The Fall River Herald News reports in this article that the School Building Authority (SBA) has rejected proposals from Somerset and Berkley for new schools and asked the two districts to build a regional school. Berkley students already attend Somerset High.
This is one way for the state to nudge districts toward regional solutions. I think that other measures are ...
...coming soon that tie district funding to efforts at regionalizing school districts. It is happening now in Maine and New Jersey. Most states have fewer and larger school districts than Massachusetts. Regional districts cut costs by lowering administrative costs. I think it is an idea whose time has come. What do you think? Would a merger with Westport or Freetown/Lakeville make sense?
Sunday, May 24, 2009
SBA uses funds to promote regional schools
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11 comments:
Absolutely! In fact, we may be approaching a more primitive model whereby there exists one county (Bristol) superintendent. All schools are regionalized with a standard for per student spending and pay scales.
NO!
We should look at those in Maine and New Jersey and see what we can learn from them and how we can adapt our own situation to formalize a regional school. Why shouldn't we? What is there to lose by looking into regionalizing our schools? Of course, the tax and spenders will oppose it just as vociferously as they may have supported a new high school built on too small a parcel of land to include the necessary sports field, etc., near or on wetlands, I believe, and, if I am correct, unable to open on time because of a mold problem that needed to be eradicated before any humans could/should set foot into it.
why are we looking at building new schools? we wont pay to fix the ones we have never mind new ones. We dont need new schools.
We could not fix or build a new school if wanted to. There is no one in the Dartmouth School system that has a MCPPO certification from the IG's Office. This two day certification in Boston is free and teaches municipal procurement officers where to get help and best practices statewide with regard to procurement issues. The MSBA will not give funding to a municipality that does not have a MCPPO certified member on their procurement team.
I'm pretty sure that Ed I. has the certification and he is allowed to delegate school procurements to Manny Cordeiro, the schools' business administrator, which he has done. I'm pretty sure I have reviewed that delegation form through my e-mail circulation.
Barry, I am pretty sure no one in Dartmouth has this certification.
If no one has it then someone should get it.
The regulation of having someone in Dartmouth (or any other municipality) having the MCCPO designation is fairly new (9/2006), however the school component is newer.
The designation is now a certificate program and now adds a new layer of government oversight for 30B (Procurement Law). This now forces the state to "teach" the guidelines of 30B to municipal designees. Mr. Cordeiro along with another school employee will be taking this course for the designation.
This is not to say, nor does the IG's office state, that not having this designation one would be in violation of 30B. The school department, Mr. Cordeiro in particular, has followed 30B to the letter and past audits and questions from the IG's office have been answered and found Dartmouth schools in full compliance with 30B.
The newest component is the MSBA and the restructuring of their office, procedures and guidelines. For the Quinn window project, the MSBA has suggested that someone from Dartmouth take the course, which Mr. Cordeiro and another employee will, to fulfill that requirement.
The MSBA will not hold back any funds if a municipality does not have a designee with the MCCPO designation. They will require someone to get it as part of the current project funding and process. However, I believe it may affect future projects, but, that won't happen as long as someone in the schools has that MCCPO designation.
When it comes time to review the School Business Administrator's job description, I'll have this designation added as a requirement of the job.
Thank you.
I hope you are feeling better.
There goes the state again, promoting its "regionalization" agenda by punishing municipalities financially.
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