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Post by lilly on Oct 18, 2011 10:42:12 GMT -5
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Post by bewlidered on Oct 19, 2011 19:53:26 GMT -5
My take on the BOE Mtg last night, in a word, 'awkward'
Realizing that there have been many changes over the past few months, I guess I was expecting something to happen that would make me feel more at ease now that all the 'players' have been put into place and instead I left the meeting feeling even more concerned than when I walked in.
In the past, regardless of who the central adminstration was, I felt that we the people were in good hands with our Board and with our strong presidents. Ralph Spagnolo, Mike Cucci, Jean Quinn; but last night I felt that was no longer the case.
From the typical microphone malfunctions, to the lack of instruction to be seated after the moment of silence, to the mispronunciation of names, to the lack of a proper introduction of the two brand new central office administrators now seated on the board and actually 'up and running' and doing the job (granted we met the 'Assistant to' when she was appointed, but unless one attended the meet and greet, most folks still have not met Dr. Marsh) the beginning of the night was uncomfortable. After speed racing through the agenda and surviving a few more mis-statements, mispronunciations, and the omission of a 'thank-you' for a donation (later corrected), the meeting continued with reports to the BOE.
I felt bad for the high school student representatives because of the awkward introduction by the BOE president, but truth be told, in spite of this, the kids were better public speakers than any of the adults who spoke last night.
Casual and confusing introductions of our PTA presidents (btw ladies, thanks for all you do!!), 'lame' responses to 5 very upset tax-paying mothers who send their kids to parochial school and whose kids spend 3 hours a day on a bus, sketchy responses to the question about closing Mandalay; I mean honestly, it's been rumored for months, couldn't a better, more united, response have been prepared?? We were told back in the spring that a committee would be looking at this and now the leaves are turning and still no official response. Instead, any one on the BOE who wanted to chime in, did...I felt like I was watching an episode of Family Feud where every family member was inanely yelling out answers in hopes that Richard Dawson would announce their response as the most popular! Cryptic answers to where the security cameras are located at the elementary schools, strange recognition of a Patch 'reporter'; whatever happened to the nice lady from The Citizen? And then a political grandstanding opportunity for Dave Dennenberg (he spoke for 16 minutes; I thought comments were limited to three???) In truth, he has been the force behind the addition of tens of thousands of dollars to our District and I really do appreciate that , I really do. I just thought it was odd that I was subjected to a contract/grant 'lesson' from a local legislator at a BOE meeting. And again, true or not, I was uncomfortable because it felt like partisan politics. The response from the BOE was confusing at best. Kudos to Mike Cucci who took over the microphone and at least attempted to clarify the issue with Dennis Dunne...ooops, I mean Dave Denenberg.
From the new interim Supe, a few words on the Mandalay issue and a few words on the playground grant money. At least he shared that he had spoken to the real Dennis Dunne. Still not sure what they spoke about or what that means for us, but I guess it's a start.
All in all, thought I was watching an episode of the Keystone Cops. 'Rigor' and 'Excellence'?? In my estimation the student leaders on the BOE panel demolished the adult leaders on the BOE. How? They were informed, articulate, organized, well-spoken, informative, clear, and concise. At least in the distant future, there is hope.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Oct 19, 2011 20:12:18 GMT -5
It would be helpful to know who you are....
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Post by wantagh90 on Oct 20, 2011 10:14:08 GMT -5
Chris, I don't agree with you. Yes, you have chosen to be open about who you are. People have the right to post here and not have to say who they are. What "bewildered" wrote here was right on. Thanks bewildered for a fresh review of the board meeting.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Oct 20, 2011 11:24:35 GMT -5
There isn't anything to agree or disagree over. Anonymity is permissible, here. I believe I have the right to ask who someone is, however. That knowledge would be helpful to me.
If I ask someone and they choose to be helpful and identify themselves (publicly or privately) then I appreciate knowing. If not, then that is their privilege, also.
A minor point, but people do not have an absolute "right" to remain anonymous here or on other venues like this board.
The harsh recap provided by whomever certainly presented an unflattering rendition of the meeting which calls into question the intent, because if the writer's intent was to embarrass the Wantagh Board of Education out in the broader community and our school distinct along with them, then the writer certainly succeeded.
Believe me, awkward moments on the dais are not new to the current or past board members. I will leave it at that.
Respectfully yours,
Chris Wendt
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Post by lilly on Oct 20, 2011 13:00:47 GMT -5
bewildered put forth a rather emotionally charged, fantastical historical recap with zero factual support especially in regard to the track record of former BOE trustees. And I'm usually first in line to offer a 'no holds barred, take no prisoners, call it like it is' fact-based assessment. Let's just leave at a positive "going forward..." since it would be unproductive and negative to rehash reality even though the door was left wide open on it.
Regarding that 'nice lady from the Citizen', her coverage of Wantagh BOE meetings is exactly why I let my subscription to the Citizen lapse. In the midst of occasional turmoil at BOE meetings and in the community, the Citizen was basically reporting everything was honky dory and misquoting or leaving out important components (with certain BOE trustees editing away input after BOE meetings). All you needed to do is read Seaford and Levittown school district reporting and compare tone and content to what the travel writer, I mean school reporter, contributed to the Citizen for Wantagh. Irresponsible journalism to say the least. When it comes to kids and taxes, intellectual honesty is required no matter who you are, in whatever capacity. I'm not a fan of the ad hoc haphazard moderating on the patch but for now, the patch's (Wantagh) school district reporting seems to be ok.
Oh and "Lilly" will be attending the homecoming parade. She *loves* getting out & about and is already wearing her black & gold collar. lolololol. Jokes about my dog aside, I'm usually at BOE and other district meetings. Feel free to introduce yourselves.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Oct 20, 2011 20:43:42 GMT -5
I am chuckling over some of those possible introductions.
I can see this guy in a Wantagh football jersey with the number 90 on the back, coming up and introducing himself to you, Lilly, with no particular fanfare.
But will you be able to keep a straight face when that other poster comes up to you and proclaims: "I'm bewildered!" How will you respond, "yeah, me too!"?
Sometimes I really feel that way, myself.
Chris Wendt
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Post by bewlidered on Oct 20, 2011 21:18:32 GMT -5
With all due respect to chriswendt and to lily and to their voluminous contributions to this forum, I recapped the meeting for what it was and for how I felt during and after. After the meeting, during my conversation with those who actually attended, it was apparent to me that I was not alone in my thoughts. chriswendt was not at the meeting and I don't believe that lily was in attendance either (certainly not from start to finish as I was) and yet I will respectfully reserve comment to your reaction of what I said I witnessed. Seeing is believing.
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kimb
New Member
Posts: 7 
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Post by kimb on Oct 20, 2011 22:06:32 GMT -5
I agree with bewildered and I guess Lilly left because she didn't want to be embarrassed once she heard the patch was there.I know I wanted toleave. It was a three ring circus. As far as bewildered wanting to embarrass the school district, It was already done by our board. These are the people that we the community voted for. I am surprised that you Chris wendt would comment and joke about what happened when you were not even their for the facts.The summary of the meeting was accurate I have been to more then one and never left there with the feeling that I did Tues night.
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Post by lilly on Oct 21, 2011 10:07:17 GMT -5
I'm going to keep this short & sweet, always a challenge for me.
bewildered, thank you for your diplomatic response. For clarification, I cannot and did not argue with your feelings from the meeting. Apparently, wantagh90 had a similar take. What I dispute is characterizing past BOE regimes as grand and beyond reproach, aka the 'good times' in Wantagh. They were not e.g., bring on 8%+ tax increases, shoving an unaffordable sportsplex bond down the community's throat when the kids and teachers had decade+ inoperable technology and decreasing support for teacher training and curric innovation, failed budget and the list goes on and on. Tumultuous at best, and not good in general by any means. Nor did they inspire confidence for me when it comes to a managerial leadership role that impacts my kids. Some/most teachers yes, the old regime BOE and super administration no. And there is a lot of concrete evidence that supports my statement beyond scratching the surface that I did in the short list above, unfortunately including BOE conduct in public meetings (plenty of meetings that I have sat through from start to their bloody finish, so yes, seeing is believing), not my feelings. So, a flubbed BOE meeting as cause for the way this thread is heading? I'm not participating in that. Was any community member attacked by a BOE trustee? No. Were there any improprieties or questionable actions in the business dealings? No. Besides, if that is the worst you can come up with, that is nothing compared to what I have seen firsthand a few years ago. Really. Thankfully, I think/hope the nonsense period of Wantagh history is just that, history & over but I am keeping my eyes wide open on that. Onward & upward...
I do wonder if the new supers are reading this and what impression it leaves on them as they try to figure us out. It can't be good.
bewildered, if you think you know who I am, please introduce yourself at the next meeting. I have idea who you are (giving me a creepy feeling, lol). Btw, I happen to be a believer in standing behind what I say. I haven't stated anything that I haven't already discussed with the people I've talked about here directly. No surprises, no hiding behind screenames.
With that, everyone have a great weekend. The weather should be beautiful. Enjoy the kids, homecoming, etc. - that is the sweet stuff.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Oct 21, 2011 10:53:32 GMT -5
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kimb
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by kimb on Oct 21, 2011 11:25:53 GMT -5
I have not added anything to this forum in a long time because every time someone adds their opinion (besides the two people who post frequently) their opinions are ridiculed and challenged. I am sure your kids/grandchildren are not on a bus for hours and i guess you didn't need answers to that question. No big deal for you guys. I guess the new supe will see how selfish people are in Wantagh. Everyone has a right to an opinion and it is not taking away from any problem you have. So please a little respect.
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Post by tiredoftaxes on Oct 21, 2011 19:08:34 GMT -5
Chis, I read your comments & Wayne's comments to the Patch article above.....You both suggested many excellent ideas...Unfortunatley I don't think things will change for the better until Long Island hits rock bottom...My guess is we are still a few years from that, but it's coming whether or not the school unions like it.....Because of greed, we are doomed for the time being....
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Post by bewlidered on Oct 21, 2011 19:35:10 GMT -5
Apparently my description of the last public BOE meeting has struck a nerve or two. So much so that I needed to re-read what I wrote because I could not believe the incredible responses.
For example, I stated, "I felt that we the people were in good hands with our Board and with our strong presidents. Ralph Spagnolo, Mike Cucci, Jean Quinn"
From that one line, lily has responded with this: "What I dispute is characterizing past BOE regimes as grand and beyond reproach, aka the 'good times' in Wantagh. They were not e.g., bring on 8%+ tax increases, shoving an unaffordable sportsplex bond down the community's throat when the kids and teachers had decade+ inoperable technology and decreasing support for teacher training and curric innovation, failed budget and the list goes on and on. Tumultuous at best, and not good in general by any means. Nor did they inspire confidence for me when it comes to a managerial leadership role that impacts my kids. Some/most teachers yes, the old regime BOE and super administration no. And there is a lot of concrete evidence that supports my statement beyond scratching the surface that I did in the short list above,"
I never stated that in the past we were in 'great' hands, 'excellent' hands, nor did I state that the previous presidents were 'perfect' nor did I even come close to insinuating that anyone was "grand and beyond reproach" (holy cow!) But at public BOE meetings the previous presidents were decisive and clear and sure in their responses to the public.
I began my summary of the evening with how I felt and throughout my description focused on the following feelings: "awkward" "uncomfortable" "I felt bad for" "confused"; Never did I think I was presenting myself as lily described me, "emotionally charged" or "fantastical"
Was my re-cap 'colorful' or 'satirical'? Perhaps it was. But I would like to assure anyone who reads this that it was indeed factual in spite of lily's reaction that my comments had, and I quote, "zero factual support"
Here are the facts (without my editorial):
Fact 1. The microphone malfunctioned, again
Fact 2. After the moment of silence people remained standing and were not invited to sit
Fact 3. The agenda was quickly read thru aloud with no pausing and no time for the public to follow along
Fact 4. Names were mispronounced
Fact 5. The new 'Supe' and 'Assistant to' were not introduced and barely recognized
Fact 6. Words were misread and mis-spoken
Fact 7. The introduction of the students left the children confused about what to do next
Fact 8. In repsonse to a parent who was concerned about human excrement on the playground at Wantagh Elementary School and whether there were cameras in that area, we were told that we, the public, are not privy to the location of the cameras
Fact 9. A family who made a donation was not initially recognized
Fact 10. A reporter from the Patch received repeated and excessive introduction
Each fact, unto itself, not terrible. Each fact in sum, in such a short period of time, worrisome.
chriswendt implied that my re-cap was not 'meaty' Perhaps I made it too colorful and in so doing, disguised the 'meat'
"meat" #1: Five parents are upset that their children were scheduled to spend 3 hours a day en route to school on the school bus. That's 15 hours a week. With 40 weeks in the school year, that's 600 hours. Six hundred hours is the same as 25 days. I would be 'pissed,' too. These parents indicated that they had been calling the Transportation Office for the past six weeks and only on Tuesday, when they threatened to bring up the issue at the Board Meeting, did they get the first attempt at fixing the issue. The response from the Board was lukewarm, though they did receive a personal invitation from the Asst Supe for Business to call her directly until the issue is resolved. I didn't see this covered on "The Patch"
"meat" # 2: MONEY. Not only were donations (cash and goods) totaling in the amount of $4,702.00 made to the district, but so was a $20,000 grant sponsored by Leg. Dave Denenberg.
Also, we learned that there might be as much as another two grants totalling $40,000 available to the district in the future. In Wantagh, and I suppose nowadays, just about anywhere, that's a lot of money! Thanks to all who donated! I didn't see this covered on "The Patch"
"meat" #3: Most folks who want to speak after the official business of the BOE has been completed, are invited to approach the microphone, state their name, address the board, and limit their comments to three minutes. On Tuesday, Leg. Denenberg approached the microphone, turned it around, addressed the audience, and was permitted to instruct the audience for sixteen minutes. Most of the information was interesting. It only became uncomfortable when the partisan fingerpointing began. I didn't see this covered on "The Patch"
"meat" #4: Now this was covered on "The Patch". Mandalay will not be closed because, first, "Wantagh Board of Education president William Russack responded by pointing out recent technology upgrades that have been implemented in Mandalay as a sign that closing the school is nowhere on the horizon." Second, "Russack also emphasized that the board is exploring long-range improvement options for the school such as enhancing the building’s boiler system." and third, "We are continuing to do computer upgrades at Mandalay at a substantial cost." Well there you have it, can't close a school that has technology upgrades, computer upgrades, and a new boiler.
That's the 'meat' I apologize if I left it out of my initial posting and if my style was not as journalistic as the Patch's rendition. By the way, first tenet of good journalism: Accurately cover the 'who, what, where, when, how, why.' So let's start with "who" Kevin McAuliffe's name was misrepresented four times in the Patch article as, "Kevin M’Aulifee" Need I say more?
I will close with this, I offered a truthful accounting of Tuesday's meeting. It has been met with criticism. I can accept that, in fact I did, and with nary a rebuttal. I thought it best to leave well enough alone. My decision to reserve comment yesterday, was met with more prodding from lily and chriswendt. So, I responded with this posting. I never claimed to be a journalist. Just a taxpayer, like the rest of you, with kids in the schools, the really good schools of Wantagh. I just want them to continue to move in the right direction.
I guess if maybe I had resorted to the style of writing that was popular here a couple of years ago when we were informed by fantastical stories of 'goldilocks and the three administrators" and Golden Gerl and Dr. Big and the Great Big Bear, I would have been considered a more responsible journalist. Again, my apologies.
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