From Democratic mayoral candidate Mary-Jane Foster:
Foster: Successful Schools Require Leadership
Bridgeport businesswoman and social action advocate Mary-Jane Foster, who is running for mayor, released the following statement today:
“What’s wrong with this picture? Superintendent Ramos and the Board of Education have known with near certainty:
• that their budget for the coming year would remain the same …
• that the federal Recovery Act monies were running out …
• that certain fixed budget items were increasing (ex. health care costs) …
• and that there would be a multi-million dollar budget gap, now estimated at $18 million …
• And yet a doomsday plan to close the gap that includes closing schools and laying off several hundred board of education employees is only being presented to the public three weeks before the new fiscal year begins?
“What kind of leadership is that? How does this kind of business as usual approach to a budget nightmare inspire any kind of confidence in parents, let alone the private sector and philanthropic communities that are trying to find long term solutions to deeply rooted systemic dysfunction?
“I have spent more than a decade working to improve education in Bridgeport and the region, serving on the United Way’s “Success by Six” initiative and on the board of directors for Teach for America and the Fairfield County Community Foundation. These organizations are working hard to identify best practices for improving urban education.
“They have concluded that true education reform and improved student performance happen when you have strong leaders at the top. Specifically, when the mayor is a strong partner with the superintendent and the superintendent is empowered to make dramatic changes in how the school system is run, change is not only possible, it can thrive and transform failing schools into flourishing schools.
“Shame on Mayor Finch for taking a hands-off approach to fixing the problem. True, the mayor has no direct control over the Board of Education but he absolutely can work to bring everyone to the table to find solutions.
“Throughout my career, I have been a consensus builder … building bridges between folks who have no reason to work together in order to make positive things happen. Bridgeport needs a mayor who isn’t afraid to shake things up and get things done. As mayor, I look forward to breaking down the barriers, finding the common ground, and taking real steps to improving public education in Bridgeport.
Not only are our children are relying on us but our economy depends on it.”
The answer MJF is NO ONE IS HOME!!!
Ramos has been the captain of the Titanic when it comes to the BOE. All the red flags and obvious warnings have been exhibited, but he refuses, or more probably, is incapable of doing something about the myriad of problems that beset Bridgeport’s school system.
Right On Mary-Jane! Finch shrugs his shoulders and walks away. Not his problem. Neither Finch or Ramos have shown any leadership skills whatsoever. And the consultants, contractors and politically connected vendors remain on the BOE payroll. For the past several months, Finch’s main priorities have been saving the political jobs and winning the 2011 election. Nothing else matters, not even our kids.
It seems to me the administration and Ramos are involved in a pissing contest. Ramos submitted his budget one day before the BOE was to go in front of the B & A committee. Sherwood’s answer to this was screw them I put in last year’s budget numbers for this year. Neither side was thinking of the kids or the consequences of their actions.
This seems to be the general mood throughout the city, everyone is in the IT’S US AGAINST THEM mode.
tc,
Right on!!! Thank goodness the several candidates including Mary-Jane Foster have taken their view so we are looking through the wide lens at the entire City. When BOB volunteers attended the B & A hearings, again and again, the questions were focused: “What is happening in my District?”
It is wonderful to represent your District but the wider responsibility is to “body Bridgeport,” the entire City. And we are fiscally sick and not taking the medicine or advice from the outside professionals we pay to audit our overall financial books, our long-term retirement promises, and our retiree healthcare programs, among other things. That is insanity, a mental health issue, as well as the physical sickness issues so often reported.
And if Finch continues to entertain his long-term dislike of certain people or institutions in the City rather than grow up and get over them for the sake of the City as a whole, how can we blame other official leaders from falling prey to personality disorder? Time to put folks out to pasture who are unable to perform for the entire City, at whatever level they serve.
Knock Knock, I would feel better about Mary-Jane if she attended the meeting instead of having Danny Martinez pass out her mission statement. I was there and sat near John Gomes and his wife Janet and one of their children.
*** This education money soap opera has been brewing for years in Bpt and will continue to point fingers in all the wrong places, no? *** WHO’S MINDING THE STORE? ***