In refusing two open records requests (of 4/21 and 5/1/07), Supt. Barter’s reluctance to allow the public to read any “raw data” now looks increasingly self-serving. She insisted that “personally identifiable information” would be harmful to those who made comments - but reading comments printed in Sunday's Herald suggests that the harm would be to the superintendent herself, and at least one other high level administrator, definitely not the teachers she has claimed to be protecting.
According to the Herald, negative comments about 9-R Central Administration were made by some 25 staff members and positive comments by 13.
Some of the 2006-07 staff comments resonate with a report made two years ago by outside consultant Robert Tschirki. 2005 Herald story.
"9-R embodies the philosophy of: when we want your opinion, we’ll give it to you. Anyone who speaks out against any idea forwarded by administration is harassed, bullied and intimidated into submission.”
“Teachers feel there will be retribution if they get out of line."With over 1500 comments on everything from school climate and size, drug and alcohol use, student safety, the open campus at lunchtime to the high school's dress code, survey results could form the basis of a productive community conversation -- but that cannot happen if 9-R continues to deny their relevance.
A majority of board members have indicated that the comments themselves are more useful than the quantitative synthesis substituted in deference to teachers who feared that a public reading would make their lives more difficult.
This is a community that supports its teachers. Barter's claim that it would be harmful to allow the public to read 9-R survey results has an increasingly hollow ring. To ignore them because they aren't "scientifically sound" doesn't make good sense. To find out more does.
39 comments:
I can hear that Hollow Ring, it is quite loud this time!
This commentary is right on.
I certainly hope that our new principal of the high school, Diane Lashinsky will take a proactive roll. How can we make sure she gets a copy of these results?
The list of "problems" at the high school are quite clear. Getting everything out onto the table with open discussion between all participants is essential. Teachers are our greatest asset. We as parents can no longer sit by why Our Superintendent and Certain Administration stifle, intimidate and bully our greatest assets. This survey sheds light on who is responsible for the disconnect in our district.-Dr. Barter.
Her absolute disregard for our children and their future disgusts me.
Dear School Board, Mary, Randy, Priscilla, Diane and Victor
I wrote this for the blog, but the end is important.
When I think of American's, I think of my son's teachers and school administrators -- because they are the people I spend so much time with (sad huh!) -- and although most of them are lovely -- they have led me to believe that American's have a very narrow view of the world. By that, I mean, they have all been "limited" in what they can do for children or their ideologies have been "strangled" by the very system they choose to work in to support our children.
Let me back up, before you think I am bemoaning my lot, and tell me to take the boat back home. Last night I heard on the radio, that Great Britain (not so great after 10 years of Labour) under the stolen leadership of Gordon Brown (i.e. we didn't elect him, he hot footed it in on some underhand deal with Tony), is planning to introduce a written Constitution and although I hope he does not, because I think it is one of the things that makes our nation unique and special, I reckon he will try, and my musings led me to think about the differences I see between the American people and the British.
Which in turn led me to focus on the American people I know, thus although my statement might be generalised, it is based upon those that I know best. Teachers and Administrators.
The difference between them and the English teachers I know might actually be the difference between a state school teacher, and a private school teacher, so maybe it's not about American verses English after all (and Gordon can stick his Constitution you know where) -- it is about them working in the state sector that strangleholds all that they believe, and the private sector, that encourages forward thinking and staying on top of expert advice. It appears state school teachers and administrators just do their job, and don't think or speak outside the box, and private school teachers get to run in waiving the latest and greatest news about that which they could do better.
Which leads me to dyslexia......see, I got there in the end. After 7 years of paying close attention to our teaching community, I am still shocked that the administration chooses to ignore expert opinion on whether a dyslexic student should be forced to sit 50% of a foreign language with a guaranteed pass, (i.e. oral only) simply to meet our ill thought out, banged to rights, graduation requirements, when expert opinion clearly says dyslexic students should receive a foreign language waiver if applicable, or in the case of Yale University, a "partial" foreign language waiver. By partial, Yale is very clear, that the essence of learning a foreign language is to teach our children about the cultural, social, and historical aspect of a foreign country....in the form of Social Studies.
This works, because a new language hasn't been introduced to mess up the dyslexic child's mind with phonemes. Let's face it, by High School, the dyslexic student is finding out that the English Language is a "foreign language" to them. The gap is so vast at this point, that they can no longer hide their learning difficulties. Can you imagine being in 12th grade with a 4th or 5th grade reading age? Talk to me of drug addicts, drop outs, or socially dysfunctional students. Some states plan their new prison capacity on their 3rd grade reading scores. (Google: prison beds third graders). Yes -- reading or lack thereof, truly is the currency in the 21st Century that we measure our students by. Can you "feel" what it might be like? Imagine working in an office for 13 years of your life, knowing you are the underdog. Wouldn't you simply quit? I know I would.
Whilst I fight the good fight alone -- not one of my son's teachers has bothered to pick up a book or ten, to research the best advice for our dyslexic students. They simply sit there like lemons, willing to instill the party line of: "I will not argue with the experts on dyslexia", and appear to believe it is the right course of action to take.
Actually, maybe their stranglehold has more to do with Board of Education Graduation Requirements, which I believe were ill conceived when it came to thinking about 15-20% of the population estimated to be dyslexic by the NIH, and all the other students who don't stand a hogs hope chance in hell of meeting the foreign language requirement.
What we are discovering is that the "Pathway" option is broken. Somebody needs to stand up for a Pathway option for dyslexics, if that is the choice of the parents. And providing Social Studies in exchange for a foreign language seems to be the best course of action. DHS offers Social Studies and so does FLC.
And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the distinctive difference between our two cultures, or as I said earlier, perhaps it is simply the difference between state teachers and private teachers and has nothing to do with culture. Which leads me back to Gordon Brown.....who thinks he can make Great Britain, the defacto 51st state of the United States of America. LOL.
One must fight for what one believes in. One must fight for the best education for one's child, despite it being state education, one can still provide the best route to graduation for no extra cost. One simply has to employ the concept of good old fashioned commonsense.
I do hope our School Board, our teachers and our new administrators will step up to the plate. This isn't just about my child, or "one child", this is about 15-20% of our school population estimated to be dyslexic by the NIH. What we are currently saying to these students is: It doesn't matter how hard you worked to get to High School, you still won't graduate without taking a foreign language, so you might as well drop out of the race now.
We are effectively encouraging students to drop out. To quit ahead of their game, and we are setting them up to fail, because let's face it, guaranteeing them a pass on taking 50% of the course, is akin to letting them play a Game Boy for the duration of an eight hour journey to Denver instead of I-Spy with the family.
The Lighter Side of Special Education: The Due Process Hearing
By Aimee Gilman, Esq.
Print this page
I love filing requests for hearing because they invariably produce the same response every time - that is, the district is befuddled.
"We are befuddled," is the constant rejoinder of the district's attorney when he contacts me.
"Just because this child is 15 and reads at a 1st grade level and has never received any tutoring of any kind, we are befuddled and yes, hurt. What has happened to the trust we have worked so hard to forge?"
Parents often find that once they file for due process, there is a subtle change in attitude on the part of the district. This is usually in evidence when, at the next meeting, the parents are seated at a table covered in a fine cloth while white gloved waiters serve them champagne. This will only serve to soften them, however, if the champagne is Dom Perignon AND the pupil services director gets down on the floor and kisses their feet.
Oftentimes, these matters are settled without a hearing. Though amicable settlement of disputes is always desirable, parents have to be careful because the district will always refuse to reimburse the parents for their fees when the matter has been settled.
Even where the settlement agreement provides that the offending untrained teachers and staff must be summarily executed, a new building will be erected in the child's name, and scantily clad slaves will feed grapes to this child during snack, the district will steadfastly maintain that the parents were not the prevailing party.
"We would have done all these things," the district will say, "if the parents had just ASKED instead of jumping the gun and filing for hearing before we were given a chance."
Even when cases go to hearing, and a decision for the parents is issued, the district's attorney will assure all the members of the School Board that the district actually won.
After all, the district must only reimburse the parents for 10 years of private school tuition instead of the 12 the parents requested, and anyway the district's law firm will only be charging $450,000 instead of the usual half mil because 2 of the firm's team of 10 attorneys got sick and could not attend the last half of the hearing.
The school board members will then congratulate themselves and pat each other on the back before moving on to more important matters such as the district's failure to meet 16 of the 17 state standards established by proficiency testing.
http://www.fetaweb.com/humor/
gilman.dp.hearing.htm
Sadly standards in Colorado for special education teachers rank "down there" with Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and North Dakota...the OSEP report puts us in a category of "intervention". Not surprising really, given our 7 year experience.
http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/
guid/idea/monitor/factsheet.html
D - Area 6 – Preparation of Special Education Teachers
Colorado’s standards for special education teachers do not ensure that teachers will be well prepared
to teach students with disabilities.
The state places no limit on the amount of professional education coursework that its teacher preparation programs can require of special education candidates, resulting in program excesses. The state’s general education and testing requirements for elementary special education candidates have positive elements; however, its coursework guidelines are too general to ensure that candidates will receive enough subject matter preparation that is relevant to the PK-6 classroom. Secondary special education requirements do not require candidates to major in a subject area. Colorado also has not developed a streamlined HOUSSE route to help new secondary special education teachers meet additional subject matter requirements once they are in the classroom.
Taken from: The U.S. Department of Education has issued determination letters on implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to each state education agency for Part B and to each lead agency for Part C. The determinations, required under the statute, are part of the on-going efforts to improve results for children and youth with disabilities.
I think we'll see real change when Dr. Barter leaves. Our district has suffered for many years and it will take some time to repair it.
Hopefully, the new principal will listen to and value the input from parents and the community.
As far as Special Ed. goes, I was very put off by the fact that aides for kids with special needs only need a HS diploma and don't need any special training. Why on earth would I want an aide that has even less training than I do to spend the entire day with my child? Answer: I don't. Can the district force a child to participate in special ed.? With all that I've read and past experience, I really don't want to yoke my child with a program that's so ineffective.
I would say: Don't put your child in special ed, because it is broken, and it doesn't work. Your child would be far better off, if you could afford a private certified specialist to assist you with your child's needs.
There are some very good teacher's in special ed. here (and some terrible ones!) -- but their hands are tied, insofar as getting the best results, by the administration limiting how they select the children in the class, and by the difficulties they have with scheduling.
I think a parent's job is to sacrifice -- and so for me, who once traveled the world with my son for 3 months out of 12 for the first 9 years of his life, I now choose to stay captive in Durango simply to pay for his education.
Don't get me wrong. The good teachers are lovely with their compassion and passion, but if it doesn't lead to results, then the system is sourly broken.
Apart from the negativity surrounding special education, you are well off out of it.
Supposedly, according to a teacher who wasn't happy that 9R were spending all this money, a parent group called "Partner in Education" (PIE) will help illiterate parents come back to school to support their children.
The emphasis for PIE was on drawing parents into the school district, to support their child's school and education. Ha ha ha ha ha. I asked the PIE I met, what has changed? What is so different about 9R administration today, than say.....yesterday? School District 9R have never listened to the parents in the 7 years I have been a willing participant in being part of my son's education.
Dr. Barter wrote a piece on 16th May that cracks me up. She wrote: "Schools begin by acknowledging that parents know their children best, and parents recognize themselves as important teachers in their children’s lives."
If only all that were true, we wouldn't have the current problems we have.
The Administration are targeting parents who didn't graduate, or who like several I have met over the years, got a fake high school diploma whilst only having an elementary school level reading age. Part of the success of PIE, will be when they can teach families how to demonstrate a family culture that values education.
That's the crux though isn't it.........I know hundreds of Durango parents who show a family culture that values education, and they just get shut out. These wonderful people have been on committee's, actively involved in their child's education since Day 1, write thank you cards, gift teachers, turn up to every event, bake cakes, settle down for 1 or 2 or 3 hours a night of homework, turn the television off during the school week, do activities until their children think the parents really are the Durango Taxi Service, applaud early nights and not just the night before a CSAP either, love their children to pieces, etc, etc, etc -- and the Administration within 9R continue to make their lives hell.
Maybe that's it. Maybe, once these PIE parents have convinced all the uneducated parents to catch up with the rest of us -- then the 9R Administration can just ignore all of us! Heck, they won't have anyone to blame if we all get on the same page will they?
Can anyone verify the rumor that Florida Mesa has a new principal? Someone said it was in the paper, but I can't find anything about it.
Florida Mesa will have a new principal. John (old principal) took a job overseas and the search for his successor is currently in progress. However, no names have been released.
I heard it was Cindy Smart.
If it is Cindy Smart then she's leaving Fort Lewis Mesa. Will 9-R really listen to the parents at Fort Lewis Mesa in its search for a new principal or will it be the same old, "you're welcome to have an opinion as long as it agrees with Dr. Barter" stance that 9-R has adopted for so many years? When will the parents truly have a say?
Parents will not have a say. They've already decided who they're going to put in as principal at Fort Lewis Mesa. There was never an ad placed for the position and they're only considering 9-R employees. I think the situation has been orchestrated because 9-R claims there's a time crunch so there just isn't time to let parents form a committee to hire a principal. They already know who they want to place in the position! So much for working with the community.
When I finished reading Harry Potter over the weekend, I couldn't help but notice similarities within our school district. My interpretation is:
Lord Voldemort = Dr. Barter
Bellatrix = Diane Doney
Rita Skeeter = Deb Uroda
Death Eaters = Some members of the Cabinet
Dementors = Some members of the IEP team
Severus Snape = Randy Boyer
Wormtail = Michael Brennan
Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy = Mr. and Mrs. Spradling
Greyback = John Marchino
Dumbledore = Donna Deeds
Hagrid = Sandra Berman-LaFrance
The Weasley Family = parents
Dumbledore's Army = students
Order of the Phoenix = school board
Rita Skeeter just got her magic quill in a twist over a Four Corners news report today, that outlined San Juan BOCES has been found out of compliance with Federal Law and had until the end of August to put things right.
So far as I can tell, this has nothing to do with 9R in terms of the reported facts, although of course, it does in terms of whether or not teachers follow Federal Law when dealing with IEPs and parents.
Instead of bombasting the local press about something that has nothing to do with her, the PIO should read the charges, and put a letter out to everyone in the district involved in the IEP process to make sure Federal Law is followed.
It doesn't cost money to be educated in the IEP process, and there is no reason after all the years of our advocacy why the IEP teams should still be getting it wrong.
xaeyLast night at the parent meeting at Fort Lewis Mesa parents were informed that a new principal had been chosen and placed in the position. Parents were assured that 9-R knew better and that parents were not capable of making a good choice for the principal. The evidence is that 9-R would not even consider a candidate whose name was nominated by several parents because 9-R had already made a decision.
Florida Mesa's principal has also been "placed" in that position because, once again, 9-R knows better and can't be bothered with something like parent input.
Dr. Barter claimed that finding a principal is a lengthy process that takes 4-5 months. When questioned about how long it took to hire the principal at DHS she said the Mr. Spradling resigned in January and the new principal wasn't hired until May. That would follow her claim that it takes 4-5 months, if it was the truth. According to the Durango Herald on February 28, Mr. Spradling resigned on February 27. Again, according the the Herald on March 6, a committee was formed to hire a new principal with the intent of offering the job by May 2. The announcement of the new principal was in the Herald on May 5. Fortunately, I did not suffer from the Trailblazers Math program and I can add. February 27 to May 2 is not 4-5 months. The committee had the intent of hiring a new principal in less than 2 months. Either the Herald and/or 9-R did not report this in a timely manner and knew up to a full 2 months prior to Mr. Spradling's resignation or Dr. Barter twisted the truth to make her point that there simply wasn't enough time to search for a new principal for Fort Lewis Mesa and, therefore, 9-R must act in the behalf of the parents by hiring the principal with no parental input. Business as usual.
Animas Valley is now in a similar situation but will most likely have an interim principal that 9-R will choose and place.
The administration did hold a meeting for parents at Fort Lewis Mesa under the guise that it was to collect input. However, they had already decided who they would hire long before they came to that meeting and they held the meeting merely as a show to placate parents. For those who've had more than enough experience with 9-R this was simply another, in a long line, of deceptive, manipulating meetings that clearly shows you cannot trust what 9-R says, you have to watch what it does. Time and time again 9-R shows by its actions that parents simply are not part of the equation and if there are those who think they are, think again.
Somebody help me out with this:
Herald 8-1-07 "Educational achievement in Durango School District 9-R and throughout the state remained largely flat in test scores released Tuesday. The results fell short of goals of continuous improvement...but 9-R officials said personnel and program changes in the district should result in strong gains in the coming years." (sort of like, "check's in the mail.")
This is the part that gets me: "District officials pointed to SWEEPING CHANGES in 9-R that they said leave the district POISED for dramatic improvement in student test scores.
"The PIECES ARE NOW IN PLACE, THE PEOPLE ARE IN PLACE," said Pricilla Houston, Director of Student Achievement. "So we believe that this is a year where we're going to see dramatic differences in student achievement."
What are these sweeping changes? Who are the people put in place who were not in place prior to this academic year? Who will we hold accountable when the differences aren't that dramatic or strong?
I feel sorry for the teachers who are being forced to chase test scores and the children who have to endure.
Sweeping Change? Poised for dramatic changes?
For over the past 5 years we have asked for changes. Especially for children early, 1-3rd grade.
Now we are told the 4th grade class dipped in reading. What have they been doing since we brought all of this to their attention? These Professionals are responsible. One more generation of students not receiving remediation or identification for Specific Learning Disabilities, but don't be alarmed we are above the state average. Guess what? That state average is 47th in the country. Nothing to Brag about, just another opportunity for the Spin Wizard and her perception of the truth. Reason to celebrate? We are above Mississippi, woohoo.
Recent Developments-
One Federal Complaint filed against San Juan Board of Cooperative Services and one Randy Boyer. They ruled in the Parent's favor and now SJBOCES not only has a black eye, for the second time, but has to show compliance by August 31st that they do indeed allow the "Meaningful Participation of Parents in IEP Meetings"
There was also a Small Claims filed on one Randy Boyer, SJBOCES, for the amount of $140 for the repair of a computer that staff of SJBOCES and Escalante damaged and then gave back to the family. The family had to pay for the repair. Fair?
Don't think so, and they should be held accountable. Love to be a fly on the wall when the sherrif serves this individual at the Taj Mahal on 12th street.
Can the school/district/state force parents to enroll a child in special education if the parents feel it will not be in the child's best interest?
To the parents asking about their role and control over their child's education ..
"Can the school/district/state force parents to enroll a child in special education if the parents feel it will not be in the child's best interest?"
Can someone answer this?
I don't know the answer but you might want to begin by getting as informed as possible through websites such as www.allkindsofminds.org/ -
Wright's Law - see
http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/tests.evals.crabtree.htm
You may have to type that into your address line to make it work - a good place to start if the District is saying your child needs special teaching techniques...
This could help you wade through the legal and educational aspects of special education.
Excerpt from WrightsLaw:
"What You Should Know About Evaluations. As a parent, you must make sure that all areas of possible need are assessed as quickly as possible. While some parents would rather not allow their school system to evaluate their child, a refusal to cooperate at this stage of the process can backfire . . . "
"Know Your Rights"
Your school system, under IDEA and its state counterparts, is required to fully evaluate any child who may need special education services "in all areas related to the suspected disability, including, if appropriate, health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status, and motor abilities." (34 CFR Sec. 300.532)
Keep reading and find out when the next PASS meeting will happen... if you're interested in getting to know how others have experienced the local system of supports (or non-support - if your child has been "identified" with some kind of difference in his/her learning it's really important to get verification and an independent evaluation... good luck!
http://www.wrightslaw.com/
info/tests.evals.crabtree.htm
I am having trouble getting this link to fit into this comment space! The last two characters got clipped off in my last post. It should end with .htm
But just type both lines above into the address line without any spaces.
Colorado Revised Statutes 22-1-123(5)(a)... clearly supports parental control of public education. Schools cannot force students into any program without first obtaining parental consent. It's the law.
Anyone read the Herald today about the new elementary principals? Talk about putting a spin on the truth.
Mr. Brennan is quoted as saying that Cindy Smart built community and parental relationships at Fort Lewis Mesa. Huh? Who has he talked to? In fact, after Mrs. Smart took over as principal a large number of children left the school to homeschool or attend other schools because parents were so dissatisfied with Mrs. Smart's leadership style and her refusal to work with parents. Dr. Barter was contacted on several occassions by parents, teachers and community members to mediate the problems with Mrs. Smart, but Dr. Barter refused. Further, many parents are celebrating the change in leadership at Fort Lewis Mesa.
Mr. Brennan's quote is an absolute misrepresentation of the facts. He either didn't check his facts before he made that statement or he knew he wasn't representing the truth.
To all of us in 9-R: Beware!!!
In a beautiful case of the "pot calling the kettle black," Michael Brennan slams the Herald (8-5-07) for "putting itself squarely in the camp of naysayers and critics that plague our public discourse with bad information and the absence of fact-finding..." Not that he, himself and others who populate the 9-R administration building have ever spun the truth. In fact, it is 9-R's own endless stream of bad information and one-sided facts that really plagues our public discourse (of course for public discourse to occur the public has to be involved...it's not...so the point is moot). Mr. Brennan, like Deb Uroda before him, speaks with a forked tongue.
We made the herald today
"Naysayers and Critics"
Michael Brennan is so off base to bash the herald.
Seems to me he should work on Community Pride while using the Herald to build this not biting the hand that feeds you.
In response to all the letters concerning the law surrounding Special Ed.
Call me anytime and I will spend at much time as needed helping you understand.
Sandy is right that a Parent has all the power in placement. You do not have to place your child in Spec Ed if you don't want to.
However, evaluating children is very important.
If you as a Parent simply Suspect a problem with learning SJBOCES is responsible for this evaluation.
If your child is evaluated with a Specific Learning Disability and you don't want them to fall into this category there are many other options available to you. Staying involved and holding people accountable whether or not your child is in need of specific services. We are lucky to have wonderful teachers and hopefully you can find someone to go above and beyond for your child. Having a child identified as Spec Ed has only helped our son and because of the struggles we have faced as parents we have changed the system in many ways. Being Spec Ed does not mean your child will be in a class with severly handicapped children and it doesn't have to mean Pull Outs. It does give you more protection under the law and the ability to develop an appropriate learning environment. Accomodations and Modifications. Without the protection of IDEA the school doesn't have to do a thing special for your child. It won't affect them in post secondary education on the contrary, many University offer much more in the way of support for these children if they are identified in High School. Don't be afraid of this it can work in your favor, we are proof. Call me!
Where is the article about naysayers?
It's not an article, it's a Letter to the Editor.
RE: earlier comment wondering about "naysayers" reference.
It was in a letter to the Editor of Herald today from 9-R's Director of Human Resources. He claims the paper is meanspirited and because of its treatment of 9-R he puts it "in the camp of naysayers” ... who “plague public discourse." (I guess that's us - people who have dared to “blog” here after unsuccessfully requesting public space to talk together about problems.
Brennan gives two reasons why the Herald must hang its head in shame:
1. A news story about a DHS Aerospace Team victory in Houston didn’t run on Page One. (he seems to confuse a newspaper with a district newsletter - page 3 coverage and photo seemed great to me. (July 26 p. 3A) Congratulations to both teacher and students and all who supported them; maybe more students will want to participate in this kind of challenge and get support to take more rigorous math and science courses. However, this wasn’t an international story – it’s a great local story about students working hard and winning an international award and I think 9-R administrators are too sensitive.
2. Next mistake: the Herald dared to question both timing and budgetary commitment being made to 9-R’s new afterschool program which premieres in a few weeks. Brennan’s claim that this was mockery (??) suggests he is developing a hypersensitivity to public scrutiny. 9-R isn't a private corporation answerable only to itself. It's our public school system.
About Herald and Kids Kamp - a great new fresh start with lots of energy behind it... Libby Culver is to be congratulated for independently being willing to say "we need to improve our afterschool offerings!!" We needed to take a hard look at how Kidtime was working and she did. She is a breath of fresh air to all of us ... that same old, same old attitude at the top is very unhelpful - just when the district realizes it can use the public to help with our programs... it strikes back when someone raises a question. There are questions (quite a few were left dangling) whether anyone wants to admit it or not.. these questions aren't going away; asking them won't kill our new program; they'll strengthen the whole deal including our PLCs.
I am wondering if the HR Director read the same editorial I read. Having raised questions about the bureaucracy not the program, the Herald closed with:
"(Kids Kamp) ...has the potential to be a fine after-school program. The range of groups and businesses involved in making fun activities readily available to elementary students illustrates the exceptional level of community involvement Durango enjoys. The district's students will benefit greatly from that. We hope the Kid Kamp details are sufficiently addressed before classes convene Aug. 22."
That's mockery??? Give me a break.
9-R's upper level management needs to lighten up and change its now tired tune ("Nothing must ever be questioned." and "Anyone who dares to raise a question is a "critic" who threatens our democracy...) many teachers I know are hopeful about capturing the momentum offered by fresh new hires this fall. Let's hope we aren't undermined by our superiors. He used to be one of us and should know better.
I, too, am very disappointed in Mr. Brennan and how he has deliberately mislead the public. I actually believed he was going to do some good, was going to change things for the good, and was going to be someone who would stand up for parents and the community. I'm sad that I was mistaken and he has turned to be just another one of the minions who only echo Dr. Barter.
He has no more intention of including parents or the public than any of the rest of the administration. And, sadly, he cannot be trusted, either.
Do you qualify as a naysayer when you question something or point out that the administration has twisted the truth? Are you a naysayer because you want input on your child's education? Are you a naysayer because you ask the administration to be honest?
Recent events have once again proven that 9-R will say whatever it pleases whether or not the truth is involved. How can we trust such an administration?
I guess we can only count down the days until we have a new superintendent.
I think Michael Brennan's time would have been better spent writing a Public Pulse or Opinion front page for a Sunday, about all the wonderful things that are happening, as opposed to slagging off the Durango Herald for writing articles that were not as bad as Michael felt.
As for Michael bemoaning the "naysayers" and "critics".....Michael...what have you done for the school district recently other than collect a pay check?
It would be fair to say that the "naysayers" and "critics" need to be embraced. I know they have done great things. I know they believe in public education. I know they want Durango School District 9-R to be the best it can possibly be.
For the Administration to want to work with the public, they need to stop name calling, and belittling us. Threats, fear and intimidation won't make people who are passionate about education slink away.
Oh. I'm not really upset..........actually I'm incensed.
Because of Dr. Barter's 3 year dithering over foreign language waivers or alternatives, and her denial as to what expert opinion suggests is the correct thing to do for dyslexic students, and her insistence that the "buck stops with me", (as in "her"), and that her Board are a bunch of nobodies who have no right to make graduation requirement alternatives to foreign language so we don't lose students from DHS...............my son can not take 4 classes for 11th grade that would have benefited him, because they are all full up. Thank you Mary.
I just wanted to share. Next time we have a superintendent who should go by the name of Dr. No, aka that mean, and selfish character from any Cubby Broccoli movie; I hope you, the School Board, step up and step in, and take control. There is no reason why my son shouldn't be able to sit these classes in his second to final year at DHS, other than Dr. No thought it would be fun to drag her feet until it was too late for us to get the classes we wanted.
I wonder what happens if you're a parent who doesn't care? Oh yes, you're the parent Dr. Barter wants to nurture now, because after 7 years she has decided that a parent knows their child best.....even though she doesn't mean what she wrote on 16th May on the District 9R website. She couldn't care less what you, the parent, thought about your child. Why? She simply doesn't care about any child, let alone yours.
Or....you know....what if you are one of those awful parents School District 9R talk about all the time who lower the tone of the district. Oh....the naysayers and the critics. I guess our children only get the crumbs from underneath the table.
Dr. Barter and Greg Spradling both, just ruined my son's 11th grade experience. And to think they get to continue in education is beyond me. Watch out Ridgeway, you do not know what you have inherited.
Well, thanks to Dr. Barter and Greg Spradling's promises (during the 3 year struggle for a foreign language waiver/alternative, and them telling me last May, that the dithering would not affect Jamie's 11th grade schedule), Jamie cannot sit four classes that would have benefited him for 11th grade.
Consumer Math
Macro Economics: Your Money and How it Works (this class was actually canceled, I don't know why, because it's an excellent topic)
Psychology of Human Behavior
Sociology
I am very upset. As teachers, administrators, and school board members, you must never let our superintendent ruin children's education as she has ruined my son's since 4th grade.
Please help your dyslexic (or struggling reader) students out, by reading this link: http://www.interdys.org/npdf/flang.pdf —my take on this is that a multi-sensory approach by a qualified foreign language instructor as intense as was necessary for reading in English would need to be provided, and as we all know, that teacher does not exist in 9R for a foreign language, let alone for English language.
For the sake of dyslexic children, you must take a stance and fight for them to receive a successful foreign language waiver/alternative for regular education graduation requirements, and you must not let it drag out from 8th Grade Escalante to 11th Grade DHS. What a waste of Jamie's schooling. What a shame.
Bob Schaffer on parents:
It is the responsibility of parents to educate their children. It is the right of parents to direct the education and upbringing of their children. In this regard, the judgment of parents should never be ignored, second guessed or questioned by government agents............
If only Dr. Barter believed the same.
Who or what is the Education Research and Development Institute, otherwise known as ERDI?
"Since 1985, ERDI has been a powerful network of educational leaders and corporate clients. ERDI-affiliated superintendents are national educational leaders who are hand picked for their professional achievement and for their ability to connect to networks that keep education excellent. When corporate clients want access to educational leaders who can cause what Malcome Gladwell calls the “tipping point”, these are the men and women with whom they want to be discussing strategy to effectively meet the needs of the K-12 education market. Superintendents and corporate leaders frequently say that ERDI provides one of the most effective professional development opportunities they have ever experienced. ERDI offers a learning climate not replicated in any other forum."
Here is the fax and email, that Mary Barter refused to answer, and was sent to her in July 2006.
Mary, some of your parents and taxpayers have contacted me indicating that you are attending three conferences during July (ERDI and AASA); their questions, consolidated below for your ease of reference:
Is this your first ERDI conference? If not, where/when were your previous ERDI conferences?
Is Mr. Barter with you at ERDI? Will he be at AASA? Is the district paying for his transportation, meals, etc.?
Are you being paid $2,000 for your attendance at ERDI and another $400 for Mr. Barter? If you have received $2,000 or any other sum from ERDI for your attendance at this conference, is this declarable income with the IRS or do you receive this in the form of cash? If you do receive any money from ERDI, do you keep it or do you give it away and if so, to whom? This applies to any previous ERDI conferences also.
Are Durango public schools paying your expenses for attending the ERDI conference?
Does your Durango contract allow you to do side consulting? [Regarding your contract, could you please email me a copy of your current contract detailing your current income, all perqs and provisions re side consulting.]
Do you consider and count your days at ERDI as Durango schools work days or vacation/personal days? What about previous ERDI conferences, if any?
How does your attendance at ERDI benefit Durango public schools?
Wouldn't it be a conflict of interest for you to be attending ERDI where Coca-Cola is a vendor and they are also vendors at DPS?
Do you consider and count your days at AASA as Durango schools work days or vacation/personal days? What about previous AASA conferences? Why do you consider it necessary to attend AASA in Washington, D.C. and how does this benefit Durango, Colorado students?
It is my sincere hope that you will answer the foregoing questions on behalf of your taxpayers without my having to file a public records request; return email is the easiest, fastest and cheapest way. Please note that I will be posting some or all of the foregoing on my website, along with your anticipated responses at the earliest opportunity if and when received. Thank you, and wishing you all the best.
Sadly, our good Doctor, refused to answer those straight forward questions above.
Do you care that Dr. Barter got an award from a group of people, who are secretive at best, because corporations are wooing them to put their products in front of our children?
I don't.
She can't even declare where the fee's went that she was paid to attend. Or whether or not our school district paid her to attend, thus making double the money.
It's all just a trick, to make you think she is good.
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