Policy change proves too costly for Rec instructors

Sherry Herzog has taught music to Canton children for more than 30 years through the Parks and Recreation Department. A professional musician, she taught a preschool music class and a “song, dance and yoga” class every Monday. Over the years, she added a school vacation class and created Camp Broadway, a summer program in which children ages 4-7 presented The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Twenty-three years ago, Lori Mitcheroney began offering her own program through the Recreation Department — an arts and crafts program that was inspired by Herzog’s success and by the activities that she had enjoyed doing with her daughter and her daughter’s friends. Mitcheroney developed a holiday/seasonal arts and crafts program for children ages 4-11 that was held once a month during the school year on Friday afternoons. Like Herzog, she also offered classes one day a week during school vacations and a summer camp program four days a week.

However, this week is April vacation week in Canton, and for the first time in decades, neither program was made available through the Parks and Rec Department. While both Herzog and Mitcheroney had every intention of continuing with their offerings, the two instructors said it has now become financially impractical to do so owing to a change in town policy regarding subcontractors or vendors such as themselves.

Both Herzog and Mitcheroney said they were notified of the policy change in a letter from the Parks and Recreation Department that they received over the winter. Under the new policy, all vendors are required to purchase commercial general liability, automobile liability, commercial umbrella, and employers liability insurance. The two women contacted their insurance agents, who told them that the cost of the insurance would be $2,200 per year.

Hoping to find a workable solution, Herzog and Mitcheroney attended a meeting of the town’s Playground and Recreation Commission, and they were “quite supportive,” according to Mitcheroney. “They were heartfelt as far as their reaction,” she said.

“They were appalled,” added Herzog. “They said, ‘There must be something we can do.’”

One of the ideas the commission suggested was for the Parks and Recreation Department to hire the two women as part-time seasonal employees. Recreation Director Janet Maguire and Assistant Director Nick Pirelli said they explored that option and determined that they could pay Mitcheroney and Herzog $15 per hour — a figure that they had arrived at based on a review of pay rates in 19 or 20 area communities.

“We decided that was a fair rate based on best practices,” Maguire said. Pirelli added that the rate they offered was “on the higher end” when compared to the rates in the other towns.

However, both women said that the rate they were offered is what they pay the college students who work as their assistants. “The wages we were offered were something we could not financially consider,” Mitcheroney said.

Mitcheroney also reached out to Town Administrator Bill Friel, who explained in an email that the policy change was “standard insurance industry practice and is intended …

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Apr 21 2016. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.