Dedham and Orrington, when did the School Board authorize either Mr. Varnum or Mr. Hart to initiate any discussion with those two communities re: consolidation? Seems to me, this whole lawsuit with the previous Superintendent all started because she initiated communication with communities re: consolidation before she had official Board authorization to do so. Is this de ja vu? What's wrong with taking a survey of Clifton, Eddington and Holden to see how families here would feel about consolidating with Dedham and Orrington?

So, back to my original premise. Let's clone Penny Peasley. We need people like Penny on the School Board. We need people like Penny in the Central Office and Administration of SAD63. We need Penny to attend the School Board meeting next Monday night to stand up and tell those members who DO attend that it's time to stop their little cliques and get down to the business of the business of quality education at an accountable price.

Who from the School Board will be on the negotiating team for the new teachers contract? It can't be Therese Anderson, Pam Dorr or Mario Tesel because they're all teachers. That's a conflict of interest - plain and simple. It certainly can't be the so-called rep from Clifton because he hasn't been at enough meetings to know anything about how the Board operates or the workings of SAD63. It certainly can't be Mr. Varnum. He can't be trusted to remember what is the truth and what he thinks should be the truth - other than what he and Mr. Hart concoct in the backroom. It sure as heck can't be Ms. Mitchell (for more reasons that I want to list.) So that leaves Sylvia Ellis (who'll do whatever Hart or Varnum tell her to do); Kevin Mills, the new rep from Holden; and Karen Clark, the rep from Eddington who's been on the negotiation team for several negotiations so she at least knows some history of the process.

Maybe the School Board should consider appointing someone from the Citizens Advisory Board to sit on the negotiating team. How about Ralph Russell from Eddington. Or PENNY. At least we could get some objective and fresh ideas. Sure would be better for the taxpayers.