This website has devolved into alot of whining losers. I thought this website was supposed to be blind and yet when I write under “interested” someone has to say that I am “the Swami”. The Town of Woodstock has had dirty politics for years, everyone in the area outside knows this. Anyone who gets involved with you morons has to be out of their mind. I know from personal experience how deceptive, lying and miserable you people truly are.
Education in Woodstock has been a joke for a long time and rather expensive for such poor results. The Citizens are divided between those who question Education and those who worship at the Education altar and only believe spending unlimited amounts of money is the answer. This last group usually has children in the system or a job on the school’s payroll. Woodstock is a middle class town with alot of Seniors and low/middle income families with children. You seem to think that Woodstockers are stupid, uninformed, manipulated masses who don’t know what they are doing. Fortunately, they are none of the above and don’t buy into the Special Interest group that is represented on this website. You people should be ashamed of yourselves and start taking responsibility by questioning your own school system. Every time I question Education, it results in personal attacks and changing the subject by going after the Town side of the Budget. The First Selectmans’ income did not jump by alot as one of you has said, it has been going up the same amount as other Town Hall positions. All you want is to get your way. You seem to think that a Town Charter with one of your hired stooge, called a Town Manager, will solve your problems and get you what you want. It won’t.
What Woodstock needs is an open honest discussion about its issues and problems. This discussion will not take place because people like you on this website are so emotional and partisan you are incapable of an honest discussion. A large part of the problem in Woodstock is Prop 46. It has created and artificial protection for the people and they don’t get involved because 46 is there to protect them. I want to Repeal 46, not for any of your reasons, which is purely to spend more money, but to get the lazy electorate back involved. Amending 46 is certainly not the answer because you are basically gutting 46 and the camel’s nose is under the tent for more and more spending, with 46 still in place to sooth the people that 46 is still on the job.
When I was in office we didn’t have these budget problems because I cut alot of worthless spending on the Town side only to see it pissed away by the Education Mafia on unnecessary employees and pork. You wonder why I am always questioning Education in Woodstock, because I have good reasons and vast experience with stupid spending and decisions by the Educational Establishment (Mafia). I call them the Mafia because of their tactics, they use our children, property values as hostages to get what they want. They threaten to take sports, music, art, Spice, only programs that hurt the children, never the ridiculous over head and special jobs, and unnecessary expenditures. I got out of politics and had no interest in getting back in because of the corruption and duplicity I saw while in office.
The only reason I’m involved now is because your Board of Education, Selectmans Office and other officials have been attacking the Academy for the last year and one-half. Threatening the school, nasty politics, lying and misrepresentation on a regular basis. This is not to help our children and education but only petty politics to get the money and control that this group wants. And the people on this website are to blame because you haven’t stepped to the plate and demanded this behavior stop. You are too busy supporting a system you are not objective about and getting a benefit from. By the way, you can take the First Selecman’s job and ……
More on the relationship between the Town and the Academy
Just a little more information for you to digest. For the last year plus the Town of Woodstock has harassed and attacked Woodstock Academy. As of this moment there is not a contract in effect between Woodstock and the Woodstock Academy and hasn’t had a contract for quite a while. Negotiations have been going on since the fall of 2004. Woodstock is the only sending Town without a contract. Woodstock is being offered the same contract as Pomfret. Which the BOE has refused to accept. Ever since Mr. Richard Foye became the Headmaster he has devoted most of his time dealing with the politics of the Woodstock BOE and BOS. He has had to repond to various situations all of which have been unnecessary and destructive for the education of Woodstock students. For example, your Treasurer along with Delpha Very went to the Town Legal Counsel to see if the Academy was in violation of the Bonding Agreement with the purchase of the Hicks property. They spent over $10,000 of your tax dollars for a “gray area” finding. The Academy has since paid off the Bonds but only after much time, expense and aggravation from the Town of Woodstock. Don’t the Elected Officials of Woodstock have anything better to do, like lower taxes or get more for their Educational dollar. Next your BOE was going to take the Eight Grade and keep them in the Middle School for their 9th grade. They were so sure of themselves they had a number of Constables on hand the night of the vote to control the mob if the BOE took the Ninth Grage. Fortunately, and mainly due to the efforts of Jay Livernois, the Ninth grade has stayed at the Academy. Your BOE received no community feedback, no real financial numbers, no honest evaluation of the quality of a Woodstock Middle School Ninth Grade year of learning. This was a pure political powerplay by the likes of Frank Corden, Bill Loftus and Charlie Snow. They didn’t give a damn about the education of that Eighth Grade, they were just pawns in their political games. The BOE has pursued many alternatives to the Academy, such as sending your children to Putnam High School, now there is a quality High School. Region 11 which is in the development stages, Region 11 is the aftermath solution to the failed High School of Parrish Hill. Yes, lets definately send our children there. They are even quietly pursuing the idea of building their own High School in Woodstock. Has anyone with half a brain looked at the cost of your own High School. What is so interesting is that the children of Woodstock, their Parents the Alumni and the Community have been very happy with the Academy. People are moving to Woodstock because of the Academy and your property values are higher because of the quality education the Academy provides at a fair and reasonable cost. Your enrollement in the K – 8 is relatively flat over the past 5 years and yet the Academy enrollment has grown steadily, K-8 has averaged 1.5%/year and the Academy 3.5% per year. Yet your BOE attacks the Academy and says all the cuts have to come at the expense of the K-8 program. Your K-8 is bloated and expensive and the BOE has never seriously looked at the expenditures line by line. Yet Mr. Loftus breaks the Academy budget down line by line. Ah, if only he did such a good job on his own town educational budget. The Woodstock BOE budget cannot withstand scutiny because then the people would see how much money has been wasted for years. No the only recourse for the Woodstock BOE is to attack the Academy and try to get additional funds from them and use them as leverage to repeal 46 or Amend 46. All heavy handed tactics for political purposes and at the expense of the education of our children. I would rather have Mr. Foye and Dr. Baran devote their energy to a better cost effective education than to engage in nasty local politics. There has been much more going on between the Town and the Academy and I think you should take the time and find out what is going on and why. And you wonder why I got back involved in Woodstock politics. It’s because of the bad behavior of your elected Officials. Now why don’t you get involved and tell them to knock it off and get to work improving education in Woodstock within the constraints of Prop 46.
Just a little more information for you to digest. … (added to the article above, Admin)
Please see older article and another on the behavior of the last BOE toward the Academy. And, there is a third article on the new football program. Last years BOE carried on with this behavior, not the new BOE with new leadership. The new BOE will rectify the situation in a professional fashion.
Speaking of “whining losers”…
Ernie
I guess I have a hard time following your logic. I just look at the figures. Teachers are paid lower in woodstock and our spending is third from the bottom in the state -on our kids Anything over what the BOF says we can spend on education is contractural and beyond the BOE’s control ( essentially the BOE budget has been short sheeted). The new Government budget is in favor of spending additional money in open space, another raise for employees within town Hall and a soccer field estimated at $350,000. Now thats spending. (Im still looking for needed items such as the town garage). Sorry, but these government items look real fluffy to me in view of what education will loose.
…..perhaps some hard cheese to go along with that ‘whine’?
You have a split personality, Mr. Wetzel. First you say we need to repeal Prop 46. Then you say the Selectmen are trying to ‘gut 46′ and then something about the camel’s nose under the tent… Then at the end of the your discourse, you say they should be working within the constraints of 46! Which is it? By the way, I don’t think it is ANY surprise that ‘Interested’ turned out to be Ernest A. Wetzel! You outed yourself.
Dear Fact Finder, why don’t you get your facts straight by reading this website. Look under Whats in the Future for Woodstock and that is what I am referring to.
Ooooh! Ouch! Oh, Mr. Wetzel, do have mercy! Do you mean this rant is different from any of your other rants … and actually specific to a single article?
If we are such a horrible group of whining morons, why do you bother? We obviously aren’t the kind of people you want to engage in productive conversation. So, tired than being reminded that we are the very thing you despise most, I, for one, would like to graciously invite you to google some other blog for the placement of your next screed.
Ernie, Some of us are listening to what you have to say even if it is shadowed by anger, or perhaps just passion. What I like about this website is debate and challenge. Thanks for bringing some of that to the table. Whether I agree with you all the time or not, we can agree to disagree. Although I am not a supporter of Prop 46, I am willing to work under it constraints and am a strong advocate for the Academy. In fact, I am willing to continue to sacrifice K-8 if need be, rather than jeopardizing the Academy in any way. Many do not see it this way, until they actually get to the Academy and see how much better it is run than K-8. I also like the fact that it is not under the hands of the BOE and town officials. I think several people did not vote for Delpha because it was obvious that she had conflicting interests with the Academy. You are too quick to generalize. Citizens are not divided by those who question education and those “who worship its altar”. I think most people are somewhere in between. Further, you keep saying that the Woodstock schools have poor results and have insinuated that the students in 8th grade are suboptimal. Yes, some are, but most are not. I think that education at that level is a shared responsibility between school, parents, and student. The school should not take all of the responsibility, nor should it take all the blame.
Dear Sour grapes, very well said. We don’t need to sacrifice the K-8 program at all, the money can be repositioned for better results. Our Town Education leaders over the past 10 plus years have spent alot of money on buildings, cost over $1,000 per year per child. The money was wasted on the Middle School project and the renovation of the Elementary school, we are now stuck with less money to spend in the classroom. I am not saying those projects were unnecessary but the money was way overspent for what we received and the negative impact on our future spending. Dr Galton went on a hiring and spending spree for 4 years and the Board of Finance and the Board of Ed. encouraged her for political reasons. We need to restructure our K-8 program and make it more efficient. The fact of the matter is that our teachers aides are doing alot of the teaching and we are paying our full time professional teachers to do that. We are top heavy in Administration and operational expenses. Education may not be a business but we need to run the financial side of education like one. We have limited resources and our tax base of middle/lower income and Seniors are slowly hemmoraging financially because of the rising cost of living and property taxes. That is why many Parents with children voted against the Amendment of 46 or not at all. In response to Admin. the “new” BOE has 7 of the same members as the old BOE. There are only two new faces who don’t seem to want to see any change or new thinking. Ms. Rigney spoke with me after a Town meeting and regurgitaed all the same propaganda the old BOE spit out. Nothing has changed, new Board Chair, same thinking and agenda. This “new” BOE rejected a contract with the Academy. And last week Dr. Baran asked the Superintendent of Schools in Putnam for something in writing to confirm that Putnam is looking for outside students. I wonder why Dr. Baran did that? I know it is hard to know what is going on in Woodstock because most of it is done behind closed doors. The people you have elected are on a “need to know” basis and they don’t think you need to know. Instead ,of attacking the messenger I ask you to try and find out what is really going on and do something.
Dear Home Girl: I am on this website because I care about the quality of Education in Woodstock K-8, even though I have no children in that system. I have been actively trying to improve your system since l998. Family and I have given much to the school in time, donations, planning the Wash D.C., trip and volunteering for many school boards and functions. Believe it or not, education is a top priority for me and I just haven’t bought into the idea that spending money is the best solution. Creative and productive ideas do not cost alot of money, just time and effort. Of which alot of our citizens have been unable or unwilling to donate. I have and will continue to stay involved until something gets done.
I am NOT willing to “sacrifice K-8, if need be” for the Academay as Sour Grapoes suggests. That is what we are doing, and it is wrong. Why should one group of kids be sacrificed for another? All should share equally in school additions and cuts
It is not an attack on the Academy, or any comment on its management, to say that a system that does not allow the town to evaluate the relative worth of programs at its K-8 and high schools is broken.
That said, I think a town that is about to charge middle schoolers to play basketball while offering varsity tennis and golf at high school is messed up. It is arrogant of the Academy to offer costly options while k-8 takes steep cuts
Thank you Mr. Wetzel.
Painting everything either “black” or “white” is truly a disservice to this debate. This is both unreasonable and destructive.
Ernie…what an on-going mess! I am drilling down from the other side…having “opted out” of the Woodstock Educational fiasco…I just determined it was less painful to find another venue..than continuing to fight for something that won’t actually get fixed quick enough to meet my children’s immediate needs. Actually, I know some very capable people that have taken the same path…and I know..it hurts everyone…because there is less intensity without some of us being directly in the fray.
I will also admit after last week’ special town meeting, when I learned that “ethics are just another hurdle to volunteering in Woodstock”…I realized just what a long, slow painful journey this proces will be…with a high probability that we will never reach our destination.
When you were First Selectman…what was your knowledge of the existing ” Woodstock Code of Ethics”? Supposedly, Woodstock stopped using it by 2000? I also found out that years ago…the Chairman of IWWA was “removed” by the selectmen…because of holding builder’s accountable to the regualations. Yup..”if it ain’t broke”….is all in the eyes of the beholder.
I suppose if the “barbarians” continue to attack Rome…it will eventually crumble..just hope we can find a system that really works!
It’s just down right wrong that the Selectmen choose to squirrel $100,000 away each year for “Open Space� that has not even been identified and spend $350,000 for a Park and Recreation soccer field in the town operating budget while valuable teachers have to be laid off. If anything, this is thoughtless spending. Aren’t we already funding “open space� with PA-490? And furthermore, the bonding issues would not exist if the depreciation costs were accurately accounted for in each annual budget. I guess this is because, in their eminent wisdom, the Board of Finance (I use that term loosely) does not recognized depreciation as a real cost but does recognize laying away $100,000 each year as a necessary cost. I guess as the saying goes, “You can’t fix stupid!�
I do not advocate the sacrifice of K-8, however, IF NEED BE, I would rather cut a loss in K-8 than jeopardize the Academy. I think that a great high school is infinitely more important and life changing than a mediocre K-8. And yes, our K-8 is mediocre. In part, due to Prop 46. At the K-8 level, parents can supplement extras such as Art,Music, gym, sports, ect. At the High School Level most cannot. What is really needed at the K-8 level is the basics, a strong foundation. Unfortunately, the extras are for those towns who value them. We have to work within the contraints of Prop 46. Like it or not. But atleast by 8th grade we can begin to breathe easier knowing that our kids are going to the Academy. What do you think would happen with a town owned High School? What about sending our kids to Putnam High School or some other regional school just so we can offer extras in the K-8? I say lets protect the Academy from the Town and start demanding a contract from our BOE. Citizen Cain, what do you mean exactly? I respect your opinion, but am not sure what you mean. Personally, I am tired of the gray and would like to see more black and white. I do not want extremes, but I think its time to face some facts.
In defense of putting money aside for open space, I think that it is a long term strategy that is worthwhile. If the town does not purchase open space, the builders will and the last thing we need in this town is more single family homes. We can’t afford to send what kids we have, never mind adding further tax burden. Albeit, in light of potential school cuts, it does seem odd. Oh, and with PA-490, it is for the same reason essentially. To preserve farmland by helping to make it affordable for farmers to keep their land rather than selling it off to builders. The problem I have with PA-490 is that I suspect abuse and that people are getting tax breaks that shouldn’t be. OH MY GOD, could this be unethical??!!
Sour Grapes, Contrary to the insinuation by Mr. W, there has been NO unsupportive discussion of the Academy at this site and there HAS been critical discussion of the past performance of the BOE. I prefer to support both ends of the education system. I’m also in favor of preserving open space, but this year is different. I am complaining about the apparent lack of prioritization. Optimizing the education system, I would think, is a higher priority than building a soccer field on contaminated grounds, and perhaps this year we should forgo the contribution to the open-space ‘slush fund’. And, I am repelled by the habitual and obsessive tactics of Mr. W who can only see black and white… “…you people…”.
Hmmm. Ernest A. Wetzel laying claim to “planning the Wash D.C. trip� that the Middle School now takes every year. This claim is quite revealing of your megalomania. Two women worked tirelessly for many hundreds of hours each year for 5 years to carryout the planning and funding of that successful endeavor. They, not you, were recognized annually by the middle school teachers and administration in spite of the put-downs by the Superintendent Galton. Yet you incorporate this into your own repertoire of accomplishments because Martha was then part of your “family�. At what point will you ever give any credit to others without giving yourself the credit also. Your ‘contributions’ have an obsessive nature to them. You say that “education is a top priority for (you)…� Thank god this responsibility is in the hands of more responsible professional people.
To Frank Baran, Lindsey Paul, the other hardworking members of the BOE, and all of the teachers and school staff – I feel your pain. I’m sorry that you have to continuously listen to the venting of Mr. Wetzel. Please hang in there and recognize that although he is making a lot of noise and stirring up the basest element of Woodstock, he is only one puny voice.
Hi Ken: While I was in office I tried to enforce a Code of Ethics but was not supported by my fellow BOS board members. There is so much conflict of interest in Woodstock it is scary. While coping with the ongoing problems of open government and trying to enforce ethics codes, the State of Connecticut basically told me that these issues are local problems, handle them on your own. I’m glad to see you so involved. You have experienced first hand through IWWA and P&Z that the rules are enforced depending upon who the applicant is and isn’t. The biggest problem in Woodstock has been the BOE because they control 80% of our spending dollars. The BOE has been a closed shop for years, just running protection for the racket known as Education. I have sat on both the BOE and Woodstock Academy Board of Trustees. One school, the Academy has been run correctly, with open inspection by the Sending Town Reps, and 22 other Trustees. There is a system of checks and balances. While the Town of Woodstock BOE has never accepted or was interested in any input to interfere with their game of patronage and special deals, and poor monetary decisions. One of the Commentators is critical of the Academy because they spend their tuition dollars carefully and can offer more programs. Why do you want to punish a system that has gotten results and programs for our children to subsidize a system K-8 that has been a failure and provided dismal results. For those of you who are protecting the Woodstock BOE and the K-8 system, can’t you just be a little objective and be critical of your system, it has many flaws and needs questioning. What we need are people working together to help solve a financial and quality of education problem in the Town of Woodstock. My suggestions and ideas have always been welcomed at the Academy but not by the K-8 program in Woodstock. The BOE is scared to death to have someone find out the Emperor not only doesn’t have his clothes on, he doesn’t even know what clothes are for. The taxpayers have refused to fund their nonsense anymore. Their options are to make cuts that will hurt the children and antagonize their parents to force them into higher taxes or support the attacks on the Academy. Or, God forbid, address the glaring problems within their own spending and budgets. Why don’t the people on this website help the BOE fix itself?
Touched a Nerve: boy I certainly did with you. You’re right Martha and Becki did the work for the planning and execution of the Wash D.C. trip. But my how you don’t seem to know your history and how we got the Wash D.C. trip in the first place. When I was on the BOE we were told there would never be a class trip to Wash D.C. because the powers to be would never allow it. Your then Superintendent Dr. Linda Galton said, and I quote: “There is no educational value in a class trip to Wash. DC.” It was only through the efforts of Gus Masiello, Jay Livernois and I that we got the votes to create the class trip. If it wasn’t for us there would be no trip. And exactly what have you done for the children of Woodstock? I also support Martha and Becki totally with their efforts and helped often. But getting recognition has never been what I wanted but boy do I get abuse. No problem because I consider the source of this criticism and could care less.
Nice effort. I was thinking of Sue Lloyd who together with Martha made it happen in the first year. I don’t really see this as a ‘tireless’ BOE accomplishment because of a vote.
To sum it all up, you people that disagree with Mr. W are, and responsible for:
“whining losers”
“dirty politics for years”
“you morons”
“deceptive, lying and miserable you people truly are”
“Education…a joke”
“such poor results”
“worship at the Education altar”
“stupid, uninformed, manipulated masses”
“You people should be ashamed”
“your hired stooge”
“incapable of an honest discussion”
“pissed away by the Education Mafia”
“corruption and duplicity”
“attacking the Academy”
“the people on this website are to blame”
I think I already know the answer- but can you censor Ernie Wetzel? Can you limit his word count, or the times in one day that he gets visit this sight? Let him go back to his own sight- “Comings and Goings” and leave better conversation alone. Its too hard to sift through the half truths, the old tapes and all the twisted rationale. Sometimes it’s amusing- but most of the time-it’s very depressing
Ernie,
Better to “worship at the altar of education” rather than worshipping exclusively at the altar of the Academy which you seem to favor.
Interested’s comment to “Citizen Asks…” May 16th
What worries me about your “Commission� is the potential for it to turn into the Warren Commission. The Town of Woodstock Education system is not open to questions or accoutability. It sounds like this will turn into a political rally to Repeal, Amend, legally change or cancel Prop 46. God forbid you put some people on the Commission that will question the expenditures and methods of the Board of Education. This sounds like a Trojan horse.
Interested’s comment to “Pet of the week…” May 16th
“I guess you are now reduced to implied threats and inuendo. At least now the people of Woodstock can see what you truly are and your disgusting tactics. Only cowards write stuff like the above. You have lost all your arguments, lost at the polls and even your own base,(parents of children) do not support you. Why don’t you do some self evaluation and face the ugly truth that your tactics and methods have been exposed for what they are. You are a bunch of special interest people who want to spend other peoples money without any questions. Thank God the people of Woodstock see you for what you are up to.”
[...] What is Woodstock’s Philosophy in Governance? Angry or redundant comments like those of Interested, and the like, will now be posted in the comment section of this article. [...]
Comment posted by Mr. Wetzel under “Citizen Asks…” May 16th
Administration: I was wondering how long it would take you to squash any opposition to your position. Please continue the guise that this website is open and fair. Your response is exactly why the people of Woodstock have lost confidence in your tactics and methods. I hope you keep going the way you are because your agenda is doomed. I thank you for the brief period when I could actually get information out to people. Over and out.
Interested/Mr. Wetzel – I do not believe you honestly think that what you have been depositing on this site is conducive to promoting an intelligent exchange of ideas between the participants. I will continue to check to see if you have anything to say, but I must say I am happy the Administrator has finally found a way to let you have your say and yet let the rest of us continue to try to develop our ideas with each other.
I do not believe the Administrator(s) of this site is trying to “squash any opposition” to whatever their position is. I think they have just gotten tired of having productive discussions squelched by your juvenile tantrums! I have read what you post and get no “information” from it. What I get is a reoccuring rant with age old allegations and vitriol. You are not trying to give people information. You are trying to prove you are the only one who is right… as if being right will somehow vindicate your bad behavior.
This comment was submitted by Mr. Wetzel on May 18th under the article “To the Administration and Leadership of Woodstock Academy”
To Whoever Wrote this Article. I was completely out of Woodstock politics and no interest whatsoever in getting involved in such a corrupt and dishonest Town political system. I got back on the Board of Trustees only because of the shameful behavior of the Woodstock Board of Education and Board of Selectman. They repeatedly attacked and tortured the Woodstock Academy. They bargained in bad faith for a contract, tried to withhold the 9th grade, challenged the Bond issue, paid their tuition bills late, launched a P.R. attack against the Academy. I am very pleased to see that even you are paying attention that the Academy knows exactly what the Town has been up to for two years and is finally defending itself. You seem to have no problem attacking me with false facts. Why don’t you find out what is going on in your own Town? Your political leaders are out of touch with the public and are playing political games with our school system. The BOE has been defeated in every single attempt to spend money they have dreamed up. They will do anything to undermine Prop 46. Their energy has gone into nasty politics and nonsense. They have lost and I am very proud to have been a part of their defeat. Now they should do their job and get to the task of fixing the Educational system in Woodstock with the money they have been allocated.
To say your “completely out of Woodstock politics” is ridiculous.
I really like it here in Siberia. The weather is nice and I enjoy the fact that this website is so closed minded and afraid of oppostion, that this is what you do to try and win your case. Citizen Cain must be a graduate of the Woodstock K-8 program because he obviously doesn’t understand the use of past tense. I said I “was” out of Woodstock politics and the only reason I got back “in” was due to the behavior of your elected officials. The Academy is a wonderful school and provides a cost efficient, quality education, something the K-8 does not provide. I got back on the Board to defend the Academy against the Town of Woodstock. You seem to like the Academy, where have you been for the last 2 years?
Mr. Wetzel – If this site is as closed-minded as you proclaim it to be, why do your opinions keep showing up??? If I were the administrators and wanted to be closed-minded about the rhetoric and drivel that you keep going on and on and on about, I wouldn’t even post your noise. The administrators obviously have the patience of Job and have given you your own little wailing wall. Its more than I’d give you! If you want to have some impact on the process, join it. But that means you’ll have to put down your sling shot and contribute to a positive discussion. Frankly, you’ve gotten more respect from these administrators than you deserve. Stop letting your brusied ego outshout your intelligence.
Originally posted on June 13th as a comment by Mr. Wetzel under the article, “The Town has existed…”
For those of you who write on this website and constantly tell me I’m wrong with the facts, please venture outside of your special interest group and wake up and smell the coffee. You and your constituents have lost much support in the past few months due to the antics of your heroes on the BOE. They deliberately brought in a budget at the Town Meeting that was in violation of Prop 46. They have authorized the Superintendent to pursue whatever means necessary to determine that Prop 46 is not legal because it prevents them from meeting their mandates for educational funding. They constantly go into Executive Session to discuss legal matters. They are constantly consulting their attorneys, I wonder how much that is costing us. When asked if the BOE is going to sue the Town, Linday Paul would not answer the question. Gee, I wonder if the BOE is pursuing a legal strategy which includes a future lawsuit? The BOE has contracted a specialist Attorney to deal with the contract negotiations with the Academy, gee I wonder why they are bringing in a hired gun, it wouldn’t involve any future legal action, right? The BOE has repeatedly said they are “agents of the state� which means they consider themselves accountable to the State, not the local citizens and taxpayers. They have hired an Architect that will now show us how we need a Junior High School. They are still after the 9th grade and will not stop until they get it. This is a school system that has had very moderate enrollment growth of about 1.2% each year in the K-8 system. The Academy is growing at 3.5% each year. They spend dollar after dollar to justify their spending plans, where is this money coming from. We have a bunch of tax, spend, borrow and spend liberals in Woodstock public offices. If Woodstock can not fund current increases in both Town and Education budgets with the very strong growth in the Grand lists over the past 5 years. What do you think is going to happen as the Grand slows tremendously with a collapsing real estate bubble? Education spending has been out of control in this country for years and now the geometric growth is accelerating faster than the growth in revenues. Woodstock is Town with wealth in it, but is not a wealthy Town. Most Woodstockers are hard working, middle class folks who are struggling to pay their bills right now. The people on this website are liberal, socialist, volvo driving elitists. Who beieve that by spending more and more money will solve what is wrong with the Woodstock K-8 school system. What is wrong in Woodstock is that the BOE is and has never been anything but protection racket for an average school system dominated by special deals and favors and political patronage. The Citizens of Woodstock are not buying your arguments and heavy handed tactics. The next items coming up for the poor citizens of Woodstock is a really nice big Bond Issue for them to pay for over the next 20 years. Don’t you people ever give up? Why can’t you sit down with people who have ideas on how to save money and improve the school system. Instead all you do is attack and vilify them as anti-education, ignorant, and pitiful human beings who dare to question the school system. I’ll tell you why you won’t sit down and have this discussion, because your school system can’t stand the scrutiny and will collapse like a house of cards. Poor decisions and stupid spending are rampant within the system, you don’t want people in Woodstock to find out, do you?
Mr. Wetzel, Wrong again. I drive two olde cars and neither is a Volvo. Furthermore, any expenses that the Town might have are not costing you anything since you don’t pay taxes.
Ernie, Now please…you have really stepped over the line with that comment about “volvo”. I have used a company car- specically- S70…that is now at over 180,000 miles…and still going strong. A great american car company, Ford, now owns them…and well…for my part…it has been the most economical vehicle I have owned.
Now if you want to attack Woodstock Porsche owners- like Developer-Nelson Douglas, and Engineer owner-Brad Cheney…that makes more sense…since the source of many problems stems from the over development of wetlands into large housing developments.
No one seems to notice that the truly educated IWWA members vote against questionable developemnts like WBA’s Bradford Corners…by our insiders like Danny Very any Chairman Snow (who I believe hasn’t undergone wetlands training?)…feels compelled to BREAK A 2-2 TIE VOTE…to pass an ecological dangerous projects. I wonder what these two drive?…I assume they keep “their Prosches” hidden in the land of “no conflict of interest”
Sorry to keep getting on the same old soap box…it just amazes me how much Woodstock officials just do as they please…and seemingly without any accountability!