The big lie…”Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain, Assistant Superintendent Diane Goncalves, and Herrick are actually employees of all seven boards of education in the region.”

This lie is now being spread again, the John Mauer’s blog, this time by the Sharon Center Board of Education Chair….I shall now school the Chair with some facts, facts she should know as being chair of The Sharon Center School Board, and a member of the “advisory” A.B.C. Here is an example of an out-right lie in Mauer’s post, that the Sharon Board Chair passes on as truth….: Here is a direct quote from the post “The board could ask the ABC committee to reopen those contracts and renegotiate the raises. But wait. They have already asked the ABC committee to do that and that committee has refused. After all, Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain, Assistant Superintendent Diane Goncalves, and Herrick are actually employees of all seven boards of education in the region. The local boards supported the raises, and the regional board does not have the authority to override that choice”. WRONG! Here is information from the 7000 series concerning the governing Region One…read it well and understand, this is the operating procedure Region One is under, no other…”The policy says on page 4, under the heading “Governing Body”:
“The governing body of the Regional School Services Center [“central office”] is the Regional School District Number 1 Board of Education (the “Regional Board”), in accordance with Section 2 of Special Act 405 of the 1959 session of the Connecticut General Assembly. The Regional Board shall receive and may act on the recommendation of the All Boards Chairs (ABC) Committee, an advisory committee to the Regional Board, in all matters affecting the Regional School Services Center.” The A.B.C simply recommends, Period. The sole governing body is, as stated in the statutes and in the 7000 series, THE REGION ONE BOARD.

Some of the unbelievable quotes from Board Chair Jonathan Moore of Kent after the budget defeat:

Region One Report will answer them quote by quote (in italics)
Mooreism 1) “Does the board have a choice?,” he said. “Sure, we can offer to buy the two administrators out, to the tune of at least three-quarters of a million dollars in addition to new hires. So, ultimately, it will be about money and who runs the district.”

Our reply: The board HAD a choice at the last meeting, just watch the video when they shot down the Sharon representatives motion to simply ask the administration to negotiate buy outs. Oh, and by the way, the current contracts will cost around a million dollars if completed, so a buy out of three-quarters of a million dollars saves a quarter of a million dollars to put towards a new Superintendent and a new Director Of Instruction (in place of the Assistant ), combine that with some early retirement packages and you can keep the cost around the same!
Mooreism 2) “The only change: I am afraid our principal may have had enough and may be seeking employment elsewhere.” This statement is not fact, but a strong intuition.

Our reply: The Webster definition of intuition: the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference. (Now that sounds like our chairman!)
Wow, Mr. Moore finally admits he makes statements that are NOT facts! Did Mr. Moore have a conversation with Mr. Harnett? If Gale Toensing is not allowed to speak to the teachers, why is Mr. Moore?

Mooreism 3) “Overall,” Moore continued, “if the referenda are not about money, they certainly have nothing to do with education. That is clear now. It is about power. A group of people, the core of which drove the last superintendent out 13 years ago, want to get rid of the superintendent and her assistant.

Our reply: The good news, FINALLY! After four votes, Mr. Moore gets that its not about money!! The bad news his “intuition” about what it is. If only Mr. Moore knew the person who leaked the story that eventually led to Mr. O’ Brien’s exit. A hint Mr. Moore..an up-and-coming star in the Central Office. There are plenty of people who worked in the region then that know the truth….hmmm where was Mr. Moore back then? Oh, maybe it’s his “intuition” operating on overtime again!

Mooreism 4) “They did not participate in the process; instead they are using the budget to overrule a majority decision arrived at through due process,” he concluded. “The people who are following them need to think about why. Are they basing their votes on fact or innuendo?”

Our reply: Not participate in the process! Watch the videos of ALL THE BUDGET sessions with the public. A petition of over 200 students was presented, people lined up and spoke at length about what they did not like not once, not twice, but three times! And four votes. A.B.C. meetings are purposely held in small rooms, limiting access to the public, who is he kidding? The public is basing their votes on the total lack of leadership, and the confused, irrational behavior of the board. Oh, and by the way, 62% NO from the taxpaying public  is a majority that trumps a decision of 6 every time….

Comments like these will NOT get the budget passed. Mr. Moore, almost 800 people voted no on the 23rd of July. 62 percent of the public that voted. Mr. Moore, significant changes are coming to the board, and it’s our “intuition” that you get out of the tub if you don’t want to be thrown out with the bath water.

VOTE 1 587 NO 351 YES 6 towns NO 938 total votes
VOTE 2 486 NO 363 YES 5 towns NO 849 total votes
VOTE 3 623 NO 452 YES 5 towns NO 1,075 total votes
VOTE 4 749 NO 451 YES 5 towns NO 1,200 total votes
Region One Vote # 4

Salisbury 135 YES 158 NO
North Canaan 101 YES 148 NO
Falls Village 16 YES 121 NO
Sharon 45 YES 119 NO
Kent 44 YES 102 NO
Cornwall 110 YES 101 NO

FINAL TALLY

451 YES 749 NO Budget is DEFEATED by 298 votes

Region One Vote

Salisbury 135 YES 158 NO
North Canaan 101 YES 148 NO
Falls Village 16 YES 121 NO
Sharon 45 YES 119 NO
Kent  44 YES 102 NO
Cornwall 110 YES 101 NO Cornwall is the only town to vote for the budget (by 9 votes)

FINAL TALLY

451 YES 749 NO Budget is DEFEATED by 298 votes