Failure to notify inexcusable

There has been a great deal of discussion lately about the word “priorities” when used in the context of governing, both here in Westbrook and in Maine as a whole.

I believe we lack the right priorities in our city when it comes to our government and that has been borne out over the last three years as our police officers have had to work without a contract. Yet, we grow our government budgets (school and city) dramatically.

Priority is a good word to debate when you are talking about the spending of tax dollars. The debate exposes philosophical principles and determines the real values in a community.

Our city has not placed a high priority or a real value on the men and women of Westbrook, our police force, who keep us safe and guard our security. Our police officers have performed at the highest levels over the last three years and yet their needs have been largely ignored because of pressure from others, namely the ever-growing and un-quenchable thirst for money of the Westbrook school system.

Our school system continues to talk of tight budgets and extreme cuts that are designed to raise the ire of the citizenry. Our City Council, with the support of our superintendent, voted, 6-0, (Violette absent) to send 100 percent of the additional aid to education received by the city of Westbrook from the state, back to the people of Westbrook in the form of tax relief. This pledge was made while the superintendent, according to the American Journal, was bargaining for a pay increase with the school board last fall. I point this out only to show that the pledge to return 100 percent of the money could not have been kept because at least 3,000 dollars was going into a pay increase for the superintendent.

This issue is now up for debate, and it should be. It is a debate about priorities and promises regarding our city’s finances. The priority, however, that is not up for debate is the priority regarding the safety and security of our children while they are in our schools.

Imagine my surprise as I read the Saturday Portland Press Herald and discovered that Wescott Junior High had endured three (3) bomb threats last week. As a parent with a child in that school, I was stunned that the principal (whom I admire) and the superintendent had not sent notification home to all parents in our school system outlining this threat to our children’s safety. Notification was not sent on day one, two or three of the three threats. What is the matter with you all?

Was the superintendent so immersed in getting every dime he could from the taxpayers that he failed to understand the concern parents would have in a post-Columbine world? How dare the principal or the superintendent fail to notify my family that a threat against the safety of my son had occurred. Is it any wonder that people who think the way I do resent school administrators?

I realize that there are just over 16,000 people in this town and 15,999 may disagree with me on this issue. However, from my perspective, the number one job of the school system is to insure that my child is safe while I loan him to them each day.

I believe the superintendent of our school system should focus his efforts, not on growing the school budget every year through fear tactics, but on the safety and security of our children while they are in his charge. Actually, no, I am wrong. I believe that should be the focus of a new superintendent. I believe this superintendent should resign his position effective the end of this school year for failing to comprehend the serious nature of a bomb threat and its impact on the families of the children who attend his schools.

I believe that a new superintendent should institute a policy that requires same-day notification to all families who have children in our school system that a threat has been made at one of our schools. It is not the decision of any school personnel to determine whether my child is safe in their school once a threat has been made. It is my decision, and it is a decision that I cannot make if I am un-aware of the occurence of a threat.

It seems to me that we can notify everyone in town when there is going to be a reduction in the size of the growth of the school budget so that they can come to a meeting to protest the potential loss of more money. We have trouble, however, over a four day period, of getting notice to families about a bomb threat that occurs three days in a row. Priorities, priorities, priorities …. it never ceases to amaze me how arrogant the powerful become.

I am certain that many will leap to the defense of Superintendent Sawyer and Principal Corkery, but your words will fail to sway me. This arrogant abuse of power is un-redeemable. Three threats in three days, whether credible or not, is a serious concern and a lack of notification is a clear statement of a lack of real priorities from our leaders. The inaction of these two officials was irresponsible and incomprehensible. It demonstrated the wrong priorities for the children and families of Westbrook.

Our president is constantly reminding us that his greatest concern is that Americans will allow the tragedy of Sept. 11 to fade from memory. It appears to me that the tragedy of the Columbine massacre just six years ago has already passed from the memory of this school administration.

Defend this behavior all you want. In Westbrook, no one is allowed to be critical of anything that occurs in our school system. Before you jump off the couch and run to the computer to send your rebuttal letter, I want you to ask yourself one question. If it was your child, wouldn’t you want to know?