New Statewide Accountability System: Dwight Morrow High School Is Designated a Focus School

Christie Administration Moves Forward to Turn Around Lowest-Performing Schools in the State, Provide Targeted Support for Improvement, and to Reward Successful Schools
Department announces final list of Priority, Focus, and Reward Schools as part of state's new accountability system

There is now HOPE!

Trenton, NJ - The Christie Administration today announced the final list of Priority, Focus, and Reward Schools as part of its new statewide accountability system developed through flexibility from No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

The Department of Education will invest heavily in the state's lowest-performing schools (Priority Schools) and provide targeted supports to schools with specific achievement concerns (Focus Schools) to ensure all students are on track for college and career readiness. For the first time, these school designations were developed by taking into account both growth and absolute proficiency to provide a more complete picture of school performance and the needs of individual schools.

 "We are entering a new age of school accountability in New Jersey, one that frees high-performing schools from state interference and defines a stronger investment from the state to turn around pockets of persistent academic failure," said Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf. "No longer can we stand on the sidelines when our schools are not preparing students in New Jersey to graduate from high school ready for college and a career. There is a moral imperative for the state to take a stronger role in persistently failing schools and to work collaboratively with communities and districts to give all students a fair chance."

For complete information: http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2012/0411rac.htm

Englewood Residents, please follow this link http://www.state.nj.us/education/reform/PFRschools/Priority-Focus-RewardSchools.pdf
Now that it is official that we are a focus school, perhaps we may pick up the pieces and fix the
problem. There is a lot of work to be done. The smoke has cleared and we can no longer linger in denial.

Meet the Candidates: Prepare your Questions Ahead of Time

Listed below are the opportunities you have to meet and question the candidates for the Board of Education. Find out where the candidates stand on issues that will shape the lives of our children for years to come.
April 12, 2012  League of Women Voters - 7:00 
@ The Public Safety Complex on Van Brunt St. Courthouse building
April 15, 2012 NAACP Meet the Candidates @Community Baptist Church  3:30 - 4:45pm
April 16, 2012 PTO Council Meet the Candidates....7:30 @ McCloud School, Tenafly Rd., Durie Avenue across the street from Winton White Stadium
Questions:

• Find out how each Candidate feels about the threat to Outsource nurses, child study teams, secretaries, aides, substitutes, paraprofessionals
• Assistant Principal for McCloud School
• Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction
• Find out if the candidates are willing to learn the law and to abide by it
• A Real Attendance Officer (We are not Bergen Academy) Parent Liaisons are not sufficient here.
• What is really going on at St. Cecilia's. How many students and classrooms are we really using?
• When will the public find out what changes were made beneath Winton White Stadium and why these changes were made?
• Why is the Board of Education trying to build Pritchard a Maintenance Garage/office building in the flood hazard area adjacent to the Little League Field on Durie Ave.?
• Why are we being told that the high school is falling apart plagued by violence while the supporting documents submitted to the state with the budget paints a totally different picture?
• When will EPSD have curriculum in all subject areas?

How do you find out if your polling place has changed? Read your sample ballot that is delivered with your mail.

• Find your street on this list
• Identify your ward and district to the right of the street name
• Using your ward and district find your polling place on this list.

                   How are the children?

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?