| Author |
Message |
    
harpo
Citizen
Username: Harpo
Post Number: 1460
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 10:20 pm: |     |
That's really unfair -- not to me, but to any candidate who might not know the junior high school mentality of too many posters on these boards.
The people who are running for BOE and who post here deserve better I think than to be baited, blindsided or set up for humiliations by MOL's obsessive competitors in one-upmanship. No wonder so few want to post here.
(Mr. Gifford, in case you don't know, I have a few cyberstalkers on MOL. Most people ignore them completely.)
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ffof
Citizen
Username: Ffof
Post Number: 2090
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 8:46 am: | |
Just to make sure, WIlliam, are you 18 and are you a registered voter? |
rssounds
Citizen
Username: Rssounds
Post Number: 239
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 9:34 am: | |
Mr Gifford,
It is my understanding that parents and students may contract with the administration to enter a level the family deems to be more appropriate. If the student performs satisfactorily in the new level, he/she may stay if not, the family agrees to switch levels.
This contract was instituted a few years ago in response to the very issues you bring up. Do you have any hard numbers that indicate this approach is failing to meet the needs of those students in question?
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Morgan
Citizen
Username: Morgan
Post Number: 5
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 11:44 am: | |
Mr. Gifford wrote: " I hear the hardships of the janitors who have to pay for there own supplies"
This disturbed me greatly. How awful! Then, I recalled watching an episode of "Scrubs" where the tall, mean custodian tells JD he had to buy his own mop!
The following questions come to mind:
Do the school custodians/janitors work directly for SOMSD - or are they contracted through a private company?
Are they part of a union?
In some professions one is expected to provide one's onw uniform and special tools. Does this apply to school custodians?
What does "pay for there own supplies" mean exactly? Soap? Hammers? Roofing material?? Could they be referring to their coffee and snacks?
Could they be purchasing items on an emergency basis - and then neglecting to mention that they are getting reimbursed by the district?
Who is the district employee responsible for facilities/maintenance? Is he/she aware of the janitors plight? If the complaint is true, it sounds like a labor violation, and that's pretty serious.
Assuming there is money in the budget for "janitorial supplies" - is there: a)not enough to cover actual costs, or b)enough funds, but not being directed to the janiotrs (and why!?!)
Why are they telling a student this tale of woe? Because he's running for BOE and might get elected and might be able to do something?
Mr. Gifford, I'm asking these questions in repsonse to your statement that you are, as a student at Columbia, "very knowledgeable of the problems that our schools face", using this example as proof.
To make it fair, even though Mr. Gifford brought up the topic - do any of the other candidates lurking out there have any knowledge of this alleged problem and how it can be solved?
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columbiastudent
Citizen
Username: Columbiastudent
Post Number: 66
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 4:02 pm: | |
As a non candidate, I can tell you that the statement was false. Mr. Gifford perhaps meant to say that many teachers pay for some of their own supplies, which is a true statement. |
William Ralph Gifford III
Citizen
Username: Williamgif
Post Number: 14
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 6:01 pm: | |
Dear columbiastudent,
Actually the statement I made before is true. I have spoken to the custodians in Columbia and they have told me that they must pay for some of their supplies. If you need proof, go to Columbia and ask them for yourself.
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William Ralph Gifford III
Citizen
Username: Williamgif
Post Number: 15
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 6:09 pm: | |
Dear Foff,
yes, I am a registered voter and I am 18. |
Addy
Citizen
Username: Addy
Post Number: 83
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 6:16 pm: | |
I've always said you can tell a lot about someone by the clubs they joined in High School. What say you?
Heisenberg may have slept here |
lumpynose
Citizen
Username: Lumpyhead
Post Number: 833
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 10:16 pm: | |
Why didn't you attend the debate at Hilton? Will you attend the next one? |
johnny
Citizen
Username: Johnny
Post Number: 854
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 26, 2004 - 8:41 am: | |
William:
Do you have any opinion on the school budget? |
John Davenport
Citizen
Username: Jjd
Post Number: 173
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 8:54 pm: | |
Though I don't think Mr. Gifford is yet qualified for the BOE, give him a few years and he may be. I agree with him that more electives, and more mobility between levels, is needed. But the real question is: why are so many African American students at Columbia doing so much worse than the white and asian students who are almost all in upper levels? Is this anything we can address in a deep way?
One thing you might be able to help us with, William, is a sense of how many kids overall are in the lower and higher levels (e.g. is it 50% top level, 50% all lower levels combined?). For that tells us something about what percentage of black and hispanic students are in lower levels. If 38% of students (whites) make up almost all of a top level that is 50% of the student body, then only 12% of the school is both minority and in the top level. This is what I'm trying to discern. |
William Ralph Gifford III
Citizen
Username: Williamgif
Post Number: 16
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 7:26 pm: | |
To all those interested, I will be attending Pace University next fall.
yours,
William |
johnny
Citizen
Username: Johnny
Post Number: 860
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, April 1, 2004 - 12:01 am: | |
William,
Congratulations on attending Pace in the fall.
Pace is in Westchester County, NY, probably about an hour away by car. Will you be able to get to Maplewood whenever you need to for BOE meetings, etc. |
rssounds
Citizen
Username: Rssounds
Post Number: 243
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, April 1, 2004 - 12:04 am: | |
Dear Mr. Gifford,
Congratulations on attending Pace. There have been several questions asked of you in this forum since you posted your position statement. Inquiring minds would appreciate a response. |
cody
Citizen
Username: Cody
Post Number: 507
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, April 1, 2004 - 12:19 am: | |
Doesn't Pace also have a downtown Manhattan campus? That's not quite so far from Maplewood.
And yes, the custodians sometimes have to supply their own cleaning materials as District cutbacks have reduced expenditures for cleaning supplies.This is not required of them, but it is something that some of the responsible and caring custodians have been doing. This happens in more than a few of our Maplewood-South Orange schools. In that respect, what Mr. Gifford posted was correct.
Custodians are covered by the SOMEA union, as are teachers, aides, bus drivers, secretaries, child study team members and technology employees. Paying for custodial supplies is not a given of their employment. We are not talking about coffee and doughnuts, but actual cleaning supplies and equipment. And, yes, the union is aware of this fact. I believe it has been discussed in the public address portion of some Board of Ed. meetings. |
whiffleball
Citizen
Username: Whiffleball
Post Number: 12
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, April 1, 2004 - 12:04 pm: | |
Mr. Gifford,
Do you feel that high school math and your financial experience qualifies you to be fiscally responsible during the budget process? Men older and wiser than you are stymied by the numbers. Certainly the present Finance officer will be of no help either. Can you even balance your own checkbook? Do you even have your own checkbook? Have you attended the BOE meetings consistently over the last several years? Do you know Roberts Rules? Do you have a voter base at CHS ? |
William Ralph Gifford III
Citizen
Username: Williamgif
Post Number: 17
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, April 1, 2004 - 9:16 pm: | |
Dear Johnny,
I will be attending Pace University in Manhattan. This way, I will only be a train ride away from Maplewood.
Yours,
William |
guessagain
Citizen
Username: Guessagain
Post Number: 52
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 7:07 am: | |
Does that mean, WIlliam, that you will be living at Pace? |
William Ralph Gifford III
Citizen
Username: Williamgif
Post Number: 18
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 8:09 am: | |
Dear guessagain,
Yes, I will be living on campus.
yours,
William |
Addy
Citizen
Username: Addy
Post Number: 96
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 8:13 am: | |
You're avoiding my question? |
Chris Prenovost
Citizen
Username: Chris_prenovost
Post Number: 37
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 8:22 am: | |
Mr Gifford:
We, the taxpayers, keep hearing all this noise about how 'the schools need more funding, the schools need more money'. They spend over $70 Million dollars a year. How much more do you need?
That works out to over $11,000 per student. Which is pretty close to or higher than what some private schools charge. Instead of asking for more money, how about being more productive with what you have?
Nothing will improve in the school system as long as we insist on spending 87 - 90% of the entire budget on salaries and benefits for the employees of the school board. A little less spent on unions and a little more spent on students might be a good place to start. |
Morgan
Citizen
Username: Morgan
Post Number: 11
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 12:36 pm: | |
William - Congratulations on Pace. Living and attending college in Manhattan sounds very exciting!
I suppose I thought you meant to be a commuter student, returning home each night. The benefits to you, as a student -of living on campus are obvious. The benefits to the voters of having a BOE member who for practical purposes will be domiciled in another state - not so clear. |
Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 2666
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 12:41 pm: | |
We can see why candidates can lose big-time by being available here on MOL. |
Dave
Citizen
Username: Dave
Post Number: 6718
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 12:47 pm: | |
Tom,
Would you even know who William Ralph Gifford III is without him posting here? |
Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 2668
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 12:53 pm: | |
Yes, others mentioned him before he started posting.
I'm not saying it's bound to be a loss for a candidate. Perhaps he could provide satisfactory answers to all the questions, but you must admit that people are being hard on him. There is the possibility of asking questions in such a way that there's no chance of looking good, kind of in the vain of "have you stopped beating your wife yet?". |
LibraryLady(ncjanow)
Citizen
Username: Librarylady
Post Number: 1321
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 12:55 pm: | |
I don't believe the candidates lose - big time or otherwise. Look at the audience that is reached on this board and compare the number to how many voters attend the LWV debate or coffees, etc.
Items of importance are deceminated more broadly on S/MOl. Philosophies, biographical information,experience..all are revealed in both places (or should be).
I admire Mr. Gifford for using this vehicle to get across his message and relay information. I might not agree with him, but perhaps, many others who read this will. The 'Net is the way we will be going in the future and our younger candidate realize this. Good for him! |
Dave
Citizen
Username: Dave
Post Number: 6719
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 1:00 pm: | |
Perhaps Mr. Gifford has $3,000+ for mailings? If not, posting here is a net gain in creating name recognition for himself even if there are some snipes against him. As Oscar Wilde said, the only thing worse than people talking negatively about you is people not talking about you at all (or words to that effect). |
Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 2670
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 1:02 pm: | |
Good points, Dave and LibraryLady. |
Dave
Citizen
Username: Dave
Post Number: 6720
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 1:03 pm: | |
Of course, William didn't turn up for the first debate. MOL is no substitute for showing up in person for debates, coffees and rush hour at the train station. |
Who?
Citizen
Username: Deadwhitemale
Post Number: 755
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, April 2, 2004 - 1:52 pm: | |
Actually, it is two train rides, or one train and one ferry.
Perhaps he is not clear about where Pace is located.
DWM |
Redsox
Citizen
Username: Redsox
Post Number: 454
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 8:48 am: | |
this kid gifford is just stuffing his resume(M/SO BOE candidate, 2004)....playing you all for suckers..... |
Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 2813
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 2:23 pm: | |
Redsox, you are unkind to both Gifford and us voters. |
mellie
Citizen
Username: Mellie
Post Number: 478
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 2:51 pm: | |
I would like to see you guys baiting William turn up and maker yourselves heard at the BOE, instead of demonstrating your immaturity behind your anonymity.
I hope your children are not learning this kind of behavior at your collective knee... |
lumpynose
Citizen
Username: Lumpyhead
Post Number: 855
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 5:47 pm: | |
It would help if he showed up at a debate. What is that telling us? |
jfburch
Citizen
Username: Jfburch
Post Number: 1358
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 6:05 pm: | |
He was at the LWV debate last Thursday. Catch it on cable. |
Barbara
Citizen
Username: Blh
Post Number: 243
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 7:00 pm: | |
I'm sorry to sound preachy, but I've got to get this out.
While I don't believe this young man will get one of my votes, he certainly was prepared and able to fully participate at the LWV debate last week. No one, and especially not a young person who is working hard to understand and participate in this community's civic life, deserves to be treated the way he is being treated on line. We complain about the quality of people running, yet we trash any one who steps forward with whom we have any disagreement in outlook. There is a difference in disagreeing and treating so disrespectfully. We certainly owe each candidate, whether we agree with them or not, a debt of gratitude for participating so fully in the system we employ.
We really need to find a different way to communicate our ideas, agreements and disagreements, without trashing people. I, for one, don't know which of the candidates will get my third vote. I'm working hard to figure that out. But the negative stuff - the trashing by their supporters - I'm not sure if that's condoned by the candidates or not, and that makes me reticent to cast my vote for them.
Now, I'll breathe again. (Actually, I'll get ready to go to the Ralph Bunche lecture.) Now back to our regular programming. |
guessagain
Citizen
Username: Guessagain
Post Number: 62
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 7:37 pm: | |
I totally disagree with just about all of Mr. Gifford's stands, yet I so admire him for undertaking this campaign. I wish my own children were so motivated to change that which they find disagreeable.
Bravo to you Mr. Gifford. While you might not win this election, you can certainly be proud of yourself for attempt to change things that you are at odds with. |
J. Crohn
Citizen
Username: Jcrohn
Post Number: 1091
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 12:55 am: | |
Well put, Guessagain. |
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