With passions running high following a boycott of meetings by four school board members and calls for resignations, competing factions protested outside Geraldine Johnson School on Wednesday to voice their opinions. Steve Krauchick of Doing It Local, enterprising police reporter, showed up at the scene with his camera. Krauchick’s video opens with an interview with school board member Maria Pereira. Education advocates Jessica Martinez and Claudia Phillips vent at Pereira, calling for her resignation.
Martinez wrote about it on Facebook:
We are all Bridgeport! We are all neighbors! Peace and Love, it’s all about the CHILDREN! Maria Pereira had her very few puppets disrespecting parents and children, hitting people with their umbrellas and signs. That is ok her day will come and with all the great leaders in Bridgeport, we will all ensure our children are educated and have a chance at a future. Parents and residents do care! Maria MUST go, go demolish the WHOLE board and allow the State to takeover for the children!!
Pereira’s take in an OIB comment:
It was pretty stormy when it was about to start, so several of us took cover near the front of the school. A woman with children in Achievement First Charter School polos comes up to the door. A BPS parent asked if she needed help. She said she wasn’t sure but AF sent out an email to parents asking them to attend a press conference. She didn’t even fully understand what the press conference was about.
Jessica Martinez decided to hold the press conference in the corner of the parking lot. We walked over with signs, however JoAnn Kennedy and Frank Gyure were fearless. They were quite vocal. At one point Jessica Martinez asked everyone to make a circle of love because we love all our children. Then she started chanting “Maria must resign.” Hmmm … oxymoron.
The former director of Ex$ell Bridgeport and her husband were there, Maria Zambrano.
Claudia Phillips, paid Parent Organizer for Families for Ex$ellent School and AF parent.
Joe Larcheveque’s wife, Anne Larcheveque, and three additional parents of the “Satan Six” were in attendance.
Dollie and Ralphie Fonseca were there although he tried to duck in their vehicle. She was chanting along. Frank Gyure tried to get by her to get into the circle with JoAnn Kennedy and it appeared she was purposefully trying to block him. He tried to push through, her face turned beat red as she pushed him and said “get out of my space.”
Robin Mastro the President of the Parent association at T Hooker School was there. She is not a even a parent or legal guardian.
There were all these young children there, most from charter schools, and I looked over at this handsome little Hispanic boy wearing an AF polo. He was innocently chanting along with his charter school parents “Maria must go.” He had no idea who I was, what a Board of Ed is, etc., but he was caught up in this rally.
Doing it Local arrived and I was being filmed on camera when Jessica Martinez and Claudia Phillips starting yelling behind me right into the camera. Couldn’t they just wait until I was done?
I just walked away.
The vast majority of those present were Charter School parents and children. Jessica Martinez is the President of the district Parent Advisory Council for the BPS, which represents close to 30,000 public school parents and the only way her press conference can look well-attended is by using charter school parents and children as fillers.
That’s very telling.
Dennis Bradley was late and showed up after just about everyone was gone. Of course he was late. After all, why should today be any different from any other day?
CT Post take on issue here.
I was present for this confrontation. Steve captured a good part of the rational content about parents, taxpayers, and neighbors pursuing a course of seeking quality education for the next generation, some of whom were present, with signs of their own.
The school system has been working on ’emotional intelligence’ with diverse stakeholders in the past two years and with it you can see some rain-dampened “red” feelings along with some “green” or “gold” pleasantness plus energy perhaps.
The Mayor is absent from this, but he is absent from so many stages today. And he controls the stage and microphones when he wishes, but perhaps has nothing of value to say? Did Joe Ganim really wish a Mayoral “second chance” or did he enjoy campaigning within the Bridgeport community with those who were willing to provide him a “second chance?” A municipal leader has priorities and he has not stated his. The language of the campaign, “Stop Raising Taxes” and open, transparent governance have not been observed in action, rather the reverse.
Favoring the public safety segment of City employees while ignoring the education task in the City seems his intent.
However, to the extent fiscal resources were substantially ignored by the Mayor and the City Council for FY2017, an opportunity is at hand. The City has already received over $12 Million towards a Revenue Line Item regarding State Municipal Sharing of Sales Tax Fund. The July budget shows Ken Flatto projecting that account up to almost $16 Million for the year from almost $10 Million in the approved budget. But the amount he reported received in the month of August already exceeds that which was approved. Why not take the projection as well as the actual for real and spread it around on the most vital school needs? It would show reason, heart and political sense, wouldn’t it? Can you think of any higher priority item in the City at this moment? Time will tell.
It’s September, and where’s Joe Ganim’s Annual Report to the City Council, JML???
Am I the only watchdog out here???
Jimfox,
There may be a Joe Ganim Annual Golf Tournament where “second chances” are observed on every hole.
There may be a Joe Ganim Annual Report to Alumni of Fort Dix on how difficult it is to adjust to being Mayor the second time around.
However, (assuming you questions was not ironic, sarcastic, or stretching the edges of the absurd), when was Joe Ganim’s Annual Report to the City Council staged in the first place? You howl often, but barking is not your forte. Joe’s best chance, as we return from the silly to the serious, is to set out his three critical goals he will have achieved in his first year as Mayor and also to release the Five Year Plan, taking us out to 2020 showing where he sees us fiscally over that period, with budgets, taxes, school operating expense contributions by the City, and the likely reforms (cuts) necessary. Anybody else want to see THE PLAN? Time will tell.
The woman screaming in the video who is clearly unhinged and appears to be somewhat deranged is Claudia Phillips. She is a paid parent organizer for Families for Ex$ellent Schools. A “dark money” group heavily involved in funding the privatization of public education. If you remember, they funded that huge petition drive two years ago where I caught several of their canvassers making false statements regarding BPS. All three of her children attend Achievement First Charter Schools.
Jessica Martinez is the president of the Bridgeport Public School Parent Advisory Council, which speaks for about 30,000 BPS parents, yet the majority of the attendees of this press conference were charter school parents and their small children. Where was the outpouring of BPS parents, Jessica?
She was a former parent organizer for Ex$ell Bridgeport until she was let go.
She supported the illegal takeover and lost that.
She was the number-one parent in support of the referendum to take our right to vote away and lost that.
She supported Reverend Castillo, Katie Bukovsky and Brandon Clarke for the BOE against Andrew Baker, Dave Hennessey and Howard Gardner, and lost that.
She was Paul Vallas’ number-one supporter and lost that.
She was a huge Finch supporter and she lost that.
She was the Chair of Hernan Illingworth, Kadisha Coates and Faith Villegas’ BOE Campaign Committee against Ben, Dennis, and myself and she lost that.
I guess I might be as upset as her if I lost that many times, but she constantly behaves like this.
These two women are not in a position to call anyone else a “bully.” When people are this out of control at a scheduled press conference with many small children watching it is just best to walk away, which is what I chose to do.
They are stating I don’t offer any solutions, when I have. They should ask their idol Dennis Bradley about offering solutions. How can one offer solutions when you have the worst attendance record of every BOE member?
Quack-quack-quack.
Ever consider putting the education of Bridgeport’s children first? The BOE is a democratic body, not a klatch in the parking lot. Stop with the bullshit, the name-calling and bullying and intimidation. The state of Connecticut hasn’t increased education funding for Bridgeport because the local BOE is FUBAR.
What about the previous two decades of underfunding? The state doesn’t increase funding since we keep sending the same people to Hartford, and only a handful of them have the respect of their peers. The list goes on, but you could have done better than that statement if all you wanted to do was see your “name” on the blog.
Coward/Bridgeport Kid, I suggest you direct your comments to your three fellow Republicans on the BOE who are behaving like children on the playground who don’t like how the other children are playing, therefore they gather their toys and stomp off the playground.
Republicans should be asking why all three Republican BOE members have completely aligned themselves with the only Democrat completely in Mario Testa and Mayor Ganim’s back pocket.
No one can say any of Howard Gardner, Ben Walker or myself are aligned with either Testa or Ganim. No one.
Like I said, quack-quack-quack. I’m not a Republican, by the way. Probably more liberal than you.
You’re behaving like a child. Can’t get the BOE to accept your “My way or the highway” philosophy so you rant and rave and blame Mario Testa and Joseph P. Ganim. It’s only a matter of time before the State Department of Education comes into Bridgeport to take control of the BOE by throwing every single one of you incompetents out on your asses. Enjoy the notoriety while it lasts.
Coward/Bridgeport Kid,
So much for directing me to stop name-calling. Before you give others advice on a particular issue make sure you yourself follow it.
I’m not a coward, dearie. Everyone knows who I am. You actually met me last year. Get over yourself. You really ought to see a psychiatrist and obtain a prescription for medication to kill the bug that crawled up your ass.
Coward/The Bridgeport Kid,
I am well aware of whom you are, however there are many who do not whom you are.
Since I am both an “unlanced boil” and now I also have a “bug that crawled up my ass,” visiting my primary physician asap will have to come before the psychiatrist.
By the way, psychiatrists only deal with mental health, not physical ailments, but feel free to visit any medical professional who can assist you with the multitude of illnesses you seem to be experiencing.
Petition statement to be delivered to Joseph Ganim, Mayor of Bridgeport, Diana Wentzell, CT Commissioner of Education, Fran Rabinowitz, Superintendent of Bridgeport Public Schools, Dennis Bradley, Chairman of the BOE BOARD, The Connecticut State Senate, and Governor Dan Malloy.
This is from Move.org started by Wanda Simmons. Maria, I personally think this is bullshit and it’s politically motivated. Again they are trying to circumvent the will of the people who voted for you because they thought you were who and what they wanted for their children.
MARIA PEREIRA MUST GO was created by myself, with the support of Bridgeport Public Schools Parent and Community Leaders because of MARIA PEREIRA continuous belligerent behavior directed towards colleagues, PARENTS, BOE members and ANYONE not in agreement with her bullying tactics.
She is in violation of the Robert rules of laws in her disruptive behaviors that consists of shouting, name calling, intimidation and unprofessional language.
Her HISTORY of violence, criminal record and threats of lawsuits towards the Mayor and ANYONE that doesn’t AGREE with her has the 21000 CHILDREN of Bridgeport held hostage.
Her history of voting to endanger the welfare of Bridgeport Students and Community makes her unfit to be a BOE member any longer.
She has voted to remove imperative staffing, paraprofessional from overcrowded classrooms, school police SRO.
She voted to have children walk as young as kindergarten outside of the STATE of CT Guidelines.
Her inability to work civilly with the current BOE members has caused a BOYCOTTING.
MARIA PEREIRA MUST GO PERIOD! NO OTHER OPTIONS are Warranted!
We the PARENTS and Children of Bridgeport Public Schools want HER RESIGNATION!
Not only are most of the statements here false, Wanda has no pull. For instance, she has more than 1,000 friends on FB and couldn’t scratch 300 supporters for her bus petition. Second, Maria is one of seven people on the board. She cannot move an item unless it is voted on. FES is going to lay off Wanda for being an ineffective organizer. Third, why not focus her energy on something more constructive, since a cursory review of election law shows there is no recall. The buffoonery has to stop. Oh and there were only a handful of BPS parents in support of D Bradley at the rally. What parents is she referring to, exactly?
Wanda Simmons is a community organizer for Families for Ex$ellent Schools. Are you seeing the connection here?
When someone crafts a petition with this many blatant errors, misspellings, grammatical errors, etc. I don’t know anything else really needs to be said.
I never heard of Roberts Rules of Law!
Jim, I was trying to be nice and did not specify the errors. Cat’s out of the bag now! 🙂
Roberts Rules of Law is also marketed as “Politics for dummies.”
I attended the rally at G. Johnson School in support of Ben, Howard, Maria and Sauda; the board members who actually care about the children of BPS. Arriving at the school I was looking for my group. I noticed a bunch of folks in the parking lot. My first thought was it would be a bad idea holding any event in the parking lot since parents were picking their kids up from after-school activities. Lo and behold the “rally” kicks off in the parking lot. As mentioned the was some spirited back and forth between some members of each group.
I quickly realized most of the parents in “support” of the charlatan Dennis Bradley were not BPS parents. This is significant since the BOE has no direct effect on any other schools in the city except BPS schools. I had some empathy for the parents since they received an email from their children’s school to show up at GJS. Their only instruction seemed to be “as taxpayers” we want the “cancer” Maria to resign. Many charter school parents don’t realize their children’s school is a school of the state, not Bridgeport. They looked foolish, however, I believe in the process of a good rally and/or picket. I dutifully held my “Joe Larcheveque must resign” poster and watched the scene unfold.
Then the cameras showed up. Maria was being interviewed by Stephen K., the unintended consequence of the rainfall was Maria’s umbrella “framed” her and blocked the rest of the scene. The tomfoolery starts with Claudia Phillips, who seemed to be on something, and Jessica Martinez shouting in the background. I witnessed the interaction first hand, but it was after watching the video that I realized how rudderless and uninformed Jessica’s initiatives have become. Two of the “leaders” of the rally showed no maturity or couth. It has become tiring hearing “Maria’s the problem,” but the folks come with no solutions. These same folks have yet to admonish the people they support to actually do the work. Complaining about something without being part of the solution is called WHINING. No one wants to see grown folks whining.
I understand Jessica has designs on running for the BOE next year (the same BOE she advocated to be disbanded). I’m looking forward to help keeping her win-loss (maybe I should say loss-win since there are more L’s) record perfect.
I felt somewhat saddened by the fact this Press Conference/Protest Rally took place at Geraldine Johnson School.
The school was named in honor of a women who spent a good portion of her life working and fighting for a better Bridgeport school system.
And now you have protesters at her school trying to rally in support of a BOE that simply refuses to even meet on these critical issues.
It besmirches her name and reputation for a purely political game.
Bob,
The first monthly meeting for the district Parent Advisory Council was scheduled to start at 5:30pm at GJS. Jessica Martinez, the DPAC President moved the meeting start time back 30 minutes without the DPAC Executive Board’s approval to conduct her rally.
The majority of DPAC Executive Board members do not support Jessica. Jessica knew all the BPS parents were coming for the monthly meeting, therefore she was hoping those parents would help fill her rally. However the majority of the DPAC parents stood opposed to her.
Please do not paint the Board with a broad brush. There are three legal BOE members and one illegal BOE member refusing to fulfill their legal obligations. Three of them are from the Republican Party. Isn’t this the exact same behavior Republicans have been demonstrating in Washington and nationally?
I have no idea if Joe Larcheveque is going to attempt to run for re-election next year, however this “strike” is going to be used against him and any other Republican BOE member seeking office.
Ms. Baraka, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Walker and myself haven’t refused to fulfill our duties.
Bobby, you’re absolutely correct. When I first came to Bridgeport in 1968, Geraldine Johnson was in the forefront of educating the young minds of Bridgeport.
This madness done at a school that bears her name is a slap in the face of the work she did and the legacy she left in educating young minds here in Bridgeport.
Governor Malloy: You’ve just been given a Superior Court mandate to address Connecticut public education deficiencies. The logical place to start would be the state’s largest city. Start by breaking the illegal BOE “strike.” Issue an official order to the “strikers” to honor their sworn duty or resign. If they don’t comply, have them arrested.
Why so quiet on this issue? Is there a state takeover of the BOE in the works? (Of course there is! What would Hillary do? Should we ask her?)
Don’t you believe it. This is the funding advocates getting played as fools. Malloy will redistribute educational spending by funding and opening more Charter Schools in underfunded areas. AKA Bridgeport.
Hillary would campaign for contributions to the Clinton Foundation from the Koch brothers so the Clinton Foundation could open Charter Schools in BPT.
Jeff update, Malloy and the State AG are appealing that ruling.
Peace and love? I arrived at the protest to supports Maria Pereira and began shouting “Fran must go,” “Dennis must go” and “Where’s Dennis?” One of the females, “can’t say ladies,” walked up and down muttering “I’m going to smack someone.” Peace and love my butt!
Exactly. Jessica asked everyone to make a “Circle of Love” and then stood inside the circle describing me as a “cancer.” I just SMH.
An unlanced boil is more descriptive.
If Maria really cared more about the kids and less about herself, she would fall on her sword. The longer she struggles to save herself the more children she sacrifices.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
As long as Maria resigns without prejudice, she could sue to get her position back as she was forced to resign under duress.
Mr. or Mrs. BOE SPY, what has Maria done relative to hindering the children’s educational progress?
BOE,
What an ass you are.
Bob,
Leave BOE/Coward alone. I am the un-lanced boil on his ass, therefore I’m taking care of him in my own way. 🙂
youtu.be/K8E_zMLCRNg
UGHHH … the return of BOE SPY!!!
In the context of the evasive, ambiguous Moukawsher non-Decision, I would have to agree with this comment.
“Don’t you believe it. This is the funding advocates getting played as fools. Malloy will redistribute educational spending by funding and opening more Charter Schools in underfunded areas. AKA Bridgeport.
“Hillary would campaign for contributions to the Clinton Foundation from the Koch brothers so the Clinton Foundation could open Charter Schools in BPT.”
Going from a somewhat coherent statement (previous/above) based on known political records, to the statement below, it would appear the author of both statements suffers from lapses of judgment and memory (the collection of other posts by this author display a similar alternation between relative lucidity and deficient memory/reasoning).
It would seem the author of the statement is either under the influence of drugs/alcohol on a fairly regular basis (and/or sleep-deprived), or if not (and maybe even in the former case), is undergoing some sort of mental/neurodegenerative process. It seems they might want to consult a neurologist in any event. This author’s collection of blog entries, as well the responses to such entries, would probably provide valuable clues toward a diagnosis, if not treatment regimen.
I guess those of us who read and write on this blog just need to try to maintain some patience and compassion.
“If Maria really cared more about the kids and less about herself, she would fall on her sword. The longer she struggles to save herself the more children she sacrifices.
“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
“As long as Maria resigns without prejudice, she could sue to get her position back as she was forced to resign under duress.”