I posted a link at the Gloucester Daily Times. Welcome visitors.
The first link (blog archives) explains why I, and others, oppose the GCA Charter School.
The second link (archives) sums up the flawed charter school application process.
Why
Open Letter to the People of Gloucester
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The debate continues....
To the editor:
Mr. Baird, board member for the proposed charter school, says in his column (The Times, Monday, May 18) that he feels bullied by the overwhelming, passionate, and vocal commitment of public school parents, teachers, elected representatives, and other residents of Gloucester, who oppose the charter.
In response to our opposition, he has published a flood of derisory labels for this ever-expanding community, which evidently offends him with its expressed concern for the charter's impact.
Many people have come forward to protest the charter school plan and the shabby neglect of Gloucester residents during and following public hearings. They have come from so many quarters and so many backgrounds that Mr. Baird is in danger of running out of derogatory names in his efforts to criticize them all.
Thus, in his columns and letters he has called one parent a Democratic aparatchick, another a Bush-like Republican. The rest of us he calls "bullies," "attack dogs," "mad dogs,""barking dogs" (Mr. Baird is evidently no more fond of dogs than of his neighbors), "witch-baiters," "fear mongers," "foot-stampers," "cadre of defenders of the system,"and, oddly, "ministers of the system."
These parents have, according to Mr. Baird, undertaken a "despicable smear campaign." (That's right. "They", not Mr. Baird, are undertaking a "smear campaign"! Can we spell "projection"?)
Click here to finish reading Roger's letter.
Roger Garberg
Gloucester
To the editor:
Peter Van Ness, spokesperson for the GCA Charter School, has made the claim that the people who signed the first page of a petition making no mention of the financial impact of the charter school were harassed.
While Mr. Van Ness may have convinced some with his clever, yet questionable PR tactics, he hasn't convinced everyone.
Having been a contact person for 62 of the 151 people who wrote letters of opposition to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in December, I have been told directly by community members that they were not as informed as they could have been and simply distracted when they first signed the petition. Many have asked that their names be removed — without prompting from people opposing the school.
I have also witnessed firsthand the tenor of the opposition's campaign in the form of incredibly passionate letters written by the people of Gloucester. While I cannot speak for all of the actions of the people who oppose this school (many do not belong to a formal group), I know from the discussions, phone calls and e-mails of the people with whom I've worked closely that our interactions have been civil and intended to help people get correct information about a critically important issue.
To finish reading my letter click here.
Jane Cunningham
Gloucester
Mr. Baird, board member for the proposed charter school, says in his column (The Times, Monday, May 18) that he feels bullied by the overwhelming, passionate, and vocal commitment of public school parents, teachers, elected representatives, and other residents of Gloucester, who oppose the charter.
In response to our opposition, he has published a flood of derisory labels for this ever-expanding community, which evidently offends him with its expressed concern for the charter's impact.
Many people have come forward to protest the charter school plan and the shabby neglect of Gloucester residents during and following public hearings. They have come from so many quarters and so many backgrounds that Mr. Baird is in danger of running out of derogatory names in his efforts to criticize them all.
Thus, in his columns and letters he has called one parent a Democratic aparatchick, another a Bush-like Republican. The rest of us he calls "bullies," "attack dogs," "mad dogs,""barking dogs" (Mr. Baird is evidently no more fond of dogs than of his neighbors), "witch-baiters," "fear mongers," "foot-stampers," "cadre of defenders of the system,"and, oddly, "ministers of the system."
These parents have, according to Mr. Baird, undertaken a "despicable smear campaign." (That's right. "They", not Mr. Baird, are undertaking a "smear campaign"! Can we spell "projection"?)
Click here to finish reading Roger's letter.
Roger Garberg
Gloucester
To the editor:
Peter Van Ness, spokesperson for the GCA Charter School, has made the claim that the people who signed the first page of a petition making no mention of the financial impact of the charter school were harassed.
While Mr. Van Ness may have convinced some with his clever, yet questionable PR tactics, he hasn't convinced everyone.
Having been a contact person for 62 of the 151 people who wrote letters of opposition to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in December, I have been told directly by community members that they were not as informed as they could have been and simply distracted when they first signed the petition. Many have asked that their names be removed — without prompting from people opposing the school.
I have also witnessed firsthand the tenor of the opposition's campaign in the form of incredibly passionate letters written by the people of Gloucester. While I cannot speak for all of the actions of the people who oppose this school (many do not belong to a formal group), I know from the discussions, phone calls and e-mails of the people with whom I've worked closely that our interactions have been civil and intended to help people get correct information about a critically important issue.
To finish reading my letter click here.
Jane Cunningham
Gloucester
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Serious Entertainment!
Some of you might recognize the name Hugo Burnham; he's drummer for rock band Gang of Four. He also has an opinion about the GCA Charter School. Read on.
To the editor:
I must, unusually, take exception to some part of your editorial concerning the proposed charter school. (The Times, Monday, May 11)
The "get over it, he won" dynamic is uncalled for, and reminds me uncomfortably of the aftermath of the national elections of 1999 and 2003.
Peter Van Ness has consistently appeared to be anything but transparent, which, with his oft-noted arrogance in content and tone has caused much of the distrust and fear running through our community. How many times has he said how his charter will somehow teach us all — parents, teachers and school district alike — how to better educate the city's children? Yet not once has he been specific about the magic bullet loaded in his charter gun, other than field trips to the Heritage Center.
Wonderful. Will those be weekly or daily?
He goes on about the arts as if our schools have none, that our teachers and students are Philistines all. I take exception to that.
In the editorial, to say the superintendent told "... a prospective arts instructor there would be no tolerance ..." for a school district employee showing support for the proposed charter school, is hyperbole and incorrect, certainly as far as the direct quote in your own front page story. The superintendent said only that it would "... be troubling ..." to him, and that it would only be considered in breach of legality if such support was active whilst on the clock. What part of that is "no tolerance" harassment?
Van Ness' secret list of supporters demands true transparency, and the whole city deserves as much — not least because so many people are distrustful of its veracity so long after its inception. If he believes it to be truly indicative of adequate and firm support, then a new petition should be distributed, especially now that we all are more informed about the facts, despite much being still unclear; not least the facts about the economic impact to the district, and facts about the options for the charter school site, most likely in a downtown location ... so well known for terrific parking opportunities and enormous open space available for children to be outside running around and playing, something every parent acknowledges the absolute need for.
Click here to finish reading Hugo's letter.
Hugo Burnham
High Street, Gloucester
To the editor:
I must, unusually, take exception to some part of your editorial concerning the proposed charter school. (The Times, Monday, May 11)
The "get over it, he won" dynamic is uncalled for, and reminds me uncomfortably of the aftermath of the national elections of 1999 and 2003.
Peter Van Ness has consistently appeared to be anything but transparent, which, with his oft-noted arrogance in content and tone has caused much of the distrust and fear running through our community. How many times has he said how his charter will somehow teach us all — parents, teachers and school district alike — how to better educate the city's children? Yet not once has he been specific about the magic bullet loaded in his charter gun, other than field trips to the Heritage Center.
Wonderful. Will those be weekly or daily?
He goes on about the arts as if our schools have none, that our teachers and students are Philistines all. I take exception to that.
In the editorial, to say the superintendent told "... a prospective arts instructor there would be no tolerance ..." for a school district employee showing support for the proposed charter school, is hyperbole and incorrect, certainly as far as the direct quote in your own front page story. The superintendent said only that it would "... be troubling ..." to him, and that it would only be considered in breach of legality if such support was active whilst on the clock. What part of that is "no tolerance" harassment?
Van Ness' secret list of supporters demands true transparency, and the whole city deserves as much — not least because so many people are distrustful of its veracity so long after its inception. If he believes it to be truly indicative of adequate and firm support, then a new petition should be distributed, especially now that we all are more informed about the facts, despite much being still unclear; not least the facts about the economic impact to the district, and facts about the options for the charter school site, most likely in a downtown location ... so well known for terrific parking opportunities and enormous open space available for children to be outside running around and playing, something every parent acknowledges the absolute need for.
Click here to finish reading Hugo's letter.
Hugo Burnham
High Street, Gloucester
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