Victory for Toquam, Rogers to Close

In case you were not following me on Twitter last night, here is the story from the Stamford Advocate

STAMFORD - Parents from Toquam and Rogers magnet elementary schools breathed a collective sigh of relief at last night's special Board of Education meeting after the board voted to keep Toquam open and move the Rogers program to the new environmental magnet school under construction in the Cove.

"We're going to go pop the Champagne," said Nicole Sandford, the mother of two Toquam students.

"It's overdue," responded Christine LeClue, who has one child at Toquam.

This outcome pleased both Toquam parents, who wanted their school left intact, and Rogers parents who hoped to see their school moved out of its aging building while gaining an added three years for their students in Rogers' International accalaureate program.

The IB program now ends in fifth grade. At the new school, it would be extended to eighth.

Faced with a declining student population and construction of a new school, the board must close one of its 12 elementary schools. The names of a number of schools have been mentioned, and a final decision was scheduled for May, until the board delayed so it could study the options for moving Rogers.

Despite pressure from parents and Mayor Dannel Malloy, the board's decision was not a given.

It voted 3 to 6 not to close Toquam, and 6 to 3 to move Rogers students to the new school, configuring it kindergarten through eighth grade, as recommended by a working group which studied possible scenarios.

"I take no pleasure in supporting this resolution, but I have a responsibility to consider the future of Stamford's public schools," board member Susan Nabel said of the resolution to close Toquam. "I believe closing the Toquam building will promote educational equity in the long run."

Closing Toquam makes sense because of its small student population, most of whom are bused to school, she said. Board member Rosanne McManus said she opposed the plan to move Rogers to the new school because it would close the school as a magnet school for children in Stamford and delay implementing the middle school program.

Board member Monica Lahiri-Hoherchak, meanwhile, said by deciding to vote to move Rogers' student body, she was making "the slightly better, or less bad, choice."

Both votes were met with applause from the audience packing the fifth floor meeting room at the Government Center.

"It has been a long, well-fought battle and we are thrilled with the result," said Karen Henrie, the mother of a fifth-grader at Rogers.

"Victory is ours," said Jeff Herz, the parent of a child at Toquam. "Rogers got what they wanted, we got what we wanted What's come out of this is a great sense of community."

Congrats to my two pre-schoolers - Toquam vote tonight

According to the Today's Stamford Advocate, my two pre-schoolers (Mollie - 4, Owen -1) are apparently Toquam scholars.

STAMFORD - Parents, students and staff at Toquam and Rogers magnet elementary schools finally may learn the fate of their schools at a special meeting tonight.

At the meeting at 7 tonight on the fifth floor of the government center, the Board of Education is scheduled to vote on which school to close and how to transfer its students to the new state-funded Environmental Magnet School under construction in the Cove.

"We are going to come out and continue to try to show our support. I think the term we are using is 'cautiously hopeful,' " said Jeff Herz, the father of three Toquam students.

Because enrollment is declining and the state is providing money to build the environment-themed school, the Board of Education decided to close an older school. The proposal to shut Toquam in Springdale created controversy because it is academically successful.

Mayor Dannel Malloy and Rogers parents have pushed to close Rogers and move its students, staff and its International Baccalaureate program from that aging building on Lockwood Avenue into the new Environmental Magnet School.

At a meeting in May, the board voted not to close Julia A. Stark Elementary School on Glenbrook Road but left Toquam's fate in limbo, so the scenarios for moving Rogers' students could be studied.

"Educationally, financially and politically, moving Rogers to EMS makes more sense to me," said Thano Chaltas, a Rogers parent.

At the regular board meeting last Tuesday, Chaltas unveiled the results of the Rogers working group, which recommended that Rogers expand to include kindergarten through eighth grade at the new school.

The Environmental Magnet School was envisioned as a prekindergarten through eighth-grade program. Another alternative, to make it a kindergarten through fifth-grade program, would require permission from the state and put nearly $40 million in state funding at risk, according to the group's report.

If Rogers continues operating as is, the city will have to spend $10 million to $15 million to bring it up to code, Chaltas said.

A few thoughts:

I never said we will "try to" show our support. As Yoda said "there is no try, do or do not" Either we will be there and show our support or not bother and won't show up tonight. I am planning on being their tonight, and hopefully everyone else from Toquam that has been dragged through this mess for the past 10 months will also be there to show the Board that Toquam will not go quietly (note we are going to Tiernan's after the vote win or lose)

I did say that I hope the board has heard from the parents and the mayor that closing Toquam is a mistake

I hope the board heard what the community has said; from the Mayor, the Parents and the working committee that Rogers should be the school that is closed and relocated to the new Environmental Magnet School.

I pledge if the Board chooses to close Toquam tonight, that I, like Yoda above, will continue to fight for what is good for my children and the city of Stamford even if I have to move the dingy swamps of Degobah to make this happen.

Regardless of the outcome, I am glad that this vote is finally happening. This debate has been going on too long, and the majority of the district is tired and scared that their school might be the next one targeted for closure. It would seem that the proposed school closing of the month, might finally be a thing of the past.

Separating the school closure issue from the redistricting process, might be the smartest thing this board of education has done since I have been following this mess. By deciding on the one issue, they can move forward and implement the redistricting plan over a number of years, rather than forcing all changes by September 2009.

Although this vote is necessary and the decoupling of the issues is an intelligent decision, to call for a vote in the middle of the summer, when almost no one is paying attention to the school board (especially after the board asked the superintendent to create a redistricting plan to be presented August 26), seems almost ludicrous.

Right now, the Stamford Times is showing that 75% of those taking the poll believe that Rogers should be closed.

Finally, to echo the sentiments of other Toquam parents, the best part about this battle has been that we have been drawn together as a community and hopefully can use this camaraderie and experience gained this year, to build a stronger Toquam for this coming school year. We can focus all the energy we have used to make signs, attend Board meetings and organizational meeting, to help build a stronger school and better scholars.

Shouldn't that have been the goal in the first place?

Keep an Open Mind by Lee Iacocca

I got this from my parents. It is worth reading and thinking about what he is saying. I could not agree more with what he is saying. As usual I have highlighted things that stand out for me.

Keep an open mind when reading this, it applies to both Democrats and Republicans alike...

Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from it's death throes? He has a new book, Where have all the Leaders Gone?, and here are some excerpts.

'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course'

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!'

You might thinkI'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and may be I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the 'America' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.

The Biggest 'C' is Crisis !

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A Hell of a Mess. So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively abouthow we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on FoxNews will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough?

Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope; I believe in America . In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: the 'Great Depression', 'World War II', the 'Korean War', the 'Kennedy Assassination', the 'Vietnam War', the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this:

'You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to 'Action' for people who, like me, believe in America ..It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had 'enough.'

Yet another reason to avoid big government

Happy 4th of July!

A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.

- Gerald R Ford

Enjoy the fireworks, cherish your freedom and be willing to fight for your liberty - Jeff 7/3/08