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LenMullen
Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 321
Location: Danville, NH
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 Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 11:29 am Post subject: Thank You! |
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This year’s TRSD Deliberative Session was well attended. Thanks to all who attended.
Barring some technical snafu, the meeting should soon be on TEN (Timberlane Education Network) and, for those without cable, posted on DanvilleDelivery.com. I encourage all to invest a couple hours in this meeting.
Here is a link to the video.
Watching the teachers and administrators file out of the PAC last night, there seemed to be relief that the operating budget warrant remained intact. This meeting wasn’t about amending the operating budget warrant article — it was about amending the budget process. The goal was to shine a light on a broken budget process and win public support for change. I think we did that well. We demonstrated via discourse and cross examination that…
•Mr. La Salle prepares the budget without input or oversight from the budget committee
•The budget committee does not have even a rudimentary understanding of the budget
•The budget committee routinely acts in violation of the law
Change begins March 9th. We need to elect budget committee members who are committed to restoring the committee’s constitutional authority and credibility.
Michelle O’Neill is not committed to restoring the committee’s authority. She has repeatedly stated that the job of the committee is to sell the budget to the community. She also voted against forming a subcommittee to revise the bylaws on 4/9/09…
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| Mrs. O’Neil described the Budget Committee as an oversight committee and it would be impossible for the Committee to actually prepare the Budget or even to have the expertise to make the decisions the administration makes, prior to presenting the Budget to the Committee. |
You’d know this if the meetings were recorded, but Michelle O’Neil has voted against recording and airing the meetings. In fact, her 4/9/09 vote against airing the meetings resulted in a 4-4 tie defeating the motion. When I proposed again last night that we record and air the meetings, she countered that there was no budget for that. When I offered to record the meetings at no charge, she said she preferred to use the [unfunded] school process. It was only when I advised the committee that I intended to record the meetings with or withoug consent that she conceded to ask the school board to record the meetings. Michelle is not alone in opposing accountability, but she is the only Danville representative who opposes accountability.
Change begins March 9th. Elect Paul Shalek to represent you on the Timberlane Regional School District’s Budget Committee.
_________________
"I've been teaching here for 20 years so please don't assume that kids can add, subtract, multiply and divide integers without problems. Especially subtraction, as I found that many have trouble with." TRMS Math Teacher |
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shawn_oneil
Joined: 09 May 2008
Posts: 22
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| Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 11:57 pm Post subject: Re: Thank You! |
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| LenMullen wrote: |
Watching the teachers and administrators file out of the PAC last night, there seemed to be relief that the operating budget warrant remained intact. This meeting wasn’t about amending the operating budget warrant article — it was about amending the budget process. The goal was to shine a light on a broken budget process and win public support for change. I think we did that well. We demonstrated via discourse and cross examination that…
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Are you delusional too. The Moderator keep repeating that the purpose of this meeting is to modify the Operating budget (when discussing that Warrant article). Public Support - What support? You even lost Ms. Brenda Copp as she left too. Did anyone find her? I wanted to cross examine her remarks?
| LenMullen wrote: |
•Mr. La Salle prepares the budget without input or oversight from the budget committee
•The budget committee does not have even a rudimentary understanding of the budget
•The budget committee routinely acts in violation of the law
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Mr. Mullen to lump the other members into the same category as yourself, not having a rudimentary understanding of the budget, is only diminishing the other members for the sake of making yourself not look as pathetic. How many meetings did you miss Mr. Mullen. At one of those meeting you could have seen what the various schools face when they conducted on-site visits. I guess your USB Keyboard didn't reach. Maybe you can delegate to Mr. Acciard your lighter work. 
| LenMullen wrote: |
Change begins March 9th. We need to elect budget committee members who are committed to restoring the committee’s constitutional authority and credibility.
Michelle O’Neill is not committed to restoring the committee’s authority. She has repeatedly stated that the job of the committee is to sell the budget to the community. She also voted against forming a subcommittee to revise the bylaws on 4/9/09…
| Quote: |
| Mrs. O’Neil described the Budget Committee as an oversight committee and it would be impossible for the Committee to actually prepare the Budget or even to have the expertise to make the decisions the administration makes, prior to presenting the Budget to the Committee. |
You’d know this if the meetings were recorded, but Michelle O’Neil has voted against recording and airing the meetings. In fact, her 4/9/09 vote against airing the meetings resulted in a 4-4 tie defeating the motion. When I proposed again last night that we record and air the meetings, she countered that there was no budget for that. When I offered to record the meetings at no charge, she said she preferred to use the [unfunded] school process. It was only when I advised the committee that I intended to record the meetings with or withoug consent that she conceded to ask the school board to record the meetings. Michelle is not alone in opposing accountability, but she is the only Danville representative who opposes accountability.
Change begins March 9th. Elect Paul Shalek to represent you on the Timberlane Regional School District’s Budget Committee. |
Mrs. O'Neil, my wife, knows completely well what the legal authority of the Budget Committee is by applicable RSA. She is also committed to working with the School District and the School Board to propose the best budget for the voters. She has repeatedly stepped up to the plate to explain the budget to whoever is interested only to be diminished by your insulting comments such as those on the multiple "An Evening with Timberlane" held at the Danville Elementary School. She knows more about the line items in this budget and previous budgets then you ever will Mr. Mullen. I know this because I have seen her spend hours upon hours going over the various line items and comparing them to historical data of our school district and other school districts. She asks the appropriate questions and has even vote "no" on the budget as many times as you have Mr. Mullen. She is far from the 'rubber stamp' member you make her out to be.
She did not concede anything to you. You are not trustworthy to be the gatekeeper of the video record. No member should have that duty. It should only be done in an official capacity, and that is not the Mullenville Video Jamboree.
Shawn O'Neil
Danville
-- Re-Elect Michelle O'Neil - Danville Sr. School Budget representative. A name you can trust along with common sense reasoning.
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Shawn O'Neil
Danville
shawn_oneil@alum.rit.edu
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therents
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Posts: 140
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| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 7:48 am Post subject: |
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Shawn,
Please explain to me why Michelle was so silent when Mark asked what 100K in equipment would purchase us tax payers. I had an idea and I'm not on the budget committee. Why didn't she answer?
Interesting about your comment how she is looking at the Timberlane budget and that of other school districts( any chance it is Nashua)? How do we as ordinary citizens get this information? IF I call Londonderry, can I get the information? |
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shawn_oneil
Joined: 09 May 2008
Posts: 22
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| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:41 am Post subject: |
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| therents wrote: |
Shawn,
Please explain to me why Michelle was so silent when Mark asked what 100K in equipment would purchase us tax payers. I had an idea and I'm not on the budget committee. Why didn't she answer?
Interesting about your comment how she is looking at the Timberlane budget and that of other school districts( any chance it is Nashua)? How do we as ordinary citizens get this information? IF I call Londonderry, can I get the information? |
Therents,
That would be a duty of the Chairman of the Budget Committee to address that question at that meeting. A lot of the information she has obtained over the years is a compilation of data extracted from the State Department of Education website. She actually has a box that she brings to each meeting that contains a lot of this information, and has been known on multiple occasions to pull out that information from previous years data to the table to augment the discussion at hand. You can get any of the information Michelle has obtained via the Internet. It is all public information.
Shawn
_________________
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Shawn O'Neil
Danville
shawn_oneil@alum.rit.edu
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TRHSparent
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Posts: 147
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| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:37 am Post subject: |
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| shawn_oneil wrote: |
That would be a duty of the Chairman of the Budget Committee to address that question at that meeting. A lot of the information she has obtained over the years is a compilation of data extracted from the State Department of Education website. She actually has a box that she brings to each meeting that contains a lot of this information, and has been known on multiple occasions to pull out that information from previous years data to the table to augment the discussion at hand. You can get any of the information Michelle has obtained via the Internet. It is all public information.
Shawn |
As I rewatch sections of the Deliberative Session, I'm confused as when it's duty of the chair to answer a question vs a board member. I thought when Mr Acciard asked what 100K in equipment purchase, he addressed for anyone on the budget comm for the answer. Maybe I need to review that section of video again. Ms O'Neil could have jumped in or at the very least request to answer that question imho.
I've been reading many and various postings on the Atkinson Reporter forum. I reviewed sections of the Deliberative Session regarding raises for administation. Posted on the Atkinson blog, Mr LaSalle salary is $132,000 but an addendum dated May 2009 signed by Mr Collins (chair of the SAU 55) a salary increase to $135,900/year. I also understand that the assistant and superintendant will not be receiving raises for the 2010-2011 budget year. A statement on the blog was made that Mr LaSalle is the 3rd highest paid Super in NH. 1st and 2nd place go to Manchester and Nashua. According to Ms O'Neil, Timberlane administrators are below the average in the surrounding area, that's why the request for a 2% increase in next year's budget. "We don't want to lose the administrators." (NOTE: not a direct quote) If the amendment for lower the operating budget had passed, Mr LaSalle mention cutting 40 teacher's positions. It was also stated that the School Board can still give 2% raises to admin. What happen to "we're doing it for the children and children are our top priority"? Mind-boggling! |
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Le Canard
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 106
Location: Danville
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:22 am Post subject: |
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"duty of the Chairman of the Budget Committee "
to answer questions, then why have the members of the Committee there at all in the front and not in the crowd with the citizens, teachers and staff? Or for that matter why have the Chairman there when it is clear that Mr. LaSalle is calling the shots? Any one on the Committee or the Board should be able to answer the questions as members or as citizens.
Maybe it is time to loose some administrators, loose some of the attitude of looking down at the parents and taxpayers, the new blood and outlook may be good for the children?[
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Le Canard
Last edited by Le Canard on Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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shawn_oneil
Joined: 09 May 2008
Posts: 22
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| Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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TRHS Parent,
Michelle (Mrs. O'Neil) said custodians and secretaries were give a 2% raise due to the fact they were not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and their health insurance payments were increased.
Le Canard,
The rest of the Committee is there to offer comments. The question was for details on the Maintenance line item which was about $118K recalling from memory. The details of which no one could quote off the top of their head. Mr. Stokinger pulled out his notebook so that he could elaborate on the topic in details. If Mr. Stokinger had to resort to a note book for this detail, would you expect someone else to also pull out a notebook?
Shawn O'Neil
Danville
_________________
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Shawn O'Neil
Danville
shawn_oneil@alum.rit.edu
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TRHSparent
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Posts: 147
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| Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:05 am Post subject: |
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| shawn_oneil wrote: |
TRHS Parent,
Michelle (Mrs. O'Neil) said custodians and secretaries were give a 2% raise due to the fact they were not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and their health insurance payments were increased. |
ONLY the secretaries and custodians will be receiving raises? No one else will be getting a 2% raise that are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement?
NOTE: This household as well several other households have not seen raises in the last 2 - 3 years and we get to look forward to another year of NO RAISES. Guess what? Our health care and insurance payments increased too and done WITHOUT RAISES!
| shawn_oneil wrote: |
If Mr. Stokinger had to resort to a note book for this detail, would you expect someone else to also pull out a notebook?
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YES! I've seen during the town deliberative session, budcom members resorting to notes and research material to answer questions. Are you saying that the budcom members in the Town of Danville never referred to notes during their deliberative session? |
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PBealo
Site Admin
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Posts: 307
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| Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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Don't expect an answer. I just couldn't put up with it any longer.
Peter B. |
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LenMullen
Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 321
Location: Danville, NH
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| Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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I can tell you the answer: most of the money will go to the highest paid employees of the district. These people do not teach.
_________________
"I've been teaching here for 20 years so please don't assume that kids can add, subtract, multiply and divide integers without problems. Especially subtraction, as I found that many have trouble with." TRMS Math Teacher |
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