Rep. Longhurst Dishes Pencader, Feeds Students to the Dogs

Rep. Longhurst responds to a constituent:

-----Original Message-----

From: Longhurst Valerie (LegHall)
To:
Sent: Tue, Jun 28, 2011 11:51 am
Subject: RE: Pencader Charter
XXXXX,

Thank you for your email and expressing your concern. I’ve been involved with the Pencader Charter School since the inception. Over the years I have received many complaints and followed up on many issues surrounding the school. I feel for the students especially the ones who will be graduating this year. This is a very unfortunate situation that everyone in Legislative Hall has been discussing. We passed a key piece of legislation last week that would protect students from the failures of Charter Schools by moving the date of closure to enable students to find alternative schooling. I know it is too late for the Pencader students but hopefully we can correct this type of situation in the future.

As for Pencader, I just started receiving emails in the last two weeks. I’ve discussed the matter with the Governor and Sec. Lowery. This is a very unfortunate situation but Pencader must come up with the financing before and show it still maintains financial support. This is an issue that I can not help with. I’ve voiced my concern to Sec. Lowery and as had the other Legislators. I will continue to keep the conversation going but can not make any promises. I hope that you can understand that I was asked to get involved too late in the process. Again, please know that I am concerned for the students and this isn’t a matter I take lightly.

Please stay in touch as I will also.

Valerie J. Longhurst
House Majority Whip – State of Delaware

11 Winchester Court
Bear, DE 19702
Dover: 302-744-4351 Fax: 302-739-2313
Wilmington: 302-577-8475 Fax: 302-577-6701
E-mail: Valerie.Longhurst@state.de.us
House Democratic website: www.DeHouseDems.com http://www.dehousedems.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Delaware-House-Democratic-Caucus/

[Continue Reading]

AG says emails to SBOE will be DELETED, not READ!

Last week, we posted the email address for the State Board of Education following a recommendation from Sen. Margaret Rose Henry to Pencader families.  Her advice was to lobby the SBOE as the legislature has very limited influence over matters such as closing a charter school.

We have received a copy of correspondance from the SBOE via their counsel, the AG's office to a constituent. Initially, it's an unsurprising email.  Reading between the lines, however, should spark your ire - if you are tax paying low-man-on-the-political-totem pole Delawarean, that is. 

1) If you wish to have a formal comment submitted to the state board of education on a matter that potentially could come before the state board for a vote at some unknown or potentially known date/time, you must submit that item through the appropriate education associate in DOE.

Why?

• Because the DOE has made it so easy for Delawarean to identify just which education associate is compiling various files of unknown information that could someday prove useful. 
• Because we all know that we can trust DOE to be honest, fair, transparent, comprehensive, honest, reliable, unbiased, honest, timely, transparent... and we can rest, assured that our various unknown concerns will be 100% included in the mysterious final record of any unknown issue that could potentially come before the SBOE someday.
• Because Delaware knows that DOE and its puppet, the SBOE are so committed to transparency and living in the light that they didn't need the legislature to mandate that they record their PUBLIC meetings and make those recordings available to the PUBLIC because they meet at a time that is convenient to the tax payers. (Oh, wait, the legislature did have to do that! and the SBOE meets at 1 pm when most of the public is at work.)
• Because we can rest assured that DOE is self-policing and would never need an outside evaluator to identify areas of weakness, flaws, loops that leave an opening for legal challenges.  (Oh wait, that's what NACSA did...)

Enough Sarcasm -

2) If you send correspondance directly to the SBOE regarding an issue that could at sometime be an item voted on the SBOE, expect to receive an email from the Deputy Attorney General in the Delaware Department of Justice. 

This is necessary because:

• The Secretary was out of the office for the day and the Dep. AG fills in for the secretary?
• The DOE office staff is on vacation, likely at their Rehobeth Beach homes?
• Brute intimidation towards those who pay the State Board of Education members?
• Scare Tactic to put the public in it's place?
• The SBOE members are so insulated by the Gov. who appoints them and the Sec. of Education who controls the flow of information to them, that common citizens are not permitted to access these paid appointed employees of the people? Peasants.
• The Gov. and Sec. fear that the SBOE might grow a pair, evaluate the evidence on its merit and determine a course of action other than what's recommended?  (Happened once, under Minner... Could it happen to Markell?)
• The SBOE might hold the DOE accountable for its failures and mistakes?

Sorry, sorry, more sarcasm.

3) After a deep personal struggle, I feel I am morally obligated to share the following email chain.  It has nothing to do with my own disconnect to DOE and the Gov.  I believe in transparency, accountability, and access.  Someone is using the AG to limit access to public officials who hold great power in this state. The policies and procedures that allow this to happen need to be addressed, likely by the legislature.  The processes in place only allow one side of a story to go to the SBOE, the state's side.  The SBOE needs to be permitted to view all documentation - free of manipulation and undue influence.  And I just can't trust that DOE will allow that to happen. 

You may want to read up from the bottom verses down from the top.  The oldest/first email is last.


-----Original Message-----
From: Hickey Catherine T. (DOJ) [mailto:Cathreine.Hickey@state.de.us]
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 5:44 PM
Subject: RE: Email communications regarding Pencader Charter High School

XXXXX,

Please let me clarify this matter, as I am concerned that I did not adequately communicate with you initially. It is not that your (or any other persons) email/written messages cannot be part of the record. The regulation I cited and provided the link to describes the procedure by which any comments, electronic or otherwise, can become part of the record. So, if you or any other member of the Pencader family would like to make comments that are part of the record and thus available for the State Board members to read and consider, I encourage you to look at and follow the procedure set out in the regulation. Some, if not all, of the State Board members will not even read the totality of messages that are sent to them directly via email in matters such as the formal review of Pencader, as the Board members are very aware of the need to consider only the proper record in the case when making a decision. So, once it becomes evident that a message is sent outside of the proper procedure, the recipients are likely to delete it without reading it to ensure compliance with the requirements of the law.

Catherine T. Hickey, Esquire
Deputy Attorney General
Department of Justice
102 West Water Street
Dover, DE 19904
(302) 739-7641 (voice)
(302) 739-7652 (facsimile)

---------------------------------------
To: Hickey Catherine T. (DOJ)

Subject: RE: Email communications regarding Pencader Charter High School

Thank you for your email. I fully understand that my or any other person's email/written messages cannot be a part of the record. I will share your information with the members of our Pencader family.

XXXXX

--------------------------------

From: Hickey Catherine T. (DOJ) [mailto:Cathreine.Hickey@state.de.us]

Good afternoon, XXXXX.

I represent the State Board of Education (SBE). It had come to my attention that you have sent an email message to one or more of the members of the SBE about Pencader and the formal review it is currently undergoing. As I am sure you are aware, the matter of Pencader and the formal review is expected to be on the SBE's July 21, 2011 meeting agenda. The SBE must base any decision it makes on this matter on the record, which is defined by regulation. Your email message(s) to individual Board member(s) will not be a part of the record before the Board. I have pasted a link to the applicable regulation (14 DE Admin. Coder 275.3.10) below so that you can review it and see how to make any comments you wish the SBE to consider a part of the record. Anything that is not part of the record as described in this regulation will not be part of the Board's decision.

http://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title14/200/275.pdf

[Continue Reading]

Sen. Henry Works for Delaware's Students... And SBOE Email Addresses

Senate Majority Whip Margaret Rose Henry's reponse to a constituent:

Dear XXXXX

Unfortunately the legislature does not have anything to do with making the decision to keep a school opened - it is the State Board of Education that makes the final decision. I would recommend your lobbying efforts be directed to the members of the State Board. I support the school and have heard wonderful things about the students and the progress that has been made academically. I am so sorry about the financial issues. I do plan to support your efforts to keep the school opened.

Sincerely,
Margaret Rose Henry

After receiving Sen. Henry's advice, Pencader parents searched high and low for the contact information for the members of the State Board of Education.  Although the state board members are appointed, PAID, government officials and their bios are published on the Department of Educations website, their email addresses have been kept out of the public eye, likely locked in Jack Markell's secret guarded vault in the Governors Mansion. Always resourceful, the Pencader community has succeeded in attaining the state board's email addresses.

For those interested in contacting the state board over the Charter School issues or other concerns, here they are:

Dr. Terry Quinn Gray, tgray@doe.k12.de.us
Jorge Melendez, Jorge.melendez@pnc.com

Gregory Coverdale, gcoverdale@DOE.K12.DE.US; gcoverdalejr@hotmail.com

G. Patrick Heffernan, pheffernan@DOE.K12.DE.US

Barbara Rutt, barbararutt@yahoo.com

Dr. James, Wilson, imjwilson@comcast.net

Dr. Terry Whittaker, whittakt@udel.edu

Dr. Lillian Lowery, llowery@doe.k12.de.us

Compensation

The compensation of State Board members is specified in 14 Del. C. §104(h), which states the following:

(h) The members of the Board shall receive $100 for each day’s attendance at the meetings of the Board not to exceed 24 days’ attendance in any 1 calendar year; and they shall be reimbursed for the actual travel and other necessary expenses incurred in attending meetings and transacting the business of the Board. http://www.doe.k12.de.us/ddoe/files/pdf/desbe_proceduresmanual.pdf

[Continue Reading]

Vision Netowrk Names New Executive Director

From the Vision Network Newsletter:

THE VISION NETWORK NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Nationally acclaimed coalition of public schools gains new leadership for work ahead

Following a national search, former principal and school leadership expert Mark T. Murphy has been named as the new Executive Director of the Vision Network, a coalition of 26 public schools in Delaware.

Delaware Secretary of Education and Vision 2015 member Lillian Lowery, Ed. D, said Murphy's appointment comes at a critical time. "The Network's growth and the work ahead present a real opportunity for our schools to benefit from a top-notch leader, and Mark's talents are right on target." Vision 2015 member Paul A. Herdman, President and CEO of the Rodel Foundation, added that Murphy is ideally suited for the role. "His expertise in building strong school leadership will help ensure that all students have the opportunity to get an excellent education." That's exactly what we need."

As a Delaware resident for four years with children enrolled in public schools,  Murphy is excited about working in the community where he lives. For the past five years, Murphy worked at New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS), directing programmatic work at the national level and serving as Executive Director of Leadership Development. Prior to joining NLNS, Murphy was an assistant principal and principal in the St. Mary’s County Public School system in Maryland. "I'm excited about the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with our schools, building on  he successes so far, and partnering to take student achievement to the next  level; truly aligning and focusing our efforts on the critical drivers of  student achievement," he said.

[Continue Reading]

[Continue Reading]