Brockton Kids Count Campaign

So I'm not a big fan of The Current Kids Count campaign. But there is one main reason, why is the School/City spending $11,000 dollars on lawn signs, T shirts and bumper stickers? I understand private money is supposedly kicking in the other $14k. So in total $25,000 is being spent to try and convince State officials to give us more money? If there is $14k that private donators are willing to give, couldn't we use that money elsewhere? Fund sports, buy textbooks or Smart Boards that we desperately need? And couldn't we use the $11k the BPS is providing to better use?

"Since then, the school system has distributed almost 3,000 lawn signs and is barely keeping up with the demand for signs, pins, and bumper stickers, said Michele Morgan Bolton, the district’s communications director. Bolton said neighborhoods are competing to see who can post the most lawn signs, and the schools scheduled activities including a social media day last Thursday to bombard Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like with “Brockton Kids Count’’ messages to state officials.A crowd estimated at more than 1,000 people, most wearing “Brockton Kids Count’’ T-shirts, jammed the Brockton High School Marciano Stadium field on Wednesday for a group photo to use as publicity for the campaign, Bolton said.

She estimated costs for materials at about $25,000, with about $14,000 donated by local businesses and about $11,000 of city funds used."

- See more at: edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/article_p...sthash.1h1t0a9L.dpuf

I would like to know who donated the 14,000. Also While I support the endeavor I also question the cost.

Why not just leave it at the signs? Why not just use private money?

It bother me that when we are cutting things like field trips etc am I supposed to tell my kid well you got a button be happy?

25,000 could provide a FT para position

Agree, where did $14,000 come from? Could've used that to buy some books, sports,Para's. And if it was decided to utilize the private money why spend $11k more of City money? Why not get lawn signs and stop there. Use Social Media which is more effective. It's not like Baker, Rosenberg and DeLeo are going to be strolling the streets of Brockton saying damn look at all those lawn signs let's give Brockton more money. .

Is that public record where the $14k came from?

Because its a private donor (supposedly) one doesn't have to make it public especially if the donor wants to remain confidential

I would like to know who the donor/donors are.

I also think this is a great PR move as it takes away part of the responsibility of the city in peoples minds and places 100% blame on state

I absolutely agree. PR move, we can blame everyone but ourselves.

Guess the Brockton Kids Count campaign didn't really matter.

Proposed by SC:
Layoff 18 Administrative Positions
Eliminate 59 positions permanently
Layoff 100 Teachers
Eliminate Middle School Sports...again
Eliminate low participation HS Sports
Possible closing of 1 School.

You think classroom sizes are large now? There are classrooms in the HS that don't have functioning Overhead Projectors, never mind that projectors are a beyond archaic communication tool. Teachers barely have textbooks and those they do have are tattered and torn.

Brockton Kids Deserve better but it doesn't seem to matter.

Maybe half of what the SC proposed will come to fruition. The layoffs for certain (and the rehire of at least half) The layoff of administration, yes. The elimination of administrative positions? They may eliminate the positions but I bet half of those people will still be working under a new just thought up position. They won't close a school. they will cut sports. I think they are posturing again. Trying to force unions to back off on demands. Just my opinion.

The big thing to remember is that if the Brockton Kids Campaign had any relevance then the City Council could propose a Proposition 2.5 override. However, we'd rather stick our hands out and hope for a state bail out. If we accepted the power plant we'd have more money too. This budget shortfall is created by the inertia the City Council has created for years.

I agree.

it's a 'feel good' campaign designed to guilt people into emptying their pockets for a pointless cause with an empty end

brockton is a gateway city, and there's no turning back no matter how hard the community fanaticism

city is a joke

I notice on School Committee notes that the Superintendent has backed off from laying off any Central Building personnel. It is nice to know that we have the ability to waste a ton of money and parade a false charade of needing money!

Yep. Apparently teachers are the only ones who don't count.

57 teachers will receive RIF's today. Last year 60 teachers were not hired back. Smith is on record stating she would prefer not to rehire any teachers laid off today as she anticipates a tough budget next year and really doesn't want to pay unemployment again (paraphrase).

If you're a parent with school age children, this should concern you. The class sizes are overflowing as is. Less teachers, more kids in the classroom.

If you're a homeowner, you should be concerned no matter what your feelings are regarding BPS. School ratings impact homeowner values. No one wants to buy if schools aren't good. So it makes it difficult to sell.

And again, no Administrstive personnel will be cut, so once again teachers are shouldering the budget deficits.

no worry, when the doo-doo hits the fan brockton will find another poster boy to exploit that'll speak to how great a brockton education is

Brockton Public Schools said it used about $25,000 from a budget line for parent engagement to buy the signs that can be seen displayed on front yards throughout the city, as part of a campaign calling on elected leaders like Governor Charlie Baker to increase state funding for the district.


Brockton Kids Count sign Copeland Street on Thursday, May 12, 2016.

PHOTO/ Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise

Brockton Kids Count sign Copeland Street on Thursday, May 12, 2016.



BROCKTON – Hundreds of Brockton Kids Count signs throughout the city were purchased with public money, in addition to donations from local businesses.
Brockton Public Schools said it used about $25,000 from a budget line for parent engagement to buy the signs now displayed on front yards throughout the city, as part of a campaign calling on elected leaders like Governor Charlie Baker to increase state funding for the district.
The public funds for the cause come in addition to $14,000 in private donations raised to offset the costs of the Brockton Kids Count campaign.
A spokesperson for the district said that Brockton Public Schools is partnering with the Metro South Chamber of Commerce to forge relationships with the business community, with the goal of raising enough private funds so that the taxpayer cost of the Brockton Kids Count is zero.
The district claims that the Brockton Kids Count has been “extremely successful,” with an additional $618,000 of state funds allocated to the district since the campaign started in late March.
The Brockton Kids Count campaign started with the district facing an approximately $10 million budget shortfall, which Superintendent Kathleen Smith attributed to a new state compensation formula for low-income students, English language learners and special education. In response to the shortfall, the district laid off 57 teachers on Friday and reduced administrative personnel by $1.5 million, among other cuts.
The Brockton Kids Count signs were produced by Standard Modern Printing of Brockton and New Bedford, and the company also donated some of its services, according to the district.
Corporate and individual sponsors of the Brockton Kids Count campaign include Keith Center, Conley Funeral Home, W.B. Mason, Waitt Funeral Home, Brockton School Committee Vice Chairman Thomas J. Minichiello Jr., GTR Manufacturing Corp., Crescent Credit Union, Paramount Rug Company and Siri Steinle.
www.enterprisenews.com/article/20160513/...ax?template=printart

Am I reading this correctly: $25k from School Line item PLUS $14k from private funds?

Hope I'm reading this incorrectly. I would hate to think that BPS was spending a total of $39k on signs and t-shirts when they laid off 57 teachers today.

dadof2 wrote: Am I reading this correctly: $25k from School Line item PLUS $14k from private funds?

Hope I'm reading this incorrectly. I would hate to think that BPS was spending a total of $39k on signs and t-shirts when they laid off 57 teachers today.

no, you read that right... lol

What a school system we have when one can earn $191,000 after being a gym teacher!! Roll the balls out......and say Thanks dad!! Gym teacher to $191....................and let's not forget the Super who could not pass the bar but not earns 220K destroying the system!!!

they're all absolute filth in my book

...but the drama club put on Footloose and the poster boy for Brockton public education has chosen to go to Harvard!

I can't wait for all the honest data to be released over the next couple months quantifying how 99.9% of graduates from BHS are going to college .... that ought to shut up critics for a while

Pay no attention to the truth!! We are being mislead by greedy hacks feeding themselves on our dime!!!