March 20, 2009
Because my oldest son, a fifth-grader, had been talking with his friends about O’Maley School, I made an appointment with Principal Michael Tracy to visit. I, along with two other parents from my son’s school, met with Dr. Tracy on a windy, cold Monday morning last December. I saw some trash around the rink, but with the wind I was not worried and did not pay particular attention to it as I was more concerned about what I would find inside of the institution looming grey and cold in front of us on this dark winter morning.
Dr. Tracy welcomed us into his office and we had a chance to ask a lot of questions about the curriculum, the contents and the appearance of the school, which he answered in a competent and friendly way. He spoke about the after-school program, which is funded by the Gloucester Education Foundation. Languages, robotics, flight simulator, CAD, video-film and more will be offered. He spoke about the new science lab, which will be funded through the collaboration on curriculum development with the MIT-Edgerton center and about the chance for middle school students to go to MIT for two weeks in summer. He explained that this collaboration was again made possible by the GEF and will provide sustainable improvements to science and technology education.
To finish reading Frieda's letter click here.
Frieda Grotjahn
Blake Court
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Pamela Campbell: When the story hits a nerve
GLOUCESTER - It’s always a balancing act, trying to be objective in community journalism when the community you’re covering is the family heirloom. Gloucester is my home, my roots, my heritage, my point of view: in five years of living outside Chicago, it was my steadfast identity. That first winter out there, my 4-year-old son made snow angels while singing Daisy Nell songs at the top of his lungs, into the Illinois sky.
So I was thrilled to be able to reconnect with my hometown by contributing pieces to the Beacon. Slowly finishing a long-overdue degree in English, hoping to teach locally when I’m done, I figured, why not? And it has been such a wonderful way to delve into the community, learn new things, meet new people, and write.
When asked if I’d cover the Gloucester schools for the Beacon, I said, sure. I am a product of the Gloucester schools: Beeman for six years, Central Grammar for two. I also worked as a classroom aide in Debbie Goodwin’s first kindergarten class at Fuller in 2002-03, and was one of the last-hired staff to be cut when the ax fell that fateful “No Child”/federal funding year. It’s what sent me back to school for the ever-elusive degree.
But the charter school story has struck a very deep nerve, and it hurts.
To continue reading Pamela's column click here.
So I was thrilled to be able to reconnect with my hometown by contributing pieces to the Beacon. Slowly finishing a long-overdue degree in English, hoping to teach locally when I’m done, I figured, why not? And it has been such a wonderful way to delve into the community, learn new things, meet new people, and write.
When asked if I’d cover the Gloucester schools for the Beacon, I said, sure. I am a product of the Gloucester schools: Beeman for six years, Central Grammar for two. I also worked as a classroom aide in Debbie Goodwin’s first kindergarten class at Fuller in 2002-03, and was one of the last-hired staff to be cut when the ax fell that fateful “No Child”/federal funding year. It’s what sent me back to school for the ever-elusive degree.
But the charter school story has struck a very deep nerve, and it hurts.
To continue reading Pamela's column click here.
Ongoing letters to the editor of the Gloucester Daily Times
Peter Van Ness' insistence that he and his group (the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School) have enjoyed a broad coalition of support in their efforts to bring their charter school to fruition is puzzling.
The public record paints a contrary picture of his inflated "re-vision" of public enthusiasm. According to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 16 letters of support were received — of which seARTs, Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Lesley University in Boston and Councilor Jackie Hardy all subsequently withdrew their endorsement. At the only public hearing, where members of the community were able to voice their concerns, the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School group could muster only 17 supporters (of which seven were founding board members) to speak in favor.
Conversely, 151 letters in opposition were received by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and, of the 94 people signed up to speak in opposition, half were denied the opportunity because of time constraints. Many people who intended to speak against the application did not bother to sign up because the opposition list was already so long.
To read the rest of Jason's letter click here.
JASON GROW
City Councilor, Ward 1
Gloucester
When people care enough to become involved in their community, we assume that they do so to improve the quality of life for all. We have many intelligent and informed community members and elected city officials who try hard to make decisions based on this assumption.
For me, the most disturbing aspect of the charter school situation is the involvement of members of our own community who do not seem to share this assumption. These community members apparently gave up trying to work within the confines of the local process and were willing to further diminish the core educational opportunities that the majority of children in Gloucester receive in order to satisfy their dissatisfaction with the status quo.
To read the rest of Simon's letter click here.
SIMON PADDOCK
Mount Pleasant Avenue, Gloucester
The public record paints a contrary picture of his inflated "re-vision" of public enthusiasm. According to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 16 letters of support were received — of which seARTs, Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Lesley University in Boston and Councilor Jackie Hardy all subsequently withdrew their endorsement. At the only public hearing, where members of the community were able to voice their concerns, the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School group could muster only 17 supporters (of which seven were founding board members) to speak in favor.
Conversely, 151 letters in opposition were received by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and, of the 94 people signed up to speak in opposition, half were denied the opportunity because of time constraints. Many people who intended to speak against the application did not bother to sign up because the opposition list was already so long.
To read the rest of Jason's letter click here.
JASON GROW
City Councilor, Ward 1
Gloucester
When people care enough to become involved in their community, we assume that they do so to improve the quality of life for all. We have many intelligent and informed community members and elected city officials who try hard to make decisions based on this assumption.
For me, the most disturbing aspect of the charter school situation is the involvement of members of our own community who do not seem to share this assumption. These community members apparently gave up trying to work within the confines of the local process and were willing to further diminish the core educational opportunities that the majority of children in Gloucester receive in order to satisfy their dissatisfaction with the status quo.
To read the rest of Simon's letter click here.
SIMON PADDOCK
Mount Pleasant Avenue, Gloucester
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Open Letter to the People of Gloucester
Dear Friends,
On Tuesday the Board of Education narrowly decided 6-5 to grant the Gloucester Community Arts School a charter. Here is a summary of the past few months. I want people to know that our efforts were extensive and that they did not go unnoticed--though it feels like they did. It is unfortunate that the charter application process is as flawed and undemocratic as it is. The fact that 6 individuals who do not intimately know the needs of our town or send their children to our schools can decide whether or not we need this school in the face of huge community opposition is unconscionable. Please take a few minutes to stroll down memory lane with me and take note of what we have been up against and what we have accomplished.
1. The school district released projections of how the charter school would affect approximately 3200 students--while 240 would enjoy capped classes of 20. One or two school closings and more teacher and staff cuts resulting in larger class sizes were projected.
2. The GCA applicants claimed to have cost-saving measures for the district; they had created a budget based on information given to them by Christopher Farmer. When it came time to reveal this budget, they would not produce it. People who have been paying attention to money in the city know that there is no "magic" budget.
3. On December 11, 2008, the state held a 3 1/2 hour (the longest the state has seen) public hearing during which 17 people spoke in support of the charter school. 7 of those people were founding board members. 48 people spoke out against the charter and 46 people were unable to speak due to time constraints. NOT ONE voting Board of Education member attended the hearing. At the 1/27/09 Board of Education meeting the board voted to waive the requirement in 603 CMR 1.04(3)(b) with respect to attendance by a member of the board at the public hearing.
4. By January 5, 2009 151 people opposing the school had written letters to Mitchell Chester at the Board of Education. 16 people wrote letters in support of the school. These numbers are especially important to take note of. Applicants claimed--after the hearing--that a lot of supporters were afraid to speak at the hearing because of the hostile reaction by a large number of people in the community. Letters, however, are different because the state does not reveal names. If our community was as desperate for a choice as the applicants say, founding members should have been able to get hundreds of people to write letters. They got 16 people, most likely including themselves as demonstrated at the public hearing. This is disgraceful. Whether applicants needed community support or not, they should have sought it. This is the spirit of community. This is the spirit of reform. This is the spirit of "together we can." To see a summary of the letter content and public hearing as produced by the DESE go here:
Summary
5. Mid-January, AFTER the letter writing deadline had passed, The Boston Foundation released a study about the Boston Public School System. THOUSANDS of charter school proponents statewide cited this study--irrelevant to Gloucester--when asking the Governor, the Secretary of Education and Commissioner Chester to lift the charter cap and approve the charter schools set to open in 2010. The well-oiled machine that is the statewide charter school lobby group is large-scale. Paul S. Grogan of the Boston Foundation is a major pro charter player. Our opposition group, small in comparison, fought on. We wrote letters to the Governor, to Secretary Reville and to the Commissioner again--even though the period for public commentary about the proposed charter had closed.
6. On February 13, 2009 Mitchell Chester issued a statement of recommendation for the GCA charter school while choosing not to recommend two other charter proposals. Many citizens of Gloucester were astonished as the GCA proposal had been misleading and dishonest. Why was the Commissioner unable to see this? Residents started calling the Governor's office and the Commissioner's office. They called again. And again. And again. By Monday afternoon, 2/23/09, the aides working at the state constituent's office were saying, "I'll add your name to the list. Yes. It's a long list. We've been getting calls all day."
7. After the successful pro charter lobby in January, Deval Patrick stopped waffling about charters and discussing problems with funding and issued statements in support of charter schools. On Tuesday, both of the Governor's men on the Board of Education voted in favor of the GCA school: Secretary Reville who wasn't actually present and Dana Mohler-Faria, President of Bridgewater State and Patrick's special advisor to education and instrumental in leading the Commonwealth's readiness project, quietly voted "yes."
8. I was told on Monday evening that--after meetings and letters and phone calls--8 board members would most likely be voting yes and 3 members would be voting no. I felt sad and defeated. I chose not to attend Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.
9. Tuesday morning I learned about the final vote: 6-5. I was stunned. Two board members had changed their votes. 5 of 11 board members dismissed the Commissioner's recommendation to only consider the school's viability and voted no. They heard us--our collective voices. This is no small victory.
I'm sure that I've left out things. Please let me know what I've forgotten. Mainly, though, I want to say thank you for your efforts. Before I got involved with the process of opposing the charter, I was of the mind that most people don't have time or energy or motivation to act. It's difficult to get people to write letters. It's difficult to get people to care--especially with all the demands that are placed upon people every day. But you showed me. You showed me again and again how much you care about all of the children in our city.
The applicants may have their school (we'll see if the state writes a check), but they've lost credibility within their own community. They attained victory by riding on the backs of the statewide pro charter lobby, by participating in a seriously flawed application process that failed to produce a record of 400 petition signatures or more than 16 letters in support of the school--and by refusing to acknowledge our many voices; this is a hollow victory at best.
I am proud of all that we have accomplished in spite of serious deficits. I am proud of how hard we have fought for the district's children. And I am proud that I live in Gloucester with people willing to ask hard questions about class and inequity and a charter lottery system that favors involved and culturally and financially advantaged parents. I'm proud of the foundations that have been established to supplement our schools and make things better for all of Gloucester's students, especially those who most struggle to pass the MCAS. I'm proud of the teachers who are always innovative--who have been implementing the ideas in the GCA application for years. I'm proud of the teachers who are constantly trying to reach as many children as possible in as many creative ways as possible--though class sizes continue to grow. I'm proud of everyone who goes beyond what is expected of them. I'm proud of people who don't lose hope in the face of an enormous setback.
Thank you for all that you have done, all that you do and all that you will do for our community.
Sincerely and with great admiration and appreciation,
Jane Cunningham
On Tuesday the Board of Education narrowly decided 6-5 to grant the Gloucester Community Arts School a charter. Here is a summary of the past few months. I want people to know that our efforts were extensive and that they did not go unnoticed--though it feels like they did. It is unfortunate that the charter application process is as flawed and undemocratic as it is. The fact that 6 individuals who do not intimately know the needs of our town or send their children to our schools can decide whether or not we need this school in the face of huge community opposition is unconscionable. Please take a few minutes to stroll down memory lane with me and take note of what we have been up against and what we have accomplished.
1. The school district released projections of how the charter school would affect approximately 3200 students--while 240 would enjoy capped classes of 20. One or two school closings and more teacher and staff cuts resulting in larger class sizes were projected.
2. The GCA applicants claimed to have cost-saving measures for the district; they had created a budget based on information given to them by Christopher Farmer. When it came time to reveal this budget, they would not produce it. People who have been paying attention to money in the city know that there is no "magic" budget.
3. On December 11, 2008, the state held a 3 1/2 hour (the longest the state has seen) public hearing during which 17 people spoke in support of the charter school. 7 of those people were founding board members. 48 people spoke out against the charter and 46 people were unable to speak due to time constraints. NOT ONE voting Board of Education member attended the hearing. At the 1/27/09 Board of Education meeting the board voted to waive the requirement in 603 CMR 1.04(3)(b) with respect to attendance by a member of the board at the public hearing.
4. By January 5, 2009 151 people opposing the school had written letters to Mitchell Chester at the Board of Education. 16 people wrote letters in support of the school. These numbers are especially important to take note of. Applicants claimed--after the hearing--that a lot of supporters were afraid to speak at the hearing because of the hostile reaction by a large number of people in the community. Letters, however, are different because the state does not reveal names. If our community was as desperate for a choice as the applicants say, founding members should have been able to get hundreds of people to write letters. They got 16 people, most likely including themselves as demonstrated at the public hearing. This is disgraceful. Whether applicants needed community support or not, they should have sought it. This is the spirit of community. This is the spirit of reform. This is the spirit of "together we can." To see a summary of the letter content and public hearing as produced by the DESE go here:
Summary
5. Mid-January, AFTER the letter writing deadline had passed, The Boston Foundation released a study about the Boston Public School System. THOUSANDS of charter school proponents statewide cited this study--irrelevant to Gloucester--when asking the Governor, the Secretary of Education and Commissioner Chester to lift the charter cap and approve the charter schools set to open in 2010. The well-oiled machine that is the statewide charter school lobby group is large-scale. Paul S. Grogan of the Boston Foundation is a major pro charter player. Our opposition group, small in comparison, fought on. We wrote letters to the Governor, to Secretary Reville and to the Commissioner again--even though the period for public commentary about the proposed charter had closed.
6. On February 13, 2009 Mitchell Chester issued a statement of recommendation for the GCA charter school while choosing not to recommend two other charter proposals. Many citizens of Gloucester were astonished as the GCA proposal had been misleading and dishonest. Why was the Commissioner unable to see this? Residents started calling the Governor's office and the Commissioner's office. They called again. And again. And again. By Monday afternoon, 2/23/09, the aides working at the state constituent's office were saying, "I'll add your name to the list. Yes. It's a long list. We've been getting calls all day."
7. After the successful pro charter lobby in January, Deval Patrick stopped waffling about charters and discussing problems with funding and issued statements in support of charter schools. On Tuesday, both of the Governor's men on the Board of Education voted in favor of the GCA school: Secretary Reville who wasn't actually present and Dana Mohler-Faria, President of Bridgewater State and Patrick's special advisor to education and instrumental in leading the Commonwealth's readiness project, quietly voted "yes."
8. I was told on Monday evening that--after meetings and letters and phone calls--8 board members would most likely be voting yes and 3 members would be voting no. I felt sad and defeated. I chose not to attend Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.
9. Tuesday morning I learned about the final vote: 6-5. I was stunned. Two board members had changed their votes. 5 of 11 board members dismissed the Commissioner's recommendation to only consider the school's viability and voted no. They heard us--our collective voices. This is no small victory.
I'm sure that I've left out things. Please let me know what I've forgotten. Mainly, though, I want to say thank you for your efforts. Before I got involved with the process of opposing the charter, I was of the mind that most people don't have time or energy or motivation to act. It's difficult to get people to write letters. It's difficult to get people to care--especially with all the demands that are placed upon people every day. But you showed me. You showed me again and again how much you care about all of the children in our city.
The applicants may have their school (we'll see if the state writes a check), but they've lost credibility within their own community. They attained victory by riding on the backs of the statewide pro charter lobby, by participating in a seriously flawed application process that failed to produce a record of 400 petition signatures or more than 16 letters in support of the school--and by refusing to acknowledge our many voices; this is a hollow victory at best.
I am proud of all that we have accomplished in spite of serious deficits. I am proud of how hard we have fought for the district's children. And I am proud that I live in Gloucester with people willing to ask hard questions about class and inequity and a charter lottery system that favors involved and culturally and financially advantaged parents. I'm proud of the foundations that have been established to supplement our schools and make things better for all of Gloucester's students, especially those who most struggle to pass the MCAS. I'm proud of the teachers who are always innovative--who have been implementing the ideas in the GCA application for years. I'm proud of the teachers who are constantly trying to reach as many children as possible in as many creative ways as possible--though class sizes continue to grow. I'm proud of everyone who goes beyond what is expected of them. I'm proud of people who don't lose hope in the face of an enormous setback.
Thank you for all that you have done, all that you do and all that you will do for our community.
Sincerely and with great admiration and appreciation,
Jane Cunningham
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Call, write, call, write, call, write...
Please. In the next few days--and before Tuesday.
Call, write, call, write, call, write....
Today I've spoken with staff members from Governor Patrick's office, from Senator Tarr's office, from Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante's office and from Commissioner Chester's office. All staff members encouraged calls and e-mails--though I recommend focusing efforts on the Governor's office and the Board of Education as Senator Tarr and Representative Ferrante are already taking action.
First I called Governor Deval Patrick. I have sent two e-mails in the past that have not been answered. His staff representative was able to look up my name and see the status of my e-mail. It is *being considered.* I got a kick out of this. He encouraged more calls from Gloucester and assured me that our messages would be passed on. Let's make his day/week and rock his world by calling, calling, calling. And writing, writing, writing.
Massachusetts State House
Office of the Governor
Office of the Lt. Governor
Room 360
Boston, MA 02133
Phone: 617.725.4005
888.870.7770 (in state)
Fax: 617.727.9725
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3utilities&sid=Agov3&U=Agov3_contact_us
Next I called Commissioner Chester's office. JC is the spokesman for the Board. He suggested sending e-mails with testimony to this address:
E-mail: boe@doe.mass.edu
If you want to call or write:
Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148
Phone: 781-338-3102
Fax: 781-338-3770
Also, letters can be sent to individual Board members. Addresses at website:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/edboard.html
Next, I called State Senator Bruce Tarr to ask that he make noise about opposing a charter school in Gloucester. His staff representative told me about a letter that Senator Tarr wrote yesterday in which he again states his opposition to the school. Please call or write and let Senator Tarr know how you feel.
State House
Room 313-A
Boston, MA 02133
Telephone: (617) 722-1600
Bruce.Tarr@state.ma.us
And finally, I called Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante.
617-722-2425
I spoke with her aide who encouraged calls to the Governor and to the Board.
A phone call only takes a few minutes and you'll get a live person (a pleasantly live person) on the other end of the phone line.
I appreciate all that you are doing.
Jane Cunningham
Call, write, call, write, call, write....
Today I've spoken with staff members from Governor Patrick's office, from Senator Tarr's office, from Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante's office and from Commissioner Chester's office. All staff members encouraged calls and e-mails--though I recommend focusing efforts on the Governor's office and the Board of Education as Senator Tarr and Representative Ferrante are already taking action.
First I called Governor Deval Patrick. I have sent two e-mails in the past that have not been answered. His staff representative was able to look up my name and see the status of my e-mail. It is *being considered.* I got a kick out of this. He encouraged more calls from Gloucester and assured me that our messages would be passed on. Let's make his day/week and rock his world by calling, calling, calling. And writing, writing, writing.
Massachusetts State House
Office of the Governor
Office of the Lt. Governor
Room 360
Boston, MA 02133
Phone: 617.725.4005
888.870.7770 (in state)
Fax: 617.727.9725
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3utilities&sid=Agov3&U=Agov3_contact_us
Next I called Commissioner Chester's office. JC is the spokesman for the Board. He suggested sending e-mails with testimony to this address:
E-mail: boe@doe.mass.edu
If you want to call or write:
Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148
Phone: 781-338-3102
Fax: 781-338-3770
Also, letters can be sent to individual Board members. Addresses at website:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/edboard.html
Next, I called State Senator Bruce Tarr to ask that he make noise about opposing a charter school in Gloucester. His staff representative told me about a letter that Senator Tarr wrote yesterday in which he again states his opposition to the school. Please call or write and let Senator Tarr know how you feel.
State House
Room 313-A
Boston, MA 02133
Telephone: (617) 722-1600
Bruce.Tarr@state.ma.us
And finally, I called Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante.
617-722-2425
I spoke with her aide who encouraged calls to the Governor and to the Board.
A phone call only takes a few minutes and you'll get a live person (a pleasantly live person) on the other end of the phone line.
I appreciate all that you are doing.
Jane Cunningham
Saturday, January 24, 2009
"Don't take the legs out from under O'Maley..."
As I was flipping through this week's Cape Ann Beacon I found this:
O'Maley Outlook: Young writers come together
Voices Within the Ocean is a group of students interested in publishing. They meet on Mondays and Tuesdays at O'Maley Middle School with their advisors, Ms.Ziergiebel and Ms. Ware. The group publishes poetry, stories, photography, drawings and reviews of music, movies and books.
The Beacon dedicates an entire page to their writing.
More here.
This project has arts and community participation and collaboration written all over it. If you are reading this and know about noteworthy happenings in our public schools, please send an e-mail to janecunningham8@gmail.com.
Thank you.
Jane
O'Maley Outlook: Young writers come together
Voices Within the Ocean is a group of students interested in publishing. They meet on Mondays and Tuesdays at O'Maley Middle School with their advisors, Ms.Ziergiebel and Ms. Ware. The group publishes poetry, stories, photography, drawings and reviews of music, movies and books.
The Beacon dedicates an entire page to their writing.
More here.
This project has arts and community participation and collaboration written all over it. If you are reading this and know about noteworthy happenings in our public schools, please send an e-mail to janecunningham8@gmail.com.
Thank you.
Jane
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Actions...
The Boston Foundation recently released a study about the Boston Public School System. Charter school proponents are citing this study when asking Board of Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester, Governor Deval Patrick and Massachusetts Secretary of Education and voting Board of Education member Paul Reville to lift the statewide charter cap and to approve the three proposed charter schools to open 2010. The GCA charter application, in all of its misleading glory, is receiving renewed attention as a result of this study. This is unfortunate as the Gloucester Public School System is not the Boston Public School System. Our challenges, demographic and size are different from that of the BPS and it is illogical to use the findings of this study to push the GCA charter forward. Furthermore, the weaknesses (as argued in earlier blog posts) of the GCA charter application are as alive as ever. Gentle reminders:
1. Gloucester does not need this charter. The GCA charter application is about imitation, not innovation. Our district has been struggling with staff cuts, program cuts and growing class sizes since 2002. Our district will be devastated by more cuts, more school closures, larger class sizes should this charter pass. It is as important as ever to make noise about the weaknesses of the GCA charter application.
2. Gloucester's elected officials and hundreds of parents, teachers and students do not want this charter. Hundreds of people wrote letters to Mitchell Chester asking that the GCA application be rejected. Now that the period for public commentary about the proposed charter school has closed, there has been a statewide pro charter letter writing campaign. Of course people can write letters at any time about issues that are compelling to them, but the fact that the Boston Foundation study was released AFTER the Board of Education 1/5/09 letter writing deadline raises questions about the lobbying methods of charter proponents. Had Gloucester letter writers been able to respond to the Boston Foundation study, they would have pointed out the obvious problems with using this study, limited to Boston, to make the case for a charter school in Gloucester.
3. Please use the links and addresses to take a few minutes to write to one or more of the following. Please ask that the GCA charter proposal be considered independently of the recent Boston Foundation findings. Ask that the GCA charter application be appropriately analyzed, citing misinformation where necessary.
Governor Deval Patrick
Secretary of Education Paul Reville: paul_reville@gse.harvard.edu
Reville says that he is reading the letters sent to him.
Lt. Governor Tim Murray: jen@timmurray.org
Senator Bruce Tarr
Board of Education: boe@doe.mass.edu
Thank you for your efforts.
Best, Jane
1. Gloucester does not need this charter. The GCA charter application is about imitation, not innovation. Our district has been struggling with staff cuts, program cuts and growing class sizes since 2002. Our district will be devastated by more cuts, more school closures, larger class sizes should this charter pass. It is as important as ever to make noise about the weaknesses of the GCA charter application.
2. Gloucester's elected officials and hundreds of parents, teachers and students do not want this charter. Hundreds of people wrote letters to Mitchell Chester asking that the GCA application be rejected. Now that the period for public commentary about the proposed charter school has closed, there has been a statewide pro charter letter writing campaign. Of course people can write letters at any time about issues that are compelling to them, but the fact that the Boston Foundation study was released AFTER the Board of Education 1/5/09 letter writing deadline raises questions about the lobbying methods of charter proponents. Had Gloucester letter writers been able to respond to the Boston Foundation study, they would have pointed out the obvious problems with using this study, limited to Boston, to make the case for a charter school in Gloucester.
3. Please use the links and addresses to take a few minutes to write to one or more of the following. Please ask that the GCA charter proposal be considered independently of the recent Boston Foundation findings. Ask that the GCA charter application be appropriately analyzed, citing misinformation where necessary.
Governor Deval Patrick
Secretary of Education Paul Reville: paul_reville@gse.harvard.edu
Reville says that he is reading the letters sent to him.
Lt. Governor Tim Murray: jen@timmurray.org
Senator Bruce Tarr
Board of Education: boe@doe.mass.edu
Thank you for your efforts.
Best, Jane
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