Monday, April 8, 2013

The verdict is in

The School Committee voted to approve the Renaissance School.

The School Committee voted against the Esperanza School.

The following is the breakdown of the votes:

Mayor Mitchell voted against Esperanza but voted in favor of Renaissance.

Marlene Pollock voted for both schools.

Jack Livramento voted for both schools.

Dr. Finnerty voted for both schools.

Dr. Fletcher voted against both schools.

Bruce Oliveira voted against both schools.

Jack Nobrega voted against both schools.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Myself as a parent of two children in the school system and who both are in the fine arts department is highly disgusted! my kids deserve the same education and music as anyone else..I wish I could have done more, wait there is run for school committee, this might be in my future. I believe all students deserve the same education equally and not be divided or a number..I am very sad about this and now to let my daughter know who is in the concert band, marching band, show choir and drama club at the high school how our elected officials have failed her..There has to be something we can do, I will not let only a percentage of our kids get what every child deserves...

Anonymous said...

^well, you know, some autistic kids get iPads and other kids don't so that means this is OK too. (Paraphrasing Dr. Finnerty)

Anonymous said...

School committee overhaul! We must vote!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Sad that one of them went through but glad the other was appropriately rejected. Thanks to everyone here who has worked so hard during this whole debate. We need to find a way to maintain energy moving forward so we can find a way to bring the art, music, and the other resources promised in the Renaissance proposal to all of the students, seeing as our elected leaders have failed to do so. We can do it.

Anonymous said...

We will speak during elections.

Anonymous said...

OMG The school com . needs a real makeover. I thought the children mattered here but evidently they dont with them .Totally digusted here!

Anonymous said...

Disgusted!!!

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for Mayor Mitchell to be gone!

Anonymous said...

The split was Mayor Mitchell.

Anonymous said...

Well, I guess I know who I WILL NOT be voting for next time. It is time to show these ppl the door.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the double slam tonight....NB School committee....clearly you do NOT check your data....Gomes teachers produce amazing results. When kids enter your class reading on a first grade level and leave you on grade level....you're not playing tiddly winks....

Anonymous said...

My kids go to gomes. To say im disappointed is an understatement.

Anonymous said...

^Start the OPT OUT Movement!

Anonymous said...

My kids don't even go there, but I feel that my kids are getting ripped off..I will do anything to make sure my children get the best education and the SAME education as anyone else! I am very upset...

Anonymous said...

It not only was the vote....but the other disheartening rhetoric as well. I'm sorry that we don't have resources to adequately prepare the 3-4 SEI classes for the MCAS. Maybe if you divided the wealth ???????? Or, returned children to their neighborhood schools so that Gomes School would again be a neighborhood school ???

Anonymous said...

Thank you for everything you do, Lou. It makes a difference having an advocate that has been a teacher--you always go above & beyond for kids and educators.
Now we just need former teachers on the school committee, people who "get it", not just perpetuate their own political careers.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Lou and to all the other very hard working Union members that have put so much time into this issue. We are disappointed but let's remember that we do as a union have the power to campaign and move these ppl out of their positions.

Anonymous said...

thanks Lou for your support and energy....i wish i knew what plan b was for gomes....now concerned how this will effect me and the other teachers at gomes....where will we go....looking for you guidance and support again Lou...,.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Lou for your support and for always keeping us so well informed

Anonymous said...

Roosevelt survives.

Josh Amaral said...

The School Committee voted 4-3 Monday night in favor of the Renaissance School, which will be co-located in the Gomes School building. They voted 4-3 against the Esperanza School that wanted to set up shop in the Roosevelt School building.

I was not expecting a split vote, but then again, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’m not sure how to react now, either. As you know, I was not in favor of either proposal.

While I appreciate the careful consideration the School Committee put into their decision, I think they got it wrong on the Renaissance School. Their vote seemed to be dependent on some flawed assumptions of the quality of the existing Gomes School. I feel terribly for the faculty of that building who fought so hard to see that their school would not be divided.

Whether we agree with the decision or not (fair to say we don’t), I think it’s important we focus on what we can do in the future to improve education for the children of New Bedford. There are ways to provide more art, music, and physical education to all of the students in our city. If we can find the energy to fight for those causes just as hard as we did against these innovation schools proposals, we can render the vote tonight inconsequential. We’ll find a way to get these services and an overall better quality education for all.

I can only speak for myself, but my hope is that we’ll continue to band together and work towards a better future, even if some of our elected leaders seem to be a little… misguided in doing so. I guess that’s why I’m running, right?

I’ll be writing another letter to the Standard Times this week. Stay tuned.

Anonymous said...

Once again Mayor Mitchell has #<#€£d New Bedford.

Anonymous said...

Mitchell's speech was shocking! 900 kids is too many so let's split the school? Since when are they taking 450 kids???? He also said that he didn't think that kids would really be that concerned that others had more art, music and PE!! SERIOUSLY???? POLLOCK ....with her explanation about a parents having to choose what kids would get shoes if she only had one pair....my mother said " neither kid would get them, why make the other one feel worse?" YA THINK!! Her smirk was about all I could take!!!!! FINNNERTY comparing MPOD kids and visual and hearing impaired kids that get services that others don't......WAS HE SERIOUS????!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Omg

Anonymous said...

Denying a full, rich curriculum to the majority of our students is not the same as providing an iPad to an autistic child even though others can't have one. If giving every child what they need is the goal, we know they all need the ARTS.

Anonymous said...

Not Happy with the decision either, didn't need another school no matter what it was for. Our schools are in dire need of new Technology. The Science Media Center at High School has computers in it that were set up in 1999 when the kids come in to use flash drives to print these computers don't even have a port for it. Use Money for the schools we have for new equiptment and the arts.

Anonymous said...

The mayor is more interested in $$$&&&& Crain Dutra's &#%% then he is in our children. Sad but true. I will vote for anyone but him.

Anonymous said...

We now know for sure who not to support in upcoming elections. Four members of the school committee have betrayed all of us.