Ct school reforms: 'Two years under a special maste'

From Ct Mirror

By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

Monday, September 9, 2013

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Adamowski and Pryor

Randall Prose two years ago spent his day teaching social studies to high school students in Windham.

Now, he said, he spends much of his class time dealing with discipline issues or helping his non-English-speaking students catch up with the rest of the class; this is necessary because separate programs for these students have ended.

“Welcome to the state takeover of Windham,” Prose said of this new approach to combining the various skill-level

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Master's Miracles Not Working; test scores take a dramatic nose dive

Steven Adamowski

Connecticut’s two student achievement annual assessments  showed a mix of gains and retreats in 2013, according to results released  by the State Department of Education.

The Connecticut Academic Performance Test, (grade 10 test), state wide, showed improvements in math, science and reading and a decline in writing scores, while students scored lower in all elements of the Connecticut Mastery Test. (grades 3 through 8) 

Windham's Connecticut Mastery Test and Connecticut Academic Performance Test scores showed an overall decline. The CMT (3rd through 8th grade) results fell in line with the overall state trend. However, Windham"s CAPT (10th grade tests) results declined dramatically. 

Far fewer Windham High students  (10th grade) reached goal level scores then in the previous year. While the statewide CAPT percentage of students receiving goal-range scores increased in math, science and reading, and fell by only a point for writing, students at Windham High  experienced unheard of decreases. 

Windham High percentage of goal-achieving students in the writing fell from 32.9 percent in 2012 to 16.5 percent in 2013. Math test figures fell by 7.1 percent, while science decreased by 6.9 points and reading by 5.8 points. These percentage losses fell from  already meager test scores compared to state averages.

More disturbing, The CAPT scores may be broken down into subgroups of students  which shows that Windham High's  Latino/ Hispanic sub­group basically maintained its dismal scores from 2012 to 2013. In this subgroup, 3.8 percent of students reached goal- range scores for math, 7.1 percent for science, 1.3 percent for reading and 6.7 percent for writing.

However, the white subgroup, student performance fell significantly from 2012 to 2013.  Whereas 76.6 percent of 2012 tenth grade test- tak­ers  reached goal-range scores for writing in 2012, only 40.6 percent did so in 2013. Tenth grade math test figures fell by 7.1 percentage points, while those for science fell by 6.9 points and reading by 5.8 points.

Meanwhile, this year is the first Superintendent Ana Ortiz’s evaluation will be based largely on these test scores and the evaluation process will be carried out by the present board of education with input of the special master.

SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

 Administrators and teachers offered up their opinion and thoughts regarding Windham's devasting CAPT results:

• We’re concerned about much more than test scores, but these latest numbers provide an urgent opportunity to ask some tough questions,” said Randall Prose, teacher and president of the Windham Federation of Teachers. “We’re about to start the third school year of major reform. The time is now to come together and demand answers.” Prose said he hopes the test results of the CAPT will bring the community together, not create an atmosphere of finger-pointing.
• Superintendent Anna Ortiz said significant changes in programs and curricula in the past school year will help the district make strong gains next year.
• Kathleen Koljian, an Advanced Placement English teacher at Windham High School, said too many changes have been implemented at the high school without staff or parent input. She said the creation of two academies at the high school was done before well-developed curricula were in place. Changes in the English language learner program have also negatively impacted the school, she said.
• Deputy School Superintendent AnthonyGasper reminded that each year, a different set of 10th-grade students takes the test, so one must look at each set of numbers as a reflection of different individuals. Gasper cautioned that CMT scores are of limited usefulness to a district because they do not allow for easy tracking of how a specific set of students perform academically as they travel from year to year.
• According to Windham Board of Education Chairman Murphy Sewall, “It’s going to take a while for the change to have an effect.” 
• State-appointed Special Master Steven Adamowski, who has been charged with improving Windham public schools’ performance, said, based on the timing of school interventions, he had not expected to see test score improvement until next year’s testing of 10th­ grade students. However, he said, “I’m not sure how much of this is a residual from prior school experience, but the continued decline is very disturbing and cause for concern.” 

And what's the Skinny?

Exactly two years ago Dr. Stevev Adamowski  swept into Windham with a mandate to reconstitute Windham's failing school district. Earlier during the summer of 2011 The State had taken over the authority of the local board of education. State Legislation was passed creating the office of special master specifically giving Dr Adamowski total authority to reform Windham Schools.

The process has been fascinating;  watching the painfully slow progress of government, Adamowski's whirlwind reform process's has been a breath of fresh air. Given the ultimate authority,  Adamowski has been able to make decisions while tying his shoes in the morning and implementing them before lunch. Conversely if a plan isn't up to expectations he can address changes quickly.

The Master has been described as intimidating, authoritative and arrogant.  He has also been described, by some of the same people as , as a nice guy and brilliant with a penchant for statistics . 

He hasn't made a lot of friends in Windham but his purpose is not win a popularity contest. nor be crowned cupid. He came to reverse a decaying school district, a district that has been crumbling for two decades. He came to give our students a chance to contribute to society, not to live off it.

He arrived after serving as superintendent and turning around Hartford's schools. He came with a box of tools one of which was the tool of complete authority. He has the last word and only word educating Windham's children, all responsibility rest on his shoulders and his shoulders alone. The Master answers only to the state commissioner of education and the governor. 

Windham's test results over the past decades have not been impressive. This gradual  trend downwards has  culminated in some of the poorest test scores in the state.
This years results proved disappointing through most of the lower grades and disastrous
at the high school. (10th grade CAP Test) 

This year's test score calamity was not expected. The special master, a supposed turn around specialist  with a tool box of little miracles, more funding, more help to district teachers and their students has failed miserably   What went wrong? Were the planets not aligned on test day? 

Clearly the blame lays with Master Adamowski. Via a legislative act he was given the last word, the only word, to turn around Windham's school district and after two years he has failed. While the reasons for the failure will take months or more to sort out there are indications of went wrong:

• Those closest to the schools say that in his haste to improve the drop out and graduation rates Adamowski has moved to fast and has heaped to many new programs onto the district.
• A lack of communications between Adamowski ,facility, staff, parents and the board of educations and town hall
• Faculty and staff moral problem. The district continues to experience, a hemorrhage of experienced staff. The stress of not knowing what's next weighs heavily on dedicated district educators.
• There is no joy of learning, instead Windham's children suffer endlessly under a reign of testing pain and  a stressful school environment that negatively affects district's students.
• An underlying current of faculty, staff and stakeholders, to see Dr Adomanski fail. 

Dr Adamowski is correct when he said that when he arrived in Windham he expected that it would take three years to see positive results. Two years have passed, we have seen only negative results. Adamowski who was recently reappointed to a third year in Windham, has a long way to go in making up what was lost in 2013.  Can it be done?

Sublic Summary Performance Reports

• Connecticut Mastery Test, 4th Generation  (updated 8/13/13)
• Connecticut Mastery Test, 3rd Generation
• Connecticut Academic Performance Test, 3rd Generation  (updated 8/13/13)
• Connecticut Academic Performance Test, 2nd Generation

Part 2: Special Master Adamowski, Miracle Man or Magician ?

Scroll down to Part 2 if you have read the introduction

Introduction

Steven Adamowski

Ron Robillard writing two weeks ago in the Chronicle's Album hit the nail on the head. He  explains that writing can be hard work but the fun part is doing the research. Robillard says,

 " Done right, research takes you to places you didn't know existed. When you start look­ing for information about one topic, you invariably run into something unexpected — and often more interesting than your initial topic."

That has happened to me in my short (maybe100 paragraphs) writing career. In October of 2012 I set out to paint a bleak financial picture of Windham suffering through the worst recession in modern times. Instead I found that Windham was riding out the storm quite admirably. See Riding Out the Recession Storm  

 The Conn Mirror announced the impending selection of a charter school for Windham on June 4, 2013. "The charter school will be run by Our Piece of the Pie, a Hartford-based nonprofit that helps and provides tutoring and counseling for vulnerable urban students.The school will be known as the Path Academy.

Going through the OPP's 650 page charter application two sentences stood out;

"In the event that this location (former Jillson Movie Theaters) is no longer available for acquisition or not prepared for school opening in Fall 2014, Windham Public Schools has preliminary agreed to provide space within an approved school building."

Just out of curiosity  I contacted Windham Schools Central Office. According to projections  space would be opening up at Kramer for the 2014-15 school year. Also the high school operates at half capacity with no appreciable student increases for the foreseeable future. I asked where, might, the new charter school be housed? Central office's reply; 

  "Where did you hear this bit of information?"

 Something started to smell fishy. 

"Could there be a story here?"

For two weeks a dozen emails bounced back and forth between myself and Central Office. I had two questions; Who in the Windham School organization committed to provide space, to Path Academy, and where was that space located?

What did I get? One spin after another. Stuff like:

"No one has ever doubted the need in Windham for the educational services that OPP provides, including our Board and Dr. Adamowski. There are many students in this community that could benefit. By our Board not endorsing it, they are simply not involved in any of the educational operations, decisions, etc of the school. It’s a completely separate entity from Windham Public Schools and that is why we are not involved. OPP has not even presented their proposal to our Board, they have only approached the Windham community."

Another day:

"The decision to come to Windham was made by OPP and was approved at the state level. Windham Public Schools has nothing to do with it even if administration and the Board has acknowledged that the charter school could be beneficial to this community. I can only speak on behalf of Windham Public schools, its administration and our Board. If you have further questions about why OPP’s proposal was approved for Windham you would have to direct them to the state or OPP."

It was like I was amidst a pack of frenzied figure skaters.

OPP's Bob Rath

June 10, 2013, I contacted Bob Rath, CEO of Our Piece Of the Pie. I explained the predicament. I asked him about Windham's commitment providing space in one of Windham's school facilities. He said it was a verbal commitment. I asked who made the verbal commitment? Rath wouldn't name names. He said, "lets just say a senior school official"  

June 11, 2013, I contacted Windham School's central office with Rath's comments and  asked again who made the verbal commitment? The reply:

"Will mention this to the Superintendent. Both she and the board have yet to endorse the PATH academy and have not had anything to do with determining space for it. I have also been told that no WPS space has been offered up to host the Academy should one of the proposed sites not pan out. So I’m in the dark on who the “senior official” is that is making verbal agreements.May I suggest that you attend one of the upcoming Board of Ed meetings (there is one tonight at 7pm) and ask this question during public comment."

So now they have me dancing through hoops. It's not only the spinning it's going to board meetings too. I know the board won't be helpful even if they know what is going on.

On June 19th I give it one last try. I send my final request:

"I would like a letter (email is fine) from The Master or The Superintendent stating that there has never been communications, verbal or written, concerning WPS granting Our Piece of the Pie and its President/CEO Bob Rath temporary or permanent use of any Windham Public School's facilities to house The Path Academy."

On June 29th, after waiting for a reply I dropped off a FOI request to Windham School's central office.

Someone was misrepresenting the truth. Was it Windham Schools or did the charter management company, Our Piece of the Pie, lie on their charter application?

Next, As Ron Robillard said in his Album story, " Done right, research takes you to places you didn't know existed." He was absolutely spot on.

Part 2 Special Master Adamowski's Attempted Coverup
September 24, 2013
John monaghan

Going through the OPP's 650 page charter application two sentences stood out;
"In the event that this location (former Jillson Movie Theaters) is no longer available for acquisition or not prepared for school opening in Fall 2014, Windham Public Schools has preliminary agreed to provide space within an approved school building."
Out of curiosity I contacted Windham Schools Central Office. According to projections, space would be opening up at Kramer for the 2014-15 school year. Also the high school operates at half capacity with no appreciable student increases for the foreseeable future. I asked where, might, the new charter school be housed? Central office's reply;

"Where did you hear this bit of information?"
Something started to smell fishy.
"Could there be a story here?"
After weeks of getting the run around , I presented a FOI request on June 29th to Windham Public Schools. I was determined to find who made the commitment of Windham school space to Our Piece of the Pie and its CEO, Bob Rath.

On July 23, 2013 we sat at a conference table, in the old Kramer building, in front of four inches of material requested via FOI. Virginia Ereshena, a retired Windham Middle School teacher, volunteered to go through the information with me. She split the pile in half and handed me two inches. Our mission was to find who committed and why they committed district school space to the charter group, Our Piece of the Pie.

We never found the smoking gun but the question quickly became inconsequential.

There it was, on the first page. Windham's central office staff was trolling for letters of recommendation to be included in the 650 page charter application that was to be submitted by the charter company,Out Piece of the Pie, due at the State Dept of Education on April 1,2013.

Karen Lewis, secretary to Superintendent Ana Ortiz, was tasked with coordinating the effort to recruit letters of recommendation from influential community leaders and prominent state figures. This day's targets included Mayor Ernie Eldridge, School board chairman Murphy Sewell and State Senator Andrea Stillman, chair of the State Education Committee. Dozens of emails between Central Office personal flowed back and forth. In the end none of the three committed to recommend the Charter proposal.


In the first dozen pages we found what we expected, Steven Adamowski was up to his eye balls attempting to bring a charter school, specializing in rehabilitating overage under-credited students, to Willimantic. 

We found that several top management central office personnel and middle managers devoted thousands of man hours during the 2012-2013 building a charter application, time taken away from from their normal duties of educating our students. . Those involved:

• Steven Adamowski 
• Superintendent Ortiz  
• Deputy Superintendent Kate England 
• Director of ESOL, Beth Brunet
• Director of Curriculum, Pam Cavanaugh 
• Director, Family and Community Partnerships, Wm Stover Steven 

Adamowski began putting together the charter application in September 2011, a month. after arriving in district. Our Piece of the Pie, a charter school management company. recruited by Adamowski ,out of Hartford, was the vehicle needed, by state law, to apply for the charter school and eventually manage it. OPP was awarded a no bid contract.

At a September 20, 2012 meeting Adamowski told those present that;

"Although there are still some barriers to making this school a reality the stars were beginning to align."
Not being familiar with adult and alternative programs offered by East Conn I contacted Rich Tariff. director of East Conn's adult programs. East Conn offers an extensive assortment of alternative educational programs....from Zumba exercise classes to job retraining programs and alternative high school diploma programs. East Conn's alternative diploma program graduates (Held at Windham High) 200 students yearly from 21 participating towns. At any given time there are approximately 1,000 enrolled students in East Conn"s various alternative education programs. Windham's BOE has utilized East Conn's adult recuperative programs for decades.

Windham High School entertained an alternative program up to three years ago when it was discontinued for budgetary reasons. It catered to approximately 30 students.

Question: Why would Adamowski go to the trouble, time and expense to create a multi -million dollar charter school in the heart of Willimantic's business district? Why would he change the way Windham and 20 other Eastern Connecticut school districts have educated those students that have not attained goal in a mainstream program? Why would Adamowski discontinue Windham's adult education relationship with East Conn? Those question were answered Sept. 20, 2012. A meeting led by Dr Adamowski and attended by the full cadre of WPS senior staff and senior members of the charter management company, Our Piece of the Pie, Adamowski gave his reasons for proposing a charter school to serve over age under credited student in Willimantic.. It comes down to money and statistics:

• If Windham High was to set up a recuperative program within the high school the $15,000.00 - $18,000.00 cost per student would not be fiscally unrealistic for Windham Public Schools.Using a charter school would bring Windham's cost down to $3 - $4,000.00 per student because recent legislation would reimburse, the charter company, OPP up to $11,00.00 per student. (actually $10,700.00 FY 20013-14) 
• There are approximately 90 under credited over age students in Windham at any one time. When these students enroll in the districts Adult Ed.(East Conn) program it negatively impacts the district. (when students enroll in a East Conn program the state considers them WPS drop outs) If they enroll in in the OPP charter they are considered still enrolled in WPS) 
• By creating an off campus charter school, high school administration can segregate disruptive student with emotional and behavioral problems. Adamowski is quoted in a September 13, 2013 Chronicle story: "One of the reasons for their (trouble making students) behavior is they are frustrated." Many of these students may fall into the overage, under-credited catagory of youths who will be admitted to the Path Academy charter school set to open on Main St.

The Special Masters claims that using a charter school with the revenue benefits the state provides will cost the district $3,00.00 - $4.000.00 per student. He apparently does not take into consideration the services that the district will/must provide:

• Student transportation 
• Health services 
• Food service off location and delivery
• Child care services
• Special Ed services 
• ELL services

Adamowski kept the citizens of Windham, teachers and most troubling The Windham Board of Education in the dark while orchestrating, for nearly two years, a Willimantic Charter School. Members of Windham's BOE found out about the charter developments through a State Board of Education press release.   Ending an email to Windham's Board members on April 5, 2013 with an apology, Adamowski wrote:

"I regret that apparently you have not received adequate on-going information on the district/charter partnership."

 On April 5, 2013 Murphy Sewall, chairman of of Windham's Board of Education wrote to fellow members:

"This proposal has been developed and submitted entirely independently of any school district including ours. They haven't asked for our advise or participation . I have made it clear to our legislative representatives that we are concerned about any possibility that this  proposed school would rely of any funding that would otherwise be directed toward the needs of the Windham School District.

Evidently, Dr Adamowski asked Bill Stover to ast as a liaison with Our Piece of the Pie which I find a bit odd because OPP has not invested any effort in communication with us.

In fact that there over age under credited students are in need of services, However, we are a significantly under resourced district with a number of other population that are also in need. As long as OPP continues to function as a loose canon, they operate outside of any rational effort to set priorities and manage resources in any rational way."

 Also, on April 5, 2013 Luz Osuba BOE member wrote:

"I have serious concerns with the new charter school.First and foremost  why was this not presented to the full board? Why will this school not be overseen by the board? They are claiming but I want to see data? In addition they are not going to bring the same program they have in Hartford."

Trying to placate an outraged BOE, Ana Ortiz's wrote on April 8, 2013 reminding the members of the board the proposed charter school was mentioned at a retreat back in July of 2012

As recently as July 10, 2013 Tracey Lambert , board member, wrote:

"Wait what ?!?!?! These people want a letter of recommendation on a proposal we know nothing  concrete about.

No presentation to the board, no finical accountability an they have already changed locations from their original plan.

I'm against a letter supporting a plan that I personally know little to nothing about. I am aware that you  perused, but nothing has been directly shared with the board.

How many students? What is the qualification exactly for enrollment? How are they able to deal with ELL students?

I say know no, until we know the whole picture."

We never found the smoking gun, the closest we came was a statement found in the minutes of a Sept. 20, 2012 meeting that states:

"Dr Adamowski has assigned Fryer Associates to work on a feasibility plan for the new location." (Former Jillison Cinemas)

The Fryer Associates feasibility study was paid for through the special master's discretionary funds provided by the State Board of Education.

Special Master Adamowski would like people think that a quick talking charter school salesmen representing Our Piece of the Pie showed up one day at Windham's Central Office selling  charter schools. It is obvious this is not true. Adamowski has been and is up to his eye balls creating a charter school, in Willimantic, specializing in reabilating overage under-credited students. 

A more detailed look at the proposed Path Academy  
Path Academy Application for Charter
Original story from Conn Mirror

Parents & educators fighting back in Windham

Claim Adamowski inflated Graduation Rates In Hartford

At last week’s Windham and New London Board of Education meetings, concerned parents and public school advocates handed out flyers educating citizens about the damage Steven Adamowski did when he served as Hartford’s superintendent of schools and warning Windham and New London residents, now that Adamowski has been put in charge of their school districts.

Read More

From Windham High to Windham Academy

When Windham’s high school students return to school in a few weeks, they won’t be returning to Windham High.  Instead they will be choosing between attending “STEM (The Science Technology Engineering & Math Academy” and “The Humanities & the Arts Academy.”

Instead of principals, there will be two Headmasters and two new Deans of Student. More changes and  re-engineering by the special master, Steven Adamowski.

Will it work?

Read John Pelto's Blog:  Windham and New London: Beware of False Prophets

Will Adamowski Cook the Stats In Windham?

According to John Pelto's blog, Wait What, Steven Adamowski manipulated the Conn. Mastery Test by switching low performing students to a modified assessment test.  Pelto states Dr Adamowski  switched or substituted  Hartford's test from 2006 to 2011


Will Adamowski manipulate testing here in  Windham?  


Read Pelto's Blog

Windham to Share Special Master

From The New London Day

Special master to New London schools: Now is the time to act

By Julianne Hanckel

Publication: theday.com

Published 06/27/2012 12:00 AM

Updated 06/27/2012 11:53 PM

 COMMENTS (11)

Steven Adamowski, the newly appointed special master for the New London school district, said Wednesday that the issues surrounding the city's schools are of "an emergency nature."

"This is not a question of people waiting for someone else to do something," Adamowski said Wednesday, after his appointment was announced. "This is going to require the engagement of all the stakeholders in the New London school system, starting with the school system itself. The approach is to not wait for me and what I'm going to do."

School officials had been anxiously awaiting the appointment since the State Board of Education announced earlier this month that New London would become the second school district in the state to be assigned a special master.

The State Board of Education last year intervened in the New London school district by assigning someone to oversee the school board. Now, Adamowski will try to help find ways to raise the district's failing test scores, which are the fourth lowest in the state.

Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor announced Adamowski's appointment Wednesday between sessions of the State Board of Education meeting. The announcement was not on the board's agenda.

Adamowski, a former superintendent in Norwich and Hartford, is finishing his first year serving as special master to the Windham public school system. His appointment in Windham marked the first time the state has appointed someone to that role.

"He's demonstrated the ability to wield the authority of the special master wisely while ensuring a collaborative spirit and approach involving a partnership with the locality …," Pryor told members of the state board. "He has a long track record here in Connecticut and has paved the way in creating the role of special master in Windham."

Adamowski said his immediate priorities in New London will be to stabilize the district's finances in preparation for the coming school year, initiate state-mandated training for the school board, analyze student performance data, and develop a multi-year strategic operating plan for the district.

He will serve as special master in New London for the 2012-13 school year. If additional time is needed, the State Board of Education will need to vote to extend his appointment.

Adamowski will begin work in New London next week while he is still working with Windham. He will continued to be paid $225,000 a year by the state.

When he was named special master in Windham, the state allocated $1 million to support his improvement efforts. The state hasn't announced how much money it would allocate to New London.

"To this point, New London public schools have been unable to build sufficient momentum around policies that drive student learning," State Board of Education Chairman Allan Taylor said. "We expect that the appointment of a special master will focus the school district on creating outcomes that provide the greatest benefit to schoolchildren."

New London Superintendent of Schools Nicholas A. Fischer said Wednesday that he is pleased with the state's selection. He and Adamowski worked together in Delaware when Fischer was superintendent of the Christina school district and Adamowski was the associate secretary of education.

"I have a lot of respect for his work and the work that he did in Cincinnati as superintendent and also in Hartford. He's a strong believer in high standards for all students and accountability," Fischer said. "I deeply appreciate the support that the commissioner and the State Board of Education have lent to our efforts to improve the quality of education for all students, parents and the community members in New London."

Adamowski said he plans to spend the day in New London on Monday to meet with city and school officials.

Windham is similar in make-up to New London, with about 3,000 students in the district, a high proportion of low-income families and a large number of students who are not fluent in English. Like New London, Windham has had failing standardized test scores.

In his first year as special master in Windham, Adamowski developed a three-year improvement plan, improved teacher and leader quality and retention, expanded local, institutional and university partnerships with the school district and encouraged greater parent involvement, according to the state.

As Hartford superintendent, Adamowski raised test scores in some of the city's lowest performing schools.

Link to State Board of Education
Ct Mirror

Education: Windham Board of Finance Part 4 of 8

Windham Board of Finance

Return to home Page  -  Continue, Part 5

After the school budget went down by a wide margin in the early summer of 2011, board of finance member Chuck Pennywell coined a new phrase:

“We [the Board of Finance] are the only friends they [the Board of Education] have.”

Leaving that meeting it started. I was hooked — and am still plagued — by that song.

First it was a hum. By the time I arrived home, it was a full blown concerto.  

Burt Bacharack's Thats What Friends Are For:

For good times

and bad times,

Know you can always count on me,

For sure!

That's what friends are for.

Windham's board of finance — the bedrock of town government through 80’s and 90’s due to a series of dysfunctional boards of selectmen (now known as the town council) under the Pawelkiewicz and Paulhus administrations.
The BOF took the lead, steering Windham through the troubled waters of a poor town scraping together the funds to balance the budget and maintain a respectable bond rating.
Indeed, under the able and conservative leadership of John French, and later Andy Carey, the townspeople went to bed each night knowing Windham was in capable hands.  That was the case until the spring budget season of 2010.

Shower time is a hoot, if not demented. There I am with nothing but a bar of soap. I walk into the shower and there's Arthur Fiedler (don't like the new guy) and the Boston Pops. We are on the Esplanade; it's the Fourth of July and it's raining. I'm nervous, but I don't drop the soap. When the crowd sees me they go nuts. The Pops play; I sing:

For good times

And bad times,

I'll be on your side for evermore!

That's what friends are for.

Barbara McGrath and her board became “friends” of the Board of Education. She and her majority put on their rose color glasses and became advocates of the BOE.

She claimed that she and her board knew all about education because they attended BOE meetings. (Records show that Mr. Pennywell and Anita Sebestien attended one meeting on March 10, 2010.) 
If they understood the protocol of those meetings they would have realized that BOE meetings are only for show.
All decisions are made in sub-committee, where there is little public or media observation, and then brought back to the main board for rubber stamping — usually by a unanimous board.
The sudden friendship is mystifying, because Chairman McGrath four years prior was responsible for bringing the State Board of Education to intervene in the Windham district and for the ensuing Cambridge Report.

As budget season turned into Christmas season, I was still in the grips of that song. I made an appointment with a psychiatrist. We sat in his well-appointed office; I knew there would be a huge co-pay.

He asked what the problem was. I explained,

He wanted to hear me sing.

We walked over to a concert grand nestled in the corner of the office — a Yamaha, (Don't people buy American anymore?).

Doctor Feelgood sat down, flipping the tails of his tuxedo to each side. It was then that I noticed his likeness to Burt Bacharack.

He played, I sang:

Keep smiling.

Keep shining,

Knowing you can always count on me,

For sure!

That's what friends are for.

After, he asked if I wanted to do a couple show tune duets? I said no, I wanted the dreaded prognosis. He told me to take two aspirin before performing — my throat seemed scratchy, especially while hitting the high notes. He suggested that I retain a voice coach or, better yet, get out of the music business altogether.

On the way out of the office, Dr. Feelgood's nurse presented me with a huge bill and informed me, "Today's visit isn't covered by insurance."

Keep smiling.

Keep shining.  

MY backside! 

The board of finance sent the first of five budgets to referendum as presented by the board of education in the spring of 2010 with the following comment from Chairman McGrath: "We'll leave it up to the voters. If they want cuts, we will cut."

The budget failed, and the Chairman made good on her promise.
She cut $1000 from a $40 million school budget. 
Mrs. McGrath and her board were going to split Windham into parts.
There was no use arguing. The board would look at you with  glazed stares. They weren't listening; their minds were made up.
The $1,000 cut was voted down near the end of June. The headlines started to appear in state papers: "Windham Residents Refuse to Support Education." Bad publicity again, and we were just feeling whole after the unjustified Heroin Town series.

Three more referendums failed until the fifth passed in the fall of 2010.
In December 2010, the State report on Windham School's Governance and Leadership was published — a supplement study to the Cambridge Report The board of finance apparently never bothered to read those reports — nor the State Board Of Education Statistics on the Windham school district.If they had, they would have realized that:

1. Ourshools had the widest achievement gap in the United States,  
2. Our kids were not graduating on time if at all,  That an inordinate number of our kids were destined to become a burden on society because they never learned  to read, to write, or to balance a checkbook,
3. That teacher and staff morale was at an all-time low, and
4.  That the BOE was mandated by the state to attend school management classes (Lighting Training) because "they never got it."

Superintendent Ortiz reported to the State Board of Education on November 1, 2010 that Windham district teacher turnover was projected at 80% over the next five years. (See last
Paragraph) She further said that the entire educational process needed change,  including governance structure, decision-makers, and union contracts. 

Mrs. McGrath and her board of finance had completely changed stripes going into fiscal year 2010-11 budget season.
Pouring money into a broken system time and again isn't a solution. If we have a problem, we fix it. But first, it must be acknowledged.
It's not how much money we have, it's about how we spend it. We live by that axiom in our daily lives. 
If brown, scummy water comes out of our faucet, it's a health issue. Our well-being is at stake, therefore the problem must be fixed immediately. Similarly, if the fire truck is late to put out your house fire, it's a safety issue. The problem must be acknowledged and addressed.

They were no longer the keepers of our financial security.They were now "the Board of Finance/Advocates for the Board of Education." Not advocates for education, but advocates for the board of education.  

If the finance board advocated for education they certainly wouldn't advocate for this school board. The board of education was shoveling money into an endless hole, and the board of finance provided the shovels.

We demand that lifestyle glitches are promptly addressed by our government. But, the most important function of local government — educating our kids — is put on the back burner.

The breakdown of the school district is not acknowledged, nor is it addressed. It is left up to a board of education with questionable-to-no management skills — a board of education that is unable to manage a successful lemonade stand and a board of finance "that just wants to be friends." 
With the arrival of the Special Master in late August and the election of four new BOE members in November 2011, there is hopeful speculation that Windham's education escalator will reverse direction to an onward upward motion.
The BOF has also seen its chairman choose not to run for a second term and the addition of two new members.  
The BOF must return to its old job of watching over Windham's finical security. “Friendship” is not part of the job description, nor is overseeing a school system.
The BOF is not a social service agency, nor is it an educational institution.
It's time for Windham taxpayers to support our kids and our schools and give the Special Master time to undo what the BOE spent 20 yrs doing.

Education is expensive. But, it’s cheaper then ignorance. (Paraphrasing Derek Bok.)

Return to home Page  -  Continue, Part 5

What comes first, dollars or sense, Part 1

Greenwich: So much so little, Part 2

Windham's school board, Part 3

Windham's board of finance, Part 4

Windham's town council, Part 5

Windham's students, Part 6

Windham Education: What Went Wrong, Part 7

Conclusion, Part 8