ChangeGreenfield Update – March 22, 2008

Hello everyone!

First we want to say THANK YOU to everyone who could make it to the meeting at Federal Street on the 17th!   We hope it was interesting and fun for you and we hope you’ll return on April 17th (and bring a friend!). We have so much great information from that meeting and are still sorting through it to compile a list of issues to help define our working groups.  In the meantime we wanted to keep in touch and let you know that the momentum is building, more people are signing up to help and we are more confident than ever that the community IS going to make the difference in our schools (and CHANGEGREENFIELD).

Our hope is to make this a weekly email update.

Some groups and efforts have already been defined.

• Incorporating a Foundation for the Greenfield Public Schools.  Meeting to be announced soon. A few experienced citizens have expressed interest in Foundation Board positions and we are reaching out to others.  This is an idea with a lot of potential. If you are interested in this topic please read about it here: http://www.schoolfoundations.org/
• Group forming to work on marketing the Greenfield Schools in the region and to our community.  Our first meeting is at Bart’s this Monday March 24th at 6:15. Please come if this interests you.
• Group will be forming to work on developing a 5 year Strategic Plan for the Greenfield School District. Meeting to be announced soon.  Good general information and a restructuring guide is available here: http://www.changegreenfield.com/Parentpower.html
• A group is interested in participating in discussions / processes around the Superintendent position. Meeting to be announced soon.
• The Bumper Sticker  “Choose Greenfield” (The town, the schools, the whole package).  Going to print soon.  We’ll need your help getting these out.
• Child Care for parent during public meetings.  The hope is that more people would be able to participate in the school and town processes. This would be a selling point for living in Greenfield.  What other town has a community willing to support this?  Several people expressed interest in coordinating this.  If anyone is interested in coordinating this effort as soon as the next School Committee meeting please contact Pam at pam@changegreenfield.com

Some good things are already happening.

• The Recorder has agreed to print a half page ad once a month featuring some of the positive things happening in the schools. We will need people to take pictures, gather information about programs, awards, write articles, inspirational stories, student profiles, etc.. It would be nice if a group were able to organize this effort…  basically a monthly communication of good news in our schools.
• We’ve connected with the Head of the Greenfield High school alumni association and will be looking into how best to work with them moving forward.
• We have begun a process to set up a foundation for the Greenfield Public Schools.  If you are interested in this topic please read about it here: http://www.schoolfoundations.org/  Nearly $200 has been pledged in seed money for this effort (incorporating, etc).
• We are close to securing a significant donation of computers from an anonymous local source.  We’ll work with the technology team at the schools to be sure these machines meet the needs of the students and requirements for the district infrastructure.

Action Needed !

• School Committee member Hassan Elzeneiny made a motion at this weeks school committee meeting to have the Superintendent create a survey for parents and students who are choicing out.  The motion was not seconded, so it failed.   Unless the School Committee instructs the Superintendent to create and administer the survey, there is no way to identify the individuals who are leaving Greenfield Schools in May; further, the public is not allowed to approach those individuals. If you support this idea, we need your help to convince other committee members to support this effort: Please call or send an email the School Committee members listed below asking them to reconsider the policy of instituting an exit interview for people who are choicing out.  And if you can, ask your friends to do the same…

Gregory S. Aubin, Chair  (413) 824-6221  greaub1@gpsk12.org
Christine Forgey, (mayor) (413) 772-6990  chrfor1@gpsk12.org
Hassan I. Elzeneiny  (413) 475-3386  haselz1@gpsk12.org
David Westbrook,  (413) 773-8528  davwes1@gpsk12.org
Jennifer Mahar,  (413) 772-2631  jenmah1@gpsk12.org
Doris Doyle, (413) 774-3627  dordoy1@gpsk12.org
Dalton Athey  413-834-2114(Cell) dalath1@gpsk12.org

• This spring, Beacon Hill lawmakers face decisions that affect every child in Massachusetts.  Schools remain inadequately funded, and with dropout rates approaching 50% for some communities, it’s high time the public and lawmakers tackled the changes we need.  On April 15, lawmakers need to hear that you care about improving our schools.  Please join citizens from over 50 communities us as they converge on the State House and call for relief, reform and innovation in public education.

Sign up here: http://www.stand.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=783&srcid=263

• School Committee Vacancies:  The School Committee will be replacing the two current vacancies with two three month appointments.  With the budget and a new superintendent hire in the works – important issues will be decided. If you are interested in being considered for one of these spots please send a letter of interest to the address below with a resume to the central offices.  Who knows, you might like it and decide to run for a permanent seat.

  Greenfield School Committee Chair
  Greenfield Public Schools
  141 Davis Street
  Greenfield, MA 01301

Thank you all again for being the big solution in Greenfield !

Remember – APRIL 17th is the next meeting at the Federal Street School … And smaller working group meetings will be announced in weekly emails and on the Greenfield Optimist web site: http://www.greenfieldoptimist.com

This effort is not a flash in the pan that will give in to business as usual.  Because of you this is the beginning of a long standing community engagement with the organizations and processes responsible for stabilizing and empowering Greenfield Public Schools to be nothing short of the best we can imagine.  We will promote our schools and our town and we WILL correct the perception of Greenfield in the region.  

Have a great Holiday !   We’ll see you soon.  Thanks again for your efforts.

- The ChangeGreenfield Crew

What will Education in Greenfield look like in 2020?

Written by Hassan Elzeneiny

Saturday, 22 March 2008

This is a draft of a Strategic Planning process proposed by Hassan Elzeneiny to the Greenfield School Committee in November 2007. What he proposes is a Joint School Task Force made up of School Committee members, Town Councilors and members of the general public. Please write our Council and Committee members and ask them to reconsider this inclusive evolution of our community. Contact information is HERE Call me a dreamer. Call me a new Greenfield politician. Or, call me the Secretary of the School Committee.In any case, like you I’m watching the School Committee fend off the critics on Town Council and at the mayor’s office over the School Budget. This year it happens to have a $1,100,000 million deficit. Last year it was whether to close two elementary schools, and whether all citizens would benefit equally from a proposition 2 ½ tax override. Will Greenfield learn from her mistakes or, are we, the community, doomed to recycle the same failed ideas? I, for one, hope that we do better. Unfortunately, I am not seeing signs of any change. Consider that this year’s kindergarten students will become the high school graduating Class of 2020. What will Franklin County be like when they finish high school? What knowledge and skills will these students need to become productive and happy citizens? How can our public schools best educate students for a future we can only guess at today? So, I want you to grab a cup of coffee and take a few minutes to analyze the benefits of long term planning for our schools. I call on Mayor Christine Forgey to appoint a Joint School Task Force made up of School Committee members, Town Councilors and members of the general public that will create a strategic plan for the public schools. The goal must be to forge widespread ownership of a shared strategy. A community’s school system can not be changed without strong, informed public support among parents, guardians, elected officials and the public at-large. Faculty, staff, parents, students and elected officials can all have a voice if a Joint Sub-committee would identify areas of focus, and use them to give rise to school staff & community working groups. There is a consensus that we have a strong foundation to build on. It is clear, to me, that a majority in our Town value the background, intelligence, compassion, teaching talent and desire for collegiality shown by the staff of the Greenfield Public School System. Some will wonder, “Where do we get the money for all these great plans”? Let me be clear that I am advocating an evolution, not a revolution. Public engagement is the first step toward a successful outcome by the Joint Strategic Planning Sub-Committee. To express your agreement that a Joint Strategic Planning Sub-committee should be formed now, send emails, cards and letters. Write to each School Committee member, each Town Councilor, and to the Mayor’s staff in support of having a community wide conversation. The dream of a better world for the students begins with your engagement; so join the yeoman’s work of volunteers who will embark on this exploration into the future. We have talented and committed people in this Town who can have an open and honest discussion about where we want our schools to be in 2020. Hassan Elzeneiny Secretary Greenfield School Committee

An Open Community Meeting on Monday, March 17 6-8pm

Please join us for an open community meeting on the Greenfield Public Schools- Monday March 17th in the Federal Street School library from 6-8pm.

The idea for the meeting is to present some of the critical issues that people have mentioned about the Greenfield schools on Mike’s website (changegreenfield.com) and to ask the larger group if anything is missing/ for other important issues affecting the schools. These will be categorized into working topics. We will then ask people to break into smaller groups based on one of their their interests and have a discussion that 1) lists important issues within that topic and 2) begins to formulate some positive ideas about things the citizens of Greenfield (i.e., us) can do about these particular issues. Each small group will then give a short (5 minute) report of their discussion to the larger group. There will also be time set aside for people to get acquainted with one another.

Please bring a friend! We hope this will be the beginning of a long standing community engagement with the organizations and processes responsible for stabilizing and empowering Greenfield Public schools to be the best in the region.

Did you Know?

In 2006, Greenfield had 2 elementary schools in the top 10 comparing schools in Franklin AND Hampshire counties?

#9 Green River (which has since closed for financial reasons)
#10 Four Corners

While the Four Rivers Charter School was ranked #7 among Middle schools and High schools in the two counties.
Great things are happening in our schools!
What are you doing to help?
Check out the rankings for yourself:
www.psk12.com
username: savegreenfieldschools@gmail.com
password: greenfield2008

Community Will Make the Difference: CHANGEGREENFIELD.COM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (This is a press release I  put out this week)

Greenfield, MA.  February 25th 2008
CHANGEGREENFIELD.COM is a newly created online resource for Greenfield parents, town officials and residents concerned with the ongoing stability of the Greenfield School System.   Michael Phillips, Greenfield resident and father of 2 daughters currently attending Federal Street School has created this website to facilitate community involvement with the School Committee and the processes that set direction for our schools.

“Regardless of which version of a financial oversight committee they agree on, I fear we are going to end up back in this same situation unless the community of Greenfield finds a way to connect with the school committee and become more involved with controlling the direction of our schools”, says Phillips.

“There’s no place or time for business as usual in the Greenfield School System or in this community” says Phillips.  “My hope is that the people of Greenfield are willing to take ownership of this problem. We have a responsibility to influence the direction of our school system and to insist that our elected representatives work together to create lasting changes.”  Phillips set up the site last week with some input from Greenfield Town Councilors, teachers, parents and School Committee Members.

To help get a handle on why families are choicing out, CHANGEGREENFIELD.COM currently features 4 school choice surveys for parents and students who have either moved on through school choice, or who may be considering it.  “We should have this information already.  We are flying blind without it.” says Phillips.

“I’m impressed with what teachers, principals and students are accomplishing in the classrooms.  But like many in this community I’m dismayed with the ongoing mismanagement of budgets.  The people of Greenfield have been terrorized for years by school budgeting issues. The program cuts in 2004 were devastating, at least in terms of perception, and we still haven’t stabilized our school system or our image in the region.  We don’t have an effective strategy to market our positives.  There are great things going on in our schools every day and we very rarely hear about them“.  Phillips plans to add a “Positive News” section to the site for this very purpose and will solicit news from teachers, principals and students.

Phillips’ message to Greenfield residents:  “We absolutely have the power, the right and the responsibility to be involved and to expect more for our children.  I hope enough of us can come together, get creative, and move ourselves beyond this mess. The community needs to come together and craft a solution or one will be forced upon us very soon.  The school system needs to reinvent itself or it is going to fail. Please be a part of the solution.  Please sign up at CHANGEGREENFIELD.COM !”

CHANGEGREENFIELD.com Contents:
•    School Choice Surveys – Surveys for parents and students who have either already used school choice as an option out of Greenfield or who are considering it.
•    Parent Power Links:  This area features “A Citizen’s Guide to Town Meetings”, guides to parent teacher relationships, resources and articles emphasizing the power of community.
•    Public Meeting Schedule: Easy to find Greenfield Town meeting and events  schedule.
•    ChangeGreenfield Signup: A form to sign up for more information and relevant event notices.
•    Coming Soon – Positive news from our schools and things you can do to make a difference

For information: http://www.changegreenfield.com or    Contact: mike@changegreenfield.com

How to Contact Greenfield Town Council & School Committee

School Committee Gregory S. Aubin, Chair 31 Fort Square East, (413) 824-6221 greaub1@gpsk12.org Christine Forgey, (mayor) 290 Barton Road, (413) 772-6990 chrfor1@gpsk12.org Hassan I. Elzeneiny 128 Elm St. (413) 475-3386 haselz1@gpsk12.org David Westbrook, 50 Raymond St., (413) 773-8528 davwes1@gpsk12.org Marc Odato, 24 Prospect Ave., (413) 773-7831 maroda1@gpsk12.org Jennifer Mahar, 575 Country Club Road, (413) 772-2631 jenmah1@gpsk12.org Doris Doyle, 36 Lakeview Drive (413) 774-3627 dordoy1@gpsk12.org Dalton Athey, 121 High St. (413) 774-6262 413-834-2114(Cell) dalath1@gpsk12.org

Town Council Council Fax: (413)772-1542 Council Email: towncouncil@townofgreenfield.org Dennis A. Lashier, Precinct 1 49 Oak Hill Acres (413) 774-2896 Thomas C. McLellan, Precinct 2 59 Lovers Lane (413) 774-4612 Brickett M. Allis, Precinct 3 300 Wells St. (413) 773-8875 Mark M. Maloney, Precinct 4 (president) 91 Lincoln St (413) 773-8618 Mark P. Wisnewski, Precinct 5 163 Montague City Road (413) 772-3702 Danielle Letourneau, Precinct 6 40 Garfield St. (413) 774-6850 William F. Martin, Precinct 7 125 Old Albany Road (413) 774-3269 Christopher L. Joseph, Precinct 8 23 Beech St. (413) 773-0296 Sara J. Vieu, Precinct 9 114 Elm St. (413) 773-9016 Timothy F. Farrell, at-large 620 Bernardston Road (413) 774-3159 Daniel J. Guin, at-large 717 Lampblack Road (413) 772-8680 Alfred J. Siano, at-large 10 Meadow Wood Drive (413) 773-3485 Marc Odato, at-large 24 Prospect Ave. (413) 773-7831

Don’t Shrink from this Challenge – Demonstrate Leadership

Four Greenfield Town Council members have decided that threatening the School Committee (and our community) with receivership will somehow be productive or “prudent”. How is that possibly fiscally responsible? It’s a cop out (…we can’t make it on our own so let’s move back in with our parents?). It’s a continuation of the same old joke of a process. It’s not communication, and receivership is not even a realistic option and they know it. It’s an empty threat. Communicating via threats in a crisis like this is just irresponsible. Threatening receivership is a lazy petty mean-spirited response in times that call for heroic effort and intellect. Get off your ass people. Talk to each other. Work with the School Committee. Work with the Mayor. Work with the people of Greenfield and stick your petty political bantering where the sun don’t shine for a while. We are sick of it. It’s embarrassing. The Town Council also has responsibility for this mess. You have failed us too. We are all accountable – okay!? Your job / opportunity, right now, is to provide some leadership and make this work out best for our CHILDREN – not to make some political point. Running home to mama-Massachusetts is not an option. The people of Greenfield expect a lot more creativity and maturity from our Council. I don’t think Greenfield is ready to give up control of our schools (and our town by the way) to an even more detached bureaucracy. Please people… talk to each other. TODAY! Please.

What’s so Great About Greenfield MA

I’ve been living in Greenfield MA for about 10 years now. I moved here because it seemed like an up and coming little progressive and funky town. Like so many other Greenfield’ers I couldn’t afford to buy in Northampton, Amherst or other funky western Massachusetts towns. You can get 3 times the house for your dollar compared to Northampton. This town has grown on me and I now consider it to be my hometown for better or worse. The thing that makes this place comfortable is the people. Northampton is great but there is a arrogant attitude throughout the area. Rich kids beggin on the street because it’s “fun”. Of course there are exceptions but for the most part you’ve got to put up with a snobbish attitude just to get a cup of coffee. Greenfield on the other hand is much more grounded. I wanted to write a bit about the businesses and business people in this area. I’ve had some great experiences and I know others have… I want to make some recommendations and give some kudos to some good people.

The Tire Warehouse : These guys are awesome. They go the extra mile to satisfy their customers and make them feel comfortable. They won’t rip you off – they work hard – they are fast – they give you (if you are a female or a kid) flowers or toys – they are happy and are all about custom service. I will never buy my tires anywhere else. They are a part of a regional chain but you would never suspect it. It feels like a family business. Go to 291 Federal St. in Greenfield or call (413) 774-5541

Higginbotham Insulation – 64 Haywood St Greenfield, MA 01301 (413) 774-3604 : They insulted the walls of my house and my attic last fall and did an outstanding, very thorough job. I got more than I expected for the price I paid. They cleaned up after themselves and finished ahead of schedule. This was the best $1,500 investment I’ve made in maybe forever. I insulated in September and as of February I’m very close to getting a return on my investment. Last year I went through 3, 275 gallon tanks of heating oil. This year I don’t even think I’ll use one. I couldn’t afford to pay them all at once and they were very accommodating with a payment plan. Good reliable people. They do windows as well and I’m planning to use them when I get around to replacing mine.

Foster’s Super Market Incorporated (413) 773-1100 – 70 Allen St, Greenfield, MA 01301: The best produce selection in the area. The best seafood selection in the area. Great meat and competitive prices. This is a family run supermarket – remember those? This is it. They beat Big Y and Stop and Shop hands down. Beer, Wine, Deli, all the essentials.
Hope and Olive 413-774-3150 – 44 Hope Street Greenfield MA 01301 : I am by no means a food critic but this is one of the best fine dinning experiences in Western Massachusetts. To quote their website:

We serve homegrown, farm-inspired food & drink, presented simply, using the best ingredients from our neighborhood. We believe in compassionate service, and strive to engage in our community with attention and care

This place has incredible food (try the white anchovies appetizer – no it’s not salty) – run by warm wonderful people who have succeeded in creating a very rich environment. You will be comfortable and happy when you leave and you will come back for more. These are the same folks who owned A Bottle of Bread in Shelburne Falls.

The Farmer’s Market: Greenfield – Saturdays 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Court Square – May to October.

I’ll keep adding to this post later.

Offended by the Process

The School Committee and Mayor Forgey do not have the authority to deny the people of Greenfield their right to be a part of the process. In fact it is our responsibility as parents and teachers and citizens to demand accountability from the Mayor. Mayor Forgey and the Committee can not expect this community to sit on its collective keister and trust that they are solving problems when it seems just as likely that another million dollars is being mismanaged out the window. It would be irresponsible of us not to demand answers. If the committee doesn’t know the cause of this crisis, which is apparently the case, how can they assure us that it’s not getting worse every minute? If they do know the cause – then “we the people” deserve an immediate and detailed explanation. Of course we don’t know what they know because we were shut out of the process last night.

Students, Teachers, Parents, Boy Scouts, the community of Greenfield showed up to participate, ask questions, to offer answers and to contribute brainpower and creativity to the cause of solving this problem, and we were shut out 100%. A Boy Scout troop sat front row center taking notes for their civics class. Instead of an inclusive democratic process, they were served up a heaping plate of arrogance and incompetence. Mayor Forgey stated a few times that she was commissioning a study to see what went wrong. That’s just fantastic! So in 4 or 6 months, after we’ve hemorrhaged a few million more dollars we can learn what went wrong? That’s just insane isn’t it? The QUESTION here is : why hasn’t Mayor Forgey or the School Committee initiated a correctables process to review shortfalls and other issues on a quarterly basis – to discover problems when they are small and to admit and then learn from mistakes… to get better at managing the system? Why hasn’t Mayor Forgey or the School Committee successfully engaged the teachers, the principals, the students, or the community in solving this problem? Why does it seem that the School Committee is against our teachers? It seems to me that there is something very very wrong with this picture. The people of this community showed up last night to participate in a solution and were shut out.

Marc Odato was the only committee member who stated clearly that he felt he had failed the community. I have a lot of respect for him as a leader for speaking up. But he also said that he wasn’t sure what he could have done differently and I appreciate that honesty. And I think that’s where the rest of us come in. We – meaning parents, teachers, kids – do have some answers. I’m not sure how this committee and the Mayor have become so incredibly detached from this community but I do know that it’s time we stand up and demand a lot more… especially from Mayor Forgey. Show us the numbers Mayor – show us what went wrong. It honestly seems like you’ve got something to hide.

I hope the School Committee and Mayor Forgey can be reasonable and find a radically different and inclusive approach to its process tonight. I hope each member can think for themselves, speak up, and stop looking to the Mayor (literally) for answers. You do not report to her – you report to us. This community is depending on you. Most importantly our children are depending on you. You need to get real about solving this problem or get out of our way.

Greenfield Schools Need More Than Money

The town of Greenfield needs to quickly dispose of it’s dysfunctional management processes… non-existent management processes may be more accurate. There are many wonderful aspects to this community and so many great people – teachers, business owners, neighbors and friends – who make it a place worth fighting for. The problems I see are not insurmountable but they are entrenched in a collage of shattered operational systems. These problems have manifest themselves very clearly with the continual budgeting fiasco, but they are also a cause of so many other shortcomings and let downs we’ve experienced over the years.

Communication. On Valentines Day the School Committee voted 5 to 3 to approve “borrowing” $500,000 from the town in order to avoid more devastating cuts to our schools. My understanding is that the NO votes were mainly concerned that there was no plan to address the underlying causes of the continual mismanagement, to correct the lack of oversight of the budgeting process, or absence of accountability. I spoke with several Town Council members after the meeting who were clearly opposed to the idea of the loan on the same grounds. There is absolutely no reason to believe that the School Committee had taken action to ensure this wouldn’t keep happening. I didn’t speak with all Town Council members so I don’t know whether a majority feel this way and are planning to vote no on the loan.

So the problem is this. The Committee voted and now they are going to wait for the Town Council to discuss the option in a week. There doesn’t seem to have been any discussion with the Town Council before the vote to take into consideration their concerns. And there doesn’t seem to be any effort to work with them before the Feb 20th meeting. I’m not blaming the School Committee 100% for this failure – communication goes both ways – the Town Council has a responsibility to reach out as does the Mayor to take a leadership role in bring these folks together as citizens to work out acceptable terms for this loan. None of this seems to be happening. Instead, the Town Council will meet, briefly discuss and then vote on this crucial topic in a void of communication. There is simply no communication. The process is badly broken. In fact it’s difficult to represent this as a process at all.

Accountability. There is none. It looks like one person has been placed on paid administrative leave for an accounting error they made. But why wasn’t that accounting error caught? The obvious and only answer is that again, there is no oversight. People make mistakes – we all do. We always will. We are human. But here in Greenfield we are holding a low level accountant accountable instead of the Mayors office who is ultimately responsible for budget oversight and for catching accounting errors. The Mayor has continually stated that this is her budget. So why isn’t she accountable for this mess?

Community engagement. As a citizen of Greenfield with 2 daughters in the school system I stood up at Thursdays meeting and accepted full responsibility for my personal role in this disaster. I haven’t been involved with the School Committee or active in the community at this level. I haven’t stood up at public meetings and demanded answers. And I pledged to change this and work to make a difference from here forward. There’s a certain level of trust we must have in our elected representatives to act responsibly and to keep our town stable, more productive and growing. The School Committee, Town Council, Mayor and others have a responsibility to seek out and encourage community participation in the process. This just does not happen. People have much more than a right to be involved and to speak out and ask questions in public meetings and in private one on one discussions with our representatives, we have a responsibility to do this. And our elected officials have a responsibility to facilitate that discussion, to seek it out, to welcome it… to listen to what their constituency has to say… and to learn.

Many people were on the verge of tears Thursday night when Molly Parker, a senior and the student representative to the School Committee spoke about a group of athletes wanting to give up all sports so that they could keep the teachers they love so much. That’s the kind of people we have in this town. It’s a true crime that we can’t serve them better than this.

We have good people in positions on Committee’s and the Council who sacrifice time with their families to serve their community. The problem is that the system they work in is badly broken. There is no communication between groups of people who much find a way to work together to find solutions. There is no accountability for those charged with leadership. And the brain power, creativity and generosity of the Greenfield community is not engaged to offer ideas or to help make all our dreams of a better Greenfield a reality.

Will we cut 14 positions? Will we cut 30 positions? I think the answer is yes on both counts, plus 30 more next year unless we can fix the underlying dysfunctional processes that got us here. I don’t think it’s asking too much for the School Committee to work with the Town Council now, before the meeting next week, to create a correctibles and budget oversight process and a plan for accountability should we end up in the same spot again next year. A high level plan could be developed in a week and the details could come later. As far as I can tell that’s all the Town Council members I spoke with are requesting.

How about it folks? Can you get together and work this out? Can you put aside your political differences and give us a show of leadership worthy of the admiration of our children? Leave your formalities and Roberts’ Rules at the door and work this out as people who care about Greenfield.

I will make myself available 24 hours a day if you need help facilitating this discussion.