Monthly Archives: September 2013

Region One Report was started in March 0f 2012! It is time to re-state what this blog is all about…. Reply

by • POSTS, COMMENTS, VIDEO AND AUDIO

In our first year (10 months) we had 27,546 visits! And boy did we think that was great!

Now in our second year (9 months) we have already surpassed 58,702 visits!!! And so far, this year alone over 86,000 hits!!!

Thanks you for your support, together, we can bring Region 1 and it’s board back home to its students, teachers, employees, residents and taxpayers!

Our original mission remains unchanged!Strength-Does-Not-Come-From-Winning

This blog is for  anyone who cares about the Region One School District, parent, teacher, non-certified staff, administration, student,  whoever…to voice their opinions,  and concerns of the administration of Region One without identifying themselves, without fear of retribution from Region One Administrators… You may post documents, links, whatever. 

Welcome! First of all, let’s describe this blog! It is a safe haven for all who wish to report on what they know is going on with the Region One administration in the day-to-day operation of the district. You can post here anonymously, without fear of retribution from the administration.

You can post documents, videos, or just your comments. It will be updated by the administration of this blog when new information comes to light, and it will be updated with information that has already been brought to light on other media. In addition, this blog will contain some personal observations of Marshall Miles, its creator. These opinions and observations will be solely those of Marshall Miles, an alumnus and long-term supporter (and for many years parent!) in Region One.  These opinions and observations do not, and are not intended to, represent any of the companies that Marshall is connected to or affiliated with, i.e. WHDD AM/FM, WBSL-FM, Robin Hood Radio. com, CATV 6, robinhoodradiotv, Tri-State Public Communications, Inc., or any of the underwriters, management, or employees of these companies.

It is our sincere hope to bring more information to light regarding what we consider to be the poor management of our wonderful school system over the past several years, and to inform and educate the public in the region from a different viewpoint of that of the administration, and some members of the Board of Education.  When you make a post, it will be reviewed before it is posted, so please be patient!

Thanks for coming, and please spread the word … let’s bring Region One back to a working relationship with the Board of Education, the administration, and the public.  The time has come for the Board to act like a board, rather than a satellite state following the dictates of the Central Office.

Region One students get half-day off so teachers can attend conference that is in conflict with the school schedule 4

by • POSTS, COMMENTS, VIDEO AND AUDIO

Wednesday Sept 25, Salisbury Central School, Sharon Center School and North Canaan have changed to an early dismissal day( a half day) to accommodate training of teachers set up by the Assistant Superintendent in conflict with the regular school schedule. Kent Center  School and the Housatonic are not participating on that date. In Kent the Kent Board of Education is allowing students to be dismissed for a half-day so teachers can attend professional development but the principal was not sure exactly what day it will be. Principal Florence Budge requested the au­thorization last 2012-04-03-schedule-conflictThursday for early dismissal for Sept. 20 or Sept. 30. She said she had asked Assistant Superintendent Diane Goncalves for an alternate date for the presentation on the “student learning objectives,” which are part of the new teacher evaluation system. The rest of the region is training on Sept. 25 and that is not a good date for Kent Center School, Budge said.

See video of the Salisbury Central School Board Of education meeting on the half-day by clicking the link below.

$25,686.13 ( a partial cost of the poor handling of this matter by the Region One Administration) Reply

by • POSTS, COMMENTS, VIDEO AND AUDIO

From the Saturday edition of the Republican-American

The Kent Board of Education did not reveal its plans Thursday after losing a residency appeal by the Bishop family in August.
Board Chairman Paul Cortese did reveal that the board spent $25,686.13 on the investigation, attorney fees, as well as court and filing fees on the case.
Aden Bishop’s residency was disputed and the Kent Board of Education decided to investigate during the 2012-13 school year whether the Bish­op family was considered a resident of the town. An investigation was done and the superintendent informed the family it had been determined they did not live in Kent full-time and therefore need­ed to pay tuition for the past four years of school­ing. A hearing was held in June and an impartial board, appointed by the Kent Board of education also decided the Bishops were not residents.
Barbara Bishop appealed the decision to the state Board of Education and the board upheld the appeal Aug. 23 and reversed the original deci­sion.
After meeting in executive session Thursday evening, the board decided that it would be “studying the decision and seeking counsel’s ad­vice.” Cortese said that he alone would discuss the case with the board’s attorney and not the full board. 

Who was right or who was wrong is not the point here. The point, well just look at the case  Region One spent thousands of dollars on, and look (by clicking on the link below) at the Bishop’s case. Another example of poor administration and the “flushing” of over $25,000 dollars down the proverbial drain.

http://regiononereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/kentdecpdf174.pdf

2

by • POSTS, COMMENTS, VIDEO AND AUDIO

Karen Davenport, Agricultural Science and Technology teacher and department chair, advisor for the National Honor Society, Agricultural Council and Student Assistance Team, and co-chair of Relay for Life at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, CT, and co-owner and operator of Tollgate Farm in Ancramdale, NY, has been awarded the fifth annual James C. Kapteyn Prize.

Please click on link below

 

Karen Davenport, Agricultural Science and Technology teacher and department chair, advisor for the National Honor Society, Agricultural Council and Student Assistance Team, and co-chair of Relay for Life at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, CT, and co-owner and operator of Tollgate Farm in Ancramdale, NY, has been awarded the fifth annual James C. Kapteyn Prize.

Again, the chairman is clueless…. 4

by • POSTS, COMMENTS, VIDEO AND AUDIO

From today’s Republican American…..

Parent vote cited as key to Region 1 passage

BY LYNN MELLIS WORTHINGTON

REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

KENT — The solution to getting a budget passed in Region 1 is for parents to get out and vote in favor of it, ac­cording to Jonathan Moore, Kent’s appointed represen­tative and chairman of the Region 1 Board of Education20130529_175353. Moore suggested Thursday that members of the Kent Board of Education spread the word and encourage par­ents to vote Sept. 17 during the next referendum. The proposed budget, which now stands at $14.4 million, has been turned down five times since May. The fifth budget proposal was rejected by 144 votes.
Detailing what was done at the regional meeting Wednesday, Moore said $3,000 was reduced from the budget. “Do we have any reason to believe it is going to pass this time?” asked Kent board member Rob Ober.

Here are some disturbing “nuggets from Moore” (and our responses)……
Moore said he doesn’t be­lieve parents are voting.

At every meeting there has been representation from, taxpayers, parents, grandparents, students, business people, a wide cross-section of the public (he MUST be blind not to see this)….

“I don’t think the real stakeholders are voting,” he said. “I don’t believe parents are voting this budget down.”

“Nuff said. And this folks, is why we are at a stalemate….

 “They want to undue legally binding contracts. There’s no way to do that,” Moore said.
“A budget should be a reflection of a community’s values ” Moore stated. “By voting it down you’re saying you do not value education but that you value getting your own way more.”

Again, the chairman is way off base, right now, the public would settle for what the administrators did last year…cut one year off their new contract. (It was legal last year when they did it, and it would be legal this year if they did it. The dangerous thing about Mr. Moore’s comments….is that they are condescending, arrogant, and full of lies. His contempt for taxpayers, parents, grandparents, and most especially the students he claims to want to serve is astounding. Kent should replace him on the Regional Board immediately.

From this mornings Republican-American Reply

by • POSTS, COMMENTS, VIDEO AND AUDIO

Voters might fill Region 1 seat

School board post could be put on ballot

BY RUTH EPSTEIN

REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

CORNWALL — Voters will have a chance to weigh in on an ordinance that would make the town’s representa­tive to the Region 1 Board of Education elected rather than chosen by the local school board. The selectmen will seek counsel and discuss it at its next meeting on Sept. 17.

A discussion on the propos­al that came from Republican candidate for first selectman Kenneth C. Baird and select­man candidate Heidi Kearns was held at Tuesday’s meet­ing of the Board of Select­men. Selectmen concluded it was an issue that should be put before voters.

Baird said four of the six towns in the region elect their representatives. In Cornwall and Kent the local school board appoints that person. If the position becomes elected, he said, the town would have the choice of who it sends to those meetings.

“It appears that with the budget being turned down, people are not being heard,” said Baird. “The hierarchy has changed. The board is do­ing what the administration wants instead of the adminis­tration reporting to the board. There’s been a change in checks and balances.”

But Selectman Richard Bramley noted the system has worked since Housatonic Valley Regional High School was established in 1939. He said there’s a long history to the way representatives are chosen. “Ultimately I have no problem with going to the town to see if they want to change the method,” he said.

Bramley said his concern lies with the possibility of all board members changing at the same time. Currently all members are either elected or chosen every two years.

“What’s more important is who is elected or chosen, not necessarily the method,” he said. “I’m undecided how I’d vote. I understand the argu­ments on both sides.” Baird said if the person is elected, he or she would get feedback from the townspeople, not just board members.

The current Cornwall rep­resentative is Philip Hart, who also serves on the local school board. Baird said it might be better to have some­one who isn’t on the elemen­tary school board and Bram­ley agreed, saying such an arrangement is too big a job for one person.

Originally Baird and Kearns had talked about cir­culating a petition to get the matter on the agenda of the October annual town meet­ing, but Baird said that wouldn’t be necessary if the selectmen agreed to put it on the agenda.

Members then agreed that legal counsel and other re­search was needed before bringing the question before voters.

They also agreed that elect­ing a Region 1 board repre­sentative would not be on this November’s ballot in the mu­nicipal election.

Kearns said there is obvi­ously a disconnect between the board and the voters now. “We should let the voters de­cide, not just six people.”

Why no Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent at the 6th budget meeting? We have the answer, and it was in our hands all along!!!! Reply

by • POSTS, COMMENTS, VIDEO AND AUDIO

Remember our story in July?

Lucille Paige-Patricia Chamberlain Case Transferred To Federal Court!

JULY 20, 2013 BY REGIONONEREPORTER 6 COMMENTS { EDIT }

It now appears that the suit against Patricia Chamberlain has been transferred to FEDERAL COURT, and is now on the docket for NEXT JUNE. The case was transferred because of the freedom of speech and whistle-blower status. We are awaiting conformation on the trial date and other particulars on this case, and hope to have them by Monday so we can post latest information. If true, this will cost the Region plenty of overtime. In the past two of months, overtime paid to fill in for Paige  was over $700.00 dollars.

Well, checking the Federal Court docket, yesterday was the day the Federal Court mandated a “settlement hearing” for both sides in the case.  We have confirmed that indeed, that’s where they were. We have also confirmed thru legal sources  that no settlement was reached yesterdayScreen-shot-2010-11-12-at-7.06.22-AM….