Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Will Dr. Schuster be Required to Pay $20,000 in Liquidated Damages for Unilaterally Terminating Her Employment Contract One Year Early?

Moments ago we received a comment that raises an interesting question regarding Dr. Schuster's employment contract.  We have decided to publish it as a free standing post because we too are now wondering whether Dr. Schuster will be required to pay the district $20,000 in "liquidated damages" as a result of unilaterally deciding to terminate her contract one year early.  (Click to open employment contract.)  We'd love to hear from our readers whether you think the board will or should enforce this provision.


"Curious Taxpayer said...
Everyone should review Dr. Schuster's employment contract that is available on the blog (see the "pages" column on the right side of the blog). Section 29 is called "Termination of Agreement" and defines under what circumstances the agreement can be terminated prior to the end date. The last paragraph allows for the superintendent to unilaterally end her contract early, by giving the board 90 days notice, but the provision is clear that if she does so, she must pay the district $20,000 (not as a penalty, but solely as liquidated damages) -- which is the projected cost of conducting a superintendent search to find a replacement. During Monday's meeting, the board did not publicly address how or when it would vote on Dr. Schuster's resignation. Don't they have to do that? And don't they have to collect the $20,000 from her for leaving early? As much as many in the community are not upset to see her leave one year early, unless the board isn't telling us something, she has chosen to leave for family reasons and therefore is breaking the contract. It will cost the district $ to hire a search firm. Let's hope the board isn't planning to ignore this contract provision."


43 comments:

Anonymous said...

For those that have not taken the time to listen to the podcast or attend the Board meeting you would have missed that the Board mutually agreed to release Schuster from her contract. This thread is now irrelevant on that contract provision.

A better discussion is why would anyone want to step into this District given the hate and discourse of this blog.

Anonymous said...

I listened to the podcast too. In his statement announcing Dr Schuster's resignation he said the board had agreed to release her. That is not the same thing as a vote, because the board must vote in public not in executive session. Perhaps they voted yes in one of the consent agendas later in the evening, but I've just checked board docs and her resignation is not referenced anywhere on the personnel consent agenda or addendum.

Anonymous said...

If it were part of the Executive Session content of the consent agenda it would have been voted on in Open Session. Time to find something else to obsess over, this is done and was handled properly.

Anonymous said...

I am not sure what the last Anonymous comment means. Please explain. The only "consent agenda" on board docs was Personnel. The consent agendas that address personnel matters discussed first in executive session and then voted on in open session have been posted on board docs for the public to see the day after the board meeting. Approvals of hires and resignations are made public after a vote. Just look at the consent agenda that was posted. It shows both hires and resignations, just not Dr. Schuster's.

Curious Taxpayer said...

As a taxpayer, if $ is owed, it should be collected. Look up the definition of "mutual." It means both sides have the same feeling on a subject. In this case, that might mean that both the board and Dr. Schuster wanted to release her from her contract. If so, then under the contract language there are no liquidated damages owed. But if this was Dr. Schuster's decision then under the contract she owes the district money.

Anonymous said...

This thread is so revealing. It uncovers exactly what I asked in my opening comment ... Who would want to step into this District given the hate and discourse fueled by this blog and its author.

Take a step back .. a highly respected professional has offered her resignation. Instead of everyone taking a moment to reflect on how they may have contributed to this event and how they may help move the District forward we are directed to the legal interpretation of the mutual release provision of the contract.

Unbelievable!

Jill Quinones said...

Why would anyone want to work as Superintendent in this District, Anonymous? - In addition to things like healthy, enriched children eager to learn I can think of about 200,00 reasons per year - plus benefits! Frankly, you could criticize me all you wanted if at the end of the day I head off to my retirement home with an extra $400,000-$800,000 in my bank account and I got 4 day work weeks in the summer and all of the other perks in our current Superintendent's contract - and I only had to endure 4 years (because let's face it, the 1st one will probably be a honeymoon).!

Perhaps going forward the BOE will seriously consider the downside of hiring someone - no matter how qualified they appear - who has already retired from one state and has his/her eye on his/her 2nd and final retirement, and how this might impact their commitment and long-term concerns about the District since they can easily exit without looking back.

Anonymous said...

Really Jill, such thick skinned educators are out there to take this constant public abuse? I don't think so. This blog can either take an introspective look and become positive or continue down the hateful path of destruction. It is up to the author.

Anonymous said...

Why do so many people who are upset with this blog continue to read it? Avoid your obvious pain and stop yourself.

Jill Quinones said...

Anonymous,

As a pretty thick skinned educator myself, I would say there are some that I have come across and hopefully more that I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet.

What is interesting to me is that past Superintendents/Administrators in this District (and I only go back 13 years) have ALL been criticized, often constantly or viciously and sometimes in a manner more public than a blog, and yet some stayed the course for a long period of time and others did not. Why is that? I think a lot has to do with the level of support they had from parents and staff versus the level of criticism.

The Superintendent when I first moved here was Mary Curley. Now Dr. Curley had more than her share of critics - many very vocal, even back in 2001, but she also had a hugely devoted following of parents, community members, and staff. I just don't see that with Dr. Schuster and some of her other more criticized Administrators.

It wasn't until a few years later - I don't remember anymore what year that was - that the elected BOE and a contingency of parents really came out fighting - not only swinging at Dr. Curley, but her top Admin staff as well. I remember Administrators at public meetings reduced to tears - literally - by BOE members. It was not so much the public criticism, but that leveled at her and her staff from the BOE on a regular basis that led her - and many of her Admin. staff to resign.

Dr. Sabatino was interim, so his situation was a little different.

Dr. Tenbusch, again, was the target of criticism, but never really had any strong supporters - neither parents nor staff. HIs tenure (thank heavens) was brief.

Bottom line, my position is that an Administrator dedicated to the District who builds up a strong enough base of support for what he/she wants to accomplish can do so in the face of "squeaky wheels" until his/her direct employer - the BOE - decides to join in on the criticism.

I think you give too much power to those who have chosen to criticize without asking why there is no strong public support - either from staff or parents for most of the people/programs they are criticizing.

Where is the, "No, you are wrong, program X is the best thing my child has experienced!"? Or, "No, you are wrong, Dr. X has a fabulous track record in his/her field - look at the great things he/she did in his/her former District that are so helpful to ours!"? Other than a few BOE members with general "Good Job" comments - but no specifics - the public support has never been articulated and if one takes the time to read through all of those survey results, that becomes even more apparent.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the administration updated Board Docs since this post and added a second personnel consent agenda addendum approved on Monday. The bloggers and "Curious Taxpayer" now have answers to their questions:

"Personnel–February 10, 2014 Addendum 2
CERTIFICATED:
Resignation:
Based upon the mutual agreement clause of the Superintendent’s contract, Dr. Renée Schuster and Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education mutually agree to end the Superintendent’s Contract effective June 30, 2014."

Looks like no $ will pass hands. End of thread.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe that someone actually stated that Dr. Schuster is a "highly respected professional." I can tell you that NO ONE at the DuPage Regional Office had any respect for her. Also, NONE of the educators in the Chicagoland area do either. All these people, who are highly respected educators, think she is/was a "part-time superintendent getting paid full salary" and that is a quote from one of them. In addition, they believed she was invisible when D181 was in crisis. However, it is also thought that her greatest sin is now totally leaving D181 in the "lurch." To now resolve all the challenges in D181, it would have required some real effort and hard work on Dr. Schuster's part (and probably a 5-6 day work week!) and she, obviously, couldn't hack it! Don't give me this bit about "highly respected professional" because that is just not true.

It is going to take a "healer" to come into this district and bring the community together. However, the present situation is not because of this blog!! It is because of an extremely manipulative, spin master who has used D181 to her benefit and now is running away in time of crisis at HMS, when contract negotiations have just begun, leaving the curriculum is in shambles and with a bunch of rookies in the administration. In addition, Dr. Schuster even wants to control the search process to find her replacement. She has decided to leave our district and she needs to do just that. Evidently, she has even gotten way with not paying the $20,000 she owes us! But, that's ok by me since we are rid of her. It is a small price to pay to be able to move forward. D181 will now have to prove it is resilient and it will.

Anonymous said...

Gosh, seems like another example of blogger discussion needed to get Admin to be fully transparent. Do you think that Addendum would have been posted without the blog? Maybe. Of course the status is still a bit confusing because if it is an Addendum then the Resignation was not part of the original Consent Agenda. So was it ever actually "approved"? To do so the BOE would have had to amend the Consent Agenda in Open Session. - otherwise the addendum is really just an information item, not a vote and approval, making the Resignation still unilateral. I did not listen to the entire podcast - so maybe the BOE did amend the Consent Agenda in Open Session?

Anonymous said...

Just stop!!! This is about the children!! Who cares about $20,000!! My child's well-being is much more important than what Schuster should or should not pay to the district. This district has plenty of money. Plenty of resources. Move on to the most important topics at hand, which is fixing this curriculum, fixing HMS!! Enough already!!

Anonymous said...

I agree. Let's move on to curriculum issues please.

Anonymous said...

Well stated, Jill. Hopefully _____ will take your advice and get off the blog if he finds it so painful to read.

Anonymous said...

If you step out this echo chamber you would find many who respect Schuster. It is easy to only surround yourself with people who agree with you. True learning and listening happens when you consider others opinions and facts not consistent with your opinions.

Again, take a step back and look in the mirror. Are you helping or hurting? Only you can answer.

Anonymous said...

I don't think Jill asked the sole opposing voice on this blog to stop reading. Jill was actually quite insightful and engaging in her response. It was another anonymous blogger who made the shallow comment about not reading if it were painful.

Anonymous said...

I have been looking at the joke of a math curriculum that my kids have been bringing home every day, and the empty workbooks they have been bringing home for 3 years. This isn't about me or my face in a mirror - it is about exposing the truth that our administration feels that it isnt their role to supervise or guide each school. They don't proved clear standards, and when they finally tried this year, at parent demand, Russell and Benaitis messed up so badly with their math plan, that the kids now have to go to school sponsored, after school tutoring. If they don't supervise, or know how to plan, WHAT are they doing?

Forget the mirror and go get a flashlight.

Anonymous said...

The new guidelines are a great idea. Does this mean comments such as "think she is/was a "part-time superintendent getting paid full salary" and that is a quote from one of them" would need to be supported by the name of the person making such a comment?

Lets see if you are truly willing to change the discourse f this blog.

Anonymous said...

To joke blogger - I have three kids in 181. The communication between the teachers and I is quite good. The dialogue between my kids and I is also pretty good. I know when my kids are struggling and seek the help of the teachers supplemented by my own personal involvement. It seems to be working for me.

Sorry you are having so much frustration and problems. Hard to believe this frustration would fall on the Central Administrators before your kids, teachers and you.

Monroe parent said...

Respect is a two way street. This administration and BOE do not treat the parents with respect. For almost two years now parents have been frustrated by the changes implemented at D181 - which are not research driven and have produced sharp declines in test scores. When parents come forward they are called nay sayers and disrespected. The BOE reads emails when parents get up the courage to speak during public comments. Emails to the BOE and schuster go unanswered. Instead, we get celebratory emails and we are told to stay out because we are not education experts.

We as parents are experts on our children. Engaged parents are what make this district great. Lets look at what these nay sayers have accomplished this year: 1. they shined a light on the huge problems relating to the accelerated math program, 2. they initiated after school tutoring for children who are failing at accelerated math, 3. they pushed for the split schedule that allowed HMS students to get back to school, 4. they pushed for calendar days to be added back in before the ISATs, 5. they forced the BOE to hire more differentiation specialists for the larger schools (Russell admitted at the last meeting that this is the best thing the BOE did and this was driven by a parent petition), and 6. they initiated staffing changes.

We need to work together and there needs to be mutual respect. Stop shutting the parents out - they have a lot to offer. We have a huge mess on our hands with respect to the curriculum - we need to work together to fix it. We also need an administration that is proactive and not reactive.

Monroe has seen a revolving door of leadership. But we have embraced Mr. Horne because he works hard, engages the parents, puts his heart and soul into his job, and he treats the kids and parents with respect. The same thing will happen if we replace Dr. Schuster with a qualified, engaged, respectful successor.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree with the Monroe Parent. For "naysayers", they sure have contributed some great ideas! As a parent, I appreciate it, and I am sure the administration appreciates it too. The administration do not have kids in the district, nor do they know what is going on at each school. If parents don't come forward and provide suggestions for change, there would not be any cooperation.

Madison Parent

jay_wick said...

Jill ---
I completely agree that leadership needs to be capable of building support.

That support needs to include parents, staff and BOE.

Anonymous said...

To the person with 3 kids in D181. Judging by your own grammar "The communication between the teachers and I (it should be 'me') is quite good", I can tell that your educational standards are probably lower than mine. I don't normally bash people for spelling or grammar errors, but since you seem so quick to criticize other parents and dismiss their comments, I am sure you will understand why I am dismissing yours.

If you do not know how to speak English correctly, what makes you think that you are qualified to speak for me and other parents? What makes you think that I haven't already spoken to my kids' teachers, principals, and administrators? Because I have great relationships with my kid's teachers and principal, I know that they are not to blame. They are doing what they have been told to do. I have always been there for my kids, and do help them when they need it, but just because they are getting good grades does not mean that they are necessarily getting a good education. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that when both math workbooks came home empty last year from Everyday Math, and my child had never seen the book before, that it was obvious Everyday Math, or any other professionally created math book was used.

And now that 20 % or so of these 4th graders are getting free tutoring after school to make up for last years mess, taxpayers are picking up the slack. These are not necessarily kids with IEPs. These are regular kids. My child didn't need tutoring, but I am not narrow minded enough to criticize other parents because their children might need it! Having to tutor 20% of the class after school for free has never happened in this district before. It doesn't happen in other districts either, unless you live in an impoverished area.

Please save your sarcastic sympathy and understand that just because you can not perceive, or "see", any problems yourself, does not mean that they do not exist.

Elementary School Mom

Anonymous said...

The blessing of HMS mold was a blessing indeed – We’re in the process of moving from NYC to Chicago, looking in the burbs, undecided between Winnetka and Hinsdale.

We found a nice house on Elm St, close to The Lane, close to the hospital, walk to train and town. Perfect for our 4th grader, our 7th grader and our sophomore. With enough room to put in a pool.

We were all set to go until we found out about the mold, found this blog and … Once we learned that the mold had gone on for over 10 years it was pretty clear that whoever was running and overseeing the schools had abdicated all responsibility for student safety.

We don’t want that and we certainly don’t want our children to suffer the indignity of irresponsible educational leadership.

Needless to say, our children will be starting school in the fall in Winnetka.

Things have a way of working out.

Life is good.

Prospect parent said...

Well, I think the Winnetka comment speaks volumes. Not only have our kid's test scores plummeted, but so have our property values. And you cannot blame this on the blog. The truth is the truth. Unlike fine wine, problems do not age well with time.

Anonymous said...

Disgusting. I hope you bloggers can see what you have contributed to. Our home values are going to decrease and people aren't going to see our neighborhood as desirable. This comment from the Winnetka family is just the beginning. By making this blog public, anyone who searches for D181 will see this and question ever moving here to a neighborhood where the community is so outwardly rude, unsupportive, and combative against our schools.

Anonymous said...

Dear NYC to Chicago relocation parent -- So sorry that you are basing your impressions solely off things you find on the Internet. You would likely be wise to actually visit the towns served by the district -- that includes all of Hinsdale, most of Clarendon Hills, a fair portion of Burr Ridge and a sliver of Oak Brook. Lots of different attendance areas, some of which feed into CHMS, a facility built during a very different era. Even a visit to HMS might surprise you with just how much that facility has been upgraded not just with the recent remediation but many millions worth of work since it was built about four decades ago. While visting town you might also run into community members, parents and staff that would express very different opinions about what makes our towns as desirable as any in the region.

Just Trying to Help

Anonymous said...

Prospect Parent --

Just checked my mail and a flyer from the local real estate business shows that year-over-year prices in every portion of Clarendon Hills are up. While I know this includes areas served by Manning and Holmes schools (neither of which are the focus of this blog) your might want to at least check those facts.

Of course we'd all like to see more movement in a positive direction but starting with real data is imperative.


Just Trying to Help

Anonymous said...

Just because you hide the problem does not mean it isn't there. The mold was there. The poor maintenance of the facilities already existed. The health concerns expressed by teachers for years were ignored by the administration. If the administration had behaved ethically, they would have presented these concerns to the school board. They did not, until a meeting less than a year ago about mold in a bathroom at HMS. The majority of the board scoffed at it. Common sense should have told them to investigate what the source was. If the administration and board had addressed these issues yeas ago, as they should have, we never would have had this level of damage.

If you are so concerned about your property values, why didn't you go to the board meetings and ask how one of the community's greatest assets, HMS, was holding up? If your own roof was not built to code, and your own HVAC system was having problems, who would you blame, the home inspector or yourself? Just because you were naive enough to trust that all was well with HMS didn't really make it the truth.

The board president and his friends constantly tell us to "Trust the experts" and say "This is not a forum". Look where that advice got us. Those people, and probably you, who cringe at the thought of asking a question or raising a concern at the appropriate time, are the ones who really prevented the solutions, from transpiring. The blog is not disgusting - your reaction to it is. If you don't ask questions and take action, you have only yourself to blame.

I don't blame the family for choosing to move up north. Instead, we should be thanking her for her honesty. Should we blame her, or, should we address and fix the real problems? Only the second option benefits both our property values and our children.

Anonymous said...

I only wish this blog had been active a few months earlier. As newer community members, we are extremely disappointed that we moved here. Actually disappointment does not even come close to how we feel about moving to this town. The acceleration for all model has caused our family, yes entire family, such trouble and heartache. An elementary school system that does not offer grade level instruction is unfathomable. An elementary school system that does not provide a curriculum that meets the needs of all of its students is NOT socially just. What's going on with our schools can't be made up. People outside of this community can't even believe it. If you want to place blame on anybody, then blame the Board. This should never have happened! It was irresponsible to allow a curriculum overhaul that was based on theory and then to implement it without an approved curriculum/method for accelerating every student is beyond words. Then for data points (MAP and ISAT scores) to show it was not working and for the Administration to want to keep going with the program and for the Board to allow it is ludicrous. And for parents to scramble for over a year now tutoring their kids, trying to get kids caught up is so unacceptable. And what about all of the TRULY advanced/gifted students? How are they doing? How can a school district not provide a gifted program? Really?? And what about the students with IEP's? How have they done with this model?

What's disgusting is that we thought we were moving to an area with wonderful schools. How wrong we were!! Don’t blame the blog!! You can’t argue with data points!!!! When 25% of the 4th grade needs grade level instruction/free tutoring after school (and I would imagine that is very conservative!!!), THERE IS A PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!

JUST TRYING TO HELP,
If you really want to help, then how about going to a board meeting and help us fix our schools!!

Until then, I hope the blog continues to report the facts so another family isn't duped into moving here!

Signed,
Want To Put A For Sale Sign In My Front Yard

jay_wick said...

Hey TRTH --

I too got the same flyer. I think you may have misread the sales stats. Although the news is generally good throughout town there are are couple of spots where the average price in 2013 were not as high as in 2012. NW Prospect(WHERE MY HOME IS) fell but did have significantly more transactions (11 in '13 vs 5 in '12) and a greatly reduced time on market ( 160 days vs 204 ). Many of those sales were very modest homes and/or foreclosures. Similar conditions exist in Central Prospect with avg. prices retreating very slightly to $817K from $833K but with much shorter time on market (86 days vs 128) and far more transactions (45 vs 17).

I personally know the Realtor that sent out the flyer and he is great guy with long time roots in the area so I am sure he would not anyone getting things mixed up from his summary.

NE Prospect, all of Walker and the areas served by other districts all saw prices, transaction and time on market move in postive directions during 2013. There is no "plummenting values". There is still a large amount of tear down activity in all areas of the village. By any standard indicators CH is among the most desirable towns in the entire region.

Parent Who Has Spoken To A Realtor said...

My husband and I are thinking about moving because of the curriculum changes in D181. We spoke with a realtor last fall who told us that there are homes on the market of families who are moving for this same reason. That is not a good thing. People should want to move in, not out. Maybe property values haven't gone down yet because of this, but it may still happen, and it will because of the changes in D181, not because people write about them. If you were moving in, wouldn't you want to know the truth about what is being done at schools your children would attend? The fact that some people are upset that the bloggers are describing -- with facts and data -- what is happening is a good thing. It doesn't help the incoming families or children to only learn about how D181 is doing things very differently than other districts or to learn about the acceleration model after they have moved here.

Parent Who Has Spoken To A Realtor said...

Correction to sentence in last comment. In the 7th sentence I meant to say, "not a good thing."

Anonymous said...

Will learning for all change when Dr Schuster leaves?

Anonymous said...

I hope the Learning for All Plan changes before she leaves. The board needs to talk about the data now! Why wait until July 1? It seems pretty clear that there are kids who need grade level instruction. Why can't the board see that? Every child needs to be taught at the appropriate instructional level. I don't disagree with that. Teach kids advanced or accelerated math if they need it. But teach kids grade level math if that is what they need. Same in language arts. Same in social studies. I think rather than find a way to really identify the instructional level needed by each student, it was easier for the administration to say everyone gets the same, and to shut up the naysayers, let everyone be treated as gifted. That was a mistake. Not everyone is gifted and there's no shame in that.

Anonymous said...

Dear Newer Home Home --

I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing heartache and have doubts about your decision to live here.
Firstly I would tell you to contact your child's classroom teacher, far and away that should be your primary resource for ensuring your own child's success.
Secondly the "acceleration for all" model was birthed during a tumultuous period when many parents felt that grade level instruction was "dumb math" and instruction beyond grade level was "smart math". This got put into a sausage grinder with aggrieved tax payers that accused the district of over spending on the gifted program as well as parents that were displeased with the biases in the selection process. The district still does provide for "doubly accelerated" mathematics instruction for a significant number of children and gifted children still have their needs addressed through individualized education plans.

The feelings of buyers remorse that most folks feel are completely normal and the same reasons that made the village appealing are still attracting more buyers to the area. Worrying about things you can't change won't help your kids.

I have been here many years and have seen lots of changes. There are often disagreements that crop up from time to time about all manner of school related issues -- as hard to fathom as it might be now, there were folks opposed to constructing new schools like Walker and CHMS, folks that were unhappy with special education have at various times stacked the BOE with members that they felt more sympathetic to their position, in prior eras different district staff built a very comprehensive system of enrichment and identification for academically talented children, there were past initiatives for more extensive foreign language in all the grades and a whole range of other parent / community initiated-supported programs.
What is different now is that access to electronic forums has encouraged a certain kind of 'headline grabbing' attention while past efforts were much more word of mouth. I am not sure that this is a good thing but I know I cannot change the direction of any such electronic forums nor can I change things with a BOE that is unresponsive. What I can help is to give folks my somewhat more aged perspective as well as correct bad data.

Speaking of bad data I agree with jay_wick, I did misread the flyer. Prices in NW Prospect have retreated. I apologize for the error; I am not much of a numbers person (maybe I would need math tutoring too!) That said I do see new homes going up even in this cold (one directly across from Standard Market's parking lot) and one only need go past some of the mansion sized homes west of the country club and think that the days are numbered for adjacent ranches and split levels...

Just Trying to Help

Anonymous said...

Do assistants usually leave when a superintendent leaves?

Anonymous said...

Just Trying To Help,
I have a very good relationship with my child's teachers and principal. I have followed the chain of command. I have met with administrators and board members. I have been in front of the board numerous times, as have other parents. What we are describing is very real and very serious. This is beyond what teachers and principals are capable of doing. They are wonderful and we are fully supportive of them. Like any employee, you do as your told and you teach what you're told to teach.

To Anonymous who said there is no shame in not being gifted....amen to that!! Couldn't agree with you more.

Regardless of how this plan was born, it's wrong and it's not working. It's harming our kids. If your child isn't gifted or advanced, they know it. Think back to when you were that age. If a parent wants their child accelerated, by all means, go for it. Create an accelerated program with identificaion parameters for the ideal student and make it flexible. But don't force it. It's not worth it. A degree from Harvard is not how I define success and it's not how I want my children to define success.

For Sale Sign

Anonymous said...

Dear For Sale Sign,

We are with you! If more people like you would step up and express their experiences and views about what hasn't been working, the board would clearly see that some tweaks need to be made to the programs. Things can change, for the better, but not if we don't speak up. People who are not currently having problems with their children's experiences should not be threatened. Simple compromises are available, we are just waiting for someone to come up with them.

We need a new superintendent who can bring research and knowledge to our towns, not theories. The new person needs to know exactly what is happening at each school and how each grade's grouping levels are determined. Yes, they need to listen to community members, but not give in if there is no evidence or research behind it.

Thank you for speaking up and bringing this real problem to light. I have heard moms complaining about the exact same things you are pointing out for years, but they are too afraid to step forward. Take care and know that you are truly making positive changes for all of us in this community.

Have Faith

Anonymous said...

Hey Elem School Mom -

I love it when people say " I do not normally do something" then launch right into the behavior. Hilarious!

You seem to be lashing out at everyone .. a blogger that confused subject vs object pronoun use, administrators, BOE members, teachers, etc ...

Your tone and approach is a recipe for disaster. You will only accomplish bitterness with your approach.

Anonymous said...

Dear For Sale Sign --

I have known many folks that have degrees from highly selective schools as well as those that have much more modest educational attainment and I completely agree that there are far more from the latter group that have a very balanced and successful life than those in the former. To be sure some very nice people with wonderfully sumptuous lifestyles did come from a background of the most academically elite schools, but in absolute numbers far more have come from other backgrounds.

That said it is important that more than an insignficant number of your neighbors here in the district, or in districts on the North Shore, or in private schools do not hold these same values. They will never be convinced that "good enough" is anything other than inferior. If you keep that in mind when you interact with some folks that otherwise seem pleasant enough you will be better able to decide what is worth fighting for and what is better left alone.

If you have a good relationship with the teachers of your children you are probably a lot farther down the path of ensuring the long term of your children than some of the folks that try to fight their battles from the top down...

Just Trying to Help