This Is the Truth...These Are The Facts.

To borrow a quote from my friend Barbara Anderson...

"There are two kinds of people, from various perspectives, reading this column: 1. People who want to know the truth; and 2. People who would rather not know until it's too late."

This week's blog article explores the belief that the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee is a liability to our towns, our residents AND our schools. Their budgeting ineptitude, autonomy and arrogance for at least the last 10 years has resulted in a property tax rate that is one of the highest on the North Shore and a school district reputation that is in steep decline.

Follow along for a minute to see how the School Committee's many poor decisions have resulted in the unfortunate position we now find ourselves in.  Here are the facts:

School override after school override (aka: "overandoverrides"). Since 2001 the school district has demanded nine Proposition 2.5 overrides. Eight have been granted. The cumulative cost to the taxpayers for those eight overrides = $43,970,000.  "Budgeting by Override" never was a sound accounting process and was most certainly unsustainable.

Loss of property values. The overrides have resulted in Hamilton and Wenham having two of the highest property tax rates on the North Shore. This means that many home buyers are circumventing Hamilton and Wenham in favor or surrounding communities, many with equally good schools. The end result is a significant loss of value in your home and your equity.

Highest per pupil cost.  Two independent reports have concluded that residents in Hamilton and Wenham pay about $2,000 more per pupil in our school district than in peer school districts.

Blue Ribbon Report on school district costs. The Blue Ribbon report, and a subsequent update to the report, indicated that our school district costs residents $2 - $4 million more per year than comparable school districts in Massachusetts.

School Superintendent departure. In a move some have called "fleeing from a sinking ship", former School Superintendent Marinel McGrath resigned and took a position in Andover, MA. Her assistant superintendent and business manager, Paul Sysmanski, also departed... moving first to Billerica and then over to Andover to join with McGrath again.

New School Superintendent. In a rush to replace McGrath, despite calls to slow down and seek an interim superintendent, the School Committee unanimously approved the hiring of Dr. Raleigh Buchanan and granted him a three-year contract at a significantly higher salary than that of his previous position as Superintendent in Haverhill.  Residents were told that we needed to offer a high salary in order to attract the best candidates.

School Operational Audit. Hamilton and Wenham voters overwhelmingly supported funding an Operational Audit of the School District to determine what was wrong and where efficiencies could be found. The audit report suggests that savings of up to $15 million over 5 years are possible and offers 125 financial recommendations. The School Committee has all but ignored the cost-saving recommendations and has focused solely on implementing the cost-enhancing recommendations. The School Committee has resolutely claimed the audit is "flawed"...EXCEPT when it supports their agenda of additional spending.

2012 School Budget Season. The School committee's WORKING FINANCE GROUP, after determination that the 2011 district budget was OVER-FUNDED by more than $1 million, recommended a so-called "give back" to the towns of $350k.

The School Committee refusal. The School Committee ignored their own WORKING FINANCE COMMITTEE'S recommendation and voted to give nothing back to the towns... Nothing.  Zip.  How's that for "compromise"?

The School Committee violates the Open Meeting Law. The School Committee was forced to admit they violated the State's Open Meeting Law on numerous occasions during the budget season, despite, as their attorney stated, all members having been trained in procedures and processes of the law.

Towns boards seek return of unspent funds. Town officials (ALL members of both Boards of Selectmen and Finance and Advisory Committees of BOTH towns) requested the School District return $500k in unspent taxpayer funds (half).  They cited additional approved state funding of $120k and a Latin teacher salary ($77k) with no Latin teacher. Recognizing that the district was OVER-FUNDED by more than $1 million in 2011, the Selectmen and FinCom members felt that requesting only the return of $500k represented an extremely fair compromise proposal.

The School Committee's refuses. Again...No willingness whatsoever to compromise.

School budget rejected by voters. Voters at the Hamilton Annual Town Meeting approved the motion to give back $500k to the taxpayers and rejected the School Committee's budget, requiring the School Committee to certify a new budget and resubmit it for consideration.

School Superintendent reviews delayed. For various reasons, the yearly reviews of the Superintendent of Schools were delayed repeatedly until AFTER both Town Meetings were over.  Once they were released, it became abundantly clear that the School Committee had been on a collision course with Dr. Buchanan.

Another School Superintendent departs. Less than one year into his three year contract Dr. Buchanan abruptly resigned claiming "irreconcilable differences" with the School Committee, the result of scathing reviews by most members of that committee...the same committee that unanimously and emotionally approved his hiring one year ago. (Cost to the district to buy out his contract: $115,000.00)

Middle/High School Principal moves on. Matt Fox accepts a job as Middle School Principal in Marblehead.

Another School Principal looks to move on.  Winthrop School principal Carrie Vaich sought a new position and was named a finalist in Newburyport and at the Rollinsford Grade School in NH.  After Newburyport chose the other candidate, she chose to remain in Hamilton.

School Committee incumbents are voted out of office. All three open positions on the School Committee are won by new candidates...sending a clear message, one would think.

A School District in trouble.  We now have no Middle School principal, no High School principal and no full time Superintendent (Peter Gray, thankfully, is serving as acting superintendent...for the time being.)

School Budget "re-certification". As a result of the Hamilton Town Meeting vote, the School Committee certified a new budget, this time with only a $300k "give back" instead of the $500k approved by the voters and recommended by town officials.  The SC has referred to this amount as a "compromise proposal"...suggesting that the STARTING POINT was $500k, instead of $1 million, which is the ACTUAL OVER-FUNDED AMOUNT.  This means Hamilton will have to hold a Special Town Meeting later this month and incur the additional COSTS, INCONVENIENCE and ANGER of the residents.

This last decision was perhaps the most unfortunate and misguided act yet by the HWRSD School Committee. A significant opportunity was lost by the blindness of all but two committee members (newly elected members, I would point out).  Had they not been so blind, they surely would have understood that most of the divisiveness, the mistrust, and the angst of the residents of Hamilton and Wenham could have been eliminated had they simply agreed to what the majority of COMBINED VOTERS OF BOTH TOWNS expressed at the two May Town Meetings: Give us back just HALF of our unspent tax funds.  Half...that's all we're asking for.

The truth... there it is.  The facts...there they are.

As Barbara's quote at the beginning of this article stated, it may be too late for those of you who do not want to know the truth.

But I sincerely hope it's not.

Please plan to attend the Special Town Meeting on June 27th at the Winthrop School at 7:00 PM and let your voices, and your votes, be heard again. 

Vote NO to the proposed school budget at the Special Town Meeting.

Thank you.