Our readers speak: When will the madness end?

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Contributed
6 February 2013

To the editor:

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It was encouraging to read in the January 23 issue of the Fiddlehead Focus that the Madawaska School Department reinstated Deanna Levesque to her position at the school's WOWL television station which provides the community with well-received local news, advertising and public service announcements.

Once again, however, the Madawaska school committee has fallen short of its mission to inform the community of the activities taking place at the school committee meetings by not allowing WOWL to broadcast school committee meetings when the school department broadcasts town council meetings.

Not only is the committee denying the station's staff of its First Amendment rights, the committee, by its lack of transparency, is once again telling the community that its activity is clouded in secrecy.

When will the madness end?

Sincerely,

Douglas L. Giroux

Madawaska

 

Comments

Thank you Mr. Giroux

Thank you Mr. Giroux for your interest in our local town Government, and requesting for open and transparent Government. Without the transmission of the School board meetings the citizens of Madawaska have no idea what is going on behind closed doors. How can citizens complain when taxes are going up but have no idea what is going on in our local town government. This problem is not only a problem with the school board, but with our selectmen, board of appeals, and planning board. When will the citizens of Madawaska take interest in local government and AT LEAST reqest that the town manager conduct buisness in an open and transparent Democratic manner? As I have been asking, does anybody really care? If you do, speak up and voice your concerns by demanding that buisness be conducted in an open and transparent democratic manner.
Submitted by Richard Cayer on 6 February 2013 - 8:10pm.

Who's complaining?

I only hear a select few complaining.... If I want to know what is going on at Town or School Board meetings... I GO TO THEM! The madness will end when people stop complaining constantly about their their town officials because of personal vendettas and start working together....
Submitted by tiredofbs on 6 February 2013 - 8:54pm.

tiredofbs

We are also fed up with your BS comments. The reason you only hear a select few complaining is becouse of your narrow mindness and your source of gossip you think is governance. How else would you know if an issue is a personal vendetta when you have no idea of the facts. Unless you have the courage to sign your name to your comments, you are simply a cowardly BS, and part of the problem.
Submitted by Richard Cayer on 10 February 2013 - 1:08pm.

know your facts

the committees, school and town are working very hard....the madness will end when the employees understand that there is no more money....we need to work with what we have...the commitee has offered a 9percent cut to all stay...they dont want that...it is up to them to save themselves...yes they work hard but so do the taxpayers....I support our school system but i dont support the wages...take the cut like everywhere else...this saves all the jobs...there are just over 500 students left in this school system...less students should mean less teachers....we wont do without...we just have to reorganize...intead of paying a teacher for study halls, hire a sub...alot cheaper...then the teachers can teach their subjects all day....if there is a classroom with very little students well then cancel it or combine it with something else...I know that at the hospital, if there are no sick people then some of us go home....this is just the beginning...the govenor will cut schools too...he also wants to cut town monies...we need to fix it now cause its only going to get worse....i really dont want anyone going home....but i cant afford to pay more taxes to support big wages either....Im not anxious to put my kids through high school.....the cuts are nation wide we are not immune....if you want to see what is going on go to the meetings...no one will stop u...the town ones are recorded and they are at the school...get a copy....but when it is negotiations i dont think those are recorded...why should they be...when us nurses negotiate i dont want that on tv....go see the super and ask her questions...she will explain everything...they dont have anything to hide....plus i hear many bad things said by the staff....we really all have to suck it up be nice and go on .......teachers if u r really un happy go apply at a different school....but u wont get the same pay.....there are many young teachers waiting to get a great job like yours.....they would work for half the pay......im trying not to get upset but we cant afford to run this town like this... and im lso happy deanna is back....but her wages will be paid by fund raising...one problem solved....in the past before deanna the students did everything...now how come they cant do this again....why cant they record, produce and put it on tv....just a question....but it goes to show that if working together we can save some jobs.....
Submitted by ccane1980 on 7 February 2013 - 10:52am.

The teachers did vote to give

The teachers did vote to give back 5% through salary reductions and furlough days, but that WILL NOT save any of the positions. There are still 9 positions being cut. You mention that you're not anxious for your kids to start high school. I don't blame you because if all these cuts do go through, your kids and mine will get a bare-bones education which will not prepare them to compete at the college level or the world of work. And you say the committee "offered" to cut the teachers' pay by 9%, well that would have been an illegal move. Why would the teachers want to set such a precedent? Do you really think that if the teachers would have accepted a 9% cut that no teachers would have been cut in the spring anyway? You're right, this mentality against the schools is nationwide, but that doesn't make it right. Cutting education is not the answer any time. People need to stop thinking just beyond their noses and think of the future. And with such notoriety, no young teacher wants to come and work in Madawaska. We have gained a negative reputation, and we are the laughing stock of the state.
Submitted by workingforaliving on 8 February 2013 - 10:21am.

PLEASE!

PLEASE.... lets not start this again!! Everyone has their own opinions and are entitled to them... but this is all stuff that has been said over and over again since November... It's time to move on.... move on into the RIGHT direction... TOGETHER! Making peaceful and adult decisions for the future of our schools. You say we are the laughing stock of the state... why is that? Because of THIS very behavior!!! Every other school and town in the state has these SAME problems...Budget Cuts! Why is that WE are the laughing stock and don't hear anything about their problems? Because WE have made it that way... yes I said WE including ME... as I said before... Look forward and not back and move in a FORWARD direction....
Submitted by tiredofbs on 8 February 2013 - 11:19am.

Teacher's vote to give....HAHAHAHAHA

The teachers said in public exactly as you said there, workingforaliving. But what you don't know, just like the majority of the public is that this is FURTHER THAN THE TRUTH!!!! I know a few teachers and they are a union of course, and they never voted on such a thing. Apparently the Negotiating Committee of 3 women decided these things without the consent of the union members. The teacher's union only met after the town meeting to approve this and it did not pass. SO.......the teachers are not agreeing to any of these requests at this time, as far as I know!!! No wonder we are the laughing stock of the state....When our so called professionals are "playing games"!!!! These are the same people that are setting examples for our kids.....GO FIGURE!!!!
Submitted by retiree101 on 8 February 2013 - 7:20pm.

education

it is not education that is being cut people want wages cut....fair or not there are no funds...the super is looking at a few options that i hope are going to be woderful for everyone...it does not cut some of the classes...it saves them...also we cannot afford to pay a teacher full wages for having 3-10 students in a classroom...there are ways to correct that problem...we will soon see what students have signed up for...that will tell...we need to hold on...yes we are being laughed at..cause it is all over the the media...did u know that in the past 3 years Presque Isle has lost 38 positions....that was kinda quiet....we dont want to see them go home....but we cant afford to keep running like this...and no im not afraid to send my kids to school due to lack of classes...it will all work out....we will not do without....there are smaller schools than us that have just as much subjects as we do...its all in how it is scheduled...
Submitted by ccane1980 on 8 February 2013 - 3:40pm.