NEAT Action Agenda -- Part I

Let's be real. The situation couldn't be worse. Closing the budget gap has always come with the dire news of layoffs and program slashes. But this year, it was worse. Closing a school. At first, it was said to be either Ryan Road or Bridge Street. Soon after, the news became clear that Bridge Street would probably be the one to close, based on future projections of expenditures. This one was chosen, even though most people who weighed in on the Sustainable Northampton project a couple of years ago said that having a school close to downtown where parents could walk their kids to town was high on their list of priorities. And then we heard that the pre-school program now housed at Jackson Street would be moved to Bridge Street after all the current K-5 kids are moved all over town. Where would those kids go? Where would they fit? And how do you save money if you don't actually close the school, but just move a new program over? None of it was making any sense. But look what happened. People started to get informed and started talking with the Mayor and other elected officials. Parents from Bridge Street and all the other schools began calling and writing School Committee members and the Superintendent. Without splitting into factions, we sent out the message that we are all in this community together and we are going to work hard to come up with solutions. We are definitely having an effect, but we must keep the pressure on. On 3/24 we held a NEAT planning meeting at Jackson Street School Library. Over 30 people showed up (on a night where the Mayor and Superintendent were holding a meeting in Ward 3) to lay out strategies and plans for the urgent crisis, the local efforts and statewide efforts. Here's how you can help. Take a look at what's going on and who the contact person is. Send them an email and let them know you are willing to help out. Even if you can't attend meetings, you can always make a short phone call or email (the phone calls take less than a minute and all you usually have to say is what you stand for and that you want to be counted). We are working on the imminent issues of this year's budget as well as taking time to plan for the future. School budget problems don't just happen, they are part of a structural issue that must be addressed. We are hopeful yet cautious. That's why we all must step up to the plate and do our part.

Win a Delay on School Closure

We are working with a smaller group to continue to oppose the closure of an elementary school. There is much to be done with several important tasks coming up. The first is the signature letter. Click here to read the petition

To add your name to the growing list of signatures, send an email with "petition" in the subject line to: inifo@neatonline.net

Write a letter. . .

. . . to the mayor, superintendent, school committee and city councilors to delay closing and support full funding of the school budget.

Click here for the elected official contact list

. . . to the editor. We are crafting an op ed piece but your letters are truly having an impact to support funding of public education. Just go to Daily Hampshire Gazette Letters to the Editor

Click here for our letter writing kit

Raising Local Revenue

Joel Feldman described how other communities have developed partnerships with local colleges (Wellesley has been giving their town funding since 1928 and it's up to $600,000 this year, Williams just built a $1.5 million elementary school in their town and the list goes on). Smith is not the only local entity we could tap. If you're interested in pursuing this topic, Joel, Kristen Edmonds and Deborah Christakos are working on it and you can contact Joel to get more involved.

Raising State Revenue

If you are interested in legislation on the Meals Tax, Closing Corporate Loopholes, progressive taxation, or talking with our State Legislators, there's a lot we can do. We just heard that the Meals Tax bill is currently stuck in the House. It passed a few years ago, only to be vetoed by then-Governor Swift. Let's not let that happen again. But we've got to act quickly. We are setting up constituent planning meetings with Sen. Rosenberg and Rep. Kocot, so please  if you are interested in one or both of those meetings.

Proposition 2 1/2 Override

Alden Bourne gave a great update on Proposition 2 1/2 and the pros and cons of doing an override. If you're interested in further strategizing on this, contact Julie. This group hopes to set up a meeting with the organizers of the last override effort for a rundown of how they ran that campaign. Because of the 2004 setback of trying to get an override and failing by 7 votes, this is a direction we want to choose carefully. No decision on it yet, here's where we are to date.

Alden Bourne did some great research on how to get a Proposition 2 1/2 override passed. Here's what needs to happen:

We first need to decide when we'd like it on the ballot. There has been some talk about trying to do it in June through a special election, so that the additional money could reach the city's coffers sooner rather than later. However, Wendy Mazza, the city clerk, told us that holding a special election on the issue in June versus putting the question on the November ballot would cost the city roughly $30,000 extra for election workers and printing up the ballots. If we target November, the question would just need to be added to the state ballot. We think asking the city to cough up $30,000 - especially in light of the pending budget cuts - would cast the entire effort in a negative light. We should also consider whether there are factors that would make a November proposition more likely to pass. Obviously, turnout would be much higher with the Presidential election, but that could cut both ways.

If we go for November, the city clerk needs to notify the state by August 6th that the question has been approved to put on the ballot. To get on the ballot, we need the agreement of 5 out of 9 of the city council members (a vote on a tax decrease can be initiated just by petition, but a vote on an increase requires the city council's assent). The vote by the city council could happen at any of their upcoming meetings, which are held the first and third Thursdays of the month. However, nothing can go on the city council's agenda for discussion without the mayor's approval, so we need her on board as well. I think it's important to note here that we're not necessarily asking the mayor or the city council members to come out strongly in favor of an override, just to let the people vote on it - to let democracy happen.

To get the mayor and a majority of the city council to vote yes, we think a petition drive in favor of adding the question to the ballot could be crucial. If we collected enough signatures, the mayor and the city council would simply be carrying out the will of a significant portion of their constituents. Phil Korman, who's played a major volunteer role in Northampton school issues, points out that a petition drive is also a great method of education. It would force us to talk about the issue with our neighbors and people we don't know. Those who have signed may also feel more committed to the cause on election day. The petitions need to have the Northampton voter's name, address, signature, ward number (if known), and most importantly, the specific wording of the question to be added to the ballot.

This final piece - the exact wording of the question - is the most immediate issue at hand, and obviously, quite critical to whether we could get an override passed. According to state law (M.G.L Chapter 59, Section 21C), the question has to be worded as follows, "Shall the (city/town) of _____ be allowed to assess an additional $_____ in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of (state the purpose(s) for which the monies from this assessment will be used) for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand and _____. The wording of the 2004 proposed override is below.*

A few questions to consider on the language:

Do we want an override that would just cover education or the city's full multi-million dollar shortfall? Would those without children in school be more likely to vote for a larger override that might benefit them too, or would the much larger increase in property taxes that would be required make it even more unpalatable to them?

If we just try to cover the schools, how much should be requested? We think it's important to wait until the dust settles with the school budget this spring, so we know exactly how much money is really needed. In the last few weeks, the school shortfall has gone down because of lower gas prices, and there's a history of the town finding money to cover at least part of the shortfall at the last minute. We don't want voters to sign petitions that ask for a $700,000 override, only to have them read a few weeks later that it turns out the schools just need an extra $300,000.

Should seniors be exempted in some way? Apparently, there are two ways this could occur. The first is through explicit language in our override question. The second is if we pass a standard override, and the State Senate approves a bill now before it that would permit towns to exempt seniors. More specifically, the proposed legislation would allow cities and towns to exempt seniors who make less than $60,000 a year from overrides, as long as their real estate taxes exceed 10 percent of total income. Seniors living on fixed incomes are undoubtedly the voters most likely to vote against an override.

If we can get on the ballot, we would have to undertake a serious political organizing effort leading up to election day. We would need volunteers to cover every neighborhood of Northampton. They would be responsible for contacting all the voters in a precinct to find out how they're voting. On election day, we'd mount a standard Get Out The Vote operation: volunteers would be responsible for calling all their yes votes on election day and confirming that they've voted.

The document below is a primer by the Mass. Teacher's Association on passing an override. It's a few years old, but definitely worth checking out.

http://www.massteacher.org/member_services/comm/override.pdf

*"Shall the City of Northampton be allowed to access an additional $1.7 million in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of school department, Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, police, fire, other public safety, library, public works and general government expenses, and to fund increases in property tax exemptions granted to qualifying seniors who meet certain age, whole estate or total assets, annual income, and residency requirements pursuant to M.G.L. Ch 59 S.5 (41C) for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2004?"

Letter Writing Kit

Several people have begun writing and calling local and state elected officials. A number of people have asked us to give them the contact information (see earlier posts). Other people have asked us what to write. While we don't feel that there's any ONE letter to write, here's two examples of letters from Megan. The first is to the Mayor and the second is to the Governor. Please don't copy it. Think about the issues you care deeply about, think about your kids and their future education and write from that perspective. Most importantly, make your argument clearly and concisely and make it your own. Click here for the elected official contact list

____________________________________________________________________

Dear Mayor Higgins,

I am writing, as are so many of my fellow parents, to implore you to help us find a way to avoid closing one of Northampton’s elementary schools.

To begin, the practical: You are quite aware that Northampton attracts many new residents every year. We came here from Minnesota, and we joke that it is really a refugee camp for Midwesterners and New Yorkers. We have all moved here for the tolerant community, the beautiful environment, the arts, the farms, the intellectual community, and of course, the superlative public schools. If we lose an elementary school, as well as other essential school services, the ability of Northampton to attract young families from out of state will be severely compromised.

Secondly, I understand that if we close a school it will likely be prohibitively expensive to re-open it if the need arises. In my more optimistic moments, I feel that the smart, engaged parents of Northampton will be able to effect some significant changes in the way the cities and schools are funded, and that the next year or two, the financial situation will get better. I hope we can keep all four schools open at least a year to see if this is true. In my more pessimistic moments, I look to a future when gas is so expensive that it becomes impractical for residents to live on the outskirts of towns and we all move to the denser areas. What if we have closed Bridge Street, our only school in walking distance to downtown?

Now, the emotional, the love letter to my children’s school: We purchased our house because of its proximity to Bridge Street School. My eldest was only 9 months old at the time, but we were so excited that he would attend the school one day. We were right to be so optimistic. We love this school. It is a remarkable community that provides them (now in fourth
grade and kindergarten) an excellent education. They are supported, challenged, and nurtured, and the education is as good as that of any private school. Johanna McKenna and the teachers know our children and understand how they learn best. It is also an extremely positive place, where the teachers and staff truly work as a team and have an incredible dedication to the children. When I come to the school now and realize that my youngest son may not have the opportunity to learn with Patty Dubiel, Sue Hanno, Jan Battey, or Jed Dion, it brings me to tears. When I think about the fact that my older son may have to spend fifth grade in a new school without his closest friends, it breaks my heart.

I have great admiration for the work you do as mayor and for your love of Northampton, and I know you will do your best in this awful situation. But please do what you can to save our school.

Sincerely,


_____________________________________________________________________

Governor Deval Patrick
State House, Rm. 360
Boston, MA 02133

Dear Governor Patrick,

During the same week that you announced the appointment of Paul Reville as the new Chairman of the Board of Education, the superintendent of Northampton’s schools announced a budget deficit of more than one million dollars. It is quite likely that to close the budget gap, the school committee will decide to close one of the city’s four elementary schools. This is only one step they will need to take. They will also eliminate transportation to the high school and significantly reduce transportation to the elementary schools, reduce art, music and physical education, and eliminate after school programs (the precursor to an extended day for city schools).

The school likely to close is Bridge Street School, the one to which we send our sons. In short, we love this school. It is a remarkable community that provides our fourth-grader and kindergartener an excellent education. They are supported, challenged, and nurtured, and the education is as good as that of any private school. It is also the only school in walking-distance to downtown Northampton. And now it seems clear that this will all slip away.

Northampton attracts new residents to Massachusetts every year. We came here from Minnesota, and we joke that it is really a refugee camp for Midwesterners and New Yorkers. We have all moved here for the tolerant community, the beautiful environment, the arts, the farms, the intellectual community, and of course, the superlative public schools. If we lose an elementary school, as well as other essential school services, the ability of Northampton to attract young families from out of state will be severely compromised. In addition, this is only the beginning. Next year will the situation will likely be as dire.

What can we do to reverse this horrible situation? We must find ways to increase state aid to the cities of Massachusetts. The legislature should pass the meals tax, allowing the city to build revenue from the thousands of people who come to Northampton for its restaurants every month. You can work to close corporate tax loopholes, to keep the Commonwealth from bleeding money. You can help us change the formula for Chapter 70 funding that cheats our schools of essential funds. You could help pay for mandated bussing. You can pressure Smith College to further support the city. (Smith is the largest landholder in Northampton, but pays no property taxes and sits on an endowment of $1.2 billion, the seventh largest in the country).

During Reville’s press conference he asserted that if we want to give Massachusetts’ children “a world-class education, the kind of education that we'd want to give our own children, then we're going to have to spend more money over time.” In support of Reville, Patricia Plummer, Commissioner of the Department of Higher Education said, “We need to ensure that all Massachusetts students are not only ready for college when they arrive, but prepared to succeed and complete degrees.” If we continue to cut and cut and cut our school budgets these dreams will be dead in the water.

Sincerely,