When you click on the video clip, a message will come up, please click “watch on YouTube! Thanks.
A great turnout, a positive meeting! Great job Ed! As you will see, Phil Hart just does not get it. And, as long as that is the case, the Three Musketeers who almost 100% of the time vote with Phil YES on everything the administration presents, will continue to decide everything BEFORE hearing the public input. Let us hope that will change.
Here is a link to the Republican American’s story on last nights public forum on Region One
http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2012/09/29/news/local/672930.txt
About 60-70 people representing every town in the region (except North Canaan) attended the meeting. Video of the meeting will follow on the catv6 YouTube page, adn also be posted here.
BY BRUNO MATARAZZO JR.
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
CORNWALL — A forum set up to air concerns over the administration of Region 1 school district didn’t resolve any underlying issues on Friday but it did generate a consensus: Let’s meet again.
Edward Epstein, a resident of Kent and a former longtime principal of Kent Center School, set up the meeting because he feels like dealing with the regional board is like “talking to a wall.”
“You say what you say and somebody says thank you. I never hear another word,” Epstein said.
The meeting was held at Cornwall Library and residents from Region 1 school district — Falls Village, Cornwall, Sharon, North Canaan, Salisbury and Kent — central office administrators and local and regional board of education members packed into a meeting room.
While no future date was set, Friday’s meeting was civil and there was no yelling or shouting but there were loud groans after Philip Hart, chairman of the Region 1 Board of Education, offered up his opinion on what “code words” to look out for.
“We’re frequently accused of not listening and we don’t understand,” Hart said. “Those are code words. Let me tell you what you mean: ‘We don’t agree with you.’ The fact we don’t agree doesn’t mean we don’t listen.”
SALISBURY — Salisbury Central School Board of Education member Jeffrey Lloyd’s effort to change the bus stop at Salisbury School didn’t get much traction from his colleagues Monday. The bus now pulls onto the private school’s property to pick up about 15 to 20 students. Lloyd said he has watched and the children appear to take their time getting on the bus, making the trip longer. He said he would like to see the children assemble on Route 44, ready to get on the bus when it arrives, so the route would not go up on school property. He said the buses rarely go on private property and his proposal would only make it fair.
“I’m not sure we’re acting on a problem or there’s a concern for equity,” member Jennifer Weigel said. “I’m not sure what problem we’d really be solving.” “Every other student is not 
d to,” Lloyd said. Region 1 Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain said keeping the pick-up off the road is safer.
“My question is, where does it stop?” asked Lloyd. “What’s Hotchkiss going to ask for? It lays the groundwork for other requests.”
“It’s not catering,” said member Stephanie Thomas. “We like the kids to be safe.” Weigel said getting the bus off the road allows cars following it to move on. “I think this is a good solution.”
Look at this quote from Mr. Moore in this mornings Republican-American….
Jonathan Moore, Kent’s representative to the regional board, said that his own five minute interview led him to believe the Pingpank Report was slanted.
“I don’t believe in the Pingpank Report. That doesn’t mean that I don’t believe some of the problems highlighted in the report don’t exist,” he said.
5 minutes! He knew all in five minutes.
Hopefully Kent will now vote to have an elected position on the Region One Board, so Mr. Moore can spend more than five minutes reading about solving other important problems OTHER than Region One.
We would all be blessed.
Please attend this meeting!
Residents of the Region 1 school district will have an opportunity to have their voices heard at 7 p.m. Friday at the Cornwall Library. A group of concerned residents has organized a forum to discuss district issues that they believe the Region 1 Board of Education has not addressed. 
Kent resident Ed Epstein is petitioning for a town meeting to change the way the town selects its representative to the Region 1 Board of Education.Epstein is now close to gathering the required 50 signatures on a petition to change the town’s representative from an appointed to an elected position, a direction other towns in the region have been going in. Of the six towns in Region 1, with only Cornwall and Kent appointing their representative. A minimum of 50 signatures is required for a town meeting in Kent. The current representative Jonathan Moore, has served in the role since 2010.
Direct Link to CATV 6 YouTube Page (click on Watch On YouTube)
Dear Phil Hart,
I am in agreement with “Trust” as a goal. I also think that “Trust” is a good value. After I watched the videos of the retreat I began typing a memo to you that is a list of what I think are some values and goals that would be appropriate for the tree and branches of Region One. In the first session when the Consultant asked Gale to suggest values and goals – Gale responded very brightly – “Trust and Transparency” – excellent. If you get a moment – please watch it – it seemed to me that Patricia could not change the subject away from “Trust” quickly enough. Laura’s moving the word “honesty” off of its own line and into “Citizenship” was worrisome. No “Honesty” and no “Trust” for Region One – got it.
But – then I heard about your outrageous crazy rant at the Ag Fair in Cornwall on Saturday. You made it clear to a trusted friend of yours how you hate Gale. You said she needed to be gotten rid of. But you got pushed back hard by this man – one of the many with high regard for her. I am amazed that you did not realize how large Gale’s base of support is. You must miss that kind of respect. You had a bit of it before you partnered yourself with Patricia Chamberlain who is probably the least trusted Superintendent in the State. It compares to what you tried to do to Gale in executive session last February. There is not enough time in any of our lives for you to apologize enough to Gale and all the other women in the world that you have ever spoken to like that. You lobbied against her then and you are still doing it now – and two days later preaching to us about “trusting one another” at the opening Board Meeting – you ridiculous hypocrite.
I can’t be the first one telling you but – everyone sees this – and you have set “Trust” back at least two years for our Board. There is nothing I can do to help you except pray that more people like Gale and Marilyn get voted to our regions Boards of Education.
From this mornings Republican American ( no links were working to the story this morning, but the full stories are in this mornings edition of The Republican-American
1) Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s accreditation will continue, announced Principal Matthew Harnett at Monday’s meeting of the Board of Education.
He read from a letter from the New England Association of Schools & Colleges, saying it had voted to accept the submitted five-year progress report.
He recognized Assistant Principal Ian Strever for the numbers of hours he put into the project.
2) Housatonic Valley Regional High School will show students the documentary “Finding Kind,” which deals with bullying and harassment, on Sept. 26.
Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from the region’s six elementary schools will be invited to a showing that day.
Principal Matthew Harnett said he’s been approached by students “who really want to do something about this. This event will start the conversation.” An open showing will be offered Sept. 27 for community members. Harnett is hoping the students will find the film so interesting they’ll want their parents to view it.
He said he is working with other organizations in the community, including Women’s Support Services and the Housatonic Youth Service Bureau, on an anti-violence campaign that addresses such issues as domestic abuse and dating violence.
A series of events will be planned to discuss the climate and culture of such behavior.
Following the showing of “Finding Kind,” conversations can be facilitated.