My view of the manner in which the concerns of a citizen were received during the public portion of the New rochelle School Board Meeting on Dec. 2 are as follows.
In common with many other elected officials the president of the board appears to have forgotten that the board is elected to serve the interests of the people of New Rochelle and has not been annointed their masters. No doubt the individual involved had appeared several times before. That very fact indicates that his concerns had not been adequately addressed. Instead of being heard out he was gaveled down and dismissed.
This behavior is probably acceptable in the People's Republic of China or Cuba but is not acceptable in a public forum of an elected body in a democratic republic.
Read moreIn a bizarre, unprecedented and shameless move, Superintendent Richard Organisciak last night formally requested that the New Rochelle Board of Education approve a "resolution of support" for MacMenamin's Grill, an area restaurant that recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Confusion reigned as normally docile board members took the highly unusual (for them) step of asking questions.
One of the questions they might have asked is whether or not family members of senior administration officials have an ownership stake in the restaurant?
Another might be whether New Rochelle students have been enrolled, at tax-payer expense, in the cooking school at MacMenamin's Grill?
Or whether New Rochelle school officials get special treatment at MacMenamin's Grill?
Read moreThe images included in this post are clear safety violations at Trinity Elementary School. The images were sent to us by one of our readers from Trinity. The pictures were taken on Friday, September 5, 2008, school day number 3. We also understand that the Superintendent of Schools already had an opportunity to tour the school. How could he have missed this?
The first image shows one of four electrical outlets in a classroom with exposed wires within reach of the students. The classroom is currently being used to teach children. The classroom, we understand is located on the second floor. The second image is one of a window grate being secured by a wire. It has been reported that "it's not the only window like that." Neither of these situations seem safe. Nevertheless, the City School District of New Rochelle has deemed it appropriate to have children in these classrooms.
Read moreRead morePress Release
August 26, 2008
For Immediate ReleaseContact:
Mary Seaborn
[email protected]
202-419-3606
or
Brandon Maitlen
[email protected]
202-419-4372HISPANICS ARE ONE-IN-FIVE OF ALL PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS NATIONWIDE
WASHINGTON - The number of Hispanic students in the nation's public schools nearly doubled from 1990 to 2006, accounting for 60% of the total growth in public school enrollments over that period. Presently, 10 million Hispanic students attend the nation's public schools, 20% of all public school students.
In 2006 Hispanics were about half of all public school students in California, up from 36% in 1990. They were more than 40% of enrollments in three additional states (Arizona, New Mexico and Texas) and between 20% and 40% of all public school students in five states (Nevada, Colorado, Illinois, Florida and New York). Overall, Hispanics are the largest minority group in the public schools in 22 states.
The above referenced position was removed from the City School District of New Rochelle site. A source has communicated to us that the position is under revision.
Several days later the position was re-posted.
Repost Sun, 09/07/2008 - 18:31:
The New Revised Position Description.
This is what the School Community Facilitator Position posting looks like know. A move we believe is a transparent attempt to give the District political cover for the criticism coming from this blog. Rather than to actually deal with the issues, rather than to acknowledge the issues, they deny the issues then turn around and attempt to quietly hire someone to fill a position to create the appearance of dealing with the issue.
Read moreWhat began as a way for teachers to apprise students of what supplies they would need for the upcoming school year has morphed into what amounts to a hidden, regressive "user tax" presented under the guise of "community supplies". Gone are the days when parents bought notebooks and pencils for their child along with new shoes and a lunch box. Parents are now expected to collectively pay hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to provide supplies such as cleaning fluid, paper towels, pencils and paper and the deliver them, no questions asked, to schools with no system in place to track inventory or prevent theft.
Read moreThrough a grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services, New Rochelle’s children in grades 5 to 9 who reside in the City’s public housing have an opportunity to participate in RISE (Reach for Individual Success and Empowerment), an innovative afterschool and summer program. RISE will offer a wide range of youth development programs, services and activities tailored to meet the unique needs of the participating youth. Iona College is the lead agency, and will be partnering with other City institutions, including the School District, Sound Shore Medical Center and the Boys & Girls Clubs of New Rochelle, in this venture. There are still openings in the program, and I encourage all families who reside at Bracey, which is in District 2, to participate in this enrichment program. For information call Robyn Brown-Manning at Iona (914 633-2471).
Read moreThe New York State Department of Education is reporting that public schools in Westchester County reported an increase in violent incidents for the 2006-2007 school year.
The Journal News reports:
Read morePublic schools in Westchester County reported a greater number of violent incidents in the 2006-07 term, according to new state data, but because of inconsistent reporting the increase doesn't necessarily mean schools are less safe. Reports of serious crimes, such as sex abuse, assault, robbery and weapons possession, rose from 526 in 2005-06 to 547 in 2006-07, according to data on violent and disruptive incidents released by the state Education Department. Serious crimes involving weapons increased by 11 to 213, and overall incidents involving weapons rose from 213 to 239."
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