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Post by justfacts on Apr 8, 2006 18:09:21 GMT -5
Guardian16
A public retraction from you is in order. Are you adult enough to make it?
As quoted, you stated the following in your recent post:
"If this wasn’t enough reason to doubt the CPR Team, then check out the posting from 2:41 p.m. on April 5th by “JUST FACTS” on page 1 of the “Final Budget” thread. It appears that the CPR Team of Cantatore, Presuto and Raymond has made a “deal” with a particular segment of the community that if they get them elected, CPR will offer the Superintendent a “buy out.” Oops - was that cat supposed to be let out of the bag before the election? You can bet it wasn’t, but this prospect got “JUST FACTS” so excited, he couldn’t contain his keystrokes. He’s now suddenly changed his tune about the budget being too high. You won’t believe your eyes – he now wants it to be HIGHER! He accuses just about everyone on the school board and administration of all kinds of deceptions"
1) You stated that the posting I made on the first page of the final budget made it appear that the CPR team had made a deal with a segment of the community. The only place that appearance could come from is in the inner twistings of your own mind. No such statement about any deal was made by me.
The statement only said there was no reason to reduce the Budget to a minimum - amounts could be left for a buyout. All other constructs are of your own twisting. Retract them.
2) You stated that, due to my personal excitement over getting an "inside scoop" on plans of others, that I now changed my mind and wanted the Budget to be HIGHER!
There is absolutely no truth to that statement made by you.
Again, it is a twisting of the truth - especially in that I am the originator of that concept that I typed in that post - no one else.
And I expressly stated it was to be done, not by making the budget higher, but by not making it as low as it could be.
You seem to be sufficiently intellectually deprived as to not be able to distinguish between making something higher and not making it as low as it could be.[/i]
3) As to accusing anyone on the Board of Deceptions, the only ones I have said were promoting deceptions were those individuals who, in newspaper articles and other places, did promote falsehoods. I did not accuse the Board itself with one swipe of the brush as being deceptive. Retract your false statement.
In particular, there was one ex-Board member who often said that this administration had reduced administrators from 27 down to the present number. The facts shown on State records show that to be untrue for the past several years that the present administration has been in Plainedge. The true number has been 17 +/- 2. That Board member has been deceptive in her information to the public.
There has even been a Board member who said that I am personnaly responsible for last year's NO vote at a District meeting. I did not call her out for her untrue statement. But I call you out for yours.
There was another former Board member who claimed he knew that I voted NO on the budget and spread that untruth. An untruth that can't stand up in the light of day - because to have known my vote, all votes would have to have been monitored. The truth is I voted YES - and I defy anyone to prove otherwise - including you! Prove that I posted that I "wanted the Budget to be HIGHER!" Go ahead - prove it! A retraction is in order.
The persons that I have said have been deceptive, even in a sworn statement to the Commissioner of Education, is the Superintendent and this former Assistant. They have deceived the public in many a Budget statement - including the famous "it was just an innocent arithmetic error" concerning a $600,000 error in an Income statement.
There are many other examples of their deceptive practices that are on record - and are being checked out by higher authorities at this time.
And don't forget their famous summary of the Hevisie Report saying "no wrongdoing found" - A recent summary of Plainedge's position on the charts by Hevisie put Plainedge just below Roslyn on the standings!
So, Guardian16, speculate all you want in private about the motives of others - but stop twisting and distorting what they say so that your end post makes totally untrue statements about what they really said and did!
Let's see if your are adult enough to retract the misinformation in your post. Or would you like to go to court over this matter?
Ed.
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Post by patriot2415 on Apr 8, 2006 18:10:13 GMT -5
Devils, that is all I've been saying in the past weeks. We went to all the budget meetings, we are all losing something, but we must be united and pull this community together.
A YES vote on May16 gives us the breathing room to make more change.
For the kids, for the community.. VOTE YES
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Post by devilsrus on Apr 8, 2006 18:18:24 GMT -5
Thank you Patriot, When we cut through all noise this boils down to one issue and one issue only. Its about the kids. Lets continue to stand united as a community, before the County, before the Island and before the State. WE are known as a community who put the kids first. Lets stay there. ITS ABOUT THE KIDS! VOTE YES!
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Post by supportstudents on Apr 8, 2006 18:43:16 GMT -5
I am new in this process and admit that I have not followed it as closely as I should have over the 11 years I have lived in our community. My wife and I have been present at the board meetings and coffee hours over the past couple of months and have watched the budget evolve. The Board and specifically Mr. Raymond and Mr. Presuto have challenged the administration to explain each item in the budget either in general terms or line by line. I have had conversations with candidate Mr. Cantafore who appears to have the childrens needs in the right place. This is a fair and reasonable budget that needs to be supported by our entire community. This community is headed in the right direction so please support CPR and more importantly the budget by voting YES on 5/16.
Thank you,
John Danielo
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Post by rinx on Apr 8, 2006 18:52:48 GMT -5
Devils, Patriot... I'm all for passing this budget. I'm also all for the kids. I'm also for getting JR out of Plainedge. He is the one that has divided the community. Not me nor you or anyone else around here. Now tell me what I said that you think isn't true?
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Post by devilsrus on Apr 8, 2006 19:30:13 GMT -5
Good evening Rinx, I think we all need to get a life, but the only lifes WE are all concerned with are the students. DR.R has a contract, so as things stand this is a non-issue with regard to May 16. If as stated you are for the kids, as are we all, then lets vote YES and get the budget passed. We have to get the budget passed first and foremost; all other issues are ancillary. The only truth that exists at the present time is this: VOTE YES! Any thing less than a YES vote does not strike at the heart of the Super. or the BOE; it just kills the kids . Lets not lose sight of who and what this is all about: VOTE YES! ITS ABOUT THE KIDS! ITS ABOUT MAY 16!
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Post by thewildrover on Apr 8, 2006 21:09:01 GMT -5
Plainedge parents and residents………I ask, plead and beg of you to put aside all partisan issues for the next 4 weeks…………4 weeks is all people…4 weeks!!!!!…
4 weeks till WE choose if the Plainedge school district goes on austerity for a second time in as many years.
4 weeks till to decide if our vote will help or hurt OUR kids.
4 weeks till WE decide on how to best affect change on OUR school Board.
4 weeks to hammer home the importance of VOTE YES!!!
4 weeks folks, 4 weeks…………
Anti- C-P-R? Anti Richman? Anti School Board?
OK…Good for you…you have an opinion and I respect it,……… but please post that you are pro budget and pro Plainedge and pro student! It would go a long way to diffusing the negative vibes rumbling throughout P-Town this past weekend.
The fear of all involved parents who have actively participated in the budget process is this: The people in P-town that hold anti-Richman, anti-School Board sentiments perpetuate an anti budget vote.
That perception has to be negated.
For the sake of all OUR Plainedge students, express your support for the passing of this year’s budget and the future of OUR school district in all future posts. A NO vote will only hurt the kids!!!!!!!!!
A NO vote will have catastrophic consequences for Plainedge!!!
State "VOTE YES" and nothing more needs to be said if you truly care about OUR kids!!!!
ITS ABOUT THE KIDS, ITS ABOUT CHANGE, ITS ABOUT TIME!!
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Post by rinx on Apr 8, 2006 22:03:43 GMT -5
Disliking JR has to nothing to do with the budget. These are 2 seperate and unrelated issues. You're right. He has a contract. On May 16 we will also be voting for BOE representatives. Those reps have the power to not give him another renewal. To me and many others this is another part of the process important for this community to become completely whole again.
Vote Yes for the budget. Vote for C.P.R. for BOE
Thank you
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Post by gopybl on Apr 8, 2006 22:42:16 GMT -5
For anyone out there who thinks that those cuts would NEVER fly under an austerity budget need only ask the PPAC if they ever thought that they would have needed to raise that kinda money last year. The admin is not threatening with those cuts. They are just letting us know what is at stake.....
Personally, I am not willing to go there....If you own a Home or Have Children in the District YOU MUST VOTE YES May 16th ....
Sincerely, Joe Amalfitano Plainedge Baseball
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Post by supportstudents on Apr 8, 2006 23:16:14 GMT -5
I echo the sentiments of above. This is no time for personal agendas, leave that for another day after 5/16. Be united, pass this budget, and support the children of this community. The administration is not using threats just simply stating the reality of the situation. It is real, I watched my daughter cry, that June night last year when the budget failed the second time, and she thought she lost her only senior year. If not for the outstanding residents of this community and help from the outside, our children would have suffered greatly both emotionally and financially.
Vote YES on 5/16 and support the children of this community from Kindergarten to 12th grade.
Thank you,
John Danielo
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Post by guardian16 on Apr 9, 2006 10:11:49 GMT -5
I never anticipated such extreme reactions to my offering of a different opinion, since I thought this community website was available for everyone to share their thoughts and concerns.
Let’s not confuse two issues. The Board election is a separate issue from the budget. EVERYONE needs to vote YES for this budget. I find it appalling that some of the very people who voted NO last year are now showing their faces at budget meetings saying don’t hurt the kids. If you understood my posting I mentioned several times the disappointment the community walked away with this past week when ACADEMIC programs were cut in favor of sports. In some people’s minds, academic programs are more important than extra curricular and sports programs. In other people’s minds, it’s the reverse. In some people’s minds, they are equally important. Each person is entitled to their beliefs. Your reaction leads me to believe that if a person’s views or perceptions are different than yours, they are not welcome to post here. That’s unfortunate, because listening to different perspectives gives us better insights to make better choices.
The topic of my post was the campaigning on this website for the three CPR school board candidates. (The other Board members seats are not up, so they were not relevant to this topic.) My decision to post was to convey the point that if you elect 2 of three people who are already on the Board, then you don’t wind up with a whole new Board. My other point was to share the doubts in people’s minds about these candidates; doubts which have arisen from their OWN public actions, statements and behavior, from those of some people supporting them, and from the Just Facts posting.
Because of all the scandals and conflicts of interest revealed in other districts like Roslyn, William Floyd, etc. School Board candidates are going to be subject to more intense scrutiny. They, or those supporting them, may not like that, but it’s a reality. If people have questions about their motives, which like it or not they DO, then that is not to be taken lightly. Since two of these candidates are currently Board members and they represent ALL OF US, then ALL OF US, have a right to our perceptions or opinions of the decisions they are making and whether or not those decisions are in the best interest of every student and every resident of the community. When we pull the lever to elect someone to run a $60+ million dollar school district and to provide the best education for our 3,500+ children, then we need to be confident we are making the right choice.
I suggest we all agree that it’s OK to disagree. I am not going to get involved in a major argument over one opinion vs. the other because it is totally non-productive and it will just take the focus off the need to get the budget passed.
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Post by patriot2415 on Apr 9, 2006 10:23:26 GMT -5
Guardian, you are correct, everyone is entitled to their opinion. What I don't want to happen is for the voters to get confused between voting FOR the kids with a YES vote and voting NO because they don't like the superintendent or board members. That has been the issues in the past years. People voted down the budget 2x last year, why? because it was 8%, not at all, because they were upset with the administration and the BOE. Who got hurt ? The kids... that cannot happen again. I'm happy to see you are behind the budget. Please tell your neighbors and friends that their YES vote is needed by the children of the Plainedge School District. Have a great day
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Post by fpresuto on Apr 9, 2006 10:39:15 GMT -5
Guardian,
You are 100% correct. It is about the children. Those currently in school and those yet to attend. That message, I can agree with you on.
However, if that was truly the message you were trying to convey, I am forced to ask - Why lie about the current, identified, candidates? If you are going to run - that is great. Just use a constructive platform and speak of what you truly know and can bring to the table. Making up lies and playing games are not what the community needs at this time. I believe we have taken some major steps in rebuilding this community and to utilize smear tactics and lies will not help anyone.
With that said, may I ask , if you truly have the interests of the community and children at heart - please be strong enough and retract your false allegations and offer an apology. Elections or no elections - segregation is not something we need at such a critical time in Plainedge history.
Also, I respect your passion - however - you still have not identified yourself. Please do - there will be no hard feelings or actions made. It is best for the community to hear from as many people as possible within it .
Sincerely, Frank Presuto fpresuto@att.com
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Post by justfacts on Apr 9, 2006 12:10:57 GMT -5
From Tinker to Evans to Chance;
There are those that can't see that a team working together is stronger than its individuals - and that their reputation as a team lasts far longer than their individual achievements and names.
Guardian16 seems to be among that group in that they can't see, or refuses to see, that it is the particular combination of two existing Board members with a new "outsider" that is and has been a new powerful force on the BOE that has already spelled the end of the former clique that ruled the BOE for Richman.
That era has ended. The membership of the BOE now rules for the community, due in part to C_P_R!
Guardian16 has had the chance to retract untrue statements from their prior post - but instead tries to dismiss "artful miscontructs of the truth" as opinions! And even goes on to expound further behind the old saw "everyone is entitled to their opinions." by adding new mis-truths as opinions. But untruths are untruths and do not serve as a foundation for opinions.
Guardian16 has been challenged and failed to respond - so let's dismiss their diversionary and fanciful excursions into the non-existent world of their imagination and opinions and get these posts back on track.
The topics here are about the coming budget and the community's vote on it. Other threads can support other fanciful topics. Let's get back to the topic of this thread and the views of those that want to concentrate on it.
Let's each post our reasons and beliefs for how the upcoming budget should be handled by the voters. Let us not be diverted into personalities and degradations of the existing candidates as guardian16 would have us do - especially by a person that doesn't step up to the plate themselves! And by someone who offers no positive alternatives - just jibes!
On to the budget and vote - it's coming sooner than we think. Let us also remember that there is a limited number of viewers to this site - so all that is pertinent to post here, should also be posted on a wider scale in the neighborhood. We, the users of this site, can form the nucleus of that posting team. We can suggest to each other the best format and message of these posts. Selecting the best that teamwork provides.
So let's say that we begin to focus on the most effective way to present this information - and then select the ways, volunteers and places to distribute fliers and posters.
Please remember - there are Advocacy laws that restrict using publicly funded facilities to be used to promote messages that say vote this way or that. Vote YES messages should be tailored to appear only on or in non-public buildings. The same applies to the Vote NO messages (Now who in the world on this site would be sending them?)
I'm for a set of fliers that support the C_P_R team. Anyone want to work with me on four or five varieties of that message?
Ed.
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Post by gopybl on Apr 9, 2006 18:24:49 GMT -5
Ed, Count me in...Anything you need disseminated to the Baseball Community for the C_P_R just let me know.
Guradian - Lets get one thing clear...you were being hammered for spreading misinformation...Not a differing opinion. We encourage differing opinions....even Ed welcomes differing opinions. What we don't want is a Academic vs Athletic environment which some of the Board Members are trying to create.
At the end of the day we are all in this together for the kids. Lets stay focused on the Goal.....
Beware of the Tuesday meeting, I hear some BOE members are seeking a do over on the democratic process....Make sure your follow Roberts rules of Order ladies and gentlemen.
Sincerely, Joey A
PS: Felice, Thanks for coming down this afternoon...
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