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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“My mistakes are my life.” — SAMUEL BECKETT
www.thewestfieldnews.com MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 297
Some in western Mass. feel snubbed by Baker BOSTON (AP) — Some people in western Massachusetts are already feeling snubbed by Gov.-elect Charlie Baker. A coalition of about two dozen political activists from the region, which has long felt slighted by Boston, in a letter to the Republican’s policy director point out the low number of people from the area on his transition team. Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin counties have no representation on the roughly 175-member transition team. Just seven members are from Hampden County. The letter said it “appears that there was an oversight in including representatives from our communities on your team.” Voters in the region largely backed Baker’s Democratic opponent, Martha Coakley, a Berkshire County native. A Baker spokesman tells The Boston Globe that that did not factor into the assembly of the transition team. “One way to predict how the Governor-elect will manage the affairs of office is to look at what he has done during this transition period,” said Westfield State Representative John Velis in his weekly Westfield News column Saturday. “I think by all accounts he is doing a good job. He seems to be forming a team of staffers without regard to political party. Without knowing the exact numbers, I think he has hired as many Democrats to work for him as he has Republicans. This bodes well for Massachusetts as it suggests Mr. Baker’s priorities will be to disregard party politics and get things done as opposed to political posturing and partisan warfare like we see in Washington where nothing gets done.” “This past week, however, Mr. Baker did something that made me irate, Velis said. “As part of his transition effort, Mr. Baker is forming committees composed of experts from various fields to get him up to speed on the issues. One of the committees he has formed is a health committee made up of 23 members. I was astounded when I found out that not one of the members of the health committee was from western Massachusetts. This is inexcusable. As a member of the Joint Committee on Public Health, I find this particularly egregious.” “This slight by Mr. Baker reminds me of this past summer when my public health committee held hearings on Ebola virus preparations and readiness and not one hospital or person asked to testify in front of the hearing was from western Mass.,” He said. “Western Mass. being ignored from any of these events or committees is entirely unacceptable. We have some of the best hospitals and brightest doctors in the state right here in western Mass. I can’t imagine the Governor-elect truly believes that not one doctor or administrator from See Baker, Page 3
75 cents
Gateway teachers face potential layoffs
Roman Lefebvre, Jackie Amel and Anastasia Pascari, members of the Friends of Rachel club at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School, help fill a collection box with jeans as part of an effort to help homeless teens in the area. The box is held by the club’s faculty advisor, Kristine Hupfer and school resource officer Tracy Ploof. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
Students support ‘Teens for Jeans’ By CARL E. HARTDEGEN Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The members of a student club at Westfield VocationalTechnical High School are reaching out to other students, and the community, to help area homeless teens. Students were moved to form a Friends of Rachel club at the school after a visit by an uncle of 17 year-old Rachel Scott who was the first student killed at Columbine High School in 1999. Before she was killed, Scott had made a practice of reaching out to students at her school who were new to the school, who were different, or were picked on by others. She is remembered for saying “I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go.” To continue her legacy, the members of the Voc-Tech chapter of the
club have chosen to participate in ‘Teens for Jeans’, a national effort to help homeless teens. Kristine Hupfer, the faculty advisor to the club explained that one of the items most requested by young people in homeless shelters is a pair of jeans, a useful and utilitarian item which can help give them a sense of normalcy. The goal of the club, according to Anastasia Pascari, one of the leaders of the club, is to get everyone in the school involved and one way they can participate is by donating a pair of gently used denim jeans to the project. Collection sites have been established at all of the shops and other sites at the school and a collection bin has also been placed in the lobby of the Washington Street police station before Feb. 14. Hupfer explained that, after the drive concludes in February, the jeans will be delivered to the Aeropostale store at the Holyoke Mall for distribution to teens in need in the area.
Gov. Patrick reflects on his tenure, legacy By BOB SALSBERG STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — “I am an optimist,” Gov. Deval Patrick said in his first inauguration speech, “but not a foolish one.” Spoken amid the celebratory atmosphere of that January 2007 day in which Massachusetts welcomed Patrick, the state’s first black governor and first Democratic governor in 16 years, those words seem prescient now as he prepares to hand his office keys over to Charlie Baker — a Republican — on Jan. 8. In a wide-ranging interview with the Associated Press, Patrick reflected on the highs and lows of his tenure, an administration that pushed a vision of prosperity for all but, at times, found itself mired by inevitable breakdowns in the existing machinery of government. Patrick optimistically saw a Massachusetts that would boast cuttingedge industries, revitalized cities, gleaming new infrastructure and be warmed by solar and other renewable energy sources. Summoning memories of his childhood in the tough South Side of Chicago, he demanded an education system that narrowed the achievement gap between students from underprivileged urban neighborhoods and those from wealthier suburbs. “I’m proud of the fact that we have come out of the recession stronger than
we were, that we’ve got a 25-year high in employment, that the innovation sectors of bio- GOV. PATRICK tech and life sciences, clean tech, the major digital technologies, advanced manufacturing all are on fire in real terms and certainly relative to the rest of the country, in some cases the rest of the world,” he said. “I’m proud of the fact that our students are number one in student achievement, that almost everybody in the Commonwealth has access to affordable health care,” he added. But indeed it would have been foolish to expect no pitfalls along the way. There were early stumbles — Patrick was criticized for what some called extravagant spending on office furnishings and an official state vehicle in the first weeks of his administration. His second term was marked by a rash of setbacks, including the disappearance and death of a 5-year-old boy that prompted a shake-up at the state’s child welfare agency, a drug lab scandal that jeopardized thousands of criminal cases, and a disastrous breakdown of the state’s once-vaunted health connector website. He leaves as Massachusetts faces a budget deficit his staff pegs at $329 million See Patrick, Page 3
By PETER FRANCIS Staff Writer HUNTINGTON – Following an $18 million 9C budget cut in regional transportation funds by outgoing Governor Deval L. Patrick, Gateway Superintendent Dr. David Hopson told the Gateway School Committee last week that, unless the Gateway Teacher’s Association (GTA) accepts the loss of one day for parent/teacher conferences, seven teachers would be laid off on January 23, 2015. Hopson said the state budget cuts will lower the district’s anticipated reimbursement by almost $241,000. “The last time regional transportation was cut and then restored, it wasn’t restored until April,” said Hopson, adding that incoming Gov. Charlie Baker has promised not to raise any taxes and not to touch local aid. “(Baker) potentially has to make up another $200 million over what Patrick was trying to make up, so the likelihood of getting regional transportation reinstated is probably quite slim.” Hopson said a letter was sent to Patrick by legislators asking him to restore the $18 million and that all of Gateway’s legislative delegation signed it with the exception of Peter Kocot, a Northampton Democrat who represents the town of Montgomery. He said the state’s regional schools are looking into a state law which says the Governor cannot cut regional transportation without cutting Chapter 70 first, a move he said Patrick did not make. Asked by Committee Member Anne Marie Buikus of Montgomery which teachers would get axed, Hopson replied that two full-time and one part-time high school teacher, as well as a middle school guidance counselor and three elementary teachers, would be laid off. This didn’t sit well with the committee, who began brainstorming ways to make up the deficit, like putting capital improvement projects on hold and digging into the district’s rainy day fund to save the positions. GTA President Jim Duggan, a social studies teacher at Gateway Regional High School, told the committee the union met with district administration and is still investigating whether a furlough is in their best interests. “We’ve talked about a couple different scenarios and offered our own counter-proposals. We didn’t get as far as we wanted, but this is all very new to us,” Duggan said. “I felt, in consultation with the MTA (Mass. Teachers Association), we need more informa-
tion to make a well educated decision. We’re not blaming anybody… but we’ll see what we can do.” Kayla Brady, one of the teachers facing the prospect of unemployment, gave an impassioned plea to the committee. “I have two children at home, my husband is self-employed and I don’t see how my position being cut is going to come up with the revenue that is lost,” said a crying Brady. She added that losing her job halfway through the school year might mean that she wouldn’t be able to collect unemployment and would be without health insurance. Hopson countered that the situation was the fault of the state, Patrick specifically. “This is a short-term problem that, depending on how you react to the problem, could have long-term solutions,” said Hopson. “Teacher’s salaries were the last thing we looked at.” Buikus and fellow committee members Ruth Kennedy and Mary Ann Laurie, both of Russell, voiced their support for the teachers, with Laurie stating her belief that the teachers shouldn’t have to give up anything and Buikus suggesting an administrative position be eliminated instead. “You’re putting the teachers into a box. The proper way to do this is to find somewhere else to do this,” said Buikus. “We say we need to do this for the good of the children. For the love of God, do this for the good of the children.” “I’m a little disturbed that you have been negotiating with the GTA for three weeks and today we get the email as a school committee,” said Laurie. “You’re not required to discuss laying teachers off with the school committee. It sounds like at least one or two of us should be in on negotiations.” Smaller concessions were offered up by Sue Levreault of Worthington and Jeffrey Wyand of Huntington, who suggested staff members contribute sick days and to cut athletic coaching stipends this year. Huntington Finance Committee Member Darlene McVeigh challenged the school committee to question how many administrators the district really needs. “I’m disappointed that you feel that, to fill the void, you’re going to cut over six percent of your teaching staff,” said McVeigh to Hopson. “Cutting direct pupil services is unacceptable. You have two Level 3 See Gateway Layoffs, Page 3
Gateway parent reacts to layoff news By PETER FRANCIS Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The announcement at Wednesday’s meeting of the Gateway Regional School Committee that seven district teachers may be laid off in late January came as news to Kate Forgue. Forgue, one of four members of the Chester Elementary School’s ParentTeacher Organization (PTO), was taken aback by the possibility that three high school teachers, a middle school guidance counselor and three elementary school teachers could be laid off if the Gateway Teachers Association (GTA) doesn’t accept a one-day furlough next year. “My reaction is one of concern. I would be upset to see my kids or any of the kids in the district lose out on any of the teaching staff,” said Forgue Friday. While some of the names of the staff members facing a potential layoff are unknown at this time, Forgue’s concern echoes those of many parents of school-aged children within the seven-town district, which may shrink to six should the town of Worthington be allowed to withdraw and join another regional district next year. “I would hate to see anybody go, but I know the School Committee has to make very, very difficult decisions,” she said. “I’m sure, whichever way See Parent Reacts, Page 3