Holden Pols Take Aim at School Budget at Candidates’ Night

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Friday, April 27, 2012

Sandy Meindersma, GoLocalWorcester Reporter

Candidates for Holden’s Board of Selectman minded their manners without shying away from the issues as they stumped for votes at Thursday’s Meet the Candidates Night. The town government, its manager, the town’s finances and the embattled Wachusett Regional School District budget all came under fire as the four candidates for two seats staked out their position.

Selectman Candidates

Going first and taking advantage of the position, Selectman Kenneth O’Brien announced that the Finance Committee and Town Manager had worked out a budget that would support the school’s $79.3 million budget without sacrificing town services.

“I was the only selectman at the meeting,” O’Brien said.

Selectman Anthony Renzoni said he was on the board to serve the town, and that he had demonstrated a willingness to learn and a willingness to listen to everyone.

Former Selectman Mark Ferguson took a position of fiscal discipline.

“The town is overspending,” he said. “I’m here to fix it. I won’t tolerate it.”

In response to a question about low voter turnout and poor citizen participation, political newcomer Jeremy Kurtz said that some residents chose not to get involved because of the old-boy network in town.

“People are afraid to get bullied,” he said. “I’m here, and I’m not afraid.”

L-R, Jeremy Kurtz, Mark Ferguson, Anthony Renzoni, Kenneth O'Brien

Wachusett Regional School Budget

Ferguson put Wachusett School Superintendent Thomas Pandiscio in his cross hairs, pointing out that Pandiscio is the second highest paid school superintendent in New England.

“I’d gladly go through their budget,” Ferguson said. “I’m very disappointed with the school committee. They have become a takeoff of the PTO – you’re there to scrutinize everything.”

“I will not support a school budget that decreases town services,” Renzoni said. “It’s just not fair.”

O’Brien defended the $79.2 million budget as a compromise. “It’s important for residents to know that 2 years ago there was no increase in the school assessment, and last year, there was only a 1 percent increase in the assessment.”

Kurtz pointed out that most companies are maintaining level or decreasing budgets, and that the 8 ½ percent increase the school district wants is very large.

“We should be planning how to make that happen,” he said.

Water and Sewer Charges

The regular increases and recent restructuring in water and sewer rates was another hot topic for the selectmen candidates.

“I would vote again for the restructuring,” Selectman Anthony Renzoni said. “But even it we didn’t restructure, we still would have had to increase rates.”

Ferguson said the rates charged by the city of Worcester to transport sewage to the Blackstone Valley treatment plant in Millbury are too high, and are used to pay for the city’s and leaf street sweeping.

“If I’m elected I would form a coalition with Rutland and West Boylston stand up for what’s right,” he said.

L-R, Steven Hammond, Richard McWaters, Deidre Kosky, Erik Scheinfeldt

School Committee Candidates

School Committee members Steven Hammond and Deidre Kosky and challengers Erik Scheinfelt and Richard McWaters took up the issues of the budget, spending and stimulus funding as they appealed to voters. There are three seats available on the Wachusett Regional School District Committee.

Hammond said school committee members will be faced with several major tasks during their term: the 21st Century Skills Initiative, the likely retirement of Pandiscio and lobbying with the state to change the school funding formula.

In response to a question about whether or not more money was the solution for the school district, McWaters said there is no correlation between the amount of money spent and the quality of the education.

“It’s the quality of the teachers,” he said.

“Money is not the overriding factor, but you have to have money for class sizes to be smaller,” Hammond said.

“It does come down to money,” Scheinfelt said. “You have to pay comparable salaries. But family life and athletics are also a factor in student performance.”

Kosky said that while money was a factor, the parental support for education in town is excellent.

“But that doesn’t mean we should stop spending money on education,” she said.

Holden residents go to the polls on May 14.

Editor's Note: Superintendent Pandiscio issued the following statement after reading the above article:

"I request that you clarify Mark Ferguson's claim regarding my pay ranking in New England. I enjoy a good salary and would never claim otherwise. Moreover, people have a right to their own opinion regarding my value; however, they do not have the right to their own facts. I am somewhere around 13th in salary rank in Massachusetts alone, and that does not account for vocational schools, some of which pay very well. I do not have quick access to salaries in New England--nor does Mr. Ferguson--but I would think that Greenwich, Darien and other "gold coast" communities pay very welll. Then one would be left to examine Providence, Hartford etc. and perhaps one might find some high salaries. In any case, his statement is false."
 

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