First I posted about the sudden appearance of the SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS links being on the LPS website. This is a federal mandate thing about the posting. They have to be available. No arguments
Lil' LORI has been harping on this quite publicly and privately for quite some time.. Yesterday they mysteriously started working on the website. So I write a post thanking both LORI and LPS for making this happen. I don't really care who gets the credit, I'm just glad that it's done. Let the evidence show:
"I hear that the links on the school's website's for their SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS now work thanks to a little pressure on the administration provided by none other than our own LIL' LORI. Thank you Lori and even LPS for fixing the problem."
Well that was not good enough for LSC member CHARLIE GALLO"
Stan, the posting was my idea, in response to a thoughtful constituent suggestion from someone other than Lori, not pressuring by anyone. - Charlie Gallo
That response solicited this counterpunch:
Lori Smith D'Amico First of all, I suggest charlie re-read the post because you were not giving me credit for the SIP being posted online, you were giving me credit for calling LPS because the links were not working. Second of all, if I were charlie, i worry more about the fact that I did not follow the law by participating in the school committee member orientation, and less about getting recognition
This not the first time OL' CHARLIE has been clamoring for credit. Let's pause for a moment to look back at the LYNN YOUTH COUNCIL idea. Riding LYNN CITY COUNCILMAN BRENDAN CRIGHTON'S coattails he has tried to present the whole thing as his idea. Well played COVER CHARLIE.
Now everyone go to your corners.
Stanley...Stanley...Stanley!! Let's be clear that I do not have anything personal against Charlie Gallo. So he may not be the most modest person, but that doesn't bother me. What does bother me is the fact that according to MGL Ch.71 Section 36A, "School committee members, within 1 year after their initial election or appointment, shall complete at least 8 hours of orientation concerning the responsibilities of their office at no cost to individual school committee members. The orientation shall include but not be limited to a review of school finance, the open meeting law, public records law, conflict of interest law, special education law, collective bargaining, school leadership standards and evaluations and the roles and responsibilities of school committee members. The orientation shall be provided by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Inc. or any other entity approved by the commissioner of education after consulting the association. The Association and any other entity providing such orientation shall offer every year at least 2 orientation sessions at no required cost to eligible school committees. A certificate shall be awarded to each participant upon completion of the orientation and notice thereof shall be filed with the clerk of the city or town where the school committee member resides" I was told by Mike Gilbert of the Massachusetts School Committee Association, that this law applies to those members who were elected after 2002. Therefore, I expect all our members who were elected after 2002 to have completed this orientaion and I have requested these public records expect a response by the 28th. If a member or members have not completed this required orientation, they should just admit it, complete it immediately, and move on! Although, I would be interested to know why they did not complete it.
ReplyDeleteLori, Did you get a response yet?
ReplyDeleteNo response yet and they only have until today before I file an appeal tomorrow.
DeleteSince this post is from January, I would like to remind everyone of the events that took place regarding the orientation. Charlie refused to respond to my simple request asking him if he had completed the orientation. Therefore, I had to submit a public records request for the information and the only certificates that I was given was Rick's and Maria's. As a result, I assumed Charlie did not attend the required orientation. However, a little while later, I received an email from Mary Audley that Tom Iarrobino was sending her more information and she would forward it to me when she received it. Well it turns out, it was a paper, not an actual certificate, stating Charlie completed the orientation. I called the MASC and they confirmed Charlie did. So a very simple question to Charlie turned out to be a project because he refused to respond. Other members were asked the same question and did not hesitate to respond. In fact, Rick Starbard even sent me a copy of his certificate. I don't understand what the big deal was to Charlie. I thought it was a very simple question about information that is public record anyway.
ReplyDelete