What could have been done to
prevent North Andovers Education
failures?
Mary Ann Walters
How does an upper middle class
town like North Andover end up with a
school on No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
warning status? The story is one of
corrupt leadership, failure of school
committee members (past and present), and
the failure of state and federal
officials as well as our laws.
Title 1 is a program set up by the US
Department of education to fund schools
with a high percentage of low income
students. Title 1 schools are regulated
by federal legislation including NCLB.
Title 1 schools that have not made state
defined adequate yearly progress (AYP)
for 2 consecutive years, must offer every
student in that school the option to
transfer to another school in the
district.
So what really happened at the Thomson
School?
A terrifying blight came upon the town in
2002. Briefly recall past school
committee members Dan Murphy and Al
Perry. Murphy, Perry and his pals made
sure they influenced the Superintendent
search committee to hire Harry K.
Harutunian as Superintendent of Schools.
Harry was by far the greatest detriment
to public education in North Andover in
the last 20 years.
Soon after taking the reigns, Harry drove
principals from the district. While some
of them did need to retire, their leaving
opened the door for new hires. These new
hires would have to understand that all
bowed to the mighty midget and his
Napoleon complex.
The Thomson and Sargent schools would be
the recipients of new principals. All
looked to be on the up and up with the
search committees but Harrys
friend, then Lynn Superintendent Nick
Kostan, had a wife who was on shaky
ground in her principal position in
Peabody MA. Well, a friend in need will
owe you down the road. (recall, Harry got
a teaching job in Lynn with a fat salary
after his disgrace in North Andover).
So, to the Thomson school went the
greatest disaster in Thomson history,
Kathleen Kostan. She was the most
ineffective leader to darken the doorstep
of a North Andover school. The joke among
most parents at the time was that the
custodian ran the school. Well, that joke
must have been born of truth for when the
custodian runs the school, the quality of
education will go down the toilet.
The two year Kostan disaster impacted the
already academically challenged Thomson
like Hurricane Katrina battered New
Orleans. But wait, were not done
with the disasters yet. In an effort to
get his paws on more taxpayor funds,
Harry decided to redistrict. When all was
said and done, kids that had been
redistricted several times before were
moved again. A large percentage of low
income subgroups in town were now
enrolled at the Thomson school. This
triggered eligibility for fedral Title 1
funds that were NEVER properly
distributed to the Thomson school. Harry
also closed the Bradstreet School and
increased the Thomson enrollment from 275
to 425.
Now the perfect storm will hit. A
principal who seemed not to care, needy
kids without structure, a surge in
enroll-ment, staff terrified to take one
wrong step, a poor curriculum, an inept
school committee, horrified parents and a
Superintendent off misappropriating Title
1 funds.
Fast forward to the Harry scandal,
leaving the school department in the
woefully inept hands of Dick Bergeron and
Al Perry (Murphy had moved on by then).
What more can be said? Someone should
have called FEMA!
Soon after, Harry departed in a cloud of
shame, his Thomson principal went out on
medical leave and requested early
retirement. What a shock! With the rumor
mill in town was whirling, the real story
is purported to be that some strong
willed Thomson parents took the
opportunity to take the rest of the trash
to the dump. They had no chance of
getting Kostan out during the Harrys
reign of terror despite efforts to bring
her poor performance to the attention of
the school committee. (Remember Al Perry
was the SC chair!)
Now the district has no superintendent,
no Thomson principal and a sham of a
school committee. Enter one year interim
Superintendent Dan OConnor. He was
far more interested in his EQA audits
than the plight of an elementary school.
To the Thomson went Principal John
McAleer, a man moved twice before to meet
district needs. Note too, that McAleer
was on the retirement fast track. McAleer
did not have the time, funds or resources
to make much needed improvements. During
his tenure class sizes soared to 30-37 in
grades 3-5 due to severe budget
cuts. This will result in cycle one
of AYP failure.
Again in 2007, a Superintendent could not
be hired. Jim Marini was offered a
two-year interim position. His top
priority was N.A. Highs
accreditation. By the time he got around
to paying attention to the Thomson, time
had run out and the 2nd consecutive year
of AYP failure triggered the school
choice option for Thomson students. Of
note, the Thomson was searching for a
principal but no candidate would take the
position. Can you blame them? It would be
career suicide to walk into Hurricane
Thomson with no support. Then, a
one year interim principal, Gregg
Gilligan of NAHS, was appointed to the
Thomson school.
The big question. What could have been
done to prevent these failures?
Some concerned parents had attempted to
advocate for the Thomson at school
committee meetings but they were treated
like dirt by the holier than thou chair
of the School Committee and her minions.
Building a preschool that would primarily
service 100 preschool aged special
education students was more of a priority
than the 425 elementary students at the
failing Thomson school.
The students cant be to blame.
As Mr. Gilligan stated during the
8/19 School Committee meeting; the
cornerstone of his educational belief is
that all kids can learn, no matter what.
That leaves leadership. There hasnt
been any at the Thomson. A few dedicated
parents and teachers kept the
lifeboat afloat but the Titanic was
sinking in the face of adversity.
The answer? The School Committee needs to
wake up, Dr. Marini must take serious
action and seek answers from the ones who
kept that school afloat despite the
circumstances. They may have the insight
so desperately needed to avoid
leaving the Thomson children so far
behind ... once again.
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