>>Valley Patriot>>
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Audit Shows School Committee
Incompetence
Maybe the North Andover School Committee really
isnt incompetent. Perhaps it is completely capable
of running the schools efficiently and just refuses to do
so.
Whatever the case, an education audit released last month
on the condition of the North Andover school system
showed that the schools were deficient in complying with
No Child Left Behind standards. Auditors also outlined
lack of leadership, lack of communication, lack of
evaluations of teachers and administrators (all of whom
got hefty raises), failure to comply with contracts and a
failure to have district-wide (or school-based) education
standards.
The audit further showed that the hefty raises and
bonuses the School Committee gave to Superintendent Harry
Harutunian were given illegally because state law (and
his contract) called for a public evaluation of the
superintendent. Under the leadership of Al
Perry and Dan Murphy, this never took place in the
Kremlin-like secret environment of those Harry Harutunian
days.
Remember when Superintendent Harry Harutunian was getting
his spending proposals rubber-stamped by Al Perry, Tim
Pybus, Dan Murphy and the go-along-to-get-along crowd on
the School Committee? It was Dr. Chuck Ormsby who was
questioning the lack of standards and voting against
those hefty raises.
And when Harutunians puppet School Committee went
to the voters time and again to beg for more money to
spend on fantasy budget figures, it was Dr. Ormsby who
opposed his colleagues. He continually stressed that
school dollars need to be spent more wisely, reforms need
to be implemented and standards must be raised before the
committee could possibly ask the taxpayers for one more
dollar.
Remember how Dr. Ormsby was personally attacked, had his
integrity questioned and was ridiculed by fellow
committee members who ganged up on him, opposing every
reform or improvement he tried to put into place?
It was Dr. Ormsby, back then, who tried to expose
haphazard spending. He tried to work with a School
Committee obsessed with throwing money at the problem,
while doing very little about student achievement.
Whats more, Dr. Chuck opposed extravagant union
raises and contracts that did not contain benchmarks for
achievement. He voted against budgets that were not
balanced and fought for an increase in AP classes, all
while Al Perry, Dan Murphy and the rest of the ostriches
on the committee were hell-bent on defending
Harutunians budgets and his never ending support
for experimental programs (can you say Every Day Math?).
It was the current School Committee members (add
Dan Murphy) who failed the school children of North
Andover. Not only did School Committee members refuse to
question spending under Harutunian, they made it
difficult if not impossible for Dr. Chuck or anyone else
to criticize the way Harutunian was running the school
system into the ground. Plain and simple, the North
Andover School Committee didnt do its job and made
it nearly impossible for Dr. Ormsby to do his.
Finally, after years of enduring a misinformation
campaign against him, the independent education audit has
vindicated Dr. Charles Ormsby. But you would never know
it to hear the new spin coming from the very same School
Committee members and school advocates who
got us into this mess.
To hear them tell the story, the reason this education
audit showed so many problems in the schools is because
of Dr. Ormsby and his questioning and opposition to
excessive school funding. This, even though his minority
points of view had little effect on changing committee
votes and policy.
Once again, the big spenders want to irresponsibly shift
the blame and throw even MORE money at the problem, even
though none of the standards or evaluations called
for in the education audit have even begun. It
seems this spend-all-you-can School Committee has learned
nothing since their leader; Harry Harutunian, resigned in
disgrace last year.
In fact, some are even talking about using the findings
of this audit to justify yet another Proposition 2 1/2
Override because, of course, in order to fix the problem
they need you to give them more and more of your
hard-earned tax dollars.
Can you believe the gall?
The same people who are responsible for getting the North
Andover school system into this educational quagmire, the
same people who rubber-stamped Harutunians bad
education policies and fantasy budget figures, the very
same people who viciously attacked Dr. Ormsby every time
he questioned the status quo, are now blaming Dr. Ormsby
instead of praising him for having it right all along.
Some are even talking about organizing a recall petition
to get rid of the one guy who stands (and votes) alone
when it comes to spending your tax money responsibly. If
anyone needs to be recalled from the School Committee, it
is Al Perry and Tim Pybus for going along with
Harutunians three-year charade on the taxpayers and
not doing their jobs when his misdeeds were being
questioned by Dr. Ormsby.
Tom Duggan is the president of Valley Patriot, Inc.,
he recently recevied an award from the New England Press
Association for General News Excellence. Tom is a former
Lawrence School Committeeman, and hosts the Paying
Attention! Radio Program on WCAP, 980AM, every Saturday
afternoon from noon-2pm. You can email your comments to Tdugjr@aol.com
*Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The February 2007
Edition of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2007, Valley Patriot, Inc.
We publish 10,000 newspapers and distribute in Andover,
North Andover,
Methuen, Haverhill, Chelmsford, Georgetown, Groveland,
Boxford, Amesbury,
Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury, Hampton & Salisbury
Beach, and Lowell.
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