Budget process

I will be the first one to admit that I don't understand "politician-speak". How does the town of Agawam ask for 1.9 million in cuts to the school budget, and today many are cheering because the end result was only 1.3 million? Where did that "extra" 250k come from and why now? I wish that the gaming and the feuding between the councils would cease and that more transparency and communication existed; I said as much during public speak time. That said, I felt that the City Council's response was vastly different from past years and that they were listening; kudos to Councilor Letallier for her strong advocacy and determined line of questioning regarding the "surplus" of funds. I am appreciative of all that Dr. C. and the School Committee did on behalf of our children, but had this line of questioning occurred earlier in the process, would we have come out further ahead than 250k? I don't know.

I am determined to continue to listen and to learn. I am committed to advocating for all children. I have now had the opportunity to speak twice during public meetings and feel more educated and confident because of the time I have taken to listen (to parents, teachers, principals & politicians). But there is so much more to learn! The budget process alone is overwhelming to figure out and to understand its complexities.

My goal is to keep on listening... I want to spend my summer doing The Listening Tour. I want to hear from parents, teachers, citizens of Agawam, children... anyone who wants to share a story, a concern, ask a question or educate me about what YOU think are the needs of our school community.

Feel free to start now and leave a comment: a question, concern, story, anything! I promise I will read them with an open mind and do my best to move diligently forward advocating on behalf of my children & your children.