When Biddeford’s City Council approved the Biddeford School Department budget with $1.4 million worth of cuts, it was inevitable that the citizens would approve it. Without a strong campaign, an education on the impacts of such cuts, and large voter turnout, a vote against the school budget simply wasn’t achievable.
However, the citizens have the opportunity to vote on the school budget for the next three years. The tune from the City Council will sound the same note; “we want a 0% mill rate increase.” For those that didn’t get out to vote this year or overlooked the City of Biddeford’s mishandling of the school budget, not only will you have an opportunity to see a replay of it next year, you have a chance to stop this destruction of public education.
First, we need to hold the City Councilors accountable for being misinformed or deceitful with their words. At the Second Reading of the Budget in 2010, Councilor Rick Lavierre stated that the past two years he was in office, the school budget carried an increase. In the Fiscal Year 2004-2005, the mill rate to allocate for education at the local level in Biddeford was 8.57 according to documents from the Maine Education Department. This figure would decline each year until reaching 6.77 in the Fiscal Year 2007-2008. The increase Lavierre may have been citing was in Fiscal Year 2008-2009 when the mill rate increased to 6.90—a rather minor increase.
“We've always supported [education]. This council supported [education],” said Lavierre at the Second Reading of the Budget. “Past councils have supported it. The city has supported it by virtue of voting for the expansion; 34 million dollars.”
The difference between rhetoric and the numbers appear quite clear. In both the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 budgets, Biddeford fell well below the state average for per pupil cost according to documents available on the State of Maine Web site. Slashing the school budget year after doesn't express any sense of support for education and certainly shows no investment—even if Councilor Lavierre chooses to say so.
“We have virtually gone unscathed,” Lavierre said at the Second Reading of the Budget.
Councilor Lavierre compared Biddeford's school budget to that of Portland's. He said that he believes Biddeford has done a pretty good job as Portland had to cut approximately 44.5 positions. Of course, the average citizen doesn't recognize that Portland's budget nears $90 million, whereas, Biddeford's budget settles around $30 million. With the loss of 14.4 teaching positions in Biddeford in comparison to Portland's three times as large budget, Biddeford actually saved 1.3 less positions and saved $300,000. Yet, the comparison made and terminology used by Councilor Lavierre was not only unfair and far from the truth, it implemented a great deal of deception.
In addition, both Councilor Lavierre and Councilor Clem Fleurent made reference to the stimulus dollars and government aid that Maine and Biddeford may receive or has already received. While, the allocation of these dollars certainly has provided the school budget with a great deal of aid, they will absolve causing the city to find a way to cover the cost of funds moved into the 'stimulus budget'. If the councilors think that sitting idle for government aid and cutting the budget year after year points to success and support of education, they are mightily mistaken.
“I think we are doing real well,” said Fleurent at the Second Reading of the Budget.
Councilor Fleurent pointed out that City Works Director Guy Casavant requested for $850,000 in road repair, but was only alloted $250,000. The suggestion by Councilor Fleurent that everyone has had to make cuts completely undermines the importance of education. A comparison of tar and pavement to the education of tomorrow's minds is simply outrageous and reason for much distaste in Biddeford's elected officials. Speaking of maintenance, Councilor Jim Emerson cited that the City Facilities Director said the $400,000 lost in the maintenance line of the budget shared no impact to upkeep of the schools. The issue with such a statement is it fails to incorporate the maintenance wounds from budgets past. The loss of maintenance dollars in the 2010-2011 budget only deepens the cuts made year after year; if the council believes the right direction for this city is million dollar renovation bonds then maybe they have this part of the budget right.
Councilor Fleurent later in the meeting referenced the nationwide teacher to student ratio as being 1 to 9. Again, one of the councilors used a general idea or misleading concept to distract from the damage they are costing this district. This calling to the nationwide average exposes Councilor Fleurent's out of touch knowledge of Biddeford's school systems; there exists little to no classes with 1 teacher to 9 students in Biddeford.
“I don't know why we are asking for more money,” Fleurent said at the Second Reading of the Budget. “I think it is the curriculum.”
What most of the city councilors have failed to recognize is the support for education is not a calling of more money, but instead more investment. The city can pave a road one year, and two years later have to pave it again, that is not investment—that is simple spending. Providing an education department with sustainable budgets is investment. It is direct investment in the curriculum that the city has constructed, it is indirect investment in the economy, jobs, growth, and innovation. It is at its purest form an investment in the future.
Councilor Pat Boston took exception to a statement that I made at the Second Reading that suggested the Biddeford City Council has missed the big picture. Maybe Councilor Boston and I have a different definition of “big picture,” it makes no difference. The outcome of lacking investment in education now affects the big picture if defined as one year from now, ten years from now or fifty years from now. As Biddeford slowly moves away from investing in education, measurements such as the Maine Educational Assessment scream out the results. At the high school level in Biddeford, MEA results are despicable especially in the area of math. On a national level, in 1985, the United States ranked first among the world in the share of its population at the age of 25-34 with a high school diploma and also a college degree. In 2005, the United States fell to 9th regarding high school diplomas and tied Belgium for 7th regarding college degrees according to a CBS Report. This is not a generalization, this is applicable to the big picture that Biddeford's officials fail to consider.
Councilor Fleurent said these cuts are going on worldwide, statewide, and nationwide. Yet again, this statement proves invalid. The United States spends 5.7% of Gross Domestic Product on education, this ranks 37th amongst all the countries; Cuba ranks first according to the United Nations 2009 report. The United States ranks 21st in regards to the literacy rate. American 15-year olds score below average for advanced nations on math and science literacy according to National Center for Education Statistics. A depleting investment in education simply is not taking place worldwide, it is happening here in the United States.
According to a Georgetown University report, “a drought of 3 million workers who possess the education training” needed for jobs will take place in 2018 if the current course in education doesn’t change. Biddeford's mishandling of education will cost the development of downtown Biddeford, it will cost the city new jobs, it will spoil property values, it will saturate the welfare system, it will cost the city young minds and new ideas, and it will cost this city its future.
We can stop this educational famine. Biddeford needs to tell state legislators that even a one cent increase of taxes could greatly assist locals. In Kansas, the governor signed into law a temporary one cent sales tax increase that provides the state with an expected $300 million.
The Biddeford City Council needs to end its recommendations to the Biddeford School Committee and allow for a budget to be presented that the Biddeford School Committee sees as best serving education; this would also end the City Council saying they are “accepting the school committee's recommended 0% mill rate increased school budget.”
Schools in Biddeford need to emphasize knowledge production rather than information retention. Integration of technology must develop into a cornerstone of the budget; if students don't have technology, the schools have not adequately prepared them for their future. City Councilors need to visit the schools and speak with youth and teachers about their concerns; muffling freedom of speech or discouraging the voice of those affected by the results creates a prison of regression.
A $175,000 amendment to the 2010-2011 budget would have effectively resulted in a seven cent mill rate increase and could have saved teaching positions and programs such as marching band. The City Councilors must become in touch with the citizens—to say they supported the $1.4 million cuts is not true, they just checked off a box accepting what was presented to them. I personally believe the people of Biddeford would have supported the $175,000 amendment.
Maine has the oldest population according to the Census Bureau. To expect students that find their way out of this state to ever return is irrational. We have left them nothing. A city with schools that have been neglected and not been provided the needed investment will not attract young families. We want to recover from an economic recession, we want to see the mill district revitalized, we want to attract tourists to visit our vibrant waterfronts, we want to create jobs, we want to be the leader of change, we want to discover a balance of young and old, we want to protect our history, we want to create a green environment, we want to avoid another economic crisis, we want to live, well it is time we invest in education now, tomorrow, and in the future.
-Ryan
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
It's not all black and white
Since creating this blog-vlog, I have encountered a few things...
A) It is terribly diffucult to get people to follow your blog.
B) Finding time to update your blog is much more difficult than imagined.
C) I've posted two things on the importance of equality and have yet to balance it with humor.
D) The color scheme I chose for the blog page is black and white, but that doesn't speak to anything I post, my philosophy on life, or the reality of this world. Not everything, actually, very little is black and white. If one thing is constant in this world though, it is the inspiration within all of us (in some buried deeply) to form a community not just confined locally, but on the global scale.
Let's break down the barriers of black and white and give way to the enterprise of a global foundation. Every human. Every creed. Every culture. One Earth.
-Ryan
A) It is terribly diffucult to get people to follow your blog.
B) Finding time to update your blog is much more difficult than imagined.
C) I've posted two things on the importance of equality and have yet to balance it with humor.
D) The color scheme I chose for the blog page is black and white, but that doesn't speak to anything I post, my philosophy on life, or the reality of this world. Not everything, actually, very little is black and white. If one thing is constant in this world though, it is the inspiration within all of us (in some buried deeply) to form a community not just confined locally, but on the global scale.
Let's break down the barriers of black and white and give way to the enterprise of a global foundation. Every human. Every creed. Every culture. One Earth.
-Ryan
Friday, July 23, 2010
Equality: Humanity against humanity
It was on August 28, 2008 in Denver, Colorado when democratic nominee Barack Obama delivered a speech that indicated defeat for an exhausted intolerance; not speaking in terms of politics, rather in terms of equality. This speech had a certain significance, its rhetoric woven beautifully and its context profound. The voice of Obama, unmistakable, sounded with promise. “But what the people heard instead – people of every creed and color, from every walk of life – is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.” As the sensation of chills set in, I realized that together, an intolerance and ignorance oppressing African Americans had been relieved. Together, we forgot a social injustice and this generation discovered acceptance.
However, we remain with much to overcome. We are faced with a rising tension, a cold hatred filed against homosexuals. Another minority with rights and privileges left absent, and a majority left scorning in opposition to their lifestyle. The majority holds in its hands the power to mandate human equality, but remains reluctant under the influence of ignorance and privilege.
Several close friends of mine are gay; they embody tremendous character; intelligence, courage, empathy, humor, determination, and potent ethics. Quite simply, they are human beings with aspirations and dreams. One wants to work in the medical field; he wants to save the lives of others. He wants to one day have a family; he wants to possess happiness. The thought that he is not guaranteed equality, that he is not guaranteed happiness, and that he is not seen as socially acceptable; saddens me.
No longer can this nation be held blind to intolerance. No longer can this nation bring forth division. No longer can this nation be the arbitrator of who is righteous and who is not. It is now; now is the time that this nation adhere to the freedom and justice all are deserving of. These conflicts maintain my passion to seek social justice for all people, and power my interest in politics and influencing change through government. For I reiterate that the practice of intolerance is to only command the lives of those we do not know.
I have learned from my friend not only the difficulty of finding yourself, but also the fear that exists with re-entering society as your true-self. There is no basis for reasoning that someone's sexuality changes their character, therefore; we must ensure social justice in this country, for it is an obligation we have to each other. The courage to protect the rights of others, the character of your friends, and the structure of your own morality are values I stand to closely. I endeavor to maintain these values and further advocate for equality as I seek my future profession. I believe that Americans of every race, religion, sexuality, and past time share one dream; a dream of prosperity, equality and freedom. In my heart, the sanctity of equality sounds with everlasting strength.
The two floods cascade into one. A red stain of life taints the sum. For the inequalities of one are the inequalities of all, human against human for human.
-Ryan
However, we remain with much to overcome. We are faced with a rising tension, a cold hatred filed against homosexuals. Another minority with rights and privileges left absent, and a majority left scorning in opposition to their lifestyle. The majority holds in its hands the power to mandate human equality, but remains reluctant under the influence of ignorance and privilege.
Several close friends of mine are gay; they embody tremendous character; intelligence, courage, empathy, humor, determination, and potent ethics. Quite simply, they are human beings with aspirations and dreams. One wants to work in the medical field; he wants to save the lives of others. He wants to one day have a family; he wants to possess happiness. The thought that he is not guaranteed equality, that he is not guaranteed happiness, and that he is not seen as socially acceptable; saddens me.
No longer can this nation be held blind to intolerance. No longer can this nation bring forth division. No longer can this nation be the arbitrator of who is righteous and who is not. It is now; now is the time that this nation adhere to the freedom and justice all are deserving of. These conflicts maintain my passion to seek social justice for all people, and power my interest in politics and influencing change through government. For I reiterate that the practice of intolerance is to only command the lives of those we do not know.
I have learned from my friend not only the difficulty of finding yourself, but also the fear that exists with re-entering society as your true-self. There is no basis for reasoning that someone's sexuality changes their character, therefore; we must ensure social justice in this country, for it is an obligation we have to each other. The courage to protect the rights of others, the character of your friends, and the structure of your own morality are values I stand to closely. I endeavor to maintain these values and further advocate for equality as I seek my future profession. I believe that Americans of every race, religion, sexuality, and past time share one dream; a dream of prosperity, equality and freedom. In my heart, the sanctity of equality sounds with everlasting strength.
The two floods cascade into one. A red stain of life taints the sum. For the inequalities of one are the inequalities of all, human against human for human.
-Ryan
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Intolerance: A Numbers Game
620,000.
An estimated number, but the constitution of the number does not change. It represents lives, the blood in which was spilled to defend what was known to be wrong, but was accepted as a possession. Like an ox, an animal not considered or looked upon to be as prestiges to a mustang, these people were worked until the skin on their knuckles teared away exposing the bone. As a nation began to fall to division, it was a righteous group pinned against an inequitable group. A conscienceless war, humans against humans for humans, fought because the color of skin determined who was superior to the other.
Sewing the tear of the stars on our flag had to be done in the way of the deadliest war fought in American history. Southerners with the immoral right to have slaves, and the involuntary determination to not give justice to those who were created by the hands of the same God. This war was tragic and horrifying, but its lessons were not and have not been learned. Throughout history and even before 1860, we as groups continue making decisions based on the quest of each other rather than as individuals. Our intolerance is a numbers game, when you put to use your own mind than the portrait of dark judgment may see a ray of light.
I am not a historian, I am not a psychologist, I am not yet a college graduate, but what I am is a person that understands the destructive behavior we have as humans. From facts to the hallways of a high school, I can see just what we have not changed in our conduct. Even as a two-term President of the Civil Rights Team at Biddeford High School, it is difficult to comprehend why it is we act on the impulse of others rather than the knowledge of ourselves. I could not agree more with the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. stated in paragraph 12 of “The Letter from Birmingham Jail.” http://www.mlkonline.net/jail.html
You and I walk the halls of our school, you and I see the intolerance students express towards other students. It isn't a matter of one student against another student, it is a group of students against another group of students. As a group we fuel each other's opinions and decision making, within this process the privileged gain the power. They harness what they have that gives them the advantage, and they are relentless when their principles are questioned. We are all students in this state of affairs, and whether or not you choose to sit at your desk and learn, who you are rather than who we are, is a decision that can be made only as your own individual.
Narrow and secluded the halls that make up our lives makes it more difficult to escape the impulse to listen to others. From those with more friends to those with more money, those with athletic ability to those with intelligence, those with color to those without; we continuously find ways to categorize each other, to stereotype each other and to restrict each other. We don't do this as individuals, we do this as coalitions. You don't laugh at those who can't afford the necessary items in life, you laugh as a group. You don't discriminate one another, you discriminate as a group. You don't repeal the freedoms of others, you repeal them as a group. Very rarely can you think of a moment in your life where you have not made a decision with the obligation of others in mind.
When life is good for yourself, do you think of those who aren't living well? When you have friends, when you have the luxuries, and when you have the privileges that others don't, not for one second do you think about lending your wealth. It is never seen when the “prosperous child” stands up from his or her lunch table to sit with the “losers.” If such a thing happened, what would your friends think? Would you be accepted? Oh my, would you lose all of those precious privileges? This is why we try so hard to not listen to ourselves, but instead follow the virtue of popular belief.
In 1961, a civil rights activist John Lewis enters a “whites only” waiting room at a bus station in South Carolina. Ku Klux Klan member, Elwin Wilson and other members beat John Lewis, leaving him bloody and bruised. The KKK is a group that still exists today but in 1960 was strong because it had the protection of its 'privileges' at stake. To allow a black man to enter their waiting room was outrageous. The incredulous hate of blacks in the 1960's and the treatment of them by whites proved that after 100 years of blood shed, we still had not learned our lesson. In 1787 when our founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence, they could not make a conclusion on slave trade, they decided that in at least 20 years a decision would be made; many generations and hundreds of years later, we had not fulfilled the promises made in the declaration. On ABC's Good Morning America, Elwin Wilson and John Lewis come together, and Wilson apologizes to Lewis. In a moment that stirs emotions, Wilson who had been as his son described “difficult to grow up with,” finds himself, not the KKK man from 1961, but Elwin Wilson, the man who realizes that the color of skin makes no difference. Elwin Lewis is validation that “privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily,” but acting upon the character of oneself, a new spirit is born.
There would be nothing dividing us, singling us out, given to one and taking from the other if we all were to be individuals. If we were all placed by ourselves on an island, the same island for each of us, no discrepancies. We could not act upon the thoughts of “we” rather than “I.” It would be straight forward, just and morally correct for the most part. If we live our own lives, not making it a matter of privileged and unprivileged, the world would be left with few problems. I am no better than anyone else, I have come to realize that I too make decisions based upon the collective thoughts of others, but through this piece of writing, I am sitting at my desk. For me the lesson is just beginning, I have many years of learning and evolving to do before I can be cleansed from “we” to “I.” I am human, I am no more privileged than any other, because if I was the things that I have lost would still be here. Coming to an understanding of what you have done wrong is the first step, looking to the lessons of history is the second step and what you make of step three is the purpose of the lesson,
to become a single existence.
To express injustice and intolerance against others requires more than the strength of one person, it is such a powerful and hateful entity that it requires a collective effort. When you sit at your desk, listen to the men falling at Gettysburg, listen to the apology of Elwin Wilson, listen to the cries of those in need, listen not to the voices of pressure and the evils of privilege, but to the strength of equality. It is time to find the morality of our individual, and give outset to right. Fulfilling the dream of conquering wrongdoing will only come when the light shines upon each of as individuals, dividing us for our just cause rather than our unjust character when the group's ideology is absorbed within us. I have learned more about myself in the few hours it took me to understand, analyze and write this, but what I realize when reflecting upon the message is I have been educated; we have all been educated each moment of our lives, yet we can't see what we hold ourselves blind to.
-Ryan Fecteau
An estimated number, but the constitution of the number does not change. It represents lives, the blood in which was spilled to defend what was known to be wrong, but was accepted as a possession. Like an ox, an animal not considered or looked upon to be as prestiges to a mustang, these people were worked until the skin on their knuckles teared away exposing the bone. As a nation began to fall to division, it was a righteous group pinned against an inequitable group. A conscienceless war, humans against humans for humans, fought because the color of skin determined who was superior to the other.
Sewing the tear of the stars on our flag had to be done in the way of the deadliest war fought in American history. Southerners with the immoral right to have slaves, and the involuntary determination to not give justice to those who were created by the hands of the same God. This war was tragic and horrifying, but its lessons were not and have not been learned. Throughout history and even before 1860, we as groups continue making decisions based on the quest of each other rather than as individuals. Our intolerance is a numbers game, when you put to use your own mind than the portrait of dark judgment may see a ray of light.
I am not a historian, I am not a psychologist, I am not yet a college graduate, but what I am is a person that understands the destructive behavior we have as humans. From facts to the hallways of a high school, I can see just what we have not changed in our conduct. Even as a two-term President of the Civil Rights Team at Biddeford High School, it is difficult to comprehend why it is we act on the impulse of others rather than the knowledge of ourselves. I could not agree more with the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. stated in paragraph 12 of “The Letter from Birmingham Jail.” http://www.mlkonline.net/jail.html
You and I walk the halls of our school, you and I see the intolerance students express towards other students. It isn't a matter of one student against another student, it is a group of students against another group of students. As a group we fuel each other's opinions and decision making, within this process the privileged gain the power. They harness what they have that gives them the advantage, and they are relentless when their principles are questioned. We are all students in this state of affairs, and whether or not you choose to sit at your desk and learn, who you are rather than who we are, is a decision that can be made only as your own individual.
Narrow and secluded the halls that make up our lives makes it more difficult to escape the impulse to listen to others. From those with more friends to those with more money, those with athletic ability to those with intelligence, those with color to those without; we continuously find ways to categorize each other, to stereotype each other and to restrict each other. We don't do this as individuals, we do this as coalitions. You don't laugh at those who can't afford the necessary items in life, you laugh as a group. You don't discriminate one another, you discriminate as a group. You don't repeal the freedoms of others, you repeal them as a group. Very rarely can you think of a moment in your life where you have not made a decision with the obligation of others in mind.
When life is good for yourself, do you think of those who aren't living well? When you have friends, when you have the luxuries, and when you have the privileges that others don't, not for one second do you think about lending your wealth. It is never seen when the “prosperous child” stands up from his or her lunch table to sit with the “losers.” If such a thing happened, what would your friends think? Would you be accepted? Oh my, would you lose all of those precious privileges? This is why we try so hard to not listen to ourselves, but instead follow the virtue of popular belief.
In 1961, a civil rights activist John Lewis enters a “whites only” waiting room at a bus station in South Carolina. Ku Klux Klan member, Elwin Wilson and other members beat John Lewis, leaving him bloody and bruised. The KKK is a group that still exists today but in 1960 was strong because it had the protection of its 'privileges' at stake. To allow a black man to enter their waiting room was outrageous. The incredulous hate of blacks in the 1960's and the treatment of them by whites proved that after 100 years of blood shed, we still had not learned our lesson. In 1787 when our founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence, they could not make a conclusion on slave trade, they decided that in at least 20 years a decision would be made; many generations and hundreds of years later, we had not fulfilled the promises made in the declaration. On ABC's Good Morning America, Elwin Wilson and John Lewis come together, and Wilson apologizes to Lewis. In a moment that stirs emotions, Wilson who had been as his son described “difficult to grow up with,” finds himself, not the KKK man from 1961, but Elwin Wilson, the man who realizes that the color of skin makes no difference. Elwin Lewis is validation that “privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily,” but acting upon the character of oneself, a new spirit is born.
There would be nothing dividing us, singling us out, given to one and taking from the other if we all were to be individuals. If we were all placed by ourselves on an island, the same island for each of us, no discrepancies. We could not act upon the thoughts of “we” rather than “I.” It would be straight forward, just and morally correct for the most part. If we live our own lives, not making it a matter of privileged and unprivileged, the world would be left with few problems. I am no better than anyone else, I have come to realize that I too make decisions based upon the collective thoughts of others, but through this piece of writing, I am sitting at my desk. For me the lesson is just beginning, I have many years of learning and evolving to do before I can be cleansed from “we” to “I.” I am human, I am no more privileged than any other, because if I was the things that I have lost would still be here. Coming to an understanding of what you have done wrong is the first step, looking to the lessons of history is the second step and what you make of step three is the purpose of the lesson,
to become a single existence.
To express injustice and intolerance against others requires more than the strength of one person, it is such a powerful and hateful entity that it requires a collective effort. When you sit at your desk, listen to the men falling at Gettysburg, listen to the apology of Elwin Wilson, listen to the cries of those in need, listen not to the voices of pressure and the evils of privilege, but to the strength of equality. It is time to find the morality of our individual, and give outset to right. Fulfilling the dream of conquering wrongdoing will only come when the light shines upon each of as individuals, dividing us for our just cause rather than our unjust character when the group's ideology is absorbed within us. I have learned more about myself in the few hours it took me to understand, analyze and write this, but what I realize when reflecting upon the message is I have been educated; we have all been educated each moment of our lives, yet we can't see what we hold ourselves blind to.
-Ryan Fecteau
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