Gross news

from wickedlocal:

Melrose middle-schoolers will have a new principal this fall.

On Wednesday, Superintendent Cyndy Taymore announced that Brent Conway will take over leadership of Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School (MVMMS).

Conway, who is currently principal of the Lincoln Elementary School, will take over for Tom Brow, who is retiring from the school district at the end of this school year.

"Mr. Conway has a proven ability to positively impact teaching and learning and improve student achievement," Taymore said in the written statement released on Wednesday. "In seven years as the Lincoln School principal, he provided the instructional leadership necessary to raise the Lincoln from a school rated as ‘needs improvement’ to a level-one school. As we have worked across the district to provide all our students with a more rigorous academic experience within a safe and responsive learning community, Mr. Conway has been a thoughtful, yet passionate, advocate for implementing best practices that benefit both students and staff."

Conway was one of three finalists for the MVMMS job. He beat out Maura Ryan Donoghue, the assistant principal of the Beebe School, a K-8 in Malden, and Joshua Frank, the assistant principal of Randolph High School.

As the MVMMS principal, Conway will be returning to his roots in middle school education. Before taking over at the Lincoln in July 2007, began his career as a middle school teacher in Chelmsford. He also worked previously as an assistant elementary school principal in Tyngsboro.

"At this critical point in our efforts to raise expectations and improve outcomes for all our students, it is important that MVMMS has a leader who appreciates the school's history, understands the demands and challenges we are facing as a school and a district, and believes in the ability of both the students and staff to succeed," Taymore said in her written statement. "We believe Mr. Conway will provide MVMMS with the guidance and leadership needed to do so."

The more things change, the more they stay the same. At least the Lincoln parents are happy.

Let's hope that Brent Conway keeps his political leanings out of the Middle School which he didn't while at the Lincoln!

Also, The Felon will also be selected by Taymore (where the power is) for Middle School PTO president! Wow what a duo!

Have a child at Lincoln, who was previously at another school. Have nothing but good things to say about Mr. Conway and our interactions and experiences there. Couldn't have asked for a better outcome.

Too bad you "couldn't have asked for a better outcome." Obviously this is coming from someone very well informed! The kids and teachers certainly deserved better, as do the taxpayers who continue to be on the hook for this mess.

Based on my family's experiences at the Lincoln, it is a good outcome. He is fair, communicates well to parents, and we have had excellent teachers at Lincoln (except one). Compared to principals we have dealt with at other schools, he has done a great job. What are your personal experiences with Mr. Conway that lead you to believe this isn't the best outcome?

Why way does he lean? Right or left?

This is the same principal whose poor judgment was in evidence when he posted political campaign messages for Clark and Brodeur on the school twitter feed, which he had to be disciplined for and required to take down. No mystery about this guy at all. He's a political hack and willing to make the schools a political football, and allowed to do so by the current bunch in power (gee, wonder why!).

I cannot believe this site. First the series of criticisms of the terrible churn in the district and bringing in incompetent outsiders. Now we promote a principal who has been in the district for 7 years, and has turned the Lincoln from the poorest performing school to a level one school, and you want to complain? Isn't that what you all wanted in the first place? As for a Brodeur and Clark, they were Lincoln parents at the time. For Lincoln parents, his tweet was not the outrage you have made it to be on this site. Yet again, these comments show that certain posters on this site are simply here to criticize.

No actually you are the one who has a problem. Just because one criticizes doesn't make one a "hater" nor does it render one unable to make intelligent distinctions and determinations. It's not an either-or, black or white situation. Just because one criticizes the series of "incompetent outsiders" doesn't mean that one is opposed to or in favor of a candidate merely because they are "insiders" or "outsiders." It's possible to have critical remarks and be able to think rationally/fairly at the same time. Obviously you are not that sophisticated and need to resort to simple calculations. Just because Brodeur and Clark were Lincoln parents doesn't mean that it wasn't egregiously wrong (it was) for a school principal to post political campaign messages on a school server. That is actually something that in other districts would have resulted in a serious sanction (but naturally didn't here, for obvious reasons). And just because Lincoln has somewhat better test scores now doesn't mean that this principal is solely due the credit or that he hasn't simultaneously caused harm in other ways. Just because this district has fully embraced the worst of educational trends doesn't mean it is doing well by any means, either. There is no reason to celebrate this latest principal appointment in the eyes of many. It reflects on the low bar this district now represents.

You have no idea what you are talking about. If you would have ever attending a PTO meeting anywhere in the district you would know that Taymore does not appoint the PTO presidents or officers. The people at the meeting vote on it. So, how about you attend a PTO meeting at your school whether that be an Elem, Middle or HS and let your voice be heard instead of writing false accusations on a silly site like this.

""I think there’s too much listening and learning before I’m able to figure out what the future steps are," Conway said."

What in the heck is that supposed to mean?

It means he is a fan of Prof. Irwin Corey!

One of the things that Patricia needs to understand is that we’ve got to develop a continuity in order to relate to those whose curiosity has not been defended, yet the information given can no longer be used as allegoric because the defendant does not use the evidence which can be substantiated.

I heartedly concur my friend! It’s only when we delve into the depths of our Jungian predispositions that we discover that the root of our concentric deviances stem from our inability as a species to appreciate the delicacies of Sushi Corner.

Mr. Conway has sent out a video of him doing a flash mob dance at a Lincoln School assembly.... Now this might be cute if it wasn't SO sad and a pathetic attempt to steal Mr. Brow's act. This is what Mr. Brow has successfully done to bond with his middle schoolers. Mr. Conway ... Get your own ideas. You are NO Mr. Brow.

Better yet, take some courses this summer to learn how to be a Middle School principal! Again in the coming year we have many new administrators taking on new management positions in our school district with little or no previous experience yet we are now paying them equal to experienced admin. So please let's not hear that refrain of "we are not paying our teachers enough money" as they will soon go off on their 2.5 month summer hiatus!

Administrative Revolving Door Count so far (4 principal search committees to date):

MVMMS
Roosevelt
Lincoln

more to come (less than 2 years since the last debacle)

Lousy applicant pool in all cases reputedly. But no one will be held accountable, except perhaps the humorous blame for the existence of this message board. That's actually funny. (Is that how the current administrators were hired, too, as the only ones left standing, since this board long preceded them?) Maybe bad MCAS scores are the direct result of this board, too! And ticks!

[:-D]

Heard from a number of people that the Horace Mann Principal (who is expecting) intends not to return to the Melrose School District. When will they begin a search for her replacement?

Since she will want to collect her Family Leave, she can't put in that she's leaving until that's done, meaning there won't be time to find a replacement. Then we'll be stuck with "promoting from within" or another interim again. No one at the top will care about the continuing disruption for the kids and community. It'll only be about protecting their own reputation until they can bail, too.

She's been there two years, right? So that's 11 since the middle of 2012. Hello????

Simple, do not hire 20 something year old fertile chicks to be principal of a school.