(Thanks for the calls and emails -- All is well here in the NPTA Bunker deep below Forestdale Fuel Spill #12. I'd also like to thank my new friends at Ready-Rooter and their big silver pump truck for preventing our latest potential Shit Storm! I must say, however, that my front yard is not the only thing that stunk this week.)
"Ding Dong, the Witch is dead ..." You could practically hear the chanting in certain areas this week. Yup, the person who insisted that teachers be properly licensed and evaluated, and that they deliver a modern curriculum which is consistent between schools, between grades, and consistent with that taught in other towns, had been driven from the District! The person who had the audacity to support a prior school committee's efforts to make the Community School truly self-supporting would be no longer! The person who reduced transportation and SPED costs by bringing the services in-house and eliminating sweetheart deals with outside vendors had been given her walking papers!
Yup, that was progress. Yay, Sandwich, we done good!
I'm not going to re-argue the case (although I bristle that anybody could ever use the term "secret meeting"! That meeting continuation was better publicized than any regular meeting in 4 years! But, no, there was no notice on the clerk's bulletin board.) I wanted a Judge, I got a judge. The judge said an error was made and my team lost. Maybe there will be an appeal, maybe there won't. But, there will probably be a new Superintendent. And, hopefully, in May there will also be a new School Committee.
Maybe the new majority will be more concerned about our kids' education than their own family incomes, their own pet projects, or covering up years of poor decision-making. Maybe the new Committee will even be described as "hard working, experienced professionals" -- instead of "petty, vindictive amateurs".
Maybe the new Committee will hold the line with the SEA leadership and convince SEA members that they are far better than the leaders they may have elected. And, that the time the union leadership wastes on foolish imaginary grievances would be far better spent on building public support for the teachers and the District, improving teaching techniques, and maybe even focusing on the needs of the student. (Remember the students?). Maybe they will even negotiate a realistic contract. (A real contract --- not a fictional "handshake" agreement with a single member!)
Maybe, once those things happen, some of the Sandwich residents who chose this year to send their kids to Choice or Charter Schools (which we pay for), or to Private Schools, or even accept the challenges of Home Schooling, will begin to return to their own District.
Maybe the voters will show up on May 5 and make this happen.
12 comments:
Hear hear Bob. There has to be a new majority. This School Committee did nothing this year but devote their time, our money, the towns morale, to getting rid of Dr. Johnson. Well, as they say, it ain't over until it is over. And now we have in about 6 weeks an election that will hopefully put an end to this irresponsible and outrageous lack of anything intelligent coming from our School Committee. The people were lied to last year about the intention behind some candidates running for the office and the year before we stupidly put a person seriously connected to the union in place. This year will be different.
We now know just how bad it can get when a clique thinks that is the "power" appropriate to guide a school system and the largest portion of our town budget. Voters need to get out and change this dynamic on May 5th. Any of those letters from the union head telling people who to vote for needs to go to the media. Any phone calls, and any attempts to intimidate teachers or citizens by union members need to be made public. Our town needs to be set free. We need to expose this clique and let them know that our kids are more important!
This is no longer about Dr. Johnson. It never was. It is about the small town politics and culture of Sandwich. Most of the people here aren't a part of it and know how stupid and counter productive it is. 6 weeks from now we have a chance to change everything. All that is wrong with Dr. Johnson in the eyes of the women who are doing small town politics, could be fixed by professionals with skill sets that fix problems, not expect men to do it or think you are doing it by getting a gang together who agrees with you.
Now the reputation of our schools, our town, and the continued progress of our schools is at stake, which means our town is at risk. The women who are driving this, do we really want them picking our next school super???? Think of that!!!! Quietly take action to insure this doesn't happen. If anything the ruling by the judge points to the politics that has lead us down this path. We have got to change our School Committee.
I did not hear any rejoicing in town this weekend about the decision. Rather, reflection on how crazy that the one person who has advocated for the schools throughout the last year is being treated in such an unjust way. This started with politics, someone coming to the Town Clerk instead of filing their own complaint with the DA. Let's end it with political action, electing two new rational, smart, thoughtful people to the school committee in May.
I would also like to invite the taxpayers to come to this week's school committee meeting at 7pm at the high school. If you have something nice to say about the work Dr. J has done, please do it while she is at the table. She deserves that.
If you have demands to put on the SC and their self-selected Superintendent search committee, do so now, or forever hold your tongue. Most of you have so far. Lamenting on May 6th will only cost you money as you ship your child off to private/charter schools. Are you all really that wealthy? I'm not. See you there if you care.
Won't it be ironic if the Super is chosen and the "New SC" in May doesn't like him/her or if their guy doesn't get the job. History has a habit of repeating itself. In the very, very slight chance that the new guy doesn't already live in town, I wouldn't sign any lease papers yet if I were him.
If they don't like you, the SC has the ultimate power to "get rid of you" as Mrs. Kangas vowed to do, and has almost succeeded in doing to Dr. J.
Funny thing is, many of us are sending our kids to Barnstable charter schools next year....another ironic ending may be who might be leading the district there.
v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g indeed...
One more Bob....maybe the current foolish foursome will have a change of heart and realize that they are destroying a great school system and decide to put the kids first instead of their own petty political agendas which are filled with BS.....Nah I forgot that wont happen,Sherry Marshall is running the show!!!! Sherry Marshall MUST GO!!!!!!!! We all need to do everything we can to rid OZ of the wicked witch on may fifth(to keep running with your Wizard of OZ analogy)...........But first we mainly need to get folks to actually go to the nearest polling place and VOTE!!!!!!!!!
The Truth Maker can only agree with the words from the leader of this blog.
The judge has made a ruling, based upon what he heard at the hearing. His decesion is not final, unless Dr Johnson does not want to continue this fight.
Having attended the hearing held in the Barnstable Court and given that some facts were not presented to the Judge, A good lawyer would have some regress to a new opinion.
One would ask, yourself why?
The reputation of Dr. Johnson has been questioned, no direct reason prevaled, as to the reason why the four union led school committee members actually took the vote they did.
This vintictive malice would make it hard to just drop the damages to a strong professional person of courage.
Perhaps it is time to get on with life here in our schools.
The message if it does not change, is that Dr Johnson was unsuitable and unable to lead the Sandwich School into the future. It goes with out saying that is not the case, that is why if it were me, I would appeal the decision.
Her reputation has suffered as a result of the union interferance and rest assured they will do what ever they can to assure that she is not employed again. She has nothing to lose at this point and all for attempting to do the best job under the economic restrains we have imposed on our whole community.
The first union move, once a new superintendant is found, will be to announce to the world that they will be asking for an increase for one and all.
Then you can bet, that who ever it is, will lead a charge for an overide. I would be surprised if this did not occur
What I find interesting is all the back yard lawyers stated a JUDGE CAN ONLY RULE ON THE CONTRACT. A judge has ruled and now the super should appeal. Give me a break !
3:09 What is your point, it kinda got lost? The witches of Sandwich have already destroyed Dr. Johnsons reputation with their vindictiveness and personal agendas that alone is reason enough to appeal. I think an appeal would expose the true reasons why they despised Dr. Johnson, there are plenty of past elected officials and currents one that would testify that she took on the union unlicensed teachers and the illegal use of K-12 monies to prop up the Comm. School. Those two reasons alone would be glaring to a judge or jury.
Putting people under oath has a way of shaking the truth out of people especially when the facts don't jive and 4 people are involved one will sink the other to save there families financial health. Plus all Dr. Johnson attorney has to do is show the personal agendas and what motivated their decisions. They clearly haven't been advocating for our children
Can you spell...supoena?....I hope they are handed out in piles by her lawyer. I cannot wait to hear what the "annonymous callers" had to say, There is no SC-client privelege here folks.
It's actually spelled subpoena, but that would be fun to watch the witches faces as the witness list, facts and depositions are completed and then onto a civil trial.
The Judge has ruled. But, the Superintendent certainly has the same rights as any other plaintiff in a civil case. If the law allows for an appeal, and her counsel feels there are grounds, why shouldn't she have that right?
The so called witches did not destroy her reputation.When she choose to bring an illegal
suit against the SC and all the bad pr that it created thats what destroyed her reputation.
I agree Anonymous 10:44. Unfortunately, on Appeals, generally one has to hire an Appellate Attorney. This would then cost Dr. Johnson hourly, out of pocket, rather than on a contingency, as her original suit likely was. However, her current lawyer may do appeals, so, who knows. Anyway, appeals are also limited and narrowed only to the issue decided by the Court. The Justices at an Appeal are not going to entertain a broad review of all the drama. They ask pointed questions and limit the scope to legal issues. So, yes, she has the right, and I am sure she is discussing it very seriously with her counsel.
there was nothing illegal about her suit. I think the SC did more damage to themselves than the Supt.
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