On the trail with Ty: 9/8/18

This campaign sometimes feels like a battle of signs. We have about 180 signs up. My opponents have lots of signs too.

The last two days have been exceptional with 11 homeowners requesting signs in wards 2 and 3. Each one of those signs represents a wonderful conversation with that homeowner.

Today, along North Main Street, I met a lady, her 18 year old daughter, and her daughters best friend. We talked about the large increase in Attleboro High School classes over the past few years. We talked about the need for a civics class at AHS. We talked about the new voting procedure in the state of Maine. We talked about college and the young women’s goals of becoming a social worker and an engineer. We talked about protesting when our schools lose good teachers through budget cuts. We talked about homeless folks in Attleboro and the need for a family shelter.

Each sign has a story behind it. This North Main Street sign represents a proud mother, a daughter determined to make this a better world, and a friend who wants to be a good engineer. This sign represents two young women that are proud to be voting for the first time, who care about Attleboro’s schools, and who want to make this world a better place.

Each sign tells an important story.

On The Trail with Ty: 9/6/18

Today ended early with a big thunderstorm at 5 pm. I was on Kellcourt Ave. speaking with Joe about his family, neighbors, and friends. He loves his area and really likes Attleboro. Joe moved into his home in 1992 and according to him, it was one of the best decision he’s ever made. Block parties, a friendly neighborhood, and a great place to raise his family. I liked Joe instantly. He signed my nomination papers, asked for a sign, and then the rain hit us.

A few hours earlier, I met a young woman on Commerce Way who simply glowed. Emily is a senior at Bridgewater State College and plans to be an elementary school teacher next fall. She did her student teaching in Attleboro during her junior year and loved it. The only drawback was the size of the classes which really surprised her. Regardless, Emily wants to come back to Attleboro and spend her career teaching in her hometown. When I left her door, her eyes sparkled again, she smiled and declared, “I love Attleboro!”

Lots of positivity in both Joe and Emily. I can’t wait to meet the rest of this city!

Please join us Saturday 9/8 from 10am-12pm as we hold signs downtown. Help us #TyAttleboroTogether!!!

REAL LIFE IN GOVERNMENT

Saturday, August 4th – Today, after the rain, I met someone who once played an important role in our city. This is an abridged version of the story:

Not so long ago, the school committee didn’t have enough money in the budget to meet the request of the teacher’s union. The school committee figured out a fiscal compromise. If the teachers could accept level funding for an additional six weeks beyond the end of their contract, they could then save the jobs of 8 teachers. After mid-August the teachers would then get their raise.

    But

The union turned down the school committee’s offer. The budget was too tight and eight teachers were laid off. The teachers did not even get to vote on the compromise offer.

     Both of my wives were teachers. On one occasion we had to make a similar decision. Accept level funding or see other teachers get laid off. We decided it was best to live at the same income for a while so other teachers and their families could have a job. The teachers union took a poll of all the teachers and they accepted the compromise. No one was laid off.

     If I were on the city council I would not want to see qualified teachers/city employees laid off. But in a tight financial year it might mean employees are offered less to save jobs.

 I hope it never comes to this. But compromises are sometimes necessary to keep our city solvent and people working.

I hope to have a happy story tomorrow.

Ty, on the trail.

Ty runs into two Attleboro High School seniors

Monday I met a pair of Attleboro High School seniors who live on Phillips Street. They said the biggest problem is with the school administration. I asked what they meant and they replied, “The principals need to be more concerned with what is going on inside the classroom and with the teachers. They’ve been focusing too much on the building.”

I asked them if anything seemed different since the layoffs two years ago. They answered, “Teachers were definitely more stressed this year. Most of them are teaching in front of the class now instead of walking around the classroom checking in with individual students. A lot of teachers seem to be struggling with the increase in the size of classes.”

I asked them if this is true with all their classes. They responded, “The Honors courses don’t seem to be affected because those classes are smaller. But teachers are stressed out in our other classes.”

When I was leaving, both students shook my hand, smiled and said, “Thank you for the visit.”

Let’s listen to our students.