http://melrosecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=2672
http://melrosecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=2632&Inline=True
Read and think. Maybe even dare to question....
Like this:
P. 7
JAMES T. PICONE INV 06/28/2016 SERVICES SYS-WIDE CONSULT SW 560.00
CHECK TOTAL
Why?
or this:
p. 52
HOLLENDER & CAREY, L.L.P. INV06/28/2017 4,725.00 LEGAL SERVICES FOR MAR
Why? What? March???? (billed at the end of June? why?)
or this:
p. 58
Secondary Schools Climate & Culture Action Plan
What is this supposed to be? Another federally mandated thing that will be done badly to satisfy the OCR requirements and do nothing to improve the climate?
p. 64
Field trip Policy: Inclusion/Funding
Another sham that means nothing. No "assistance" is offered to students who cannot afford the extravagant cost of so many trips now approved. No visible efforts to help those who should be/must be "included." Just another sham policy that the district has on the books because they have to but does not follow.
Speaking of out-of-state field trips:
How many heard about the DC Band trip and the complaints (several) filed by parents because of the grossly inappropriate conduct of the director?
That's right. You didn't hear, because it was covered up since this was another big fiasco that admin will hide. Why?
p. 70 Configuration of Instructional Programs
oh really?
p. 72 Cost of District Expansion Options
every taxpayer should be analyzing and paying attention!
Heavily skewed and nothing that should be trusted
p. 77
Process for evaluating superintendent
Everyone should pay attention if they care. This shows the way this school committee thinks and how the district has gotten to this awful point.
p. 79
Goals Update
????? Really?
p. 91 Smart Goals Update
For heaven's sake, really?
Don't expect transparency, honesty or truthfulness from this committee - they all march to the beat of the chairperson, Ms. Driscoll, Ms. Taymore, and Mayor - all bought and sold! They all have vested and personal interests in maintaining the status quo. It's a real shame since many of them are good people who really want to help our students but lack a backbone and the courage to change things for the better. Most of them have kids in the system so - don't expect any changes until things get much worse.
"many of them are good people who really want to help our students"
Please name one (or are you just trying to be polite?).
As far as many of us are concerned, they are all (all) self-serving, willfully ignorant and negligent, and purposely serving the will of the chair/mayor/superintendent for their own political agenda, even having been made aware, directly aware, by many other powerful agencies (OCR, Attorney General's Office) that they have supported and been part of an administration that has broken numerous laws, regulations, and even their own policies.
How does this equate to "good people who really want to help our students"? It certainly does not equate to that in any world where truth and justice, or even just the basic rule of law applies.
All that is hooey about "wanting to help our students," or "in the service of learning" and the other BS from people like Driscoll who punctuates every unctuous utterance with this nauseating lie.
"Superintendent Taymore provided a progress report of the progress, keeping in mind the elements and artifacts that have been determined to represent adequate progress."
Who the heck writes this stuff, Professor Irwin Corey? Jesus H. Christ.
Taymore has no experience as Super...so she relies on her friends and professional educational acquaintances for this type of verbiage. There is a superintendent click and organization where they help each other out - including the good, bad,and ugly. They don't much care how bad an administrator is - they will help her/him as much as possible. This is corruption at its worse - students are not their concern - money is the name of the game and protecting each other - same as in politics!
Also, I am giving some of the committee members the benefit of the doubt - but probably shouldn't.
Why is Dolan afraid of Taymore?
"Speaking of out-of-state field trips:
How many heard about the DC Band trip and the complaints (several) filed by parents because of the grossly inappropriate conduct of the director?
That's right. You didn't hear, because it was covered up since this was another big fiasco that admin will hide. Why?"
What is this about? Why throw a mysterious bomb out here and not say what happened? Why further cover up for the administration?
How about you do your own homework and ask around? There are strong reasons why this individual did not reveal more. It was a mess, there was totally inappropriate conduct from someone protected by the administration and some of the politically connected band parents (some of whom got patronage jobs in the district) and some who are linked to political powers in DC. 'Nuff said. Do your own homework. It's a cesspool, and that meeting packet reveals a tidy path to the idiocy and corruption that underline the whole business.
If the middle school field trip to NYC was mismanaged as alleged here, there ought to be some public accountability. The principal should have to explain to parents what happened and why. If there was wrongdoing, he should be held accountable, despite his closeness with CT (or his wife's shopping-buddy status with CT). Parents, demand this! Only if parents step forward will these things ever be corrected.
My child was on this field trip and had a wonderful time. I Had not heard of any issues from them or parents of other band students, and when I specifically asked both my child and other parents if anything had happened they said no. How could something so horrible have happened without the kids knowing anything about it?