I knew I hadn’t posted in a while, but I can’t believe that it’s been this long! My last post was Tuesday.
My oldest son just came home from being in Florida for three weeks, so my husband took a couple of days off work and we have been having family time (after a LONG ride to and from the airport in Manchester, NH).
At any rate, I hope to update before y’all are back at work Monday morning.
Hope you all have a great weekend!
~Charity
July 15th, 2006 at 7:58 pm
Charity
What do you think of the City Kids Program being shut down and the parents being told to go to the School system for after school care
DHR Ward 2
July 16th, 2006 at 1:31 am
That is an interesting situation. For those who are not familiar you can read a Free Press story here.
First, I would say that I do not agree with the way Mayor Kiss handled this situation. The people in Burlington have made it clear time and time and time again that they do not want decisions made without public input.
It is interesting about the City Councilors being so vocal about this issue. Councilor Time Ashe was mentioned in the paper and seemed surprised that the councilors that are upset by this rolled over and played dead when it came to Clavelle, but are acting like rabid dogs for Kiss. (My analogy, not his.) I heard talk around election time that many councilors wanted to start off on the right foot when it came to the new mayor. Seems they didn’t like being powerless after all.
It is commendable to combine two programs that are similar – the school’s and Parks & Rec’s – in order to save money, but I doubt that is what they are doing here. The programs are not the same. Many kids who do not go to after school childcare (which is what Parks & Rec’s City Kids program is) do use the school’s programs on some days. The school has a selection of programs that each focus on a specific subject.
My kids went to a couple of the school’s programs when they were in school. One day a week. One was drumming, one was arts and crafts. They lasted for one hour, I think. Same with my neighbor’s kids. (She’s a stay-at-home mom, too.)
At any rate, they are different programs. I am not sure what will happen when the school takes over all of it and I can see why parents are concerned. Parks and Rec has run their program for 20 years the paper said!
The Parks and Rec Department has a good track record of staying within a reasonable budget, despite the fact that I was ripped at having to pay to see the fireworks because my season pass was not honored.
The school people on the other hand couldn’t stay within a reasonable budget to save their lives.
I can’t help but wonder how this would affect the long term cost.
Then there is always the concern that the schools are raising our children. First it’s all-day kindergarten. Then, we have universal pre-school for three- and four-year-olds. Now, it is school-run after-school care. Why don’t we just hand them over after the cord is cut and pick them up when they graduate college?
I know, I know. Having them from ages 6-18, 6+ hours a day wasn’t enough. Some of us still grow-up to be conservatives!
So what’s your take on the whole thing?
August 9th, 2006 at 3:05 pm
Here are some links that I believe will be interested