from Driscoll's offensive and obfuscating blog:
"City Solicitor Van Campen presented an element of the recently passed Municipal Modernization Act that allows school districts to appoint one Committee member to sign warrants (school bills) on its behalf, and report afterwards. Both Mr. Van Campen and Melrose CFO Mr. Patrick Dello Russo (in conjunction with the outside auditors) recommended against adopting this practice and continuing with the current practice that requires a majority of Committee members to approve and sign the warrants. Their counsel was taken and no change was made to the process.
Last meeting of the calendar year coming up on December 13th at 7:00 at City Hall when we expect to take up dollar maximums for student checking accounts, Internet safety measures, the hiring of legal counsel, and annual data presentations that the Committee expects to see from the administration. We will also conduct our annual self-evaluation."
Buried within MD's grotesque portrayals are important considerations for those who actually do care what happens in the school system. The most critically important actions always get scheduled (purposeful calculation/manipulation) during times when it is likely that concerned citizens might otherwise be preoccupied--like just before Christmas, in this case.
"hiring of legal counsel": This is a huge red flag. The SC counsel who is "retiring" this month has been doing the hack jobs for the district for more than a decade, costing taxpayers huge amounts for her poor work and costing the district in atrocious advice that has led to so much of what has failed here and what will cost in lost trust for many years. This woman was fired from the Boston SC before being hired here (big surprise.... sound familiar? Malden Y warned Melrose not to hire Y rapist due to obvious concerns, Melrose proceeds to do just that....). Her contract expired something like 3 years ago but the SC continued to use her services (and those of the equally awful city hack) without a retainer (translation: paying a premium price for the predictably incompetent and citizen-hostile product).
There are more lawsuits, federal civil rights suits, state civil rights suits (MCAD), and state AG complaints stemming from this Melrose administration than ever in its history. The Melrose public is totally in the dark, by design and in keeping with its truly poor track record when it comes to staying actively engaged in its own governance (contenting itself with the copious and billious self-congratulating BS that substitutes for real process). The designation of legal counsel is something that should concern every citizen, since (beyond the ethical reasons) every citizen will be paying for the consequences, and for a very long time. Selecting the next SC attorney should involve an open process, including bids (required but not guaranteed by this law-breaking bunch), and careful review/interview of contenders. They should be selected based on actual positive performance history, and history in which they can demonstrate strong ethical understanding in addition to proven history in this regard.
Warrants: Another area that should have had a real public dialogue but didn't. Having VC and PdR as the only ones weighing in was just the predictable farce that this SC puts forward. The decision to continue with the status quo and not allow just one individual to sign was a correct decision. However, putting the Warrants on the "consent agenda" and then never doing actual due diligence, as is the case typically with this school committee, is something that should have been tackled and corrected by a public demanding appropriate conduct from its elected public representatives. Every one of those warrants should be scrutinized thoroughly before authorization to pay. There is a lot of very sketchy business going on while the public ignores it all.
excellent post and very informed information.
Perhaps you have some information regarding the lawsuits that were filed
to be heard in Salem District Court last month- Or were these cases
settled out of court unbeknown to the taxpayers as a usual course of
action by this current administration.
Most are still ongoing, and with more to come. Those that have been settled are never disclosed (though they are required to be), instead buried in SPED costs.
The "hiring of legal counsel" is a big waving red flag. The process for such should be open & transparent. And ongoing.
I see how it's buried in with student accounts (lunch money ???) & internet safety, another softball issue. The data presentation and self aggrandizing self reviews are going to be as expected. Wonderful & incredible.
As noted above, the new hiring of counsel is a serious matter affecting all tax payers.
But watch the SC choose:
A current city employee's spouse or other relative;
A connected face from the past such as the son or daughter of a former city official;
A MEF mommy who is ready to return to mother's hours work;
A disgraced or known incompetent employee from another school system;
Or a combination of 2 or more of the above for the win.
I predict that this person will have no experience in education law or will have shown themselves to have performed poorly in this arena.
Sounds like they are ready to hire Margaret Driscoll - the biggest hack and corrupt person they can find - and with a salary she can brag about!
No, they can't hire MD as legal counsel, much though she thinks she's the one-stop shopping, all-around Kellyanne Conway of the district, to whom everyone must be subservient. MD is humping for a job as a School Business Mismanager, and no doubt she'll eventually get something from her kissing cousins at the MASC, unless they have wized-up and figured out that they're dealing with a certifiable moonbat, that is. Of course vicious moonbats are always welcome under the utterly professional umbrella of a Robbie team.... So there's bound to be some venal quasi-lawyer ready to jump into the MPS cesspool as its next lawsuit-maker.
Humping? Ewwwwwwwww!! Yuck!
It is time to make a call. It is what it is.
Funny that some priss is revolted by the image of the SC Comandante aggressively, shall we say, pursuing the completion of her goals (since we need to be delicate for the priss) while this same person probably isn't grossed out by the truly revolting conduct of this woman each and every minute she continues to abuse her power on that committee. Apparently hurting children and taxpayers isn't too gross for her, though. That gavel and pursed lips clamping down on every officious word that furthers her personal agenda, no matter the cost, is actually hideous and offensive (to a grown-up, that is). If that analogy in the previous post seems too coarse, Ms. Priss, how about watching the SC so-called Self-Evaluation and then reiterate that it doesn't actually constitute self-pleasuring, because in truth, that's all they will be doing, and on television to boot!
Maybe the SC can incorporate some new Strategic Goals for grave-selling schemes to raise funds for the next round of 26% mayor and administrator raises since Dolan's bogus override tanked..... Surely Eddie the Con could advise them.... Or maybe their plan is to hire Eddie as their counsel....
"complete forensic audit is required now !"
EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO TO THE LAST SCHOOL COMMITEE MEETING. RESIDENTS,PARENTS,STUDENTS, PTO, STAFF, TEACHERS, PARAS, PT, OT, SPEECH, SPECIAL NEEDS PARENTS. JOIN TOGETHER AND ADDRESS THE LAST SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING IT WILL BE A PRENSENT TO YOUR CHILDREN. THE SUPERINTENDENTS BOSS IS THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE PARENTS NEED TO TELL WHAT A BAD JOB IS GOING ON IN THE SCHOOLS. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED TO SHOW THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF HER POOR BEHAVIOR. DON'T FORGET TUESDAY THE LAST SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING NEEDS A CROWD TO SHOW SURPORT FOR MELROSE SCHOOLS.
Agreed. If the schools are turning out students with writing skills such as yours, there's lots of work to do.
Hold on. Parent is right. We should all go to the next SC meeting, speak at public comment period and get our fair share of abuse from Margaret Driscoll.
The hidden agenda in this meeting? Look again. Very important.