Food For Thought from The Berkshire Eagle…. 1

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SHEFFIELD — Superintendent Michael Singleton, who has led the Southern Berkshire Regional School District for five years, was praised for his steady leadership that ended this week upon his retirement. District officials describe Singleton as a competent and thoughtful district operator, but low-key and challenged when communicating, a weakness highlighted by his controversial recommendation for the School Committee to consider closing the outlying elementary schools.

Mount Everett Regional High School Principal Glen Devoti described Singleton as a “steady hand at the wheel” who allowed administrators and teachers to do their jobs without interfering.

In Singleton’s last year, Mount Everett was recognized in U.S. News and World Report’s prestigious list of top schools in the nation based on 2010-11 academic scores. Devoti credited Singleton for understanding the importance of extracurricular activities that promote positive culture and foster academic success.

Singleton retires after 43 years of experience, starting as a junior high school social science teacher. Prior to joining the district, he served as the special education development director in Williamstown Elementary School District between 2003 and 2008. He was also the superintendent at Red Creek School District in New York.

Region One Report hears another letter is coming from the “Gang Of Five” (First Selectmen)…. 1

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Reports from SEVERAL reliable people in Sharon, Salisbury, North Canaan and Kent to the Region One Report indicate that the First Selectmen in Region One are circulating a letter from First Selectman Bruce Adams of Kent on the budget situation in Region One. If true, one would hope it not a similar to  the limp, feeble letter of support that  was signed on to last year. If this is true, and the First Selectmen are as  short-sighted in this letter, as last year (well 5 of the 6 last year!), then I suggest the First Selectmen start to attend Region One Board meetings.

Why you may ask? Well in the last three and a half years I have been at almost every Board Of Education meeting, and you know what? The only First Selectmen I have seen is the Falls Village First Selectman. I found it sad that last year the First Selectmen could show such support when not a one of the five had attended ANY of the meetings. And, I can tell you folks, its been the same this year. Bruce Adams attended 1, yup, 1 budget hearing. Maybe its time the selectmen start to listen to the voters in their towns? Mr. Adams, your town has now voted down the budget three times in a row. Mr.  Loucks, your town has defeated the budget 4 times in a row, Mr. Rand, Salisbury has defeated it four times in a row, Falls village, well it is clear Pat knows where her town stands, and Cornwall is almost evenly divided after 4 votes.

If the letter is another wishy, washy, lets support the budget, and deal with the board later letter, FORGET IT. Lets look at the facts First Selectmen:

1) The Board Of Education sent the first budget to vote so sure it was going to be defeated, they scheduled a special session before the vote for right after the vote to discuss ways to pass the budget.

2) The third budget and the fourth budgets were exactly the same!! That means in four attempts, the Region knew it had three failures they were submitting.

3) The Board Chair claims it is ” the angry few”.  62% are not the “angry Few”, but the  “sick of the same B.S Sixty”!

So we hope this letter, first circulated from Kent, is a letter that calls for compromise from the board and administration. The public has spoken FOUR TIMES.

Remember when Bill Clinton ran for President the first time, the slogan  James Carville had coined as a campaign strategist of Bill Clinton’s” THE ECONOMY, STUPID!”

Well, here is a new slogan for the First Selectmen and the Region One Board…”Hey! It’s not the dollars and cents”.

Well, you are all forewarned, lets see if the First Selectmen will get involved to help settle this impasse with the board and administration, or if they will just create one more roadblock.

New hires at Region One must be entered in pencil, so they can be erased when they change their mind….. 4

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Mayhem! Hmmm, this info just came to the attention of  the editorial desk at Region One Report: mayhem-allstateChristine Nunes, the guidance Counselor that was hired to replace Steve Hurley is reportedly  leaving due to “finding a job closer to home”.  According to information, Ms. Nunes was popular with the students.  Sources at the high school tell Region One Report her downfall  in the Guidance Department was that Ms. Nunes was outspoken at meetings questioning the proposals of  her supervisors as to the treatment of students and their remedies to student problems.

Letter To The Editor…. Reply

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To The Editor:
Recent comments by the Chairman of the Region One Board of Education require a response.
The most glaring misstatement was that the rejection of the four budgets has “nothing to do with education…it is about power.”
That is simply not correct.  The majority of the people opposing the budget because we want change in the current leadership, are teachers, retired teachers, retired principals, retired central office administrators, parents, former HVRHS students, and current HVRHS students.  We would not be getting the voter turnout we are getting if it was only “an angry few.”
All of the above people care about education.  Most of us devoted over half our lives to this school system.  To say we don’t care about education is not correct.  And the students and recent former students care as much as we do.
Region One is in turmoil.  The elementary schools are in as bad a shape as HVRHS.  Teachers are afraid of the future.  My feeling is that 75% of school personnel support our actions.  I talk to them..
We are told by the Region One Board Chairman that the new contracts are firm and cannot be touched.  I disagree.  Those contracts were negotiated by board members who had no idea about the first lawsuit in the Central Office.  I doubt those contracts would stand up under legal scrutiny.
We are told by the Region One Board Chairman that the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent received excellent evaluations.  The evaluation process in the Central Office is a farce.  The Superintendent evaluates the Assistant Superintendent and tells the Board she is doing an excellent job. Does anyone talk to teachers??
The Superintendent’s evaluation process is even more suspect.  Goals are set, the Superintendent tells the Board how she has achieved the goals, and the Board goes along.  Principals and Central Office personnel sing the praises of the Superintendent–what alternative do they have?
Once again, the vast majority of teachers in Region One elementary schools are frightened, frustrated, and fearful of saying anything.  Their teacher union is closely allied with the Central Office administration.  This is an unusual alliance, and is a major reason why the region is in turmoil.
In the past, when it was time for Superintendents to leave, they either knew themselves it was time to go, or were told by the Board it was time.  Neither of these scenarios are being played out now.
Perhaps after November elections, when there will be some new Board members, the situation will change.  By June, 2014, there should be a change in the Region One leadership.  The newly negotiated three year contracts should not be viewed as a barrier.
Ed Epstein

More disinformation, this time from the Chair of Sharon Center Schools Board of Education..the disinformation and lie.. here it is … “Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain, Assistant Superintendent Diane Goncalves, and Herrick are actually employees of all seven boards of education in the region.” Now that is a bold-face, out-right lie 1

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big_lie_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.