Blog aims for equality in New Rochelle
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- July
- 19
A new blog has just been launched with a clear set of educational goals for the New Rochelle school system:
Our goals for this site are to:The New Rochelle Community Pulse is the product of “concerned educational stakeholders of New Rochelle” – meaning parents, residents and educators. Anyone can follow the blog and post comments, which of course would help to further the dialogue.I applaud the group for taking on this initiative and wish them all the best out here in the blogosphere!
- Improve educational experience of all children in New Rochelle Schools.
- Eliminate the inequities between the North and South End schools in New Rochelle.
- Educate and empower parents in the education of their children.
- Expose and address long ignored problems.
- Propose solutions.
- Work with the City School District of New Rochelle in addressing inequity.
- Get value for taxpayers.
- Assist all New Rochelle Schools become attractive and desirable to all stakeholders.
- Trim the fat, curb mismanagement in our schools as well as ensure fiscal responsibility.
- Organize efforts to improve all of our schools.
- Assist in ensuring accountability for stakeholders.
- Provide venue for people to vent, discuss, report and expose issues of concern.
What is your goal?
This entry was posted
on Saturday, July 19th, 2008 at 7:00 am by Diana Costello.
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Do you have the URL?
Sorry, SunnyT! The URL is http://www.nrcommunitypulse.org/ (It’s also now hyperlinked in the post.)
It is easy to hide behind the anonymity of cyberspace. I wish these “concerned citizens” would state who they are and what their associations—past or present—are with the school district. This information can help readers to determine the veracity of their statements and the agenda of the site.
Martin Daly, President of the New Rochelle FUSE
Hello, Mr. Daly,
An anonymous post is a reliable and frequently used technique in any attempt to seek information, including social science. Some citizens might feel uneasy about providing information posted along with their name. I have read the posts and some of the information posted reminds me of my own experience as a student in the New Rochelle school system.
Equity in education is still a concern for many of us who follow educational reform issues. It is a legitimate national concern. In my opinion, the goal of improving the educational opportunities for our children outweighs concerns for anonymous posts.
Lovelle Ruggiero, Ph. D.
Teacher Isaac Young Middle School, New Rochelle
Mr. Daly’s comment provides a perfect example of why someone would not want to reveal their identity when making a complaint against the City School District of New Rochelle. Rather than address any of the concerns raised by the blogger, the head of the teachers union calls into question the integrity of the blogger. In other words, a well articulated, public complaint about the District is met with a thinly veiled ad hominem attack.
Ironically, while complaining about the blogger not identifying themselves, Mr. Daly fails to reveal his dual role in the District. What readers here should know is that Mr. Daly is not only the head of the teachers union in New Rochelle but was recently elected as the head of the PTA as well, a blatant conflict of interest which would not be tolerated in a School District with any integrity. Given Mr. Daly’s dual role, parents who might have gone to the PTA for help with a complaint about a particular teacher now know that their complaint is going directly to the head of the teachers union. Just another example of the many conflicts of interest which are often the hallmark of corruption.
It would seem to me that as an educator, Mr. Daly would be aware that the United States has a long and storied tradition of anonymous publications going back to the days of the pamphleteers of Colonial America and the Federalists Papers which were published under pseudonyms. The union movement in the 19th century was often advanced through anonymous publications. The police today rely on the “crime stoppers” program to obtain information anonymously. Newspapers regularly rely on anonymous sources. There are whistleblower laws. State and federal judges routinely uphold the application of the First Amendment to protect anonymous speech.
Instead of concerning himself with outing anonymous bloggers or calling into question the First Amendment rights of New Rochelle residents, perhaps Mr. Daly should be more concerned with addressing the concerns of parents and other stakeholders in the District regardless of the source of those concerns or the agenda of that source.
The blog is little more than a forum for those dissatisfied with the New Rochelle school district to voice their opinions aloud. The blog is certainly not the voice of the community.
The blog does not represent the prevailing view of the community. It is a vehicle for whiners to keep on whining. Perhaps the blogger has a personal beef with the district? In any case, it’s a slap in the face of all the hardworking teachers and administrators in the New Rochelle school system.
Hello everyone,
Thank you for your comments and insights. I thought you may be interested in mu latest blog entry: http://hallmonitor.lohudblogs.com/2008/08/07/inequity-in-the-new-rochelle-schools/
All the best,
Diana Costello
this is a useful debate and i don’t see why people are upset over the existence of this or any other blog. Mr Bramson’s op ed piece seemed to suggest that a conversation was welcome and it should be. I think a previous blogger put the issue of favored status perfectly in his response to Martin Daly’s issue. I can recall Mr Daly actually attending a civic meeting several years earlier when the district budget was presented and actually responded to a question regarding the need to have FUSE members contribute to health and welfair costs directed at the school board/administration. this would have been a basis for an unfair labor practice in private industry and gave me pause regarding the degree of impartial collective bargaining that takes place in contract talks with the union. Mr Daly is a good man and proper advocate for his members, but the board/administration should have intervened. This was reported in the Journal News.
My only problem with the advocates for change is the north-south “issue” I was a substitute in the district and I can recall no favoritism in resource allocation nor any warehousing of good vs not so good teachers down “south” Teachers are, as a rule, excellent in New Rochelle. I think the issue is more of a lack of critical focus on the needs of a large percentage of “south” students (perhaps some need for differntiation of curricula) coupled with a district and administration that seems to want to end any debate. Taxes, a lack of information on upcoming major capital expenditures given our system is overcrowded as is, and disappointing results on recent State and REgent exams compared to county compel this.
I know Carlos Sanchez and he is a fine man and deserves our attention. I know Noam Bramson and he is a fine man who I am sure will be committed to his words on “one city” and welcome open and fair debate. Give Carlos a proper forum if one is required but also know as the previous repondent says that blogs are part of the fabric of our society and are not a bad thing at all
warren gross