Making a "Statement"

The School Committee went after Mayor Dan Mylott last night for the $1 million reduction in the school budget. Check out the end of the story, where Mylott agrees Supt. Andrew Ravenelle should present the full $45 million budget as a "statement" tonight.

What, exactly, is the statement Mylott would like to make?

That the School Department is caught with his pants down because the mayor sat back and allowed the School Committee to approve a budget Mylott was never going to accept?

That Mylott's city is in such terrible financial condition that it can't afford textbook or patch a leaky roof? And that the city's contribution is actually decreasing this year?

That Mylott is such a bad political manager that he let this situation get this bad?

Ugh.

The School Committee appears to be hopping mad, making two important bodies of elected officials ticked at the mayor. It could be a long June for that guy.

Mylott said he's going to use some Medicaid funding and find some other measures to bulk up school funding. It's not enough. The city's top two priorities should be public safety and education. The order is up to you. While the Police Department is looking at new officers and new vehicles, School Committee members are starting the override chant again after Mylott's bizarre handling of the school budget.

A school system is one of the front-line things families look at when they consider moving into a community. Mylott has all but made the schools an orphan with the way he's treated the budget this spring. Shame on him, for creating what is a shame for the entire city.

Hopefully the City Council supports the School Department tonight and figures out a way to buy a textbook or two. Councilor Stephan Hay said education and safety are his top two issues. Let's hope he and others find a way to salvage some of this mess.