Superintendent receives high marks on evaluation

By Melissa Fales
Reporter

WARE – The School Committee presented Superintendent Mary-Elizabeth Beach’s evaluation at the March 28 meeting. Committee members rated Beach on a scale of one to four, based on their expectations in six areas of responsibility. On this scale, a one is considered “exceptional,” a two, “satisfactory,” a three, “needs improvement” and a four, “unsatisfactory.” “An overall review rating average of 1.66 shows that the committee is pleased with the work Dr. Beach has done,” wrote Committee Chair Christopher Desjardins.

In the area of the superintendent’s relationship with the committee, Beach received scores of 1.8 for her ability to interpret, support and execute the committee’s policies and for making appropriate recommendations to the committee. She earned scores of 1.6 for her working relationship with committee members, for supporting the committee’s values and budget priorities and for assisting the committee with creating policies and programs that are in accordance with the Massachusetts Education Reform Act as well as school and district improvement plans.  Committee member Brian Winslow commented on progress he’s seen. “Over the past year improvement has been made in the area of information sharing, therefore enhancing meeting quality,” he wrote. Committee member Aaron Sawabi also commented on Beach’s working relationship with the committee, calling it “notably improved.”  

Regarding community relations, Beach earned scores of 1.8 for gaining the respect and support of the community by attending school and community events and for working effectively with and making herself accessible to families and students. The committee members gave Beach ratings of 1.6 for working effectively with town and state public officials, for her relationship with the news media and for promoting Ware Public Schools. “I feel community relations is one of Dr. Beach’s strongest qualities,” wrote Desjardins. “…She often visits the senior center, brings cookies to the election workers during town elections, attends town meetings, etc., all of which help to promote the Ware schools.”

Beach earned scores ranging from 2 to 1.2 in the area of personnel management.  She received ratings of 2 for having job descriptions for every position to date and well-defined and for evaluating the administrative staff against state standards and district goals.  Beach received a 1.8 for the way she oversees the selection process for staff. She earned ratings of 1.6 for insuring that staff members participate in professional growth programs, for appropriately delegating authority to staff members, for administering collective bargaining agreements efficiently and handling grievances effectively and for demonstrating and promoting an atmosphere of respect. Beach received a score of 1.2 for the way she handles contract negotiations and advises the committee on contract matters. Desjardins wrote “…She has built a strong administrative team that she obviously trusts a great deal, and relies on them for their opinions. I like to see this in a superintendent.”

In the area of educational and professional leadership, Beach earned ratings of 1.6 for understanding and keeping informed on the curriculum, holding others accountable for high professional standards, being innovative and creative in developing and implementing new programs, and keeping informed of school needs by regular visits and meetings with staff and parent groups. She received a rating of 1.4 for demonstrating that the schools are operated for the benefit of children. Winslow said Beach consistently proves “that the children of Ware are the number one priority in the school system,” and complimented Beach on “her creative approaches” to keeping budget cuts as far away from the students as possible.

In the area of business and finance, Beach received a 1.2 for her efforts to seek ways to save money and stretch the district’s budget. She received a 1.6 for developing a budget that reflects the district’s financial needs and determining that funds are spent wisely. Beach got a score of 1.8 for acting within the legal requirements set by the Massachusetts Education Reform Act.  “Dr. Beach has done a great job with a limited budget,” wrote Desjardins. “She has shown some great thinking outside of the box to stretch the dollars further.” Winslow wrote that he appreciated Beach’s attention to detail regarding the budget. “Every attempt is made to justify every cut as well as expenditure,” he wrote.

Beach was also evaluated on her professional qualities. She received a rating of 2 for exercising sound judgment and the democratic process when arriving at decisions and for being articulate when interacting with the committee, staff, parents, students and the public. She earned a 1.8 for her ability to work well with individuals and groups, for completing tasks in a timely manner and her own personal efforts for professional development. Beach received a 1.2 for standing by her principles and convictions.

Sawabi suggested Beach might try to follow up on questions posed by or tasks assigned by committee members more efficiently, suggesting she might choose to delegate them to her staff in order to have them completed in a timely manner. Sawabi also touched on the important role Beach will play in resolving the issues regarding the town’s past failure to fund the district at the minimum net school spending amount.  “Dr. Beach demonstrates an ability to work well with individuals and groups,” said Sawabi. “This will become increasingly relevant in light of the budgetary issues facing the school and the town as a whole.” Sawabi said Beach will need to continue to work with town and state officials on the issue and warned that she “will face potentially new types of problems to solve in the process.” He called for timely responses to any issues that may come up. “Dr. Beach should prepare her organization and management team accordingly,” he wrote. 

Beach thanked the committee members for their feedback.

 

 

Law enforcers reflect on casino presence

Local chiefs don’t foresee crime spike

By Taryn Plumb
Correspondent

After a long run around the track, the hurdle has been cleared for casino gambling in the state. But now the real strenuous work begins.

Signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick on Nov. 22, the state’s new gambling law establishes a whole new set of administrative entities and bureaucracies – chief among them, new law enforcement jurisdictions, procedures and hierarchies. Still, despite the new controls that will eventually be put in place, local police chiefs say they don’t anticipate any huge spikes in criminal activity when casino doors finally open – assertions that appear to be backed up by crime statistics in Connecticut, which has been home to casino gambling now for 20 years. According to the 100-plus-page bill that’s been more than a decade in the making, a division of gaming enforcement will be set up in the Massachusetts attorney general’s office, and a gaming enforcement unit will be established by the State Police.

The colonel of the State Police will assign offers to that unit, and the soon-to-be-established five-member, independent gaming commission will reimburse their expenses up to $3 million. Per the new law, that unit, along with the attorney general’s division of gaming enforcement, will handle investigations into, and prosecution of, allegations of criminal activity in gambling establishments or related the games themselves.

As for day-to-day police services, general response calls and emergencies that come up at the casinos and on their grounds, local police will hold concurrent jurisdiction with state police.

Ultimately, Palmer Police Chief Robert Frydryk said he is “very pleased” with this role local law enforcement will play at the casinos. “Because it is a business in our community, we should have some say in policing the casino,” he said.

The situation plays out a little differently in Connecticut. According to Lt. Leonard Bunnell of the police department in Montville, Conn. – which is home to the village of Uncasville and Mohegan Sun – the Mohegan reservation is State Police jurisdiction. Local police have no authority there, Bunnell said, and only respond to situations at the casino when asked to back up the State Police.

Overall, he noted a “trickle-down effect” from the casino, which was established in 1996 and generates “more of everything.”

But based on long-term statistics, the gambling facility hasn’t had as much of an impact as Massachusetts casino opponents fear.

Uniform crime reports for Montville in 1997 (the year after Mohegan opened) show one case of murder; three cases of rape; six incidents of robbery; 62 cases of aggravated assault; 74 incidents of burglary; 154 larceny cases; and 18 motor vehicle thefts.

Three years later, in 2000, there were no cases of murder or rape; robberies decreased to four incidents; aggravated assault fell to 49; larceny to 126; and motor vehicle theft to 15. Burglary cases, on the other hand, increased to 84.

And in 2009 (the most recent numbers available), there were no incidents of murder; two cases of rape; seven cases of robbery; 11 aggravated assaults; 42 burglaries; 94 cases of larceny; and 13 motor vehicle thefts. (All, except for burglaries, down from 1997.)

Meanwhile, cases of simple assault, arson, forgery counterfeiting, fraud, embezzlement, stolen property and vandalism have gravitated up and down between 2003 and 2009, but with an overall downward trend. And there have been just a handful of sex offense cases each year between 2003 and 2009.

Drunken driving arrests have also wildly fluctuated; in 2003, there were 148; in 2007, 53; and in 2009, 130.

Ultimately, “all kinds of things may spin off from a casino,” said Brimfield Police Chief Charles Kuss. Even so, he said, “It’s not going to be bedlam. I’m not super, super concerned about a sudden spike in wild crime in any of these locations, and I don’t think any of my fellow chiefs are, either.”

Also, he stressed that the major casinos have a security staff that is “extremely well trained, seasoned and experienced.”

“They’re very serious about their security,” he said, adding that they will represent a security force as large as any local police department.

However, he did acknowledge that, “there will be issues. Anytime you have 10 to 15,000 people a day in the same space, things happen.”

In addition to Mohegan Sun, which has long made a point of its intentions to site a casino just off Palmer’s MassPike exit, proposals have surfaced in Springfield (from Las Vegas-headquartered Ameristar Casinos, Inc.); in Brimfield (from MGM); and in Holyoke (from Hard Rock International).

Ultimately the legislation will allow for three resort-style casinos and one slot parlor in Massachusetts – with one casino to be licensed in the southeastern part of the state, another around Worcester or Boston, and a third to the west. Moving forward the gaming commission will be established, and will be responsible for issuing licenses and dealing with other major issues related to casinos.

But wherever a casino ends up, Frydryk noted that, “clearly it’s going to have an impact on our community.”

Still, both he and Kuss agreed that the biggest issue will likely be increased traffic and traffic-related crimes and civil infractions such as speeding or drunk driving (as well as car crashes either on town roads or on casino grounds).

Still, if Mohegan is granted the license and a ramp is built straight from the turnpike to the Palmer site, that could largely minimize traffic issues, Frydryk said. If Palmer ends up being an abutting community to a casino in Brimfield or Holyoke, meanwhile, he said he doesn’t expect downtown to become heavily gridlocked.

Kuss, for his part, noted other factors to consider, such as an increase in timeshares or condos, golf courses, and music venues, and also a “nexus” between the flea market and a casino. Meanwhile, Route 19 and Route 20 would likely see a few hundred extra cars a day, based on Mohegan’s projections of 8,000 to 10,000 trips per day to a casino.

In planning, the department – as well as town officials – have been in discussion with communities of similar sizes with casinos, including Connecticut, but also French Lick, Ind. and Tunica, Miss.

Still, even with anecdotal and statistical evidence from other communities, and various studies and reports, it’s difficult to predict just what the impacts will be.

“Police service always been a reactive service, but you try to look forward and plan as best you can,” said Kuss. “We have to make sure we’re ahead of the curve, or at least on the curve.”

Frydryk agreed that it would be “wise” for Palmer and surrounding towns to invest in a consultant to report on potential issues and impacts to day-to-day governmental operations, schools, fire and police departments.

And as for advice from someone who knows?

“Prevention is key to any successful venture,” said Bunnell of Montville. “You have to be able to watch what’s going on and have good investigations, have good specialized services.”

Selectmen, school board take a whack at $1 million bill

By Melissa Fales
Reporter

WARE – The School Committee and the Board of Selectmen held a joint meeting March 14 to discuss the $937,001 the town owes the school district after mistakenly including health insurance costs for retired teachers in its net school spending figures. This amount includes the $270,519 the town will need to appropriate to the schools in before the end of the fiscal year in order to bring the net school spending up to 95 percent and avoid a penalty reduction in its Chapter 70 state aid. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education School Finance Administrator Roger Hatch was at the meeting. “We have not had to institute a penalty for districts that fall short by more than five percent since 2003,” said Hatch.

According to Hatch, Ware was one of 28 districts across the state that failed to meet their net school spending in fy 2011, fy 2012 or both. When at least 95 percent of net school funding is spent, five percent or less may be carried forward into the next year.  The town of Ware carried $593,204 into fy 2012 from fy 2011. However, Ware currently has a $937,001 shortfall, which is 7.03 percent of the net school spending total. In order to avoid the penalty, the town must pay $270,519, or the 2.03 percent difference, by the end of the fiscal year.

School Committee Chair Christopher Desjardins asked Hatch if the town’s repayment plan could be spread out over several years. Hatch said he thought spreading the payment out over at least two years was an option although it’s never been done before. “We at the state recognize that this is a very difficult fiscal year,” said Hatch. There is no established time frame for repayment, no way to waive the penalty, and no appeal process.

Selectman William R. Braman said he hoped the state understood that the town had intended to meet, and believed it had met, its net school spending requirement, adding that the town and the school had been in agreement on the funding and on the way it was reported since the Education Reform Act of 1993. Braman also noted that the state had not caught the error for many years. “Do we need to correct it? Yes we do,” said Braman, however, he said he didn’t believe a penalty was appropriate in this situation.

Braman noted the town was already struggling with a tight budget and expressed concern about the drastic financial measures the town might have to make in order to pay what it owes. “What we need is a thoughtful resolution to this,” said Braman. “We’re talking about people’s jobs and our ability to provide services…”

Hatch said it was at his suggestion that the auditors who review the end-of-year reports were specifically instructed to focus on net school spending for the first time in 2010. He said he instituted this change of instruction because he suspected there were issues. “For some reason, many communities do a very bad job at reporting it to us,” Hatch said. “It’s very difficult to get a completely accurate report.” Hatch said the town had been notified via letter every year that it did not meet its net school spending requirement. “This didn’t come out of the blue,” he said. “Well for us it has,” said Selectman Richard A. Norton. The selectmen said they had never received a letter about the minimum school spending requirement not being met.

Braman questioned why the town and district were notified so late in the budget year. “If this happened at the beginning of the year it would have given us a more reasonable time to manage this at a consistent level rather than panic mode,” he said.

Hatch acknowledged that the notice came late in the budget year. However, he said the end of the year reports are due at the end of September and the state did not receive Ware’s report until December. District business consultant Andy Paquette of the Management Solution said he had filed a request for an extension. He said the delay was due to some technical issues. 

 Hatch admitted it was not atypical for reports to be late.

Town Manager Stuart Beckley said the town intended to bring the $270,519 appropriation to the voters at town meeting in order to bring the net school spending for fy 2012 up to 95 percent.

Beckley said he had submitted a draft budget to the Finance Committee for fy2013 which includes the first installment of repayment at $50,000, although Beckley wasn’t confident that that amount will survive the budget process. “It will take time,” he said and will lead to “some devastating cuts to the town budget.” Beckley noted that the need to repay the school district is not the sole reason that severe budget cuts need to be made. “There is a structural deficit of equal size that has to be addressed,” he said “To be hit with both in one year creates a tough situation for us.” Moving forward, Beckley said when one-time funds become available, such as the sale of town property, he would put it towards the amount owed the district.

Beckley said the town would meet the 95 percent minimum funding process in the future, carrying over the five percent as needed. Desjardins asked if that could be rolled over indefinitely or if it would need to be paid at some point. Hatch said legally that five percent could be carried over indefinitely. “You have a moral obligation to try to get closer and closer to that target,” he said.

Beckley said the retired teachers health insurance costs will be incorporated into the town’s budget moving forward, approximately $466,000 for fy 2013. “It’s going to bankrupt the town,” said Norton.

Desjardins said as citizens of Ware, the committee members were looking to the selectmen for a plan to get the money. “I haven’t heard any plans,” he said. Board of Selectmen Chair Nancy J. Talbot said she understood that all residents are concerned about this. She said the board wanted to wait to meet with the committee and Hatch in order to fully comprehend the situation before formulating any plans. “With our leadership, we’re going to work to see how best we can meet this amount…without devastating the rest of the community.” Desjardins suggested raising money instead of slashing costs. He asked if there were any surplus property the town could sell. He also alluded to the situation with Kanzaki Specialty Papers and the cost of treating their wastewater. “We’ve been afraid to say anything for fear they’re going to pack up and walk away,” he said. “Perhaps we need to get a little tougher.” Talbot responded that the real estate market is slow. She also stated that the results of a study between the town and Kanzaki will be available soon and that hopefully a mutually beneficial agreement between the two parties will be reached.

Selectman John A. Desmond suggested the selectmen and committee petition a special act of legislation would forgive the $800,000. “That would go a long way in resolving the issue,” he said. Desjardins said that would be saving any money, but rather like taking money out of the students’ pockets.

Sawabi said since issue is between the state and the town, the the committee would follow the selectmen’s leadership. He called for the two groups to present a unified front before the voters at town meeting. “We need to send a unified message, he said.