Letter to the Editor:
The members of the Dedham School Committee would like to take this opportunity to respond to the letter in the Transcript authored by the Dedham Education Association President Tim Dwyer.
First, some points of clarification. Mr. Dwyer states one of his reasons for not signing the MOA was because “the grant is a gimmicky program with many strings attached to very little money.” Dwyer also states that over one hundred school districts across Massachusetts failed to sign the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the ‘Race to the Top” Grant (RTTT). The actual count is as follows: 256 signed the agreement with all three required signatures, 61 submitted the agreement with only two signatures. In fact some of our neighboring communities (Needham, Westwood, Walpole, and Medfield) did sign on to the M.O.U., which required the signatures of the superintendent, the chairman of the School Committee and the union president. In addition, the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) took the position to endorse the grant and recommended to their membership to sign on to the M.O.U. In fact, the MTA worked with the Commonwealth to provide an additional MOA with protective language on the collective bargaining rights. It was clearly publicized to all parties that signing the grant application did not preclude any union from withdrawal after the application was submitted.
Regarding Mr. Dwyer’s reference to “this administration has already brought in an outside corporation”, this can only be a reference to the Massachusetts Math and Science Initiative through the Mass Insight Grant program (MMSI). Since the inception of the MMSI, which is providing $100,000 annually, we have seen a dramatic increase in student involvement in advanced placement selection at the high school to a point that additional courses have been created. According to our teaching staff, the students have embraced the new and innovative approach to class work and achievement. Specifically, more students are moving from College Prep courses into Honors and likewise from Honors into Advanced Placement. Quite simply, MMSI benefits our students and our teachers.
Given these very challenging economic times, the addition of any grant funding that enhances student achievement and teacher expertise is of enormous benefit to our district and is supported by the School Committee. The “Race to the Top” Grant was a lost opportunity for the union president to support bringing new money into this district.
It is the position of the School Committee that improving student achievement should be everyone’s goal. Refusing to sign the grant application is not in the best interest of the students in the Dedham Public Schools.
Sincerely,
Dave Roberts, chairman, Margaret Connolly, vice chairwoman, Tom Ryan, Tracy Driscoll, John Healy, Kevin Coughlin and Joe Heisler
Dedham School Committee
