Our Schools Are In Crisis: Where Do Broken Promises Go?

Promises, Promises, Promises

The Referendum of 2004. Has it been closed out yet? Did we get everything we paid for? Are they ready to shove another one down our throats? Take a look at  the referendum of 2004 and refresh your memories. Keep in mind that some of the same people that are glad ragging each other about their accomplishments in facilities construction and maintenance are the ones that sold us on the referendum and the promises.
They knew what the Community wanted, so they promised it to them and then proceeded to do exactly what they wanted.

"The Englewood Public School district can only issue objective factual information. We trust the following facts will help Englewood Residents make informed decisions when voting on Tuesday, March 9th."

I was one of those voters on Tuesday, March 9, 2004. I voted for the referendum, because I believed the things promised in the referendum. I was raising my sister's 2 children and knew first hand that the promised improvements would make life better for my niece and nephew. This document was saved as many others have been saved. We have not forgotten. The people of Englewood must begin to remember the many promises. It is our only salvation. Read the FACTS as presented by the Board of Education and see for yourselves how much each homeowner paid per month for the promises in the Referendum of 2004. We don't need Dr. Carlisle or the people who were responsible for these promises shoving anymore garbage down our throats about facilities. We want the promises that were broken to be repaired. When we vote on April 17, 2012, we must remember the promises that have been made over the years. There comes a time when broken promises become plain old fashioned lies.

Click on the links below and read in order the Board of Education Newsletter that outlines the Bond Referendum of 2004.

Page 1 Myths and Facts about The March 9th Englewood Public Schools Bond Referendum

https://acrobat.com/#d=o4CtquMhqEN9EXc8QSzY6A

Page 2 of Myths and Facts

https://acrobat.com/#d=uwHXimNFFz84tS-lIjGGWg

Page 3..Now they use other towns as examples (Go figure. They should emulate other things from them)

https://acrobat.com/#d=DteqTuHxelIWAsPjfHtYGA

And now to the promises...

Page 4 Englewood Public Schools Newsletter: March 9th Bond Referendum School Highlights

https://acrobat.com/app.html#d=Yrvwi*KhkgOhN9pnCA3iFg

Grieco is a large, beautiful school, but how many of you have actually enjoyed all of those added recreational features that were promised?

                                   How are the children?

Excuses, Excuses and Too Many Broken Promises!

Equity and Excellence money is gone...May we move on now. Enough is Enough!

March 29, 2012...Another Budget Meeting

Dr. Carlisle and the Business Administrator played tag team. It was interesting that they were on stage and above the Board of Education. This forced members of the board to turn around and look up to them whenever they were not clear on an item or issue. It presented an awkward picture that basically mirrors the awkwardness that has taken control of our district.

Based on the reaction of the Board, on certain issues, they have not read the Annual Preliminary Budget's supporting documents.  It is also very interesting that there seems to be a role reversal in relation to Carlisle and the Board. He clearly tells them what to do. The tail is wagging the dog. He doesn't want an assistant superintendent so they are not looking to hire one. It was suggested that someone from within the district should be  promoted. They did not seem amenable.  Carlisle suggested that there are several people who fill the role as his assistant. He did not reveal any names. So what happens when he is not present? Who is in charge? Is it a committee of people who give him advice or assistance. Call me silly, but that is not acceptable. It sounds like more of the same behavior which signifies poor planning and work organization. It is more than obvious that Curriculum and Instruction is not his strong suit. It is clear to me that the man needs help and preferably from a certificated person who has worked in New Jersey and is familiar with Curriculum Development and New Jersey Educational Codes, Statues and Legislation.

It is in the best interest of the children and the district to have an Assistant Superintendent and an Attendance Officer. During the Candidate's forums in 2011 we were promised an Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction. This promise was repeated at each Candidate's forum. This promise has been broken like the ones from the last referendum. The referendum that we paid for promised a  lot of things that we still do not have in Englewood. Those promises include a basketball court  at Grieco, science laboratories at JDMS, 2 new science labs at DMHS, new classroom and corridor lighting at DMHS, renovated wood and auto shops at DMHS, a new dance studio at DMHS, a new soccer field at Winton White Stadium, a new illuminated basketball court at Winton White Stadium, and a library media center at Quarles to list a few.  Read for yourself. Where did the money go that was earmarked for the aforementioned facilities improvements that were not implemented?

Perhaps if the board abandoned the $290,000.00 idea of a maintenance shed/garage/office building it would free up more money to be used in a way that clearly impacts student achievement. Far too much talk is of brick and mortar and too little talk and action is of student achievement. The assignment of an Assistant Superintendent in charge of Curriculum and Instruction and an Attendance Officer clearly puts the welfare of the children first above the maintaining of buildings and machines. Everything that is done to improve facilities should be designed to improve the achievement of all students. More attention continues to be given to students from outside our town than to our own homegrown children. When will the stakeholders be made aware of the long range plan concerning St. Cecilia, the space beneath the stands at the football stadium and the lush green patch of land in the flood hazard area? 

No one mentioned the fact that the Board has clearly earmarked a $25,000.00 bonus for the school year 2012-2013 for Carlisle. How do we anticipate giving him a bonus in these hard times? There is no evidence that  he has done anything special for the children. Since his arrival he has demonstrated an affinity towards single parents (women especially). If the outsourcing threat goes through he will have deprived single women of  their jobs and raised their taxes at the same time. How is that for Cowboy justice?

In one of his many off hand statements, he alluded to the fact that other districts are resorting to half day kindergarten in order to save money and that we ought to be glad that he isn't suggesting that as an alternative here in Englewood.

I will have a lot more confidence in this board when they demonstrate that they understand the relationship between the board of education and the Superintendent. I am still waiting to see his contract, his evaluation for the past year, goals and objectives that were created specifically for Englewood students..

I will not belabor the point further. Follow these links and read the figures and supporting documents for a Budget that you must vote on April 17, 2012.

Part I Preliminary Annual School Budget and supporting documentation 

Part II Preliminary Annual School Budget and supporting documentation

School Choice Aid (?)    Related NorthJersey.com article

Public School Choice Non-Regulatory Guidance

FYI: Sometimes global learning begins within your own state or even county.  Perhaps a clear understanding of how our neighbors do things might actually help us when we jump to other continents. Use the links in the attached document to discover how other towns in NJ evaluate their teachers and principals. Note that Englewood does not list an evaluation method for teachers or principals. This is consistent with there not being one for the Superintendent.

                                           How are the children?

Are Our Schools In Crisis: What is Board Watch?

People all over America are beginning to question the actions of school board members and members of other boards that are curators of public entities. The general public has questions regarding transparency. It is of utmost importance that school boards observe the rules of the "Open Public Meetings Act" or the Sunshine Law. Boards that spend triple the amount of time in closed session as in public sessions are being held accountable as to what secrets they are keeping from the public that finances their activities. All over America citizens have set up programs that monitor the actions of school boards and other boards that supposedly function by using public funds.

Donald K. Carlisle

When board members depend on others to learn and do what the New Jersey School Board Association expects of them, problems arise. For instance, some districts abdicate all responsibility for decisions to the Superintendent. They leave it all up to the Superintendent. If he does something they don't like or if he does not achieve the desired results, he is simply fired.

This type of board puts the children, the parents and the community in the hands of one man. Many one man boards across the state of New Jersey have been secretly giving money to Superintendents at an alarming rate per year. Our Town Board of Education is guilty of this same behavior. (page 20, 28, )We cannot afford to allow this type of chicanery to continue. They must be put on notice that eyes are open and watching. They must be thrown in the doghouse when they are found to hold their own and the interests of special groups above that of the students. It has been documented that Ethics violation charges very often amount to a little more than a slap on the wrist. Publicizing and telling the public about the deeds speak to character weaknesses that may affect them in their day jobs as well.  Let it be so.

A+ Schools is the most comprehensive and formal of the Board Watch organizations that I have explored.
http://www.aplusschools.org/good_over2.shtml
Board Watch is a grassroots effort involving volunteers who are trained to observe Pittsburgh Public School Board meetings. These volunteers are informed citizens serving as independent observers and evaluators of the School Board’s governance.

What are the bottom line results that A+ Schools hopes to achieve?

 A strong public school system resulting from an open, transparent, accountable and effective School Board and an informed and engaged community with higher expectations for School Board governance.

How will the School Board be graded?

Each Board Watch observer completes a report for each meeting they attend. The report includes notes on the behaviors they observed and a scaled survey for them to indicate the level to which they agree that they observed good governance practices. The responses to the survey are calculated for each meeting and translated into a grade for each of the five indicators. http://www.aplusschools.org/pdf/reportform.pdf

Good Governance Practices

http://www.aplusschools.org/good_practice2.shtml 

School Board 101:What is a school board?

http://www.aplusschools.org/good_sb101.shtml 

I especially like this one. I have even been in contact with the author. I intend to communicate with the authors of other "Board Watches" around the country. 

School Board WatchDog

http://www.schoolboardwatchdog.com/home.html

Follow the links below and discover how other communities are beginning to hold their school board members accountable for their actions or non action.

This school board actually wants a more robust board watchdog

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-06-28/news/fl-palm-schools-inspector-general-20110625_1_corruption-watchdog-inspector-general-sheryl-steckler-karen-brill

Manatee school board should adopt "watchdog" idea on meetings

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-06-28/news/fl-palm-schools-inspector-general-20110625_1_corruption-watchdog-http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2012/02/Houston-isd-school-board-extends-superintendent-terry-grier-contract/1328906557.column

Wake County school board member Debra Goldman on becoming the board "watchdog"
Read more here:

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wake-county-school-board-member-debra-goldman-on-becoming-the-board-watchdog 

School Board Watch St. Cloud
http://schoolboardwatch.wordpress.com/

Hosted by Donna Pinard this show will talk about what is going on in the schools and how the school board deals with many of the issues facing our students. http://www.pegondemand.tv/list.html?category_id=3177

School board watch on youtube: Donna Pinard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM75jnyxcKk 

                                                        How are the children?

New Jersey State Department of Education Seeks two Additional Waiver Requests

Request for Public Comment on Additional NCLB Waiver Opportunity The NJDOE is requesting the following two additional ESEA flexibility waivers: The NJDOE is asking for your comments regarding these two additional waiver requests. A Web page has been set up on the NJDOE Web site to accept your comments at: http://www.state.nj.us/education/grants/nclb/waiver/ or, if you prefer, you may mail a letter to:
Office of Title I,
New Jersey Department of Education,
P. O. Box 500, Trenton, NJ 08625-0500.
Comments will be accepted for approximately two weeks from today.

Please comment on each waiver separately using the comment box at the bottom of each of the waivers. All public comments submitted during the comment period will be promptly read, taken into consideration and submitted to the USDE. On February 9, 2012, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) received notification that the United States Department of Education (USDE) approved the state's application to waive certain statutory and regulatory requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Subsequent to this approval, the USDE issued notice of two additional ESEA flexibilities available to states with approved applications. Prior to submitting its request to the USDE, the state must provide notice and information regarding the waiver request to the public in the manner in which the state customarily provides such notice and information to the public (ESEA section 9401(b)(3)(A)(iii)), such as through a public website.

Specifically, the NJDOE is requesting the following additional ESEA flexibility waivers:
 1. Waiver of Requirements to Determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Sections 1116(a)(1)(A)-(B) and 1116(c)(1)(A) and the corresponding regulations require the NJDOE to determine AYP for all schools and districts. 
 The NJDOE is seeking to waive this requirement. The NJDOE believes that continuing to determine AYP would be inconsistent with the state-developed differentiated recognition, accountability, and support system described in New Jersey's ESEA flexibility request. In particular, New Jersey's approved flexibility request created differentiated categories of schools, identified as Priority, Focus, and Reward schools, based on total school-wide and subgroup academic performance, measures of student growth, and graduation rate. Additionally, New Jersey's model includes the provision of a wide variety of data including school and subgroup-based Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) that must be analyzed in all schools for identification of areas of need and the development of improvement plans. This holistic performance assessment is counter to the concept of adequate yearly progress, which viewed student performance on the state assessment as the primary indicator of a school and district's success and did not look at the actual college and career readiness indicators across the school. 
http://www.state.nj.us/education/grants/nclb/waiver/RequirementsDetermine.htm

 2. Waiver of Requirements to Serve and Allocate Funds to Title I Schools in Rank Order of Poverty Sections 1113(a)(3)-(4) and 1113(c)(1) of the ESEA and the corresponding regulations require a district to serve eligible schools under Title I in rank order of poverty and to allocate Title I, Part A funds based on that rank ordering.
The NJDOE is seeking to waive this requirement. Under a waiver, districts would be able to use their Title I, Part A funds to serve a Title I-eligible high school with a graduation rate below 60 percent that the NJDOE has identified as a priority school, even if that school does not rank sufficiently high to be served in accordance with section 1113(a)(3)-(4). This waiver would benefit those high schools identified as the lowest performing in the state even though their poverty percentage may not be as high as other Title I schools that are eligible to be served. The infusion of Title I, Part A funds would enable these high schools to better increase the quality of their instruction and improve the academic achievement of all their students, concurrently increasing their graduation rates.
http://www.state.nj.us/education/grants/nclb/waiver/RequirementsServe.htm

Stop Throwing Our Administrators Under the Bus!

Stop throwing our Administrators under the bus...

On Thursday, March 15, 2012, Dr. Carlisle openly accused Principal Joseph Bell of being negligent in his duty to parents of students in the Eagle program. Parents in the district did not know that the students from Liberty School are in the process of being moved to St. Cecilia school. They say that it is a temporary move. No long range plan has been revealed to the public. It was not mentioned that a 5 year lease has been signed and voted in by the board on January 19, 2012. This is a  reminder to the Board of Education. You voted to accept the terms of that lease...The one that is on line right now. If you did not know the conditions of the lease, why was it signed and why did you vote yes?

Parents were not happy with the decision to move students now. They wondered why the move was being so rushed. They spoke about the poor condition of the building and that more time should be put into making the building ready. I wonder the same. We had been told that the students would move at the beginning of next school year. Glenn Garrison reminded the parent that she should be glad that they have a better place planned for her child.

Stop throwing our African American Administrators under the bus...

The majority of the audience was extremely aware of the fact that Principal Bell was being blamed for something over which he had no power. He did not have the authority. Permission for a move of that magnitude would come from the Superintendent of Schools in a written directive. The parents deserved a letter home from the Superintendent himself. Principal Bell spoke up for himself, but it was obvious that Dr. Carlisle intends to keep his foot about the neck of the staff in this district. 

Stop throwing our African American Men under the bus...

Mr. Bunch, another parent spoke up for his nephew. It seems his nephew was caught up in an incident in which a BB gun was allegedly used. Other versions of this story allege that this was a child's plastic toy that propelled a plastic projectile of some sort. This young man was placed in the Alternative school without his mother's permission. It seems that we should not be in the business of increasing the number of children who are exiled into the Eagle program. We should commit ourselves to not placing more children there against the will of the child and the parent. We should be about improving the prospects of the children who are already there. Where is the hope? Where is the inspiration? We admire what Dr. Bell has been able to do with the school, but we are also cognizant of the fact that the more children they move out of Dwight Morrow High School, the more children they may bring into the district as School Choice. We shall not allow the displacement of our children in order to accommodate more students of a complexion that suits the board. More attention should be given to what curriculum  is being followed and whether or not the equipment used by the Eagle program will have a place to be set up workshop fashion ready to produce in the new location. We need to see that facilities plans are being implement with the primary object being to increase the level of student achievement throughout the district. If one reads the strange lease signed with St. Cecilia, one understands that this was a facilities decision made because we needed to vacate Liberty School in order to get the rest of the 5.8 million dollars that is being used to help EPSD dig its way out of a financial hole. 

Stop throwing our children under the bus by outsourcing support staff...

Mr. Bunch referred to himself as an African American Man several times.  Glenn Garrison was obviously threatened by this man standing up for himself and his nephew.  He felt it necessary to hold up his flip phone and tape the man's passionate speech.  It is obvious that African American men with degrees and who demonstrate even a little individuality are under attack. It does appear that the board was over zealous in the punishment of this young man. Why? 

Stop throwing our female Administrators under the bus... 

Meanwhile, another item on the agenda was clearly marked as district employee, yet Glenn Garrison proclaimed that 23 lunch aides were stationed at Quarles school. He suggested that some of them should be let go. Marsha Howard, principal of Quarles had to stand and set the record straight. She found herself speaking from beneath the bus. And the board found themselves authors of another communication problem with the principals that run the schools.

Stop pretending you care and get about the job that we are paying you to do. Stop copying and  pasting important information. We caught that one.

Stop playing judge and jury. The punishment should fit the crime.

Do your homework. Take some responsibility for your own actions. It was your responsibility. Focus. Stop trying to get more money than you are worth. Earn cap. You were responsible for the lack of communication with the parents of students in the Eagle Program. 


Board of Education. It is time to evaluate the person you have chosen as Superintendent. The evaluation form should be public. Where is it? I would like to see the criteria that you are using to assess his effectiveness as a Chief School Administrator. You have not demonstrated by word or by deed that you understand that there is a legal process that shall  be followed in dealing with the Superintendent. While you are at it, it really is time to decide exactly what Mr. Hunkin and Mr. Harris are certified to do.

Stop throwing people under the bus. Stop throwing people under the bus.