*Maria's Blog

How Plainfield Public Schools 3rd Graders Did on the 2011 State Mandated Test

2012-02-02T07:11:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday I asked if you knew how 3rd graders are doing when it comes to grade-level reading. Yesterday, Wednesday, the NJDOE released the long awaited public NJASK results of last year. NJASK, for those who might not now, is the state mandated annual assessment test that students must take (and a parent's worst nightmare as we often think that our children are being taught to the test). NJASK is given to students from 3rd to 8th and 11th grade students so the state can comply with No Child Left Behind, one of George Bush's legacies.

Back to our Plainfield 3rd graders of last year. If we are to be plain honest, or as it is said in Mexico -sin pelos en la lengua- then the results I have seen don't look good. I have yet to find the state's own numbers and the numbers offered by the StarLedger and the Courier News are both slightly different, so I will wait until the state updates its School Card Report which is where test data can be found.

But let's look at our last year's 3rd graders challenges over their academic life at PPSD.

Last year's 3rd graders are the first set of students whose test scores will reflect the 4 years of changing leadership at the district's administrative levels.

2010-11 Belin-Pyles Administration - 3rd Grade
2009-10 Gallon/Belin-Pyles Administration -2nd Grade
2008-09 Gallon Administration - 1st Grade
2007-08 Carter/Bailey Administration - K Grade

With all these administrative changes, which were brought under turmoil, secrecy and scandals, can anyone say the academic life of today's 4th graders was sabotaged by irresponsible adults? Bet you won't so I won't either.

Then you have some of the things the Plainfield school district did to sabotage students' learning (I know, I was there for those 4 school years):

--Lack of proper teaching material (from a proper and challenging curriculum to providing each and every student with textbooks for all subjects and meaningful homework )
--Overuse of substitute teachers due to either teacher absenteeism or professional development
--Inexperienced and out-of-their field teachers
--Inexperience administrators
--Lack of proper Science and Computer Labs
--Overcrowded classrooms (with no assistants as at the K level)
--Low expectations
--(Add your own)

And yes, poverty does matter and poverty does affect student learning, but the above list are matters that a school board and a well-selected administrator pretty much have control on. They didn't.

When you look at our Plainfield public schools students' state tests results think about the above list and think about how we can best advocate for a school district that gives students the proper tools to learn and while poverty will still be a challenge for many of our PPSD students at least we, as a community, can start making sure to set higher expectations for both the school board and the school district administration.

Your comments, the good and the naughty, as always, are welcome.

A Look Into Plainfield School District's Need of Improvement Status and Why It Is Time to Talk About It

2012-02-01T10:11:00.000-05:00

DINI is short for "District In Need of Improvement" and the Plainfield school district has been found to fall into the DINI catagory for the 2011-12 school year. This is far from being Plainfield's first time's DINI. The NJDOE says the following about DINI:

District in Need of Improvement (DINI)
A district that does not make AYP in all grade spans―elementary, middle, and high school―for
two consecutive years in either the language arts literacy or mathematics content area is designated a DINI.

I found the district's DINI information while looking into the district's website No Child Left Behind - Parents Resources page that is listed under the Parents window (Had I not been helping a friend locate some resources I would probably not have found the information).

If you have not read. or hear, about the district's DINI status from official sources before, please, ask your school board elected officials why is it that you have to find this kind information from a blog.  Please do, asking elected officials makes them accountable which in turn gives them ownership of the issue. No more passing of the buck should be allowed.

Delivery of this news to parents seems to have followed no particular pattern as some parents I know from different schools report they received THIS LETTER through mail, some through their children's backpacks, and some have no idea what I was talking about. What is more, even some savvy and involved parents weren't too sure about what how DINI needs to be addressed.  I, too, am learning.

The letter (link above) is just one of the steps a district labeled as DINI must take. There are more steps and in the following days I will try to bring information to this blog for those interested in seeing what is behind DINI and what the district must do.

I thought that perhaps the best way to start "this conversation" was by looking at the Plainfield school district's DINI history.  I was surprised at what I found, but now I wonder how this information can be taken by the district, school board, parents and community to take an honest look into what has made the district fail its students for so many years and what is being done to address the issues. Below is the information, by year and DINI status, that was found at the NJDOE website. DINI Documents are HERE.

2011-12 DINI Year 1 Status

2010-11 No DINI Status
2009-10 No DINI Status
2008-09 No DINI Status

2007-08 DINI Year 3 Status -On Hold-
2006-07 DINI Year 3 Status

As you can see there was some improvement made for the 2008 school year. If we take into consideration that it takes two years of consistent failure to reach AYP on either content area, then you can say that on 2009-10 (Gallon Administration) and 2010 (Belin-Pyles Administration) the school district has failed to show improvement and that is why the district is back into DINI.

Those two years, 2009-10 and 2010-11, students had to endure a very rocky and shifting school district and it is no surprise that academics did suffer. What can we learn from this? Dare to jump in and tell? Talking about issues, in a public square such as social media, allows the opportunity for more people to see if there really is room for improvement or not. And improvement can come from knowing what the issues are to knowing what to ask of our elected and appointed officials. Your thoughts, good or not, are always welcome :-) via the comment box.

School Board Calls For Special Education Audit

2012-02-01T06:04:00.001-05:00

Not here, but in Franklin. Let's us hope our school board see the merit of having one such audit and investigation on how is it that Special Education services were out of compliance at Woodland school despite complaints and calls to the county. Let us also learn what the district is doing to ensure that all services to Special Education children are properly delivered.
----------------------

FRANKLIN (SOMERSET) — Responding to complaints lodged by 14 parents of special-needs children in January, Taletha Brown, president of the Franklin Board of Education, announced on Thursday the board’s recommendation for an independent audit of the Pupil Personnel Department, which is responsible for the delivery of and compliance with special-education services in the district’s schools. (Click HERE to continue reading this Courier News article)

To read Woodland's Special Services documentation click HERE.

$25,000 Fishman Prize for Excellent Teachers: Hurry Up, Due Date is Feb 3rd

2012-01-31T20:37:00.003-05:00

The Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice is awarded annually to a select group of public school teachers who demonstrate exceptionally effective teaching with students from high-poverty communities. No more than five teachers are awarded the prize each year. Each winner is recognized with a $25,000 award and the opportunity to collaborate with other winners during an at-home summer residency that culminates in the publication of a short paper on the practice of effective teaching. The paper allows Fishman Prize winners to share their expertise with educators across the country without taking time away from their classrooms.

"Teachers are working hard in their classrooms every day, and we don’t do enough to recognize and reward those who are transforming the lives of students," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "I want to express my gratitude to TNTP for this new award to honor outstanding teachers and challenge them to share their ideas with their colleagues."

For more information, see Prize Details, How to Apply and the FAQ. Applications open December 13, and the deadline for submissions is February 3, 2012. (Click HERE for more information)

TNTP Fishman Prize from TNTP on Vimeo.

Do you remember your 3rd Grade reading level?

2012-01-31T14:37:00.000-05:00

And do you know how important it is to be reading well by 3rd grade? Take a look at the short vimeo from The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading to learn how reading well by 3rd grade helps. Does anyone know what reading level was reached by 3rd grade Plainfield public school students last year?

GLR Final Highlights from Billo Harper on Vimeo.

Plainfield School District, Insurance and the Citizens Campaign

2012-01-31T07:06:00.002-05:00

Having been busy learning about transparency and one's rights as well as QSAC and curriculum and legal bills and certifications and, well, all the things I have wrote about so far, I must confess that until recently the district's insurance and its brokers were far away from becoming a topic on this blog. And let's face it, looking at insurance cost and choices is not exactly the easiest thing for someone who has never looked into the complicated matter of public entities's insurance.

Looking at the district's insurance started when an anonymous reader sent me a comment about the lenghty presentation of insurance brokers at the December 20th, 2011 school board meeting. I also remembered someone posting a comment at one of our local blogs about wanting to approach the school district with the Citizens' Campaing insurance new model that is being adopted at many places. I think the city council just adopted the CC model, didn't they?

Then there was also at a recent school board Work and Study meeting a small presentation on the cost of insurance. This was made by the district's Busines Administrator. Mr. Ottmann provided us with a page that contained the expenses for the last two school years, the estimated cost for what this current year's expenses will be ($19 Million) and the names of the two brokers that handled insurance services for the district.

Between two insurance brokers, Willis and Nathan Lane, premiums and claims expenses for the district are as follow:

FY09-10 - $15,414,575.89

FY10-11 - $17,550,639.55

FY11-12 (Thru Dec 11) - $9,862,342.20

That is a lot of money for claims and/or premiums.

What is more, if you, like me, don't know how insurance for public agencies works then reading about it from the Citizens Campaign's "Best Price Insurance Contracting" will be a wake-up call.

I am ever so grateful for the school board to have these kind of presentations made in public as until now the selection of insurance brokers was pretty much a done deal approved by school board members at the organization meeting.

Now it is time to get the meaningful information out of this new topic. Is there anyone here in Plainfield already following up this matter? Do you know?

Woodland's Special Education Program Is Now Approved

2012-01-31T05:51:00.000-05:00

Documents received last Friday via OPRA show that Woodland Elementary School's Special Education services finally received the approval of Union County's Office of Supervisor of Child Study. The approval letter from the county's Child Study office was issued on January 17th, 2012 and received by the district on January 19th.

School districts that hope to house Special Education programs must get the approval of the county/state.

To learn more about Special Education Students Rights under the NJDOE click HERE.

To read Special Education Rights legislation, Title 6A/Chapter 14 click HERE.

To view the approval letter for Woodland's Special Education services click HERE.

To read how I learned about the district's out of compliance status on this issue click HERE.

YouTube's "Your Interview With the President"

2012-01-30T22:17:00.000-05:00

Who Will Be Plainfield's Exemplary K-5 Educators?

2012-01-30T12:28:00.000-05:00

Clarification: The district does indeed recognize teachers and staff. The recognition event has been in place since Dr. Gallon III started doing it back on 2008-09. Where I failed on this post was on making a stronger case, or more clear, or highlighting, or underlining, the part where I wrote "in public, with a [written] post at the school district's website". As it is now, there are pictures of the event celebrated last year posted at the district's photo gallery, but nothing written that recognizes the merits of those recognized; in my opinion, Plainfield Public Schools can do better than just post pictures. My apologies to those who felt insulted.

Every year the NJ Department of Education runs some kind of recognition award to those who are excellent educators. Every year since I have been in Plainfield I have waited to see who gets nominated from Plainfield because the district does have some truly amazing teachers that do much with the little resources they are given by the district's administration and school board. It is time to ~~demand~~ request that those excellent teachers that are working hard day in and day out get the recognition they have earned. I know every school has at least one teacher that fits into the criteria of a "K-5 Exemplary Educator". We, the community, would love to see the school board and the school district recognize these excellent teachers, in public, with a post at the school district's website. Will the school board and top administration ~~once and for all stop whining about bad press~~ give us something good to talk about? The nomination form is below.

(While the NJDOE process is "confidential" nothing stops PPSD to publicly recognize those teachers that excel and let the community know who they are and why they excel)
2012 Exemplary Elementary Educator

A year Ago: Student Information System Was Hacked, Do You Remember the Password That Was Stolen?

2012-01-30T07:02:00.001-05:00

Going over my draft posts this morning I found the one below on the Genesis hacking incident of last year. I can't remember why it was saved, maybe because of the password? :-)

January 2011 Maria's Blog Draft Post, Never Posted--Until Now

Not much time for blogging is left when one has family over, but I couldn't help feel relief by Mark Spivey's report that --"only certain employees have the type of custodial access to the database that would allow for the vandalism that recently took place..."

Well, this is certainly a relief that it was not a commoner's password that was stolen.

I now wonder if the used password to vandalize the system, poopnuggets, was the real password of one of our "certain employees". Please let it not be. But, if it was, hopefully the BOE will add in their policy a clause for the use of less graphic passwords.

How successful is Genesis today? Do you know?

*Genesis is the school-home communication system that was hardly used by parents. Teachers also lacked clarity as to how to use it as a tool to communicate with parents...one challenge: Genesis regular posting was not part of their contract.

Supervisors That Were To Be Hired on December 20th Were Not

2012-01-29T20:14:00.002-05:00

The puzzle of why there were comments on the district's hiring of Supervisors seems to be finally solved. Maybe.

Having not attended the December 20th school board meeting I was waiting for the Minutes of the December 20th meeting to be posted. The Minutes were finally posted this past Friday. On the December 20th meeting Minutes it is clear as water that the scheduled promotion from teachers to supervisors of both proposed staff by the superintendent didn't happen.

Both proposed promotions were pulled from the agenda and the advertised positions of Supervisors apparently went back to be advertised and the last day to apply was January 24th (or 25th).

It will be interesting to see who gets hired into the Supervisor positions. Hopefully next time all those who apply will fill the hiring process has been fair to all who wanted their names attached to the positions in question.

You can view the last set of approved Minutes now posted HERE.

Lakewood Parents Speak Up, on Tape

2012-01-29T11:47:00.001-05:00

For an interesting take on restless parents and concerned residents from Lakewood visit their United Neighbors Improving Today's Quality website and/or watch the clip below. This information came via NJLeft Behind blog.

Newark Parents and OPRA

2012-01-27T23:11:00.000-05:00

If you think that the Plainfield school district is a mess, you should look at Newark schools. Today there was a news article on how Newark must turn over a list of e-mails surrounding the Facebook grant and Newark's local leadership. The order was made by the court in a case presented by the ACLU on behalf of Newark's Secondary Parents Council.

A google search for the Secondary Parents Council turned up the ACLU page that holds all documents that seem have lead to this new development. There are more parties that have joined this case. I am just amazed on how OPRA is helping reveal how things are made to work, or not, by those who forget that transparency is here to stay.

If you are interested on OPRA, education, state and local politics, HERE is your link.

Have a nice weekend. I am taking the weekend off as I am still trying to find the words to thank Assemblyman Jerry Green for the kind recognition of yours truly at his very own blog and have decided to take the weekend off to ponder on how to best thank him. See his post HERE and see you Monday!

The Energy Specialist Position: Open for Current and Former Employees Only?

2012-01-27T09:07:00.001-05:00

Dan's post on the school board and job postings reminded me that there was one advertised job that I had questions on. Now, I am not as good as Dan on getting posting dates, but I had saved the advertisement for the position of Energy Specialist that was taken down on the 25th of this month. What called my attention is that the position was advertised on the public venue but the posting had a notation that the position was only available to Former and Current Employees. I found it odd but I am not an expert so please give your opinion on this matter, it will be appreciated.

It is also worth noting that the position was filled at one of the BOE meetings, but later that same night the approval was withdrawn, I blogged about this HERE.

So, the questions are: Can the district publicly advertise job openings open to only current and former employees? And was it even proper to approve the appointment of one person, Mr. Sutton, to later withdraw the approval?

Energy Education Specialist - Reposted[1]

Abbott Class Size: It Is Official That the District Knew, Now What?

2012-01-26T19:04:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I received some of the responsive documents to an OPRA request that I filed on January 12th. The OPRA requests called, among a list of various documents, for the Woodland/Barlow Construction Specifications that were submitted to the state by the Plainfield school board on December 20th, 2011. I wanted to see what the Specifications looked like and what the changes would call for at these two schools.

What I was not expecting to find at that the December 20th adopted construction specifications were the specific class size for Abbott district schools. So, it seems the school district and the school board (and the administrators) all knew that the district is not in compliance with class sizes as they exist right now. Just this past Tueday I wondered about the district's presentation on school reconfiguration and their expressed "District Preference for Class Size" (page 2) and what the mandates called for. Now we know what we should had known long time ago about class sizes, hopefully the school board and the district will soon comply with Abbott class size regulations, especially now that we all know what we all know.

Now you see why I request official documentation. Click HERE for the entire, incomplete, OPRA response. Below is page 6 from the construction specifications that talks of what class size should be as per Abbott District Facilities Model. (Please click the link below to see the page)

Abbott Class Size Regulations

Plainfield 2021 and the Plainfield Public Schools: A Must, Not a Choice

2012-01-26T08:39:00.000-05:00

The Plainfield public schools district has been allowed to wither for who knows how long. I use "wither" because a school district is very much like soil: you work it, you feed and amend it and you get beautiful results; you leave it unattended and who knows what you will find when you return to it.

Thanks to Dan Damon's post on the school reconfiguration proposal by the Plainfield schools' superintendent you know that the proposal is just a band-aid to not only eliminate crowding at the elementary schools but to bring the district to compliance when it comes to class size.

We were also told that the district will talk about their plans to begin the review of the district's Long Range Facilities Plan, this, if done right and not in a rush, could be a good sign.

But before we even start thinking about school district construction, and the expense of it, few things need to be clarified by the district:

1--Did the state approve the BOE's proposed construction for Barlow and Woodland?

2--Has the district approached SDA and propose to negotiate the National Starch Building?

The answer to number one is a must as it will talk about whether the district will count with more space and how that space will be utilized. If the proposed new construction for Barlow and Woodland was not approved we also need to know why not as knowing the reasons will allow for the district to plan ahead a better proposal.

The answer of two is a tad more complicated. The Schools Development Authority has the ownership of the National Starch Building (1700 West Front Street) and it leased the building to the Plainfield school district for $1 a year. The lease seems to be expired and the lease also talks of the property being leased to the district as long as SDA has school construction going on. The lease limits the building to be occupied for school instruction purposes. (SDA/Plainfield BOE Lease Document HERE)

SDA has no construction going on and who knows when it will re-take school construction here in Plainfield as the Long Range Facilities Plan needs to be updated first, approved by the state, then by the SDA board, and then lobbied by locals so it can become reality this time around.

But there is a missing piece, which is really not missing, to the National Starch Building situation. The building currently houses Jefferson Elementary (K-6), PAAAS, and a pre-school.

The plans for the 2012-13 school year are to return Jefferson school from K-6 to K-5 and for PAAAS to take over the entire outside building, which is the one that seems to be shared with the pre-school. Nothing was said about the fate of the pre-school. But here is the thing:

Jefferson students have their own building at Myrtle Avenue. The Myrtle Avenue location, the real Jefferson school, is now occupied by central office administrators and the Barack Obama Academy students.

The move of administrators to Myrtle Avenue's Jefferson school was done under the Gallon administration. If I remember well, the purpose was to have all administrators under one roof.

The move of students to Myrtle Avenue's Jefferson School's basement was done under the current interim superintendent, Mrs. Belin-Pyles. If I remember well, the purpose was to provide students with Gym and cafeteria space as the space at the old Lincoln school (E. 2nd Street and Berckman) was deemed inappropriate by the new and current administration and school board. (Ironically the building was rented to a charter school that serves high school students).

So, just how much space and how many students can the real Jefferson school, at Myrtle Avenue, house?

According to data, which has remained the same since 2002, the Myrtle Avenue school has the capacity to house 429 students. Jefferson school, at its current W. Front location and current K-6 model, has 417 students.  The district's projections for next year's enrollment, with a K-5 model, calls for 493 students, obviously the old Jefferson school, if projections were to come reality, would not accommodate all of the 493 students. So, what to do?

This is where the puzzle comes in. The district's administration body displaced Jefferson students into a rented space. The rented space might offer a temporary solution to student growth, but there are still few questions that would need to be answered before the puzzle starts taking a clear shape:

How much does it cost to bus Jefferson school students to the rented space? There is a cost for busing students and for what I have read the cost is not cheap.

How many administrative offices need to be under one roof? How many of these offices need to be centrally located to provide easy access to parents?

Will the district be willing to invite SDA to enter negotiations regarding their failure to deliver school construction here in Plainfield and the National Starch Building?

What will be the cost of returning the Jefferson school building into its former self, a school setting? After all, the building still has the capacity to house 429 students. (How much did it cost to make it into its current shape????)

Anyway. Here is the $64 question:

Plainfield is getting developed by mainly one single contractor, Frank Cretella, from Landmark Developers.  Landmark Developers are bringing, for what I understand, tons of new apartments.  Not my cup of tea nor my vision, but it is what it is. Here is the thing, the city has decided that Landmark Developers is the right developer for the city, the city needs school space, and it will need it more than ever after Landmark is finished with its multiple apartment buildings. So, why not enter the school needs situation into the conversation of developing the right infra-structure for all the new incoming development?

Let's say the city doesn't ask for a new school from Landmark, or any other possible developer, but what about office space for all, or most, of the school district's administrative office?

Freeing Jefferson school of administrative offices and making it again into a school might be cheaper than building a new school. It will return a school site to the residents of the area which only would be the fair thing to do and provide the district and its families with 429 additional student spaces.

Sounds wild, right? But we need to get creative, create space where there is none and be willing to enter into real negotiations with those who desire a piece of Plainfield so the needs of Plainfield also get satisfied. School space is not a choice, it is a must that is growing and growing even more stronger as our young families find Plainfield not such a bad place to live in and raise a family.

I am just providing a small seed *here with the idea of approaching school space by looking into what can be negotiated with incoming developers, your are more than welcome to take it and nurture it. Let's see where it sprouts and how it grows. What do you think?

P.S.  Sorry, I forgot all about the SDA/National Starch building role! If the district was to enter into negotiations to get the ownership of the National Starch Building it would solve few things:

One is that the building would not be at the mercy of SDA and politics.

Two is that the building will provide much needed school space to our district and city in a permanent manner.

Three: Think of the possibilities this building has to offer: PAAAS on the top floors with its own performing center downstairs that could then be open to the community for free or a fee, think what something like this would do for the West End. Or a combined PAAAS with some other kind of Magnet school, think what this would mean for our students. And you, what are your ideas for this building if it was to belong to the district and we could get city developers to provide the district, for free or for a very moderate price, with administrative offices somewhere amid their development plans? Dare to dream!

*The idea was proposed to the school district at the last Special Meeting to what the superintendent responded that they were looking into all possibilities.

Last Night's BOE Meeting and Reader J's Observation

2012-01-25T06:31:00.000-05:00

A quick review of what went on at last night's meeting could be summarized by saying that it looks, if the school board approves, that most elementary schools are reverting to a K-5 model with the exception of Clinton, Cedarbrook and Cook. At least this will be the solution for the 2012-2013 school year and what will be in place until the Long Range Facilities Plan gets reviewed and amended to better serve today's and future enrollment projections.

Regarding the Long Range Facilities Plan, superintendent Belin-Pyles mentioned that next month, February, the process and planning for the revision of the Long Range Facilities Plan will be discussed. This ought to be good news as this is something that is overdue. The current Long Range Facilities Plan still reflects the days of promised new school construction that are now vanished. And for what I understand every single school facility change needs to be approved by the state, from classrooms dedicated to Special Education students to moving entire school populations to different locations. My interpretation on this one might be wrong, corrections are welcome.

It was also said that PAAAS will stay where it is and that both the Middle Schools will be taking 6th graders back. To accommodate PAAAS growing student population there was a not too clear indication that the Pre-School program that shares the building with PAAAS will be moved. Where? It was not clear.

All the remarks on reconfiguration at last night's meeting, if they happen, are mainly to solve current overcrowding and to follow state class size guidelines and regulations, this is a welcome sign that the district and school board are looking to align the district with state regulations. Congratulations.

Yesterday, at the open comments section only two people spoke, one parent and yours truly. I am going to see if the parent who spoke wants to share her views here, so I am not going to touch her comments until I hear from her.

Of my three observations, or questions, one is not mine. Reader J sent me a comment on the overcrowded schools yesterday:

Maria,

Just imagine if all the children who were eligible to attend Plainfield Schools attended? A good number of students who are eligible attend private schools...It is amazing because not only do a good number of them not attend the public schools, but if their parents own their home, the taxes still go to education for the local district...It just started me thinking after reading your blog today.

Reader J's comment touched a sore point for many of us who are in this position (this year I joined the crowd by opting out of the school district and sending our 7th grader to private school at our own expense, and with a non-tax deductible tuition.) Anyway; I brought Reader J's comment forward to the school board meeting last night after doing a Census search on how many Plainfield kids were eligible to attend Plainfield public schools.

The 2010 census count is as follows:

Under 5 years of age, which includes the pre-school age group, 3 and 4 years old, had 4,151 kids.
The Plainfield school district, as per October 2011 enrollment numbers, serves 1,377 preschoolers.

Ages 5 to 9 age group, which would be your Kindergartners to 3rd/4th graders, had in 2010, 3439 kids.

Ages 10 to 14 age group, 5th to 9th/10th graders, had in 2010, 3243 kids.

Last group, 15 to 19 age group, typically 10th to 12th graders, counted 3,411 youngsters!

So, from Kindergartner to 12th grade, as per the 2010 census, the city of Plainfield has an approximate number of 10,093 kids! This is not counting the pre-school age group.

The Plainfield public school district, as per October's enrollment, only serves 6,530 students from K to 12th grade.

The difference then would be around 3,500 students that get their education somewhere else!

Reader J ended her message to me:

What would happen if all of us who have opted out of the Plainfield public system were to come back? Where would the space be?

And this, proper space, along with a properly run educational system is where the next post will be.

Much thanks to Reader J for giving a voice to those who until now have remained silent.

The School District Student Body-School Size Picture

2012-01-23T22:13:00.000-05:00

The school board has announced at the school district's website that ~~tomorrow~~, today, Tuesday, is the day superintendent Belin-Pyles will make her remarks (or presentation) on the need school reconfiguration, hopefully the Special meeting will be taped by the district for those who can't attend. (Meeting will be held at the Plainfield High School Auditorium @ 7PM, agenda is HERE)

Thinking yesterday about how to best understand whatever remarks, or reconfiguration, will be proposed I thought that a clear picture of what student enrollment, school configuration and capacity is at this moment could help those of us who are following the district. Information has been taken from few places: October 2011 district-wide enrollment, school capacity as indicated at the 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report ,BOE agendas and the SDA (Schools Development Authority).

I am also including THE SCHOOL ZONING LIST (I think this is the first time this list goes public here in Plainfield since its creation back on ....? ($10 to the person who can provide the accurate answer).

If you think this list could use more information or more details, please, by all means, send your suggestions via the comments' box. It would be very cool if someone takes the information below and makes it into....something less boring! Thanks! (Click HERE to view a city map with all schools' locations)

FIRST, WHERE THE SPACE IS:

HUBBARD MIDDLE SCHOOL
Enrollment: *322 students -- School Capacity: 629 students
2010-11 School Made AYP: NO

MAXSON MIDDLE SCHOOL
Enrollment: 301 students -- School Capacity: 859 students
2010-11 School Made AYP: NO

NOW WHERE THE SPACE IS LACKING:

BARLOW SCHOOL K-6
Enrollment: 349 students -- School Capacity: 369 students
Over the state's class size guidelines:
Kindergartner - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One had 26, the other 27.
1st Grade - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. Both have 25 students each.
The Plainfield BOE proposed construction of an additional wing for this school, along with Woodland, back on December (page 26). No update has been given by the BOE on the status of this plan or the state's response (the state must approve all school construction plans by law). Looking at student enrollment and school capacity we can see the school is not overcrowded, just some classrooms.

CEDARBROOK SCHOOL K-8
Enrollment: 604 Students -- School Capacity: 472
Over the state's class size guidelines:
Kindergartner - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One had 26, the other 26.
3rd Grade - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 25, the other 24.
Cedarbrook has added trailer-classrooms that were brought in from Maxson Middle School when Cedarbrook became a K-8 school under the Gallon administration.

CLINTON SCHOOL K-8
Enrollment: 341 students -- School Capacity: *300 students (SDA Information)
Over the state's class size guidelines:
Kindergartner - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One had 24, the other 22.
2nd Grade - One (1) classrooms above the 21 student count. It has 22.
5th Grade - One (1) classrooms above the 23 student count. It has 24.
8th Grade - One (1) classrooms above the 24 student count. It has 25.
*Clinton's capacity needs to be clarified since data offered by the fiscal report offers a larger capacity than the SDA does. Which one is right?

COOK SCHOOL K-7
Enrollment: 262 students -- School Capacity: 256 students
Cook school is one of the schools that was converted into a K-8 school under the Gallon administration. The Belin-Pyles moved the 8th graders this year into Cedarbrook.

EMERSON COMMUNITY SCHOOL K-6
Enrollment: 487 students -- School Capacity: 437 students (SDA Data)
Over the state's class size guidelines:
Kindergartner - Three (3) classrooms above the 21 student count. One had 24, the other 26 and the last one, 31 students.
1st Grade - Three (3) classrooms above the 21 student count. Two have 22, one has 24 students.
2nd Grade -Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 24, the other 23 students.
3rd Grade - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. Both classrooms have 28 students each.
4th Grade -Two (2) classrooms above the 23 student count. Both classrooms have 26 students each.

EVERGREEN SCHOOL K-6
Enrollment: 582 students -- School Capacity: 450 students
Over the state's class size guidelines:
Kindergartner -Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 23, the other 26.
1st Grade -Three (3) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 23, the other two, 24 students each.
2nd Grade -Three (3) classrooms above the 21 student count. Two have 23 students each, the last one, 26.
3rd Grade -Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 24, the other, 29 students.
4th Grade -Two (2) classrooms above the 23 student count. One has 24, the other has 29 students.

JEFFERSON SCHOOL K-6
Enrollment: 417 students -- School Capacity: Unknown as Jefferson students are being house at SDA owned "National Starch Building".
Over the state's class size guidelines:
Kindergartner -Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 23, the other 29.
1st Grade -One (1) classroom above the 21 student count. It has 26 students.
4th Grade -One (1) classrooms above the 23 student count. It has 25.

STILLMAN SCHOOL K-6
Enrollment: 299 students -- School Capacity: 274 students
Over the state's class size guidelines:
Kindergartner -Three (3) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 22, the other 27 and the last one, 28 students.
1st Grade -One (1) classrooms above the 21 student count. It has 26.
2nd Grade -One (1) classrooms above the 21 student count. It has 22.

WASHINGTON SCHOOL Pre-K- 6
Enrollment: 602 -- School Capacity: Unable to find official information
Over the state's class size guidelines:
Kindergartner - Four (4) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 26, the others, 27, 30 and 33 students each.
2nd Grade -Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. The both have 22 students each.

WOODLAND SCHOOL K-6
Enrollment: 246 -- School Capacity: 266 students
The Plainfield BOE proposed construction of an additional wing for this school, along with Barlow, back on December 2011. No update has been given by the BOE on the status of this plan or the state's response (the state must approve all school construction plans by law). Woodland is also the school that was found out of compliance with Special Education.

PAAAS
Enrollment: 232 -- School Capacity: 185
PAAAS was established on 2009 under the Gallon administration and it is also housed at the National Starch Building property that is owned by SDA. PAAAS seems to share space with a preschool.

BARACK OBAMA ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL
Enrollment: 86 students -- School Capacity: 175
Barack Obama Academy was formerly known as Alpha Academy and was originally housed at the High School, then it got moved to the old Lincoln School on 2nd Street. Under the Gallon administration the old Lincoln school building was renovated but there were complaints that the school didn't have proper facilities for the students. Today BOA's students are housed on the basement of the old Jefferson school on Myrtle Avenue (which was converted into Central Administrative Offices under the Gallon administration). The relocation of the students to the Central Office's basement from the old Lincoln school was done under current interim superintendent, Mrs. Belin-Pyles (page 2). The old Lincoln school is now rented to a charter high school for an annual fee of $122,000.00 (page 4).

PLAINFIELD HIGH SCHOOL
Enrollment: 1,400 students -- School Capacity: 1,999 students

What Our Plainfield School District Must Do To Get Out of DINI I

2012-01-23T18:17:00.000-05:00

LEA Improvement –(DINI 1): Did not make AYP for two years

Parent notification; develop a district improvement plan (DINI Plan) to analyze and address leadership, governance, fiscal infrastructures, curriculum, and instruction. The plan must address the needs of the low-achieving students, instructional strategies, professional development, and fiscal responsibilities the district will use to bring about increased student academic achievement.

That is what the state says must happen. The state and PPSD, Perfect Together?

The Plainfield School District Has Been Found To Be "DINI"

2012-01-23T10:31:00.001-05:00

"DINI" is "District in Need of Improvement". The "in need of improvement" status usually goes to schools, when it goes to districts, well, it is the entire district that is in need of improvement. This "District in Need of Improvement" status was apparently assigned to Plainfield school district sometime during this school year.

I had no idea the whole district had gotten the "DINI" status. Anyway. Today while looking at the district's website own NCLB-Parents Resources page for a friend I found a letter, dated December 21, 2011, directed to parents on how the district got into the "DINI" status. The letter closes with the following sentence:

"We look forward to work with parents and the community to help increase the academic achievement of our students".

One question:

Have you, as a community member, received notification from the district that they are looking for your help?

Please let me know because I have not seen anything posted at the district's website and am wondering how the district is getting the community involved so we can all help increase our students' academic achievements. The December 21, 2011 letter is below.

Plainfield NJ Schools DINI Parent Lette

What Solutions Can Be There to Reduce Class Size?

2012-01-22T09:11:00.000-05:00

Plainfield public schools, as documented at their own enrollment numbers (see previous post), tell the story of crowded early grades. Not sure what the class size is for middle and high school, so I'll stick with elementary class size. So, now it is documented, now you know about it, what is next?

Aside from speaking up and raising these concerns to the school board and state there must be a movement to encourage parents and community to voice their ideas on how to improve Plainfield public schools and while the district's website is announcing that this Tuesday there will be a Special Meeting at 7 PM on where superintendent Belin-Pyles will give a presentation on District Reconfiguration it would help to hear what other ideas are out there on regards to class size overcrowding at the lower grades.

What would you do to solve the lower grades' overcrowding? Please share.

Class Size Regulations and Plainfield Public Schools

2012-01-21T19:49:00.000-05:00

The following information, the district's own enrollment numbers for September and October, obtained via OPRA, is posted here for your own information.   At the December 20th, 2011 school board meeting a parent from Evergreen, Ari, spoke about the needs at the Kindergartner level, district-wide. The taped meeting can be seen at the Plainfield local TV channel, see schedule HERE.

Ari spoke on Kindergartner classrooms not having the teacher assistants that teachers and students were regulated to have under Public Law 207, c.260.   She also mentioned information being available at the NJDOE's Early Childhood section at the recently released NJ Kindergartner Implementation Guideline (page 38).

At the last meeting, the one on January 17th, superintendent Belin-Pyles said the community concerns on K teacher assistants were listened to and that there was a plan. But no specifics were given. It would be nice, and professional, if the district makes its plan available at the district's website. Just a suggestion.

The one other concern that was raised that night was about class size. For Kindergartners this is also regulated. Districts with a high concentration of high-risk students (this is based on free and reduced meals among other things) are to have classrooms of no more than 21 students.

But there are also class size guidelines for all other grades at Title 6A, Chapter 13  for districts that have more than 40% concentration of students at risk. Plainfield public schools have more than 40% of students at risk and thus we seem to fit into the class size guidelines set by Title 6/Chapter 13. My understanding of Title 6A/Chapter 13 might be wrong so corrections are welcome.

First what Title 6A/Chapter 13 says on page 8 about class size:

b) Class size in school districts in which 40 percent or more of the students are “at–risk” as defined in P.L. 2007, c. 260 shall not exceed 21 students in grades kindergarten through three, 23 in grades four and five and 24 students in grades six through 12; provided that if the district chooses to maintain lower class sizes in grades kindergarten through three, class sizes in grades four and five may equal but not exceed 25. Exceptions to these class sizes are permitted for some physical education and performing arts classes, where appropriate.

Now the Plainfield school district's October enrollment that shows which schools are not following the above guidelines as per Title 6A/Chapter 13. Administrators and teachers, via anonymous, are encouraged to enlighten us on this topic.

Barlow
Kindergartner - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One had 26, the other 27.
1st Grade - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. Both have 25 students each.

Cedarbrook
Kindergartner - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One had 26, the other 26.
3rd Grade - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 25, the other 24.

Clinton
Kindergartner - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One had 24, the other 22.
2nd Grade - One (1) classrooms above the 21 student count. It has 22.
5th Grade - One (1) classrooms above the 23 student count. It has 24.
8th Grade - One (1) classrooms above the 24 student count. It has 25.

Emerson
Kindergartner - Three (3) classrooms above the 21 student count. One had 24, the other 26 and the last one, 31 students.
1st Grade - Three (3) classrooms above the 21 student count. Two have 22, one has 24 students.
2nd Grade -Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 24, the other 23 students.
3rd Grade - Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. Both classrooms have 28 students each.
4th Grade -Two (2) classrooms above the 23 student count. Both classrooms have 26 students each.

Evergreen
Kindergartner -Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 23, the other 26.
1st Grade -Three (3) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 23, the other two, 24 students each.
2nd Grade -Three (3) classrooms above the 21 student count. Two have 23 students each, the last one, 26.
3rd Grade -Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 24, the other, 29 students.
4th Grade -Two (2) classrooms above the 23 student count. One has 24, the other has 29 students.

Jefferson
Kindergartner -Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 23, the other 29.
1st Grade -One (1) classroom above the 21 student count. It has 26 students.
4th Grade -One (1) classrooms above the 23 student count. It has 25.

Stillman
Kindergartner -Three (3) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 22, the other 27 and the last one, 28 students.
1st Grade -One (1) classrooms above the 21 student count. It has 26.
2nd Grade -One (1) classrooms above the 21 student count. It has 22.

Washington
Kindergartner - Four (4) classrooms above the 21 student count. One has 26, the others, 27, 30 and 33 students each.
2nd Grade -Two (2) classrooms above the 21 student count. The both have 22 students each.

Thanks to Media Division, PCTV and Parents We Can Now Watch BOE Meetings All Week Long!

2012-01-20T21:53:00.000-05:00

Nothing like good news to end one's week and the following news are, for many of us, just that, good news.

I came home this evening to find the news that the local channel will be airing school board meetings on a newly revised schedule. The *new schedule offers parents and community members a broad range of viewing times during the 7 days of the week.

Much thanks go to Media Division and Lamar Mackson, Chairman of Plainfield Cable TV Advisory Board, both listened to those parents who suggested times for a new schedule.

And much credit goes to PTO/PTA parents from our public schools who gave their suggestions to the Media Division for a friendlier schedule for parents and those who work! Bravo!!!!

*New Schedule for the December 20th Meeting, Effective 1/20/2012:

Sunday 8:00 PM
Monday 8:30 PM
Tuesday 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM
Wednesday 9:00 PM
Thursday: 4:30 PM
Friday 6:00 PM
Saturday 1:00 PM

***Just a warning about the December 20th meeting: The meeting had 9 insurance salesman giving their sales pitch to the board at the beginning of the meeting, right after them is, I believe, when public comments were opened. Keep this on mind when, and if, you view the televised meeting.

Dr. Phifer, Welcome to the Plainfield BOE!

2012-01-20T17:45:00.000-05:00

This past Tuesday the school board did appoint Mr. Abdul-Haqq's replacement. I thought that a "Welcome" was going to be on display at the school district's website, or perhaps some other blog, but it has not. Since people are already wondering who was appointed and I was there at the meeting let me the first blogger to welcome Dr. Susan Phifer to the school board.

Dr. Phifer is no stranger to the school district as Dr. Phifer was a Professor in Residence at both middle schools for the 2007-08 school year as per THIS agenda (page 24). Dr. Phifer was also involved with Parents Empowering Parents (PEP) a district-wide parents group that lost the support of the district under the Gallon administration.

I wish Dr. Phifer a happy return to the district, this time as a school board member. May her presence and voice stay focused on the hard work of improving our city's public school district.

Plainfield BOE Pays $353,746.70 on Workers Compensation Settlements in an 11-Month Time Frame

2012-01-20T08:17:00.003-05:00

The Plainfield school board ratified at its January 10, 2012 BOE Work & Study/Policy meeting the adoption of several Workers' Compensation settlements that were adopted at their Executive Sessions. Workers' Compensation settlements, just like grievances and legal settlements, must be adopted in a public meeting, it is the law. (See agenda HERE, page 38)

It never occurred to me to look into Workers' Compensation settlements expense but the fact that they were documented at Executive Session Minutes and legal bills but not on public agendas raised the question on whether this was a cause of concern or not. Having read that that these, and other settlements and contracts, needed to be ratified in public I sent the school district THIS LETTER and the Plainfield school board responded through their BOE Secretary on December 5th, 2011 with THIS LETTER . The school board's position apparently was that there were no reasons for concern. On December 2011 and January 2012 settlements were ratified in public. This is how I started looking into Workers' Compensation settlements. Here is a link to NJ's guide to Workers' Compensation Rights and Obligations.

Now I have questions on two fronts: where the money to pay for this kind of settlements, and others, come from and what is causing Workers' Compensation Claims. Here are the questions, please add your own or please help provide answers. Settlements and their amount can be read underneath the questions.

1) Do school board settlements function like a car/home insurance?
2) Does the school district pay the difference between what the insurance covers and what the final settlement is?
3) Does the insurance rate, or deductible, go up based on the amount of claims the district gets?
4) Just as with grievances, has the school board looked into what is causing Workers' Compensation claims and ways into improving or amending whatever is causing them?

WORKERS' COMPENSATION

September 21, 2010, WORKERS COMP. matter handled by HH&R, C.G. v. Plainfield Board of Education, PLB027350 for $15,000.00.

3. September 21, 2010, WORKERS COMP. matter handled by HH&R, D.D. v. Plainfield Board of Education, PLB028246 for $14,553.00.

4. October 21, 2010, WORKERS COMP. matter handled by HH&R, J.H-C. v. Plainfield Board of Education, PLB023139 for $25,265.70.

January 18, 2011, WORKERS COMP. matter handled by HH&R, J.J.B v. Plainfield Board of Education, PLB029876 for $9,270.00

March 8, 2011, WORKERS COMP. matter handled by HH&R, A.C. v. Plainfield Board of Education, PB020322 for $52,720.00 (actual settlement amount $50,670.06).

March 8, 2011, WORKERS COMP. matter handled by HH&R, M.S. v. Plainfield Board of Education, PLB026281 for $20,613.00.

April 19, 2011, WORKERS COMP. matter handled by HH&R, S.T. v. Plainfield Board of Education, WORKERS COMP.082566 for $133,200.00 (actual settlement amount $102,780.00).

April 19, 2011, WORKERS COMP. matter handled by HH&R, R.H. v. Plainfield Board of Education, LB031353 for $35,310.00.

May 17, 2011, WORKERS COMP. matter handled by HH&R, S.M. v. Plainfield Board of Education (WORKERS COMP.), PLB024362 for $7,000.00 (actual settlement amount $5,818.75.)

August 16, 2011, WORKERS COMP. matter handled by P&C, S.J-T. v. Plainfield Board of Education, PLB025651 for $40,815.00.

Governor's Town Hall Meeting at Irvington: Worth Watching

2012-01-20T06:06:00.002-05:00

The StarLedger has a small portion of the Irvington's Town Hall Meeting that Governor Christie recently held there. The video focuses on what is being proposed on Education Reform, teacher and principal's evaluations and school choices. You can access it at the StarLedger's own site or HERE.

Plainfield BOE Pays $161,204.39 on Grievance Settlements: Grievance Process and Questions

2012-01-19T17:29:00.001-05:00

November 9, 2010
Grievance settlement handled by P&C.
PEA Grievance 09:09:10, AR-2009-598
Amount: $45,000.00.

November 9, 2010
Grievance settlement handled by P&C
R.R. v. Plainfield Board of Education AR-2010-402
Amount: $43,300.00.

December 21, 2010
Grievance settlement handled by P&C
Arbitration handled by HH&R
P.G. v. Plainfield Board of Education, A-1599-09T2
Amount: $65,404.39.

March 8, 2011
Grievance settlement handled by P&C.
IMO J.B.
Amount: $7,500.00

At the January 10, 2012 Work and Study School Board meeting the school board ratified workman's compensation, grievances and legal settlements that had been adopted by the school board at their Executive Session Minutes. Adoption of these matters must go through public ratification, it is the law (not Maria's wishes, but the law). The council does it. PMUA does it (I think). Knowing about this matters allows the public to know:

1)if the district has employment issues that are taking considerable time to get resolved, this might be a sign of poor leadership or poor communication somewhere along the line,
2)how grievances, workers compensation and legal settlements are resolved as not all issues reach the point of settlement,
3)how money gets spent outside of the classroom (if more reasons please provide via the "c-box" below).

Today I will try to go here through the Plainfield public district's Grievance Process according to both of its unions, PEA and PASA. The first one is the teachers/staff union, the second one, PASA, is the administrators' union. (For the district's own Grievance policy click HERE)

PEA 2009-2012 approved contract by the school board says the following about Grievances:

A "grievance" is defined as an appeal by an employee, or the Association, or the interpretations, application, or violation of the policies, agreements and administrative decisions affecting them.

Procedure
Any grievance to be considered under this procedure needs to be initiated by the employee within forty-five (45) calendar days of the time the employee knew or should have known of its occurrence.

The contract then goes on to describe the different levels of a grievance complaint, there are four, from one to four, and each step is an escalation to the next higher level of administration until it reaches the school board. The use of an arbitrator is also explained.

On to the administrators' contract.

PASA 2008-2011 contract (there was a sidebar adopted after the contract was adopted, so I am not sure if this contract contains the added sidebar or not).

Grievances:
A "grievance" is defined as an appeal by an administrator or a group of administrators, or the interpretation, application or violation of policies, agreements and/or administrative decisions affecting them.

Procedure
Any grievance to be considered under this procedure must be initiated by the administrators within thirty (30) District work days of the time the administrator knew or should have known of its occurrence.

PASA contract also goes on to explain the 4 different escalating steps and under what circumstances an arbitrator will get hired.

With this said, working violations have taken place in the district, luckily for staff there is a mechanism to take care of these violations and the mechanism is used as you can see it above.

The settlements then are a confirmation that such working violations were found and thus the settlement addresses those found violations. In many occasions, if not all, settlements get adopted on Executive Session. By law, settlements are to be ratified on public. (See agenda HERE, page 38). One other thing to know about grievances is that just like contract negotiations, grievances are to have non-conflicted BOE members have a voting voice on them and unless there is an adopted Doctrine of Necessity, a school board member that has a conflict of interest should not be voting on this matters. This is what the language on a 2007 Doctrine of Necessity says (the currently posted one is not as specific):

WHEREAS, these conflicts of interest, which prohibit the members from participating in the consideration and/or approval contracts, memorandum of agreements, grievances and the like, has a crippling effect on collective negotiations and the efficient operation of the Board because there are not enough non-conflicted members enabled to vote and bind the Board

Because I am concerned with two things when it comes to grievances --working conditions within the school district and the expenses that come when settlements like the above occur, both issues affect students on a direct and an indirect manner--thus, I have the following questions:

1-Has the school board done an analysis of the grievances' trend to determine if this is a matter of looking at current policies and procedures that might need adjustments/amendments so there are no loopholes that might inadvertently violate our public school employees' working rights?

2-If this is a matter where administrative decisions have affected the employees' working rights, what has been done to address those administrative decisions so they don't get repeated?

Parents and community members have a right to know what has been done on regards to correct whatever causes grievances, especially if there is a large number of them within a short period of time. Keeping an eye for this kind of things will allow parents and community members to get a feeling of what kind of working environment the school district offers to employees, a good working environment where employees feel valued and appreciated can only result in a better environment for our community's kids that attend Plainfield public schools.

Comments, corrections, questions, and yes, critiques, are always welcome via the comment box. Next post is on Workers Compensation settlements.

Plainfield Taxpayers Spent Almost 2 Million Dollars in Less than 18 Months?

2012-01-18T22:07:00.001-05:00

This afternoon while doing dishes I was doing the mental math for PMUA's settlement and the school board's long list of settlements that were finally ratified in public last week (HERE, page 38). In total it seems we have paid close to 2 million dollars on settlements in less than 2 years and this doesn't include legal fees! Ouch! Just think of what could had been done with almost 2 million dollars here in the city.

Here is the clause behind the threat of arrest from the school board's counsel

2012-01-18T13:48:00.001-05:00

Being threaten with arrest by an official entity, or their appointed counsel, is not exactly the most effective way to show leadership. Below you can find the clause, embedded into BOE Policy 9326, that one is required to agree to if one tapes school board meetings. (See new proposed and revised language for Policy 9326 that was introduced at last night's BOE meeting)

Your consent to the board, at its own expense and upon request, to make a reproduction of your recording. You will also agree to hold the Board harmless and indemnify the Board against all damage or injury incurred by you personally, to other third parties, whether any damage to your equipment or injury to yourself or to others.

The school board's counsel insists that the "hold harmless..." part of the policy is just fine as it was crafted by NJSBA for the school board.

I stand on my ground that the language is too broad and is cause for concern since who is to tell me what actions are being considered under this clause, either at the time of the meeting or 3-5 years from now. Besides, there is already an established case on what the guidelines for taping public meetings have been ruled by the Supreme Court. This case, Wayne Tarus v. Borough of Pine Hill can be read HERE.

To make the story short, the school board's counsel insisted that my notification must include the above language (on red).

I learned, after doing my own research and verifying facts with transparency advocates and getting their opinions, that I could go ahead and tape the meeting so I decided to once again this week notify the school district about my intentions to tape the meeting, I provided the links to the court case and couple of other examples of similar cases with the hopes that the school board counsel would be able to see where I was coming from with my request to tape the meeting without having to add the above broad language.

Despite the fact that a Supreme Court decision was made available to the school board's counsel on which it shows that citizens have the right to tape public meetings (with certain physical guidelines) the counsel just decided, upon my response that I would tape the meeting without adding their language to my notification and that should the district deprived me of my legal rights I would seek not only legal advice but sue the district for violating my civil rights. The school board's counsel, who one would think represents the position of the school board, then responded:

Thanks, Ms. Pellum. Again, I appreciate your letter and your position on this issue. However, you must comply with the policy. The policy requires compliance. That is why the Board developed the policy. The policy is fair and reasonable. For your information, this policy was developed by the NJSBA for all school districts. The District is permitted to place certain restrictions on the taping of its meetings. If you continue to insist on taping the meeting tonight without complying with policy #9326, you will be escorted out of the meeting and possibly subject to arrest if you refuse to leave and continue to trespass on District property. Please comply with the policy and provide me with the corrected notice and request. Thank you for your kind consideration. Bob Pickett

When I received Mr. Pickett's response (which by the way was CC: to school board president, superintendent and my own transparency advisers) I replied:

Mr. Pickett,
Thanks for your response. I stand on my position and if I get arrested then let it be.
Thanks.

So, I was ready to be arrested for defending my rights (what can I say? I believe in this cause). That was until a bit past 6 PM I got a call from one of the people I sought advice from. The call was out of concern to see me getting arrested for such a thing. I was then told that there was a better way to make the needed changes, which basically is to challenge the policy on legal grounds.

To end this story, ACLU and NJFOG are now talking about this matter. What will come out of it is not know to me yet. We shall see.

I want to openly thank everyone that has shown their support here and elsewhere. I believe that we can improve the school district as long as we stand our ground that we want transparency and professional actions from our school board and its appointees. Our Plainfield public students and our community deserve no less.

And yes, I was scared to get arrested. Gee! What people do to keep us away. We must be willing to do a lot more to keep public officials and their appointees accountable to us, the people who elected them to power.

Under threats of Arrest from the BOE, I comply and will not tape tonight's meeting

2012-01-17T18:21:00.000-05:00

Once again the district wins the battle of not having me tape their school board meeting. Reluctantly I am following legal advice from transparency advocates that is better to comply with the policy now, challenge the district to change it and then let a third party decide.

The school board went as far as threatening to have me arrested if I didn't comply with the irrational and very broad clause they have on their policy. Shouldn't they be happy to have their meetings taped and displayed to show all their good work?

While I am willingly following legal advice to comply with the district's policy, can the district and school board say the same about them following their own policies and regulations? Can they?

While I may had been threaten I am not silent! MLK would had been proud of me!

From Anonymous, an Invitation

2012-01-17T08:55:00.002-05:00

REMINDER: Tonight there is an OPEN MEETING of OUR PLAINFIELD Board of Education! The PUBLIC is INVITED and ENCOURAGED to attend and Speak Up for OUR children. There is easy and ample parking in front of and behind Plainfield High School and the auditorium is extremely accessible, comfortable and beautiful.

Please help keep Plainfield Public Schools on the right track and meet other like-minded neighbors at the meeting tonight at 8PM!

Your note of intention to attend tonight's meeting could even be posted here, on Maria's Blog, to encourage others to also attend.

Our school children need the community...Need YOU!!!!

Thank you!!!

How the Plainfield School District is Hurting Itself

2012-01-17T06:07:00.000-05:00

This week I have read two letters on the newspapers on Charter Schools, and on both you can find the sentiment that Charter Schools are perfectly fine at urban communities where student performance is mostly failing. Suburbia has been insulted by the Charter Movement and its parents and concerned residents are joining forces to advocate against charter schools that want to be established at their zip code. Not so here in our urban city, which happens to house, I believe, all charter schools of Union county.

Looking at data on charter schools here in Plainfield tells the story that some, if not most, are not doing a better job than Plainfield public schools, but charter schools offer a smaller setting and what it might feel like a more family-friendly setting for students and parents (I am not saying a friendly setting equals a more accountable school, this is not the case at all local charters). It would be worth to find out if parents that have enrolled their children at Plainfield charter schools have done so through research, word of mouth or after a bad experience at Plainfield public schools. And this is where Plainfield public schools enter the picture.

As we have seen, through documentation, the Plainfield public schools district is lacking a more professional approach to the challenges its faces, what is more, their lack of responsiveness (I am not the only who gets ignored) and what seems to be their own failure to follow their own policies and regulations is now a glaring spot that needs to be tended to before it becomes one more scandal here in Plainfield.

If Plainfield public schools district continues to practice what it has been practicing until now: lack of professional accountability, then it is obvious where the education setting is heading here in Plainfield: to an even larger proliferation of charter schools as well as parents opting for other educational alternatives.

The district's school board and top administration can change this, but will they?

Instructional Program Selection: Plainfield School District's Policy says....

2012-01-16T16:32:00.003-05:00

a lot of things, but among the many there is a need for "written review of the material which shall reflect the consensus of the teaching staff". Are you reading PEA and PASA? (These two are the district's Unions)

There is a clause on the policy, posted below, that says "Provide an opportunity for public inspection of the recommended text".

I HEART Mr. Hurtt. That is me saying it, not the policy. :-) And I really mean it.

I encourage Plainfield public schools' PTOs, PTAs and all other Home-School organizations to get a copy of the written reviews of every single instructional material that is and will be utilized on every child you represent including yours. (Next post: Researching Reviews on Instructional Materials)

Policy 6161.1 Evaluation and Selection of Instructional Materials

Is Mr. Hurtt Being Bullied? Words of Encouragement for Him and Others from an Anonymous Reader!

2012-01-16T09:28:00.005-05:00

I received a comment yesterday and on it there was a mention about Mr. Hurtt, the school board member who so candidly asked to see, in writing, the plan of implementation for a school program. The comment made reference to school board members being "dogged" for asking questions and speaking up when an item up for vote didn't look "its best". Well, the word "dogged" got lost in translation since I have no idea what it means to be "dogged" (Am I being "dogged" too? I think I am!). Mr. Hurtt's questions should not be the exception but the rule. Good, meaningful questions show that school board members (or other adults in the room) are looking out for our kids and doing their job. I applaud Mr. Hurtt and encourage others to follow his example.

Here are some words of encouragement that were left on this blog and are for those who are being bullied by those who refuse to accept that the district and many of its practices are in need of improvement:

Thank you, 8:03!!!!
Your input and insight is ESSENTIAL and greatly needed.

Board members and PPS employees must be reassured that Adult Bullying Will Not Be Tolerated and that they Must Called-Out/Expose even the slightest hint of bullying, intimidation, harassment, coercion,covering-up, HUSHING...!

If we expect children to recognize and stand-up to bullies, adults, especially adults in powerful positions, must be empowered and MANDATED to Prosecute bullies.

8:03, what questions from the public will assist/empower/prompt a potentially "bullied" board member to speak-out and go forward with dissuaded and discouraged hot-button inquiries? Please give us examples.

Thanks again, 8:03! Your courage is so appreciated.

Plainfield School District SOA: A great "discovery" tool for parents and concerned residents

2012-01-15T23:08:00.006-05:00

The Plainfield school board voted this past Tuesday (p.39) on the adoption of the new NJ Quality Single Accountability Continuum's "Statement of Assurance"(QSAC's SOA as it is better known). This time it seems to be a self-assessment but don't quote me on this one as I "skimmed" the new QSAC guidelines document, nonetheless the "Statement of Assurance" I did read. I even marked it to show few things:

--Who is responsible for the accuracy of this document
--What I know to be public documents (like the curriculums!)
--That I am not crazy when I asked for "procedures" because the state is also asking for them (the state might select to ask for the procedures, we don't have a choice, we must ask, and ask, if we want the school district to improve!)

So, I am leaving you with the marked document, below. If you have a chance, please, take a look at it and if you see something that you think needs to be marked up so we can track it down later on, please, by all means, use the comment box to let me know. Lets ALL OF US hold the district and the school board accountable.

(I am changing to Blogger's new format, thus there are settings I am still try to work out, for the document below just click the link and you will be able to open it as a Scribd document. Sorry!)

NJQSAC SOA 2012 (Plainfield NJ)

What else has the school board voted on that has no had a written request/analysis/report from the administration?

2012-01-15T08:43:00.005-05:00

Don't you wonder?

With the recent revelation that the school board goes ahead and votes on recommendations from the administration without proper back up paperwork, really, what else has been approved by this and past school boards?

Wow!

2012-01-14T20:41:00.003-05:00

Click HERE to learn more about the author and his book.

Deja Vu: Michelle Taylor's Concers

2012-01-14T15:27:00.006-05:00

Nothing like a good home cooked lunch, a good, strong, coffee and....the school board Minutes?

Torture. I am a *masochist. What can I say? ;-)

At the school district's website is a new set of Minutes, November 15, 2011 (p.2) or so the link says. As I was reading the public comments, there it was, deja vu all over again:

Michele Taylor, parent of a Plainfield student, is concerned about district procedures. Her children don’t have math or literary text work. She is also concerned that there is so much emphasis on NJASK.

And this was documented more than 4 years ago at the May 1, 2007 Minutes (p.3), and is what caused the Deja Vu feeling:

Maria Pellum asked why the students don’t have textbooks.

What is this? The Twilight Zone??!

*figurative speech commonly used in Spanish, just thought some readers could use the clarification! :-]

ALEKS $24,528.00 Purchase: Choice or Mandate?

2012-01-14T07:19:00.009-05:00

Someone rightly asked yesterday, twice, why was the focus on Washington's school purchasing proposal of a $22,560 licence to use a reading program and not on the other program, ALEKS, which is also part of last Tuesday's BOE agenda.

The main reason is because there was a salesman presentation on the $22,560 reading program. The next reason is because a school board member raised questions and shared the concern about not having been presented with a document that showed how the program will be implemented at Washington school. This is a very valid concern that should be resolved before the school board is requested to vote on this, and any other item that lacks documentation on how the plan was selected, what is the purpose of it, what data was taken into consideration and a whole lot more.

As for ALEKS goes, there was no real discussion of the item. No one raised questions of concern. And to be perfectly honest this is the first time that I witness a school board member asking questions on implementation and requesting to have the information in writing. And aside from Genesis, it never occurred to me that the school board was voting on oral information on instructional programs. Now we know.

But let's look at ALEKS, which also should had come with an implementation plan and a full report on how and why the Bilingual Department selected this program. Did it?

ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) – Online Mathematics Solutions is also a one-year license to access ALEKS on line. The price is $24,528.00. The program, as per the agenda (p.24), will be targeted to students from 3 to 12 grades at 10 schools, access seems to be limited to ESL students as the agenda says the access will be granted to 584 students.

The number of students raised a question in my mind:

Is ALEKS part of the district's response to the Civil Rights's complaint that was filed against the district for not providing adequate education to ESL students to an specific number of students last year?

If you have not read the Civil Rights Settlement between the Plainfield school district and the federal Office of Civil Rights you can read it HERE.

With this said, if this the case, and I am just speculating, then this is the reason why ALEKS is purchased for just 584 students. The purchase of ALEKS then is not a choice, but a mandate.

If a mandate, then ALEKS would have to had been approved by the Office of Civil Rights as part of the settlement between the district and the Office of Civil Rights. (We will know what was approved or not once documents arrive via a FOIA, not an OPRA:-)

If not a mandate, then hopefully the school board knows why only 584 students will receive access to this program. And hopefully there is more than an empty resolution to explain this purchase. To learn more about ALEKS click HERE.

Two Concerns on the Plainfield Schools District Purchasing Habits

2012-01-13T07:02:00.004-05:00

On my previous post I talked about a salesman' presentation at the last school board meeting, from Scientific Learning.

His presentation was on a recommendation made by the superintendent and it is pertaining a proposed annual purchase of a license to use a computer reading program, Fast ForWord Language. The license is for one school, Washington; the price is $22,560.00 (this price was said included web based professional training).

School board member, Mr. Dorien Hurtt, raised few questions about this purchase, the one that stuck with me is the next one:

Is there an implementation plan for this program that I can look at?

I wish you all could had been there to feel how the energy of the room changed.

There were some answers, but the answer to his question on the implementation plan were quite vague and they didn't answer the question on whether the school had a written implementation plan or not. Later, through ananonymous reader's comment I learned that among the back and forth that was had at the table that night it was suggested that the the Principal of the school, Mr. Jenkins, come to give an oral presentation of the plan at the next meeting. But next meeting is also the meeting when a decision will be made on this item. And here is where I saw, literally saw, the opportunity for at least one improvement:

That the school district moves away from giving "oral presentations" on purchases and actually provides the school board, and the community, with an analysis and a report on how instructional purchases are made, how they are going to be used and how they will be implemented in the classroom.

Mr. Hurtt, the school board member who asked for the implementation plan, is quite right when he asked to see an implementation plan. This would actually move the district a bit forward, what is wrong with that?

So, above is concern numero uno. Two is below:

An anonymous reader point me out to a new whole direction on this instructional purchases thing when a link to the founders of Scientific Learning was sent to me. Along with the link to the founders was another link, this one to BlueTrade, a stock market analyzer company. Alas! I am no longer an "innocent" consumer of instructional products thanks to my anonymous reader.

As it is, one of the co-founders of the company is also on the company's Board of Directors. Dr. Paula A. Tallal also is the Co-Director of Rutgers University Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience. All these credentials are very impressive and who can argue against that? But...

Dr. Tallal also seems to own shares of Scientific Learning Corporation. Nothing wrong with that, after all, she co-founded the company and seems to have developed the programs with the support of Rutgers. (Not sure it will work, but HERE is SLIC's BlueTrader information)

On these times of transparency and given the fact that Plainfield Public Schools and Rutgers University do a LOT of business together, shouldn't there be disclosure statements from all involved on picking, deciding and making recommendations to purchase this, and all other, programs that the district buys?

All disclosure statements can then accompany a written report and analysis on why this program, and all others, are selected.

Due diligence, fiscal responsibility and transparency are well past due here in Plainfield, isn't it time to move the school district forward?

What is your opinion?

For a description of what Fast ForWord is --according to USDOE's "What Works Clearinghouse", the site the district used as per the BOE agenda-- Click HERE.

Fast ForWord Language, Neuron Stickiness, a $22,560.00 License: Where Is the Implementation Plan?

2012-01-12T15:52:00.005-05:00

Tuesday night's school board meeting had a presentation from a salesman.

His company: Scientific Learning Corporation.

His Pitch: How to change students' brain architecture.

I sat in a corner, next to the food and drinks table, and braced for the unknown. --"This presentation sounds promising"-- I told myself.

BTW, I am not the one who questioned this program's implementation, it was a school board member, one of the new ones, Mr. Dorien Hurtt, who did.

The salesman spoke of this program having a proven record by 270 studies. He spoke of students being able to increase their grade level reading by a year or two, in just 8-12 weeks. He mentioned "neuron stickiness" and neuroplasticity and how the brain can be re-shaped by his program but only if students were to use it on 30 to 50 minutes segments several times a week.

All was peachy until Mr. Hurtt, school board member, asked about implementation. He asked if there was a plan that the school board could look at to see how the program was going to be implemented.

The answer? Most likely there is a plan. And look, there is all that time at Language Arts. And Art Classes and Library time that could also be used.

But there was no copy of the implementation plan for the school board. No, the school board has to trust, or so it seems, the salesman and the superintendent.

There is more on Scientific Learning Corporation later on at the following post.

Plainfield School District Violates Autistic Students Rights, December 8, 2011

2012-01-11T14:14:00.005-05:00

A set of documents released by the state via OPRA detail how the district is treating the education of Special Education students. I find it quite sad that the Plainfield school district treats our most vulnerable population they way they do. The district's lack of foresight when it comes to students' accommodations and instruction is something that can not continue to be ignored. Full set of documents is HERE. A timeline for those who prefer a quick review is below.

--In an e-mail dated October 13, 2011, an e-mail from Assistant to the Special Education Supervisor advises the school district that their office has not received a Request to Establish a Special Education Program(s), specifically Autism classes.

On that e-mail it is also documented that the Union County Office was receiving calls regarding Special Education classrooms being in violation of NJ Administrative Law.

--On October 18, 2011 the school board adopts a plan to establish a Special Education Program at Woodland, Clinton and Barlow at the school board meeting. There is no word that this is in response of complaints.

On November 18, 2011 the district calls the county office to find out the status of their application.

--On a November 22, 2011 (AM) e-mail the Union County School Business Administrator calls the district and asks "Tony" (Antoinette Adams, VP of Special Education) to give her a call. She has visited the school and wants to talk about it.

The same day, hours later, the response from the county is that Woodland's request needed to be modified by the district due to location of the classrooms and some more issues. Ratio of teacher/students is also discussed.

--There is one more e-mail from the district on November 30, 2011.

--But a letter dated December 8, 2011 from the state to the school district tells that as of that date the district was non-compliant for the K-2 Autistic class size.

August 9th, 2011 Minutes Finally Released: What? Not One Single Redaction?

2012-01-11T12:34:00.003-05:00

This morning the school board finally decided to let some sun shine into the August 9, 2011 Executive Session Minutes. The Minutes are so shining that I think you will need to put on your Rain-Bans. I am surprised there is not one single redaction. Thanks to the no redaction format you will find interesting items. Care to share what you find interesting, thrilling, troublesome, from the Minutes below? Send in your comments via the Comments box below. Thanks!

August 9, 2011 Executive Session MinutesPlainfield School Board NJ

BOE: "Can't Tape Our Meetings" Unless....

2012-01-10T17:01:00.004-05:00

*I add the below information to my request?

All persons recording Board proceedings shall hold the Board harmless and indemnify the Board against all damage or injury whether to equipment, to themselves or to others.

What exactly does the above clause mean? How broad is it? Is it a reasonable request? Doesn't the above clause have the potential to discourage people? How many people would be willing to blindly sign something like this?

THIS policy is now part of the pool of many things that the Plainfield school district is in need of improvement or clarification.

Will I add the BOE's own statement to my own request? Not before I get my own legal advice.

So, no taping of the school board meeting will happen tonight, not because I am not ready, but because the school board's policy is discouraging me from exercising my legal right and is sending me to get my own legal advise.

*Update: I guess the brief back and forth with the school board counsel today on the validity of their request is making the school board review their policy on taping meetings. Policy 9326 was added to tonight's school board meeting at the last minute and the BOE's counsel said he is going to do research and prepare a draft for the changes the school board wants to see for the policy on taping meetings. Before I release my own research and legal opinion let's see what changes the BOE proposes, I am curious to see what they want to change. Oy! If dealing with school matters is beginning to sound like a never ending tale is because it is! We would make a pretty good subject for a TV Show!

When Advocay Works: Plainfield's Tuesday's BOE Agenda Finally Brings to Light Over $700,000 on Settlement Payments

2012-01-09T12:14:00.006-05:00

The Plainfield school board and district have finally accepted that settlements need to be adopted in public. It has taken weeks, if not months, to finally get settlements and public contracts out of Executive Sessions and into the public school board agenda. Thanks to OPRA, settlements adopted by mostly the current school board, are finally being posted at this Tuesday's school board agenda (37038). Over $700,000 were settled away from the public and taxpayers. Why? I believe the Plainfield community deserves an explanation.

"Taking back our school district" is an empty promise if is not supported by facts and backed up with action that will, or at least attempt, to correct a much dysfunctional school district such as ours here in Plainfield.

Our community's children, their families, the community in general and each one of us that live with hope that things will get better in Plainfield deserve meaningful information and accountable elected and appointed officials.

Plainfield School District Defies the State's Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance?

2012-01-09T06:05:00.006-05:00

A review this weekend into my file of the Plainfield school district's Corrective Action Plans (CAP) brought back the one that was adopted by the school board on April 13, 2010. This April 2010 CAP is the one that was developed under the district's former superintendent in response, mainly, to the hiring of two employees that were found lacked the proper educational qualifications and certifications. (OFAC Report)

Little was commented back then about the need for the district to take a good, in depth, long review of ALL district certifications and job titles. Ah! Distractions.

18 months later the need for action on the Corrective Action Plan still exists.

But what makes this situation unique is that the previous school board adopted a Corrective Action Plan and delivered it to the state (I hope) and the district's current superintendent and school board have failed to act on it.

This is simply, in my opinion, a defiance to the state's Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance.

And here I was thinking of helping the school board get their act together with the job titles/certification mess. Don't need to. Everything that needs to be done is spelled out at the April 13th, 2010 Corrective Action Plan (p.15) and which was written by Plainfield's former superintendent days before his arrest for charges that were later dropped.

First Task for the School Board: Update All Job Descriptions and a Checklist

2012-01-08T07:38:00.004-05:00

As time goes by and one reads more documents one realizes that we, parents and the community, need to make a list of the things we need the school board to do to ensure that improvement of our city's public schools district doesn't get stalled by uninformed school board members. While the school board can't take the updating of the job descriptions to themselves, they certainly can request the superintendent to bring the district up to date and up to code.

School board members can also request copies of all currently existing job descriptions that the Plainfield school district has (school board members can use OPRA if needed be). Unsolicited advise: Put all those jobs in a binder/electronic folder separated by area, that is, administrative, teaching, non-teaching etc.)

Take for example the last job description adopted by the school board: Supervisor, Content Area. The list of qualifications calls for "Posses or be eligible to obtain a New Jersey Principal or Supervisor Certificate".

Well, today we know that there is no such a thing as Certificate of Eligibility (CE) for Supervisor. One either gets a Supervisor's Standard Certification or you don't. One way to correct this could be by simply updating those job descriptions that call for a Supervisor Certificate to read:

*Posses a Supervisor's Certificate or,
*Posses a Principal's Certificate of Eligibility (CE)

A Certificate for Eligibility (CE) for Principal is still possible, but is it desirable for all positions of a school district that has a large body of students with many needs? An employee with a CE means that the person will have to divide their time between their mandatory 2 year mentoring program and the hardships of dealing with a new position that most likely will demand much work.

What is more, why not look around to see what districts require of their Content Supervisors? For example, South Orange requires that their Content Supervisors already posses their certifications, these could be: Supervisor, Principal or School Administrator, no CEs there.

But let's not get too complicated. The first task for the school board really needs to be to request a copy of all job descriptions and sort out the following:

--Which ones are recognized job titles and which ones are not
---do these non-recognized job titles have current state approval, in writing?
HERE is the list of all State recognized job titles, certification requirements is HERE.

--What job descriptions need their qualifications to be updated to at least reflect current minimum mandated certification (please, no more "eligible to obtain a Supervisor Certificate")

--Do applicants/hired people posses the correct Content Areas endorsements/certifications to their area of employment? Here is a list of all teacher recognized certifications.

We probably also need to create a "Checklist" for the school board so when they get a hiring recommendation from the superintendent they know what to request and what to look for. Hmmm.

What could this checklist look like and what should it include to make sure our school board has all the proper and meaningful information before they vote on the next hiring?

Want to help to create such a checklist for our Plainfield school board? Use the Comments' Box to send your ideas and suggestions. The school board needs our help!

Plainfield School District Hiring Process Needs To Be Clarified to Parents and Community

2012-01-06T06:39:00.009-05:00

Questions on the Plainfield school district's hiring process have been raised "behind the scenes" for the longest time. The questions range from who gets hired, who decides, what qualifies the person to be hired for this or that position and more. For whatever reasons, staff questioning the hiring process feel the questioning will endangered their job so the questioning is limited to "rumors". And those few parents and residents following the district's hiring process are often labeled as "nuisance" or "misinformed".

Well, it is time to move our Plainfield school district away from the "rumor mill" and openly talk about the hiring process that takes place in our school district. This is especially important after the scandals of these past several years. We, the Plainfield community, deserve much better than rumors and anonymous comments.

Because sharp questions were asked on this blog's comment box answers from someone who seems to know what the hiring process looks like were left. The answer provides with the hiring tools the district uses and I thank this person for doing so as most likely a blank copy of each document mentioned can be obtained through OPRA. But the problems with the hiring process don't stop with the tools used, one main problem is with the lack of assurance that policy and regulations are being followed as they should.

There is also more to the school district hiring process that needs to be openly discussed, like what happens when the school board is given a recommendation to hire someone but that someone does not have the proper certifications or experience for the job? What kind of assurance our school board gets from the district that policy and regulations have been followed by the district when it comes to hiring?

The school board might, on some instances, have the prerogative to waive qualifications in lieu of a candidate's experience but waving state mandated required certifications or experience should come with a pretty good reason given the fact that we are a school district with students that have many needs. To this date, and since 2006, there have been appointments and hiring of staff that have lacked either the certification and/or the experience or in some cases, both.

What is more, the current school board came in after denouncing the improper hiring of couple of staff that were brought in by a former superintendent and for that we should thank them for we are a more informed community today. But it is only fair that this school board and the current administration provide the community a clarification on how they have corrected and improved the Plainfield school district's hiring process.

Plainfield children that attend the city's public schools should not serve as guinea pigs for inexperienced school leaders.

Plainfield School Board Vacancy: Who will appoint new member?

2012-01-06T06:07:00.003-05:00

The vacancy left on the Plainfield school board by Mr. Abdul-Haqq brought the question on whether the school board would go again an appoint someone of their own choice or would the school board go ahead and offer the seat to those interested. The latter seems to have happened as the opening is now being advertised at the school district's own website, but today Plaintalker reports on the question on who really has the authority to appoint someone to fill the vacant school board seat:

However, Plaintalker learned today that because the vacancy was caused by a lack of qualifications under the new law, the selection process is in question, according to spokesman Michael Yaple of the New Jersey School Boards Association..

"We are waiting for the NJDOE’s legal interpretation concerning which entity has the authority to make appointments to fill these vacancies. Our interpretation of state law is that, since these are vacancies were created by lack of qualifications, the NJDOE’s executive county superintendents have the responsibility to make the appointment. The NJDOE, however, is the regulatory authority and its interpretation of the law would determine if the executive county superintendents or the local school board would make the appointment to fill the vacancy," Yaple said Thursday.

It is going to be interesting to see how, and who, will occupy the school board's vacant seat this time around.

DNJB Sends Us This Sample: BOE Meetings Tapes

2012-01-05T11:10:00.005-05:00

If there were questions on the legality or the how to on how to make school board meetings more accessible to parents and the community here comes a reader, DNJB, and offers a sample on how one other district does it. Click HERE to view more videos or check the one below to see how it is done.

Thanks DNJB!

Board of Education Meeting December 21st, 2011 from Sandra Paul on Vimeo.

The Responses from the Plainfield District and the BOE to Parents and Staff

2012-01-04T13:04:00.004-05:00

You read HERE the concerns parents and staff raised at the last Plainfield school board meeting. The answers from the district were from silence to telling those presenting the concerns that directives were given to those in charge of the building to address the specific need parents spoke of, like in the case of the Teacher Assistants for Evergreen' Kindergartner classrooms.

On the integrity of the entrance to PAAAS the interim superintendent responded that she personally had not given any instructions for any student to be admitted to PAAAS without the proper screening. And she added that student information was confidential matter.

On the issues with the Cheerleaders. The interim superintendent blamed misinformation and offered to have written guidelines this month for those handling athletes and the crowds.

When it came to staff issues, the following was taped:

The staff member who applied and never got a call from Human Resources was told to file a "grievance" with his Union.

PEA's President raised concerns on the hiring process, then jumped to say that she had some new information on a substitute teacher and that she would like to see the superintendent and the board later.

Woodland's Principal, who was there also to raise concerns on her building's staff, was told that there was a better venue to raise her concerns.

On the question of the process for hiring staff the school board appeared to have no full knowledge on the proper process for hiring, they asked the superintendent to describe the process, she did and she assured that she would look into how the HR Department is handling interviews and that if a fault was found then she would take of it.

These are the answers I have on my notes. Next post let's see how some of these answers are in need of more than lip service. If you heard different answers and/or would like to add your input and views on this post, please, by all means, use the comment box. Don't be shy!

BOE Meetings Air Times

2012-01-04T12:51:00.002-05:00

On the question on whether the school board airs its meetings or not it must be said that they do.

Looking at the local public channel's schedule, posted at the city's website, one can see that a schedule effective as of 12/31/11 says that the November school board meeting will be aired as follows:

Tuesdays from 6 AM to 7 AM and from 3 PM to 4 PM.

Wednesdays from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

Now, what gets air and who decides what gets air is not known to me. What is known to me is:

The hours are not exactly parent friendly, especially if you are a working parent. And meetings usually last a whole lot more than 1 hour.

To those who want to tape meetings, here is the district's policy on taping meetings (p.2). Taped meetings could be posted at You Tube.

BOE Meeting Tapes, Raised Concerns and Thanks to Anonymous Reader for Updates

2012-01-03T16:53:00.008-05:00

Last month's BOE meeting was one I wanted to attend, but a last minute "emergency" from one of my children and a flat tire at Watchung Mall made my plans of attending such meeting sour.

The day after the meeting I received a message from Anonymous giving me an update on what went on a meeting. I was grateful for the update, but the list of concerns were serious enough to guarantee a request to hear the tape of the meeting before I posted anything about it. Today I finally was able to listen to the tape.

Below is the list of concerns that I was able to gather today, I hope it is aligned with Anonymous' own list, if not, please let me know. A later post will deal with some of the issues presented below:

FROM PARENTS

--Lack of Teacher Assistants for Evergreen Kindergarten classes. The parent presenting the concern offered the state's own Kindergarten Implementation Guidelines to the school board and the interim superintendent so they can see what the proper staffing is for K classes. This Evergreen parent also made the request for the school board to set up a policy on this matter as this is a recurring concern for K parents.

--A parent from Woodland raised concerns on the district's use of Substitute Teachers and how a certified and qualified teacher has been substituting but really deserves to be hired as a permanent teachers, especially after this teacher has been serving the same classroom, 1st grade (Dual Language?), since September.

--A parent from PAAAS was there to raise concerns on the integrity of the admission process to PAAAS. Students at PAAAS must go through an application and interview before they are accepted, this parent apparently witnessed something different.

--From PAAAS also, concerns on the district's reconfiguration. Good questions and observations were made and hopefully we will hear more on this topic before the school board announces what their decision will be.

--The same parent from PAAAS also raised concerns on miscommunication from the Athletic Department and the Cheerleaders team. There was a mention on future written guidelines for procedures on how to handle overcrowding and athletes.

FROM STAFF

--PEA's President raised questions on the hiring process, on how will the newly hired Supervisors assist teachers and the use of Substitute teachers.

--Woodland's Principal (who also is the district's Administrators' Union President this year) shared her concern on how a certified and qualified teacher that has been working as a substitute has not been offered full-time. If I understood well, she also mentioned that the district has already hired for her school a teacher who is to graduate in the next couple of weeks. This hiring apparently is for Woodland's Dual Language classroom.

--A staff member from Evergreen raised concerns on the interviewing process as he applied to the position(s) being advertised and didn't get a phone call from the district despite the fact that he holds certifications as Supervisor, Principal and School Administrator. He asked if there were policies and procedures in place so he could understand the process. (Serendipity here is at its best as it would be couple of days later that I would finally open the last responses from the district and would find Regulations on this very topic.)

--A teacher from Washington school also talk of how his former district, Westfield, offered "Courtesy Interviews" to all those who applied for a position.

The above are serious concerns that merit serious consideration and serious action from both the school board and the current interim superintendent. As always, corrections, suggestions and comments are welcome.

Much thanks to Anonymous reader for sending me an update on last month's meeting!

Plainfield School District: When one reads the following.....

2012-01-02T19:56:00.001-05:00

6- [Former Interim Superintendent] noted that despite the status of evaluations of various administrators, there was no need to delay their appointment.

Executive Session Minutes, June 19, 2007, P.1.6

And the following:

There is no evidence that any sound planning drove the appointment of this principal."

NJDOE CAPA Final Report, January 14-17, 2008, P.23

Or as of lately, the following:

Mrs. Logan Leach is concerned that affected employees didn't receive their required 72 hours notice.

Executive Session Minutes, August 16, 2011.

These and more statements make me ask:

When one reads this, what does the school board and district wants us to think?

Face Time from Apple

2012-01-02T18:56:00.004-05:00

Have you tried Face Time from Apple?

Amazing is hardly what describes this Apple feature. I can only think of my Supersonicos (The Jetsons)days whenever we use it at home to talk, and see, family abroad!

Latino Voters National Statistics: Do you know Plainfield's?

2012-01-02T09:42:00.003-05:00

Voto Latino is a fairly new movement that is working to engage young Latinos and their families. Plainfield's 2010 Census revealed that there are 20,105 Latinos out of the 49,808 total residents that make up the Plainfield community. What percentage out of these 20,105 Latinos are registered voters? And are our local "movers and shakers" ready to know?

This is what Voto Latino says about their mission:

Founded in 2004, Voto Latino is a dynamic and growing non-partisan organization whose civic engagement campaigns have reached 55 million Latino households nationwide. United by the belief that Latino issues are American issues and American issues are Latino issues, Voto Latino is dedicated to bringing new and diverse voices into the political process by engaging youth, media, technology and celebrities to promote positive change.

In the past, Voto Latino has creatively and effectively used celebrity voices and the latest technology to register more than 120,000 young Latino voters, galvanize Latino youth and their families to be counted in the 2010 Census, and mobilize them to speak out and take action on policies impacting their lives.

Why it Matters

● There are roughly 9 million American Latino youth in the U.S., but only a small fraction vote.
● 50% of all eligible Latino voters are under 40 and 33% are between 18 and 34.
● By 2050, Latino youth are expected to comprise 29% of the U.S. youth population.
● 50,000 American Latinos turn 18 each month.
● 90% of American Latinos under 29 consume information in English.
● Latinos make up more than 10% of the electorate in 11: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada and Texas.*

Plainfield School District Staff Culture: Do you know it?

2012-01-02T08:08:00.006-05:00

A recent tweet revealed a book, gear to school administrators, on how to change toxic school cultures to more productive and collaborative ones. The book's review starts with the following description of 4 different kinds of staff and my thoughts right away flew to Plainfield public schools and those parents and staff that are trying to improve schools from within. Knowing to which group staff belong to will help those seeking change understand a bit better the challenges the school district faces and according to the book's review, the book also offers suggestions on how to understand each group, how to navigate between each group and how to reach out to each group. So, do you know who you are dealing with once you enter the "school zone"?

The Believers are those who are committed to the learning of each student and who operate under the assumption that their efforts can make an enormous difference in that learning.

The Fundamentalists are preservers of the status quo.

The Tweeners are members of a staff who are typically new to a school and are attempting to learn its prevailing culture.

The Survivors are those who have been so overwhelmed by the stress and demands of the profession that their primary goal becomes making it through the day, the week, and the year.

The $19.95 book is available HERE, maybe someone can buy it and donate it to the Plainfield public library so it can be accessible to more than the buyer?

School District Corruption Investigation: Sounds familiar?

2012-01-01T20:09:00.005-05:00

Among the more damaging allegations, the grand jury blamed the board for taking nearly two years to find a permanent replacement for former superintendent -----, who is now under indictment for fraud.

“While we have no issue with the work and effectiveness of the interim superintendent, not having a permanent superintendent in place for an extended period while the system was in turmoil and obviously needed significant improvements leads to questions about the school board’s effectiveness in meeting their sworn duty,” the report read.

Among some of the charges:

The school board had too much influence in the hiring and retention of personnel, which created a culture where “friends and family” are benefiting.

Phew! Although it may sound familiar, I am glad this time is not us who were on the news! The news, nonetheless, call for close examination so we can make sure our district doesn't run into a similar problem.

Happy New Year to all Readers!

2012-01-01T12:22:00.002-05:00

January 1st 2012. A blank slate, or so that is the perception we get every January 1st when we set new resolutions, new hopes, new goals.

January 1st is also the time to bid good bye, hopefully for good, to all those things we felt were draining us during 2011. Let them go!

For 2012

I wish all readers

a very balanced, healthy and full of opportunities 2012.

May 2012 Bring Improvement to the Following School District Issues:

2011-12-31T08:30:00.002-05:00

Transparency:
More often than not the public found via bloggers what was going on with the school district during 2011. From information extracted via OPRA to readers' tips the community has found more about the district than the district was willing to share. May this lack of transparency change for 2012.

Human Resources:
Once again the district was found to do poorly on the 2011 state review of the Personnel files. And once again the district is promoting personnel via interim and acting appointments. May the district and the school board find a good reason to explain these actions on 2012, better yet, may the school board stop this practice on 2012 and demands that corrective actions be taken for the 2010-12 appointments that disallowed an open search as well as excluded those who may had wanted to apply for those vacant, appointed or interim positions.

School Facilities:
May the district and school board see it fit on 2012 to inform the community, via schools, the district's website and newspapers, what the Long Range Facility Plans are and if the proposed construction for Woodland and Barlow was approved by the state. Let 2012 also bring a proper statement, with rationale, of why these two schools were suggested.

School Reconfiguration:
Same as above when it comes to timely and meaningful communications. May 2012 bring us a district and school board that properly explain how they arrived to whatever suggestions they may have regarding school reconfiguration. May 2012 also bring enough parents and community members to speak up if the plan doesn't sound right.

School Restructuring Plans:
May 2012 bring us news and updates on how the school district is implementing the mandated restructuring plans for both Middle Schools, Hubbard and Maxson.

Civil Rights Settlement:
May 2012 bring us a full report from the Plainfield school district's Bilingual and World Languages Department that informs us how the district is complying with the Civil Rights Settlement that seeks the enforcement of the proper delivery of educational opportunities to those students whose English is not their first language.

Governance:
May 2012 bring a school board that sets goals and makes them public; may 2012 also bring a school board that follows its own policies and that requests its administrators to start working on the district's own regulations.

With this said, may 2012 bring a better understanding on school matters to all of us and may improvement of the education delivered to the Plainfield school district's students continue to be the main goal for all of us that follow the school district.

Maria Pellum

How serious is the Plainfield school district about learning?

2011-12-31T07:21:00.004-05:00

Those of us who follow school matters often see the Plainfield school district slogan displayed often: "We are serious about learning, No Alibis, No excuses, No exceptions." But what exactly does this mean to the school district? How serious is the school board and the school administration on following their own slogan?

What steps can the district and school board point at right at this moment to say the district is better than it was 2, 4, 6 years ago?

What about you reader, do you feel the district is better today than it was 2, 4, 6 years ago?

And just what value does Plainfield in general gives to the school district?

Your answers, your questions, community members' interviews and my own research will hopefully help answer on 2012 the questions on how serious the district is about learning and what role learning plays in our city.

Restructuring Middle Schools: The district seems to have "been there and done that"

2011-12-29T15:07:00.006-05:00

A search at the district's website for restructuring plans for Plainfield Middle Schools turned out more than expected. Just as an anonymous reader had commented on a prior post, the Middle Schools have already been "restructured" more than their share. Another anonymous reader also sent a vision that included a Science and Health Magnet School (a name for a Science Hall was suggested a while ago by a school board member). Below are plans for what seems were past reconfiguration plans that were drafted, adopted, and.... never acted upon by the school district? I wonder who saw these documents before, I know I didn't until I recently started searching for restructuring plans.

Take a look at both documents and if you remember these plans and know why they didn't work many of us will appreciate your comments. (Note: You might have to click the link for the second document to view all pages)

C&I Newsletter Spring 07[1]

Smaller Learning Communities Implementation Plan[1]

If You Are My Owner, or Know Him, Please....

2011-12-29T12:30:00.004-05:00

contact the good neighbor that has information on me: Richsudol@gmail.com. Thanks!

Correction: Please note that the e-mail address contains an L not a 1. Sorry for the mix up!

Job Descriptions That You Will Need for Next Couple of Posts

2011-12-28T17:41:00.006-05:00

I am posting the job description of school Principal and school Vice Principal because both will come handy for the next post. Things to keep on mind are the qualifications and the adoption date of both job descriptions.

Principal

Plainfield Schools Job Descriptions Various Dec 11

Part VI: Official Documents Tell It All on Plainfield School District Hiring Practices

2011-12-27T12:42:00.021-05:00

Official documents obtained from both the school district and the state's Department of Education tell the story on the Plainfield school district hiring practices, all the way to 2003.

Until now much blame has been placed on this or that superintendent or school board for the troubles of the district and we are told every election that who we elect will make a difference. Well, six years here in Plainfield tell me that perhaps is not who gets elected but what parents, stakeholders and voters know to be the issues that can make a difference. Knowledge, and how we request these issues to be addressed can perhaps make a difference.

Documentation dating back to 2003 and after and the 2011 QSAC results all talk of hiring practices that have ended on one issue or another. So, let's take a look at these practices.

The documented school board hiring practices story starts almost 9 years ago, on 2003, with the hiring of former superintendent whose previous job position was that of an assistant superintendent in a district where she was one of 7 assistants and associate superintendents. Her arrival to Plainfield on September 2003 as what seems the Acting Superintendent coincided with the adoption of a couple of education laws that would eventually catch up with the Plainfield school district.

One law was a mandate for school districts to draft their first 3 year Comprehensive Equality Plan (CEP). The first plan was to cover the years 2004-2007 and on July 27, 2004 the Plainfield school board of that time adopted the district's 2004-07 Comprehensive Equity Plan and on August 25th, 2004 the district was notified that their submitted plan to the state was approved.

The second new 2003 law was the adoption of new professional standards for both teachers and administrators. The new standards, adopted on December 2003, were to align NJ educators with national professional standards. This seems to be the time when subject-matter and certifications became the norm that we know of today.

On 2003-04 the Plainfield district's administrative division went through its own changes under the then new superintendent. We are lucky that public documents exists that tell how some of these changes occurred. One example is on the hiring of a Supervisor on 2003, from this case we can see the district's hiring practices at that time. We can also see, for the first time, when qualifications were lowered for this particular position that gave the Plainfield community such a big headache on 2009.

On 2003, less than month after the new superintendent arrived to the Plainfield school district, she placed an add on the newspaper on October 10, 2003 announcing that the district was taking applications for the position of "Supervisor of Curriculum & Instruction/Assessment and Evaluation." The qualifications required New Jersey certification as supervisor and principal and five years successful experience in the field of public education, including assisting teachers and administrators in school reform. The deadline for filing an application was October 22, 2003." (OAL Case)

THIS OAL case, which was decided on February 2009 and posted on the internet months later, says how the above position was filled on 2003:

[2003 Superintendent] was having difficulty filling the position of Supervisor of Testing and Assessment. Petitioner's qualifications were far superior to the other applicants except that she did not have a New Jersey certificate. On November 18, 2003, the job description for Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, Testing and Assessment was amended such that the qualifications stated in part "New Jersey Certificate as Supervisor and principal preferred."

The person who got hired for this position of Supervisor of Testing and Assessment stayed on the job until 2007 when she was terminated by an interim superintendent that stayed with the district from June to December of 2007; the termination for the Supervisor of Testing and Assessment was caused by a letter from the county based on the lack of proper certification for the job title this person was holding. But what caused this person to file a formal complaint was her understanding of tenure. Her complaint was dismissed by the Office of Administrative Law as the person was found to be not entitled to tenure due to her lack of proper certification for the position she held from 2003 to 2007.

The changes made on 2003 to the qualifications for this position, the sudden resignation of the then superintendent on 2007 and the results of the 2007 state review "QSAC" have had much public discussion, we bloggers have written about these issues, this blog has been completely dedicated to school matters and readers have made plenty of comments on school matters that became public on 2009, but it is until now that public documents are beginning to be accessible and we are beginning to, hopefully, see that the Plainfield school district hiring practices, supported by the school boards of the time, have landed staff, the district and more importantly, our students, into trouble. The Human Resources, and the district, are still troubled by the hiring decisions of the not so distant past.

We can not continue to ignore the Plainfield school district's hiring practices, nor should we use ignorance, our own, as an excuse not to demand better from our elected and appointed officials. The improvement of the Plainfield school district is on our hands. We can do it.

Part V: School Administration Certifications and the Role They Play

2011-12-27T07:01:00.009-05:00

Picking up few weeks later on the subject of staff certification and job titles for the school district's administrative branch today I will go over, quickly, on the three different kind of certifications the state offers: Certificate of Eligibility, Provisional and Standard.

One of the oaths a school board takes is that one of hiring the "best qualified" applicant. This is a serious oath that deserves careful consideration when talking about certifications since it is not only qualifications but experience that is reflected on the kind of certification any given school staff has, thus looking at the Plainfield's hiring practices can show what a school board's vision and standards are when it comes to hiring the "best qualified" person. Until now "certification" talks have been dominated by scandal, it doesn't have to be that way if we all learn the difference and the quality of each certification.

A holder of a "Certificate of Eligibility" is a person that has the educational requirements, or related work experience, to hold a certificated position in a school district. This CE certificate gives the hiring district the green light to hire the holder of the "Certificate of Eligibility". But there is a condition to this:

The hiring district must register the holder of a "Certificate of Eligibility" (CE) into the state's mandated and approved mentoring program and the cost of it is usually paid by the district. Once the holder of this CE gets accepted into the mentoring program his CE then becomes a "Provisional Certificate".

The "Provisional Certificate" can go from one year to two years, this timing is based on the person's educational background and usually means the person will need 2 years of mentoring. Persons with related work experience or out of state professionals are usually required to 1 year of mentoring. Once the mentoring time requirement has been met the Provisional Certificate becomes a Standard Certification, a Standard Certificate is good for life.

With this said one would think that the most qualified person is a person that holds a Standard Certification. But you also want to leave the door open for staff professional growth and I can only imagine that to reach a balance on this matter is not an easy task for those hiring, our school board.

An OPRA request filed with the state for administrators' certifications revealed that the district has a tendency to promote employees or hire people that hold a Certificate of Eligibility. What is more, the OPRA response revealed that the district has a good number of fairly new administrators with some of them just recently getting their Standard certification while others are still holding a "Provisional Certification".

The number of fairly new administrators can be attributed to the 2007-08 personnel shake up that took place due to the state's personnel files review through QSAC. One question here is how the functioning of the district has been affected by the hiring decisions the school board has taken on these past 5-10 years.

More on this subject at the next post. Corrections, clarifications and opinions are welcome.

Plainfield School District Regulations: Is the district in need of a good Spring cleaning?

2011-12-26T07:12:00.007-05:00

I was not going to blog on this subject, Plainfield school district regulations, at least not today, but a couple of messages left on my tweeter account left me wondering if I had missed something on this topic these past few days as it seems the thread of Regulations was tweeted and contested and then it developed into something else? (Oy! for my English readers and Orale! for the Bilingual ones)

Anyway. Since a comment on this topic mentioned that there was no need for the district to have Regulations because Policies were already the last word I decided to go ahead and do a bit more research on School District Regulations. Googling Regulations gives a long list of school districts that have both, Policies and Regulations. What is up with that? Why not us here in Plainfield?ls? Something just doesn't seem to be right, so I wondered if perhaps the Plainfield school district calls "Regulations" something else and it was on this "technicality" that my OPRA request was answered. So I searched and found out that maybe the district calls "Regulations" by the name of "Procedures". If so, would I have to file another OPRA and request "Procedures" instead of "Regulations"? Yikes!

The district is now closed for the holiday break so the answer to this will have to wait until then. In the meantime two more questions came up:

The Regulations that were provided to me have an adoption date of 1997, 2001 and 2009, amendments were made on 2009. Someone did see the need for the district to have "Regulations" more than 10 years ago and in 2009 someone did see the need to amend the regulations that were given to me. On 2009 the district was under a different school board majority and under the administration of Dr. Gallon III but two members of that school board still remain: Lisa Logan Leach and Wilma Campbell. Maybe they will have recollection on this topic of "Regulations".

It is a known fact that the district had a tendency to misplace important documents, this was apparent when the state came to do its 2007 complete state review of the district (QSAC) and was found lacking policies that were later found, so if there was once a "Regulations Manual" somebody has to know just as someone knew about the missing policies. Perhaps the job of creating "Regulations" was just placed on the back burner with all the sudden changes that the district has had since Larry Leverett left? Who knows.

I think the district needs to hire a professional organizer that comes and do a good old fashion "Spring and Fall Cleaning" where shelves, closets, draws and boxes get emptied out, sorted out and categorized by content before they are put back, discarded or listed as in need of update. Really.

Felices Fiestas!

2011-12-24T21:32:00.003-05:00

What better way to wish you all a very happy holiday season than with a video from our own community kids? The video below belongs to Jefferson School and it was made to send holiday wishes to Jefferson School's "sister school" in Taiwan. You can check all about Jefferson School HERE.

Questions on Reconfiguration

2011-12-24T10:39:00.006-05:00

Ideas and hopes are good, but to carry on ideas and hopes when it comes to our Plainfield students should require that the school district and the school board do a little bit more than offer their ideas and hopes. Here are some questions that I would like to get answers to:

1- Who has been involved on the planning of school reconfiguration and for how long;

2-What will be the estimated size and type of enrollment in any given proposed school for reconfiguration;

3-What provision will be there for Special Education students that require special accommodations;

4-What additional space requirements will be there for all functions of an efficient use of the school day (example: Science Labs, sports, cafeteria, library, music hall, etc);

5- What layout of special areas and what equipment will be needed for such areas;

6-What curriculum will the district be offering at the proposed reconfigured schools? When will this curriculum be adopted? Who will write it?

7-Will there be class size equality at all schools after a reconfiguration?

8-Does the district have the needed, and properly certified, teachers to implement the curriculum at all schools after a reconfiguration? Will the district need to hire new teachers?

9-Will there be a need to transport students to the reconfigured schools? If so, at what cost to the budget?

And cost important questions that seldom get asked:

10-What is going to be the total cost to reconfigure schools?

11-Has the district done a cost analysis and a 5 year cost projection of various school reconfiguration plans?
I am sure there are more questions, please add them on. Don't let the district catch you by surprise this coming January 2012 when it has been said that the superintendent will present her recommendation for school reconfiguration.

OPRA Reveals Major Broken Link on Plainfield Schools Regulations

2011-12-23T08:12:00.007-05:00

Much has been said about the school board setting policies for the district. And much policy work took place after the 2007 NJQSAC (State Review) revealed that the Plainfield school district lacked updated policies and that it was missing vital policies. The school board of back then, and still the one of today, have been working to update, amend and adopt needed policies and they are to be commended for such action. I really mean it.

But while policies are quite important, they are the basis for Regulations. It is through Regulations, based on school board adopted policies (which in turn are adopted after legislation), that superintendents, administrators and staff know and do their job. Regulations, in my opinion, also ensure continuation regardless of who comes and goes at the school district. In short, the school board adopts policies, but superintendents write, and amend with the blessing of the school board, all regulations.

So, I filed an OPRA with the Plainfield school district for few of these Regulations. I was expecting to be denied access to one or two even though they are public documents, but what I was not expecting was the response my OPRA produced:

I requested copies of 17 Regulations based on 17 Policies. I received 4. I asked if the other 13 Regulations were being denied, which the school board and district sometimes do(challenging their denials is then the fun part). But no. The 13 missing Regulations were not denied, they just didn't exist.

What????

You mean to tell me that the school board has allowed superintendent after superintendent to come and go and they have not requested one single superintendent on the past 4-6 years to update, or write up the district's own Regulations based on school board adopted Policies?

You gotta be kidding. Really. Google school district regulations and you will get an idea that Regulations are a pretty important component of a district and while not all districts post them at their website, many do. Woodbridge does and so does Vineland.

With this said, Regulations is one more thing in the district that is broken. This broken school system of ours has been allowed to go on and on to the detriment of not only the students that attend Plainfield public schools but also to the detriment of the community; a failing school district lowers the community pride, scares away investors and demoralizes, or detaches, those residents that stay foot here in the Queen City. It is time to demand that existing Regulations be posted at the district's school website and that those non-existent or in need of update get the attention of the district's top administration and the current and future school boards.

As someone recently told me: Plainfield is a trip. Yes. Plainfield can be pretty unbelievable. It is up to us to change it for the better.

The following policies are the ones I requested, the ones on dark are the only ones I received (link).

Plainfield Public Schools Policies
-- 4000/4010 Concepts and Roles in Personnel
--4111 Recruitment, Selection and Hiring
--4111.1/4211.1 Non-Discrimination and Affirmative Action
--4112.2 Certification
--4112.8/4212.8 Nepotism
--4113/4213 Assignment and Transfer
--4115 Supervision
--4116 Evaluation
--4119.21/4219.21 Conflict of Interest
--4121 Substitute Teachers
--4211 Recruitment, Selection and Hiring
--4215 Supervision
--4216 Evaluation
--4123 Classroom Aides (Paraprofessionals)
--4131/4131.1 Staff Development/In Service Education
--4231/4231.1 (same as above)
--4222 Non-Instructional Assistants

A School Reconfiguration Vision from an Anonymous Reader

2011-12-22T08:38:00.006-05:00

The following is a comment that was left at yesterday's post. Please read it and share your opinion on the proposed vision as it seems to me doing so will provide a spring that can be used to clarify a little bit more where parents, community and staff would like to see the schools go. Thanks to anonymous reader for providing us with a clear cut vision that can be used to expand the conversation on the reconfiguration of the schools.

From Anonymous:

As for school configuration, it is clear that no parents showed up to ask for an expansion of the old middle school model. As much as administrators try to push it, nobody is buying it.

Visiting the middle schools right now will not tell you anything
because they are currently underpopulated. What people remember is what a disaster the middle schools were when they were fully populated. It is clear that Plainfield parents are done with traditional middle schools.

We have to great buildings that can be put to better use. We need to be
discussing better ideas for these buildings.

We know that parents are clamoring to get into the K-8 Centers and
PAAAS. So, why don't we replicate those models and provide more
choice.

We know that PAAAS is going to run out of space as it moves towards
full implementation to twelfth grade.

I suggest that PAAAS be moved to the Hubbard building so that it can
grow to full fruition. Moving PAAAS would open up space at their current location that can be used to open another K-8 Center or to expand Jefferson School into another K-8 Center.

Maxson School could be converted into a 7-12 Magnet School like PAAAS, but with a different theme. I suggest that the theme be Science with concentrations in Engineering as well as Health Sciences.

I think that if we run the numbers, this configuration will help alleviate overcrowding as well as provide parents more positive choice within our school district.

We need to move away from complaining about the past. Lets move forward and debate ideas on how to move forward. I invite people to provide feedback on my ideas. I would also like to hear other peoples ideas about how to give the community what we want and need.

Thanks Maria for providing this space for discussion on this very
important issue.

Schools Reconfiguration Meeting As Per Readers: Thanks for sharing

2011-12-21T06:31:00.003-05:00

Thanks to all four readers that shared their experience at the School District Schools Reconfiguration Meeting held this past Monday at Hubbard Middle School. I am posting all comments here as a post for those who missed them at the comment's box. Thanks again for sharing and we all look forward to hear more on how this matter gets resolved.

Thank you Maria for the opportunity to share information about the meeting.
Cedarbrook had the largest group of people out, one parent was from Emerson and
one parent was from PAAS PTA's. There was a presentation by the Superintendent,
then an activity was done in a group break out session, that was geared towards
what our ideas and thoughts were about reconfiguration. There wasn't any
particular plans that was revealed. Parents did press to get the Superintendent
to state when changes would occur.

Mrs. Pyles stated there would be a recommendation at the January board meeting and the Board of Education would have to vote on the recommendation that she presents. The recommendation would probably go into effect in September if the BOE agrees with the recommendation of the Superintendent. There were many valuable points that came up from the passionate parents. The points are as follows:

* Parents really don't want their children in the middle schools. (Mr. Asante) Principal of Hubbard asked why and invited parents to visit the school and he was open to hear the parents suggestions.
*Curriculum is the real issue, Why hasn't it been fixed?
*Preception is key, Plainfield needs to do more about getting the positive news out about the success of our children.
*Plainfield should concentrate on the particular schools with the over population problem and serious curriculum problems, the other schools shouldn't be involved.
*Genesis still isn't being utilized to it's maximum potiental.
*Parents are willing to send their children to private school, rather than sending them to the mediocre charter and failing middle schools.
*Kudos to the Superintendent for staying very late and listening to the parents concerns.

--------

I attended PPS configuration meeting and although there was a presentation and discussion regarding the configuration. The parents were not taken the interim-superintendent reasoning as good enough. At the end of the day most parents don't want their children to go to the middle schools regardless of overcrowding or not. The same question kept coming up regarding verifying children true school location. The complaint from many parents was that there are children from other areas or towns which do not correspond with school attend. Ex. someone living on the west side of Plainfield attending Cook or the east or the opposite. Another thing which came up was with schools that have a K-8 the curriculum for the upper grades does not provide enough diversity or challenges. My feeling is if the BOE decides to move forward with this plan there more problems which will develop. 1. All schools which have K-8 will increase in student body or parents will either send their kids to charater or private schools still leaving the current middle schools with low enrollment. One parent suggest that all the schools be reconfigured equally on both the east and side as well as the high school which would provide the community with
better student to teacher ratios and a even playing field for our students. Nothing has been finalized but it clear that some decision will be made hopefully more thoughtful than the principal relocation.

--------

I also attended the meeting and heard the same thing reported here - no middle school interest from parents, "fix only the school's that were overcrowded not the ones that work", and why was this done by the previous superintendent when there was no thought into how crowded it would make some schools. The group work was helpful as our group was made up of parents from Cook, Cedarbrook, Emerson, a teacher and coach from one of the schools, and a school principal (Jefferson). What was clear from that discussion is that there are many considerations
involved in this discussion from a parents, neighborhood, and schools
perspective. Parents need to feel that their children are getting a quality
education and schools need to have the space, class sizes, and resources to meet the needs of the students they serve. I thought the superintendent did a great job answering questions and being very accessible during this meeting. More meetings should be structred this way.

------

I agree that although there is discussion regarding this problem the solutions is not going to make any one parent truly happy. The middle schools in Plainfield have not had a very good reputation. Although Plainfield is diverse regarding race and culture there is not much of that diversity shown throughout the district schools. Which again says very loudly that until the PPS provide the quality of education they are looking for more and more parents will be sending their children outside of the district either after 5th, 6th or 8th if their school goes to that level. During the meeting it was mentioned that the conversion was tried before with no real success so why was it push again a few years ago? Now due to overcrowding they want to go back to the old format which doesn't address the real problem. Why do parent feel so uncomfortable with the middle schools. Over the past few years every school has shown lower AYP scores and NJASK scores which again brings to mind what is missing from this equation?

We know whatever school is doing well more parents will try to get their children in there. What also needs to be done is a plan which incorporates the successes from every school to create a model which could be use to bring the district forward. We also need to enforce student location zoned for their school. Too many students are attending schools which they are not zoned for.

--------

Did you attend the School Reconfiguration Meeting Last Night?

2011-12-20T06:23:00.004-05:00

I didn't for I will attend tonight's school board Business Meeting and can only take one night out for school matters now and then and tonight is that "one night". But if you attended last night's meeting and would like to share what went on please use the comment box to send your comments. Readers of this blog and I will appreciate it.

There is also the possibility that the school board will make some kind of statement, or power point presentation, with their proposal and post such information at the school district's website. This would be nice if it happens.

Are there any positive comments on Plainfield's Special Education?

2011-12-19T23:05:00.002-05:00

If you have a positive comment on the Plainfield school district's Special Education Program other readers, and I, would like to hear them. Please use the comment box to share a positive comment on one of the toughest branches of the district. Thanks!

More Info on Plainfield's Special Ed

2011-12-19T12:05:00.005-05:00

Comments left at my Special Ed post of last night raised more questions, at least for me since I know next to nada when it comes to Special Education. So, I searched the district's own website and found a lot more information on what the district's department of Special Education is. If you are interested in learning more about this branch of the district click HERE and go to page 5.

It is worth noting that the federal mandate of posting the Corrective Action Plan (CAP) for the found irregularities the monitoring of ARRA funds highlighted seems to have been fulfilled by the district making the ARRA CAP part of its "State of the District" presentation and which can only be found at the superintendent's window at the district's website. Findings mainly came, or at least it seems that way, from the district's Special Education department. Those who are well versed on Special Education matters here in Plainfield might want to take a look at the link posted above. And if you are not well versed on Special Education, still go ahead and take a look, as my grandmother used to tell us: knowledge doesn't occupy any space on your brain, read!

New Special Education Program Established at Barlow, Clinton and Woodland?

2011-12-18T15:44:00.004-05:00

Going through my school board meeting notes I ran across one of those last minute items that gets introduced as the meeting is happening, this time it was a Resolution to Establish a Special Education Program at three schools: Barlow, Clinton and Woodland. Apparently approval by the county had to be sought and the resolution was the application for such permission.

The services described on the October 18, 2011 resolution offered by this new program are geared to students with Autism, language learning disabilities and PSD (Preschool Disabled?).

The district needed to provide to the county rationale for each proposed special education new program/service. This rationale, and the answer from the county superintendent, is public information and can be obtained either at the district or the state via an OPRA request. Perhaps tomorrow at the community meeting the school board and/or the district can offer information of the status of this application and what the response was, especially now that the district is thinking of reconfiguring schools and add new construction to Barlow and Woodland.

To view the resolution you will need to look at the October 18, 2011 Minutes, page 55. Click HERE for the BOE Minutes.

Parents and Community: Do they receive meaningful information from Plainfield Public Schools?

2011-12-18T07:32:00.004-05:00

A comment left yesterday by an anonymous parent shared that she/he was not unhappy with communications from his school and she believed that the school website was more informational than in previous years. I spent the evening thinking about this anonymous parent and here are my thoughts on this when it comes to school-parent communications (district-parents-community communications will be tackled in a future post).

Having spent five years at PPS as a parent and now as a concerned resident/watchdog/blogger (whatever you want to call me), what I have witnessed so far is a lack of consistency on how schools communicate with their parents. I rarely hear of a school communicating with its surrounding community but it does happen here and there.

I have no knowledge if the district has official and written district-wide guidelines on how to communicate, or what needs to be communicated, to parents and community, but communication to parents here in Plainfield is a fragile item that can easily be broken by a school that lacks strong leadership, or worst, by a school that is trying to do too much with fewer and fewer tools. Sure, fliers might go out, and maybe Global Connect (recorded phone messages) is used for parents on regular basis at some schools, but most of the time what I have seen fliers for is for events or mandated information that the school or the district must send to parents, same for Global Connect. So, I pose the next two questions?

Shouldn't communication with parents and community include the effort to help us all understand the issues the district and students face?

Or are parents and community mostly viewed as passive recipients of information?

I hope you think about these two questions.

I close this post with the following quote from Dr. Maurice Elias and which I thought is quite pertinent when it comes to our school district, parental-community involvement and students' failure here in Plainfield:

Caring emerges from relationships in which people are given the time and space to understand deeply what they are doing and why it matters."

BOE Agenda for Tuesday Is Now Posted

2011-12-17T19:16:00.003-05:00

Among the interesting items: A school board member resigned on December 13; the BOE is planning to select his replacement, if I understood well the agenda, this coming Tuesday. With money, as well as orders from OCR (Office of Civil Rights), the district is hiring from Teacher Assistants to Supervisors with Bilingual Teachers in between (OCR mandates). School specifications for the proposed construction seem will be adopted this Tuesday, which means once adopted they can be requested via OPRA (note: if you do want to OPRA the documents, try the state which is far more responsive than the district); new policies on school board members attendance and meeting procedures final reading are also up for adoption, these and much more on the Tuesday's agenda, which can be found HERE.

School Reconfiguration: Who said this on 2009 regarding the last reconfiguration?

2011-12-15T22:23:00.005-05:00

What nonsense.

Larger classes, more discipline problems, taking rooms away from teachers who support math, literacy, social studies and otherwise connect & support the academics.

Many students learn volumes by this support. Cramming students and staff and taking rooms away from specials isn't the answer.

The elementary schools were once failing and due to dedication, many hours and often painful work, they have turned around. Gallon afraid to tackle the problems in the Junior Highs? He's creating more problems instead of fixing what needs to be fixed.

What happens to all those empty rooms in the Junior High? What happens to the teachers who will now have many free periods since all these students will be missing? Will they be moved to the elementary schools? I say SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF THE JUNIOR HIGHS AND NOT CREATE MORE.

The Alpha Academy only has 50 students and many of them cut classes. That's a huge building. It previously housed an entire elementary school. Should 5&6 be there? Give it some thought before you make more problems.

2 years and eleven months ago a Q&A from Bernice, Plaintalker, to former superintendent, Dr. Gallon III on the 2009 reconfiguration of elementary schools brought a comment, posted above, that I had not read until today. Whoever wrote that comment back then hopefully is still around as her/his comment came true to many of us who stayed at PPS due to the fact that 6th Graders could stay at their elementary schools "one more year". Big mistake. Overcrowded classrooms and corridors, overextended teachers, rushed lunch time and cranky staff, all these "thanks" to the added 6th grade.

So, who had the foresight back then but was not listened to? Are you still here?

A NJBOE Testimony's Excerpt: Claims of Favoritism, Cronyism and Nepotism Talk of Equal Employment Opportunity Violations

2011-12-15T05:01:00.017-05:00

Because of my ability to exercise my First Amendment Constitutional Right of Freedom of Speech by speaking out at various Advisory Board Meetings regarding:

1)The exposition of wasteful spending of hard-earned Federal and State Tax Dollars,and,

2) Exposing a small portion of the corruption, cronyism, nepotism, favoritism, and,

3) Exposing the favoritism that's being demonstrated in hiring,promoting, and placing unqualified and incompetent administrators over well seasoned veteran administrators, under the "guise" of "interim", (acting), and/or temporary placement, and,

4) Exposing the gross violations of Constitutional laws regarding Employee Rights under the Civil Rights Act,the Equal Employment Opportunity Act;as well as, numerous violations of the District's own labor Relations laws, and rules of engagement concerning ample and proper notification regarding the hiring,promotion, and transfer of employees;

The above excerpt from a testimonial delivered to the NJ Board of Education made me think of our own school district, Plainfield. Since 2007 the Plainfield school district has seen on and off "interim" and "acting" staff appointments and positions being filled without ever being advertised, so when I read the testimony by a Newark schools' employee and saw her claims of violations to her district's labor relations and to the EEOA (Equal Employment Opportunity Act) I thought of our district's grievances by staff and wondered if the illustrated violations below are one reason for some of the many grievances filed within the Plainfield school system.

Reasons behind grievances is something that will never be discussed in public by the district but we, as stakeholders, must be aware of what the working conditions and environment within the school district are, after all, our vote contributes, or not, to the working conditions the school district offers to the Plainfield school district employees.

Anyway. The above excerpt, from another district's employee, just brings another angle from where to view our own district and the decisions that are made by the district's administration and our elected school board.

The entire testimony can be found HERE.

August Legal Bills from Plainfield School District Raise Questions on the Cost of Grievances by Staff

2011-12-14T06:23:00.006-05:00

On trying to sort out the massive last response to my OPRA request of the Plainfield school district legal bills I could not help but take a second (and a third) look at the many grievances staff file with the school board and that the school board lawyers have to deal with. Dealing with grievances can also be quite expensive as the bill for the month of August 2011 tells us that the school lawyers billed the district, if I am right, $25,935.00 just for the month of August 2011. The bill is not just for grievances but grievances do seem to make a good part of the August 2011 legal bill for the Plainfield school district.

Perhaps one of the first things of whoever gets hired as the next Plainfield schools superintendent could be to take a hard look at why there are so many grievances filed by staff and administrators. If you are interested on finding out who filed grievances, who goes out to lunch on taxpayers' money and on how the concerns of a school board president get billed, go ahead and take a look at the August legal bill.

For the August 2011 Bill go to page 124 HERE.

Cook School Construction Halted, Why?

2011-12-14T05:13:00.003-05:00

Doing a search for all construction documents that I have at my Scribd.com page (link contains a collection of documents on this topic) I found the following letter, from the Gallon administration, that parents and Cook school stakeholders might want to have for their own records if they want to advocate for their school building' repairs and needs. The letter raises the question about the real need of school buildings, in this case, Cook School's v. Woodland's. The letter clearly states that Cook school has a more urgent need for upgrades than Woodland.

How things have changed, or improved, for Cook school from the date this letter was sent to the State, March 4, 2009 to today is something Cook parents and community stakeholders might want to ask to the school board and the current administration. You might also want to call the state directly to get more information and/or express your concerns, start at the Office of Fiscal Policy and Planning at 609 292-7131 and ask to speak with Ms. Patricia Scott, if her office is not the one in charge of this matter then ask to be transferred to the right office. If you don't advocate for your own neighborhood school, then who will?

Gallon's Letter to SDA Re Cook

Still delayed and rushing, but here is something for those interested on school reconfiguration:

2011-12-13T07:52:00.002-05:00

How other communities reconfigure their schools?

Here is one: http://www.zandri.net/PDF/Reconfiguration%20Plan.pdf

And here is another: http://www.candgnews.com/Homepage-Articles/2009/2-18-09/MCCS-reconfiguration.asp

As Rumored, NJ Gets New Attorney General

2011-12-13T06:10:00.002-05:00

What will this mean for Union County, for Plainfield? One has to wonder.

Does anyone remember what the 2010 grade configuration plans were?

2011-12-12T22:11:00.005-05:00

As usual, looking for something else I stumbled upon the following information on the January, 2009 agenda:

Mr. Ottmann gave an overview of the proposed school allocation plan for FY’10.
[ ]
VI. REMARKS FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
[ ]
Dr. Gallon shared new district grade configurations planned for
FY’10."

What were those plans back then for 2010? Does anyone remember? Were those the plans that translated into all elementary schools housing 6th graders? Any information will be appreciated. Thanks.

Cont...Part IV: Unrecognized Plainfield School District Titles

2011-12-11T20:23:00.003-05:00

At the last post on this topic of recognized v. non-recognized titles I promised that this next post would deal with non-recognized job titles and here I am. Here is my humble attempt to go over of what the Plainfield school district has the most: non-recognized titles.

A state non-recognized job title is basically a job title that the school district has created by claiming it needs it and that no other title can do. Non-recognized titles have also been utilized by districts to employ people who lack the required certifications for this or that job, unfortunately non-recognized job titles can lend themselves to political favoritism if there are no checks and balances in place that keep political favors from happening.

Anyway. The non-recognized title must be approved by the county executive superintendent and such was the case on May of 2008 when the district adopted a long list of non-recognized titles with the job title of Coordinator as one of the main titles. Back on May of 2008 Union County executive superintendent, Dr. Centuolo, gave her blessing to the Plainfield's school district to utilize non-recognized titles. This was done under the administration of yet another former interim superintendent, Dr. Bailey. The official adoption of the new titles happened on the eve of May 5, 2008. but things are changing from those days under the administration of Governor Christie and his appointees for the position of Commissioner of Education.

According to information obtained at the NJ DOE this past week all non-recognized titles, not just Plainfield's, are being reviewed as there seems to be a new direction set at the state when it comes to non-recognized titles. What will this new direction be is yet to be known to those I spoke with but there is a feeling that the NJDOE is getting away from non-recognized titles.

The Plainfield school district and school board are yet to publicize whether they have started revising job descriptions in order to align personnel to recognized titles and what plans are there for those employees who lack the required certification to hold a recognized title. I pretty much doubt the discussion will be made public, but what will be public, once they get this done, will be the job descriptions as well as who gets the position or the new title. At this moment positions such as "Coordinator", "Vice Principal" and even the "Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services" titles must likely will have to go under review if the district and the school board want job titles to be aligned to the state's recognized job titles, which ultimately this seems to be what the state expects school districts to do with all of their non-recognized titles.

Also worth noting is the fact that the 2010 state review of the Plainfield school district found that there were employees who were performing duties that didn't fall within their job descriptions/titles, because of this the Plainfield school district has now a [QSAC] Corrective Action Plan that calls for revision of job descriptions and more, you can read it HERE, go to the personnel files, pages 28-29.

To check a current Plainfield school district's employee directory that shows which positions are still under non-recognized titles, Coordinator, Vice Principal and Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services click HERE. To check what the requirements are for recognized titles check HERe.

Next post will deal with all three available certifications: Certificate of Eligibility (CE), Provisional and Standard. Also will post the cost to the district when a person holding a CE gets hired. As always, corrections and clarifications are always welcome.

Booker v. Plainfield: A major decider on school reconfiguration, do you know of this case?

2011-12-11T09:21:00.005-05:00

CHARLES B. BOOKER, ET AL., PETITIONERS-APPELLANTS,
v.
BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF PLAINFIELD, UNION COUNTY, RESPONDENT-RESPONDENT

For reversal and remandment -- Chief Justice Weintraub and Justices Jacobs, Francis, Proctor and Schettino. For remandment -- Justices Hall and Haneman. The opinion of the court was delivered by Jacobs, J. Hall, J. (concurring in part and dissenting in part). Justice Haneman joins in this opinion.

After receiving protests against the racial imbalance in the Plainfield public school system, the local Board of Education appointed a lay advisory committee to review the matter and submit its report."

The above case prompted the very first school reconfiguration of the Plainfield Public Schools, the case is still quoted whenever you see documents on Equality and Equity in Education. To read more about this case click HERE.

School Reconfiguration Announced

2011-12-11T08:07:00.004-05:00

Last night I learned, through Twitter, that Plainfield schools are being reconfigured. Apparently an announcement was made Friday morning, as per this Twitter user, though no announcements can be found at the school district's website you can find an announcement at the school board president's own personal blog where you can read that a parent forum has been called for to inform/discuss (?) school configuration; the date for the parent forum has been set for Friday December 16th, the time is from 9:30 to 11:30 AM at the high school.

A community forum for the same purpose then will take place the following Monday, December 19th, at 6:30 PM at Hubbard Middle School (have you seen the school's nice pole flags?).

The school board and the district seem to be hearing, and reading, that we need timely notification and this is much appreciated. Hopefully parents and community will make the time to attend these important meetings.

School Construction, Barlow and Woodland: We'll Snap Our Fingers and Get It Done?

2011-12-10T07:25:00.007-05:00

By now it is obvious that our current school board and school district top administration are set on their own ways and pretty much don't care about communicating with the public until: a)the very last minute; b) because it is mandated by law; c)because it makes them feel good to downplay the bad with their notion of what is good, d)because we bloggers force any given topic.

This past Tuesday's proposed school construction presentation is one good example of the above. The proposed construction was perceived by yours truly as an item that the school board feels is a done deal. But will the state be so quick to approve the proposal? I don't know about you but I am curious to find out what the state's response will be, after all, even if the money is already at the district, the money is public money and there seems to be a new need to have a good reason to spend it nowadays.

With this said, it is not that Barlow and Woodland couldn't use a new kitchen and a new gym. And sure Barlow and Woodland proposed construction, dating from a 2005 plan, was valid back then and it is still valid today, but...can we say building a kitchen and a new gym is the most pressing need of the school district today on 2011?

District-wide enrollment numbers obtained through OPRA (will post link later) show that even if rearranging, again, the district's elementary schools was to happen, the overcrowding that some schools have wouldn't be solved, for example:

Washington school, a brand new school, has already surpassed its capacity of 548 students (p.240)by its current enrollment of 602 students. Cedarbrook, who is housing Cook's 8th graders this year, is also experiencing overcrowding and while Cedarbrook has trailers on its property and the overcrowding is hardly felt, how long can students be housed at trailers? Evergreen is also way over crowded with 582 students and counting.

But just what would solve this overcrowding? Yes, while returning all 6th graders to Maxson and Hubbard, which currently have 301 and 325 students, could help alleviate some of the overcrowding, the real issue, or so it seems, is with younger children. Kindergartners to be exact. Enrollment figures tell that there are currently 713 kindergartners v. 578 students on 6th, 7th and 8th grade. At some schools some K classrooms house as many as 29 students or more.

So, my question is this:

Will new kitchens and gym help solve the classroom space need Plainfield public schools have? If not, then what is the district and school board planning to do to address overcrowding at schools, and what are the plans to address the need for additional classroom space for incoming younger children?

If anyone has to snap out of lethargy here is the community. Speak up, get informed, and ask questions. Schools can not be ignored any longer. More on this subject later next week.

What do comfort food, Montecarlo and my ex have to do with me no posting....

2011-12-09T15:44:00.002-05:00

Macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets are not exactly the healthiest food on earth, but.... they are comfort food and just what you want to feed a small "troop" of children who happen to be my ex's children, nephews and niece. Gotta love mixed families! Sorry for not posting today, I'll see you tomorrow. Oh! And Monte Carlo? That is what is playing right now on TV! Watch it with your kids, or those lent to you!

The Other Side of Latino Opinion on School Vouchers

2011-12-08T08:13:00.010-05:00

If you have not read councilwoman Rebecca Williams' latest post based on a press release from Christian Estevez, Plainfielder and former BOE member, I hope you do for it is important to point out, especially in Plainfield where Latinos are often misunderstood, that there are more Latino opinions than those from who we often hear about at the local level.

Latinos in NJ have many voices and the subject of school vouchers has opponents (Christian Estevez, Latino Action Network)) and supporters (Martin Perez, Latino Leadership Alliance of NJ). Plainfield blog readers perhaps are not aware of what opposing views these two NJ's Latino organizations have on this matter, so I thought I could help a little bit here by bringing the "other view".

The Opportunity Scholarship Act (OSA) bill is being debated right now at NJ's legislation "lame duck session". Just as it is important to hear what the opponents to this bill say, I believe it is important to hear those who support the passage of OSA. Here I am posting Martin Perez's Opinion, published by the Times of Trenton 2 days ago. Hearing from opposite views can only allow for a more informed debate.

Opinion: N.J. Opportunity Scholarships offer students a way out of
failing schools
By Martin Perez

In this post-election period, the Legislature has a chance to make a real difference in the lives of thousands of students shackled to low-performing schools. It’s a chance that leaders genuinely concerned about the future cannot afford to let slip by. The Opportunity Scholarship Act (OSA) is ready for the final few steps of the
legislative process and could be on Gov. Chris Christie’s desk by the end of the
month if lawmakers do what they know is right for their constituents.

Taxpayers have generously funded chronically failing public schools for decades, and the public has every right to be outraged at the high cost of continued poor performance in so many urban schools. For the children consigned by their ZIP Code to such schools, the price is measured in lifetime outcomes. Their sub-par educational opportunities virtually ensure that they remain in society’s underclass, which in turn ensures that they indefinitely remain an economic burden to taxpayers.

Under OSA, corporations receive a tax credit for every dollar they donate, and kids consigned to chronically failing schools get scholarships. Corporations get a tax write-off that will be capped at an amount necessary to finance the program. Parents get to choose a school –
private, parochial or public – for their children that provides high-quality educational opportunity.

Some have expressed concerns about OSA’s constitutionality, wondering whether it will pierce the Kevlar curtain that separates church and state. I don’t see that as an issue; courts around the country have found no problem because the public funds go to parents, not to the schools.

Though it’s a program new to New Jersey, there are now students in 18 states who benefit from some version of OSA. A recent report by The Foundation for Educational Choice revealed that 18 of 19 studies found OSA-like programs had resulted in improvement to the public schools; and in 10 studies that looked at the program’s effect on students, six found that all students benefited, three found that some did, and one found no impact. Not one study found a negative effect.

The pending New Jersey legislation is proposed as a pilot program, with criteria and limitations. Only low-income students can benefit, only a few districts will be permitted to participate, both donations and scholarships will be capped, and over the five years of the pilot program, availability will be incremental. Elementary school students would receive up to $8,000, while those in high school would get $11,000. Participating schools that receive students would be required to meet state Department of Education standards and accept the scholarship as payment in full.

It is expected that demand for the scholarships will outpace availability, which unfortunately means some children will have to win a lottery to escape a failing school and gain access to a good one. I don’t agree with the rationing of educational
opportunity this way, but the current system does not provide a means of escape for those who cannot afford to move.

It is doubtful that President Barack Obama would be president today had he not been the beneficiary of a scholarship to the prestigious private Punahou school as a child and adolescent in Hawaii. OSA will help ensure that New Jersey educates its Barack Obamas of the future.

In the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, there should be no partisan posturing, nor shortage of courage in the New Jersey legislature on OSA. The children have no time to waste, and neither should any member of the Legislature.

Martin Perez, Esq., is president of the
Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey.

The 2005 Long Range Facilities Plan Comes Out of Its Hiding Corner

2011-12-07T12:25:00.004-05:00

Dan Damon did an excellent post on last night's presentation of the proposed new work for Woodland and Barlow. If you have not read it, you can find it HERE. My post is just to share the location of the long forgotten 2005 Long Range Facilities Plan, which, alas, is posted at the NJDOE's own website.

Here is how you can obtain your own copy of the approved 2005 Long Range Facilities Plan:

Go to the NJDOE website, click the Overview of DOE Sites box,

Go to School Facilities
Click on the Long Range Facilities Plan (LRFP) Information

Once there you can see the School District Final Determination Reports (which is the report that lists what construction was approved and for what site)

You can also scroll down and find at the Supporting Documentation Templates what Goals and Objectives are expected to be in place for construction at Abbott districts, we are still considered, and funded, as an Abbott district.

Hope this helps those following school construction here in Plainfield. And keep on mind that the Plainfield school district is applying for permission to go ahead with its construction plans, the state can approve or not the application. Let's see what happens.

Overall, investment at school facilities is a good thing but it is how this major investment is communicated and carried on what makes or breaks community involvement.

School District Annual Audit Passes with Flying Colors

2011-12-07T08:36:00.007-05:00

One of the highlights of the school district's end of the calendar year for the last 2-3 years has been the public discussion on the annual audit. Prior to Gary Ottman, Plainfield's School (certified) Business Administrator/BOE Secretary, the district's financial department was found back on 2007-08 to be lacking many controls as per documented on this July 15, 2008 Corrective Action Plan. This year's audit, which audited the 2010-11 school year, came back with, I believe, 3 findings, and had no recommendations from the auditors.

Gary Ottman and his team deserve a much heartfelt thanks from the community as it has been under his leadership that the fiscal affairs of the district seem to be coming around in a rather speedy way.

Felicidades to Gary and his team!

Part IV: Recognized Titles vs. Unrecognized Titles and the Need to Understand the Needed Process for Each One

2011-12-05T19:56:00.014-05:00

Picking up the "story on Plainfield's certification saga" I think it is important that knowledge, or at least familiarity, on what the difference and the process are for both recognized and non-recognized school job titles gets spread out to those who follow school matters and more, specially because the Plainfield's school district has gotten in trouble with the state more than once in the past 6 years. And, because the school board, and taxpayers, are still paying for all that confusion that took place between the 2006 and the 2010 school years when apparently lack of certifications prompted the district to fire many teachers (2006) just to repeat, sort of, the same mistake a few years later when more than 40 job titles were abolished (2008), some certificated people were let go (just to come back and sue) and new job titles were created for non-certificated staff (2009).

So, first, the RECOGNIZED TITLES
This one is the easy one (now we know, right?). The Commissioner of Education releases every year a list of recognized titles by the NJ DOE. The list is intended for special education private schools but the list is based on state-recognized job titles. It is pretty much a black and white document and there is no room for personal interpretations. To qualify for any of the job titles on the Commissioner's list a person must have the appropriate educational certifications required for the position in question. (See a sample of the annual letter that goes out with the list HERE).
So, what are these requirements?

They all start with a CE. Don't get confused with the CE (Certificate of Eligibility), which is what got many of us confused back on 2007-10. Had someone bothered to point out the difference back then, well, maybe I would not be writing about it today, right?

But let's start with the Certificate of Eligibility (CE) for a recognized administrative title. A person gets a Certificate of Eligibility (CE) only when he/she has fulfilled the educational background required by the state for school administrators. There are different ways to go about obtaining a CE and you can visit the NJDOE certification page HERE for more specific information. A Certificate of Eligibility is given to those wanting to work as School Administrator, School Business Administrator or Principals (or on any of the recognized administrative titles that require these certifications). A CE is also valid for life, you can get one today and don't look for an administrative position until 2015, your CE will still be valid then. But the CE is just the key to get hired for a recognized title. You don't have the educational background, you can not get a CE. It is that simple.

Once the person that is holding a CE gets hired by any given district, the district MUST register the CE holder to the state-mandated mentoring program, why? Because a CE holder is someone who is new to the job title and the state mandates that all new appointed (whatever the recognized title might be) gets two years of mentoring by a mentor approved by the state. One year mentoring for certain certificates if you have the work experience.

Supervisors don't get a CE, they either have the education to be Supervisors or they don't. Supervisors get a Standard certificate once they qualify for it. Supervisors don't require mentoring.

Check HERE if you want to check all administrative certification requirements.

To finish this post on Recognized Titles and Certifications let me post here how I understand the whole process between getting a Certificate of Eligibility and getting an Standard Certification.

I'll use Pancho, an imaginary name, and have him go through the process to see if I got this thing of certifications for recognized titles right, if I didn't then please correct me as you will be helping many of us who are trying to understand the school hiring process.

So, here is Pancho who has been a math teacher for 10 years and wants more out of his professional life, so Pancho goes back to school to get the needed credits to become an administrator. He gets his needed credits. He is ambitious. He is also young and handsome.

Certificate of Eligibility (CE)
Pancho, with his new credits on hand, applies to the NJ Department of Education for a Principal's CE. Once Pancho gets his CE from the state then he can apply for a vacant principal position at the district of his fancy, and with Pancho feeling good he does just that. Pancho gets hired for the position of Principal.

Provisional Certificate
Pancho knows that for the next two years, or more in some cases, he will have to have a mentor as once hired he must be registered for the state's recognized mentoring program by his hiring district. Pancho now moves up to what is known as the "Provisional Certificate". According to the Department of Education a person holding a CE can't, or shouldn't, start working at their new position until they get accepted into the mentoring program.

Standard Certificate
After two years of our Pancho meeting with his mentor on regular basis, which by the way is paid by the district, Pancho will receive his "Standard" certification. Pancho has worked hard to be a good principal and now he is set for life. Or so he thinks.

If I am right, then this seems like a pretty straight forward process with no room for personal interpretations. If I am wrong, please correct me.

For the next post I will go over the process for non-recognized titles. This process is far more interesting. And again, corrections, additions and suggestions are always welcome.

New School Construction Specifications Up for Adoption Tonight, Tuesday: Where is the money coming from?

2011-12-05T17:57:00.006-05:00

Where is the money coming from for the proposed new construction is one of the questions that needs to be asked at the Work and Study meeting happening tonight Tuesday, at 8 PM, at the high school's conference room. (Agenda is HERE)

Is this new construction proposed for Barlow and Woodland a project from the School Development Authority (SDA)?

Or is this a project being paid by Plainfield, and state, taxpayers?

When was either project publicly discussed? Minutes and agendas would need to show specifics of a public conversation on these two projects as the expenditure of public monies need to be discussed and adopted in public.

What are the specifics of both proposed projects? This information, thankfully, can be obtained through an OPRA. Hopefully an OPRA will not be needed.

What was the criteria used when picking Barlow and Woodland?

Hopefully OPRA is not the only way we have to obtain information on this matter. If you are concerned about this project and where money to pay for it is coming from then you need to attend the school board meeting this Tuesday at 8 PM at the high school's conference room. If you can't attend, you can still raise your concerns to the school board via e-mail, make sure you copy the county superintendent at joseph.passiment@doe.state.nj.us.

Plainfield Schools, Contamination and the 2012 Site Remediation Reform Act

2011-12-05T07:28:00.006-05:00

Several weeks ago while reading Minutes of the school board I noticed that the board adopted a resolution (p.5) allowing environmental testing at Jefferson and PAAAS, both schools located at the former National Starch Building on W. Front Street. I wondered what was that about.

Reading the recently obtained legal bills (See August Bills), obtained via an OPRA, I found out that the school board met with the party responsible for the environmental testing. Apparently on that meeting the NJ DEP (NJ Department of Environmental Protection) was also present, along with an environmental lawyer from Wolff and Samson. Apparently this meeting was on August 16 and it was to answer concerns the school board had on some results.

Wondering about what was this about I went to the NJDEP website, found out the files and this morning I contacted NJDEP. As it is, the problem is not with the school site but with a neighboring site and by law any property within 100 feet needs to be tested. The test results, for Jefferson and PAAAS, came back to the school board and showed no evidence for concern, no reason to be alarmed. A copy of the ongoing activity can be accessed at the NJDEP Dataminer page (don't ask me how right now since I forgot to take notes and will have to sit again to retrace my steps on how I got to the files on this case). Also available, but via an OPRA, are the reports and the letters sent to the BOE on this matter. Response to my OPRA should come next week, but wouldn't it be nice if the school board could give an update on any environmental activities at any of the city's schools?

Anyway. Information on this matter opened up a "whole wide world" into Site Remediation as the 2009 adopted Site Remediation Reform Act (SRRA) has changed how site remediation gets done and by whom. Full implementation of SRRA is scheduled to take place on May 2012 and as I was clicking different pages at the NJDEP website I came across a list of sites in Plainfield that are known to contain contaminants, which some of them, if not most, are related to underground storage tanks, gas stations and dry cleaners, but what called my attention is that among the old pending cases for investigation that are still open are Maxson and Cook.

Isn't it time to request that the school board gives the community a full report on the state of the school buildings? Especially now that there are plans for new school construction.

$11,600,000 for New School Construction, Barlow and Woodland: How did the school district arrive to their choices?

2011-12-04T07:27:00.006-05:00

And will the state approve their plans while 2 major buildings sit half occupied and at least 4 elementary schools are bursting at their seams? What if construction estimates are wrong and we get stuck with a huge bill? I am interested to learn all I can on this "new construction" proposal, aren't you?

BOE Agenda Is Posted: Settlements, Literacy Supervisors, New Construction, 22 Million Adoption (finally!) and...a HIB Case?

2011-12-03T17:27:00.004-05:00

Break time from "the story" and time to look at the school board next Tuesday's agenda. A lot of what looks like good changes, some questionable items (like when did the board approve Literacy Supervisors? I missed this one). New construction seems to be happening for a couple of schools and one item that has me intrigued: an HIB Case Disposition, what is that? Guess I'll have to be there to find out.

The agenda also brings some expected items: Legal and worker compensation settlements are going to start making their appearance, expect more. That is the most obvious expected item but there are more. I guess someone is listening. Thanks! Who says you need to be an elected official to push for change? Maybe all they need is some one to ask the questions? If so, why don't you join me and ask questions to ALL elected officials in Plainfield.

To end, how about a little victory dance?

Have a nice Sunday! See you Monday.

Part III: BOE, Files, Positions and Certifications

2011-12-02T21:16:00.004-05:00

--Mrs. Campbell wanted an update on the applications for the Human Resources Director.--

The above phrase, that was obtained via THESE Executive Session Minutes through a lawsuit, is one of a small number of phrases that started to unravel what I used to see as a mess. Today, a year later (from the time I read it), the phrase makes perfect sense as we now know that the district was facing what look like a storm on May 2007 when the above phrase was recorded. What looked like a storm back then eventually did become a storm less than two years later.

On December 2006 the state did send the district notice that a full review of the district was going to take place. The state started its review of the district, QSAC, on January 2007. Four months later Mrs. Campbell, along with more members of the board, were recorded at Executive Session questioning qualifications of key positions hired personnel. One can only imagine that by May 2007 the school board was fully aware that there were certification/job title issues found with several employees. State findings were released on August of the same year, by then the superintendent of the time, Ms. Howard, had already resigned and we were under Mr. Carter's administration.

Anyway. The job descriptions that were questioned by the NJDOE back on 2007 were (all documented by the QSAC personnel files):

Chief of Staff
Chief Financial Officer/Board Secretary
Chief of Academic Services
Director of Human Resources
Director of Special Projects
Facilities Operations Supervisor
Plainfield High School Content Supervisor
Supervising Coordinator of Special Education
Supervisor of Financial Management
Supervisor of Staff Development
Supervisor of teacher Growth and Development
Speech Therapist
Teacher/Elementary/Secondary

These titles, and more, were abolished a year later, on May 8th, 2008, this time the district was under Dr. Bailey. More than one blogger raised questions, but... there were no definite answers. Going back to the list, let me give you HERE the link to the state recognized titles list for that 2006-07 school year (can't find the 2007-08 years, maybe later). QSAC reviewers were right, all titles above, except for one, were non-recognized by the state. The title that can be found is that one of Director of Special Projects, you may want to remember this one for a later post.

To add to the worries of back then the district had one other problem. A good number of employees were given titles to which they didn't posses the state-mandated certifications. Two easy examples were the two positions brought to the Office of Administrative Law by their holders for legal resolution as both employees were under the impression that they had what was needed. The Office of Administrative Law ruled against these employees because they were found lacking the state mandated certifications. Both cases can be read HERE and HERE.

So, for the 2006-07 school year, challenges were many. Between the 2007-10 Comprehensive Equity Plan mandating the district to make its Affirmative Action Officer a certificated one; the state QSAC reviewers finding the district had a number of job titles and descriptions that raised concerns and the misplaced understanding of the district on what the state required when it came to certifications and titles, you can bet that things were not looking too peachy for those who were aware of these conditions. As for us, plain residents of the city? We were blessed by ignorance back then. Many still are.

Still more to come. Tomorrow.

*This is a gramatically revised post. Additional links were also added for those who like to see the longer version of data sources used for this post.

The story goes on, part II: Human Resources Director

2011-12-02T13:31:00.007-05:00

We left off where the district, back on 2006-07, needed to correct their lack of having a certificated person holding the title of Affirmative Action Officer. How, or why, it was decided that this void was going to be filled with a new position is something I do not know, I was not even here when that happened. This position, back on March of 2007, was said would be that one of:

--Human Resources Director.

Click the link for the job description if you want to check out the details of it. The position of Human Resources Director seems to have been from the Larry Leverett days since it was adopted on 1995 and it was revised on 2002. Larry Leverett left, I believe, early 2003. Why a new job title was created, that one of Chief of Staff, is not known to me at this moment.

Important to note are two facts on this HR Director position:

One: The position was created and amended before the December 2003 adoption of new standards for educators here in the state.

Two: When the state came on January 2007 to do their QSAC review of the district they noted that there were questions on several titles, Human Resources Director was one of them. (Click HERE for the QSAC link, then go to the zip file for personnel files)

So, here you have two contradicting things going on:

The Plainfield district schools' Comprehensive Equity Plan corrective action plan fixed the void of a certificated person by appointing a yet to be hired Human Resources Director, and, QSAC's findings say there is a problem with the HR Director title. This contradiction went on around the same time, the CEP corrective plan was due to the state on March 30, 2007, but the QSAC's review was still going on as it was on March 23, 2007 (p.2) that the state held a QSAC public forum for the Plainfield community. What to do then? Panic?

Well, the then superintendent, Ms. Howard, resigned (p.1&2)on June 2007. Mr. Peter Carter came in and it was under his short tenure that the position of Human Resources Director was filled (p.13) by now a former administrator that is suing the district. These are just pure facts, you can click all the links to verify this information.

But before we move on to later dates and start looking more on depth on this story it is worth to note that Minutes from a May 15, 2007 Executive Session shed some light into the search for this position. A current member is recorded asking for an update on the applications for HR Director. The district was moving along to comply with the Comprehensive Equity Plan.

QSAC was being ignored? No one at the time gave, or knew, the importance QSAC has.

More on this story later. The stove is calling. I'll continue with more later tonight. But the Minutes are HERE, last ones on the file.