NBEA commends Mayor Mitchell for taking this
very important action.
From 1995 – 2012, City on a Hill has lost 46% of their students and last year the suspended 43.6% of the students left behind.
From 1995 – 2012, City on a Hill has lost 46% of their students and last year the suspended 43.6% of the students left behind.
If this is the kind of success City on a Hill wants to bring to New Bedford, we’d like to decline this kind of success.
1 comment:
Whaling City Watch
http://whalingcitywatch.com/2013/01/13/not-so-fast/
Everyone is falling all over themselves to congratulate Mayor Mitchell for actually doing the right thing. Of course, we are referring to the letter he “signed” that states his opposition to the City on a Hill Charter School.
Please notice that we used the verb “signed” instead of “wrote.” There is no way that Johnny boy was the real author. It is actually well-written. Our money is on either Neil Melo or one of Jon’s many female assistants. After all, Jon Mitchell is no Scott Lang.
By the way, have you noticed that as of Sunday, there has not been any mention of this in the Dying Daily?
The letter from Mitchell to Mitchell (Chester, Commissioner of the DESE) is long. It runs 10 pages. Much of the data contained in the communication was brought to the public’s attention by Louis St. John, the President of the New Bedford Educators Association. St. John also reminds us a bit of Telly Savalas. “Who loves ya, Baby?” Does anyone have a lollipop for Lou?
Mitchell does quite a bit of kissing-up to the DESE. A phrase that caught our attention is “We are also in the process of entertaining applications for in-district Innovation Schools…” Yes, charter schools under a different name. If Mayor Mitchell votes in favor of the two Innovation Schools, it will show deep flaws in his thinking and ideology. We can’t wait to hear how he would spin that.
Later in the letter, Mitchell’s ghost writer says “I also believe that charter schools can play an important role in New Bedford’s future as incubators of innovative and effective programs that can be emulated by the district.” We are still waiting for the innovative ideas to come from the Global Learning Public Charter School, a Level 3 school that sucks $6 million from our system each year. Mitchell’s statement is further proof of his ignorance about the real reasons for education reform.
In a footnote, Mitchell refers to Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech as “effectively a charter school” and fails to mention the Alma del Mar Charter School. Just remember this guy is our mayor for another year. Heaven help us!
We do hope that Mitchell reads his ghost writer’s comments on the selection bias inherent in charter and charter-like schools before the Innovation Schools vote. On the positive side, the letter articulated some very real concerns about the impact a high school charter would have on New Bedford High School.
In short, we’re glad that Mitchell is against City on a Hill. However, his letter is ultimately a political document crafted to make everyone happy. As we continue our quest to save public education in New Bedford and elsewhere, our fellow citizens are looking for leaders who have the courage to oppose those that attempt to privatize our schools with strong words and actions.
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