Bad actions of a few shouldn't tarnish the whole

The revelations contained in the recent Putnam High School audit should outrage us all. There is no excuse for the disgraceful, dishonest practices that appeared to have run rampant among a group of employees at the school for several years. But we cannot allow the misconduct of a minority to overshadow the great work of the majority of teachers and other school staff and faculty who come to school at Putnam every day and do the right thing. Let’s be clear, the violators of our trust are much fewer in numbers than the honest employees at that school. In fact, I’m sure that none is more outraged over these revelations than they.

Arriving at the conclusions drawn in the audit report was a 13-month process. It’s important to recognize those whose hard work brought this issue to light. Principal Gil Traverso has earned my utmost respect for his courage in requesting an audit when he first suspected foul play. Mark Ianello (auditor), Ed Pikula (city solicitor) and TJ Plante (chief financial officer) and their respective teams are to be commended for sticking with it until the end without compromising the criminal investigation.

I would like to also recognize the entire staff, students and parents of Putnam High School who have had to endure unnecessary public scrutiny. As with any system failure of this magnitude, it is important to learn the lesson and ensure those responsible are held accountable. More than anything, I’d like to reassure you that Springfield Public Schools has already taken many steps (including a Corrective Actions Plan) to shore up the financial short-comings at Putnam so that nothing like this can happen again.

Audits challenge us to do better

The recent audit conducted by the National Council on Teacher Quality was an exercise entered into collaboratively with an understanding that the study would provide Springfield Public Schools with an honest look at practices such as recruiting, hiring, evaluations and compensation.

The results of the study have given us pause to better understand our strengths and opportunities for improvement. I was disappointed by the coverage of the report as it appeared in The Republican. Instead of focusing on the value of the lessons learned from the report and how its findings will help us drive improvements, it focused on the negative, in my opinion. Please know that if we felt there was no room for improvement, an audit would not have been necessary at all.

While we may not be able to adopt every recommendation made in the report, it certainly does provide us with an objective view and our labor-management team is committed to moving beyond the status quo... That, to me, is good news.

Springfield runs/walks/builds for a great cause

The good work of Sirdeaner Walker in her efforts to bring greater awareness to dangers of bullying was not lost on the many, many supporters who showed up in droves on Saturday morning to participate in The Carl J. Walker-Hoover Foundation’s
2nd Annual Anti-Bullying Back-to-School Road Race/Walk.

A spirit of positivity and purpose permeated the air that morning with everyone unified in their commitment to stand against bullying.

It was an honor to serve as a co-chairman of this inspiring event. It was a busy week for so many of the volunteers involved with the “Extreme Makeover” project, which has benefited the Walker family with a brand new house. And the Road Race on Saturday was a perfect build-up to the culminating “Move that Bus” event on Sunday!

Springfield, once again, displayed its one-of-a-kind sense of community and caring to a deserving family and cause.

Renaissance gets personal with Gov. Patrick

When Gov. Deval Patrick was in seventh grade, his mother and grandmother were among his greatest influences. How do I know that you wonder? Because it’s information he shared during his visit with a seventh grade class at The Springfield Renaissance School today.

The Governor sat in on a class that was in session and one that happened to be having a group discussion about the influence of media, friends and family. He also participated in a discussion with students about the influence they believe their school has had on their lives and their futures. It was clear that every student appreciated the education they were receiving yet they were not shy about honestly discussing opportunities for improvement.

Gov. Patrick also spent time with some of Renaissance’s high school students and had meaningful interactions about their college aspirations, hopes and dreams. In an offer of encouragement and real life examples of what it means to persevere, he shared with students about his own background in being raised by a single parent mother and his grandparents on the South Side of Chicago, personal difficulties with standardized test and challenges in passing the California bar exam following Harvard Law school.

In the end, Renaissance students have a personal example of how hard work, perseverance and a positive attitude can pay off in their lives—“demography is not destiny.”

I could not have been more proud as I observed the Governor interacting with our students, who were bright, articulate, thoughtful, intelligent and confident. The great work of all our teachers, administrators and school staffs are evident in so many ways and shined brightly at Renaissance today.

Enjoy the long weekend

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” That well known quote is extremely fitting as we pause as a school district to observe Labor Day this weekend. I wish everyone a relaxing, joyful and safe holiday weekend.