ABOUT TOWN: A Wonderful Garden Project

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY to Stoughton resident Jenn Barucci, an Endicott College grad, who teaches in Canton; and Richard Schiffer, Jr., owner of Canton Fence, and a resident of Stoughton, who both celebrated their birthday's yesterday.

A WONDERFUL GARDEN PROJECT: Seventh grade teacher Shannon Ventresca is starting a Garden Project. Ventresca writes, "I want to break down the barriers and the stigma between 'regular education' students and students with severe special needs. They are amazing, diverse, and funny.  I teach about 100 students life science on a daily basis. I love to do hands-on activities, and so do they!

'Although I have some special education students in my classroom, my main goal is to work with the teacher across the hall from me and unite our students. We have been experimenting with creating interactions between the students in my class and the students in hers. We would like to reduce the stigma that students often feel towards people with Down Syndrome and other developmental disorders. We would like to work together, starting this summer during the enrichment program, to create a garden that will unite the two classes of students." 

Some gardening materials are needed, and Mrs. Ventresca is trying to raise a small amount of money. Here are all the details on what Mrs. Ventresca is trying to accomplish and the costs. You can donate $3 by setting your default search engine to Bing. To Donate via credit card or through your Bing credit, go to http://www.donorschoose.org/ventresca.

CANDIDATE'S NIGHT TONIGHT: The League of Women Voters of Sharon/Stoughton and The Stoughton Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring a Candidates’ Night TONIGHT (Monday) at 7 p.m. at the Great Hall on the third floor of Stoughton Town Hall. Both Comcast (Channel 9) and Verizon (Channel 28) will televise the program live and will record the proceedings for future broadcast. 

Contested races include School Committee and the Redevelopment Authority. All townwide candidates will have time to address the crowd and answer questions.  The League and Chamber have got a list of questions to ask in the two contested races. BE AN EDUCATED VOTER, and SHOW UP!   FREE Refreshments from Panera Bread will be available. Audience members will have a chance to submit questions.  LWV member Robin Zoll is timekeeper. Chamber Vice Chairman Mark Snyder is Moderator.

TRYING TO SAVE ON HEALTH INSURANCE: We wrote in this space the other day about the town spending over 11 million dollars a year for current and retired municipal and school employees. Contracts are up for ALL unions in town, and it's time for negotiations. 

With budgets tighter than any time in memory, the town is looking to try to save money, without breaking the backs of its hard working employees. Some towns have negotiated their unions to join the Group Insurance Commission. The G.I.C., as it is known, provides high value health insurance to participating municipalities' employees, retirees, and their survivors/dependents.

Other towns, most recently Middleboro (which saved over 1.2. million when two unions agreed), turn to the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association Health Operations Plan, the non-profit insurance arm of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. 

Stoughton is currently self-insured.  In one case this current fiscal year, ONE employee cost the town a half million dollars.  Whether the town can negotiate new contracts which save by raising co-pays (currently $5 per office visit, and $25 for the emergency room) to amounts more resembling the private sector; or by having employees join G.I.C or M.I.I.A., remains to be seen. However, one thing is for sure. Employees are not going to embrace having poorer health care at higher rates, together with no raise.  Selectmen, School Committees, and negotiating attorneys need to think more outside the box, these days.

Check back later today for the Afternoon Edition of About Town with Mark Snyder.