So Much Going On @ Good 'Ol MVRCS!

We're not sure whether we should start off with the McCleary issue or the nightmare incoming Kindergartner parents are going to be dealing with....decisions, decisions, decisions!

The entire fiasco regarding Dr. McCleary has us simultaneously befuddled and outraged. We are befuddled as we KNOW that there is more to this story than Dr. McCleary deciding to take a PAID sabbatical with such short notice and then not returning. Isn't a sabbatical usually granted to individuals with the expectation that the individual will return to their position??? In any event, we've included the wiki definition of a sabbatical below.  Even as we speculate as to the terminology that Dr. McCleary and MVRCS have agreed to use, we all know that this is just yet ANOTHER person to fall under the ax of Dictator Kinnon. We have to imagine that either: 1. McCleary tired of being used for his credentials (without the authority or responsibility that accompanies it); 2. FINALLY took issue with having to sign his name to the numerous shenanigans, statements (lies), documents, etc. that he was constantly having to do; or 3. McCleary did something that so angered Kinnon that he wasn't given a choice in the matter. Unfortunately, we're more inclined to believe that it is option number 3 and that while he wasn't given a choice in the matter, he IS being paid for the 'sabbatical' as hush money (again, at the expense of the students as not only are those funds not being effectively used but the school will be without ANY individual who is qualified to run the school). We're sure that McCleary could destroy Kinnon and the school with all that he has been privy to during his time there. It has always been surprising to us that McCleary allowed some of the things that have occurred to occur under his name as he is obviously a very moral, ethical, and righteous individual. While Dr. McCleary was not the strong presence within the school that one would expect of a Director, it never appeared as though he had much say in the matter. Even though the Charter School Laws and Regulations are very clear that the Board NOT have control or oversight into the day to day operations of the school, Kinnon has managed to wrangle almost complete control. Unfortunately for the students and MVRCS community, Dr. McCleary (the only individual on the Board or Administrative Team that has the experience, background, and credentials in education) was not permitted nor encouraged to make decisions or run the school in the manner he saw fit but was instead forced to follow the directions, demands, and practices of Neil Kinnon. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

In recent times, "sabbatical" has come to mean any extended absence in the career of an individual in order to achieve something. In the modern sense, one takes sabbatical typically to fulfill some goal, e.g., writing a book or traveling extensively for research.

In the United States, academic sabbaticals are typically granted by an academic dean only if the faculty member who applies is qualified in terms of consistently high job performance, has demonstrated success in previous research, and possesses a well-conceived, well-planned, and promising research proposal that requires sustained effort. Sabbaticals are not granted automatically and usually are not even scheduled automatically. Provided the faculty applicant is first granted academic tenure (this may not hold true at all institutions), the opportunity to qualify for one's first sabbatical usually comes only after an initial waiting period the length of which may vary. Thereafter, the opportunity to qualify for sabbatical typically follows at seven-year intervals of full-time employment. The most common arrangement is for a half-year at full pay, or a full year at half pay.

Ok, the other typical of MVRCS fiasco is that of the situation that our incoming kindergarten students and family face. They are going to be at the new Athletic center (named of course after Sir Dictator Kinnon), no, no, no, THAT building isn't going to be done in time. SO, let's add a little more stress to the lives of these poor, scared, anxious students - they'll start at the main campus and then, when the other building is done (even if it isn't COMPLETELY done but close enough), they'll be shipped over to the Athletic center. The timing should be PERFECT - they should JUST be adjusting to their new school and routine and now BOOM, yet another change! Oh, and did anyone mention that now instead of 5 Kindergarden classes and 4 1st grade classes, the school has (apparently) decided to add an additional class to each grade level. Yeah, remember that obnoxious ad the school took out last year against Malden schools and the possibility of them increasing their enrollment size, they apparently did it. We'll be VERY curious to see how crowded the first few months of school are at good 'ol MVRCS, as if they weren't packed in there like packed sardines already! Oh, don't we all LOVE the way MVRCS handles things....just another example of their inability to effectively and soundly manage the operations of the school. 
In closing, we can't WAIT to see how the transportation plays out for all of this. After the fiasco last year with first charging and then refunding transportation costs, it is no wonder they are no longer charging for transportation. BTW, per the DESEMVRCS! 

The Lottery and Waitlist ……Powerball Anyone?

It seems that certain staff members (or any with children who are interested in sending them to MVRCS) and/or friends should play Powerball as they seem to have incredible luck!

We’ve blogged before about the issues relating to the handling of the lottery and waitlist at MVRCS but feel the need to do so again. In November the school held its annual lottery for incoming Kindergarten students. We didn’t give it much focus as we wanted to gather information and review the information before jumping to any conclusions. We were fortunate to have several different individuals in the audience who either manually recorded or (secretly) voice recorded the drawing. It’s taken us a while to put it all together and find the discrepancies but we found some. We had seriously hoped that the school had handled it with integrity and ethics this year but found otherwise. It seems that regardless that the school has an outside CPA handle the drawing itself, the school officials have somehow managed to continue manipulating the list to ensure certain individuals gain entry. We have heard from some reliable sources that not only has the Department of Education taken possession of the school’s waitlist, it is also now being managed by an outside source as a result of a change in the law and (we would imagine) wrongdoing on the part of the school.

We’ve compiled a comparative list of the numbers that were called and the final list that the school has published (located @ http://www.mvrcs.com/files/Lottery_Results_11_23_10.pdf). We see a number of differences and will be forwarding the data to the DOE for their review and (in)action, along with the names of the individuals who we believe will have benefited. It seems that being friends with Danielle Ferrara in the office is one way of ensuring entry into the school. We have also heard that parents also have the option of bribing their way into the school but have been unable to confirm the specifics. We’re also not sure if Ferrara is the person to bribe or if she is just the one doing the dirty work at the lottery drawings and/or working of the waitlist (either on own accord or at the instructions of someone else)..

As a side note, we have noticed that staff members of the school have unbelievable luck gaining entry into the school. We’ve mentioned before the high number of Kinnon’s and Finn’s and that they were all unbelievable fortunate to gain entry, never mind all the relatives of Henry Gennetti. Also worth mentioning is that relatives of both Finn and Gennetti who were so fortunate to gain admission not just once but twice! Somehow at least two families chose to leave the school and then somehow managed to be at the front of the waitlist when other children left (how that can happen is beyond us). We did hear that the school has some kind of allowance for this in their By-laws although how this can be is again beyond us as it is not permissible per the Department of Education (but then again, the rules that apply to all other charter schools don’t seem to apply to MVRCS). We have been unable to locate the school by-laws to confirm this but are continuing to work on it.

We have noticed that with a few exceptions, any staff member who places their child in the lottery or on the waitlist seems to gain entry. We’d heard about past teachers who somehow managed to gain access to MVRCS for their children after beginning to work there. Two good examples would be Dr. Biegler and Ms. Herrera. More disturbing is that it appears as though Ms. Herrera’s children got in ‘from the waitlist’ which we seriously question if they were ever on. We’ve come across other examples as well which leads us to believe that this was not an isolated incident.

Bringing the focus to current practices, it amazes us how many staff and faculty members have been fortunate enough to gain entry through the lottery and/or waitlist. Yes, we know that some staff members began working there after their children were admitted but it doesn’t seem as though many who work there and have children DO NOT GAIN ENTRY. Funny enough it doesn’t seem to just be limited to staff member’s children but also includes staff member’s relatives and friends. Isn’t it amazing that Gina McKinnon and Jen Mullen were both fortunate enough to have their children selected? Amazing, what luck they have. We did hear that Jen Mullen was not originally selected but did have a low number on the waitlist and made sure her child managed to get in (probably one of those non-english speaking kids that were systematically eliminated or encouraged not to enroll). Then again, it appears as though being a friend to Danielle Ferrara (or is she the person to bribe?) is one way of ensuring entry as a few of her friends that work at a popular Melrose seafood restaurant have managed to gain entry (one of which doesn’t even live in one of the sending districts). Who knows, we could be wrong but... It seems Val Doherty and Peter Connolly were fortunate enough to gain entry into the school for their nephews. This was in the year that a number of other staff members also were fortunate enough to have their children admitted. The current first grade class has a number of employee’s children sprinkled among it. It amazes us that out of only 125 spots that so many staff members, friends of Danielle Ferrara (not to mention Neil Kinnon) and relatives were selected from the lottery YET individuals who have been included in numerous lotteries have NEVER been selected. Isn’t it amazing? That is why we think the these staff members, family members, and friends should play Powerball – the odds are in their favor. Although the Powerball lottery isn’t fixed, is it? 

NOTE: We'd like to clarify that when we 'verify' our information, we aren't speaking to other parents but individuals who are either currently or have been employed by the school, a number of which have been there for numerous years. Through these individuals and our own resources (such as class lists and year books), we are able to confirm our information.

Who Ya Gonna Call....?

We have made it no secret that we've been in touch with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Attorney General's Office, Ethics Committee, Governor Patrick, IRS, and the Office of the Inspector General. In one of the nastier messages we received on this blog (which we posted) by someone at MVRCS, they made reference to having contact with individuals who should be concerned with the wrong-doings and/or issues at MVRCS who were not concerned with what we were saying. At the time we didn't pay much attention to their statements as we felt that SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE WOULD pay attention and be as outraged as we are. We didn't believe that the agencies and government officials could turn their back on students who required special educational services, misappropriation of funds, or blatant disregard for laws. We must say that we have since been repeatedly disappointed at the lack of actions the agencies responsible for ensuring the folks at MVRCS are following the laws and educating our children. Some insight and background on who we contacted, what was reported, and what (if anything was done).
We have made it no secret that that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE or also known as the DOE) is willing to do very little in the way of ensuring Neil Kinnon and the Administration/Board follow the laws that govern them. Jeff Wulfson while offering to be our 'go-to' person at the DESE, has shown little interest and made little effort to address the issues we have brought to his attention. He was well aware of the open meeting violations yet did nothing to enforce the law other than pass the buck to the Attorney General's office. Mr. Wulfson actually ignored a number of our emails until we reached out to Governor Patrick for assistance. Unfortunately, Mr. Wulfson's attention and responses are limited and appear to only happen at the urging of Governor Patrick. Given that the DESE (aka DOE) is the agency mainly responsible for the oversight of our education system here in Massachusetts, not to mention their responsibility for charter school oversight, we can not stress enough how disappointed we are by his lack of concern and inaction. We feel we must also make mention of the fact that before reaching out to Mr. Wulfson, we had heard of several parents and a number of teachers reaching out the PQA (Program Quality Assurance) department of the DESE, again with no success. Our other issue and concern that the DESE would ultimately be responsible for addressing is that of the handling of the lottery and waitlist. We can not even begin to describe the amount of information that has been sent to us regarding violations of the laws that govern  entrance into charter schools. We've heard of students being re-admitted, unethical handling of the waitlist, and the newest, being able to buy a students entry into the school. It appears as though the DESE is not concerned with any of this and is therefore allowing it to continue. So, in answer to the question 'who ya gonna call' if you have an issue with MVRCS, we DON'T suggest bothering with the DESE.
We must say that of all of the agencies we made contact with, the Attorney General's office was one of the most helpful, responsive, and seems to have made a difference. While the option exists to contact them regarding a number of different issues, we chose to focus on the Open Meeting Law violations at MVRCS. We must say that since speaking to them and sharing with them our communications with MVRCS, we have seen an improvement in the handling of the Open Meetings. We still have issues pertaining to obtaining the minutes of past meetings (specifically Executive Sessions) but those are due to more of a logistical issue. Although we do believe that an issue still exists (are the meeting minutes available as required by law for both the open and executive session meetings?), we have not figured out a way of obtaining copies without revealing our identities. We are still working on this issue, do not fear. In general, we would suggest that the Attorney General is someone one might want to call for assistance and guidance. Too bad they weren't responsible for education!
An agency that we have mixed emotions on and are holding off on forming an opinion at this time is the State Ethics Committee. We have filed NUMEROUS complaints with them regarding conflict of interest issues on behalf of not only Neil Kinnon but with the City of Malden, Chris Finn, and in the hiring of family and friends by Neil Kinnon. Unfortunately while a number of these have been filed on behalf of various individuals, a fair amount have also been filed anonymously which means we have no way of knowing what action (if any) has or will be taken. We do know that no action has been taken on at least one complaint at this point but are still waiting to hear on the outcome of others.We hope that the State Ethics Committee is at the very least taking our complaints seriously and not being misled, misinformed, or misguided by the folks at MVRCS. On the up side, we have heard rumors of certain individuals lawyer shopping for firms that handle ethical complaint allegations. We shall wait and see before we decide if this agency is one that one should call.
As for Governor Patrick, we must say that our letter to him did result in a response (at the very least) from Jeff Wulfson. We would have liked for more to have come from our contacting his office but at the very least, we know that he heard us! Another one we'll be contacting in the future.
The IRS and Inspector General - these too were anonymous complaints so unfortunately we have no way of knowing if our efforts resulted in any action being taken. It also may be too soon to tell.We'll keep you posted on this agency.
In closing, we've come to the conclusion that we are not the type of group to give up easily as we will continue to bring the many issues and concerns we have regarding MVRCS to those who SHOULD be able to help correct them.

Why So Much Secrecy at MVRCS?

"The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society: and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings." John F. Kennedy

"Where secrecy or mystery begins, vice or roguery is not far off." Samual Johnson

           

           Per Webster's Dictionary, Roguery is defined as:

ro·guery (rō′gər ē)

noun pl. rogueries -·guer·ies

the behavior or an act of a rogue; specifically, trickery; cheating; fraud.

In a post dated October 2, 2010 titled ‘Kinnons Efforts to Control  - Us, Firefighters, Teachers, and ??’ we discussed the 2004 case concerning the Malden Firefighters and their legal battle with Neil Kinnon and Mayor Howard. To reiterate our original post:

“The case revolved around the Malden Firefighters (and their Union reps) attempting to advocate against Mr. Kinnon's decision to reduce the fire staff. The Firemen (as we understand it) were posting signs, handing out leaflets, and generally attempting to education the public as to the actions of Mr. Kinnon & Mr. Howard and the impact to the residents. The case went to court (and expenses incurred) as both parties defended their position. While we can understand an appointed Commissioners and Mayors desire to not have the fact that they were paying for a Commissioner rather than Firefighters, the extent of the battle amazed us. Mr. Kinnon was attempting to deny the Firefighters of Malden their First Amendment right to voice their opposition to the actions. The Firefighters prevailed but it was sad that the City of Malden felt entitled to such limitations upon their staff, spent city funds to defend, and had written a Memorandum that was in violation of the laws that govern our government and those that govern employer’s actions.

 At the time we chose not to delve too deeply into the schools efforts and insistence upon secrecy but feel that the time has come to question exactly why the need for such secrecy. Most of us can appreciate that at times secrets may be necessary and have positive implications or outcomes. Examples of this would be the planning of a surprise party, a special gift, or simply the completion of a task. Alternatively, when we think of our politicians, leaders of organizations and companies insisting upon secrecy, or individuals insisting upon secrecy, it causes others to question their motives and intentions. What first comes to mind are the actions of terrorists, criminals, and even more deplorable the actions of child molesters. When we think back to years gone by when too many adults were able to take advantage of young and vulnerable by making them swear to secrecy. Fortunately for many, our society has realized the need for openness, honesty, and communication to prevent such wrongdoings and dangerous situations. No where is this more apparent than our societies recent insistence on a more open government. Within our families parents are reminded time and again of the importance of maintaining open communications with their children in the hopes of curtailing drug, alcohol, and inappropriate sexual conduct. It is no wonder then that we are concerned with Neil Kinnon, the Board of Trustees, and the Administration’s insistence and attempts at not only preventing open communication but also their insistence upon silence.

It concerns us that teachers are so limited in what they can and can not say to parents to the point that their contracts state limitations. For example, teachers (whether still employed by the school or not) are prevented by their contracts of advising parents to remove their children from MVRCS. Given that the school has such an extensive waiting list and that the school is clearly not equipped to handle all students, one must ask why they prohibit teachers from making such a statement. More importantly, why they must include this information within their contracts and threaten legal action should a teacher speak out about such a situation. This would be more understandable in district schools as should a school district not be able to provide an adequate education to a child they are responsible for not only outsourcing that child to a private school, but for the transportation expense to and from that school. Alternatively, should MVRCS admit to not being able to provide a child with an adequate education, the child is then referred back to their sending district. Why then must they refuse to allow teachers to communicate such information to a parent? Granted one would hope that the Administration would handle such discussions but it is clearly NOT going to happen at MVRCS.

Going one step further, why does Neil Kinnon insist upon keeping parents in the dark about so much? Why do they continually break the Open Meeting law by excusing themselves to Executive Sessions when the topics do not fall into the legally allowable topics? Why do they make obtaining copies of the minutes so incredibly difficult? One of the legal reasons the Board is permitted to meet under the Executive Sessions is to discuss the termination of an employee. Many employees have come and gone over the years and while many are at their own doing, we know of many employees who have left not on their own accord. Under the laws, these employees are entitled to attend Executive Sessions if their employment in question yet we have heard of no employee ever being granted such right. Does that mean that Dr. McCleary is making termination decisions? Or Chris Finn and George Benzie? It seems obvious that the school has some employment issues and that many laws are being violated regarding both their current and past employees.

So we ask you Mr. Kinnon, why all the secrecy? Do you think if you forbid everyone from talking you can keep hidden all the conflicts of interest and code of conduct laws you are breaking? Who are protecting from prohibiting teachers from telling parents the truth? Is THAT how you meet the needs of ALL of your students? What don't we know about that you are doing? AND, WHY THE SECRECY (and new format) AT THE RECENT LOTTERY? YET ANOTHER WAY OF SKIRTING THE LAWS THAT GOVERN YOU? Mr. Wulfson, are you paying attention? Is your phone ringing yet, cause it will be.

The Lottery & Waitlist Issue Expanded

With the upcoming lottery just around the corner, we have been working to draw the attention to the lottery process at our school. We have compiled a list of students and matched those names with school employees (who worked there prior to their child attending the school), city officials and employees. As a result we have identified at least 120 students of MVRCS that have connections to one of the above. Additionally, we have compiled a list of another 90 students who we believe to be associated with the school through connections to a Board Member, Administrator,or school employee. We also know that we do not have a complete list of all students we believe were given preferential treatment in obtaining admission to the school. While compiling this list, we came across examples that demonstrate the questionable and unethical allegations we have been hearing of from others.
A few examples include Chris Finn having upwards of 13 nieces and nephews within the school and John Baglio's son being admitted even though Mr. Baglio was living in Saugus at the time of applying (according to our sources, he used a relatives address). Mr. Baglio, for those of you who do not know, is or was married to Mayor Howards niece which is how he has gained and managed to retain his position (he is known for texting on his phone during classes, arriving late to his classes, playing questionable music, and implementing a questionable curriculum). Mr. Baglio isn't the only individual to apply to school while living out of district (regional districts), we also recently heard of a friend of another school employee who had to finagle for an acceptable address after being 'chosen'. In addition we've also recently heard of a Malden city employee who recently managed to get his two children into the school but not through the lottery but off of the wait list. According to our sources, this same gentleman is also currently a Malden school committee member. Additionally, we have  heard from individuals who told of teachers being given preferential treatment that ranged from ensuring their child was selected, to siblings being admitted after 5th grade. Another instance would include the previously discussed re-admittance of two of Chris Finn's relatives but also the re-admittance of relatives of Mr. Gennetti (which we now have the names of). Another example involves the 'luck' of long time Neil Kinnon friends gaining acceptance. We find it amazing that all of these individuals were 'chosen' yet the school has not 'chosen' a single non-english speaking student. Our list goes on and on and will continue to compile and document examples (feel free to submit any you may have) until a government agency takes on the responsibility of ensuring that the lottery and wait-list are handled according to the laws as MVRCS will not do so on their own accord. We might suggest, at the very least, requiring that a formal wait list (created during the drawing by an unbiased, unconnected individual) be submitted to the DESE so that parents can not be told they are currently number 2 only to suddenly find themselves number 36 (as one family has), who happens to have a child in the same grade level as one of Chris Finn's re-admitted relative. Hmmmm