Stan,
Thanks
for your kind words. I'm more than happy to respond to your questions. I ask
for just a little time to respond only because I'm in a world wind right now
getting the campaign off the ground since the primary is 70 days away. I'll get
you something shortly.
Thanks
again!
Dan
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 4, 2016, at 8:10 AM, Stanley Wotring <lynn.school.watch@gmail.com> wrote:
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
Dan,
I would
like to wish you luck in your efforts to run for the office of representative
in the 10th District. I would hope that you would share with my
readers your plans to address the chronic underfunding of our schools in Lynn.
It would seem that a structural recalculation of how we arrive at NET SCHOOL
SPENDING is the only way to achieve this.
How do
you plan to argue that the current way is so unfair to Lynn that it seems like
it is the only urban district to face a deficit to such a degree? It does seem
as if the current administration is content with kicking the can further down
the road by not facing up to the problem but that is unfair to the current and
future students.
As
always I look forward to your response and wish to commend you for your
consistency with your responses to my communications.
Sincerely,
Stan
Lynn is not just the only urban district facing such a deficit. Lynn is the ONLY district in the entire state facing such a deficit! The fact that city and school officials continue to whine that the NSS policies are unfair and use this as an excuse why there is such a significant deficit is absurd. City and school leaders know that the majority of Lynn parents and voters are not uninvolved in school and city affairs in general, nevermind on more complex issues such as NSS. Therefore, city and school officials know they can spew whatever nonsense and excuses they want and the majority of Lynn parents and voters won't even question it. I have yet to hear an answer to this very simple question...How does a city that significantly underfunds the schools by millions each year and a school department that claims they cannot afford basic educational necessities for the students because they lack the funding manage to come up with tens of thousands of dollars each year to give out administrative raises? Perhaps they use common core math for their calculations.
ReplyDeleteWell keep up the fight. Unfortunately there is not many of us! I just want people to go on record. I really hate hypocrisy by the way.
DeleteThe DESE updated their NSS compliance reports on Feb. 1 to include FY15 spending and budgeted FY16 spending. 292 of 321 districts are reported. Lynn is not one of them. It will be interesting to see what Lynn's figures are once they are reported and if they will include any sort of financial reprieve granted by the state for carryover amounts. I also look forward to seeing if Dan provides a clear, concise response to why Lynn is the only district facing such a deficit in NSS, exactly how they plan to resolve it, and exactly how they plan to prevent it from ever happening again in the future. It would also be great if he could include an answer to my question about how administrative raises are given out each year when city and school leaders claim there is not money for educational resources and services for the students. Exactly where does the administration and school committee miraculously find the extra tens of thousands of dollars to give raises, but never seem to find any for essential resources and services for the students?
DeleteGood points!
DeleteI never realized just how lacking and oppressive Lynn schools and district were until I moved and my kids attended school in a new district.The first noticeable difference was just how welcoming their new schools and district were. As a parent,I had never experienced this in Lynn. The superintendent is extremely community oriented. He strongly believes building ties with parents,students and the community is essential to student performance and their success in the classroom. The culture of any organization is created and begins at the top. It is evident in every school in our district that the superintendent's community oriented policies are followed by every principal,teacher and staff member. Likewise,it is evident in Lynn schools that the unwelcoming and oppressive culture created by the superintendent is followed. Just like in Lynn,language barriers pose challenges to students,teachers,and parents. However,the difference between Lynn and the new district is the new district adapts to and overcomes these challenges. Translation and interpretation services are provided to all those who require them,including during school events and meetings. Most parents do not even have to request these services ahead of time because unlike Lynn,the district is organized and all the information parents put on the forms they fill out at the beginning of each year, including language preference,is available and accessible at the school level. Therefore,if a parent puts they only speak Spanish on these forms,school personnel know this information ahead of time and do not hold a meeting with that parent without an interpreter present. Makes sense right? The schools also have staffed libraries and the students use these libraries often. Every class my kids had had library time at least once per quarter. The students were taught how to do research and find books and other materials for their research. When I talk to the other parents about Lynn schools not having libraries, they are in disbelief. Their first response is usually how does a school not have a library? As a parent of students attending school in Lynn,you are led to believe that it is normal to have overcrowded classrooms,a lack of textbooks, no libraries,and no voice in your kids education. When this is the only experience you have with a school district,you tend to assume this is how it is everywhere.It isn't until you venture out of Lynn and realize just how much your kids were deprived in their schools and how their education was lacking as a result. The best decision I ever made for my kids was moving out of Lynn and getting them out of Lynn schools.
ReplyDelete