Undeterred PHELAN proceeded with a frank and forthright perception of his presentation of the facts as they pertain to our PETITION (see I told you that petition-thing won't die). He downplayed the influence of rumors in his decision to sign off on the letter of support from the COUNCIL to be read into the record at our PUBLIC HEARING.
He asked that I reread the e mail sent to LORI D'AMICO detailing the influence rumors had on his decision making process. He strongly tried to persuade me of his not relying on rumors and correctly pointed out that I was aware of said rumors. He assured me that he chooses his words carefully HE'S A LAWYER, HE'S SUPPOSED TO DO THAT.
Me, I'm just a poor, disabled poet. I mean I'd like to think I;m pretty choosy with mine too. He's got all this education, a LAW degree for CRYING OUT LOUD. So let's take another look at was actually said.
There were many rumors circulating regarding the intent behind the recent petition. Primarily, the belief being it was to open the position for 1 well established and reputable
individual in the school system to become Supt. If this is accurate, regardless of any smokescreen, it is purely political in nature and not how I believe a system should operate.
Now that sounds to me like rumor was at least a minor player in his decision, But you know what, I GIVE. So maybe the rumor thing didn't play in to his decision. What is troubling to me though is his FAILURE to address the LARGER.ISSUE. That is the PROBLEMATIC relationship between him via his wife with LPS and THE GOOD DOCTOR.
When Mr. Phelan included his statements above about the rumors in his email response to me, I responded with the following because based on what he wrote, I too believe he was influenced by these rumors.
ReplyDelete"I do not know to whom you are referring, but I will speak for myself when I say that I signed the petition for the sole purpose of wanting the position for superintendent posted. In fact, the sole purpose of the petition was to have the position of superintendent posted with the hope of finding the best and most qualified person for the position. As I am sure you are aware, all hiring decisions are made by the school committee and not by the public. Therefore, even if those rumors you speak of were accurate, the decision would still be made by the committee and not those who initiated or signed the petition. With that said, in the future, should you have any questions or concerns regarding the intent of a particular issue, I would urge you to contact and/or respond to those who have initiated it, rather than relying on political rumors"
He then replied, "Also please note I did not indicate I "relied" on any rumor nor did I say I thought it true. I simply stated the rumor was outthere and "IF" it were true, I thought it improper."
My final reply was: "I only wanted to clarify my reasons for signing the petition, which had nothing to do with the rumors you mentioned. Furthermore, the fact that you even mentioned rumors you heard regarding the petition and what your opinion was regarding these rumors, indicated to me that you were in fact influenced by them. Otherwise, why would you have even mentioned them. This is why I felt and stated that you relied on rumors. The point I was trying to make was that if you had any questions regarding the intent of the petition, which you obviously did since you mentioned the rumors, you should have responded to or contacted the person or persons who initiated it, and they would have been more than happy to answer all of your questions."
Whether Mr. Phelan based his decision to sign a letter of support on rumors or not is really not the main issue here. The more important issue is that I believe, based on what he and Mr. Capano told me, that the City Council really is not fully aware of the actual condition of our schools and district. Therefore, I ended my email response to him with the following:
ReplyDelete"Everyone is of course entitled to their own opinions and I respect that. However, when it comes to an extremely important issue, such as the education of my child and the children of our city, I do expect a person (especially if that person is elected to represent the voters and the city) to base their opinion on actual facts, and not on hearsay or to further their political career. I am not saying that you or any other member has done this, only that this is why I contacted each member of the city council. As a resident, voter and parent, I wanted to know what they based their decision to write a letter of support for Dr. Latham on. Unfortunately, only you and Pete Capano cared enough to even bother responding, which of course is unacceptable. I believe that most, if not all of the city council members really do not fully understand or know the actual condition of our underperforming schools and failing district and this is the reason they have refused to respond. Had the entire city council attended the hearing and actually listened to the concerns of parents and voters, as well as the facts about our failing district before writing a blind letter of support, they would have been better informed."
"You and Mr. Capano gave me a couple of reasons why you signed the letter of support, which I appreciate. Unfortunately, both of you based that decision on what you've heard or experienced about what Dr. Latham has done for just one or two schools or projects. The fact is she is the superintendent of the entire district which consists of more than 20 schools and is a failing district."
After reading all of the responses by all parties involved, I have to say that Lori and Mr. Phelan appear to be trying to find some common ground. However, it is fair to say that the council may very well not know the FULL extent of the problems in LPS. But, the School Committee does and should start acting to clean things up. I believe Stanley needs to focus more on the School Committee and start to hold ALL of them accountable (even his friends on SC) for the BAD votes and misuse of monies. It all starts at the TOP. Why is our Mayor NOT voting in favor of our families. Why is our elected SC not demanding or standing up for the families. The petition would of had more punch if your friends on SC took a stand that night.Enough said....start asking the tough questions Stanley to our Mayor,School Committee members. It is ELECTION time again.....hold them accountable.
ReplyDeleteAlso, is it true that NO ONE on the School Committee has a child/children in the Lynn Public School system? If that is true, what an UNFAIR representation of our children and families!
Disappointed GrandMother
Lynn,Mass
You are correct! Unfortunately, we are stuck with the school committee we now have for the next year and a half. Although, we could see a new mayor before then, and if so, hopefully that person will have the interests of the children, schools and district in mind when voting. Sadly, based on numerous emails and what has been said at school committee meetings, we have school committee members who are not even aware of what their actual roles and responsibilities are as school committee members. For example, John Ford had an outburst during the hearing where he compared the many concerns of parents to that of slashing throats. He went on to say that his responsibility as school committee member was "to support the superintendent and that is exactly what he intended to do as long as he was on the committee" I had to wait until the next meeting to inform Mr. Ford of what his actual responsibilities were according to the school committee manual (which I am guessing he has never read). It is attitudes such as his that are enabling the crumbling of our schools and district. How any board can vote not to post a position in hopes of finding the best qualified candidate and to keep a person who is failing at their job, especially when the future of so many children is at stake,is despicable.
DeleteHi Lori!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you very much! Please keep sharing your wealth of knowledge about the LPS system. As for Mr. Ford, I witnessed this and feel even stronger that we do not currently have a school committee that is truly here for our children and grandchildren. It is a fashion and popularity contest. Most of them do not know their actual role and responsibility. That is the problem, they do not have children in the system and DO NOT CARE!
Disappointed Grandmother.
LORI is a smart lady!
ReplyDelete