Union 26, where Amherst pays 94% of overhead (Pelham 6%) provides 90% of the costumers but only has a 50% say in governance was one of the more fascinating kerfuffles over the past year and, as always, anything school related--especially if it involved Catherine Sanderson--brought out the worst in people.
Yes, almost 150 years later, another Civil War was fought over (Amherst) attempting to leave a Union.
The entrenched good-old-boy establishment reared up to protect the status quo, where Amherst subsidizes our predominantly white affluent neighbors to the east; and one of their complaints was how the Amherst School Committee (at Sanderson's urging) was daring to consider leaving Union 26, but had not officially notified Pelham.
"Unfortunately, we the Pelham Elementary School Committee were not formally notified about the Amherst School Committee's decision to review it's participation in the Union 26, the governance structure that articulates the partnership between Pelham and Amherst elementary schools which has functioned successfully for years. Nor are we fully aware of what prompted the decision to review the partnership at this time. Naturally , it would be our hope that the spirit of fair and balanced partnership with which the Union was created, rather than the politics of the day, would inform any discussion of the Union and its continued success."
An email to which Amherst Regional School interim Superintendent (later strongly supported by Pelham School Committee and Union 26 for her permanent hiring) replied:
From: Maria Geryk
To: Tracy Farnham, Kathy Weilerstein, Nora Maroulis (Pelham School Committee)
Date: 4/9/2010 11:13 AM
perfect!
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But last night the Amherst Regional High School website advertised a meeting for Pelham residents (Amherst folks need not apply) at their library to talk about a reorganization that will sever the current partnership with Amherst and create a competing entity.
And on May 3 the Shutesbury School Committee also discussed joining this regional operation (at the expense of their current involvement with Union 28). "Endorsement of preferred option. Motion by Michael DeChiara: I move that SESC approve the concept of further exploring the Outer Ring Region (K-6 Elementary) with Leverett and Pelham as our preferred model. Patrick seconded. Passed unanimously."
Now I wonder, where's the outrage?
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UPDATE: 6/20 Monday morning (quarterback):
From: Maria Geryk
To: amherstac@aol.com
Sent: Mon, Jun 20, 2011 10:30 am
Subject: Re: What's up with Pelham?
Hi Larry,
Pelham began an educational study group September 2010. Amherst has been aware of these meetings all along. All the meetings are public and notes are posted.
Maria
The thing that keeps coming to mind is that the Amherst/Pelham agreement was made (a) before 2/3 of Pelham (including Daniel Shay's tavern) went under the Quabbin and (b) before UMass expanded Amherst's population.
ReplyDeleteAmherst should annex Pelham outright. It is too small to be a town, it doesn't even have its own ZIP Code...
Roaches roaches everywhere.
ReplyDeleteRoaches roaches IN MY HAIR!
(good looks Larry)
The word that keeps coming to mind is: hypocrisy.
ReplyDeleteWhere's the outrage, you ask?
ReplyDeleteIt's all different now, Larry.
We drove off the threat to our complacency about the schools.
The status is quo. The debate is over. We talk "progress" on behalf of everyone else in America, but WE'RE all about "stability". We've gotten what we want, we've cleared the political landscape on education of those "divisive" influences, so, I forgot, what was it you wanted to talk about again?
I wonder what Cap'n Hood's been doin' lately?
ReplyDeleteFancy a guess?
The School Committee is now like a cool blue mountain lake at sunrise.
ReplyDelete