Dog Barks in the Night!
There's a Conan Doyle story* in which the action turns, in part, on the fact that a dog didn't bark in the night, when he would have been expected to.
Alas, last night's meeting held no such curiosities, and in fact was lamentably predictable. The tone declined through the course of the meeting from communication of information (on the part of the presenter) and conscientious inquiry (by the attendees) to eventually being dominated by expressions of impotent frustration (by some of the attendees). Jim Rier from the Department of Education attempted to explain the inexplicable, often very obliquely, while being harried, chafed, and tormented for sport. I guess it's what passes for entertainment on a hot summer evening. It's what animal rights folks would have you imagine a fox hunt is like.
The flavor is captured accurately in Diana Bowley's Bangor Daily News article this morning. (link when available) Update: link
At 7:00 there were 108 in the room; at 7:40 there were 130. Eight of your elected School Board members were present. As well a fair number of District employees attended, though there were very few "unconnected" citizens.
This summary of the law was handed out.
The DOE handouts and Rier's remarks seen to point toward an active participatory process in the districts, working throughout July and August leading up to the August 31st deadline for submission of notice of intent (a "rough draft" of the future RSU).
As part of this, or overseeing this process of community participation, again in the districts, are to be Reorganization Planning Committees. Guidelines for the creation of these groups and their workings are to be posted at the DOE site soon. (link when available) Update: link
As well, the DOE has prepared a template that will allow districts to submit data on possible future partnering configurations and receive data back from the Department on the financial ramifications of such arrangements.
With the SAD 46 Board scheduled to hold another strategy workshop on July 12, it hardly seems as though there will be a lot of time this summer for the public to become involved.
*"Silver Blaze"
Alas, last night's meeting held no such curiosities, and in fact was lamentably predictable. The tone declined through the course of the meeting from communication of information (on the part of the presenter) and conscientious inquiry (by the attendees) to eventually being dominated by expressions of impotent frustration (by some of the attendees). Jim Rier from the Department of Education attempted to explain the inexplicable, often very obliquely, while being harried, chafed, and tormented for sport. I guess it's what passes for entertainment on a hot summer evening. It's what animal rights folks would have you imagine a fox hunt is like.
The flavor is captured accurately in Diana Bowley's Bangor Daily News article this morning. (link when available) Update: link
At 7:00 there were 108 in the room; at 7:40 there were 130. Eight of your elected School Board members were present. As well a fair number of District employees attended, though there were very few "unconnected" citizens.
This summary of the law was handed out.
The DOE handouts and Rier's remarks seen to point toward an active participatory process in the districts, working throughout July and August leading up to the August 31st deadline for submission of notice of intent (a "rough draft" of the future RSU).
As part of this, or overseeing this process of community participation, again in the districts, are to be Reorganization Planning Committees. Guidelines for the creation of these groups and their workings are to be posted at the DOE site soon. (link when available) Update: link
As well, the DOE has prepared a template that will allow districts to submit data on possible future partnering configurations and receive data back from the Department on the financial ramifications of such arrangements.
With the SAD 46 Board scheduled to hold another strategy workshop on July 12, it hardly seems as though there will be a lot of time this summer for the public to become involved.
*"Silver Blaze"
posted by PP | 6/28/2007 09:23:00 AM
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