Chairman's Statement On MCAS, Gardner and Magnan

The case by Amy Allen Magnan against the School Committee and former Superintendent Gardner was recently decided in Ms. Magnan's favor. Here is Chairman McLoughlin's statement on that matter.

The Hypocrites’ Ball

Ken O’Brien

After slow-walking the superintendent search process the hit-and-run Chair of the School Committee and her sycophants decided that the Acting Superintendent’s contract should be extended and the selection of a permanent superintendent should be left to the incoming committee.

In a related matter, immediately following her contract extension, the newest one-year wonder presented a plan to reorganize the middle/high school. The (supposedly) carefully-crafted, extensively vetted plan had no associated job descriptions and no budgetary impact associated with it. 

The Quiet Surrender

Ken O’Brien

Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Southbridge School Committee marked a major shift in attitude.

Melissa Earls, Principal of Southbridge Middle/High School, laid out a presentation that was distinctly different than those of her predecessors.

Calmly, and with quantitative data to substantiate her positions, she laid out the challenges facing the middle/high school. 

Well, That’s Settled

Ken O’Brien

Amid all the non-answers and new ways of repeating what we’ve been told for at least ten years, Tuesday’s meeting of the Southbridge School Committee confirmed another suspicion.

The suspicion was that, for the third time in a row, Southbridge has committed itself to a Superintendent without any plan to engage in a search for a suitably qualified candidate to fill that role.

Further illustrating his unmatched gift for the pithy everyman summation Committee member Abrahamson compared the current state of affairs to having no need to continue searching once one had found their car keys. His remarks were made with the imprimatur of the state officials present and the blessing of the Committee Chairman.

Thus, with these endorsements providing a ringing backdrop, Southbridge once again plunges these well-tested keys into the ignition for yet another drive into an assured rosy tomorrow.

The Pivot?

Ken O’Brien

The School Committee has appointed John M. Flick of Gardner to investigate allegations made against Southbridge Superintendent of Schools Patricia Gardner. He is mandated to present his findings to the Committee by December 3^rd.

While indicating a concession to public opinion, the action is essentially meaningless.

First and foremost is why the Superintendent was not put on paid administrative leave as has been the practice in the past. Certainly the charges preferred against her would seem to warrant such an action. According to the presentation made by Committee Member Raymond Page the Superintendent threatened not merely to “get” the complainant. She also attempted to compel the individual to sign a document implicating a former school official in acts of misconduct and threatening to destroy documents relating to last year’s MCAS. In addition, she supposedly made reference to the medical condition of an employee, indicating that, had she been aware of the condition, they would not have been hired. 

Promises, Promises

Ken O’Brien

Kara Donovan

“Noting the ‘most important’ School Committee role is choosing the superintendent in a process that’s ‘as open, transparent and effective as possible,’ she said she feels the committee needs to be able to let the person chosen do the job.”

Those were the words of current School Committee Vice-Chairman Kara Donovan in The Southbridge News 11 days before the 2012 election. That election placed her on the committee, presumably in part because of pledges like that above.

Such a commitment flies directly in the face of Wednesday night’s agenda item calling for the appointment of Patricia Gardner as Superintendent of Southbridge schools. Where was the “openness and transparency”? No public posting of the position, no search committee, no competitive interviews. What became of the much-hyped precedent of the principal search committee which garnered so much fawning praise from partisans only a few weeks ago? 

Fact Checking The Southbridge School Committee Chairman

Ken O’Brien

In an earlier post we commented on the Worcester Telegram article “Blunt-talking superintendent shakes up Southbridge's underperforming schools” (T&G April 1).

There were a number of items in that article that warranted fact-checking. However, given that the article focused upon the Superintendent, it was felt that his remarks justified primary attention.

In the interim, though, I have been bothered by a remark made by the august Chairman of the School Committee. In the report she is cited as follows: “Chairwoman Lauren C. McLoughlin noted that making an investment in the schools can improve a community's real estate market, as has occurred in Lawrence and in Mr. Nembirkow's former city of Brockton.” 

How To (Try To) Silence A Critic

Ken O’Brien

The only good thing about living to be a certain age is that you learn from your mistakes.

As regards the current kerfuffle about this blog and the Chair of the Southbridge School Committee the relevant lesson was “put it in writing”.

The benefits of that lesson are illustrated by today’s Telegram article titled “Fighting tears, Southbridge official reacts to blog comments about her weight”. 

Weighty Matters

Ken O’Brien

Well shame on me!

With tears welling up behind porcine cheeks and multiple chins aquiver the chair of the Southbridge School Committee closed last night’s meeting with a performance that rivaled Vivien Leigh at the denouement of Gone With The Wind.

At issue was the reference to her as a morbidly obese blueberry by a reader’s comment on this blog in a post that parodied her for reasons other than her weight.

Pim Previews Tonight’s PTA Talk By The School Committee Chair

Submitted by Pim Stewert

Southbridge School Committee Still Misleads On Policy

Ken O’Brien

At the November 5 meeting of the Southbridge School Committee Town Councilor Monique Manna questioned the procedure used to select the chairman of the committee following the resignation of former chairman Patricia Woodruff.

Following is a video of the question posed by Councilor Manna and the response from Chairman McLoughlin.

This Cannot End Well - Video: Southbridge School Committee Meeting October 22, 2013

Ken O’Brien

The inauguration of any new political leadership sets the tone for their subsequent tenure.

In this regard, the assumption of the leadership of the Southbridge School Committee by Lauren McLoughlin could not possibly be any less auspicious.

It was characterized in its hallmark moment by what would be generously characterized as ignorance, but more likely as outright deceit.

Most disturbing was the regrettable involvement in this exercise by as distinguished an officer of the court as Demetrios Moschos of the firm Mirick O’Connell. I can only wonder if he will have the integrity to admit his error and thus require those responsible to hit the reset button.

Be Careful What You Wish For…

Ken O’Brien

Southbridge politics have forever been defined by coalitions sharing grudges and vendettas.

Last night’s meeting of the Southbridge school committee cemented in place a new brick in that relentlessly growing wall of infamy. 

Southbridge Democratic Town Committee Endorses Local Candidates for June 26, 2012 Town Election

Southbridge, MA – At their monthly meeting on Saturday, June 9, 2012, the Southbridge Democratic Town Committee voted unanimously to endorse the following candidates in the upcoming town election on Tuesday June 26, 2012: Eleven year incumbent and six-term Chairman John D. Jovan Jr. and newcomer Lauren McLoughlin for School Committee, Amelia Peloquin for Town Council.

Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. All five precincts in Southbridge will be voting at the Southbridge Community Center, 153 Chestnut Street. The Southbridge Democratic Town Committee meets on the second Saturday of every month at the Southbridge Community Center, 153 Chestnut Street, Southbridge, MA. For more information please email southbridgedemocrats@gmail.com.