Prepare to lose your meal when you read the nauseating garbage put forth during the recent MEF "Parent University":
http://d1868cr0a5jrv6.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/11/Parent-University-Presentation-November-14-2015.pdf
Presentors
❖ Marianne Farrell – Principal
❖ Angela Singer - English Language Arts
Director (6-12)
❖ Margaret Driscoll – Parent
❖ Samantha Sweet - Student (Class of 2017)
❖ Joseph Singer - Alumni (Class of 2010)
Complete with outright LIES:
Our most recent graduates
❖95% of graduates are College Bound [This statistic is a total lie. Look at the DOE for the correct percentage: 84.5%]
So now MD has deemed herself "expert" in yet another venue. And it's not enough to have Angela shilling, but now she has to put her son out there to shill as well!
This is what happens with the unchecked power and influence of Dolan, Driscoll and their acolytes headed up by MEF.
MEF is as out of control and out of touch as its proponents. As one of the parents who was part of the original Melrose Ed Cooperative, I was turned off and eventually shut out of emails from MEF. Lisa and Jen are power-mongering and completely in love with themselves and their power. They have been given free reign by the Dolanites, and it is just plain wrong. They all carry on like a religious sect around here. It's nuts. They had absolutely no idea they would lose the Override, let alone by a landslide, and that demonstrates exactly how little any of them are connected to reality. They actually believed they had a landslide win in their pockets, the fools! And now that we know about that 3 million plus in surplus funds, they look even more ridiculous. (George P and all those posting on Facebook about this are pathetically struggling to defend the "proactive" good management of the city to those diehard dummies who frantically to believe the fairy tales, and they just sound like the spinning lying fools that they are.)
Their political power will be nearing an end, however. Their credibility is exactly zero with all of us who have figured out what they're all about. They probably think none of us has noticed the outrageously dishonest conduct of those in charge of so many things in this city--schools, budget, IT, legal services, water/sewer management, for starters. The good people who still have to work under the creeps who are lying and cheating are just as fed up (or maybe more so) as we parents who understand the Big Picture, and there are all sorts of minor mutinies beginning.
It is unraveling before our eyes. They will have their pomp and silliness at next Monday's Inaugural, and there will be a defensive/offensive State of City speech crammed down throats. But only the fools will be fooled!
Thanks for setting us straight on the MEF-many of us suspected this sort of goings on with them and you have essentially confirmed our worse fears of this organization - they are out for their own personal power and influence in the schools.
On Margaret Driscoll's blog she claims that with all these outside groups helping the schools that it only confirms to her, "As always, it takes a village to raise a child!". I sent a a reply saying - I want to raise my own children the way I see fit - I don't want this village to do my parenting - just educate my child to prepare for college - you seem to be having enough trouble doing just that!
With Margaret's "village" (and those "angels" she hears in her head and mentions in SC meetings!) come the Village Idiots, of which there are far too many in Melrose. Margaret fancies herself the Queen of the Village, another "education expert" like her precious Robbie, arbiter of all things Melrose. With her red and white dress-coat that she drags out for every MHS commencement, she imagines that she embodies the very spirit of Raiderness, lathering it on thick in all her online presences (tweets, blog, etc.--all gross). She fawns with her "bring it on gentlemen" unctuous crap before the football games and anything else she deems worthy of her sanctification. Seeing her listed for that "Parent University" is barf-making. The woman is stark-raving insane, and this stupid village has let her get away with far too much!
The whole beginning slides were right in line with the edu-speak mumbo-jumbo they love: "Activators" and "Turn and Talk" (after we saw the list of "presentors", but before we got the slides of random pictures)
It is all so much nonsense.But, what I really hate is the brainwashing they try to pass off as fact. To have a list of "What sets us apart" comprised of the following:
Sense of Community
10 State of the Art Science Labs
23 AP courses, including 2 for Grade 9 students
Open Enrollment for AP classes
5 Global Languages
Competitive Visual and Performing Arts and
Athletic Programs
Travel Opportunities - Exchange Programs
Senior Internship Program
Individual Learning - Blended, Online, Dual
Enrollment
Pathways & Certificate Programs
It just makes me laugh. All good stuff- and all stuff that a great many other places are doing, and have been doing for quite some time. None of this "sets us apart". I was happy to see that they at least knew enough to include some brown faces on the English Language Arts slide. That was a nice touch.
I'll tell the MEF what sets us apart from other school systems:
The only school system in Massachusetts where:
-There are three Federal Civil Rights investigations going on simultaneously and surely more to be filed now that the FED's involvement has curtailed the routine intimidation and retaliation of complainants by the Superintendent's office, city solicitor's office, principals and administrative staff.
-Where the school committee chair actively colludes with the superintendent and school's legal counsel/city solicitor to prevent other elected school committee members from receiving public documents and public information they are entitled to by law and are necessary to carry out their fiduciary duty to the taxpayers of Melrose.
-Where Roberts Rules of Orders are circumvented by the McCarthyist Norms which are used by controlling SC chairs to attack and bully those who seek progress for our schools.
-Where the Superintendent of Schools has twice been ordered by the Secretary of State's Office to properly respond to a school committee member's public records request after continually sending responses violating the State's Public Records Law.
I had a similar experience of being yelled at by a founder of MEF. When I stated that my husband and I were not voting for the Override, I was told I did not support the schools and that we were part of the anti-Melrose crowd. We only want what is best for the schools ( our 2 children are MPS students ) but our financial situation is tight. Also, we've lost our trust in the school administration because of the way our child's IEP has been (NOT) implemented. MEF's intentions may have been good in the beginning but the group has evolved into a divisive force which actually is harmful to the city and the school system. Time to fold up shop.
MEF was really organized to be nothing more than a base of support for Dolan. He's on the board along with many other city employees he appointed and now carry out his bullying for him. His appointee Martha Grover controls MEF funds through the MEF Treasurer's position, including the yearly $10,000 in taxpayer money Dolan magically "donates" on behalf of the taxpayers to MEF from the City's budget every year. (Can I take a tax right-off on that Rob?) Oh, and MEF is not sharing their donor's list with the Dolan Camp...ya think? You remember Martha Grover?, the sinister face of the MEF? Defaming our only reliable school committee member and various other community members at school committee meeting during public comment in violation of SC rules? And lets thank Ms. Thorp for her even-handed application of the SC rules. I guess according to Ms. Thorp, you can't gaze at the school committee members as you address them at public comment period but you can certainly defame members of the public and elected school committee members by name without being gaveled down or removed from a meeting. Gotta love those McCarthyist Norms, yes sireee! They have been a powerful bullying tool for the SC chair. We will see how the new chair decides to use this weapon.[:-?]