Word on the street is that the superintendent has just eliminated the position of the key METCO person, Lawrence Richards, who has been the dedicated person doing all the work of looking after the whole gamut of METCO students, especially in the absence of its former superb director, Doreen Ward (who nobly served Melrose METCO students for over 21 years despite never having a legitimate contract or being paid in accordance with her immense qualifications, not having any salary parity with other administrators despite many more duties--all of which was known by city and elected officials who did nothing to remedy the situation, incl. Brodeur, Lewis, Clark). This move, of removing Mr. Richards, who has had to do double-duty since the interim selected by Taymore is a do-nothing yes-person of CT's, should be protested by all METCO parents, who know first-hand how dedicated and reliable Mr. Richards has been, and by contrast, how awful and non-responsive the interim director (Cyndy's pick) has been, and is likely to be named the permanent successor.
There is absolutely zero reason for eliminating this position other than to get rid of this individual with his strong ties to the students and to the responsible directorship under Ms. Ward. Apparently the plan is to open another position and allow Mr. R to apply (translation: don't bother because another do-nothing go-along is already planned for hire).
FYI: The district MAKES money on the METCO program, especially since the superintendent literally scoops a quarter of a million dollars out of the METCO budget to fill her other non-METCO needs. There has always been plenty to pay for staff, though the district has also been stingy in its compensation.
Translation: This is a damaging and wrong-headed move that the superintendent is hoping will be ignored. In light of the OCR findings (in which the school administration under CT was guilty of a pervasively racial hostile environment), it can fairly be stated that this is an overtly racist act as well. For those who actually care about these things, there must be a swift and noisy/visible protest. For those who only pretend to care, the overwhelming silence can be predicted.
First step: Write to School Committee and to local press. Show up at the next SC meeting. Speak at Public Comment.
Jun 25, 2019 7:00 PM
Regular Meeting - Aldermanic Chamber
Wow! Just when I thought Taymore couldn't sink any lower, she found a way.
What happened to Wille the custodian at MHS my co-worker told me CT sent him to another place. Is this another behavior because Wille is African American? One of the main reasons that employers hire the wrong person is because they are not patient. In Melrose there is pressure to fill a position quickly, it is CT results of hiring the wrong person-and that's where the trouble begins. A bad hire costs your district lots of money. Her lack in patients and more staff is a result in accidents and workers compensation in the schools.
Well, having too little patience is not why LR had his position eliminated. And he most certainly was the best of hires, and for many years at that, as any METCO student or parent can attest. CT was the "bad hire" and those that hired her were the bad elected officials. Eliminating this critically important man from the METCO administration will have very detrimental effects, as the district will soon discover. But then the administration/SC does this things without care or concern about the damage that results, while the (almost exclusively white) parents that support the SC/administration demonstrate their ignorance and lack of concern as well.
Did Coach Morris retire or was he told to get out?
The word is she only hires caucasian, only coming from Melrose, and many husband and wives in the system. So many conflicts of interest in the MPS.
Have gotten the direct scoop, as one of those involved.
Instead of trying to heal the racial divide in Melrose, CT continues to make it all worse, because she assumes no one cares about these things, and for the most part, she's correct. CT was told by the federal Office of Civil Rights that she was responsible for a pervasive atmosphere of racial hostility. She was ordered to correct it. She did not, and the School Committee fully supported her coverup and non-compliance. There have been many incidents since that Findings document that could have (and should have) been filed against the district.
Instead of listening to the outraged parents and staff about this excellent man and all he does for the students, CT decided to rub salt in the wound and insult this educator with a much lower paid position, which fortunately Mr. R declined.
There was nary a peep of outrage beyond the sphere of the METCO families. It can be virtually guaranteed that none of the OneM or MORE types (or their "brave" elected "leaders") will protest, because it doesn't fit the confines of the safe "social justice" that they pretend aligns with their "values." Frankly, even if METCO were to be eliminated by this idiotic and racist administration, there still wouldn't be outrage beyond a whimper of dismay at most.
Melrose is just so backwards, for all its cultural pretensions. So many parents and local voters here are so ignorant that they probably don't realize that METCO has brought a financial BENEFIT of cash every year to the district, one that CT has been raiding to the tune of at least a quarter of a million dollars off the top of the METCO payment from the state for her general coffers every year (though that's not supposed to be allowed).
Well METCO parents are continuing to scream about this latest racist move of CT (one that the school committee under its convicted felon chair is of course going to support with no questions asked).
@M Parent, your post is why when I hear Melrose is "Liberal" I disagree. Melrose is self centered, apathetic and racist. The racism is is dressed up as Other but it's there.
Saw where someone wanted a juneteenth celebration here. Great but another celebration, vigil or any symbolic action means NOTHING when there is no action whatsoever when a real challenge presents itself. Visiting the mosque for $25 doesn't make you a valiant citizen.
Saw where someone wanted a juneteenth celebration here. Great but another celebration, vigil or any symbolic action means NOTHING when there is no action whatsoever when a real challenge presents itself. Visiting the mosque for $25 doesn't make you a valiant citizen.
Getting yourself pictured at the Iftar or Human Rights Dinner, or carrying a banner at the MAAV Walk, or making sure your name is listed as contributing to the city's functionally illegal "Emergency Fund," or countless other superficial gestures does not negate the total refusal to step up about real time issues of racism and bigotry that are occurring in full view. It doesn't wipe away the hideous conduct of so many of those "One Melrose" fakes. It doesn't take away the trauma to the middle school girl who had hate notes stuck to her locker but was treated with dismissal and contempt by the administration that the One Fake Melrose types support (and reward with continuous raises) the way Trump demands in sick adulation from his cabinet and Pence.
Nothing has been made right for the young man who was told to go back to the plantation, or for all the classmates who observed this first-hand and then had to go on to MHS and still have the teacher who said such a horrible thing (because she obviously believed it and corroborated her own racism and hatred with many other such things) and who was promoted to the high school (from 8th grade) so she could have her dream job and then retire with a full pension (instead of being fired on the spot which was the only appropriate consequence). Nothing was made right for the many other METCO students or other students of color who continue to suffer the consequences of Melrose's pervasive atmosphere of racial hostility. Carrying banners and posting Rainbow pictures are supposed to prove the basic righteousness of the Melrose privileged who are determining that looking the other way at the real issues is not only perfectly fine, it's perfectly Victorian Fair, perfectly MAAV, perfectly ChamberofCommerce, perfectly "Human Rights Commission" or "Commission on Women" or "MORE" or perfectly ONEMelrose. It's sick and shameful.
You can look throughout power structure and find that the sickness of fakery and Othering and self-absorbed pretension permeates all of it, with very few exceptions. There are so many ways that supposedly politically correct Melrose is actually racist and bigoted, with a lockdown against real diversity, especially if it might involve any sort of criticism of its self-protective cabal.
How many of the perfect ONEs will show up to protest Mr. Richards' concealed firing (eliminating his position only to open up the same one again)? It will be a good day in Melrose when the answer to that question won't be so obvious. Come on, people. This is bad, bad stuff going on right under everyone's noses. Step up!
