Who will win the public relations war in the historic school board boycott? Board of Education member Maria Pereira affixed fliers to the empty seats before the start of Tuesday’s Finance Committee meeting.
In a Facebook post Pereira wrote:
These signs will be placed at every BOE meeting until Dennis Bradley, Joe Larcheveque, Kevin McSpirit, and the illegal Annette Negron, and Interim-Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz show up to our Board Meeting and do their jobs!
In an OIB comment she wrote:
Howard Gardner is Chair of the Finance Committee. He held his Finance Committee Meeting tonight with Ms. Baraka, Mr. Walker and myself in attendance.
I had a friend make a flier for all four M.I.A. BOE Members and the Interim-Superintendent that stated the following:
M.I.A. Have you seen her/him?
Each of their titles and photos were on the flier. I taped the fliers to each of their empty chairs, took photos and shared them on Facebook.
Ms. Rabinowitz is heavily involved in this stunt. We believe they were short one vote for Monday’s meeting and were concerned my resolution to discipline Fran Rabinowitz for absolute subordination and for outrageous actions regarding me were going to pass.
People are elected to office to fulfill their legal obligations and commitments to their constituents. In this country, when you refuse to do your job you are either terminated or forced to resign.
I’ve been paying attention to this BOE since the fixed vote Dennis Bradley received to be the Chair. I attended that particular meeting because I was present when Mario Testa met with Maria Pereira with Dotti Guman and me present. I sat and listened, knowing full well what Mario was going to do, since I’ve seen him do it hundreds of times before. I was there because Maria had never met him so she asked Dotti and me if we wouldn’t mind joining her. NO TWO PEOPLE KNOW TESTA BETTER THAN DOTTI GUMAN AND ME. I remember feeling bad for Maria because she thought she was being respectful and could trust what the DTC Chair said. As I said, I just listened. We attended the first meeting of the BOE since that’s the meeting where the Mayor presides until a Chair is elected. Sure enough, just as I knew would happen, Testa did his evil thing. Ganim went along. With all that said, I have a feeling this Board would have eventually moved on, hard feelings would soften and the work of the Board would get done. The real culprit is not Testa or Ganim, they just did what they do, but Fran Rabinowitz makes them look like boy scouts. She divided the members, turned one against the other and the kids be damned. She has been doing this to protect and prolong the money she earns every month she stalls the inevitable. She’s a greedy, mean old lady, who will be gone eventually with a ton of money she doesn’t deserve. She’ll retire comfortably with a good part of her wealth earned on the backs of our kids.
Lisa, tell us how you really feel. You have told me about Mario and his ways long before all this and you told me you would be watching him and you would step up and say something. Lisa, there is nobody who knows Mario Testa longer and better than you. Maria is very fortunate to have some of the women who have assisted her over the years and it’s good you and Dotti are talking to her now. Lisa, I hope Maria continues to listen because it would greatly help her. Tim will tell (JML).
It’s time for the State to break up this Gas House Gang!
Another Coward.
You have to love Maria for her passion, persistence and political potpourri. Too bad it’s the kids who are suffering with this pissing match on all sides.
Noel Coward
WOW. Culture in Bridgeport. Bridgeport school students should be learning about Noel Coward in their drama classes. That should our goal.
If Marvel Comics publishes an illustrated biography of Noel Coward, then the students of Bridgeport will learn about him.
Respectfully Mr. Grimaldi, when I signed up for this blog it said I must use my full name under all but limited circumstances. I do not recall hiding behind anonymity to hurl insults being one of them. May I suggest an addition to the Terms of Service being that true identities will be revealed after repeated insults?
Say it ain’t so, Joe? Where’s the insult???
You think Gas House Gang is a term of endearment?
Coward/Grin Ripper, I continue to do the work as does Howard, Ben and Sauda. We have not orchestrated these theatrics but we are certainly going to defend ourselves.
Did we issue a press release refusing to attend any further Board Meetings?
Place the blame where it lies.
I’m sure glad I will never have to share the Bully Pulpit with you!
So you will continue with the pissing match, continue to shout “He/she started it!” instead of acting like adults?
How long has Rabinowitz been interim Superintendent?
Longer than Maria has been back on the Bored.
I would really like to know the exact amount of years.
Forget it. I Googled it. Rabinowitz has been interim Superintendent since Spring 2014. It is now approximately 2-1/2 years later. What has the BOE been doing for the last 2-1/2 years?
Stalling any evaluations of Ms. Rabinowitz.
Joseph, you are understandably sadly mistaken about my intent.
Please Google the historical perspective of the term Gas House Gang? It has nothing to do with the Holocaust. It lends its name to the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team and a gang during the days of Tammany Hall that controlled the brothels and other illegal activities.
Okay, Frank. Fran Rabinowitz replaced Paul Vallas as interim Super in March of 2014. She had been the Superintendent of the Hamden schools. She retired, began collecting her pension and then was rehired on an interim basis until Hamden could find a permanent replacement.
She came to work in Bridgeport and had her interim appointment extended in 2015 to June 2017. However a previous AG ruling determined she could only work as as an interim and collect a pension for two years, which meant in 2016 she would have to have her salary reduced to 45% of the current rate.
Lo and behold, the law was changed near the end of that legislative session that benefited her and one other interim Superintendent in the state that allowed them to work ’til 2018 at full pay.
So there you go, Frank. Hope that helps. So by 2018 Fran will be gone, unless the legislature decides to change the law in her favor again.
Hope that helps.
And that is probably why Grin chose the short answer. The facts tend to complicate the matter.
Bob Walsh, thank you very much.
I am planning to go to that press conference today at Geraldine Johnson School.
Grin Ripper will be there and he’ll rip you a new one, or at least that’s what he told me!
What exactly is Fran saying here?
From the CT Post:
“Interim Schools Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz said this week that board votes are needed to approve the adopted policy changes that would limit bus transportation to students who live a mile and a half or more from school. The savings that would generate would be used to restore kindergarten classroom assistants that were eliminated as a cost savings measure from the 2016-17 district school budget.
“Rabinowitz also said that she has directed her staff to attend no more school committee meetings. Rabinowitz said the governance committee can still meet to adopt the changes but then it needs full school board for approval.”
So Fran is saying when she has something important for the board, she will allow school staff to attend meetings but otherwise she is forbidding them from attending board meetings as well as committee meetings?
Wow. She IS really out of touch, isn’t she?
But I guess that’s to be expected since she is only interim.
Rabinowitz has been interim since Spring 2014. Interim for approximately 2-1/2 years. What has the BOE (whoever were the members over that period) been doing?
She is saying although the Board voted unanimously to change the requirements to receive bus transportation, she is not doing it until the Board formally votes on the Policy change.
She must go. She is completely insubordinate.
The empty suits need to come back and fill the empty seats.
This woman has a Pubic Defender!
www .ctpost.com/local/article/State-wants-pubic-hair-from-accused-killer-s-9222556.php
Frank Rabinowitz was hired on March 6, 2014 for one year. In fact, Fran repeatedly stated she did not want to serve more than a year.
However, she then cut a deal with Finch that she would betray Sauda, Howard, John, etc., play nice with Finch, support Dave as Chair, play nice with Moales as long as her contract was extended. Dave, Joe, Moales, Kadisha, Hernan and Andre voted to terminate the permanent search for a superintendent shortly after Dave ascended to the role of Chair.
Although Rabinowitz’ contract requires she be evaluated every six months, they did not complete a single evaluation on her but voted to not only extend her contract once, but extended it twice without a single evaluation completed.
Sauda, Howard, Ben and I have fought to complete her evaluation since December 2015. Bradley, Larcheveque and Rabinowitz have done everything to obstruct her evaluation.
The deadline just passed for each BoE member to turn in their individual evaluations. Ben has compiled it, but now they have boycotted attending any meetings.
Does any reasonable person doubt who the real problem is? Let the process to replace her take place, hire a new super, and I’d bet the ranch the Board will work together, personalities aside, and hopefully our kids will reap what they so deserve. I don’t know of a board or commission, including the CC, that has a love fest going. But most leave their personalities and egos at the door and do what they were selected to do. The drama can’t go on much longer, eventually they must close the door and work it out. Unfortunately there’s no respected leadership who could get them to sit down, so let’s stop feeding into this regrettable situation so it can come to conclusion. I’m done, I’ve said all I have to say, I will stop by Geraldine Johnson School and then go to the Black Rock Library to attend a construction meeting, then home. PLEASE STOP UNintentionally fanning the flames, we’re all appalled, but once the attention stops, maybe they also will.
That is one of the biggest hurdles. In Bridgeport, we have become so polarized we can’t find respected non-partisan people who can touch base with two sides and settle things. We certainly need one now. In G1, my family’s lawyer Frank Babycos played a role (and a role model I might add) for working behind the scenes and settling “issues.” There is no doubt Ganim is getting bad legal advice nor is he getting any advice from a “wise old sage.” There may not be a “sage” available or Ganim does not want to listen. I don’t know which one it is.
What responsible BOE member votes to extend a contract repeatedly for a $180,000 per year employee without completing the required evaluations?
Sauda and Howard voted against it.
Maria Pereira. I texted you last night, but I did not receive a response. Anyway, it’s a a little after 4:00pm and I have to go to that Press Conference at Geraldine Johnson School.
Hey Frank. Hope all went well at the Press Conference.
I posted this earlier but was afraid it might get lost in the blogosphere. Try to follow this one.
Fran Rabinowitz replaced Paul Vallas as interim Super in March of 2014. She had been the Superintendent of the Hamden schools. She retired, began collecting her pension and then was rehired on an interim basis until Hamden could find a permanent replacement.
In March Fran came to work in Bridgeport and had her interim appointment extended in 2015 to June 2017. However, a previous AG ruling determined she could only work as as an interim and collect a pension for two years, which meant in 2016 she would have to have her salary reduced to 45% of the current rate.
Lo and behold, the law was changed near the end of that legislative session that benefited her and one other interim Superintendent in the state that allowed them to work ’til 2018 at full pay.
So there you go Frank. Hope that helps. So by 2018 Fran will be gone, unless the legislature decides to change the law in her favor again. Some people are born lucky.
Hope that helps.
Bob Walsh. THANK YOU once again for the extra information. I truly appreciate it. I DID GO up to Geraldine Johnson High School and we did have a little bit of an old-fashioned political rumble. On one hand it’s good to see people who are passionate about LIVING IN BRIDGEPORT. It is sad we have become so polarized. We need to find ways to reach common ground. THAT is what we are lacking. Ganim (2) is so insular. I don’t know why but the Mayor of a City will have tremendous impact on the political culture, which then filters down to people. GOING BACK to Rabinowitz, this school system needs a new Superintendent who is highly attuned and experienced in urban schooling. Fran Rabinowitz is NOT a good match for Bridgeport TODAY but we now face a situation of dealing with this impasse on the BOE. ALSO TO EVERYONE, I attended a meeting after the school press conference of CW4BB (Citizens Working For A Better Bridgeport) and that is a group that is evolving. TO ALL HERE, please visit their Facebook page.
I also attended the press conference. Channel 12 was a no-show. Doing it Local showed up after it had ended. CT Post was present.
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?
I hope Dennis Bradley and Co. truly realize this is NOT the path or direction for the BOE and the parents of Bridgeport schoolchildren.
And ALL parties need to find a way to reach common ground.
IMHO, a compromise can be reached as to the members of the BOE going forward, and the re-constituted BOE can get back to work.
Dennis, Where are You??! You had all these minions at your grass roots events and it grew nothing but weeds. Were you afraid to get wet?
I have a lot of yardwork to do. if I don’t do it I might get another warning from the BPT Anti-Blight enforcers. My car was already towed and taken by Charlie Mason and Mid-Town Towing. So I will be busy through the weekend. Good luck to all.
Have the “striking” BBOE members arrested, Governor Malloy, or would you rather intervene via state takeover of the BBOE again?! (And how did that work out last time? What would Hillary say if she knew about this situation in Bridgeport?)