School Superintendent States Support of Operational Audit

On Thursday, March 18, Hamilton Town Clerk Jane Wetson certified that a citizen's petition had the necessary 10% of the town's registered voter signatures, thereby qualifying it to be placed as an article on the warrant for the Annual Town Meetings...in both Hamilton and Wenham.

Because the petition calls for an amendment to the Regional School District Agreement, 10% of the registered voter's signatures, of EITHER town, was required. That number of signatures was 570 in Hamilton. As it turned out, the total number collected in Hamilton and Wenham exceeded 850.

By now, most know that the petition calls for an Operational Audit of the regional school district by an outside, unbiased, third-party company, to be determined by the Boards of Selectmen (BoS) of the two towns.

You can read more about the issue on this blog in articles below this one.

Here are a few new items regarding this initiative...

1. Some have asked why the amendment calls for the school district operating fund to pay for the audit. In fact, the current superintendent has indicated that she supports such an audit but that she feels the district should not pay for it. The answer is simple...the schools already do not pay for anything - the TAXPAYERS do. So whether the funding is in the school budget, or the town budget - you, the taxpayers of Hamilton and Wenham, pay the bill. So it does not matter which pocket it comes from, it's the same pair of pants.



2. School Committee member Don Gallant recently stated, "I find it difficult for a public entity to fund its own audit. My concern is if you had an operational audit and they came in with a, more or less, favorable report, it would look a little fishy because you were the one who paid for the report."
   
   But hold on a minute...
   
   Isn't that EXACTLY what the school district did when it paid nearly $45 thousand for a study and report by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)? The proposed amendment language of the citizen's petition eliminates Mr. Gallant's concern by granting the authority of who to hire to the Boards of Selectmen, not the school committee or administration.
   
   
3. The most often asked question is "How much is it going to cost?" That will depend upon what firm the selectmen choose to perform the operational audit. The tax watchdog group Enough Is Enough (EiE) has been in contact with one firm, MGT of America, that specializes in exactly this kind of audit and they have said the cost would likely be $75k to $95k for a complete and thorough examination, including specific recommendations for improvement and savings.
   
   You can view the company's website by [clicking here].
   
   School districts where MGT has performed audits have noted experiencing savings of from several times the cost of the audit to millions of dollars over the years, resulting from MGT recommendations that the schools implemented. Judging from the wide discrepancy of the costs of our school district compared to our "cohort" districts (estimated at $2 to $4 million more a year in Hamilton/Wenham) brought to light by the Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) recently, it seems clear that an operational audit is overwhelmingly needed here.



4. Which brings me to my final point...There are those that would argue that the BRC has already shown us where we need to cut costs...that we need to simply look to the comparison schools to find the answers. Not according to Alexa McCloughan, vice-chairman of the School committee, who (Boston Globe North: 3/11/10) said that while the results of the study are interesting, jumping to the conclusion that Hamilton-Wenham could be remade in the image of another district would be an oversimplification and that closer observation of any community yields significant differences.

I agree with Ms. McCloughan. That is precisely why the HWRSD needs an operational audit of its own so its own values and philosophies, systems and processes, personnel and practices can be properly...and locally...evaluated and recommendations made to improve the delivery of services and save costs.

Even school superintendent McGrath admits supporting an operational audit.

Dr. McGrath publicly stated at the school committee meeting on 3/11/10:

"From the very first meeting, at every single
BRC meeting...Don (Gallant, SC member)

and I both said, 'Come on in! Come in

and do an operational audit.' I'm getting

rather tired of seeing it in print that

we are opposing an operational audit,

because that is NOT the case."

So there you have it. The school administration and the residents want the same thing - an operational audit that will improve our school district...for everyone. This should be cause not only for celebration but also for overwhelming support and passage of the request at both Town Meetings.

Vote YES for this amendment to the Regional School District Agreement at the Annual Town Meetings in May and let's get started.

Wenham's Annual Town Meeting is Saturday, May 1.

Hamilton's Annual Town Meeting is Saturday, May 8.

800+ Sign Petition in Support of Operational Audit

About a month ago I reported here that the grassroots tax group Enough Is Enough (EiE) was circulating a Citizen's Petition requesting an Operational Audit of the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District (HWRSD). Within three weeks of that announcement the group had the required number of signatures to submit their request as an article for the Town Meeting warrants in both Hamilton and Wenham.

In fact, the total number of voter signatures required was 570 and the group gathered over 800...in just three weeks!

That's a testament not only to those that collected so many signatures in so little time, but also to the overwhelming support that this initiative has in both towns.

And why wouldn't it have that kind of support?

You will recall that two weeks after EiE began collecting signatures, the Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) reported an update of data and information that spotlighted an alarming disparity between what we pay to the HWRSD and what similar/comparable school districts are costing. A Salem News article stated that our school district spends nearly $3.5 million dollars more than the comparable districts...without the benefit of higher educational test scoring from our students.

That knowledge is cause for grave concern and clearly supports and justifies the need for the operational audit. EiE has sought support for this study for more than a year and has tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to obtain information from the school department in order to find out where and how funding is being directed and spent in our school district. The school department's steadfast reluctance to provide the requested information left EiE no other choice than to seek the requested amendment to the Regional School District Agreement requiring an operational audit.

Fortunately, there has never been a more opportune time to perform this kind of audit. Changes within the school administration could likely result in savings to fund such an audit. School districts contacted by EiE that performed operational audits have positive testimonials about recommendations that were provided by the auditors and spoke of savings of millions of dollars...many times the original cost of their audits. Savings have been found in areas never considered by the school committees and new "best practice" systems and processes have been implemented that have been proven highly effective.

This is an initiative that should be welcomed and embraced by all. It is not punishment. It is an acknowledgement that professional, trained, experienced, outside, third party experts are better able discern solutions to our problems than those that, despite their best intentions, have caused the cost of our kids' education to soar beyond reason...without the benefit of enhanced educational excellence.

In other words, higher costs have NOT been shown to equal better education.

The amendment request for the operational audit will be voted upon at each individual Town Meeting. Wenham's meeting is on Saturday, May 1st, and Hamilton's is the following Saturday, May 8th. Be sure to attend and vote YES.

This amendment gives the residents real authority and stronger accountability.

It's about time for that.

To view a copy of the Citizen's Petition:
[CLICK HERE]

Aspiring to Excellence in Our Schools

The Annual Town Meetings for Hamilton and Wenham are scheduled for May 8th and May 1st respectively. With a winter coat of white still on the ground and more in the forecast, it may seem as though May is a long way away.

Not really, when you consider the time and effort that goes into preparing articles for the warrant, the budgets from the various departments and, of course, the school district budget which is currently in it's preliminary stage. To spice things up, there is also a new teacher contract that is currently being negotiated.

And let's not forget any citizen's petitions that may be working their way onto the warrant for a vote at the Annual Town Meetings.

Which brings me to the topic of this blog...

The citizen's tax-watchdog group Enough Is Enough (EiE) has prepared and is currently obtaining signatures for a petition requesting an amendment to the the Regional School District Agreement. According to that agreement, any such change request must be signed by at least 10% of the registered voters in EITHER of the member towns (not both). At this time that means 571 registered voter signatures in Hamilton... or 270 in Wenham.

The petition is requesting an amendment to the district agreement that would allow for an operational audit to be conducted within 6 months of approval and within every 5 years following that initial audit.

This is an initiative that is long overdue. Here is a link to a recent Salem News report about how the HWRSD significantly outspends comparable school systems: [Click Here]


FEATURES and BENEFITS of an Operational Audit:

• An operational audit is not to be confused with a financial audit. An operational audit's purpose is to appraise the effectiveness and efficiency of an entire organization...in this case the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District (HWRSD). The entire HWRSD operations would be analyzed, including appraisal of structure, controls, procedures and processes. Recommendations to improve performance and save costs would result from such an audit.
  
• An Operational Audit should provide at least three deliverables:
  

1. Value-driven recommendations that would enhance the HWRSD's efficiency and ability to achieve specific and long range objectives and cut costs.
   
2. A clear road map of how to manage the change process during the implementation of those recommendations.
   
3. The ability to recognize the need for change in the future, coupled with the ability to do it right the first time.

Some of you will recall that last September I posted a poll asking how many readers supported the concept of an operational audit of the HWRSD and I announced the results here.

89% of all respondents voted YES to such an audit and since that time even more residents have embraced the idea, including parents, teachers, town employees and even some selectmen. Even the Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) recommended a somewhat limited operational audit (SPED only). And now, with updated information from select members of the BRC about to be made public, it is the right time to consider and vote on this amendment at Town Meeting.

Over the next few weeks you are likely to encounter volunteers asking for your support, and signature, to place this request on the town meeting warrants so that voters can decide collectively at town meeting whether to approve the audit...or not. You are welcome to place comments here on this blog if you wish.

Your signature on the citizen's petition is not a "yea" or "nay" vote on the initiative...It simply guarantees that the article will make it to Town Meeting where open discussion can take place and the outcome decided by the majority of registered voters present.

To view a copy of the requested amendment: [CLICK HERE]

IN OTHER NEWS...
Many leaders seem to be
abandoning the Hamilton/Wenham School District

School superintendent Marinel McGrath has accepted the job of superintendent of schools for Andover, MA.

Assistant superintendent Paul Syzmanski has accepted the position of school business manager in Billerica.

Philip Conrad, associate principal at Miles River Middle School and Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School is leaving to go to Rockport.


And there are currently only two candidates for the three positions available on the School Committee.

Can you say "Abandon Ship!"?

Also... The SOS group is promoting what they refer to as the "Fair Share" initiative for the schools, demanding that the towns give the schools a minimum of 2.5 % increase (plus .05% from new growth) every year.

One might argue that giving the schools more than $40 million in cumulative override funding over the past 11 years was a "Fair Share".

What would you call the increase in school funding of 9.8% two years ago, if not a "Fair Share"? (Maybe taxpayers should demand a refund?)

Wouldn't you call the average increase in school funding of 5.6% a year over the past 10 years a "Fair Share"?

For more details about this issue [click here]

How about a "Fair Shake" for taxpayers for a change?

Lastly, the Education Fund group recently sponsored a "feasability" study on rebuilding the auditorium at the high school. The architectural firm Dore & Whittier presented two options before a meeting of the School Committee.

Option #1: $6.7 million

Option #2: $8.8 million

I'm not sure, but I get the sense that neither option is particularly palatable to the taxpayers, or even the School Committee for that matter, during this fragile economic period. But thanks should be extended to the Ed Fund folks for paying for the study and for giving us something nice to dream about. Too bad we could not have purchased the North Shore Music Theatre, which was just sold on February 3rd for only $3.6 million. That probably would have been more "feasible", even if you threw in the cost of bussing students there for rehearsals.

Use Your Cell Phone to Scan For Information!

We've all seen the bar codes that are used everywhere from grocery stores to department stores, from supply houses to small businesses. They are featured on nearly every product you buy and they look like the image above.

Well...get ready for a new bar code called a QR code (Quick Response) that is going to begin having a huge impact on business information and how it is delivered to you via your cell phone in the coming year.

While conventional bar codes are capable of storing a maximum of approximately 20 digits, QR code is capable of handling several hundred times more information.

Expect to see QR codes in magazine advertisements, on billboards, web pages or even on someone’s t-shirt. Once it is "scanned" to your cell phone, it can give you details about that business, or details about the person wearing the t-shirt, show you a URL which you can click to see a trailer for a movie, or it may give you a coupon which you can use in a local outlet.

The reason why QR codes are more useful than a standard bar code is that they can store (and digitally present) much more data, including URL links, pictures, GEO coordinates, and text. The other key feature of QR codes is that instead of requiring a chunky hand-held scanner to scan them, most recent cell phones can scan them. The full Wikipedia description is here.

For a short YouTube explanation by Marcello Di Pietro: click here

Any business, no matter how small or large, could use QR codes in a number of ways. You might auto generate one next to every product on your web site containing all the product details, the number to call and the URL link to the page so they can show their friends on their cell phone.

You could add one to your business card containing your contact details so its easy for someone to add you to their contacts on their cell phone, without any typing!

Below is an example of my business contact information, including a photo, company logo and link to my website. All you need is the READER application which is available for download to your phone at several Internet sites. The QR code can be as small as your thumbnail or as large as a billboard.

Add your QR code to any print advertising, flyers, posters, invites, tv ads etc. containing:

• product details
• contact details
• offer details
• event details
• a coupon
• Twitter, Facebook, MySpace IDs
• a link to a YouTube video
• Or, in my case...Access to individual homes for sale, mortgage information, Open Houses, mapping and more.

What is it really all about? Well, some may not see it, but its yet another example of the blurring of the edges of media, as we all continue our journey to a completely connected world.

Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham

REMV for Marketing Homes For Sale?

REMV, or Real Estate Music Video, is the newest and hottest way of video marketing homes for sale. Like the music videos you see on TV and Youtube, this application can range from hard-hitting impact marketing like this:

...to soft (think James Taylor) and smooth video marketing like this:
(which one do you prefer?)

If you think the above marketing videos are cool, you should see what can be done with a single property REMV. A key component to creating this kind of video is looking at photography in a different way. It's not simply about posting pictures and adding a soundtrack, it's about telling a story and creating a sequence of photos that take the viewer on a ride complete with images of the area as well as the individual property.

If you are considering the sale of your home, now is the best time in years to do so. If you want the most comprehensive marketing available from a real estate company, you need Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. If you want the most unique and extensive marketing available from a North Shore real estate agent, you need me. Best of all, we are on the same team. Call me for a confidential consultation to discuss your options: 978.233.2828 (direct)

Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham

Scan my QR Code Contact information to your cell phone:

A Nattering Nabob of Negativism

That's what one disgruntled reader recently called me after I wrote as a guest contributor on a well-known, well-written and well-read Hamilton blog site known as Unquestionably Questionable. Me? A "nattering nabob of negativism"? Ouch!

I did not even know what a "nabob" was so I went to the Internet for clarification. Here is what I found:

na·bob (noun):

1. A governor in India under the Mogul Empire. Also called nawab. (That can't be it)




2. A person of wealth and prominence. (Wealth...no. Prominence...I don't think so!)




3. A rich, powerful, or important man. (Definitely not)

So what exactly did this person mean? What was she implying?

I decided to seek enlightenment at the next most likely site to have an answer: Henderson's Cafe & Coffee Shop in Wenham.

For those unfamiliar with this hot spot of community culture and local politics, it's next to the Hamilton Shopping Center (aka: The Shoppes at Hamilton Crossing) on, as they say...the "other side of the tracks". If you really want to take the pulse of our two towns, you have to visit Henderson's where opinions are never in short supply and politicians that dare to enter can always find answers to their pressing problems.

Which is why I asked several members of what I call Henderson's "Breakfast Club" if anyone knew what a "nabob" was...as in "nattering nabob of negativism".

Wouldn't you know it? A couple of the attendees were familiar with the phrase and explained where it originated, even as a third member of the group looked it up on his Apple iPhone. It seems it is one of the most popular phrases associated with U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew who served under Richard Nixon until resigning in October 1974, after pleading no contest to charges of tax fraud. He is the only Vice President in U.S. history to resign because of criminal charges. Agnew, who had a particularly acrimonious relationship with the press, used this term to refer to the members of the media, whom he also deemed "an effete corps of impudent snobs."

Although the phrase "nattering nabob of negativism" is often credited to Agnew himself, one of the breakfast club members, Phil Stearns, knew that it was actually written by William Safire, the legendary columnist for The New York Times, who was a speechwriter for Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew.

So...Let's get back to one person's view that this blogger is a "nattering nabob of negativism".

Thank you for that description! Now that I know the phrase was used by an ex-vice president who resigned as a result of charges of fraud to describe the press corp that helped identify and report on those charges, I am quite pleased that you referred to me this way. I can only hope that my blogging will help identify similarly guilty individuals who need to be exposed and written about, for the betterment of our community.

If you think about it, negativism is actually quite important. We need it in order to know what is wrong so that we can correct it.

Perhaps once that is accomplished I will turn into a "Prime Pillar of Positiveness".

Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham

Scan my QR Code contact information to your cell phone:

(Not So) Transparent Meeting in Process

By now, anyone living on the North Shore that has a pulse has likely heard about the letter of reprimand handed down to the Hamilton Board of Selectmen by Assistant District Attorney Grimes for violations of the Open Meeting rules. The news broke in two separate front page articles in the Salem News, followed by an editorial in the same paper a day later.

That's a lot of press for a small town, but then Hamilton has had more than its share of front page breaking news over the past year. Unfortunately, most of it has been unflattering.

So much has been written in the "Comments" section of the online versions of the three articles mentioned above that this writer feels there is little to add. Instead, I offer the following links to the articles for you to review and form your own opinion of the issue:


In the order in which they were published:

• http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_005222435.html



• http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_007001645.html



• http://www.salemnews.com/puopinion/local_story_007234327.html
  

And if you'd like to read another local blogger's take on the issue:

• http://unquestionablyquestionable.blogspot.com/

Let's all hope that we can keep our small town out of the headlines for awhile.

Even a week would be nice!

Uh oh!...We did not escape for even a week! Here's what was on the front page of the Salem News on January 12th:

• http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_011234056.html?dsq=29543067#comment-29543067

Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham

Jay's Real Estate Predictions for 2010

There are a lot of sighs of relief now that 2009 is past, particularly coming from the real estate industry.

But will 2010 be any better?

I have just dusted off my crystal ball... and I can now offer my annual 10 predictions for real estate in the coming year:

1. The residential housing market will pick up early this year, but will dip again after mid-year.

2. Short sales will increase and foreclosure inventory will continue to rise.

3. Mortgage rates will rise and settle in around 6%+/-.

4. Appraisal guidelines will tighten and mortgage lenders will require stellar credit from buyers.

5. A lot of prospective move-up buyers will stay put.

6. Commercial real estate will continue to decline.

7. Builders will continue to be cautious and not in any particular hurry to gain project approvals or begin construction.

8. New construction prices will drop significantly.

9. Prices will continue to decline on higher end properties (over $1.5 million).

10. The terms "communication" and "service" will take on new meanings among real estate agents with the need for more direct contact with clients, such as phone and face-to-face contact as opposed to Internet, email and voicemail communication.

There you have it. Perhaps not the rosiest picture imaginable, but no one said that climbing out of a recession would be easy... or quick. Take a look at the graph below and you will see why. I would put us somewhere between the "depression" and "hope" positions of the graph.

The good news?

A lot of real estate transactions will take place in 2010, despite the market. Reasonable sellers, savvy buyers and service-centered real estate agents will win the day.

Carpe Diem! Make it a great year!

Follow me on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/jayburnham

Real Estate in 2010 vs 2009...Good News Ahead

Is This A Test?...A Quiz?...A Question?...A Poll?

This is a test.

Actually, it's more of a quiz.

Scratch that, it's really a question. Or perhaps a poll. It's for any and all real estate agents that may read this blog from time to time. Here's the set up:

It's the day before Christmas and Santa has agreed to give you any technology tool you want for your business. The cost range is $300 to $3,000. The question, therefore, is:

What single piece of real estate technology would you ask for and why?

All answers to this question will be posted on this blog for others to see and learn from.

I'll start it out with my own wish which would be to receive a new Palm PRE Smartphone...but with VERIZON as the carrier. Right now, Sprint is the only choice, but I have it on good authority that Verizon WILL be carrying it in 2010.

Here's why I like the Palm PRE...

1. The WebOS operating system. It's fast and smooth and allows you to keep multiple applications open at the same time.

2. Easy management of multiple email accounts, collectively or separately.

3. Contact management and scheduling are a breeze and information can be pulled together in one place from multiple sources.

4. Software updates come to you over the air...without having to log into your computer.

5. It has a slide-out tactile QWERTY board (as opposed to simply a digital screen version).

There's more that I like, but I don't want to sound too much like a Palm PRE advertisement.

So what's on your wish list?.....

Here's a link to Time Magazine's Top 10 gadgets.

The Night Before a Christmas Closing

This is for all those real estate agents who find themselves in the position of trying to close a transaction before the end of the year....

'Twas an hour before closing and the agents were tense,

To close Christmas Eve just didn't make sense.

But the seller was booked on the 6 o'clock flight

And had warned "THERE WILL BE A CLOSING TONIGHT!"

The agents agreed because business was dead,

And visions of commission checks danced in their heads.

The loan was approved by the lender's good grace,

Everyone knew it was a borderline case.

The buyers divorced, remarried again,

Divorced once more, and now were just friends.

The loan package complete to the attorney was carried,

With instructions to close before they remarried.

The title policy arrived via UPS,

From page One through Sixteen, a terrible MESS!

An improper legal, 3 judgments, a lien,

But a few lines on page seven, looked pretty clean.

The title was cleared and the closing was set,

But to finish today was not a sure bet.

The attorney dashed in waving the HUD,

It was covered with whiteout, coffee and crud.

But down in the corner you barely could see,

That the buyer still owed a buck thirty-three.

So the attorney decided to waive a part of his fee,

And the agents agreed better you than me.

To add to the turmoil, guess what hadn’t arrived?

The certificate of approval of Title V.

And the seller now wanted to change the disclosure,

His mother had just died of RADON EXPOSURE!

But everything else in his house was O.K.

(his cracked floors and walls were always that way)

About that time the buyer chimed in,

"We'd like to continue, but before we begin,

I noticed these papers - I'm likely to blame,

But I gave my agent the wrong legal name.

And one more thing I had hoped to avoid,

Does it really matter if I'm self-employed?"

Just then the closing attorney exploded,

Pulled out a gun and said it was loaded.

Everyone froze and sat there amazed,

He frothed at the mouth and his eyes were both glazed.

More rapid than rain, his curses they came,

He bristled and spouted and called them bad names.

"THE CLOSING IS OFF, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR??

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL – NOW GET OUT OF HERE!"

Can You Hear Me Out There? (Is This Mic On?)

Have you heard the latest?

The Hamilton Board of Selectmen (BoS) voted on Monday, November 30th, to increase the property tax rate from $15.23 per thousand to $16.25 per thousand (of assessed value).

That's right...INCREASE.

Here's their reasoning for raising your taxes 6.7% during the worst economic recession most of us have ever experienced:

According to the Hamilton Board of Assessors and the BoS, the total value of property in Hamilton has decreased by 4.1 percent this year. Of the total, 95 percent is residential, 4 percent is commercial, and 1 percent is personal. They say that the average single-family home values have decreased by 4.4 percent since fiscal 2009. When property values decline (they say), the tax rate on real estate automatically increases (a 4.4% average in this case for residential property owners and a 4.1% total increase for all property) to keep the tax revenues "neutral". If you subtract out the 4.1%, the net rate increase is 2.6% which is roughly the equivalent of the 2.5% levy growth.

That's their explanation.

Let's analyze that. First of all, it assumes that when you get your next property tax bill, your home will be assessed at 4.4% less than last year.

Anyone care to bet on that?

If it's not, then you should join the hundreds of other homeowners and get in line down at Town Hall to file for an abatement. To apply for an abatement, you must file within 30 days of receipt of your January tax bill.

Secondly, the explanation assumes that the tax levy must rise by 2.5% in order for taxes to be "revenue neutral". That's simply ridiculous. The 2.5% increase is ALLOWABLE, it is not REQUIRED. It's not a statute. It's a permissible entitlement that has come to be expected, but it should not be during these recessionary times. I blogged and conducted a poll about this last September [click here] and 86% of the respondents to the poll indicated that they would be willing to accept cuts in services in order to see a 0% increase in their property taxes for one year.

Lastly, the BoS's explanation that "when property values decline, the tax rate on real estate automatically increases" doesn't seem to account for the fact that when property values were rising, our real estate tax rate also increased. At least then we were seeing equity growth in our homes. Increasing taxes, even as the equity in our homes diminishes, simply adds salt to the wound.

And it goes even further than that. Higher tax rates (and Hamilton's are the highest on the North Shore) are driving buyers away from our town in favor of neighboring communities with much lower rates. Additionally, the high costs are driving residents away (read: Voting With Your Feet)...if only they could sell their homes. Which they can, but at discounted prices as compared to other towns.

And so, even as values decline due to the exceedingly high property taxes in Hamilton, your Selectmen have voted to increase your taxes...causing values to decline even more...and so on.

You have heard the term "enough is enough". Apparently our elected officials have not.

"Hello?...Is the mic on? Can you hear me out there?"

Teacher Shortage...Or Glut?

Jim Kent of Hamilton is a teacher. He works at a private school where he earns less than his counterparts in the public school system. He recently wrote a Letter-to-the-Editor that was published in the Hamilton/Wenham Chronicle [click here to read it].

In it, Jim describes the pay and benefit cuts that he, like so many others, has had to make during the current economic recession. I know Jim, and too many others like him that have been hard hit by the economy. Jim is grateful that he still has a job. More than 317,000 others in Massachusetts are less fortunate.

All across the country people are losing their jobs and are unable to find other work, in nearly all employment categories. The teaching profession is just one that has gone from a shortage to a glut.

Why?

Because the teachers and their advocate unions have steadfastly refused to cut back on salaries or benefits (the way they have at Jim Kent's non-union school) thereby resulting in layoffs in support of the remaining teachers and their incomes and benefits. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Hamilton and Wenham. Last spring, you will recall, the taxpayers said "enough is enough" to 10 years of Proposition 2.5 overrides for the school district and the majority of taxpayers in the two towns disapprove of salary and benefit raises in one sector at the expense of others.

According to the U.S. Bureau of statistics, school systems, state education agencies, technical schools and colleges have shed nearly 125,000 jobs since last fall. At the same time, many teachers that had been planning retirement are staying on due to the recession and many people who have lost jobs in other professions are trying to make teaching a second career or work as substitutes until they can find full time employment elsewhere.

According to the annual report from the American Association for Employment in Education, the nationwide demand for teachers in 60 out of 61 subjects has declined from a year ago (Math is the only exception). In other recent years, more than a dozen subjects had extreme shortages. Neil Shnider, the executive director of the association said, "We don't see a teacher shortage now. The school districts aren't hiring."

Which brings us to the Hamilton/Wenham Regional School District (HWRSD) and current negotiations taking place with the teachers' union. It has been said that if the teachers do not get a contract that maintains or increases salaries and/or benefits they will leave and go find positions in other school districts.

That's highly unlikely, given that the other districts are not hiring for the very reasons mentioned above. It's a hollow threat.

In case the teachers and their union representatives missed the news, here are a just a few recent headlines from the Boston Globe:

"Outlook is grim deep into 2010"

"Stimulus job boost in state exaggerated, review finds"

"Amid budget pain, some states furlough teachers"

"Jobless rate at highest level since '83"

"State jobless pay to end for many"

"Mass unemployment rate climbed to 9.1 percent in August"

"Patrick warns of 2,000 job cuts...asks unions for concessions"

"Unemployment at 33-year high; insurance fund running out"

"A state of economic anxiety"

"2 sheriff's unions OK furloughs"

"As jobs remain elusive, foreclosures rise again (30% in October)"

Let's hope that the HWRSD School Committee can work out a new contract with the union that will be fair in light of the issues that Jim Kent has raised. No one wants to see more teachers laid off... and "budgeting by override" is no longer an option.

To read how other public employees are sacrificing for the good of all, read this inspiring article about our state representatives in the Salem News, posted 11/24/09.

You Probably Think This Blog Is About You

Most people remember Carly Simon's hit song "You're So Vain" and to this day she has not revealed who she wrote the song about. Many have asked and many have speculated, but no one knows for sure...except Carly, of course... and perhaps the person about whom she wrote it.

Below are some new lyrics to the same tune.

Who were they written about?

I'll tell....as soon as Carly does!


**********************************


You walked into the meeting
Like the queen of the debutantes

You had your speech so carefully prepared

And typed with the proper fonts

You had one eye on the camera

And one eye on the crowd

And then you dreamed

That you'd be convincing

But you're not convincing, and...

You're so vain

You probably think this blog is about you

You're so vain

I'll bet you think this blog is about you

Don't you? Don't you?

Well you fooled us several years ago

When we were still quite naive

And you said that we needed more overrides

Or else we should simply leave

And you took away the dough we need

And called it just a "cup of joe"

We had some dreams

They were clouds in our coffee

"Just another cup of coffee", and...

You're so vain
You probably think this blog is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this blog is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

Well we hear you're going to negotiate now

Against a union with enormous clout

And you say that it's all under control

And in you we should have no doubt

But you don't inspire our confidence

With the things that you say and you do

To earn some respect

You need to change your demeanor

Change your demeanor, and...

You're so vain
You probably think this blog is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this blog is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

Questionable Arrogance

Unlike Barbara Anderson’s well-known Citizens For Limited Taxation (CLT), that has been in existence for 30 years, the Hamilton/Wenham fiscal watchdog group Enough Is Enough (EiE) has been around for just under two years. But during that short period of time the group has been enormously successful in achieving its agenda of fiscal responsibility in the two towns. Membership has swelled to 400+ and supporters come from diverse backgrounds, age and income levels and family size.

Just before the two most recent town meetings in Hamilton the organization published and distributed what is known as the EiE Yellow Sheet, a voting guide with the group's recommendations for voting on key issues on the town warrants. Eleven recommendations on the two published Yellow Sheets resulted in ten wins for the group, an astonishing accomplishment for such a young organization.*

The reason?

Well surely there are many, but perhaps the group’s name serves as the best explanation: Enough Is Enough. Taxpayers in Hamilton and Wenham finally reached the tipping point after the 10 years of “budgeting by override” that has earned the towns a place in the Taxpayers’ Book of World Records. Those overrides cost the taxpayers over $39 million and counting since override costs are not one time events. They are added to the tax levy and you pay the override amount again every single year - year after year after year – forever...or for as long as you live in town.

In the past, the School Committee had displayed no small measure of arrogance regarding their requests for overrides (Remember their "only a cup of coffee" justification?). In a sense, they can almost be forgiven their arrogance and sense of entitlement. After all, if a bully takes advantage of another person, and year after year the weaker person allows that to happen, can you really blame the bully for his arrogance? Or sense of entitlement? On the other hand, if the weaker person finally and firmly says ENOUGH is ENOUGH and makes it perfectly clear that they will no longer be bullied, you’d expect the arrogance to dissolve, wouldn’t you?

Well, apparently not if you are the School Committee for the HWRSD. This group of elected individuals seems to believe that they are autonomous and unencumbered by the will of the people they represent. Here’s what their chairman has said about EiE and its members and supporters:

“We’re going to be contending with this group of people in the future and this is their tactic…They don’t care what the truth is.”

Actually, EiE does care what the truth is. The truth is that the residents of Hamilton and Wenham were promised more openness and transparency and that promise has not been kept. The truth is, EiE’s efforts to determine exactly what budgeted maintenance funding was spent on over the past three years have been stonewalled by a clever game of semantics and deliberate refusals of repeated requests for the information. The truth is that by publicly making statements like the above, the School Committee is declaring that their arrogance remains intact.

Recently, when EiE offered the School Committee suggestions and recommendations regarding the current negotiations with the teacher’s union over the contract that expires next year, the chairman had this to say:

“We will not be directed or distracted by a community group that seeks to undermine the process. We know what we are doing in this area.”

Well, we certainly hope they do since they are going up against one of the strongest unions in the state with what appears to be, by comparison, extremely limited strength in the area of contract negotiation.

Just a thought…Do you think the School Committee would consider hiring an expert contract negotiator with a proven track record of success representing other towns in similar negotiations? What if EiE was willing to pay the expert’s fee? Or would that be considered an attempt by EiE, as also stated by the chairman, to “compromise what we intend to be a successful negotiation process”?

These statements and others represent the kind of ARROGANCE that most would agree the committee is no longer entitled to.


* The one loss was the motion to permit secret or private balloting on articles requiring large expenditures or appropriations, such as overrides and capital debt exclusions, over $250k.

Town Meeting Is Over...Now Back To My Real Job

Now that the Hamilton Special Town Meeting is over, my wife has advised me that I need to spend more of my newly freed up time concentrating on advising my readers about real estate issues. That is, after all, what I do for a living as a Realtor...as opposed to what I do as a volunteer.

So a tip of the hat to all who worked so hard on the many articles and motions, some passed and some not, at our recent Saturday Town Meeting. I promise to pick the discussion up again as we get closer to next spring's annual Town Meeting.

But right now, let's talk real estate. And let's begin with the topic:

SHOULD I TAKE MY HOUSE OFF THE MARKET DURING THE HOLIDAYS?

When you look at your calendar you may find the months already overloaded with seasonal obligations -- shopping, entertaining, children's pageants, charity work, decorating the house, and so much more. If you are also trying to sell your home, you are under extra pressure to keep your home in "showtime" condition. And that could be the last thing you need before the holiday spirit is broken.

It is understandable why you would be tempted to take your home off the market during the holidays. The list of justifications is long. If you are too busy, buyers may be also, and you may find your efforts unrewarded with not enough showings. And what if you do get an offer? You may be faced with the possibility of packing and moving during the busiest time of the year. Besides, you can give your house a rest, and it will have better momentum after the holidays. Better to just pack it in and start fresh in January, right?

Wrong!

Most smart Realtors agree that taking your home off the market during the Holiday season is a mistake. The house isn't going to sell while it's off the market! What is the advantage of that? So you're busy... let me do the work. You can leave in the morning, go to work, go shopping, and let me take care of showing and selling your home.

The holidays are actually a wonderful selling period. Why? Because most people take off work sometime during the season. The husband and wife are both off and want to see houses. Most agents like the holidays because the buyers have more time, and they can look at homes together.

So before you take your home off the market, consider the following points:

1. Although buyer activity may appear to slow down, the buyers who are actively looking during the holidays are that much more serious. The home market is no more affected at Thanksgiviing or Christmas than during other "busy" periods. If that were so, the market would shut down throughout the year as families concentrate on spring weddings, June graduations, summer vacations, and autumn back-to-school activities.


2. Many buyers deliberately choose to shop for a home after the busy spring and summer rush. They know that it will be easier to look, and that negotiations will be less stressful. They may not have children, or they may have grown children, so moving to accommodate the school year isn't a consideration. Finding the right home at the right price, however, is.


3. Relocating families often don't have a choice when they can leave for their new destination. Although 68% of transferring families have children, many families have to transfer during the middle of the school year. These families are that much more motivated to get their families settled in before either the January semester begins, or to arrange for the move during spring break in March. If you sign a contract by New Year's Eve, the timing couldn't be more perfect.


4. During the holidays, our culture focuses on family and the home. Preparing for the indoor activities of winter is one of the most enjoyable periods of family life. Allowing buyers to view your home during this most hospitable of seasons lets them better picture their own family life in the attractive environment you have created. When is your home ever more beautiful and inviting? You have cleaned and decorated, and your home looks like a picture postcard. If the results are good enough for family and friends, they will surely be good enough to impress your buyers. Get the family team on board to do a five-minute blitz pick-up every morning to keep holiday messes to a minimum.


5. With reduced inventories and motivated buyers, you will have all the members of the MLS on your team. You may find you have more showings than you would if you marketed your home during a busier time of the year.

Here's a testimonial from one of my clients regarding selling during the holiday season:

"Jay - The article in your newsletter caught my eye: Should I Take My House Off The Market During The Holidays. How well I remember our buyers coming to our door the first week of January 2004, temperature at 4 degrees, smoke coming off the ocean waves, when the doorbell rang and the couple said they wanted to buy our oceanfront home! You had set the stage with an earlier listing and showing. We're enjoying sunshine and palm trees because we did not take our home off the market during the holidays! Warmest regards - Jerry and Mary Anne Greely"

Thinking of selling in the next few months? Give me a call and we can schedule a confidential meeting without obligation to discuss the benefits of my services and Coldwell Banker's marketing and worldwide reach. Thank you!

Democracy in Hamilton...There's an App for That

On October 17th Hamilton held it's first Saturday Town Meeting since a motion to hold it on that day was approved by the voters at spring Annual Town Meeting. The special Town Meeting commenced at 9:00 AM sharp with a quorum in attendance. As I glanced around the room at the Winthrop School, I noticed that the majority of residents seated and ready to begin the meeting were (dare I say it) aged 50+. The room was about half full.

By 9:30, the room was about 3/4 full and the age composition had clearly shifted with many more voters under age 50 meandering in. If I had to guess, Id' say it was close to 50/50.

It was a sight to make even the biggest skeptic proud...nearly 400 residents in attendance at a fall Town Meeting. And opponents to the Saturday morning meetings said it couldn't be done! Special thanks to all in who came and for the organizers and donors of refreshments and child care.

The meeting progressed well through nearly 20 articles and motions and then there was a brief break, after which Moderator Bruce Ramsey continued the meeting by taking up the motion for funding a debt exclusion override for the Cutler School HVAC.

Then I noticed something unusual.

The room was now completly full...with standing room only. Residents were lined up all around the room. I'm told that there were over 500 people present at that point.

Wow! Small town democracy at it's best! Fantastic!

But wait a minute...how did it happen that so many voters suddenly appeared at just that point in the meeting?

Well it turns out, as they say in the iphone commercials, that "there's an app (application) for that". It's called TWITTER. You've heard of TWITTER right? It's a messaging app that allows you to send and receive short messages (called TWEETS) instantly over your mobile phone or PDA.

It seems that the group Support Our Schools (SOS) set up a TWITTER account recently as a way of notifying their supporters exactly when to come to the meeting to support their cause, in this case the debt exclusion override. No less that 24 TWEETS (as the instant messages are known) were sent advising their "followers" of the status of the meeting and when to come down to vote.

Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong or unlawful about what was done. In fact I applaud SOS on their ingenuity.

What bothers me is what I observed immediately following the Cutler HVAC vote, which was overwhelmingly supported by nearly everyone - including Enough Is Enough.

Immediately following the vote, about half the voters left the hall, even though other town business remained to be completed. And guess who were still in their seats at the end, having taken part and listened and voted on ALL the items on the agenda for the day?

That's right...the same people that arrived and were seated and ready to partake in the process at 9:00 AM.

A tip of the hat and special thanks to them for their COMPLETE participation in the Town Meeting process.

Read a Salem News editorial about the same subject: http://www.salemnews.com/archivesearch/local_story_291231239.html

Surprise Endorsement From Enough Is Enough

Enough Is Enough surprised a packed Hamilton Special Town Meeting today when they endorsed the motion made on behalf of the School Committee and Administration for a capital debt exclusion override for replacement of the Cutler School boilers and HVAC.

At their last meeting (10/15/09) members of the School Committee specifically asked members of EiE in attendance what the group's recommendation would be. They were told simply that the recommendation would be made at Town Meeting, not before.

Strategically, it was a very good move by Enough Is Enough and probably resulted in greater attendance at the meeting by voters. By not knowing the position EiE would take on the motion, it's likely that many more made the effort to attend so as to support their choice, whichever way they were voting. And that was good for the democratic town meeting process in Hamilton. I will have some more observations about the meeting in the next few days.

The following is the statement that was read in SUPPORT of the motion by EiE:

Enough Is Enough regrets that we find ourselves in the position where the School Department has come before us to ask, once again, for additional funding above and beyond the $27 million approved at the ATM, $592,000 of which was approved as a line item for maintenance in this year’s budget. EiE believes that if the maintenance funding approved each year was properly managed and not directed away from maintenance to other sources, we might not have to be addressing this issue today. Soon perhaps, but not today.

Today we are told we have a crisis that needs immediate attention and funding. Rest assured that no other group or entity, save the School Committee and Administration, has spent more time meeting, researching, discussing and debating this issue than Enough Is Enough.

We have broken the question of whether to approve or not approve the motion into 2 major parts. There are other issues to be considered, to be sure, but we think these are the underlying ones.

First, the condition of the existing boilers. It is clear to us that the boilers at the Cutler School appear to have met their life expectancy and should be replaced.

Second, the reimbursement funding from the MSBA. Jack OKeefe has made the case that if we do not move forward with the motion before us, the window of opportunity with respect to MSBA’s reimbursement will close. We believe this to be true.

As previously mentioned, we now find ourselves in crisis mode. The residents and taxpayers of Hamilton deserve to see better long range school budget planning in an effort to avoid this kind of crisis management in the future.

That said, and given the condition of the current heating system, the availability of guaranteed reimbursement of 42.58% by the MSBA - resulting in reducing the impact and burden of the additional tax we would each have to pay - EiE supports the motion before us.

The motion was then approved by about 500 voters in attendance. The only thing lost in the approval of this article was Enough Is Enough's reputation (held by a select few) as a "knee-jerk, anti-school group". Sadly, a statement made about Enough Is Enough by the Chairman of the School Committee at their 10/15/09 meeting was, "We're going to be contending with this group of people in the future and this is their tactic: They don't care what the truth is."

Ouch.

I wonder how they will choose to brand Enough Is Enough now. We can only hope that they learned something positive from the group today.

To read the Salem News coverage of the vote and several comments, go to: http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_290163855.html

To read the Hamilton/Wenham Chronicle coverage of the vote, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yjwacom

Let The Dead, Beaten Horse Rest In Peace

DEFEATED...The Special Town Meeting warrant article calling for (yet) another study of combined services and/or merger of the Wenham and Hamilton police departments was defeated last night in Wenham. Considering the numerous studies already conducted over the years, this defeat should finally put the issue to rest.

Guess again. According to a report in the Salem News, after the meeting petition supporter Deb Evans said "The issue isn't going to go away."

Does that kind of thinking sound familiar? It should. It's the same attitude that override supporters have used in the past to reverse votes defeating their overrides. They just keep coming back for revotes as many times as it takes until their agenda finally is approved. All it takes is filling the hall with your own special interest supporters and then wearing down the opposition with revote after revote.

Selectman Harriet Davis framed the issue best at the Town Meeting and had clearly given it serious thought and had researched thoroughly the reasons NOT to approve the study. Anyone questioning the reasoning for the defeat should read her statement.

Now please... let the poor dead, beaten horse rest in peace.

Hamilton Town Meeting - The Yellow Sheet

On Saturday, October 17th, the Town of Hamilton will vote on numerous warrant articles at a Special Town Meeting, including a debt exclusion override. As they did at the spring Annual Town Meeting, Enough Is Enough (EiE) is distributing its Yellow Sheet with recommendations and a short explanation of why they are taking their positions for your consideration.

EiE is a tax watchdog group with many educated members, including Teachers, Architects, Planners, Real Estate Professionals, Active as well as Retired Business Leaders, Nurses, Members of Town Boards, Accountants, Engineers, Town Employees, Writers and Bloggers, Attorneys and others, as well as parents with school-age children. They collectively researched, met, and discussed the impact of the warrant articles in order to recommend to you what is on their Yellow Sheet. EiE's goal remains to balance an excellent education with the taxpayer's ability to pay and to support changes they feel are in the best interest of our communities.

EiE will continue to scrutinize and help stabilize the operating budgets of our towns and school district debt through recommendations on a Yellow Sheet of the warrant articles presented at all future Town Meetings. The $39 million that taxpayers have paid as a result of the previous 12 year’s overrides is a burden the group was formed to help alleviate.

Your attendance and votes at the October 17th Special Town Meeting are vitally important.

Below are the recommendations from EiE on the warrant articles they feel are most important to the taxpayers and citizens of Hamilton. Please refer to the Warrant book that you received from the town for the specifics of each article/motion.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Article 4-3 – Vote NO – This motion appears to be an attempt to draw attention away from the maintenance funding (already a line item every year in the school budget) that has been misappropriated or directed elsewhere each year. The school department does not need TWO maintenance accounts…they need to properly manage the existing account.
Read a Salem News letter detailing maintenance funding mismanagement: http://tinyurl.com/yf4dev2

• Article 4-4 – Vote YES – Extensive research has shown that many other communities - including Essex, Andover, North Andover, Middleton, Wakefield, North Reading, Stoneham, and Manchester, to name only a few – have enacted similar voting standards, particularly regarding motions requiring large expenditures or appropriations.

Read another blog supporting this measure: http://tinyurl.com/ydum5gp

• Article 5-2 – Vote NO – At least three other studies have taken place regarding this issue in the past six years. Two found no significant savings. The most recent study (2009) by the Department of Revenue (DOR) found savings that came primarily from a reduction in the number of police officers. It seems unnecessary to conduct yet another study and waste valuable time and talent on the issue.
Read a letter from Wenham Selectmen supporting our position: http://tinyurl.com/yl72pxo

Read a letter from a Wenham resident in the Salem News: http://tinyurl.com/ykf5q2b

Read an editorial by the Salem News supporting our position: http://tinyurl.com/yh4e8kg

• Article 5-7 – Vote YES – This is essentially the same motion that was overwhelmingly approved at last spring’s Town Meeting. Increasing the number of Selectmen will help distribute the work load and allow more time for strategic long term planning, policy decisions and revenue generation.

• Article 5-8 – Vote NO – Times are tough enough without burdening our local business owners with additional taxes. They are already experiencing reduced business and should not have to support yet another tax, aka: a cut in pay.
Read another Hamilton blog supporting our recommendation: http://tinyurl.com/ygt2dpz

• Special Town Meeting, Part II – Debt Exclusion Override for the Cutler School Boiler – EiE will make a recommendation at the Town Meeting.

At the time of publication of this blog two major questions regarding this motion by the schools remain unanswered: (1) Exactly how will the reimbursement portion ($652,206.00 from the MSBA) of the debt ($1,531,720.00) be credited to the taxpayers?...and (2) what will be the effect upon the property tax rate and for how long?

Unless and until these questions are answered, taxpayers are prevented from making a properly informed decision about whether to approve or deny the school's request.