District shares plan for schools chief

In Massachusetts, there are 329 school districts. In Maryland, there are 24. Amid the financial crisis and changing educational needs, more and more districts are looking to merge their operations, according to North Middlesex Regional School District Superintendent Maureen Marshall, who hopes to double as head of the Quabbin Regional School ...

[townie]

In fact, that's the direction that both national and state educational leaders are looking, said Quabbin Regional School Committee member Richard Allan, who sat down with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Barack Obama before coming up with the idea to share a high-rank administrator, such as superintendent, with another district. "

Asked by The Sun yesterday what Quabbin would do if North Middlesex does not agree to the proposition, Allan said: "I thought they said yes."

These two statements ought to scare the hell out of every taxpayer in Townsend, Ashby and Pepperell.
Someone told Allan it was a done deal.
This is being done so someone can look good and land a job at the Federal level.

"
Marshall said she can handle the two districts, which are about 40 miles apart, because the superintendent's job is to provide leadership and vision, not to be in school buildings.

"
Oh really?
Just ask Emily Metcalfe what happens when you are 40 miles away.
Will the next "crisis" be handled in such a smooth fashion?

[Phone it in leadership]

We need a superintendent who will be here and engaged in the educational needs of our families. The superintendent is the chief executive officer of the school district who prepares and manages the budget, negotiates union and vendor contracts, implements and regulates policies, meets education goals, oversees facilities...
If she wants to accept the Superintendent position of the 5 community Quabbin School district, release her from her contract and wish her well.
We need a superintendent who will work for us.

[Back room deal]

What is going on in North Middlesex? Quabbin has voted it yes and thinks North Middlesex has done the same. However, North Middlesex says we are still reviewing and has not had any public meetings on it. Something is rotten in North Middlesex. Your school comm and Super are making deals that residents of North Middlesex should be involved in.

[What]

Haven't Maureen and her school committee been saying they know virtually nothing about this and that no decisions have been made and certainly that Quabbin has not taken any votes? How did Quabbin come to presume that North Middlesex has already agreed to all of this? And why is a school committee member from Quabbin willing to talk to the Sun, but no committee members from North Middlesex will talk to them?

[Paying Attention]

Seems they cannot be truthful about anything. Budgets, per pupil costs, performance, stimulus funding, grades, space needs... all baloney! Over 400 students are awarded honors and high honors at the high school while our MCAS standings have been dropping like a rock in our area. Why would Quabbin wish to share this kind of chicanery and malfeasance?

[Back room deal]

The problem is the schools need better oversight. The superintendent reports to the school committee who are often inexperienced for the task at hand and who are manipulated by the superintendent and hence they offer relatively little or no true oversight. The school administrators often feel they are untouchable.

[JIm]

Let the Super go to Quabbin and advertise for a new Super. Quabbin wants her, and Middlesex obviously does not need a part time Super, as proven by recent major administrative mistakes and hirings.

This was a back room deal, and with all deals made this way it's dishonest.

[Concerned Parent]

How is it that before she was hired Dr. Marshall felt she couldn't do justice to the schools if she spent forty days a year at a post in Washington, but now she feels she can dignify the needs of this huge school district as a half time employee? I have an idea: lets offer to hire Jim McCormick back at his old salary (a savings of @$60,000) for half the hours he worked!
I hope other concerned parents will flood the subcommittee meeting on Thursday at 4:30, and the full school committee meeting on Monday, July 6 at 7PM.

[Barre Resident]

People of North Middlesex...

Welcome to our (Quabbin School District) world. We were so happy to be rid of this woman but now she seems to be coming back, at least half time.

Please, please, please vote no on her sharing school districts.

Maureen is a cancer. She is self serving and very sneaky.

Quabbin's school committee is very corrupt. Don't allow the same to happen to yours.

But please do not send her back here. We, the citizens, don't ever want to see her again.

[Back room deal]

Barre Resident wrote:

People of North Middlesex...
Welcome to our (Quabbin School District) world. We were so happy to be rid of this woman but now she seems to be coming back, at least half time.
Please, please, please vote no on her sharing school districts.
Maureen is a cancer. She is self serving and very sneaky.
Quabbin's school committee is very corrupt. Don't allow the same to happen to yours.
But please do not send her back here. We, the citizens, don't ever want to see her again.

Are the residents of Quabbin telling this to the school committee because they don't seem to be listening??

[Worried]

No one objects to the Committee or the Superintendent looking for new revenues. But this is simply not practical and it now appears to be a case of stubborness on the part of both Dr Marshall and the Committee to not recognize that and start looking for other, and perhaps painful, ways to save within the District until this crisis passes, just as all the others have.

[townie]

look at the job openings and just don't fill them. There is the cost savings....

http://www.schoolspring.com/jobs/...