The Parent Coalition of Stamford

As most of you know, I have been involved in the Save Toquam community since September and have been attending numerous Board of Education meetings since then.

Where all of the redistricting issues have not yet been resolved, and the Board of Education still has much work to accomplish, the positive outcome of this experience has been that the parents from many different schools have begun to band together and are now beginning to speak with one unified voice of the community.

I have received the following message from Stamford Parent Coalition (stamfordparentcoalition@yahoo.com) and wanted to forward it along, since the fact remains that we all have a vested interest in making our schools better:

To Our Fellow Parents of the Stamford Public Schools,

The past year has been a difficult one for many of the parents with students in Stamford 's public schools. Some of us faced imminent school closures, others faced haphazard and piecemeal redistricting decisions. Some saw school class sizes increase to concerning levels, while others struggled to promote good ideas and the expansion of best practice teaching models.

Despite the fact that we have great teachers and a wonderfully diverse community, we continue to see an outflow of neighbors to nearby towns solely because they are concerned about the state of education in Stamford .

However, despite the struggle, something good happened over the past year. We got to know one another better. Through these new relationships we realized we all share a lot in common:

• a tremendous level of commitment to our children,
• a deep respect for education,
• an awareness of what is at stake (our children's future),
• a sense of empathy for one another, and
• the belief that things don't need to be this way.

As individuals, we have never claimed to know what all of the issues are that our school district is facing, nor, more importantly, what all of the solutions should be. However, we rightfully demand information, transparency, and accountability from those who are leading our school district. We also know that we will never be in 100% agreement as a parent community. Yet, even 70% agreement across all of us is far better than where we are today.

It comes down to this:

As parents, the most important thing we can give our children, after values and a moral core, is an education. It will dictate the opportunities available to them in the future. More importantly, an education will ensure our children can grow into free and independent thinkers. However, all of us will only get one chance to get it right for our children. There are no "do-overs". Two years of turmoil in our school system is too costly and something needs to change. Yet, in order for education to work for each of our individual children, it must work for all the children in Stamford .. Not only is that the just approach, but we will fail if that is not our mission as a parent community. We have learned that once we divide ourselves as a parent community, we lose all ability to ensure our leaders in the school system (both elected and non-elected) are held accountable. As a united community of parents concerned for the education of all of our children, we can be a powerful force for good.

We are asking that you join us to continue the dialogue as a community of parents who care about education. Please feel free to forward this invitation to any parent you know that may be interested in engaging in this dialogue.

Date: Sunday, May 18

Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Italian Center of Stamford

Kind Regards,
The Parent Coalition of Stamford

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ANY OTHER CONCERNED FRIENDS OR FAMILY IN THE COMMUNITY

Facebook in Reality

This came via Facebook from my friend Lori.

This is another one that is quite funny, and shows how ridiculous that social networking can actually be sometimes, especially if the real world was just like our online world.

Shot by the Pilsbury Doughboy

Note added: This is not news or new or real (thanks for pointing this out Kevin). This was tagged as humor and was posted simply because I found it really funny, and thought I would share it with my readers, hoping you would find it funny too.

A lady named Linda went to Arkansas last week to visit her in-laws, and while there, went to a store. She parked next to a car with a woman sitting in it, her eyes closed and hands behind her head, apparently sleeping. When Linda came out a while later, she again saw the woman, her hands still behind her head but with her eyes open.

The woman looked very strange, so Linda tapped on the window, and said, "Are you okay?"

The woman answered, "I've been shot in the head, and I am holding my brains in."

Linda didn't know what to do, so she ran into the store, where store workers called the paramedics. They had to break into the car because the door was locked. When they got in, they found that the woman had bread dough on the back of her head and in her hands.

A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded, apparently from the heat in the car, making a loud explosion like that of a gunshot, and hit her in the head. When she reached back to find what it was, she felt the dough and thought it was her brains. She passed out from fright at first, then attempted to hold her brains in.

(I hope you like the sad doughboy, I add to search at least 5 minutes to find him)

If I were a terrorist

This comes from my friend Ida, and almost seems too true to believe.

I know many of think I see conspiracy's everywhere, but this one certainly does make you think, that maybe we are being distracted by the "War on Terror" and not seeing the real war on our liberties, on our way of life and maybe there is more going on right here than meets the eye.

You decide for yourself after wathcing this video:

Comments to Board of Education, May 5, 2008

Democracy is defined as government by the people; a form of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them through their elected officials under a free electoral system!

Abraham Lincoln concluded the Gettysburg address by saying “that government (is) of the people, by the people, and for the people”

I provide you with this definition and this quote, because I am very concerned about where the public actually fits into this redistricting process.

In the past 9 months, since I have been involved in this process, the Board of Education has held numerous meetings. Redistricting committee meetings, general board of education meetings where the public can comment and at least 2 other public hearings. The stated purpose was to hear from the parents, the community, and the electorate about your various plans and scenarios for redistricting. I question why you allow these public hearings to continue, when you clearly disregard the will of the community.

Not once in that time has any individual come forward and publicly stated that they agree with your plans, and that these various plans make sense for the greater Stamford community. You have failed to listen to the people, the same people who have elected you to the office you are sworn to uphold. You have continued to march down a path of community division, pitting one school or neighborhood against another.

In October, in the Westhill auditorium the community overwhelmingly told you that you needed to fight to keep 13 schools. You were heading down the wrong path, but yet you failed to listen and continued, seemingly disregarding the public opinions.

In January right here in the Cloonan auditorium you cut everyone’s opportunity to speak on these issues by 33% on the spot. You gave no advanced notice, leaving numerous speakers unable to effectively get their point across. Again the public made it perfectly clear that your assumptions were wrong, the analysis invalid, and results skewed. We were saying the plans and scenarios you had created were not supported by the greater Stamford community, and yet you persevere.

As recently as April 24, Dr. Starr presented a new scenario, which left more questions than answers. You were unable or unwilling to provide any answers regarding these new scenarios last week. Had you done so, it would have provided the public with sufficient time to thoughtfully and intelligently prepare for tonight’s hearing.

Instead, you waited until yesterday to make this information available online (and difficult to find as well) and spend the first part of tonight’s meeting presenting information that is essentially brand new to the public. This has significantly reduced the amount of time that the public has to react or comment on these new facts.

Finally, you decided over this weekend to change Thursday’s redistricting committee meeting into a full board meeting, where you intend to vote on this issue. How is it possible to schedule a vote without further discussing tonight’s public’s comments? What resolutions regarding these various scenarios have been sufficiently vetted and passed by committee and is therefore ready to be voted on by the full board?

It once again seems that the public comments aspect of this process is being grossly violated. The Board of Education is planning on doing whatever they please, regardless of the view, the comments or the opinions of the community.

Let’s put a stop to that tonight. Listen to what we are saying today.

We are now a community, united and together with one voice.

Let’s honor the community consensus.

Preperation for May 5, 2008 Public Hearing at Cloonan School

From: Save Toquam Committee
To: Toquam Community
Re: Preparation for the Monday, May 5th Public Hearing
To be held at Cloonan Middle School Auditorium, 7pm, at 11 North Street

We have identified 8 main points of concern regarding the Board of Education's redistricting and school closure proposals, as they stand currently. This is not to say that there are other issues that many Toquam community members have voiced on other occasions. Please feel free to speak at the upcoming public hearing on any concern you may have. However, the following 8 items are issues that have been identified by the group as top concerns. We are forwarding them to everyone in the Toquam community please use them as speaking points at the publics hearing, if you are comfortable in doing so. Background information is available, please read the attached document.

1). Child Learning Center (CLC)
- CLC has expressed interest in obtaining additional school space for more city-run pre-k program
- their needs are in the areas below Bull's Head (where families in need of pre-k reside)
- while they have moderate interest in Toquam, they are very interested in a building located below Bull's Head
- it is in all of Stamford's best interest to support early education, pre-k programs, as it is the foundation for future academic success
- BoE has maintained this is not their charge, we maintain that it is. Solid pre-k programs cultivate school success, for which we all benefit

2). Rogers/EMS transition
- we are very interested in hearing how this transition can work
- the Rogers community wants to go to the new EMS and Toquam wants to stay and rather than being phased out we'd like to accept more students

- we'd like to know how the board of education will finance the required 6 to 15 million dollars of repairs to the Rogers building, if they do not to move
- Toquam, at its current location, can offer seats to absorb students

3). Loss of EMS as middle school choice (this has been mentioned by several parents)
- As a point of clarification: EMS, by virtue of its size, would not have been a viable "choice' for middle school for the majority of Stamford
- the lack of middle school "choice" and academic intervention needs to addressed with the BoE separate to Toquam, Rogers and EMS transitional plans

4). School Community
- Toquam is a valuable school community that needs to be preserved
- many families enjoy attending a Toquam even though it is not within the confines of their individual neighborhood
- it is important for the board of education to know that some of us do not mind taking a bus to Toquam
- it is also important for the board of education to know that we value both our individual neighborhoods and our school communities, wherever they are

5). Toquam/Stark transition
- if this is to be a consideration, Stark will need to come to Toquam
- it is in the best interest of student achievement to not disrupt two buildings
- the plan, as proposed has left too many loose ends and is currently difficult to comment on

6). Toquam remains where it is
- Toquam can offer assistance in balancing other schools from its current location
- Toquam is a tool in the redistricting process

7). Academic Performance
- thank you for finally putting academic performance into the spot light
- Toquam is one of two district elementary schools that has met academic goals as defined by NCLB
- it is irresponsible to not value academic performance in this process
- the community is please to see it being included

8). Subjective application of criteria
- school closure criteria was never applied evenly to the original 5 (now 6 schools) selected for potential closure
- criteria was identified but never publicly applied to all schools being considered
- criteria has been applied differently to each school considered

What Americans really want from their President

Check out this video from the Daily Show with John Stewart talking with John Hodgeman (who I swear looks like my buddy Dave) talking about presidentail spiritual advisors. When I was watching there was an actually hysterical line at the very end of the clip, that I almost missed it the subtle humor. (I have it below if you miss it, or dont have 4:07 to waste:



Stewart: Why is it ok for other presidents and even other canddiates to actively seek endorsement from preachers and spiritual advisors who made equally inflamatory statements?

Hodgman: Those were not members of those congreagations, Obama actually went to church for 20 years, listened to sermons, got involved in the ministry. Rookie mistake
Is he really the kind of christian Americans want in the oval office?

Redistricting means always having to say you're sorry

So just to prove that I am not the only person who thinks that this whole redistricting process is insane and our elected officials are absolutely out of control, I give you, in its entirety, another posting from a local blogger on the situation. It is a sad commentary, that you all know I have been living for 8 months now, and we seem to be no closer to resolution than we were in September of last year. That is truly the most sad commentary, when so many parents have no idea where they are going to send their children to school next year or in 2009 when this (non-existant) plan is supposed to go into effect.

Set your TiVos, folks. Stamford Superintendent of Schools Joshua Starr, the city Board of Education and Mayor Dan Malloy -- Starrboard Malloy, for short --will appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to re-enact Hugh Grant's famous "Divine Brown" apology.

But the context has changed. It's in response to our city's never-ending redistricting debacle.

Jay: "What the hell were you thinking?"

StarrBoard Malloy: "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

Every official involved in this mess needs to sit on the late-night couch and apologize to the public. Flat-out, no-holds-barred mea culpa. They need to admit the whole "open an environmental magnet school, close Toquam, no -- close Davenport, no -- shutter Hart … one second, wait for it … let's board up K.T. Murphy, uh uh … how about Rogers or Stark" Gordian knot needs to simply be cut ... then set aflame and floated out to sea like the barge full of landfill crud and seagull poop it has become.

They need a do-over, a make-up exam and, frankly, a clue.

Let me help start the healing. Here are some talking points for the gang ...

Board of Education members:

We seriously overestimated the time and effort we could devote to this. None of us has the expertise to tackle all the issues and emotions involved in this process. Some of us tried really hard to come up with solutions but, let's face facts, we're rubes on redistricting! We thought you could slip tab A into slot B, C into D, and so on, and everything would fall in place like so many dominoes or Communist nations. Whoops, scratch that last bit!

We held a lot of meetings. But, we admit, we forgot that the rest of the working world does not live and die by the vague meeting notices we post in the Town Clerk's office or online. We should have reached out to the school PTOs, kept them informed of upcoming topics, and sought input from them and their school's communities regularly. We should have devised complete plans -- grandfathering, legacy kids, feeder patterns, etc. -- before shouting "bus those kids across town" in a crowded Government Center committee room.

We were also so blinded by the hordes of cash the state was dropping on us to build a shiny, new state-of-the-art facility that we never bothered to learn what the parameters for operating the school really are. Oops.

Also, we (shhh) ... we really don't know everything. We're just volunteers. Some of us are only interested in one school or one issue and need to be poked with a stick to contribute to the team. Others of us just like hearing our own voices. We're human and fallible.

Finally, we should have recognized early on that we were in over our heads, then hit the brakes and asked for help. We were well intentioned, but also arrogant. Forgive us. We'll do better next time to work with the community because our priority is ensuring Stamford kids gain intelligence, wisdom and understanding.

Superintendent Starr:

Wow, how did this get so out of control? Where was I? Oh, yeah … stuck on the BQE.

First, our staff should have proactively gathered all possible information about what we can and can't do with this state-funded interdistrict, 6-to-6, environmental thingamajig of a school before ground was broken. I also should have looked into how these schools operate in practice as well in theory, as Mayor Malloy did. Good work, T-Bone, but a bit late to the table.

Second, I should have insisted the Board of Ed receive a complete analysis of facilities, capacity, enrollment projections, and district-by-district student breakdowns of total population cross-referenced against race vs. socialeconomic status vs. magnetic or district school attendance, yadda yadda yadda, before they even thought about school closings or sending kids to different schools. Then we could have discussed the school district as a whole, not in this piecemeal, street-by-street, school-by-school fashion that gets a new group up in arms every other week.

And what's the deal with magnet schools in Stamford? Are they good, are they bad, are they working, are they really balancing the system or just messing with the people's minds? I honestly don't know. Maybe I should address this in my idle blog?

Last point - I should have recognized early on that we were in over our heads, then hit the brakes and asked for help. We were well intentioned, but also arrogant. Forgive us. We'll do better next time to work with the community because our priority is ensuring Stamford kids gain intelligence, wisdom and understanding.

Mayor Malloy:

Zzzzz. Huh? Oh, oh, yeah, yeah.

Yes, I am a member of the Board of Education. A non-voting one, mind you. But, yes, I should have paid more attention to redistricting meetings because it is important to the people of Stamford, whether they vote for me or not.

When I did attend, I should have spoken up. Withholding knowledge that could help others, especially those I represent, is just plain bad judgment.

Rather than playing the white knight, charging in at the last minute so I could look good, I should been involved from the start because Stamford is me, and my actions are a reflection of Stamford.

Same for performing last-minute sneak attacks on the school's budget proposals. I was a jerk about that, too. Now that the debt on my failed gubernatorial bid is paid up, I'll stop being a petty Betty.

I should have insisted the schools set aside money to hire an independent consultant with no stake or allegiance in this issue. The consultant could have given us three to five complete, unbiased scenarios (closing schools A, B or C, no closings, etc.) with feeder patterns, budget estimates and the Donut Delight drive-thru window ... I mean, kitchen sink. Then, we could have a real public discussion with well constructed ideas rather than these "not my school/kid" debates every other week.

One more thing. I should have recognized early on that we were in over our heads, then hit the brakes and asked for help. We were well intentioned, but also arrogant. Forgive us. We'll do better next time to work with the community because our priority is ensuring Stamford kids gain intelligence, wisdom and understanding.

Starrboard Malloy, all together, quoting the Book of the Divine
Hugh:

"You think you know in life what's a good thing to do and what's a bad thing, and we did a bad thing. And there you have it."

See, its not just me.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

CLASSIC VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MODERN VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others less fortunate are cold and starving. National News shows up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The nation is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? The opposition parties stage a demonstration in front of the ant's house, where the news stations film the group singing, "We Shall Overcome."

A local member of government rants in an interview with celebrity news reporter that the ant has gotten rich off the backs of grasshoppers, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his "fair share". Finally, the Government drafts the Economic Equity and Anti Grasshopper Act, retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire green bugs for help and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.