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Question: I have heard that the High School might lose accreditation. Is
this true? What exactly does that mean?
Answer: Yes, the High School is in danger of losing its accreditation..we are currently
on warning/probationary status for our accreditation because of overcrowding, student teacher ratio and many other factors.
The reason we are on warning/probation now and not losing our accreditation is because we are in the process of
fixing the problem by building a new Regional High School. If we lose more teachers, our probationary status
would change by June of 2005 and the process of losing our accreditation all together would begin. Applying to
college from a high school that is accredited is quite different than applying from one that is not. Our kids would
be at a TREMENDOUS disadvantage going to college, as the colleges look at that and say our kids are not prepared as well as
those coming from high schools that are accredited. State Colleges are mandated by the Board of Higher
Education to only accept applicants with a minimum 3.0 gpa coming from ACCREDITED high schools!!!! We have
a very high percentage of kids attending State schools - what does that mean for them??? Accreditation is something we
don't want to lose, under any circumstances!!!
Question: I was watching BTV cable the other night and Mr. Gillis was on with Nick Palmieri
discussing many issues related to the schools, the school budget, teacher salaries, etc. My question is, as a School
Committee Member should he be on TV discussing such issues? Isn't that a conflict or something?
Answer: I don't know if it is a conflict per se. I have asked
your question of various members of the School Committee and the Superintendent. They do view his being in public in
that type of forum as a potential liability issue for the District. If he were to say something that would jeopardize
the good faith bargaining with the teachers, or slip up and discuss a sensitive, confidential topic, even by accident,
the results could be devastating, financially, to the District and ultimately to the taxpayers. Feel free to visit
the Massachusetts Association of School Committees website to get more information on the duties and conduct of a School
Committee Member.
Question: I have heard an awful lot about teacher positions being
cut, why don't we cut administrative positions?
Answer: Actually, the District has cut administration. When
they promoted Dr. McIntyre to Superintendent they didn't replace his position, but brought up two Assistant Superintendents
who will effectively do the job of three people. This was a cost savings to the District of approximately $85,000.
The newest hiree, the Principal at the High School was brought in at a salary that is approximately $20,000 below State average
for a Principal of his caliber. Additionally, the District is currently running on administrative staff that is 50%
below what they should be running on for a district of this size. The cost of the Administration within the District
budget is only 3% of the total budget. In the past five years, there has either been a level funding for administration
or a drop in the funding as compared to the rest of the District budget. There is currently only one Principal who is
covering Merrill and LaLiberte Elementary Schools in Raynham. There are currently only two headmasters (principals)
at BES for a school that actually has three houses (schools). There have been times when the Principal at Merrill/LaLiberte
has been called to the Middle School in Raynham to support there and there has been no administration
in the elementary schools. There has also been criticism of late that Dr. McIntyre got a very nice raise for being moved
up to Superintendent and "should he have taken such a generous raise in this climate?" Dr. McIntyre's raise, although
generous, did not increase the budget for administration, but actually decreased it, due to the aforementioned two assistant
superintendents. Additionally, as a point of information, Brockton's Superintendent is currently in negotiations for
a salary in the $140,000-$160,000 range. That is $15,000 - $35,000 more than what Dr. McIntyre is making.
Question: How did we get in such a mess???
Answer: So many things have played into the current situation with the
District budget. Obviously the financial state of the Town has a lot to do with it, but even when the Town had money,
they historically did not put it into the schools, the school buildings or the future of our kids. In the past eleven
years, Bridgewater has failed to fully fund the District EIGHT times! There were two years in a row where past Selectman
decided not to raise our taxes the 2.5% they were allowed to by law. That effectively set the Town back four years!
The State has decreased aid to the Town and particularly to the District. The current administration in the Statehouse
DOES NOT SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION - even though they will swear up and down that they do. The District has to absorb
skyrocketing fixed costs - as is explained in detail on our Know your Facts and Figures page.
Plain and simple, we underfund our schools and it has now caught up with us. We can no longer stand by and watch our
system deteriorate. We need to stand up and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!! You can write
to your elected officials, use the links on the LINKS page to contact the Governor and your Selectman!
Question: I have heard from a lot of people that the School Budget is breaking the back
of Bridgewater's Town Budget. Is this true?
Answer: It is so funny that you ask me that today...I just got an analysis of the School
budget vs. other departments in Bridgewater and their relative increases or decreases. While it is true that the School
budget is the biggest portion of our Town Budget, it isn't true that the increases are more than any other department.
In fact they are much less. Check out the chart below.
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Are the schools busting Bridgewater's Town budget?
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Actual FY 2002 |
Actual FY2003 |
Selectmens 2004 |
% Change 02-04 |
$ change 02--04 |
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Police |
$2,740,211 |
$3,140,332 |
$3,045,708 |
11% |
$305,497 |
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Fire/Ambulance |
$2,458,235 |
$3,140,211 |
$2,850,669 |
16% |
$392,434 |
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B-R Schools |
$13,437,500 |
$13.562.700 |
$13,562,952 |
1% |
$125,452 |
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All Schools |
$14,234,144 |
$14,538,721 |
$14,329,952 |
1% |
$ 95,808 |
Note: The line which reads "All Schools" includes B-R, Bristol-Plymouth, Bristol Ag and Norfolk Ag.
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Question: What exactly is a level fund?
Answer: A level fund is a budget that is funded in the exact amount that the budget
was funded in the previous year. In the case of the schools, that would be an approximate $45 million budget.
However, in the case of any budget, when a budget is level funded it is not a LEVEL SERVICE. A level service budget
in the case of the schools is the $48 million budget that Raynham just passed. It is where we gain nothing, but we don't
lose anything either. It is the best case scenario for our schools, at least for this horrendous economic cycle.
A level fund would mean severe cuts, to the District in particular, and cuts to the other departments in Town. If you
want to know the extent of the cuts to the District, go to the District Tears page on this website
and they will tell you exactly what we would lose if we Level Fund our schools.
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