Superintendent Maria Geryk, RSC members Lawrence O'Brien, Katherine Appy
So for those of you who honestly think the lap dog Regional School Committee and Union #26 would ever even remotely consider terminating the $168,000 per year contract of Amherst Pelham Regional School Superintendent Maria Geryk (and the free services of her husband Kurt) take a gander at her very recently signed five-year contract.
Although it was retroactive a full year (2013) it would still take a buyout of 3.5 years or $553,000 tax dollars. Which, simply put, ain't gonna happen.
I saw the poll someone had posted here earlier. 78% of responders think Geryk should step down immediately.
ReplyDeleteI suspect she has something on someone. There's no other reason why she still has a job
I read it as 180 days pay if they fire her for "good cause" -- and have plenty of "good cause" to do that.
ReplyDeleteOf course if she were to get her Supt's Certificate yanked, she'd be in violation of the contract herself and I don't think they'd have to even pay that.
But $80K to be rid of her? Aren't the children worth it? (And how much would be saved by being able to fire all the flotsam in the central office?
The clause you missed Larry involves how if the School Committee ITSELF doesn't forward parental concerns to Maria G, then these concerns may NOT be part of her evaluation.
ReplyDeleteIrate parents can be screaming loud enough to make drunken fratboys look sedate and it doesn't matter, she can ignore them with impunity -- unless the SCHOOL COMMITTEE tells her something, it doesn't exist!!!
Hence, arguably (although it doesn't exactly say this) none of the "just cause" stuff constitutes "cause" at all because the SC hasn't formally told her about it...
And you know this committee isn't going to say anything -- ever.
She could be handing out free beer to the school bus drivers and unless she were (a) "incapacitated" due to a psych commitment, or (b) DESE yanked her Supt certificate -- unless the SC had already discussed this with her, it doesn't matter...
Intentionally getting all the bus drivers drunk before they drove the children home is the most outrageous thing I can think of, and under this contract, I don't think she could be fired for it...
And for the record, I am not saying that she ever would do something like this, it is a hypothetical example -- something so indefensible that it illustrates my point.
And yes, I have little doubt that the APD brass (and a lot of really upset parents) would be in Malden the next morning -- at which point DESE would have to act. And the really interesting question is if DESE were to yank her certificate, if the SC didn't want to act, who could/would be able to remove her?
But I digress...
"I suspect she has something on someone. There's no other reason why she still has a job."
ReplyDeleteNo, it is more that she is the tip of a very big spear -- she has a lot of powerful supporters at UMass and elsewhere and she is ruthless enough to crucify anyone who dares criticize her.
Now she likely knows quite a few things about some of these powerful people -- if I know them, she has to know them -- and that may be part of why they are so supportive of her. The more I think about this, the more relevant it becomes because there are so many skeletons in so many closets...
I have long said that she is going to "crash & burn" and when she does, it will be spectacular. I'm starting to think how many people she'll take with her -- that this will be on the level of the MBM scandal of 40 years ago...
Oh, I don't know about the ruthless with critics thing.
ReplyDeleteShe's always very nice to me.
Kurt, on the other hand ...
"Oh, I don't know about the ruthless with critics thing."
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking of a certain electrician who was fired for using a term that -- I suspect -- every licensed electrician (including Jason Vassell's father) not only uses but had to use in order to get his/her/its license.
Tell me that Maria G wasn't at least approving all of that....
Although I'll agree with you about Kurt. Twisting a sarcastic statement I once wrote SO far out of context that I honestly had no idea what he could possibly be referring to comes to mind.
And Kurt, I was making a quite sarcastic (and intentionally insulting) reference to the cadre of moronic schmucks (and schmuckettes) who sought to hire your wife for a position that she was not (and is not) academically qualified to hold.
I clearly was not (and am not) a member of said group -- I think even you understand that -- and hence I was not stating what *I* thought but what I believed *THEY* thought. Anyone with an IQ above 12 could have understood that...
Not that I suspect you ever permit yourself to be confused with the facts....
I sorta wish Kurt wasn't in self exile,He was hugely entertaining.
ReplyDeleteAre these the comments to which you're referring, Ed? The ones you lied about and claimed never to have written?
ReplyDeletehttp://onlyintherepublicofamherst.blogspot.com/2011/01/town-manager-presents-no-override.html
Search for the word "cute" -- and don't forget to read the entire context.
(My name's not Kurt, by the way.)
People have argued that Ms. Geryk's salary should at least be as high as her male predecessors. However both Alberto Rodriguez and Jere Hochman had an educational credential, a doctorate, that Ms. Geryk does not, & that could be part of the difference.
ReplyDeleteMany of the central office administrators brought to the district in the few years also have doctorates and others such as Mr. Morris are working actively on theirs.
No less entertaining than his wife's antics. They are made for each other.
ReplyDeleteI sorta think this speaks for itself:
ReplyDelete[Now Dr.] Ed said...
The problem I have with Maria G is that everyone says she is doing a good job -- but no one presents the bullet points of her accomplishments. Everyone says she is very knowledgable about school issues, yet again no one presents either what she knows or how she learned it.
She never wrote a thesis, there is no written statement of her philosophy of education. What IS her philosophy of education -- I have one, it gets sent with my CV if requested, does she have one?
And mentioning whom she is married to is a RED ALERT to a lack of qualifications -- truly qualified people list neither the names nor occupations of spouses because this is about the candidate herself and HER qualifications and not those of her spouse.
"A moronic anonymous A-hole said... Search for the word "cute" -- and don't forget to read the entire context."
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves me correctly, I referred to Colin Terrell and his little stunt of terrifying & traumatizing a bunch of young children as "cute" as well.
And for those of yo not bright enough to understand the meaning of the word "cute" that I am intending, let me add that I think that he should have been arrested and that he should be facing criminal charges of child endangerment.
And if you can't understand what I mean at this point, there's no hope for you...
The lying c-head also falsely alleged Are these the comments to which you're referring, Ed? The ones you lied about and claimed never to have written?
Ed responded to
Catherine S., Maria G, and at least (2) of the finalists all like Banana Bread.
I was offended -- there are female professionals whom I respect -- Maria G ain't one of them -- but I considered that comment (along with the false allegations that I had written some now-removed stuff that I hadn't) to be quite demeaning to women and I responded appropriately.
As do I. Will all of them come over to my apartment and bake me some? Will they wash my dirty dishes as well? Maybe sort my assorted dirty clothes into the appropriate hampers?
Do you not see the sarcasm dripping from every word? I know that I sometimes write on multiple levels, but this is sarcasm. As is this:
Folk, there are a lot of responsibilities and no small amount of money involved in this decision -- just because she is cute is not quite good enough of a reason to hire her...
OK, maybe I wasn't as clear as I should have been -- decorum and all -- and I left out the "just because you morons think she is cute isn't quite ..."
I kinda thought that was implied there -- sarcasm gushing off every letter I wrote and all...
So, if it's not Maria on Thursday night, expect the howling to begin.
To which I responded:
And if it is Maria on Thursday night, expect the WAR to begin. This will be the open indication to all of just how corrupt the ARSD is and as to the benefits of school choice and home schooling.
And I was wrong?
If Maria G is hired without my being shown a clear reason why she is more qualified than the other two candidates with the doctorate she lacks --- something I am currently busting my a** to get -- then I will consider her an illegitimate fraud and act accordingly.
I consider her a fraud -- an incompetent schmuck who needs to go -- and I kinda think that folks are starting to agree with me.
Having made that rather clear, I then write a second "IF/THEN" statement -- emphasis added for clarity:
If Maria G is hired because she is cute and has a hot body then it will be very clear to absolutely everyone that this is all a charade and that working within the system is ineffective and that we need to openly attack it.
OK, I misspelled charade (corrected it above) but damn it folks -- you DO know what a charade IS don't you?
(Wiki says "Charade often means a pretence or faked act.")
And notice how I conclude:
can we please make this a fair process where we look at qualifications and not whom she is married to?????
I know what I meant -- everyone else at the time apparently did too as there would have inevitably been some snarky response if anyone at the time thought those words meant what others have since falsely alleged them to mean.
Accusing me of lying is libel. I never said that *I* thought Maria G was "cute and had a hot body" -- I was alleging that HER SUPPORTERS felt that way about her.
End of conversation.
Who wants to be a millionaire? Maria Geryk! She has mustered more than half a million dollars from Amherst community. She is on target for one million dollars in a few short years. She probably will not find another high paying job anywhere else after ARPS. she is a SPED teacher, not a Superintedent material. She will laugh her way into retirement. What will Amherst families get in exchange? Dumb, and dumber school.
ReplyDeleteHow much of the racial tensions in ARPS system was originated from Team Maria's racial preference? ARPS has a academic performance problems for years. Such academic performance problems exists for students of all races, and social economic backgrounds. The school has failed to challenge each student to its ability. Grade inflation, glossy student reports sweep the problem under the carpet and hide the problem from busy parents. parents/students don't realize it until college, when it is too late.
ReplyDeleteSome people in the community blame it on racism. To some people with colored racial glass, every problem is a racial problem. Team Maria buy into that opinion to unload its failed responsibilities to boost students academic performance of all families. Instead, Team Maria blame school performance to racism in the community. It is much easy to blame than to achieve. Since it is a racism in many families and community, Team Maria unload the school performance problem to the community, and to the families.
Team Maria tries to show its allegiance to the black and hispanic families and win their votes to stay on the payroll of the ARPS system. Team Maria builds consensus with Black and Hispanic community leaders that it is the racism in the community that holds black and hispanic students back. Whence the racism in the community is rooted out, black and hispanic students will be equal to the white students.
If you focus on the wrong cause, how can you solve the academic performance problem. Five years later, black students and hispanic students don't get what Team Maria promised them five years ago. When black and hispanic leaders point to the "achievement gap" to Team Maria, Team Maria blames it again on racism in school and starts to attack curriculum. Instead of strenghen the curriculum to challenge each student to its ability to learn in every subject, Team Maria starts to slaughter the curriculum and every other aspect of school in order to show "equal". If a course has few black or hispanic students, that course is labelled "racism" course, and should be cut. Team Maria starts this "racism" witch hunt in school curriculum in the process to cut the curriculum to the bone.
In latest chapter, in coordination with the curriculum racism witch hunt, Team Maria brings in Calvin Terrell to convince students, parents, and community that even in the progressive Amherst, racism is prevalent. From Lord Jeffary, to everyday conversation, racism is number one cause of every problem. In order to attack the "racism" curriculum, Team Maria needs to make believe that racism is the culpit, and brainwash every family in the community to fight racism. Calvin Terrell becomes a mouthpiece for Team Maria to make believe that white people have racism that they don't realize. White people have more racism than Black and Hispanic people. As a result, the community is further divided. Now, we, not only have a school academic performance problem, but also a growing racial problem.
Kurt, the infamous husband of Maria Geryk, throws out trial baloon in this blog, shows some article speculating that Finland's academic success is due to "equity" over "competition", or "curriculum choice". This is the preface to the further systematic dumb down of the ARPS curriculum. "eliminate honor and AP course" is also in discussion to test community reaction. Most parents and families work hard to get family fed, sheltered, in this tough economic time, entrust their children to ARPS, and are not very clear of the consequence of this continuous and systematic dumb down of curriculum until it is too late.
Possible to teach love of country instead of dragging America down all the time? Respect has to be earned, not just "shown." And remember a great Democrat once inspired the nation to "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Seems like we've gotten this turned around the other way.
DeleteRacism is like flesh on the butt. The more you beat on it, the more inflamed the butt will get, the uglier, and smelly it will get, until you get explosive diarrhea.
ReplyDeleteAnon 857. You don't know what you are talking about. It's not the administration who has been screaming that the schools are hot beds of racism. It's Kathleen Anderson and her crowd who have been beating the racism drum.
ReplyDeleteI should add the Ms. Geryk has no interest in eliminating honors and AP classes. That is coming from the ETF. Again, let's be careful to lay the blame where it belongs. On Shabazz, Baptiste and Anderson and their minions.
ReplyDelete"Shabazz, Baptiste and Anderson and their minions."
ReplyDeleteI am trying to understand their mindsets and agendas.
1. According to the Minions, Racism is everywhere every day. Everybody is a racist. White people have more racism than black or hispanic people. White people just don't realize they have racism. Racism and only racism causes inequity.
2. Since racism is everywhere, racism must exists in ARPS.
3. There is "achievement gap" in ARPS only for Black and Hispanic students. The Minions only see some of the Black & Hispanic students left behind in academic performance. They don't see other white students lagging behind. They don't see other Black & Hispanic students make great strike in academics.
4. Since Racism is the reason, and only reason for everything as the Minions know. "Achievement Gap" must be caused by Racism.
5. Lecture the community in a racially charged campaign.
6. Force Team Maria into capitulation, using racism and other PC tactics. ARPS must have been infested with racism generations after generations. Here is evidence. Why some of the AP course, or honor course has such low participation from Black students, or Hispanic students? The course is racism. The course should be condemed, and the course should be cut.
Why Black students have higher number of displicine incidents than white students in ARPS? It must be part of racism. The minions declare ARPs has institutional racism in ARPS. The discipline should be replaced with "more effective classroom control".
7. Minions believe, if there is any evidence of two people not "equal" in any aspect, it must be due to racism. Racism is the ultimate, and only reason that can explain "performance gap" in ARPS.
8 Garry Kasparov must be a racist or evidence of racism, since he plays chess so well. Michael Jorden must be a racist, or evidence of racism, since he plays basketball so well. It is really painful for the Minions to watch Kasparov and Jordan who excel and achieve in different aspect of human life.
Kasparov and Jordan are painfuly reminder for the minions that the fight against Racism in this world will never end.
9. Does it ever happen that people are "equal" in this world? Maybe, Right after birth, as "innocent", or "ignorant" as a new born baby. From that point on, we lose control and people grow unequal, and society become unequal. There is no way to turn back every human life back to its infant form.
In the end, who is the biggest racist in town? Who cause the racial tension and racial divide in town?
3:15 PM you sound very racist. Everything you said sounds like racism. :) Everyone knows blacks and minorities are "held back" by teachers, treated like scum by white kids, and never allowed to excel by society. Even school electricians would like to the days of slaves, or so the great story goes. I don't know hat happened to taking people for who they are. When I was a kid it didn't matter what color you were, if you were good you excelled. Somewhere along the way it seems us white people unknowingly started to create a force-field that prevented blacks and other minorities from being smart.
ReplyDeleteHere's a list:
Hank Aaron
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Muhammad Ali
Arthur Ashe
Reggie Jackson
Michael Jordan
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Sugar Ray Leonard
Just imagine what they could have been if whites didn't keep them from being all they could be.
How about this list:
Maya Angelou
Ralph Ellison
Alex Haley
Lorraine Hansberry
Langston Hughes
Zora Neale Hurston
Imagine how great their writings could have been if it wasn't for white suppression.
Or this:
Marcus Garvey
Martin Luther King Jr.
Malcolm X
James Meredith
Elijah Muhammad
Rosa Parks
Bobby Seale
Fred Shuttlesworth
Wow, if only whites allowed them to be all they could have been.
How about:
Josephine Baker
Halle Berry
Bill Cosby
Dorothy Dandridge
Sammy Davis Jr.
Morgan Freeman
Gregory Hines
Lena Horne
James Earl Jones
Spike Lee
Eddie Murphy
Sidney Poitier
Richard Pryor
Will Smith
Denzel Washington
Yep, actors who never got a chance because of whites.
Let's declare a war on blacks and other minorities. No not the kind some hate mongers disguised as blacks wish for. Rather we should declare a war on blacks and minorities that want to live off the system, complain when they can't get a free pass to the front of the line, are unhappy because they aren't qualified for a job so scream racism, or can't teach their children values and work ethic then complain that the system is out to prevent their children from doing as well as white kids.
Towns like Amherst fall for this crap and forget that this country was built on ingenuity and immigrants who like blacks started out disadvantaged and found their way. Even some blacks mysteriously found their way. The rest of the blacks and other minorities learned that living living off the system was a easier way out. And to this day some blacks want to say it was because they weren't allowed to get out and be all they could be.
I know a lot of white people who never made shit for themselves either but don't have color to fall back on as a scape goat for why they are where they are.
Here here!
DeleteI meant "Hear, hear!" of course
DeleteActually in the context of "Seems like we've gotten this turned around the other way" the answer would have been here here as in only here.
ReplyDelete