Saturday, January 30, 2016
The Tip Of An Iceberg?

In thinking about this, I can’t help but recall the
words of Lisa Rousseau, a Southbridge central office worker at the public hearing on making Southbridge a level 5 district. "We need a
huge, huge change in the business office…a lot of our staff have been hired
because of WHO THEY KNOW and not because they're qualified."
Friday, January 29, 2016
Will The Council Shirk Responsibility Again?
2. Review/discuss Town Manager Evaluation form
.
At the January 11th meeting of the Town
Council, Councilor Carrasco announced that he had minutes for the subcommittee
meeting. However, he was still typing them up and they would be reported at a
later meeting.
At the January 27th meeting of the Town
Council Councilor Clemence had apparently assumed the chairmanship of General
Government in light of Mr. Carrasco’s accession to Council Chair. She reported
that she had no minutes and no meeting scheduled.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
The Education Game and How to Play It
By
Daniel Chase
I
submitted this as part of a challenge for this blog to be a place which fosters
creative problem solving. The intent of
the essay is to stimulate other ideas and discussion.
While much discussion has been going on about
whether the state takeover is good or not, little discussion is taking place
about the educational game as a whole.
The unwritten rules of the game place Southbridge at a great
disadvantage. We are powerless to change
these rules. But we can change the way
we play. If we do that, the state vs.
local board issue will become moot. But
sadly at a moral cost.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Southbridge Town Council Agenda - January 27, 2016 UPDATED

MacKinnon Council Chambers
January 27, 2016
7 PM
Note: The revised agenda for this meeting was only submitted to the Town Clerk's Office this afternoon. As such any new items may be in violation of the Open Meeting Law.
Agenda
Telegram Editorial On State Takeover Of Southbridge Schools
EDITORIAL:
A reset in Southbridge – School takeover will help Southbridge turn around its
failing schools
It’s not a death sentence, except for the wrong way
to run a school system. Think of it as a reset, not just for the Southbridge
Public Schools but for the community as a whole.
The Southbridge Public Schools did more than fail
its students; it also inadequately prepared students who represent a new
generation of Southbridge’s future. This didn’t happen in isolation, however.
Southbridge, a town of nearly 17,000 and which has a city form of government,
failed its schools.
Birthday Party For A Rotting Corpse
For several years now people have been planning a
celebration to commemorate the event.
I, for one, cannot join in that celebration.
Yesterday, three weeks before that event, the state
decided that it had to take over the Southbridge public school system in order
to restore it to a meaningful level of competency.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
DESE Press Release On Receivership For Southbridge
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Declares Southbridge Public Schools Chronically Underperforming
Vote authorizes the education commissioner to appoint a receiver for the district to dramatically improve outcomes for all students
BOSTON - The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education today voted 9-0 with one abstention to designate Southbridge Public Schools a chronically underperforming ("Level 5") district, thereby authorizing Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester to appoint a receiver for the district.
DESE Board Votes Receivership For Southbridge Schools
![]() |
Mitchell Chester |
This designation as a chronically underperforming district will
result in the appointment of a receiver by Commissioner Mitchell Chester. In the meantime Chester will serve as interim receiver until a permanent choice is made, effective immediately.
The receiver will assume the responsibilities of the
superintendent as well as the school committee.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Southbridge Schools Hearing - January 25, 2016
At emotional hearing on Southbridge schools, some urge state takeover
A Couple Of Notable Quotes From Tonight's Hearing
Lisa Rousseau, Southbridge central office worker, "We
need a huge, huge change in the business office…a lot of our staff have been
hired because of WHO THEY KNOW and not because they're qualified"
Paul Sagan, Board member, "I have to say that this is an unusual
meeting for us...I don't know what else to say."
Mitchell Chester, I have recommended that "we do vote to take receivership"
Mitchell Chester, I have recommended that "we do vote to take receivership"
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Former Southbridge High Teacher Weighs In

I read where Southbridge Schools are in danger of
being taken over by the state. This comes as no surprise to me; someone who
taught mathematics at Southbridge High School.
It is my understanding that Southbridge has had
seven superintendents and seven principals since 2011 – that is almost
unfathomable. I mean, that should have set off alarms at every level of
government. What is the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education
thinking; that the eighth principal and superintendent of schools will turn
Southbridge around? What has Representative Peter Durant done to help in this
regard? What about the Southbridge Board of Selectmen and School Board – they
hire and fire all these people.
Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace
The time has come to do something about the
educational system in Southbridge.
For almost thirteen years the district has been
identified by the state as performing well below acceptable standards.
Residents know that the problems with the system
have persisted even longer than that.
For a period, under the leadership of Superintendent
Dr. Dale Hanley, the district was making progress in improving its performance.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Group Stages Pro-Casella Rally
P.A.
Roddy

Members of the group calling itself Casella
Residents Accepting Pollutants said that their status as an environmental
justice community is a two-sided coin.
“What people fail to realize is that in order to
assure environmental protection for most people requires the relentless
exploitation of a few,” said group spokesperson Didi Clemens. “It is the right
of a community to sacrifice its long-term well-being for short term gains. The
people of Southbridge have done this for years and have honed it to a fine art.”
Friday, January 22, 2016
Stanton Chosen As Granby Superintendent
The assistant superintendent of Southbridge Public
Schools, Sheryl Stanton, has been tapped to be the new Granby superintendent.
The school board here had offered the position to
Agawam High School principal Steven Lemanski last month on a 4-1 vote, and he
had accepted, pending agreement on a contract. The other vote went to Stanton.
The district this week announced the parties did not
come to a settlement, and consequently offered the position to Stanton.
"The Granby School Committee announced at their
meeting on Jan. 21, 2016 that (it was) unable to come to an agreement with
Steven Lemanski regarding a contract as the next superintendent of the Granby
Public Schools," the board said in a prepared statement released Friday
morning.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
State Releases Graduation/Dropout Rates For 2015
Below is provided a copy of these results for
Southbridge Middle/High School. Comparable data is also given for the preceding five years (2010
to 2012 are for Southbridge High School. Afterwards the results are for
Southbridge Middle/High School). Of particular note is the sudden increase in
non-graduating completers in 2013 and 2014 and its dramatic rise in 2015.
DESE Board Changes Agenda For January 26 Meeting

Previously the agenda called for merely holding a discussion of the possibility of receivership for Southbridge. Any vote on the matter had been planned for February 23rd's meeting.
The agenda item now reads:
- Southbridge Public Schools: Commissioner's Recommendation on Level 5 District Status - Discussion and Possible Vote
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Telegram Reports On Superintendent Candidate Interviews

Sheryl Stanton,
Southbridge's assistant superintendent; Richard D’Agostino, a retired Warwick,
Rhode Island, superintendent; and Amy McKinstry, Northbridge director of
curriculum, were interviewed by committee members Scott Lazo, Dr. Raymond Page,
Jill Congdon, William Bishop and Amelia Peloquin.
Why The Delay?
![]() |
Mitchell Chester |
The DESE will hold a public hearing on whether or
not the public school district in Southbridge will be taken over by the state.
It will hold that meeting next Monday starting at 4:30 in the auditorium at the
old high school.
The following day the Board of Directors of the DESE
will hold its regularly scheduled monthly meeting at Roxbury Community College.
On the agenda is a discussion of the
Southbridge case. However, Commissioner Chester has indicated that he does not
expect a vote to be held until the Board’s next regularly scheduled meeting on
February 23rd.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Selective Memory At Work

In that article Southbridge School Committee
Chairman Scott Lazo lashes out at the State DESE, local legislators and the
previous school committee.
We have criticized Mr. Lazo and others in the past
for overlooking the fact that in 2010 as members of the school committee they
dissolved the search committee and went ahead without them. The “process”
resulted in the selection of Eric Ely as Superintendent whose troubled term
ended with his dismissal.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Bernie Sanders for President
With integrity and
principle, the Vermont senator is calling Americans to a political revolution.
By
The
Editors of The Nation January 14, 2016
A year ago, concerned that ordinary citizens would
be locked out of the presidential nominating process, The Nation argued that a
vigorously contested primary would be good for the candidates, for the
Democratic Party, and for democracy. Two months later, Senator Bernie Sanders
formally launched a campaign that has already transformed the politics of the
2016 presidential race. Galvanized by his demands for economic and social
justice, hundreds of thousands of Americans have packed his rallies, and over 1
million small donors have helped his campaign shatter fund-raising records
while breaking the stranglehold of corporate money. Sanders’s clarion call for
fundamental reform—single-payer healthcare, tuition-free college, a $15-an-hour
minimum wage, the breaking up of the big banks, ensuring that the rich pay
their fair share of taxes—have inspired working people across the country. His
bold response to the climate crisis has attracted legions of young voters, and
his foreign policy, which emphasizes diplomacy over regime change, speaks
powerfully to war-weary citizens. Most important, Sanders has used his
insurgent campaign to tell Americans the truth about the challenges that
confront us. He has summoned the people to a “political revolution,” arguing
that the changes our country so desperately needs can only happen when we wrest
our democracy from the corrupt grip of Wall Street bankers and billionaires.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
What’s The Point?

One has to ask in all earnestness, what’s the point?
On January 12th the Worcester Telegram
reported that George P. King Jr., the assistant superintendent of the
Bolton-based Nashoba Regional School District, withdrew his candidacy for
superintendent.
Gun Deaths Surpass Motor Vehicle Deaths in 21 States
Gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 21 states and the District of Columbia in 2014, the most recent year for which data is available, a new analysis from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) finds.
ISIS Cash Cache Clobbered
The Defense Department has released a video showing
the U.S. bombing of an Islamic State cash stockpile in Mosul, Iraq, on Monday.
Prisoner Swap With Iran
![]() |
Jason Rezaian
|
Iran has released four imprisoned U.S. citizens,
including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, as part of a swap, the
office of Tehran’s prosecutor announced Saturday, according to Iranian news
media.
The other released prisoners include Amir Hekmat, a
former U.S. Marine, and Saeed Abedni, a pastor, and a fourth unnamed American.
All four are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens. Rezaian has been held since 2014.
According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, the four were
ordered released in exchange for seven Iranian-Americans held in the United States
on sanctions-related charges.
MSNBC is reporting that a fifth American, not directly related to the other four, is also being released.
Lazo, Connors Comment On State Action

Scott F. Lazo, chairman of the Southbridge School Committee,
called the December district
review “a cherry-picked report of various deficiencies.” He said it ignores
the work a new school committee has been doing since it was elected in July.
“We inherited a disastrous atmosphere and a district
under siege,” Lazo said Friday. “It seems like the commissioner has not seen
the new school committee and the good things that are happening.”
Friday, January 15, 2016
Southbridge Special School Committee Meeting Agenda - January 20, 2016
Special School Committee Meeting
MacKinnon Council Chambers
January 20, 2016
6 PM
AGENDA
MacKinnon Council Chambers
January 20, 2016
6 PM
AGENDA
I. Call to Order/Roll Call
II. Welcome and Pledge of Allegiance
Commissioner Recommends Receivership For Southbridge Schools

The exact details of how that action will occur still require that several steps be played out. The first is a public hearing
here in Southbridge on January 25th followed by a vote of the Board
of Directors of the DESE on January 26th or February 23rd.
Assuming the Board votes to support the Commissioner
a Turnaround Plan will be worked out between the DESE, the group or individual chosen
as receiver and local stakeholders. Until this plan is issued all the details of the receivership
remain speculative.
The Commissioner’s press release follows:
Thursday, January 14, 2016
The Receivership Experience In Lawrence
Tomorrow State Education Commissioner Mitchell
Chester is scheduled to announce his decision on receivership for Southbridge
schools.
If he decides to recommend that such an action be
taken, the Board of Education will vote on the issue at its meeting on January
26th.
Prior to such a vote a public hearing will be held
in Southbridge at the old high school auditorium on January 25th.
In consideration of what I think is the likely event
that such action is taken, I am reprinting an article from Education Week that
recounts the experience of such a program in
Lawrence.
Lawrence.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Olivo Announces Resignation From School Committee

As with prior recent resignations, his successor will be appointed by a joint meeting of the school committee and the town council.
Also, during the Chairman's Announcements segment of the meeting, Mr. Lazo announced that a public hearing on whether the state should exercise its authority to place Southbridge schools into receivership would be held in the old high school auditorium on January 25th.
Process Be Damned
Arrogance and ego apparently still prevail on the
Southbridge School Committee.
Over the weekend interim Superintendent Connors
announced his plan to treat the middle/high school as two separate facilities
in one building. He stated that he intended to present the proposal to tonight's meeting of the school committee.
During the interview he specifically used the phrase “as originally
planned” in reference to having two principals and two separate schools in one building.
The fact is clear that he is parroting one of the
favorite refrains of current committee Chair Scott Lazo. Anyone who has followed
the matter will recognize not only the phraseology but the vehemence with which
it was presented.
Monday, January 11, 2016
Revisiting Span Of Control At SMHS

The core issue is whether Southbridge Middle/High School will have one principal with oversight of the entire school or two independent principals – one for the Middle School and one for the High School.That is, which administrative model, one or two principals, makes the most sense from a management standpoint?
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Connors Will Recommend Splitting Middle/High School
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Southbridge School
Committee, interim Superintendent Timothy Connors will recommend operating the
middle/high school as two separate facilities in one building according to the
Worcester Telegram.
In the memo that contained this plan, Connors also
appeared to be planning for a state takeover of the district.
Concerning the two-buildings-in-one concept, Mr.
Connors told the Telegram & Gazette: “I’ve been telling the School
Committee since I got here that it’s something we need to move forward with,
and I’ll be talking to the School Committee about it at their meeting on
Tuesday evening.”
Friday, January 8, 2016
Obama Calls Out NRA

The President said:
By the way, there’s a reason that the
NRA is not here. They’re just down the street, and since this is the main
reason that they exist you’d think that they’d be prepared to have a debate
with the President.
I'm Donald Trump. How Dare You Interrupt Me!
Bernie Sanders protesters interrupted Donald Trump’s
rally in Vermont, which led to Trump demanding the protesters’ coats be
confiscated, and they be thrown out into the cold Burlington night.
After being interrupted by protesters chanting
Bernie, Trump tried to play tough guy and have the protesters coats confiscated
because it was “ten below outside” according to the Republican frontrunner.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Superintendent Search Committee Names Finalists

Also Thursday, the search committee issued a letter
to state Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester explaining why it went
against his recommendation to delay the search.
The
commissioner is considering recommending that the Level 4
underperforming district be declared Level 5 and chronically underperforming.
It would trigger the appointment of a receiver who would have the authority of
superintendent and School Committee.
Earls Tenders Resignation From SMHS
Melissa Earls has submitted her resignation from
Southbridge Middle/High School effective June 30th, according to The
Worcester Telegram.
Mrs. Earls said she has been hired as head of
schools for Academy Hill School in Springfield, a pre-kindergarten to Grade 8
independent school for gifted and talented students. Its enrollment is
approximately 107 students. Mrs. Earls said the head of schools there is
leaving for a post at a similar but larger school in Virginia. "This place
came after me. I didn’t send an application out," said Mrs. Earls, whose
daughter, Emma, will graduate from Academy Hill School this year.
Earth’s Climate Is In Our Hands
'Love
Song to the Earth' - Sean Paul, Natasha Bedingfield, Paul McCartney and others
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
DESE Commissioner: “No comment” On Southbridge School Committee Action
![]() |
Mitchell Chester |
Ken O'Brien
On December 28 the Southbridge School Committee held an emergency special meeting to discuss a letter from DESE Commissioner Mitchell Chester. In his letter the Commissioner advised that the committee suspend its search for a permanent Superintendent pending the Board of Education’s decision on receivership for the district.
After emerging from executive session, the committee
voted five to zero to continue its search.
The following day I contacted the Commissioner’s
office to determine if he had any response to that action
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
State legislators Fattman, Durant weigh in on Southbridge schools takeover
State lawmakers from the area are taking notice of a
possible takeover of the Southbridge school system. State education officials
have described the system as being in disarray and a candidate for
receivership.
Sen. Ryan C. Fattman, R-Webster, will meet Thursday
at the Statehouse with Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester and other
members of the Baker administration to discuss the troubled district.
Monday, January 4, 2016
First Issue Of Southbridge Newsletter Online
It is the Southbridge
Newsletter.
In its four
pages are a number of articles expounding the virtues of the community. Also
included are some exhortations to the readers of the publication to participate
in the activities of the town, to support local businesses and to talk up the
benefits of living in Southbridge.
Among the featured pieces are an article about
groundbreaking for the new administration building and hangar at Southbridge
airport, Southbridge’s participation in the “Goods For Guns” program, the town’s
receipt of a $30,000 community compact grant and an educational forum on
alcohol and substance abuse.
We look forward to seeing how frequently the
newsletter will be issued and hope that it will contain increasingly
substantive information about the town, its government and local events.
Friday, January 1, 2016
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)