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.0> As a Maynard resident, I found his column to be condescending, smug,
.0> and full of generalizations. Did anyone else read it this way?
I think it is clear that Spillane tries to use a very confrontational approach,
a very sharp tongue. Often, I have disagreed with him in the past.
His approach guarentees that if you think he's wrong on any point, you won't
just have a polite difference of opinion - he's going you make you livid.
I think in this case, he is raising real issues which deserve discussion.
Personally, I didn't find it smug and condescending. I thought that Spillane
expressed opinions I've been hearing in town since the idea of regionalization
was first raised. The problem is, that no one is comfortable standing up in a
meeting and saying such things. Maynard is not wholly working-class, and is
certainly less so than in the past. However, the question is one of attitudes
of people in both towns toward one another.
Talk to people who have lived here all their lives.
.0> Also, his stirring defense of "spunky, lower middle class" Maynard
.0> against those elitist meanies in Acton backfires, I think. I won't
.0> concede one inch or one IQ point in comparing Maynard High kids
.0> to Acton kids.
IQ is hardly the point - I don't concede IQ to Acton either. The question
is whether Maynard kids are going to integrate well in Acton, whether they
are going to profit from the experience, that is, whether they find
themselves in the stands, rather than on the playing field.
.0> by "defending" it against the better-funded Acton schools and students.
Funding is close to equal, in terms of the per-pupil expenditures reported
to the State. I attended the recent Acton-Boxboro School Committee meeting at
which the AB Committee endorsed regionalization, and they pointed out that
funding was nearly the same. The entire Maynard School Committee attended,
too, and they didn't disagree when the AB committee said that funding was equal.
The future difference in funding is that if we regionalize with Acton and
Boxboro, we lose control. If two out of the three towns pass a school budget,
then the third town will *have* to pay their share of that budget, regardless
of whether they want to or not. Thus, we lose the ability to set priorities.
We would also lose control of curriculum. There are different ratios of
School Committees being proposed, depending on whether regionalization is
being proposed on a K-12 or 7-12 basis, but in any case, Acton would have
more seats than Maynard and Boxboro.
Automony is a big deal - Boxboro has voted down K-12 regionalization twice
('77 and '90). Maybe they know something.
.0> And people in Maynard who oppose regionalizing because they fear
.0> Maynard students will be treated as inferiors are creating an
.0> atmosphere which will ensure just that.
No, I think the apprehension has much older roots.
Obviously, there are compelling arguments on both sides of regionalization.
I've been pulled back and forth when I think of all the what-if's involving
the town, the potential for State aid given the CTL ballot question, who's
running the various school committees, and what my daughter is likely to face.
I think we're better off having our own school system, and running it right.
-Steve
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| Sorry, I didn't really have time to contribute to the degree I should have.
I was curious to hear how you might "sum up" an entire community in a few
words in such a way that represented it and didn't offend anyone when it
was compared to something else. I'm not sure it can be done, so whenever
I see attributions of "working-class community" applied to any community I
take it all with a grain of salt. As Steve points out in .3, the author
writes his articles to create discussion -- see we're doing it! A sensitive
person in Acton probably took offense at their community being portrayed
as a group of snobs or nouveau riche upper-class whatevers. I don't think
that either side of the fence received a glowing review.
To answer your question directly - I wasn't all that offended by the article
because it said a lot of things that other people have said before. I can
easily see how a Maynard resident could be offended -- especially if they
are sensitive to town pride (which is not to say that I'm not ... right? :-) --
it is difficult to put complex situations into a small number words. Sigh!)
- dave
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