Sunday, December 27, 2015

Our View: Everyone must embrace a new turnaround plan for Hayden-McFadden school

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

We all know the Standard Times is an extension of the Pia Durkin and John Mitchell public relations team so the article in today's paper should not surprise anyone. What surprises me is that the newspaper is hanging on to life in spite of the fact that they've been on an iron lung for the last few years. Their circulation is down, profits are falling, and they're operating with a skeleton crew.

Did they write the article or they merely regurgitate what the $60,000 man gave them? Regardless, the turnaround principal at Hayden McFadden was hired by Durkin. The principal before her was hired by Michael Shea. Shea was hired by Jon Mitchell. The turnaround plan was approved by the school committee and Mitchell Chester.

Let's not blame Mr. Shea, Dr. Durkin, the school committee or the 2 Mitchells, Chester and Jon, because everything they did in the last 4 years has been perfect. Let's blame previous administrations and superintendents because everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen in the future as long as long Mama Pia is here to bless us with her excellence and joy, will be someone else's fault.

The one thing that has me puzzled is the fact that mayor is taking his daughter out of New Bedford Schools. He had confidence in the school system prior to becoming mayor and now that he's been mayor for 4 years he's taking her out. Puzzling indeed.

Anonymous said...

The "Blame-Game" is Pia's favorite....she got one for Christmas and she also gave them as gifts to a couple of her buddies !

Anonymous said...

What a surprise. The New Bedford public schools are not good enough for his kids? But they are good enough for the rest of us??? What a damn hypocrite!!! The mayor and his girlfriend/mother JERKIN are totally useless!

Anonymous said...

Interesting reading in today's newpaper about the Hayden McFadden School. The turnaround plan that has been in place for four years did not work. Really? If that is the case, then let's blame the current superintendent because I am quite sure that she has had the ability since she took over to "revamp" things. As far as I am concerned, unless the "poverty" issue is solved nothing is going to improve at Hay-Mac. I taught there for 11 years with a group of the most hard-working and dedicated teachers I have ever had the pleasure to work with. I can assure you that the current staff is just as hard-working and caring. It is wrong to compare test scores from schools like Winslow, Ashley, Swift, and Taylor with HayMac - they are worlds away from each other. Unless Durkin has a magic wand I would say that little is going to change at HayMac....exept maybe the staff - I am sure we are going to see many of the staff bid out or get "axed" like so many teachers before them. We may also be adding the name of the current principal to the list of the those whose services will no longer be needed.

Anonymous said...

"The ineffective turnaround plan was instituted before Dr. Durkin’s arrival, but the state process now puts the improvement plan in her hands." Notice how she doesn't take credit for any declines, but yet it was under "her watch" for the past 2 1/2 years!!

Anonymous said...

Over the past few years the staff has changed, the principal has changed, the reading and math programs have changed, the hours of the school have changed, etc. The only thing that has not changed are the students. When will we be able to ackowledge that there are challenges outside of the teachers control that are impacting the scores? The district has been sending students to HayMac that belong at other schools due to "behavior concerns", "too low for neighborhood school", amongst other reasons. I use quotes because it states that on admittance slips from downtown! Why is the district creating more problems for a school that is struggling as is?! Hayden McFadden does not have a behavior program, Pulaski does though and since HayMac has been taking those kids, it's no surprise Pulaski became a level 1! Why is that school being set up to fail? Why does the district send level 1 and level 2 ELLs to HayMac when there was only one ELL teacher and no ELL program in place?! There are over 250 ELLs at that school! There are schools with smaller numbers of ELL students and more ELL teachers, so why send those students to HayMac? The current principal is the hardest working principal that has ever worked there and has been given hurdle after hurdle to overcome. There are people working downtown that are flat out lying to Dr. Durkin and to the state about what resources are actually at the school. How is that school suppose to succeed when there are people setting it up for failure?! There is a new turnaround plan that will be put in place that passively puts the blame on the staff and it is so sad that many of the hard working teachers will most likely leave. It takes a special person to work at that school and they will never find a group of teachers more cut out for the challenges that the school faces.

Anonymous said...

The standard times is full of you know what!!! Durkin has turned over almost everything in the school system on its head and 3 years into her reign she refuses responsibility for Hay Mac's dismal performance and the Standard Times is OK with this. UNBELIEVABLE!!!! If Pia Durkin can stop poverty, drug addiction, prostitution, drug dealing, robberies, assaults and hunger than she shouldn't have a problem turning Hay Mac around. Everyone thought Dr Weaver was a wonderful principal. I did. If testing accountability existed back then he would not have lasted more than a few years. Let me repeat, NO ONE will fix Hay Mac as long as the neighborhoods that feed it stay the same. It's not a coincidence that Taylor, Swift and Pulaski schools are level 1. They should be consistently around level 1 & 2 based on the income levels of the neighborhoods they are in. It's not rocket science. Pia Durkin and zealots like her continuously try to reinvent the wheel with no success. I'm even more upset that the school committee sits silent. I hope Chris Cotter gives them hell on day 1!

Anonymous said...

Taylor has always been a top school,Swift and Pulaski,well we will have to see how long that lasts.A audit needs to be done to see if the scores are valid of all schools.

Anonymous said...

God, I can't stand Durkin. She comes into schools and screams at the teachers. I guess working 12-14 hours a day is not enough for this woman. It's time to place blame where it belongs, on the parents, on Durkin's moronic policies, on Mitchell and the useless SC. Enough! We do not go home with these children, they are a product of their upbringing. She can go to hell!