$91,304.00 for Recruiting and Advertising…..REALLY?

Yes, that is what MVRCS reportedly spent for recruiting and advertising during the 2008 fiscal year. We mention this as the school continues with their reviews of teachers. Apparently, due to the expense of the Athletic Complex the powers that be are being less than generous to the teachers and staff. Considering that they spend such an exorbitant amount of money to recruit and advertise for new staff one would think they’d try to limit their future recruitment needs. Pay now or pay later. Interestingly enough we haven’t seen this expense on any of the public school budgets and while we have seen other charter schools spending funds on recruitment, we weren’t able to find any that spent anywhere near what MVRCS does each year. Unfortunately, this isn’t just a one time expense but rather approximately what the school spends each year. It is also worth mentioning that the school also employs a HR Director who is making over $80,000.00 per year AND pays a vendor to handle additional HR matters. Certainly makes one stop and wonder if the school is using their funds appropriately and reasonably.


To add insult to injury, we came across the following charter school law (located at http://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/603cmr1.html?section=07):

1.07: Charter School Staff

Charter school teachers hired after August 10, 2000 must either:

(1) take and pass, within their first year of employment at a charter school, the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure; or

(2) be already certified to teach in Massachusetts.

Regulatory Authority:

603 CMR 1.00: M.G.L. c. 69, § 1B; c. 71, § 89.

One may conclude that the schools recruitment and advertising fees are so exorbitant as a result of having to hire certified teachers and that they are working towards that end with the high turnover rate. Unfortunately we found that that is not the case. It seems that the school has chosen not to follow this law as they go about hiring, firing and losing the many teachers that pass through the schools doors. In reviewing the data of the past few years, the school typically employs between 88-95 teachers yet only 55-60% of them are actually certified. One would think that with the incredibly high number of new teachers they are forced to hire each year that they would be at least moderately increasing the number of certified teachers they employ. While not only is that NOT the case but to further exasperate the issue, they show a decline in the percent of certified teachers they employ since 2008. It seems that they do not feel the need to follow this law any more than they feel the need to follow many of the other laws and regulations that govern them. But then again, why should they, they are Mystic Valley – the school held to very different expectations and standards than other charter schools.

Back to the BIG Issues at Hand

Our past few posts have taken us a bit off track and we feel that it is once again time to reiterate not only our dedication to MVRCS but to also restate the major issues and concerns that led to the creation of this blog. Many have accused us of being 'haters' of the school but nothing could be further from the truth. In September the Robert Hughes Academy Charter School in Springfield, MA was scheduled to close as a result of "mismanagement and misgovernance issues" (Hughes Charter School Must Close) after the Board of Education voted 11-0 to revoke their charter. That is exactly what we are trying to prevent through the use of this blog as a communication  vehicle> Our intent is to keep parents informed about issues and concerns that could potentially result in MVRCS facing the same type of voting situation. Yes, we could remain silent as the Board and Administration hopes that ALL parents will (and their attempts to encourage the same by limiting the information and involvement of parents) but we believe that their bad acts will eventually catch up to them and the children will ultimately suffer.Please let us know if you believe we overlooked additional issues or concerns.

A quick overview of the potentially damaging examples include:

Violation of Waitlist and Lottery Regulations

1. Relatives being re-admitted/receiving preferential treatment:
1. Finn's relatives being re-admitted;
2. Gennetti's relatives being re-admitted;
3. Questions regarding residency requirements;
4. Questions regarding children of staff circumventing the lottery and waitlist process.
2. The DESE requesting a copy of the lottery results and waitlist from last year.
3. The demographics of the school that include a high percentage of non-minorities and lack of non-english speaking students.

        Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct Violations

1. Hiring of relatives, friends and associates:
1. Difference in treatment, expectations, and pay;
2. Question of qualifications of some;
2. Duty of Care and Loyalty
1. Neill Kinnon serving on the Board and as City Councilor with the two 'agencies' doing business together;
2. prohibits them from doing anything that would allow them to profit personally or indirectly because of their position.
1. A trustee who seeks special privileges in school admission or other educational benefits for a member of his or her family violates the duty of loyalty to the charter school board;
2. conflict of interest law generally prohibits Board members from taking advantage of their position to gain improper benefits for themselves, their relatives, their associates, or their friends;
3. This restriction also applies to current Board members who have a contract with an agency separate from the school and who wish to enter into a contract with the school through that agency. (? Would the City of Malden be considered an ‘Agency’ and ‘City Councilor’ have a contract with them?);
4. Must avoid conduct that creates a reasonable impression that they are likely to act, or fail to act, because of undue influence by any person.

          Special Education Issues:

1. Kathy Kinnon’s qualifications, relationship to Neil Kinnon, and questions of work hours and responsibilities;
1. Concern regarding parents who wish to appeal IEP's and/or decisions made by Kathy Kinnon being decided by a relative.
2. Question of lacking IEP’s that fail to identify students current abilities and goal (as per 2007 DESE report);
3. Concern regarding support and communication between classroom teachers/IA's and Special Ed teachers;
1. Do all staff who work with children on IEP's receive a copy of their IEP before begin to work with student.

          Questions regarding school finances:

1. Question of whether the school is following laws governing contractors and bidding requirements;
2. Question of differences in financial records of Annual Reports v. financial records found on DESE website.

          Violations of Charter School Laws and Regulations:

1. Open Meeting/ Executive Session Violations;
2. Obtaining Meeting Minutes for Executive Sessions.

A Readers Comment Highlighted

This was posted under an older posting and we thought it worth sharing:
                    Anonymous said...

Listen, MVRCS is a good school with excellent teachers. The Administration is inept and incompetent yet they hold the purse strings to mismanage the funds that pour into their coffers. Kinnon is quick to brush off items because he's as ignorant as the day is long! His family will always be granted a pass as will any other adminstratively connected family member. Who would be foolish enough to ruin the MVRCS money pit? Veilleux is a good example; nunber one stooge, $103k to run the bus operation, really! So he shows up at dismissal to make sure everyone is posted at their spots so he looks like a genius?! Kathy Kinnon shows up at dismissal to bark out a few incoherent thoughts to justify her $89K existence. It's all a sham. The DOE should investigate the financial records and qualifications of the Administration personnel. Chris Finn, because of his 10 years of ass kissing to Tony Biegler allows him to be Asst. Director of an educational institution? Please. He couldn't operate a profitable lemonaide stand with free lemons!! The man is a goof. He has difficulties speaking at staff meetings once a month never mind run an office. The school has some great attributes in spite of the Administration. Gina McKinnon one of the more embarrassing people in the school. She is absolutely useless. Seriously folks, what does she accomplish? NOTHING, but she is handed $75K a year to walk the halls and utter true nonsense.

December 9, 2010 7:25 PM

 A few members of the band wagon were left off such as Jen Mullen (Gina McKinnon's counterpart) who is inept at hiring and retaining staff who refuse to rat out their coworkers to her (as she likes them to do, that is how you earn her respect -sad). Her all time favorite rat is a particular 4th grade teacher who has had numerous co-workers complain about her yet is still there and held in high regards due to her willingness to sell out her colleagues.
We should also mention one of our personal members of the band wagon, Greg Kinnon who is responsible for the facilities (and overseeing others who do all the work) and shows up at the end of the day to direct the buses out of the yard safely. We'd be interested in hearing what his official work hours are as it doesn't seem he is at either facility much. We'd also like to know how much time Greg spends filling in for the nurses as it seems like that was a bunch of BS. Same with Kathy Kinnon, anyone else notice how infrequently her car is parked in the driveway of the blue house at 8:00? Does she not have the same working hours as the rest of the staff or does she come in late due to her late evenings assisting with the swim team? Although the way we see it, since she receives a stipend for the swim team work, it should not excuse her from her normal responsibilities (or what should be her normal responsibilities as it seems as though she has shuffled most of her duties off). I'm sure none of the others who pick up extra positions are not allowed to neglect their everyday job descriptions or make their own hours.
We should mention that Chris Finn isn't in his position solely as a result of kissing Dr. Biegler's a$$ but also as a result of his longtime friendship with none other than Neil Kinnon. The two families go way back and the two were childhood friends. Now Gina McKinnon and Jen Mullen, they are ONLY there as a result of their a$$ kissing to both Dr. Biegler and Neil Kinnon as neither of them do much in the sense of developing or working with their staff, you know something a PDC (Professional Development Coordinator) would typically be responsible for.

FINALLY ~ A Reply from Jeff Wulfson, Associate Commissioner, DESE

We FINALLY received a reply from our numerous emails to Jeff Wulfson, the Association Commissioner at the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. Mr. Wulfson, while failing to actually provide the clarification of the schools transportation as we requested, did state that if he were provided with an actual complaint, the DESE would be willing to intervene to ensure the law is being followed. Although we appreciate his offer to intervene with an actual complaint, it is disturbing that he to is unable or unwilling to state the schools actual policy. Reading between the lines, if any parent dares to file a complaint, then and only then, will we address the issue. It is equally disturbing that he does not take issue with the fact that the school has repeatedly ignored our request for written clarification and question why that is. It is usually those who are attempting to hide something that are unwilling to provide the information requested.
On the upside, we are pleased that we have actually heard from Mr. Wulfson and have included a copy of his letter. We have inserted comments at various points and to assist in distinguishing between the two, have done so in red text.


From Mr. Wulfson:

I am writing in response to your recent emails, requesting clarification regarding the state’s role in overseeing the operation of Commonwealth charter schools in general and the Mystic Valley Charter Public School (MVCPS) in particular.

There are two types of oversight that the Commonwealth has with respect to charter schools. The first type of oversight is to respond to specific individual complaints in which the school is alleged to have violated a law, regulation, or other governing policy. The second type is the more general oversight that the Department (DESE) and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) have as the charter school authorizer in Massachusetts.  These two types of oversight are discussed below in more detail.

Specific Complaints

As we have noted before, the first type of oversight provided by the Commonwealth is shared among a number of state agencies, depending upon the particular subject matter. For example, concerns regarding the open meeting law or the construction bidding statutes are the responsibility of the Office of the Attorney General, the public records law is overseen by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and the State Ethics Commission oversees the conflict of interest laws.

This Department has a number of separate offices that share in this oversight responsibility. Issues involving special education services, accessibility, or other matters relating to student welfare are reviewed by our Program Quality Assurance unit and complaints regarding student transportation are handled by our School Business Services office. Complaints alleging that a charter school has failed to comply with a specific provision of the charter school statute or regulations are handled by the Charter School Office. To the extent that a complaint alleges a violation of the charter school statute or regulations, the complainant must present that complaint to the school’s board of trustees prior to filing a complaint with the Charter School Office.  See 603 CMR 1.10.

In all of the above areas, the oversight agencies require some degree of specificity as to the allegation in question in order to properly investigate and obtain a response from the school. While some parents may be reluctant to be identified as the source of a complaint for fear of reprisal, as a practical matter, anonymous emails or postings on blogs and websites that contain only vague assertions are difficult at best for us to investigate. To cite one example, you have alleged that MVCPS is not meeting its responsibilities to provide bus transportation for students living more than two miles from school. If we had a specific complaint from a parent, with information as to where the student lives and where he or she attends school, we could verify the grade level of the student and the distances and then intervene with the school to ensure that it is meeting its responsibilities. 

Unfortunately, a number of us have contacted various departments within the DESE (specifically Jeff K.) to no avail. Also, how many times must the DESE be told that the Board of Trustees at MVRCS refuse to address complaints in a professional, fair, and without repercussions (as we're sure Annie O. can attest to, as one example). 

Also, between the information listed here AND the payroll information provided by the Boston Globe, how much more specific information is required before the DESE is willing to look into various conflicts of issues, code of conduct violations, open meeting laws, and the like. We did notice that Mr. Wulfson failed to address the issue as to whether his agency has filed and followed up on the Open Meeting and Executive Session Meeting violations that has been documented.

Oversight as Authorizer

Our second level of oversight relates to our role as the charter authorizer for Massachusetts. The overall performance of every charter school is reviewed every five years; and the BESE makes a decision on whether or not to renew the charter based on the school’s academic performance, organizational viability, and faithfulness to the terms of its charter. A school’s track record in complying with state and federal requirements and in responding appropriately to parent inquiries are two of many factors considered in making a renewal decision. The charter for MVCPS expires in June 2013 and the renewal inspection and decision probably will take place in the 2012-13 school year. During the course of that review, parents and other interested parties will have the opportunity to provide comments to us on the school’s performance.

It is unfortunate that the DESE has taken the position that it will not look into the reported allegations that have been made against the school until the 2012-2013 school year. So much for the students who are not selected for entry into the school as a result of a rigged lottery, or the students who are not receiving the services they require because Neil Kinnon refuses to address his sister-in-laws failure to comply with NCLB laws and the oversight and management of the Special Education Department.

In regards to the comment regarding "parents and other interested parties will have the opportunity to provide comments to us on the school's performance." Oh, he must mean the parents that the school hand selects to attend those meetings, the parents who don't have complaints or who won't speak up against the school. Yes, the same parents who have been invited in the past, and obviously NOT the likes of our friend Annie O. (who we must apologize to for constantly dragging her name back into this) or the other parents who were encouraged to leave the school (you know, those children who weren't expelled but were in danger of being retained). May we suggest now that any and all parents who would like to be heard during the next review write to Mr. Wulfson NOW and ask to be either included in the group meeting or to meet with him individually.

General Queries

You have asked how to request a financial audit of MVCPS. As you may already know, every charter school is required to have an annual independent audit conducted by a certified public accountant. These audit reports are published as part of each school’s annual report and are available to the public. In extraordinary circumstances where fraud or misappropriation of funds is suspected, the State Auditor does have authority to conduct additional financial investigations. Suggestions that expenditures in certain areas are “excessive,” however, generally do not rise to that level of concern. Both school committees and boards of trustees are given broad discretion in determining the appropriate expenditures for the operation of their respective schools.

 Extraordinary circumstances wouldn't be the overpayment of 'Kinnected' individuals and/or those individuals who are paid more than most of our teachers yet show up for about an hour a day (if that)? We would be willing to bet that the school is aware of what would get the attention of the State Auditor and makes sure that those 'expenditures' do not show up on their annual reports. We'd be interested in knowing how much attention and detail (i.e. receipts, overview) is required in the filing of these reports. Mr. Wulfson makes mention of having an CPA conduct an independent audit and we question who the actual CPA is who conducts these audits. One would hope that they must be required to be unassociated and unbiased int their review of financial records.

You have also raised a question regarding the lack of term limits for the trustees on the MVCPS board. DESE recommends that charter school by-laws include such limits, and we require newly chartered schools to include such a provision. We have discussions ongoing with the MVCPS board regarding adding such a provision to their by-laws. Those discussions continue and we continue to urge the school to adopt term limits for its trustees.

But again, other charter schools have had their charter renewal contingent upon, among other things, incorporating term limits into their by-laws. And again we question why MVRCS has not had the same contingency placed upon them. Also, why do the trustees at MVRCS feel that they do not have to answer to the DESE? If new charter schools are required to do so, then so should MVRCS. Oh, that's right, we are dealing with Mr. Neil Kinnon who stated (as seen in our 'Did They Really Say That' column) "The quickest way to be not true to the charter is to not have continuity. Since superintendents come and go, where do you get continuity? You’re able to get that through a long-serving board that has full understanding of the charter. This is what I have told the DOE every year they’ve come in and questioned it.’’ As we stated there, again, Really? Is overpaying and creating jobs for friends, family members and associates staying true to the charter? Is rigging the lottery and ignoring NCLB laws staying true to the charter? Is putting an athletic facility before the logistic and academic needs of students who have outgrown the lower school facility? What about not retaining teachers but only retaining those who are overpaid and underworked as a result of their association with you? Yeah, none of THAT matters!

Finally, I must tell you how personally disturbing it was to read your group’s recent correspondence to Governor Patrick in which you suggest that there might be “pure corruption” here in the Department. My colleagues and I take our responsibilities as public employees very seriously. Such allegations were made not only without any shred of evidence but were inappropriate and unnecessary. 

We apologize that you find the actions of parents attempting to ensure laws are being followed as disturbing. We too are disturbed at many things that have and continue to be allowed to happen. We do not feel as though they were made without adequate evidence (specifically other charter schools being held to very different standards and expectations), nor inappropriate and unnecessary. We have written to you on a number of different occasions going back to October 7 and this is the first response we have received. Not to mention that the transportation issue has still NOT been clarified by either you or MVRCS. 

I trust that this provides you with the more detailed information that you were seeking.  Again, should you require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Jeff Wulfson

Associate Commissioner

Different Strokes for Different Folks...?

We've been reading up on CORI background checks and what the law and/or DESE requires of school officials in regards to conducting CORI checks on both current and prospective employees. Per the DESE website (http://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/advisory/cori.html):

M.G.L. c. 71, § 38R requires all schools to conduct criminal background checks on current and prospective employees and volunteers, including those who regularly provide school related transportation to students, who may have direct and unmonitored contact with children. CORI must be obtained from the CHSB at least every three years during an individual's term of employment or service.

Unfortunately, laws nor guidance are in place in regards to what would or would not prohibit a school from hiring an individual based on their CORI check:

Neither the Department nor the CHSB can provide legal advice about how CORI information should affect a hiring, employment, or contracting decision. Decisions as to whether to dismiss an employee or volunteer, not to hire an applicant, or not to work with a particular contractor, based on an individual's criminal record information, should be made by the school or district in consultation with its legal counsel. 

and further:

Our Comments, Questions, & Issues with the Globe's Articles.

Here are some thoughts and feedback on the Boston Globe Article and the ‘Top 50 Salaries of MVRCS’. We are wondering if these figures are all inclusive (or do some employees receive two checks or additional funds for additional responsibilities and/or job titles). We also wonder if MVRCS finally released ALL of their payroll records as required by law or if this was the only way to make amends with the reporter and/or Globe. We question much of this information, specifically the payroll data and have commented as questions or issues appeared. The black portion is material taken directly from the articles and our comments and responses are in red.

Others in the top 50 earners were two relatives of Malden City Councilor Neil Kinnon, who serves as chairman of the school’s board of trustees, an unpaid position. Neil Kinnon’s brother Greg earned $53,656 in 2009 for his work as facilities manager and nurse. Kathy Kinnon, Neil Kinnon’s sister-in-law, earned $84,658 as special education director, an increase of about 9 percent over 2008, when she earned $77,187.

Sad that Greg apparently makes more than the facility guys that are always there. Would love to know what Greg does with his days. Greg Kinnon is a nurse? Licensed? How often does he fill in for one of the nurses, once a year? Is this salary inclusive of his ‘nurse’ position? Interesting how he is mentioned yet the lower school nurse who has been there for years isn’t mentioned here (AND his daughter was ‘selected’ yet the nurse’s son wasn’t. Interesting how that happened.

What exactly is Kathy Kinnon doing these days? She doesn’t attend meetings or return phone calls, it seems as Mrs. Libby has taken over the lion’s share of her responsibilities. She is the swim team secretary and her husband (who isn’t listed) is one of the coaches. Notice how he wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the ad? I thought the 2008 Annual Report mentioned 5% pay increases – must be different for her.

School officials said Kathy Kinnon’s salary for 2009 included a $1,000 “stay bonus,’’ similar to the pay raises mandated by general public schools in their stepladder approach to determining salaries; a one-time salary increase to ensure Kinnon’s compensation remained competitive with the charter school’s sending districts; and a $3,000 stipend for serving as administrative secretary to the school’s swim team.
A ‘stay bonus’ – cause she might leave??? The comment ‘similar to the pay raises mandated by general public schools in their stepladder approach to determining salaries’ – are all employees entitled to the same raises? It seems like some people made more in 2008 than in 2009. The individuals with her title in the sending districts have more students and work a hell of lot harder, you can be sure.

She is the swim team secretary and her husband (who isn’t listed) is one of the coaches. Notice how he wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the ad? I also wonder if she gets paid additional funds if she conducts a portion of the professional development to the staff.

As a matter of policy, the school director from time to time approves market adjustments to staff salaries to ensure the charter school remains competitive. The school also pays staff stay bonuses and stipends for coaching or overseeing other extracurricular activities, Veilleux said.

Staff bonuses = hush money for teachers to turn their heads to some of the less desirable behaviors (hence why the teachers are NOT permitted to ‘talk’ to parents, and now someone said something about them not being able to go to functions outside of school where students/parents will be.

Of the 328 Massachusetts school districts surveyed in fiscal 2008, only 12 paid their teachers an average salary that was lower than the average salary Mystic Valley paid its top-earning teachers in 2009. Malden’s public school system — not including the charter school — ranked 14th in the statewide report, with an average teacher salary of $73,547.

Only 12 paid their teachers less than these figures (again would love to see if what they gave to the Globe adds up to what they’ve reported to the IRS and/or DESE) because Neil Kinnon thinks that a monkey could teach children. Yet…(see below)

Open Meeting Reports Anyone?

     We feel all parents and members of the MVRCS community, as permissible by law, are entitled to view a copy of the minutes from both the Open & Executive session meetings. We have been working towards obtaining them but have hit a road block as the school has refused to turn release the Executive Session minutes stating that they are protected from publishing. We go into the law that they are basing their actions on but feel that the minutes should be reviewed by the Attorney General to ensure that they not only exist but that the discussions are refined to the subject matters permissible under the Executive Session laws. We feel that this would be best obtained by having numerous parents make the request and go through the progress so that the matter receives the attention we feel it deserves. If you would be interested and willing to file a complaint, please see below for the required steps.
    Under Mass State laws, the school is required to keep minutes on both the open portion of the meeting, as well as the Executive Sessions.Individuals may request a copy of both minutes and the school must provide them within 10 days with the exception of portions of the Executive Session "may be withheld from disclosure to the public in their entirety.....defeat the lawful purposes of the executive session, but no longer" (see actual law below). Additionally, the Board may only enter into Executive session under a very limited number of certain circumstances (i.e. to discuss specific issues). We have included a list of these ten purposes along with the law in its entirety further down within this post.
       That being said, we have been volleying back and forth with Rick Veilleux from the school regarding getting copies of the minutes from not just the last meeting, but from the last 6 meetings. The school has chosen to require us to pay .20 per page for a copy of these minutes (which  is permissible by law) and that we are willing to pay for. We are unaware and unable to locate Agenda's for past meetings (they are not posted online as this one was) but apparently they do exist.  We do have a copy of the Agenda from the September 15, meeting and it reads as follows regarding the Executive Session:

Report: Schools, Teacher Ed Programs Ignore How Kids Really Learn

We are including this article not because we feel the teachers are ignoring how our children learn but to stress the importance of quality teachers in our classrooms and an Administration that values teachers and their abilities. To discredit Neil Kinnon's belief, monkeys can not (and should not) be teaching our children. Our children deserve only the very best teachers and staff members. Much research has been done documenting the importance of having quality teachers within our schools. This is where Mr. Kinnon's lack of experience and credentials outside of MVRCS has very negative, long lasting implications on our children. Again, please know that we are NOT criticizing our teachers, we know that our school is very fortunate to have many of them. We also know that just as we all want to be the very best that we can be, so too do they. In order for them to be the very best educators they can be, they must have a highly qualified Administration and Board that values their profession and dedication to our children.
In the financial reports the school spends an impressive amount of money on professional development and travel (which we would hope was related to professional development of the teachers - anyone know of staff doing any travel?) yet we must question what the content is based on and who is delivering it. We've heard of too many instances of the current Administration standing before the staff reading from either a power point or handout for hours. We have also heard that the staff are so incredibly uninspired and uninterested in the content that they are typically doing other things (we even heard of one training session where John Baglio fell asleep). Again, we stress, OUR TEACHERS (AND CHILDREN) DESERVE BETTER!

Report: Schools, Teacher Ed Programs Ignore How Kids Really Learn

Report: Schools, Teacher Ed Programs Ignore How Kids Really Learn    10/07/10 by Wrightslaw

Kinnons Efforts to Control - Us, Firefighters, Teachers, and ??

We have been accused of being school haters, union proponents, members of the Concerned Citizens of Malden group, and the list goes on. As we have addressed repeatedly, we are none of the above. As we stated earlier we listed the link to the Malden School Budget as a way to demonstrate that when a school has nothing to hide, they have no issues or concerns in submitting their records under the Freedom of Information Act as required by law. The fact that our school has chosen to break the law rather than follow the law causes us to question why they would the repercussions of breaking that law if they have not broken any other laws. We can also assure our readers that we are in no way affiliated with any unions or union actions. In fact, while we do believe that our teachers should unite for better working conditions, we don't feel the unions are the answer. In fact, we would prefer the teachers align themselves with the Pioneer Institute (www.pioneerinstitute.org) to address the improvement of their working conditions. They have done some wonderful research and made great strides towards education reform. Another group called Turn Exchange (www.turnexchange.net) is another organization that works with teachers and making great accomplishments.

Transportation Issues and the DESE

We wrote the following email to Jay Sullivan at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s business services division. As an employee of the DESE responsible for the oversight and accountability of our schools, we were quite surprised to receive an email from him (to which he cc’d the majority of individuals and departments we had in our original) refusing to address any more of our questions until we revealed our identity. As it should not matter to the DESE who they are releasing public knowledge to, it appears as though Mr. Sullivan has taken on the agenda (and ultimately approving) of the school. We find this not only disturbing but incredibly upsetting as we had believed that the DESE existed to set policies and procedures, ensure compliance, and as a resource for parents with concerns. Apparently this is not the case and the DESE is working for the schools, NOT the taxpayers and citizens of our state.

The following email has now been sent to the following individuals a second time: