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The Centralville Neighborhood Action Group (CNAG) did a good job hosting tonight’s City Council Candidates Forum, with decent turnout, plenty of snacks, and a quality sound system. Dick Howe’s blog has some impressions from Mark, and I’m sure LiL and The Sun will also cover the event (both a reporter and photographer were present). Because I have my own forum here, I’m going to post about one moment that got to me.

That moment was when Armand Mercier responded “No” to the question about whether he would support the meals tax, adding that he felt it would not bring in significant revenue. There was no follow-up question asking Councilor Mercier what further cuts he planned to make to city government since the budget he approved a few months ago was based on revenue from that tax. (City funding for the schools was also based on that revenue, so without it, the schools also will have to cut more—about $400,000 more!) Earlier this evening, Mercier described himself as a voice of reason with a common sense approach, yet his reason for not supporting a meals tax (not enough revenue generated) and his reason for voting NOT to hold a primary (to save a measly $40K) don’t sound like common sense or even remotely reasonable to me.

A final note on the meals tax: a .75 increase on a $50 dinner bill would cost a diner an additional 38 cents—spare change when dining out—yet revenue sorely needed to fund local services like schools, police and fire. Postcript: I’m hearing there are many councilors taking Mercier’s position, which, given today’s economy, I can understand not wanting another tax, but then why did they vote for a budget based on revenue from it?

Like any job, there are parts of being on the school committee that I don’t particularly relish–such as appearing live on television. (The camera just doesn’t capture my inner beauty.) I recognize, however, the value of talking about how we’re working to improve our schools and how important a quality education is to our children and our community. Television is a powerful tool for doing this, so whenever they invite me to participate in a show, I do. Around election time, it becomes particularly important to discuss your perspective and goals, and what makes you a good candidate. This afternoon will provide me with that opportunitiy, and I hope you’ll tune into “City Life,” a locally produced cable television show that is broadcast live on LTC Channel 8, weekdays from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. George Anthes, former WCAP radio talk show host, and Tom Byrne serve as co-hosts, with John McDonough as producer. If you haven’t seen the show, check it out this afternoon when I will be a guest from 4:30 – 5:30 pm. We’ll discuss Lowell schools and my campaign for re-election. (More on that later.)

Yesterday’s Sun has an article about Alison Laraba, the only challenger for a seat on the Lowell School Committee in the upcoming election. I met Alison Laraba through the Friends of Lowell High School (we’re both members) and especially noticed her during school budget hearings last spring. She is an outspoken parent with good ideas and I welcome her to the race for school committee. If you suffered through our budget hearings, you may recall Laraba as the speaker at the June 17 meeting who took issue with four members of the committee leaving council chambers while Sullivan School Principal Edith LeBran spoke about the importance of library media specialists. Laraba impressed me then as someone willing to take a stand for her convictions, and I look forward to an interesting campaign with her involved. Note:This LINK just in from LTC streaming video. (You can fast forward past Principal LeBran’s speech to see Laraba’s brief comments on the absent school committee members, but they are not shown leaving chambers due to the camera’s tight focus on the speakers.)

The number of candidates for school committee has steadily declined over the past six years, and quotes from my colleagues hypothesize why in yesterday’s article. As my earlier post on the issue reveals, “WANTED: Lunatics to run for school committee,” I have a few ideas of my own why more folks aren’t pulling papers for school committee. I also posted here why appointed school boards are not the solution. How do we get candidates interested in running and how do we overcome voter apathy? Given my slanted perspective, education seems key: not only education of our youth, but also consistent education of our community about the importance the board and our public schools play in the success of our city.

Being of a certain age, I grew up with Michael Jackson. I remember dancing with my cousin to the Jackson 5 for hours (ABC, it’s easy as 1,2,3) while choreographing our own elaborate steps and twirls. Michael, in particular, caught my imagination from the start.  I watched with the world as his music evolved and his sense of self morphed into something alien that made me sad. Days after his death, I’m still trying to make sense of what his music and persona meant to me. In Sunday’s Boston Globe, Wesley Morris wrote an article about Jackson that resonates, not only because it acknowledges his great musical talent and explains the allure he held for folks of all colors and nationalities, but because it attempts to understand why Michael Jackson was not good enough for himself—just the way he was created—with dark skin, round nose and nappy hair. Morris attempts to explain the struggle some African Americans have being okay with their blackness, and as a white female, I admit it’s not something I’ve experienced personally. But I do know about gender struggles—such as being okay with throwing like a girl, being emotional, or physically weaker than many men. I have experienced my own version of trying to accept myself as good enough as a woman in a post-feminist world that expects super-career-moms who handle jobs, childcare, community service, and managing the home without breaking a sweat. The unrealistic expectations are difficult enough; the fact that they thrive within an historical and cultural context that exalts manhood makes it worse. So yes, Morris hits a chord with me on many levels when he writes: “They – we – could see well past the bleached skin and unnatural Caucasian features. We could see his blues.” Finally, I understand better my empathy for Michael’s madness. On a more pleasant note, this link on Dick’s blog allowed me to revisit why I love dancing to Michael Jackson’s music and why watching him sing and move is still joyful—a gift he leaves us all. May he rest in peace.

Here’s what I heard last night from Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch: We’re facing unprecedented cuts in state aid while dealing with skyrocketing health insurance costs. I get it—a similar situation exists on the school side. While local aid for the city is down $15 million and health insurance has increased $4 million, the manager presented a budget that asks for $11 million less than last year. (That alone is mind boggling when you consider how most everything, including the price of milk and eggs, has gone up.) I sat through only 3½ hours of this marathon council meeting, so I wasn’t there when the vote was made to cut the manager’s assistant and I’m not privy to details on the decision, but when looking at the entire organization, cutting a key management role during a fiscal crisis seems shortsighted. For more on this, check LiL.

The manager’s assurance that if more state funding comes in for the schools, it will go there, and the fact that he based the $5 million cut to the district on a $3.2 million state shortfall is appreciated as the schools face their own fiscal nightmare. His approach with his budget was to cut positions, raise taxes 2½ % which will cost the average homeowner $65 more annually, and adopt a 2% meals tax when it’s available. Since his budget is based on these revenue options, I support them because to cut deeper would severely hamper our quality of life and our ability to bounce back from this fiscal mess. (The schools will need to find an additional $400,000 without the meals tax revenue.) With that in mind, I am determined not to cut so deep into the schools as to completely erode the progress we’ve made or dismantle the programs with proven results (more on that later). The school budget hearing is tonight at 8.

One of the great strengths of a democratic government is the right of its citizens to participate in, even criticize, leadership decisions. That right (a privilege and a responsibility) is especially demonstrated during tough fiscal times when people, as we saw at recent school budget hearings, voice concerns to their elected leaders. Tonight, the Lowell City Council will begin its budget deliberations at 5 pm, and citizens should participate in (or at least watch on channel 10) the process. Also tonight, the school administration will hold a special meeting for parents at the Rogers Middle School at 7 pm regarding transition issues relative to closing the school. Tomorrow, the School Committee will continue its budget hearing around 8 pm in Council Chambers after subcommittee meetings on special education (6:15 pm); transportation (6:45) and its regularly scheduled board meeting (7 pm). Next week, the Lowell High School subcommittee will convene on Tuesday, June 23, at 7 pm to discuss the impacts of teacher and administrative cuts at the high school, particularly regarding class size, student distribution, and programs under the direction of the now-eliminated position of student support services coordinator. These meetings are all open to the public, and I urge you to be involved and express your concerns: a strong democracy, like a strong community, is one where citizens are part of the process.

PaulM on richardhowe.com has a great post on last-night’s festivities, so I won’t be redundant but wanted to add my perspective on the evening. Being cramped into the venerable old Owl Diner eating their famously delicious eggs and pancakes was an unusual way for elected officials, community leaders, and non-profit administrators to enjoy a Thursday evening together. But then to have host Senator Steve Panagiotakos spend his brief speaking moments personally thanking leaders from 12 neighborhood groups and more than a dozen non-profit providers was more than unexpected—it was unprecedented. As Deb Chausey, executive director of House of Hope, noted on her way out: “In my 25 years of working here, it’s the first time that’s happened.” Chausey, like many others I spoke to, appreciated the senator’s recognition of the important contributions their organizations make to people, both young and old, throughout our city. We ought to be thankful, say it more often, and especially during these tough economic times, we must work together to weather the fiscal storm. The reality is, everyone is hurting for funds, and we need the non-profits more than ever. The only way Lowell will get through this fiscal crisis is together.

Self-described as an upbeat column, yesterday’s “Chat” took a side trip from its usual tone to swipe at the Lowell School Committee: “The best idea I have been given over the years calls for an abolishment of the school board and the addition of three to five members to the Lowell City Council — five of whom would sit as a subcommittee on education…” notes Kendall Wallace, chair of the newspaper and longtime critic of the school board. As a five-year board member who has worked for more than a decade to improve our public schools, my initial response was: How does eliminating the school board and making it a subset of the Council improve its focus or efficacy? Secondly, if there were some justification for that and it happened, count on me to run for Lowell City Council. (I don’t imagine I would be alone in that pursuit.)

The problem with this column is its attempt to paint the entire board with one brush regarding recent student vacation trips on school time. All votes permitting such trips, specifically to Quebec and Spain/Portugal, have been approved by the vast majority of the board, and one member’s comments against them clearly does not represent the entire committee. Student attendance matters, yet my primary concern has always been improving the quality of the school day. We only have our students for 180 days, making it imperative that they attend school, yes, but also that each moment in school offers students engaged, meaningful learning experiences. That means our focus, from the board to the classroom teacher, must be on high-quality instruction and effective curriculum that challenges our students to their potential. I recognize that learning happens outside the classroom, which is why the board unanimously supported the policy update regarding student travel. (More on the district’s travel policy in a separate post.) In the meantime, read the “Chat” with a hefty grain of salt, as with most education editorials in this paper—there’s more to the issue than printed here.

I read with great interest yesterday’s article in the Lowell Sun regarding newly elected State Representative Jim Arciero’s bill to end a decades-old perk that enables legislators with 20+ years of service to increase their pensions substantially if they are fired or not re-elected. According to the Sun article: “Depending on their salaries and time of service, the perk allows officials with more than 20 years on the job to begin collecting “superannuation” pensions immediately, along with life-time health insurance.” The article goes on to list a series of gluttonous beneficiaries of the perk that defies belief: such as Mike Lewis, former director of the Big Dig, raising his pension base by one million dollars to $2.47 million, or Representative Christopher Hodgkins more than quadrupling his pension. That Arciero, who served for years as a staff member for State Senator Steve Panagiotakos, has introduced this important reform legislation less than two months into his first term is impressive. If he can get the support he needs from his colleagues, even better. Aside from the stunning realization that boosting pensions this way has gone on since 1950, how could anyone NOT support putting an end to such a blatant abuse of taxpayers’ money? Let’s keep our eyes on this one to see if there truly is any hope of self-reform under the Commonwealth’s Golden Dome.

While it’s no surprise that a certain editor of our local paper has gone on a recycled rant against the Lowell School Committee (many of today’s accusations are retakes from ad nauseam tirades last summer), the simplistic, unbalanced, and inaccurate nature of the attacks never fail to amaze me. On point: There absolutely needs to be reform at all levels of government spending—the process is painfully slow and wrought with obstacles, many of which are completely out of the school committee’s control. It is, however, false that no progress has been made or that the Lowell School Committee, in particular, is to blame. Lowell school salaries are within range of other districts as well as its benefits, which mirror (or in some cases, fall below) the city’s compensation package. In the real world, most folks get that effective hiring requires market-level compensation. While blaming the board is easy and fits nicely with this editor’s agenda for an appointed school committee, it does little to accurately inform readers or to help achieve what should be our shared goal of continuing to improve the quality of public education despite diminishing resources.

Accuracy has never been at the top of this editor’s priorities, and that alone would be tragedy enough if it weren’t so distracting from the real challenges the schools face, or the reality of how critical it is to our economic survival that all students receive a quality education. The reality is that government today is faced with fiscal challenges that will require substantial cuts to services for all residents, with particular devastation to those most in need. The reality is that as unemployment, homelessness and poverty increase, so does domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, and families in crisis—factors that directly impact a child’s readiness to learn. The reality is that reform is desperately needed to control spiraling costs in health insurance, special education, and sick leave buyback, but many obstacles exist well beyond the scope of a local school board. Our future depends on our ability to continue to improve our public schools, despite the fiscal crisis, and to do that we need creative solutions, a new approach to complex issues, and all levels of government working together. Given that reality: simpleminded blame is not only misleading, it’s downright harmful.