INSPIRING TEXT

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

A word of appreciation to James H.K. Norton for his Commentary Page piece titled Mayhew, Tear Down This Wall. He inspired us with the quest for liberty that characterized some of our early Vineyard citizens, connecting their proud story to our challenging times.

Jerome Davidson

Chilmark and

Great Neck, N.Y.

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PRAISE FOR FIREFIGHTERS

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I would like to thank the Edgartown fire department, police and EMTs for their quick response to the fire on Edgartown Bay Road Thursday, Feb. 17.

I read in the Gazette that Capt. Peter Shemeth said they received the fire alarm at 3:30 p.m., I received the call at 3:31 p.m. and was at the house at 3:44 p.m. The fire department already had the blaze under control.

To me, that’s just amazing response time. Every homeowner can rest assured that their house is in the best hands with our fire department should this ever happen to them.

I would also like to apologize to Captain Shemeth for flaunting a hot cup of coffee in his face. Special thanks to officer Stephanie Immelt for her diligence and professionalism.

Maureen Gazaille

Edgartown

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BUDGET CLARITY

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

The following letter from the West Tisbury finance committee was sent to the Up-Island Regional School District:

Light dawns on Marblehead. Most Massachusetts natives have heard the above expression more than once. It describes a situation where someone finally sees the obvious. Some of us have actually had the expression applied to them and applied legitimately. The phrase can be applied quite well to the West Tisbury finance committee and we, the West Tisbury finance committee, acknowledge the truth of that phrase as regards the Up-Island Regional School District.

The truth we have not seen is that the up-Island school district is really not a region. The district began primarily because the residents of the three up-Island towns realized that the state was awarding transportation money to regional school districts. And the money was substantial; in some districts it was $1 million or more. While people hoped that regionalization could bring economies, the desire to capitalize on the state’s largesse was the primary reason for forming the district.

In our judgment there has been little effort to create and manage a truly regional school district. There has been little interest in answering such questions as:

• How can we provide quality instruction to the students in the region? The focus has been more on providing quality instruction to the students of the West Tisbury School and the students of the Chilmark School even in those years where all of the students in a particular class could be accommodated in one of the region’s buildings. As a result, we have had situations where there have been three separate classes for grades where 30 children are enrolled. A true region should be able to get the same results with only two classes, which means a lower cost to the taxpayer without sacrificing the quality of education.

• What is our strategy for coping with rapidly changing enrollment? Again, the focus here seems to be not on the region, but on the individual school.

• How much does it cost to provide a particular course, e.g., fourth grade math, in the region? This answer cannot readily be derived from the up-Island regional district budget.

Such questions have been answered quite satisfactorily by the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.

True, the high school is located in one building, but the school has figured out how to properly teach all of its students, no matter whether they are bound for college, a trade or even having problems adjusting to school.

For the past few years as enrollment at the high school has declined, the principal has told us what his plans are if the enrollment declines to certain levels.

If you want to know how much it costs to teach Spanish, you can find this answer quite easily by simply looking at the budget.

It is our judgment that the financial management at the high school has earned our support, despite budget increases every year. The up-Island regional district has not earned that support. For years, we have been asking for a budget that can be readily understood; that has not happened. We have questioned differences in the two schools and not been enlightened as to the rationale behind some basic decisions.

We would dearly love to approve all of your budgets. But in the current circumstances we cannot do so and fulfill our responsibilities as finance committee members. Can the circumstances be changed? Will you convince us that you are acting like a true region?

We look forward to meeting with you on Feb. 23.

Greg Orcutt

West Tisbury

The writer is vice chairman of the West Tisbury finance committee.

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LET’S MOVE

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

The Let’s Move Martha’s Vineyard Project would like to invite residents of the Vineyard who are concerned about health and weight to consider participating in an innovative project that will most likely increase their chances of success. We are looking for 10 teams of three people all of whom are concerned about their weight. Each team would consist of a child or teenager aged 10 to 18, a parent, and a senior over age 65 from the same family or town. The program will be for three months from March 13 to June 12, 2011. The focus will be on improving healthy practices through self-awareness, intergenerational support and immediate progress feedback. One of the latest technology devices, the iPod Nano, is a new pedometer with music storage capacity that all participants will be given to carry in their pocket for tracking daily activity. There will be a minimal time commitment predominately for tracking what you do anyhow around the house, school, job or community. This project is funded by grants from the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Community Health Initiative and the Farm Neck Foundation. There is never a better time than now to make changes for yourself or a child. If you want to learn more or want to sign up your team please see our Web site letsmovemv.org.

Nancy Phillips

Oak Bluffs

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ARTIST AT WORK

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Thank you very much for your handsome photo of the hospital mural project that appeared in the Feb. 4 edition of the Gazette. I was 20 feet off the ground, and it was a difficult shot to attain, but Peter Simon did a great job. One does not get a sense of just how high the mural extends unless one visits the wall in person. Please stop by and watch as I paint our rich variety of marine life from the frothy surface of the sea to the deep dark depths. The two-story wall is in the community research room just off the main lobby in the new hospital, and can also be viewed from the maternity waiting room. My thanks to the Gazette and Peter Simon for the coverage.

Margot Datz

Edgartown