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Messages - cedarman
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91
« on: February 08, 2011, 02:37:52 PM »
A team of Volunteers to shovel is a great idea (in theory), but it seems difficult to get volunteers to shovel around fire hydrants.
Seems to me, the best plan for maintenance would be to account for snow removal in the town/highway budget. I think trying to create a "tax incentive" would be a logistical nightmare.
I know Swanton has a narrow, articulated machine designed for plowing / sweeping / snowblowing sidewalks. It is out after every storm and does an excellent job of keeping the sidewalks there clear for students walking to school. I know a used one in good working condition can be purchased for under $10K, and it could be used as a sweeper the rest of the year when needed. I realize there is also personnel cost associated with operation.
The simple fact is, IF the majority of citizens believe our town should have certain ammenities, then those things (recreation park, clear sidewalks, street lights) need to be paid for. The only way for the cost to be shared by everyone is for it to be paid for with general town tax dollars. Forcing home owners with sidewalks on their property to shovel the sidewalks is NOT fair to the minority who have sidewalks, giving tax incentives/breaks to those who shovel their sidewalk isn't fair to those who are willing to shovel for a tax break, but have no sidewalk to shovel. It seems like an all or nothing issue: either we decide (vote) to have clear sidewalks and pay for it, or we decide to be thrifty and declare the sidewalks to be seasonal sidewalks.
92
« on: February 07, 2011, 08:47:38 AM »
We had a solid 9 inches on 104 (N). I had scraped the driveway bare before the storm, so all snow accumulated was from the storm.
93
« on: February 02, 2011, 09:48:38 AM »
I have a minor in education. I was one class away from a major, and a 2ndary education teaching career. I loved teaching. I heard over and over how the students are easier to work with than the parents. Fortunately, I was never in a position as a temp/substitute/assistant to have to deal with parents much.
Ed, I haven't seen the stats on Fletcher, but Fairfax averages $10K-20K (depending on the stats being used) over the VT average household income. I would be surprised if rent subsidies are prevalent here in Fairfax.
I've been doing some research on schools through VT Department of Education. The expenditure per student for BFA is over $3000 BELOW the VT state average, while the schools Reading, Science, Math, and Writing testing scores are ABOVE the VT state averages (keep in mind the VT public schools have consistently ranked in the top 5 in the US for the last several years).
It looks to me like the staff (administration and Teachers) are doing their jobs WELL.
94
« on: February 01, 2011, 09:31:40 AM »
those who rent shouldn't get to vote on school budgets???
Unless in a fixed rent rate unit, the cost of property to the landlord if passed along to the tenant in the form of higher rent.
(I don't rent, but my parents always did when i was growing up - annual rent increases were common, along with moves to more affordable housing)
95
« on: February 01, 2011, 09:28:16 AM »
"Scare tactics" are present on both sides. Calling full day kindergarten "full day child care" is no less of a scare tactic / falsehood than some claims on the pro full day side.
Focusing on unstructured bus time, and disruptive transitions doesn't hold a lot of weight as a supportive arguement either. As pointed out, Many kids are going from school to a daycare whether it is at noon, or 3 pm. The same additional transition exist, as well as unstructured bussing time.
Now, focusing on elimination of additional bus runs in the middle fo the day as a cost savings, that's a good arguement (assuming the existing afternoon run has the capacity to carry the kids without having to add additional buses).
Also, you could argue the amount of time spent on the bus per day verses in the classroom. Full day offers MORE class / school time for the same amount of bus time. Kind of like working 4 ten hour days - more work time per time spent traveling.
The point about teachers and schools having to teach skills that should be taught at home is a very valid arguement (in my opinion). It does take away from academic instructional time.
As pointed out already, for many families, both parents work to support the family. Those kids are going to some sort of daycare after school. The lucky ones may go to a relatives after school. With this in mind, the arguement that full day kindergarten takes away from family time carries little weight, but the plea for parents to spend more time with their kids is always good to repeat.
Kids are pushed harder these days in many aspects of life. So are many adults. Until we change our society AND the world to recognize the benefits of slowing down, we will continue to be in an increasingly competitive world. A world in which some students are going to school 6 days a week to learn more, and gain an edge over other students/citizens to lift themselves and their society/culture to the top of the world order. Like it or not, that is the way our society is pushing all of us. If we (as a country) would like to continue to be a global leader, the best thing we can do is provide our kids the best opportunities to learn as much as they can. Many kids do NOT receive those opportunities at home, so I believe many kids will benefit more from additional classroom time.
Education is expensive, but the cost of ignorance (non-education) is immeasurably higher.
96
« on: January 31, 2011, 11:56:12 AM »
Thank you for clarifying some of the sources of "one time money".
97
« on: January 31, 2011, 11:50:13 AM »
"The only time you need ordinances is when people wont do what is necessary and right for the people."
The problem is, not everyone agrees on what is "necessary and right".
98
« on: January 30, 2011, 07:58:47 PM »
unshoveled sidewalks may be frustrating to some in the winter, but I for one am glad the town isn't like some other towns/cities which have passed ordinances making it mandatory to shovel sidewalks which cross your property.
I agree with roadkill. It starts with shoveling the sidewalk, then what. Do home owners have to replace broken concrete when that goes bad, will they eventually have to shovel the road in front of their houses too?
99
« on: January 28, 2011, 12:59:50 PM »
"the increase will be covered by one time money and by the revenue up grade promised by economists last week. "
Where is the "one time money" coming from?
What if the economist are wrong with their projections about revenue (it declines, holds steady, or doesn't increase as much as expected)?
100
« on: January 25, 2011, 11:46:45 AM »
I'm the opposite of russell. I rarely go to Williston or Burlington. I dislike dealing with the traffic. Going down there to the mall, Wal-mart, Home Depot, etc. is generally a special trip for me. I have found everything I NEED is available in St. Albans, although it may require a couple of stops at different places to get it all.
The fact that St. A is on my way home certainly influences my choice too.
All that being said, I agree that a Walmart and some other large retailers would probably be beneficial to the county as a whole. If you do a search for long term impact of walmart on local economies, you'll find several studies which demonstrate a negative impact to local retailers in the first 12-18 months, followed by a return to pre-walmart sales levels after approx. 18 months, and MOST retailers see growth 24-36 months after walmart moves in.
As for the people who work at Walmarts and end up on some form of public assistance, I think it is HIGHLY likely that they would be on some form of public assistance, if not fully supported by tax dollars even without a Walmart. The majority of people Walmart employs are not going to be be teaching college classes, or designing rockets in the abscence of a walmart job.
101
« on: January 25, 2011, 11:26:11 AM »
Considering the lack of any attempt at a disguise, I'm guessing he wants to be a guest at one of the state corrections institutes.
102
« on: January 19, 2011, 09:22:43 AM »
Awesome job everyone - 4-H'ers, parents, and club leaders.
Head, Hands, Heart, and Health!!
103
« on: January 14, 2011, 09:52:18 AM »
Drew,
I think the comment about public daycare is an expression of a individuals belief that school serves as public financed daycare for kids.
When in reality, as mentioned by a daycare provider already, MOST parents find they have to still pay full day daycare price (or almost full day price) just to retain a "spot" in a daycare for afterschool care since very few of us work the same hours as the current school day.
104
« on: January 14, 2011, 09:48:32 AM »
Please correct me if I misread or misunderstood the original post. Is the proposal to go from 4 classes at 2/3 day to 3 classes at full day?
How large has the decline in enrollment been?
What would the impact to student to teacher ratios for kindergarten be if this change is implemented?
My child is a couple years away from entering the system. I'm happy with her current daycare and the progress she's already showing due to quality daycare (which seems to be expensive overall, but as pointed out, is actually low when viewed as an hourly rate).
I minored in education in college, and personally, I believe the younger a student is, the better they respond to more interactive education (lower student/teacher ratios). While a full day appears to offer more education time, I wonder how much of the time would be spent on the same level of education currently provided due to the teachers needing more time to help all students. More students per teacher * time spent with each student to teacht he material MAY EQUAL less time for new material, less time to go more in depth.
As stated by others, the nature in which this action was taken should be a separate discussion and HOPEFULLY will be reflected in peoples votes when it is time for board members to be re-elected. I agree that this is NOT the type of "representation" I want.
105
« on: January 12, 2011, 08:13:37 AM »
Good luck with the HUGE task of trying to rein in state spending.
Increased medicare cost - I wonder how much of the increase is due to legislative changed by the US Congress in 2009 & 2010?
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