Post by mak on Feb 3, 2008 11:17:02 GMT -5
Response to Go Plainedge’s posting:
“I find it quite interesting that after all the years of this message board existing, two former BOE members really get involved with the discussions about this property because they were both on the board when we were initially lied to about the Packard building being a hazard to the students - trying to force a bond proposition. Also, one of these new members here actually allowed us to be forever committed to Mr. Richman by signing that pathetic, one-sided contract. Thanks for your service to the community...”
1) No one ever stated that a bond was needed for a new middle school because the Packard building was a hazard to the students. Please give me your e-mail address or fax number, and I will send you copies of the “Plain Bond Talk” special edition newsletter dated October 2000 and the Plaintalk Newsletter dated November 1999.
Plain Bond Talk begins by saying: “During the last several months, the Board has explored various alternatives to deal with the pressing needs of enrollment growth, severe space shortages, curriculum and program concerns, and maintenance of our aging buildings. During our discussions, it became quite clear that each scenario would incur significant costs, yet in some of them, our most serious challenges would still not be adequately addressed. The following pages provide a detailed comparison of the alternatives that the Board explored, including the pros and cons, and the costs involved for each.”
The Plaintalk article says: “Both the educational and structural needs at Packard are tremendous. Enrollment is increasing rapidly and there is not enough space to adequately house students. The way we deliver education today has also changed dramatically. We have gone from a traditional junior high to a middle school, using interdisciplinary instruction and teaming. We employ a variety of instructional practices utilizing instructional technology. The demands of the new (state) standards can no longer be met in our current setting. Additionally, Packard’s cafeteria space in inadequate, there is no auditorium, classrooms are small and there are not enough of them…” On the front page of the issue, under a picture of children in a Packard science room, it states, “Among the critical instructional needs at Packard are the science rooms, which were built as lecture style classrooms, with immovable desks imbedded in concrete platforms. They are not equipped for today’s collaborative learning, small group instruction, nor use of computer technology.” Further in the issue, under another picture of children in a classroom on p.3, it says, “While Packard School is structurally safe for students and staff, there are serious physical needs – crumbling concrete, exposed steel, limited handicap accessibility, drafty, single-pane windows, and leaking walls and windows.”
2) I did not sign John Richman’s original employment contract. Josephine Reder, President of the Board of Education, signed the contract. I signed the extension of his contract in 2000, after a 7-0 approval by the entire board. You, and many others may view the contract as one-sided, but Richman delivered on what he was paid to do, which was to improve TEACHING AND LEARNING in our district. In 2005 Plainedge was tied with Jericho for the #1 ranking out of all Nassau County School Districts. He changed what we teach, how we teach it, and how teachers are evaluated. He undid 20 years of animosity between the BOE and the teacher’s union, and union grievances went down to none. He gave us our technology infrastructure, PowerSchool, Intel and Robotics, and designed down to every detail all of our school additions and renovations, including state-of-the art libraries, auditoriums, science labs, etc. Also, before his tenure, our kids never received the impressive amount of scholarships they do now.
So, please do not call people liars, or criticize things you know nothing about or choose not to be informed about. I know what I’ve accomplished as a school board member and I’m damn proud of it. The majority of the community must have thought I was doing something right, or they wouldn’t have elected me 3 times – twice unopposed.
I don’t need thanks from you or anyone else in this community for my service to this district. All the thanks I ever needed came twice a year – at the Scholastic Awards Dinner when the kids received their scholarships, and every graduation day, when they came up to receive their diplomas. That’s what made it all worth it.
Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday.
“I find it quite interesting that after all the years of this message board existing, two former BOE members really get involved with the discussions about this property because they were both on the board when we were initially lied to about the Packard building being a hazard to the students - trying to force a bond proposition. Also, one of these new members here actually allowed us to be forever committed to Mr. Richman by signing that pathetic, one-sided contract. Thanks for your service to the community...”
1) No one ever stated that a bond was needed for a new middle school because the Packard building was a hazard to the students. Please give me your e-mail address or fax number, and I will send you copies of the “Plain Bond Talk” special edition newsletter dated October 2000 and the Plaintalk Newsletter dated November 1999.
Plain Bond Talk begins by saying: “During the last several months, the Board has explored various alternatives to deal with the pressing needs of enrollment growth, severe space shortages, curriculum and program concerns, and maintenance of our aging buildings. During our discussions, it became quite clear that each scenario would incur significant costs, yet in some of them, our most serious challenges would still not be adequately addressed. The following pages provide a detailed comparison of the alternatives that the Board explored, including the pros and cons, and the costs involved for each.”
The Plaintalk article says: “Both the educational and structural needs at Packard are tremendous. Enrollment is increasing rapidly and there is not enough space to adequately house students. The way we deliver education today has also changed dramatically. We have gone from a traditional junior high to a middle school, using interdisciplinary instruction and teaming. We employ a variety of instructional practices utilizing instructional technology. The demands of the new (state) standards can no longer be met in our current setting. Additionally, Packard’s cafeteria space in inadequate, there is no auditorium, classrooms are small and there are not enough of them…” On the front page of the issue, under a picture of children in a Packard science room, it states, “Among the critical instructional needs at Packard are the science rooms, which were built as lecture style classrooms, with immovable desks imbedded in concrete platforms. They are not equipped for today’s collaborative learning, small group instruction, nor use of computer technology.” Further in the issue, under another picture of children in a classroom on p.3, it says, “While Packard School is structurally safe for students and staff, there are serious physical needs – crumbling concrete, exposed steel, limited handicap accessibility, drafty, single-pane windows, and leaking walls and windows.”
2) I did not sign John Richman’s original employment contract. Josephine Reder, President of the Board of Education, signed the contract. I signed the extension of his contract in 2000, after a 7-0 approval by the entire board. You, and many others may view the contract as one-sided, but Richman delivered on what he was paid to do, which was to improve TEACHING AND LEARNING in our district. In 2005 Plainedge was tied with Jericho for the #1 ranking out of all Nassau County School Districts. He changed what we teach, how we teach it, and how teachers are evaluated. He undid 20 years of animosity between the BOE and the teacher’s union, and union grievances went down to none. He gave us our technology infrastructure, PowerSchool, Intel and Robotics, and designed down to every detail all of our school additions and renovations, including state-of-the art libraries, auditoriums, science labs, etc. Also, before his tenure, our kids never received the impressive amount of scholarships they do now.
So, please do not call people liars, or criticize things you know nothing about or choose not to be informed about. I know what I’ve accomplished as a school board member and I’m damn proud of it. The majority of the community must have thought I was doing something right, or they wouldn’t have elected me 3 times – twice unopposed.
I don’t need thanks from you or anyone else in this community for my service to this district. All the thanks I ever needed came twice a year – at the Scholastic Awards Dinner when the kids received their scholarships, and every graduation day, when they came up to receive their diplomas. That’s what made it all worth it.
Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday.