Since our last post we have received an incredible amount of feedback from both supporters and non-supports who are both passing along the same message: the DESE (Department of Elementary & Secondary Education aka Department of Education) has been aware of what has been going on at MVRCS for some time now yet they refuse to address it. While we had hoped that they just hadn't been properly informed or received adequate proof, we now know that is not the reason. We also know that folks at the DESE have read at least portions of our blog. We had hoped that the DESE being located in Malden would not interfere with their objectivity, purpose, or determination to do the right thing by the students and parents (and taxpayers) of our state. We have now come to question our former hope and belief. SO SAD and SO BAD.
Most residents of Massachusetts have heard rumblings about the outrageous amount of corruption within our state government and most of us, are not only sickened by it but incredibly tired of it. It also appears as though Malden has reached for the top in creating and insuring as corrupt as city as one could ever imagine. We find this SO SAD and SO BAD.
To further add insult to injury is the position that many of our political figures have taken in addressing (or refusing to address) the situation at our school. We know that Neil Kinnon and his bank thieves are aglow right now as we point the finger at his political associates who have
agreed to put their association, political aspirations, and/or self serving motives ahead of the education of our students. SO SAD and SO BAD.
Many of you faulted us for our recent criticism of the high rating MVRCS received in US News article but when our politicians see the cover (but fail to look beyond the headline), they want to believe that MVRCS is doing great things. If that is all that they are seeing, yes the school looks FABULOUS. At the same time as many of you have seen in the Boston.com reader comments and comments left here on this blog, whenever anyone DARES to criticize MVRCS or make a negative comment, the Kinnon Klan initiates an assault on the person, especially when they can't discredit the comment or information. If Mr. Kinnon, the DESE, and our political leaders are so sure that nothing amiss is being done by the folks at MVRCS then why does everyone refuse to even look into the MASS of information they are receiving? SO SAD and SO BAD!
Our suggested solution: We are one blog made up of a number of parents but we are a fairly small group. If we want things to change at our school then parents of children with diverse learning needs (i.e. Special Education Students), parents who are tired of not having a voice in their childs school and no avenue to rectify wrongs, and parents who want more for our worthy teachers, will need to campaign for change. We must reiterate, WE DO NOT WANT TO DESTROY THE SCHOOL BUT REMOVING THE CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS AND THE INDIVIDUALS THEY HAVE BEEN CARRYING, WILL GO FAR TO IMPROVE OUR SCHOOL. Obviously the DESE is not going to act on their own and it appears as though the politicians from many of our districts are unwilling or unable to step in to ensure that the laws are being followed. We are suggesting a letter campaign to the DESE and politicians in addition to various media outlets. This is not an ideal as it will bring out all of the 'dirty laundry' of not only our school but will also shed a negative light on the Charter School Initiative and other charter schools. Unfortunately, we see no other way of ensuring that all of our children receive the education they are entitled to and that our school is run in accordance with the laws and regulations that govern it.
Later today we will post a model letter and possible a web site that will simplify the process. Stay tuned.
"we are a fairly small group" - enough said, you are just a couple of haters who cry when they don't get thier way and continue to slander anyone/everyone who won't take your side! Let us tell you again: if you want to effect change, then come out of your shell and announce who you are; until then, nobody will take you seriously and your bashing of everyone who doesn't respond to you or doesn't agree with you is getting old...
ReplyDeleteI'll respond to you Anonymous 9/30 9:55 am
ReplyDelete**Will you please stop spelling THEIR wrong!!** (when they don't get thier way)
It's getting annoying!!)
Why are we being called haters? We don't HATE MVRCS but rather we LOVE them, hence the reason we are doing all of this. Neil Kinnon and his band of merry thieves have gotten away with enough. Think about it, remove him and his board, his family & friend crew and we've probably saved hundreds of thousands of dollars that could be paid to keep our good teachers and hire even more. Get Kathy Kinnon out of there and the school has a CHANCE of educating their special needs students. Are we haters of the school or just the Kinnon Clan? We can't even say we 'hate' Kinnon and his clan, we just question his motives, integrity, ethics, and politics. Even more important, we want all parents to feel comfortable and free to approach the board, administration and teachers to discuss ANYTHING that has to do with the education of our children.
ReplyDeleteHaters because we want better for our children? Haters because we refuse to be bullied or intimidated out of the school?
Haters because we except our school and its students to do great things?
Haters because we want the needs (both academic and emotional) needs of ALL of our students to be addressed.
Haters because we are trying desperately to save our school from closed as a result of allegations of unethical and illegal actions of Neil Kinnon?
I don't think that makes us haters but rather CONCERNED LOVERS of the school.
Remember, if no one has done anything wrong, then the school has NOTHING to worry about. Right?
As long as there are bloggers that feel free to post lies, they will always have something to worry about.
ReplyDeleteTo September 30, 2010 10:56 AM,
ReplyDeleteAs long as their are people who do unethical things to hurt the education of children, they will always have something to worry about.
Sorry, meant to type:
ReplyDeleteAs long as "there"
I'll respond to Anonymous 9/30 10:19 am
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you let it go the first time. OCD is a difficult thing to overcome. Did you know they have a FB page for this. there, their and they're They are not interchangeable. You should check it out.
i believe i will stop following this blog. it is apparent that the individual writing this is very misinformed and extremely arrogant. When the DESE explains things or when outside evaluators give thier/their/there opinion it is immediatley explained away as corruption/greed/scandal all beacause it does not support your agenda.
ReplyDeleteyour allegations of people stealing money, illegally allowing kids into the school, ethics violations - ALL of which ahve been reviewed by the DESE and others and found to be proper and within the letter of the law - are now bordering on the psychotic. you really need this venue otherwise who knows what you are capable of doing.
and really there/thier/their is nothing better for you to do than to be the grammar police on a blog read by 10 people?
September 30, 2010 11:50 AM, How misguided you are. What a fool you are to believe that none of this is true. If the DESE won't do their job, then the higher ups will. Eventually, the Board and Admin will make one big mistake that can't be fixed, and it will open up a huge investigation. I look forward to that day.
ReplyDeleteWhen the person making education decisions for a school has no education background it is to be expected he would not do things with the children in mind. His background is a bean counter and he has done a mighty fine job of that. Time to move on, Councilor, and give the school back to the parents who care more about their children than making money or being a developer.
ReplyDeleteThier Thier now...LOL...we now see that this is really about the "Kinnon haters" and not truly about the school! You bozo's don't have the guts to stand up and come out of the closet; so much easier to attack people who have VOLUNTEERED numerous personal hours to make the city and school better...the Kinnons and "thier" clan seem to have families that are "grounded" and more people should be like them...can any of you haters say the same! Where the hell are all of you when city council meetings take place, MVRCS board meetings take place, parents teacher sessions take place, community events take place, etc...oh, that's right, you are sitting in your miserable little caves bashing the people that have sacrificed so much in thier lives to make a difference! Until you come out of the closet and face the people you accuse then you should just shut the hell up!
ReplyDeleteI would like to nominate the beer and hotdog lady to take over. Can someone second the motion............anyone..........anyone........Bueller............Bueller.............Bueller?
ReplyDeleteNo education background; are you on drugs! Mr Kinnon is well educated, has a very well rounded background, has many kids school and seems to "get it" much more than you haters! Do you honestly think that becasue you come out of college with a "teaching degree" that you are now "ok" to run things??? Let's not forget that the majority of schools (public/private K-16+) have been "groomed" by union types where once they have tenure most don't give a rats ass about "doing the right thing", thier ego's are so big that god forbid you ever ask a question in one of THIER classes that goes against the left wing agenda's they push...so, we'll take more Neil Kinnon's anyday as what he (and the other MVRCS leaders) have done since 1998 vs. what other long standing public (and even some private) schools have done in YEARS is a great example of why we need people like this in our public schools! Time for the status quo to move aside and the teacher unions to go away...Charter Schools are coming so wake up people!
ReplyDeleteHot dog lady...r u kidding, people like her are too busy running off at the mouth (so easy) but would never dedicate the time to actually do something that you don't get paid for...so much easier to talk smack then to actually do something or run for office...;)
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous @11:50
ReplyDeleteFor your childrens sake, we are sorry you are going to stop follow this blog but we appreciate your decision.
The individualS writing this blog are not misinformed nor arrogant, we have tried to present things truthfully and without inaccuracies. The DESE hasn't explained anything nor have out side evaluators so we're not sure where you are getting that. If you are referring to the comments above regarding not taking action, no formal investigation has ever been launched (to our knowledge). Our only agenda is protecting the future of our school and therefore the education of the children. Are you implying that there is no corruption at the school? If you question the kids being allowed back into the school, ask a couple of the 1st grade teachers. Do you know something we don't - the DESE has not reviewed the school to the best of our knowledge (and when they do, typically a formal document is published with the findings as in the Worcester charter school)
As for being the grammar police,no one from our group corrects grammar or spelling as we know that we are not always perfect writers. You have us confused with other posters.
As for the blog being read by only 10 people, the counter on the first page says otherwise, those are unique visitors, not every time a return visitor visits. So FYI, the blog is being read by more than 10 people, more than 3000 actually.
and really there/thier/their is nothing better for you to do than to be the grammar police on a blog read by 10 people?
September 30, 2010 12:40 PM
ReplyDeleteA few things. Stop spelling "thier"! Oh and when you use God's name, it is God, not god. Very disrectful of you. One more thing. your God, Kinnon, appears to be spiking your koolaide. I do not envy your comment "we'll take more Neil Kinnon's anyday". By all means, please do take him.
Oh, this blog must have struck a nerve, all of the Kinnon Klan are out in full force trying to defend their fearless leader!
ReplyDeleteWhere is everyone at the meetings? Just where Kinnon wants us - not there to challenge him or his corrupt ways.
We need charter schools, and great people but not people of questionable ethics running charter schools. Let's not forget, the successes of the school are as a result of not JUST the board or administrators but, more importantly, that of the parents and students of the school who have made it what it is. Let's give credit where credit is due - the students and parents.
Dear UnOfficial MVRCS and other posters,
ReplyDeleteI am a parent of a student at MVRCS, and I have been reading this blog.
My first reaction to the creation of this blog was concern that there was not a process in place through which the creators of this blog could talk to the board to find solution to issues, both new and long-standing. I do not discredit the reasons why this group of parents started this blog, but I have watched it degrade from informational to petty nit-picking to divisive and hateful bantering, and it is appalling.
I had, up to this point, no reason to post a comment. I didn't care to engage in such unhealthy, dysfunctional dialogue. But this post about a letter writing campaign really bothered me:
"This is not an ideal as it will bring out all of the 'dirty laundry' of not only our school but will also shed a negative light on the Charter School Initiative and other charter schools. Unfortunately, we see no other way of ensuring that all of our children receive the education they are entitled to and that our school is run in accordance with the laws and regulations that govern it."
Now I must comment: Are you really willing to put AT RISK the school if, in fact, the ramifications which you claim may come from this letter writing campaign actually happen (the dirty laundry, the negative light on our school, the Charter School Initiative, and other charter schools)? This small group of parents are willing to take this on without knowing how many other parents support you or not, how the other hundreds of parents who are interested, willing and able to be an active participant in their children's education are feeling?
While I respect your concerns and willingness to take on some serious issues, I do not agree with or support how you are going about this process. I do have some recommendations that I hope you strongly consider:
1. Put together a document that lists all of your concerns because right now they are scattered throughout the blog and mired in accusation and argument. The issues are getting lost and, therefore, losing merit.
2. Hire a mediator/ask the board to hire one. Surely there is some mediation process through which the board and parents can discuss issues, both legal and polity, without polarization and with a non-interested third party involved.
3. Take down this blog. At this point, it is not serving its intended purpose and is causing more harm than good.
With the hope of moving forward,
Yes, I, too, shall remain anonymous.
Previous poster-are you serious?? If something is amiss we should not complain or seek solution but let it go for the greater good of the fifedom that our school has become. No way. If nothing illegal is going on than we have nothing to fear.
ReplyDeletePrevious post -- did you read what I wrote? I didn't say we shouldn't complain or seek solution. I said the PROCESS was wrong.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, slow down on the Koolaid fellas! This guy is going to run this school into the ground or get it closed up with his "ethics" run amok! Does it bother you even a little he has selected as his Public Relations Director a former, disgraced lawyer who fleeced his clients (PROOF: http://www.mass.gov/obcbbo/bd07-102.htm) and had to step down from the City Council? He was being groomed as the next Mayor! Now he can't even get the MV football team in the local special insert the Malden daily paper had which included MC, Everett and Medford! Probably too busy writing comments here. Wake up and save the school by getting rid of these sleeze balls!
ReplyDeleteThe DESE knows everything done at MVRCS is legal.
ReplyDeletePoster 9/30 1:01p - I think you are in the right direction. I think a mediator is the best way to go, for both sides. A forum for questions to be asked and answers to be given.
ReplyDeleteI'm in full agreement.
Who is putting the school at greater risk? The parents of this blog or Kinnon and his ways? A letter campaign would only be effective if a large number of parents participated. If the school has nothing to worry about, then the number of parents and teachers will not warrant anyone getting involved. Leave it to the parents to decide - let the majority win.
ReplyDeleteFYI, parents have tried mediation, legal avenues, and other types of intervention, all to no avail. Also, the DOE has issued directives to the school and the school ignores them. What does it take for the school to do as it is supposed to do? Why are the parents of this blog being attacked for trying to make the school do right by our kids?
Kinnon can't be respectful to parents at the open meeting, is a mediator going to get his arrogance and disrespect in check? Don't see that happening!
ReplyDeleteLittle Neoplolian!
September 30, 2010 1:18 PM I agree with you. He is the most arrogant person I know and he could care less who he talks down to and who is in the audience to witness his behavior toward parents and people in general. One day he is going to p_ss off the wrong person and they are going to deck him. Now that will be something to see.
ReplyDeletehis poor wife! wouldnt want to be her....
ReplyDeletehi friend im
ReplyDelete"well rounded education" = school of corruption and unethical behavior or school of rudeness, disrespect, and how to have a false sense of superiority? sounds about right
ReplyDeleteAndy, Thanks for inspiring me. Don't be surprised if the board is required to turn over that it could just possibly be an opportunity for me to do just that! I certainly care more for the students at MV and would set a far better example than the likes of YOU! Again, I realize you don't know anyone in the city and have no idea what I have accomplished for no pay, but I have worked for the past few years with the MTFA who are still fighting for the people in this city. How many council and MV board meetings have YOU gone to? I have put many unpaid hours of my time into making this a better city and the school a better school. Yes, I know who the councilors are and the admin of the school are because of the time I have spent with them. Maybe I will re-arrange my schedule to run for something. Who knows? How about YOU?
ReplyDeleteif THERE is a mediator, Kinnon shouldn't be THERE. 2 mediators to represent each side.
ReplyDeleteI posted this on another story and think it is relevent here:
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago I called the DOE charter school dept. and asked about term limits. All other charter schools have them and I was told they were "working with Mystic Valley" to get them to adhere to that concept. Well, the next annual report mentioned terms and the lengths beside each members name. So, according to the requirements, they were reporting as they should. No one mentioned that the board does the appointing. There are no term limits so as long as any of them want to serve, they just keep getting re-appointed by each other.
The school charter calls for 11 seats on the board. Over the years, people would drop out and no one would replace them. Kinnon has his small group which he can Kontrol. Don't expect any changes until hell freezes over.
First of all let me start by saying, there is no such thing as god, it was a commercial tactic by Hallmark to get more holidays out there. Second why does formal education have to account for anything? I am sure there are many people in this world who have seen success by not going to college. Third 1:01 PM is possibly BY FAR the most sane person ever to post on here. Good Job 101!
ReplyDeleteAnyone willing to take this bet:
ReplyDeleteAt the end of Howards terms, he gets appointed to the MVRCS Board, Kinnon runs for Mayor (with Howards backing).
Oh that's right, no one will take that bet cause they've already made a few of those backroom deals that they're famous for to make this happen. Gotta keep the corruption going....
Oh, as for Gately, don't we have enough people associated with the board and admin that have a questionable integrity and a lack of consciousness already. How about individuals with some true credentials and experience in EDUCATION (not just what from MVRCS) who actually have a SAY in the school? All in favor....
boo hoo all you haters...losers who will never confront the people they attack...oh, and your 3000+ unique visitor counter is completely unreliable as most of you morons use sites and internet addresses that change quite often from your internet providers and I doubt many of you actually pay for a true static IP address...so perhaps is is really 15 to 20 losers who really keep this crap going...and I really love the hater who would like to see Mr Kinnon physically attacked; people like you are the most dangerous of all the bloggers and I'd love to see you investigated if you think violence is the answer; another loser who won't come out of the closet and use the tools that that any sane person would use when they need to work something out; it's called face to face debate...
ReplyDeleteHey September 30, 2010 6:09 PM, Stop being so over dramatic. No one threatened him. It was meant as a joke because he is so arrogant that one day he will meet his match and they will put him in his place. Give me a break! Stop being a drama queen.
ReplyDeleteThe school will never mediate with anyone so that idea should be scratched. I don't like the idea of sending letters to the DESE because they just seem to ignore anything to do with the school. I think the factual evidence should go to The Governor or whoever the DESE has to answer to.
ReplyDeleteDo not be fooled by these people. This is a fake union group trying to take this school down at any cost. They are so angry they now hate the Dept of Education and have alienated them. If you read this email you will know unless you are an absolute fool. Read and think.
ReplyDelete-----Original Message-----
From: UnOfficial MVRCS
To: Rep.KatherineClark@hou.state.ma.us; Rep.Richard.Tisei@state.ma.us; Rep.scott.brown@state.ma.us; hguarino@doe.mass.edu; Rep.john.kerry@state.ma.us; timothy.cahill@state.ma.us; tim.cahill@state.ma.us; Rep.MarkFalzone@hou.state.ma.us; Rep.ChristopherFallon@hou.state.ma.us; Rep.PaulDonato@state.ma.us; Rep.StephenSmith@state.ma.us; Sen.scott.brown@state.ma.us; Sen.john.kerry@state.ma.us; ago@state.ma.us; jberryman@hearst.com; harmon@globe.com; news@wakefielditem.com; KCurran@cbsboston.com; newstip@cbsboston.com; newstips@whdh.com; bbuote@globe.com; jnestor@cityofmalden.org; dfallon@cityofmalden.org; gchristenson@cityofmalden.org; jbucci@cityofmalden.org; bmurphy@cityofmalden.org; nanderson@cityofmalden.org; jhaddadin@cnc.com; gkoocher@masc.org; melrose@cnc.com
Sent: Wed, Sep 29, 2010 1:32 pm
Subject: Mystic Valley Regional Charter School & the DESE
As creators of the blog unofficialmvrcs.blogspot.com, we recently
wrote to the DESE in an attempt to clarify issues regarding
transportation at MVRCS. While Mr. Sullivan was initially cordial (but
not overly pleasant or helpful), he has since refused to answer any
more questions until we revealed our identity. This would be a bit
more understandable if the topic pertained to a student or in filing a
complaint (as is the policy) but we were simply seeking to clarify
information to parents of the school. Although we do not believe this
should fall upon our group, Mr. Sullivan made it very clear that
although Rick Veilleux from MVRCS have previously misinformed parents
regarding transportation issues, they are NOT required to rectify
their mistake unless a parent contacts them and they are not required
to inform the parents of the correct information. Our group has chosen
to remain anonymous out of necessity as the Board of Trustees at MVRCS
are incredibly vindictive and resent parents from questioning or
challenging them (if you doubt this, we suggest you attend the next
Open Meeting at the school). By Mr. Sullivan requiring us to reveal
our identities, we have put the education of our children at risk and
could result in our children being subjected to intimidation and
harassment at the hands of the school. We are writing to you as we
feel that this type of behavior and allegiance to a school over the
parents should not be tolerated. For a copy of our email
communications, please see our blog at UnOfficialMVRCS.Blogspot.com.
Thank you.
Lets see how long it takes before the UnMV union people take this down. Now they are writing Senators etc about the Dept of Education being in the Tank to the School. This person or group is only out for one thing. Do not be fooled they are trying desperately to kill the school. They know if you kill the Board and Leadership of the school its done.
ReplyDeleteAsk yourself why would UnMV have link to Malden School Budget and link to Concerned Citizens of Malden letter to HUD? Answer: This is a Union led effort to kill our school. The 95% need to fight back now or these evil people will continue to damage the schcool.
ReplyDeleteThe link to Malden School Budge is listed so parents can see what schools who have NOTHING to hide produce as a budget and that that same budget is published for all to see. MVRCS Board, can you say the same?
ReplyDeleteThe Concerned Citizens of Malden letter to the HUD is listed to demonstrate exactly how MVRCS's reputation is being muddied as a result of their association with individuals who do not follow the laws and regulations.
We can assure you, we are very much NOT union affiliated. The choice to bring the Union in would be up to the teachers and as a Commonwealth charter school, they have that right if they so choose. But again, that would be up to them and only them. Truthfully, if we wanted the school to go union, all we would have to do is forward them the home phone numbers of the staff (which we have) and they would do the rest. We don't want that and wouldn't push anyone towards the unions. Nice try though.
Opponents of this blog, if we were truly out to destroy the school, we could very easily approach district schools, show them the information we have and have THEM use their connections to pull their funds from the school as a result of certain actions of the school. If all the OTHER districts started limiting/capping the number of students (if not even find a way to prevent their district students from attending), the school would be in trouble as Malden has a cap so the school is dependent on students from other districts attending. Other districts are not as willing to overlook wrongdoings as Malden is. But again, nice try.
ReplyDeleteWell stated UnOfficial MVRCS!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 9:47pm: Do you honestly think if the board were replaced with highly qualified people the school would fall apart? That would just go to show how shaky the foundation is. The current board has done a fine job and now it is time for them to move on. What if they all got hit by a bus? The board would be replaced and the school would move on. Change is good. Embrace it.
ReplyDeleteFrom Sept 2007 Board of Education Minutes which can be found at:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/docs/1007.pdf#search=%22mystic%22
Yes, it is a bit old but it still hasn't changed.
The school's board consists of five members, the minimum number of members allowed by the school's bylaws. Three of the members have served on the board since the school's founding, one has served for six years, and one has served for four years. To date, the board has refused to comply with the Charter School Office that the school's bylaws include a provision for specific reasonable limits on successive or total terms that a member may serve.
●
Site visit teams and the renewal inspection team found that the school does not comply with the provisions of the state's Open Meeting Law in that board minutes do not consistently reflect a public declaration of the purpose of the executive session, record votes on the question of whether to convene an open session, and indicate whether the board would reconvene in open meeting after executive session. In addition, matters discussed in executive session do not always fall within the allowable purposes outlined in the Open Meeting Law, and board subcommittees do not maintain minutes.
In August 2007, the Department determined that the MVRCS Mid-cycle Coordinated Program Review Progress Reports do not demonstrate that the school is moving forward to fully implement its Corrective Action Plan. The Department has issued a directive to MVRCS that includes the required steps the school must take to correct previously identified noncompliance areas in special education, civil rights, and English language learners.
This is response to the Open Meeting Laws and demonstrates that the DESE is aware of their noncompliance.
http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/minutes/07/0927reg.doc
In response to a question about the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School’s failure to comply with the state’s open meeting law, Associate Commissioner Wulfson said the Attorney General enforces that law, but the Department holds charter schools accountable and would point out such a problem.
October 1, 2010 1:10 PM
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI must say i love the school for the education i think the admin dept STINKS they all dont follow the same rules. They dont take a child being bullied serious at all and there special ed dept i will say it could be better...
ReplyDeleteWhile the education is good, it could be so much better. The school only cares about their name and rank and how they appear to the public. They are trying to attract more athletes to the school while failing to help the struggling students. If a child has a problem (such as bullying) there is nowhere to go for help. There are no guidance counselors at the school.
ReplyDeleteIf I was a parent of a special ed student, I would check out what they school should be doing for my child under the law.