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‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and Rober

Teacher Billie Lane’s portable is a world apart from other classrooms at her school.

She’s filled the space with toys from across the universe: Star Trek, Star Wars, Marvel, Transformers and Godzilla. Lane’s World, her students named it — an homage to the faux public-access TV hit.

The modular classroom at Kalles Junior High in Puyallup, Washington is her home. She’s taught in the box for 16 years.

And she takes care of it. But not every portable classroom is like hers.

“Some of them smell really bad,” she says. “Some of them, the lighting is really bad. It’s dark. It’s dank. And when it’s that kind of an atmosphere, it sets a tone for your meetings or for your classroom. It doesn’t feel very welcoming. It’s not a good place to be.”

The Puyallup School District where she teaches has 205 such boxes. They form 20 percent of the district’s classroom space. They hold more than 4,000 students — so many that a new high school, a new middle school and two elementary schools wouldn’t provide enough classroom space for them all.

The prefabricated structures come cheap and fast. They offer a lifeline for districts with more students than building capacity, a problem recent projections show will worsen in coming years. An estimated 385,000 portables are in use at schools across the country. But portable classrooms more often than not become permanent fixtures. The largest districts in Oregon and Washington now have thousands of them and a majority are more than 20 years old, data collected by InvestigateWest and EarthFix show.

Those short-term fixes can lead to chronic problems. They burden schools with high energy costs and frequent maintenance needs. They expose students and teachers to mold and mildew, poor ventilation and the potential for volatile gases from cheap building materials.

Shaylee Adams is one of Lane’s students. The 14-year-old has been in portables that were too hot, too cold, isolated and vulnerable during a school lockdown and ventilated so poorly they made her sick. She has some advice for students not as seasoned at learning inside the box:

“Bring water. Bring a jacket. Be prepared for loud noises. Basically, be prepared to be distracted a lot.”

Billie Lane helps a student during class.

Billie Lane helps a student during class.
Teaching permanently in temporary space

Rudy Fyles has watched Puyallup’s rural identity vanish as suburban sprawl has gobbled up its farmlands and open spaces. The number of students in the district has doubled, now more than 29,000 by the latest census count, since Fyles entered the district 18 years ago.

That shift left Fyles, the district’s chief operations officer, in a dilemma familiar to many school administrators — for just one-third of the up-front costs of new construction, portables were an affordable way to add classrooms.

But over time, they’ve come to cost twice as much as brick-and-mortar school rooms while offering much less than traditional buildings.

Tear open a portable and often you will find cheap plywood, particle board, insulating foams and glues — the modular industry often builds to order, and school budgets are tight. Construct four walls and a roof from that, expose it to the elements for a decade longer than intended and watch your energy and maintenance costs soar. (Story continues below.)

EXPLORE the database EarthFix created with InvestigateWest to see what the portable situation is like in your school district

project_portables_08
Click anywhere on image to start comparing school districts’ portable usage.

Portables are often charged residential electricity rates because they are separate from the rest of the school. Those can be 25 to 30 percent higher than the rest of the school’s.

“There’s a reason they cost a third of what another building would cost,” Fyles says.

Students and teachers say the learning experience in portables is compromised by poor lighting, erratic temperatures and noisy heating and air conditioning. The structures often are relegated to soggy fields or parking lots, near noise and vehicle exhaust.

As long as Lane is left to teach for years in a space built for temporary use, she sees no end in sight to distracted students or lost money.

“I’ve been pretty lucky in the portable that I’ve had,” Lane says. “But I know that there are cases around the district where they’ve had to go in and do some of those things, some deep cleaning of portables and other things because of mold or other unknown substances that are in there that are making people sick.”
Dave Blake of the Northwest Clean Air Agency and Mike Anderson of Bellingham Public Schools test a portable for carbon dioxide levels.

Katie Campbell/EarthFix

Dave Blake of the Northwest Clean Air Agency and Mike Anderson of Bellingham Public Schools test a portable for carbon dioxide levels.
Ghostbusters

Dave Blake totes a black bag stuffed with strange equipment through Geneva Elementary in Bellingham, Washington. A small entourage trails him down a hallway loud and crowded before recess.

A student asks who they are.

Blake’s reply, quick and rehearsed: “Ghostbusters.”

He’s looking for something you can’t see but, if you know about it, it will scare you.

Blake specializes in indoor air for the Northwest Clean Air Agency. He and his mentor Rich Prill, a retired indoor air specialist for Washington State University, have walked through thousands of classrooms and held seminars on the topic.

Experts like them have only recently begun to quantify indoor air pollution and its effects on student performance. Blake says they can dramatically improve air quality in just an afternoon, but the people who do their work in Washington can be counted on one hand.

“If you don’t look, you don’t know,” Blake says. “We’ve been into schools that were in very bad shape and by the end of the day, it’s a completely different story.”

On a rainy day, standing water surrounds Geneva Elementary’s portables. Their siding is weathered and ready to be replaced, Blake says.

Inside one, Blake pulls instruments from his bag to demonstrate one by one what he can detect in a classroom.

First he uses his nose.

“If you can smell the humanity and taste the humidity, you know you have a ventilation issue,” Blake says.

Next comes a device that resembles a remote control and detects carbon dioxide (CO2) levels.

He runs a wire through what looks like a windsock and holds one end to the CO2 monitor, the other to the ceiling vent. The tool, which Prill sewed for him from a lampshade, funnels air directly into the device for a better reading.

Blake uses carbon dioxide as an indicator of whether enough fresh air passes through a room or if students are breathing germs, allergens and chemicals that accumulate in stagnant air. All of these trigger asthma — one of the leading causes of both school absences and child hospitalizations.

When Blake started this work in 1995, Bellingham opened its doors to him first. It was a courageous move, he says. For most schools throughout Oregon and Washington — and the rest of the country — there is no Dave Blake. There is no ghostbuster to call.

“What’s the big whoop about indoor air? I had no clue,” Blake says. “You have to be trained to know that indoor air is important. And indoor air is always worse than outside air with very few exceptions.”
The siding rots off a portable classroom in Bellingham, Washington. Mold grows in the siding.

Katie Campbell/EarthFix

The siding rots off a portable classroom in Bellingham, Washington. Mold grows in the siding.
The bearers of bad news

Indoor air quality problems are widespread in schools across the country, according to Brenda Doroski, director of the Center for Asthma and Schools at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Issues include poor ventilation, mold, and radon in addition to improper use or storage of chemicals and pesticides, she says.

The first and only large-scale study of portable classrooms in particular was done by the California Air Resources Board in 2004, in response to numerous complaints.

The study found inadequate fresh air during 40 percent of classroom hours. It also found higher levels of formaldehyde — a chemical used in building materials linked to cancer and childhood asthma — that exceeded the state’s chronic exposure limits in nearly all portable classrooms. Levels in portables also more frequently exceeded acute exposure limits designed to protect against respiratory problems.

Such problems occur in all types of classrooms, particularly those where maintenance has lagged, but experts say they find them more often in portables.

“Formaldehyde levels were a little higher in the portables, some of the ventilation issues were greater, the lighting, moisture problems were a little greater,” says Peggy Jenkins, one of the study’s authors. “It did point to maybe the need for better maintenance and care for our classrooms.”

Since then, California and the federal government have adopted standards limiting formaldehyde emissions from wood products. The federal standards haven’t yet been fully implemented, and the majority of portables in use throughout the Northwest were constructed before such standards existed. Newer classrooms tend to have more gas emissions, experts say. Around 10 percent of portables in Oregon and Washington’s largest districts are newer than five years old.

No follow-up studies have been done since 2004 in or outside of California. The levels of such chemicals in Northwest classrooms remain a mystery.

Carbon dioxide levels have been studied. Separate analyses from Portland State University and Tacoma-Pierce County Health showed carbon dioxide levels in portable classrooms consistently exceeded what engineers consider acceptable carbon dioxide levels.

When those levels go up, student performance suffers.

Research has shown even moderately high carbon dioxide concentrations can significantly impair decision-making. Another study, which Blake co-authored, showed attendance in Washington and Idaho classrooms suffered with increased CO2. The problem worsened in portables, but the authors are unsure why.

“It could have been from volatile organic compounds, could have been the building materials, could have been mold and moisture issues,” Blake says.
Students in Billie Lane’s portable classroom at Kalles Junior High in Puyallup. More than 20 percent of Puyallup’s classrooms are in modular, relocatable classrooms rather than permanent building space.

Katie Campbell/EarthFix

Students in Billie Lane’s portable classroom at Kalles Junior High in Puyallup. More than 20 percent of Puyallup’s classrooms are in modular, relocatable classrooms rather than permanent building space.
‘Portables, they need to go’

If Shaylee Adams wasn’t such a good student, maybe she wouldn’t have gotten sick so often in fourth grade.

“I was probably sick for maybe like three months out of the school year,” she says. “Like three or four months.”

Adams qualified for Puyallup’s Quest program offering accelerated courses. The program put her in a portable all day.

Then came high fevers, coughing and swelling. But at the end of the year, she got better.

“We figured out that part of the reason was because the building at my school and the portable at Quest was making me sick,” she says.

She and two classmates in Lane’s World, Brandon Silowka and Hannah Peterson, have floated in and out of portables throughout their education. They recall classes so cold they wore jackets and saw their breath and classes so hot they shoved desks aside and laid on the floor. One portable lost power every couple weeks.

“Portables are definitely a problem,” Silowka says.

“Portables, they need to go,” Adams says.

For Hannah, a quiet girl who doesn’t say much until Shaylee and Brandon have left, it’s more personal than that.

“It feels as though we’re not their top priority anymore,” she adds. “Like the district doesn’t care enough about the students to take the temporary structure and make it something more permanent where we don’t have to worry about a dog barking outside and the teacher doesn’t have to stop and wait for the bus to go by. So … it feels as though we’ve been kind of pushed off to the side.”
Failed bonds

Rudy Fyles and the rest of Puyallup’s school administrators say they care about their students. They just don’t see any alternative.

Requirements for all-day kindergarten and for smaller class sizes will force the district to add portable classrooms — even if the district’s student enrollment were to hold steady.

On top of these mandates there are also demographic reports showing the district will have to absorb 2,000 more students over the next five years.

When Kalles Junior High moved into a new building a few years ago, it was already over capacity. Billie Lane’s portable came with her.

Puyallup voters haven’t passed a bond for new construction in a decade. A bond for over $259 million failed two times in 2007. In 2010? Failed. 2013? Failed.

Thinking about that brings Lane, the only teacher on Puyallup’s bond advisory committee, to tears.

“Our priorities are messed up. Excuse me, this is going to bother me a little bit,” she says. “I don’t understand how we can spend money on sports arenas and on prisons and on so many things that have such a big ticket item to it, and we will not put that money towards our kids.”

Without her students in the room, she wonders aloud what message these classrooms send to them. Maybe they’ll see how they were treated and perpetuate it. Maybe they’ll take it as a challenge to their generation. She hopes it’s the second.

“I don’t know what to do,” she says. “ I’m not giving up.”



Written by Tony Schick. Reported by Schick, Ashley Ahearn, Katie Campbell, Kim Drury and Robert McClure. Audio report by Ahearn. Video by Campbell. Interactive graphic by Schick with data from InvestigateWest.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

School Committee June 11 Special Meeting
https://vimeo.com/170310856

Bad Joke/Misrepresentation #1: Driscoll starts with "The School Committee is here today [Saturday] to learn about the options we have for education in Melrose." Nope. It was already a done deal and this was just another School Committee charade to pretend that public input was being sought and had any impact whatsoever. Believe these mirages at your peril.

Driscoll continues (with frequent swallowing and tongue clicks for officious emphasis). Watch the very beginning for the closeups of MD and CT, with a lot of bizarre facial expressions from both, and some interesting gestures of CT.

As this bad movie continues, the camera feasts itself on The Panel: McGlaughlin, Gaffey, Taymore, Driscoll and Dolan, all taking turns bloviating. This was no "public forum." This was a prefab show designed to showcase Dolan's "plan" (make no mistake, this was his plan and his alone). The castrated school committee has no real authority now. It's all just a show where they wind up the chair to do her bizarre officious thing, while the super makes sour faces and the rest either sit there doing nothing or in this case Casatelli runs up with little slips of paper from the "audience" (because that is how they are viewed). Any substantive questions (required to have been submitted in advance, naturally) were left on the cutting-room floor, with no intent (ever) to acknowledge or address them.

Notice the dance around the fact that they plan to seek a $3 million bond (at least--more than Dolan/MEF's Failed Override!) for these modular buildings that are not designed to be in use for longer than 10 years but would be paid for on a 20-year plan. These substandard structures represent a major new cost to taxpayers, a poorly conceived investment with returns that won't equal the cost, and that in the end are a stopgap measure that reveals the lousy planning of those tasked with managing the resources. None of the other "options" were ever considered with any seriousness, quite obviously. Taymore gave a lot of silly rationale about, for example, how important it is for the kindergartners (the "babies") to get to be read to by the 4th-graders, as a reason why K students shouldn't be placed in separate buildings (like at ECC or Beebe). Silliness and not worthy as an actual argument.

There was a litany of other flimsy "reasons" for invalidating all other options, and big bloviation over and over again from Dolan about his one option of choice (modulars). The arguments most insulting to our collective intelligence were their "protection" of "neighborhood schools" and "choice," neither of which are actually real now and haven't been for years. Then there was CT's silly "concern" about having 4 elementary schools on one side of her imaginary "line" and two others (Hoover and Lincoln) on the other side, if the ECC option was to be considered. Also interesting the flimsy argument against placing a modular at Hoover (because of all the "difficulty" getting children "up there.") Ridiculous.

Also notable was CT's euphemistic way of referring to the kinds of families with children buying houses (and renting), many down near Lincoln, those "first generation families" she referred to in her not very subtle way of distinguishing these "Other" families from everyone else. Not hard to see how the Melrose Public School system has earned its designation as a "racially hostile environment"!

They also danced around the "difficulty" of enrollment projections or in having strategic long-range planning, which was a cheezy way of admitting that they had failed miserably despite all their phony focus groups and pretend (pre-cooked) 5- and 10-year planning efforts. They even paid a consultant to do an "enrollment study," though of course it was a poorly done one that relied on The Word as spoken by the local realtors (known for their unbiased and intellectually strong assessments when it comes to education in Melrose).

For anyone who wonders, this sham did not constitute a legitimate public process where real options and public input were considered fairly. In the School Committee choosing to do this at 8 am on a June Saturday morning at a building with insufficient parking and with only canned questions it should not be a mystery that the canned choice resulted.

If there's any good news, it is that this latest scheme has not yet been approved by the Board of Aldermen, who will have to determine whether they will scrutinize with due diligence or just rubber-stamp another large bond. Contact your aldermen (if you care) and tell them to Just Say No. This One Plan (kind of like the One Ring) isn't the only option, despite the propagandized hysteria over the contrived school budget crisis. Make them do their actual work and come up with real options via a real and public process.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Yeah, They Have to Go, starting with Taymore and on down through the whole mess of non-leaders, elected and hired. And yeah, modulars are a lousy answer to a question that shows just how incompetent our city management has been.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

So if the city kept the Beebe and Ripley as swing space (that was exactly what they've told us most emphatically they were doing) for when the district might need to place students there during an enrollment bubble, it is totally bogus that those buildings are not even considered for this purpose now. Sure, the measly bucks the city gets for rental is income, technically, but the city could have sold those properties for considerable revenue if they were never actually going to consider using them for their own students again. And if these buildings are okay for special needs students, why aren't they okay for regular students? Don't answer with that "SmartBoards need to be in every classroom" BS! Most of the Melrose classrooms barely even use those stupid things. Why don't the special needs students (many of whom are "our own" as Dolan wants to remind us when it suits his various political purposes) merit those "essentials," if in fact that's what they are deemed to be? And besides, they could put a few DumbBoards in the Beebe classrooms for a heck of a lot less than $3 million!

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

One important thing you are all missing is this fact: the portable classrooms are being purchased by a city bond while any other alternative solution would involve budget dollars they don't have! Simple as that! And you are correct - the portable classrooms are not the best alternative solution to school space issues - but then - be thankful we have an education mayor - who is the smartest guy in the room.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Still waiting for the mayor to explain how a school currently in use (The Beebe) would need well over 2 million dollars to put back on line. Notice how he never explained why or how an active school could need 2 million to bring on line. If anything, the standards for special needs kids are even higher than that of other students, yet the school has served the SEEM students well for several years now. What's up??

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Connect the dots
Still waiting for the mayor to explain how a school currently in use (The Beebe) would need well over 2 million dollars to put back on line. Notice how he never explained why or how an active school could need 2 million to bring on line. If anything, the standards for special needs kids are even higher than that of other students, yet the school has served the SEEM students well for several years now. What's up??


It's only about 8 mos ago that Rob said (in public places) numerous times that it would be about $800,000 to bring Beebe online (and even that is absurd for a school already functioning as such). This guy knows no bounds when it comes to tall tales, and same goes for the yes-people he surrounds himself with. They are so tangled up with deceit that they can't even keep their own stories straight! Out with them!

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Melrose Resident
One important thing you are all missing is this fact: the portable classrooms are being purchased by a city bond while any other alternative solution would involve budget dollars they don't have! Simple as that!


Say what? Who pays for the bond?

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Do yourself a favor and do a google search on "modular classrooms", now look at images. Do you really want one of these hanging off the back of your neighborhood elementary school? Mr. Mayor: Is this worthy of the "hottest zip code in the country"?

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Hello to all you folks out there, hope you are enjoying the summer, it will be a great summer for all of us. We all have opinions and they are all important. This issue is important to all of us, not only the students, tax payers, its the health and safety of our children, learning in our mobile school rooms. Maybe, our mayor is smart enough to make sure that these buildings or mobile homes however you want to call them, are teaching our children will be above anything else. What am I talking about? I'm talking about air quality, heating, lighting, and the air conditioning. And the question that might come out of this, is will our children come down with more illnesses due to these mobile school rooms? I hope not, but maybe the bigger question of all this, did our elected officials, put their fingers in the air to see which way some parents, younger about their children going to the middle school. What do I mean by that? It's very simple, it's happened to the fifth graders at the middle school. Personally I'm a parent and my children have graduated from MHS, I think it's more fair to the parents than the children being at the middle school. Nobody has talked about this at the meetings, so I'm throwing it out here tonight, and let me give you all a good message about this, you should sit here and think about it. I've been through all this, what is better? Moving these children into the middle school which would be the fifth grade, or putting us children in these portable class rooms? I want to remind you all, doesn't really matter to me, because my children are no longer in the Melrose Public School system, they have all graduated. We may have a lot of options, but the question has come, has all of our politicians; our mayor, the school committee, and you know what the board of alderman, they may not agree with me but you know what folks? They approve how much money will be given to the melrose public school system. I know it's summer time, but don't worry I'll repost this later sometime in september when the time is right. There is a really big question here; the health of our students, the health of our faculty, that's really important here. Because we don't want children missing school because of the environment that they are in. We don't want teachers missing school because of the environment that they are in because they are sick. So let me make this message real clear, to all, but to one person especially; Mayor Dolan you're a good man, you're a family man, for sake of everything, please go look back at it may be easier more affordable, we have two school buildings that we seem to be using for revenue that the city makes, the costs of bringing these schools that need to be brought up to, could be $500,000 or could be $1,000,000 it may be cheaper in the long run to do that. But maybe the bigger question becomes here, maybe you've forgotten what you said in public. You may not like what's being said on here tonight, but you have to remember one thing, this is the freedom of speech. You may be able to do whatever you want to do, and I have to tell you tonight, it's just my opinion. I think that you are holding this against all the tax payers of melrose, that vote against the override. Don't worry Mr. Mayor, anybody in this community can beat you for your position. And it sure as hell won't be anybody from the board of alderman. You didn't do your homework, when you put the override in and people could vote on it. I could tell you this for sure, you advised it was not a good idea. But who am i? I am a tax payer. But I am also a person that has had a very entertaining time walking around this community and have had a chance to talk to a lot of people. It may ignore you what I have said tonight, but I don't care. When was the last time you walked around this whole community? To find out what people really think? You know the answer to that, I don't. But I can tell you this one thing for sure, I have this wonderful dog, and I've had a lot of walks, not only in melrose, stoneham, wakefield, and I have to tell you, I've had a lot of great conversations about what's going on in the melrose public school system. Mr. Mayor you have to remember one thing, remember when you ran for the school committee, ran for alderman at large and lastly remember when you ran for mayor? You walked around this community, and you knew how they felt. My thought it, when was the last time you did that? I know you'll never answer it. I don't expect you to answer it. But heres a funny part about the whole thing, when you thought the override would go through, it didn't. What that tells the whole community, you never did the walk. You thought because you were mayor, you had it in the bag, that's just my opinion, maybe I'm wrong. Let me leave you with these words, the voters spoke, loud and clear, you play all the games you want to play with our community because people don't forget. Remember that last election, what was that 5,000 votes you got? Not a high number, to me people are not backing you like they used to. Lets get back to something that's important. The conversation should get opened up, do they really need to use these portable school rooms? Or could we use one of these schools that we have, spend a little money and open them what we need them for. It's not about the short term, it's about the long term, we have to remember, you're a very smart man, I know that. These portable rooms are going to cost a lot more money over the next five years. Run the numbers, Mr. Mayor. I know it, you know it and the rest of the community will know it. The Beebee school is probably a starting point, its either $800,000 or $1,000,000. None of us in this community are dumb. It's only a thought, a concern, where it goes from here it goes. A lot of us have thought about going to a school committee meeting but I figured I would get cut off because when you guys don't hear what you want to hear you shut them down. The problem you have now, its out here on the internet. And you cannot shut me down. Keep one thing in mind, I have nothing but respect for all. Remember I'm a parent and a tax payer. As a tax payer I don't put my hand in the air to see which way it's going and as a parent I don't put my finger in the air to see which way it's going. Maybe we're using these two buildings that we have the beebee and franklin as a money source, if that the case I guess you're taking us for a bunch of fools here, let me add one more thing to this, I want to see us do the right thing in the short term and long run, I think we made a hasty decision already, but maybe that goes back to all the zoning changes we made over the past 5 years. It shows you how deep can you go.... we bought into these zoning changes, that would not affect how many children will be attending the melrose school systems, it would not be a problem. I guess we bought into the politician in us, don't worry about it it wont happen. Thanks a lot, but it has happened, now we have a big problem. We have our backs up against the wall, we need to do something. I guess we've had too much growth over the past 15 years. Now we're going to pay the price. Okay that's it, you all take care, thank you.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

To the previous poster: Here is a lesson for you:

At the dedication of the Gettysburg battlefield on November 19, 1863, two speakers spoke, one Edward Everett, who spoke for 2 hours, the other was Abraham Lincoln, the President, who spoke for several minutes. Nobody remembers Everett's speech, while everyone remembers Lincoln's speech. Lesson: Brevity has its moments!

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Right on MFD.This is a forum, not a blog.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

We agree on sumptin' MFD!!
Before I read anything on here, I scroll down to see how long it is. The post you replied to, and the original one on this string were definite 'nos'.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Red Neck dreams
Do yourself a favor and do a google search on "modular classrooms", now look at images. Do you really want one of these hanging off the back of your neighborhood elementary school? Mr. Mayor: Is this worthy of the "hottest zip code in the country"?


I can't believe the "Yes" folks and MEF mommies want one of these trailers hooked up behind their tidy little neighborhood elementary school.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

You know folks, we all have to be honest with ourselves, that includes every single person that lives here in melrose. If they have children in the melrose public school system or they don't. Or if they have graduated from the melrose public school systems. Do we want trailers, or do we not want trailers as classrooms? Here's the problem. We have our backs up against the wall, there are only two choices; either we move the fifth graders to the middle school or we have these portable classroom trailers. Here's a thought for all of you, it's not how it affects the child, believe it or not, how it affects mom and dad. Yes, you mom and dad. The child will adjust to this very quickly. But you, no. Because your child has gone from grammar school to middle school. My message would be, please grow up, isn't it like you taking a job somewhere and not having an idea of what lies ahead and taking the risks? I think so. Know why? Because of the reward, having that paycheck with benefits. The difference here is in the quality of education, and experience that these children will receive. Personally I just don't have a vision of these portable classrooms. They're going to bond them, so the money has to come from somewhere overtime. I'm sure it'll come from the school department and not the city side. But maybe I'm wrong, that's a good question that needs to be answered. For those of you, that don't like to read long things, move on. Because I'm talking about the truth. It's not about Abraham Lincoln or anybody else, our president at one time. It's not a question of who's going to remember this. It's a question of some of you folks get more involved, but how can that happen? A lot of you are away on vacation for the summer, so we have a disconnect here.So when you come back home, and you see these new classrooms and these parking lots at these elementary schools, do us all a favor and don't complain about it. Because some of you could have the courage to say that it'll affect us mom and dad and not the children. I want to give a little credit to where it is deserved tonight; our mayor didn't vote in favor of this, and I think that he has a vision that a lot of other people may have. I want to give credit to another person. The person that I spoke to on Sunday, that's on the Melrose school committee by the old johnny foodmasters which is whole foods now. I think from what I understood from our conversation was that the members of the melrose school committee went by what they heard from us younger moms and dads, where the children are not even near entering the melrose middle school. Some of you might not like what I am speaking about, it is just my opinion. The bigger question may be here, our backs are up against the wall, but is it too late to make a decision here and go forward and do something that would be better for the education of these children. I know this is long, but I know none of you could sum this up any better, if you can, good luck. Because there is one thing that speaks for itself here. Let's talk about the real truth here about the whole thing, for those of you that can't read something long, take the time to read it. You might learn something. You either agree or disagree, that's fine. Let me tell you one more thing; all my children have graduated from the melrose public school systems, why am i taking the time to do this? It's a very simple answer, I still care. It is easy to talk about nothing out here, but we have to talk about the future. And for some of you, maybe that does not exist. What do I mean by that? Don't be quick to criticize. Because criticizing somebody else without experiencing what children do without going through the melrose public school systems means they have not done it. I am not trying to be mean here, but it's easy to get behind a keyboard and type. So let me leave you with this thought, for those of you who care, make those phone calls, those emails, visiting our politicians that have made these decisions, why? Simple. It has an effect, not only on you, their appearance in this community and how it looks at these schools. What do i mean by that? Trailer park. What is the impact of these children learning, if these trailers are parked in parking lots with cars coming and going. It's just a thought. Before any of you respond to this, please take the time to think about all of this. I didn't do this to criticize anybody, I did this because I am a parent. I am a tax payer. We can't just have a one way street, this is a two way street. And for those of you that are in a position maybe you can turn the heat up a little bit, where these folks will look at this whole thing and do things differently. That is the way that things work here in Melrose. I've been here a long time. And no matter how you look at it, sometimes it's just a phone call, sometimes it's a small gathering of people, and things get resolved. Let's talk about the truth. That is all this is about. Let me leave you with this thought; maybe this decision should have been made about eh trailers about three months ago, not this late in the year when people are gone. Okay folks, please enjoy the summer. Be safe. We definitely have a heat wave coming our way. Thank you.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

I know that I have said this previously - but I guess it deserves repeating based on the previous poster. Not sure if she/he is the same person but I guess eventually this person will get the hint - at least if they are intelligent enough to comprehend the meaning of my comment.

"At the dedication of the Gettysburg battlefield on November 19, 1863, two speakers spoke, one Edward Everett, who spoke for 2 hours, the other was Abraham Lincoln, the President, who spoke for several minutes. Nobody remembers Everett's speech, while everyone remembers Lincoln's speech. Lesson: Brevity has its moments!"

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Ted likes to ramble- and likes to use multiple names.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Whatever direction the City chose to address the overcrowding problem the anonymous complainers would find fault with it. Thats what they do. The boob who rambled on is a classic example of a do nothing loser with a room temperature IQ that shows up at school committee meetings and posts on this blog like he's an expert...even though he is barely functional in his own life...the poster child for Melrose Messages.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

"The person that I spoke to on Sunday, that's on the Melrose school committee by the old johnny foodmasters which is whole foods now."

So the School Committee is by Whole Foods? Eh what?

Ted, or Ted-relative, please stop.

There are many things about the whole sick tamale that deserve serious attention. Your rambling incoherent rants do nothing to further any awareness, and in fact just make the string into a mockery. You mean well, but really, you need to stop. Your rants are cannon fodder for Clown/Vuvu fools.

And no, by the way, the mayor did not oppose this crazy plan. This was his plan and that's why the rest are going along with it. No, moving the 5-8 students is not the only option. This was all just part of the bulldozing of the administration to make it seem like they've chosen the One True Path. It is wrong and they are wrong. There was no process and there is no validity to the arguments. It was all just another part of Robbie's plan to punish the community for failing to go along with his stupid override. Now he wants to hose us with an even bigger expense, and he'll ram this through unless people wake up and smell the Corruption.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Unbaked, The moron above is the poster child for you and your merry band of fools. Its more of the same ignorant, semi-anonymous ranting and ravings from a group of people whose personal lives are a train wreck, living in falling down houses, pretending they have a clue about running a City. If the City moved the 5th and 8th graders you morons would have been up in arms, if they re-opened the Beebe or shut down the Pre-K program at Franklin you morons would have complained. Go mow your lawn and scrape the peeling paint off your house. Leave the management of the City to the people who had the guts to run for office.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

has changing the charter helped the taxpayers or your "profile in courage" band of heroes?

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

MFD
I know that I have said this previously - but I guess it deserves repeating based on the previous poster. Not sure if she/he is the same person but I guess eventually this person will get the hint - at least if they are intelligent enough to comprehend the meaning of my comment.


This person is highly unlikely to get the hint at this point. I have been asking him/her to cease these incoherent ramblings for months, and all that's changed is the use of multiple screen names. Whoever this is quite clearly has some issues, and his/her complete inability to properly form a sentence or present a coherent thought only causes me to totally ignore the entire post.

Unfortunately, these incoherent posts open the door for Clown Patrol to post more of his/her ignorant vitriol, so this one time I actually did wade through the entire post, and it seems to me that whoever it is is actually more likely to be a Dolan supporter than a critic.

Still, you have to ask yourself - how did this person ever manage to graduate from high school (assuming he/she actually did graduate)? Then I realized - he/she must have gone to Melrose High.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Other towns that have been forced into using modulars have done so because they had no other available permanent buildings to use. Melrose, on the other hand, has three schools currently being used for other purposes - Franklin, Beebe, and Ripley. The administration argument seems to be that using any of those would cost the city whatever "rental" or "tuition" income the city currently gets from them, and that there would be costs associated with bringing them up to "standard". That's true - but balanced against the bond cost to purchase these modulars, not using them makes no fiscal sense at all. Melrose does not have a building space problem. Melrose has a leadership problem.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

I am far from an expert in this area - so I am not sure what the best course of action would be in regards to school space issues. I know that many communities including those that surround Melrose use these portable classrooms to adjust to peaks & valleys of school enrollment. And I personally know that Bedford uses them successfully and they continue to expand their use for over-crowding until they come up with long term solutions. Sounds familiar to what we have in Melrose. I addition, many of the state community colleges use portable classrooms so there is nothing unique about their use to deal with temporary over-crowding.

Concerning environmental issues involving portable classrooms, from what I can research, these are now bogus issues - and any issues that once occurred with them have been corrected as their use has increased in education.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

MFD, they are going to kick you out of the Bozo Club for that response. Any post not slamming Melrose for any decision they make warrants immediate confiscation of your rubber nose, suspenders and rubber feet. Rule #1 of being a full fledged member of the Bozo Brigade is to never use rational thought when it comes to a post. One more post like this and you will have to earn your way back to being the baton holder at the next Clown Parade.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

I try to be balanced - although with the school leadership we have currently - I get stressed to be balanced.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

MFD
I know that many communities including those that surround Melrose use these portable classrooms to adjust to peaks & valleys of school enrollment. And I personally know that Bedford uses them successfully and they continue to expand their use for over-crowding until they come up with long term solutions. Sounds familiar to what we have in Melrose.


Melrose has three existing permanent perfectly serviceable buildings that should be used. Bedford does not. It's not the same circumstance at all. Sure, use modulars if you have no alternative. Melrose does have alternatives - three of them, named Ripley, Beebe, and Franklin.

Has anyone noticed that Clown Patrol never ever actually responds to any legitimate point made? Instead, what you get from this nitwit is a rehash of every nasty comment he/she has ever made. His tactic is simple - if you can't dispute the message, attack the messenger. Right out of the Dolan playbook.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Mayor D said at the public meeting (where the public was not allowed to speak or engage verbally in questions and answers), that he prefers the mods because they can be bought using bonds. (Oh, honey, we can't afford that, let's put it on our credit card instead.) Of course, they will screw up this purchase as well. Probably buying bells and whistles they don't need or use (smart boards anyone?) and not paying for the right basics (air conditioning, running water, drains (think new science labs) because whoever they pick to choose the mods will know nothing about them and won't do any research. Like everyone else in this administration they will be posers too. Acting like they know everything when they know nothing.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Ahhh...Waka, Waka, Waka...

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

A ten-year bond for five-year buildings - with three perfectly serviceable buildings available. What's wrong with this picture?

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

We don't have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem. Why is that so hard for some people to understand?

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Melrose Resident
One important thing you are all missing is this fact: the portable classrooms are being purchased by a city bond while any other alternative solution would involve budget dollars they don't have! Simple as that! And you are correct - the portable classrooms are not the best alternative solution to school space issues - but then - be thankful we have an education mayor - who is the smartest guy in the room.
I'll come back & read this whole thread later but I do want to say that I was very glad that the overcrowding solution was paid by bond. And more importantly, resting upon the heads of the students who are actually causing the overcrowding. The K & other elementary students as they move forward in grades.

Before you think that I sound harsh, I have gotten disturbed by the older students of the middle school & most especially the HS paying the price for the "young families." So many decisions have been made in this city to placate these young families at the expense of families with older children or grown children. To even consider sending 8th graders to HS is abominable.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Not even gonna read ...
Melrose Resident
One important thing you are all missing is this fact: the portable classrooms are being purchased by a city bond while any other alternative solution would involve budget dollars they don't have! Simple as that! And you are correct - the portable classrooms are not the best alternative solution to school space issues - but then - be thankful we have an education mayor - who is the smartest guy in the room.
I'll come back & read this whole thread later but I do want to say that I was very glad that the overcrowding solution was paid by bond. And more importantly, resting upon the heads of the students who are actually causing the overcrowding. The K & other elementary students as they move forward in grades.

Before you think that I sound harsh, I have gotten disturbed by the older students of the middle school & most especially the HS paying the price for the "young families." So many decisions have been made in this city to placate these young families at the expense of families with older children or grown children. To even consider sending 8th graders to HS is abominable.


To above, I totally agree. They actually cut staff at the high school, so they could keep funding their elementary "curriculum coaches", which is ridiculous.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

More "curriculum coaches" - code word for lack of competence? Didn't the current rating performance of teachers by the school admin staff indicate that over 18% of the teachers "Need Improvement"? Why bother firing or sending them to professional development seminars when you can just give them more "curriculum coaches"!

It seems a shame that it is much easier to move them aside, pay them full salary, and give them these curriculum coaches than to fire them - since the union would be dragging the admin staff to court.Why the hell do we still have these unions? Has anyone noticed that when Taymore is challenged about these issues and moving staff around, she always resorts to - "We need to check with the union first"!

We didn't vote for the union to control our school system - did we? Why should they have a voice in how our schools are run?

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

The reality is, there are many, many people working in the Melrose Public School system that have no qualifications for the job they hold, but were given the job anyway because they are from Melrose. This has been going on forever.

I'm surprised none of these young, college educated elementary parents haven't noticed how many paras are just local moms with no background in education , that were just handed the job because some former principal thought they were a team player and would get along with the teaching staff. If you advertised for their job on School Spring, you would get dozens of qualified applicants , many certified teachers and people with experience working with special needs students. Instead, you have a local mom who is supposed to be delivering special education services to a child with a learning disability, with no training at all. The real losers are the kids.

Look around....half of the teachers and administrators working in the MPS live in Melrose. Some are excellent at their jobs, but many are terrible. Many are people that would never have been hired in another, better performing district.

Adding another layer of unsupervised support staff to prop up underperforming teachers, rather than focus on hiring practices and holding principals responsible for being unable to recruit, identify, and retain qualified teachers.....that is the mark of an inneffective superintendent . The fact that she cut high school staff to afford to do this is unbelievable .

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Do you really think the principals have the final call on these positions? Look at the most recent elevation of five Melrose residents to plum administrative positions: Business manager, high school principal and two assistant principals, and athletic/phys ed. director. All Melrose insiders and all clearly selected for their political allegiance to the dear leader. What do you expect, with the defacto school committee chairman having complete control of the committee and superintendent? When Taymore's fate is now completely dependent on the whim of the mayor, wouldn't you hire his recommendations for these positions?

Again, democracy run amuck in Melrose: The mayor influences the board of alderman to make a democratically elected school committee seat his alone via changes to the city charter. The city solicitor says "no problem here" and now we have the inevitable result of a once independent school committee under the complete control of a tyrant. And how is that working out for the Melrose taxpayers and the kids??

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Making out pretty good I'd say. I voted for Dolan every election, am happy with my kids education and love living in Melrose.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Whoopie. I didn't. I'm not. I don't.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Reality
The reality is, there are many, many people working in the Melrose Public School system that have no qualifications for the job they hold, but were given the job anyway because they are from Melrose. This has been going on forever.

I'm surprised none of these young, college educated elementary parents haven't noticed how many paras are just local moms with no background in education , that were just handed the job because some former principal thought they were a team player and would get along with the teaching staff. If you advertised for their job on School Spring, you would get dozens of qualified applicants , many certified teachers and people with experience working with special needs students. Instead, you have a local mom who is supposed to be delivering special education services to a child with a learning disability, with no training at all. The real losers are the kids.

Look around....half of the teachers and administrators working in the MPS live in Melrose. Some are excellent at their jobs, but many are terrible. Many are people that would never have been hired in another, better performing district.

Adding another layer of unsupervised support staff to prop up underperforming teachers, rather than focus on hiring practices and holding principals responsible for being unable to recruit, identify, and retain qualified teachers.....that is the mark of an inneffective superintendent . The fact that she cut high school staff to afford to do this is unbelievable .
. That was a very insulting statement you made about the hard working paras that work in the MPS. They make 12.00 an hour so do you really think someone with a masters degree will do this job for this pay! I almost forgot they get to do cafeteria lunch duty , cover classes,etc. l am sure certified teachers are all applying for the para positions. Haha

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Para
Reality
The reality is, there are many, many people working in the Melrose Public School system that have no qualifications for the job they hold, but were given the job anyway because they are from Melrose. This has been going on forever.

I'm surprised none of these young, college educated elementary parents haven't noticed how many paras are just local moms with no background in education , that were just handed the job because some former principal thought they were a team player and would get along with the teaching staff. If you advertised for their job on School Spring, you would get dozens of qualified applicants , many certified teachers and people with experience working with special needs students. Instead, you have a local mom who is supposed to be delivering special education services to a child with a learning disability, with no training at all. The real losers are the kids.

Look around....half of the teachers and administrators working in the MPS live in Melrose. Some are excellent at their jobs, but many are terrible. Many are people that would never have been hired in another, better performing district.

Adding another layer of unsupervised support staff to prop up underperforming teachers, rather than focus on hiring practices and holding principals responsible for being unable to recruit, identify, and retain qualified teachers.....that is the mark of an inneffective superintendent . The fact that she cut high school staff to afford to do this is unbelievable .
. That was a very insulting statement you made about the hard working paras that work in the MPS. They make 12.00 an hour so do you really think someone with a masters degree will do this job for this pay! I almost forgot they get to do cafeteria lunch duty , cover classes,etc. l am sure certified teachers are all applying for the para positions. Haha
. No I think starting pay is around $10

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

I agree with everything you said. We are not there for the money. We do it because we love the kids and enjoy what we do. Anyone with a master's does not want this job. We also teach what the teachers are asking us to teach. You should be thankful that there are paras/mothers that have brought up and taught their own children and now want to help you with yours. Again, it certainly isn't for the great pay! You should be a little more thankful especially in kindergarten classrooms where there could be 25 children. You should be a little more thankful in a class where we can help with special needs. I could go on and on. We love your kids. That's why we do it.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Para #2
I agree with everything you said. We are not there for the money. We do it because we love the kids and enjoy what we do. Anyone with a master's does not want this job. We also teach what the teachers are asking us to teach. You should be thankful that there are paras/mothers that have brought up and taught their own children and now want to help you with yours. Again, it certainly isn't for the great pay! You should be a little more thankful especially in kindergarten classrooms where there could be 25 children. You should be a little more thankful in a class where we can help with special needs. I could go on and on. We love your kids. That's why we do it.


There are many paras in the district that have a degree in education. It's not hard to find them, if the jobs are posted. Many of you were hired at a time when the jobs were not publicly posted. If you post the job online in an education job search website, you get hundreds of applicants.

It's a part time job with full time benefits, mothers hours, all vacations and holidays, plus summers off. It comes with a health plan worth 22k, vacation and sick time, plus a pension, and healthcare benefits for life after retirement. The pay is not why people take the job.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

?
Para #2
I agree with everything you said. We are not there for the money. We do it because we love the kids and enjoy what we do. Anyone with a master's does not want this job. We also teach what the teachers are asking us to teach. You should be thankful that there are paras/mothers that have brought up and taught their own children and now want to help you with yours. Again, it certainly isn't for the great pay! You should be a little more thankful especially in kindergarten classrooms where there could be 25 children. You should be a little more thankful in a class where we can help with special needs. I could go on and on. We love your kids. That's why we do it.


There are many paras in the district that have a degree in education. It's not hard to find them, if the jobs are posted. Many of you were hired at a time when the jobs were not publicly posted. If you post the job online in an education job search website, you get hundreds of applicants.

It's a part time job with full time benefits, mothers hours, all vacations and holidays, plus summers off. It comes with a health plan worth 22k, vacation and sick time, plus a pension, and healthcare benefits for life after retirement. The pay is not why people take the job.

I believe you still have to pass a Paraprofessinal profiency exam to be able to work as a para if you do not have a degree.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

?
Para #2
I agree with everything you said. We are not there for the money. We do it because we love the kids and enjoy what we do. Anyone with a master's does not want this job. We also teach what the teachers are asking us to teach. You should be thankful that there are paras/mothers that have brought up and taught their own children and now want to help you with yours. Again, it certainly isn't for the great pay! You should be a little more thankful especially in kindergarten classrooms where there could be 25 children. You should be a little more thankful in a class where we can help with special needs. I could go on and on. We love your kids. That's why we do it.


There are many paras in the district that have a degree in education. It's not hard to find them, if the jobs are posted. Many of you were hired at a time when the jobs were not publicly posted. If you post the job online in an education job search website, you get hundreds of applicants.

It's a part time job with full time benefits, mothers hours, all vacations and holidays, plus summers off. It comes with a health plan worth 22k, vacation and sick time, plus a pension, and healthcare benefits for life after retirement. The pay is not why people take the job.



Finally - someone with some honesty! The only issue with these pubic school jobs is tolerating incompetent school admin staff - and the constant changing of curriculum and responsibilities when the "musical chairs" begin - which is so prevalent in Melrose.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Yes you do have to take a para professional exam to become a para. But I'm sure MFD who knows everything about everything will have something to say about that as well. Any person with a master's degree does not want a para position. I have worked as a para for many years and anyone who has a master's applies for teaching jobs. Again, there may be a few perks about being in a para position, but speaking for myself and others I know very well, we do it for the love of the children, and take great pride when we see these same children succeed. It's amazing how many can throw stones but really don't see the whole picture.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Para #2
Yes you do have to take a para professional exam to become a para. But I'm sure MFD who knows everything about everything will have something to say about that as well. Any person with a master's degree does not want a para position. I have worked as a para for many years and anyone who has a master's applies for teaching jobs. Again, there may be a few perks about being in a para position, but speaking for myself and others I know very well, we do it for the love of the children, and take great pride when we see these same children succeed. It's amazing how many can throw stones but really don't see the whole picture.
. Para "moms" are the best. They have a lot to offer in the classroom. These are the people that stay for years. Qualified teachers only stay until they are hired for a permanent teaching position. I don't blame them this is what they went to school for. If you want qualified paras with masters degrees right from school the system needs to remember they won't stay.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

How about a bachelor's degree? Do the paras have this? In education?

Meaning well is one thing but actual training & knowledge are important too. There are some established & respected ways to help a child with reading for example but you have to know how to implement them.

The original post mentioned getting a job with MPS based on who you know, not what you know. The paras were used as an example but there are many other positions where this is the case too.

If you're are willing to look beyond your family, your friends & your literal neighbors, you would discover people with actual qualifications who might work for the school system.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

That is why we have professional development in all areas.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

Para #2
That is why we have professional development in all areas.


Listen Para #2, I have family members who are in education so I know of which I speak. And please don't give me this bull about that is why we have professional development in all areas. There have been recent studies which have indicated that prof develop is not the most effective way to train or develop good teachers - and you must know this.

You need the ability to get rid of poor or non-performing teachers and admin staff, quickly, at all levels and the current system can't do this - with union rules, government regulations, and administration bureaucracy, it is easier to move these people aside, or move them to different jobs, or tolerating their incompetence and hope nobody finds them out before you leave for another job.

In the dreaded private sector, with no excellent retirement pensions and benefits, you are simply fired! Great way to clean house and to make progress in reaching goals and objectives.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

BS or BA
How about a bachelor's degree? Do the paras have this? In education?

Meaning well is one thing but actual training & knowledge are important too. There are some established & respected ways to help a child with reading for example but you have to know how to implement them.

The original post mentioned getting a job with MPS based on who you know, not what you know. The paras were used as an example but there are many other positions where this is the case too.

If you're are willing to look beyond your family, your friends & your literal neighbors, you would discover people with actual qualifications who might work for the school system.


If I had a child with a learning disability like dyslexia or autism, would I rather that child have a para who was highly qualified, with a degree in education, and training and experience working in a classroom with children with similar disabilities, even though they may only be there a few years.....or would I rather have Jonny's mom up the street from me, whose a nice lady, but who has no particular training or experience in education, and may be a little tempted to gossip with her girlfriends about what she sees in the classroom after a few glasses of wine at the next neighborhood cookout, but will be there "forever"?

I'll take the teacher.

Not trying to pick on the paras, they are just the most obvious example of patronage jobs in the district. If you don't think that's true, try to find me an example of a "mom" para that doesn't live in Melrose. Virtually all of them do.

Coaching and teaching jobs are also given out to connected locals, whether or not they are remotely qualified. And THAT is the real issue. When qualified applicants are either turned away, or not even considered, for jobs in favor of unqualified local residents....that is why our school system will never be as good as it should be.

Re: ‘They Have To Go’: The Environmental And Health Costs Of Portable Classrooms Kim Drury and R

A good example of nepotism and favoritism was the hiring of our business managers over the past 4 years by Ms. Taymore. Jay was a friend of the Taymore family - and he was a disaster - and of course we know that Ms. Farrell is a favorite of Ms. Taymore. The big joke around the school admin is that Taymore had over 20 applicants for the job and interviewed about 3-4 of them but found them all lacking in ability and experience. Yet she goes and hires her friend who has NO business experience or education - as if the fact that Farrell taught math at one point in her career, was such a positive factor - it overrode all other factors needed for the job. Quite simply, Taymore wanted a "yes" person, the same kind of job Farrell fulfilled as a principal.

What fools you all are for voting for Mayor Dolan and the current school committee to allow this stuff to go on without any questioning. Well - you got what you wanted - so here it is for all to enjoy - portable classrooms, incompetent business manager, no clear direction to ensure educational excellence for the district, on-going admin staff musical chairs, and a dysfunctional school committee - enjoy indeed!

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