Harp Stepping Down As Board Of Ed Prez

Daisy Gonzalez needs to go. She was a puppet for Garth Harries and King John She needs to just go!!!

"Mezza Mezza?" Her stint as president and as mayor has been a disaster.

E.g., she rushed to give Harries a new contract before she and the board subsequently voted to fire him with a dump truck full of taxpayer's money.

She fought for Harries to remain as superintendent, while ignoring the financial damage he was doing to the school system to the tune of $4.6 million dollars upon discovery by Dr. Mayo. As president, she has to assume the blame for the severe lack of oversight on her part. Because believe me, if there was any credit to gain, any, she would've garnered all of it herself.

If any gains have resulted since Harries' departure, (however, tepid they may be), the credit must go to the hard working teachers in every school across New Haven.

So as she leaves her presidency, she decides to offer up Mrs. Gonzales to be her descendant. Mrs. Gonzales may very well be a nice, talanted and intelligent lady, but this position in my view should be offered to a more seasoned person such as Darnell or Ed. Since the mayor couldn't do the job well at all, is she suggesting by this recommendation that Mrs. Gonzales will do a much better job? if so mayor, why didn't you step down earlier to stop the $4.6 million dollar bleeding?

Obviously the mayor wants to have someone at the helm in whom she can control at ALL times. We just had a person recognized on the 20th of this month who too likes to have equally the same amount of control, albeit on a much larger scale.

OMG! From bad to worse. I guess the mayor is supporting someone who will do nothing and never oppose her. What a joke! Disappointing! What happened to Joyner or Goldson?

It is a joke that Daisy Gonzalez should even be considered. What is her expertise? What does she really know? The fact that the mayor supports her shows how little the mayor knows or cares about education.

The mayor never should have taken on the role of Board of Education president. No other mayor in New Haven's history has ever served this dual role. The job of mayor is most definitely a full time, intensive and extensive responsibility. Either the mayor would become a part-time mayor or a part-time president of the board. Dual service would result in some degree of neglect of one or both of these positions. It appears that the board presidency suffered some neglect. One board member publicly stated at a board meeting that while Harp served as board president, she failed to attend various committee meetings which are significantly important.
A lot of the friction, conflict and dysfunction on the board in the past year was in part caused by the mayor's service as board president. She adamantly supported and defended Superintendent Garth Harries and took every criticism of him as a personal attack on her and him. Despite all the evidence of poor, inexperienced and inadequate leadership from Harries, the mayor stood by this man to the increased frustration of board members, teachers and administrators and the public
Garth is gone now. The mayor will now step down as president. The board will now select a new president and a new superintendent.
The next president of the Board of Education needs to be someone with superior knowledge, training and experience as a professional educator, someone knowledgeable of school organization and management, curriculum and staff development, the school finances and budget, and so much more.
For this position, New Haven needs an independent thinker and doer who is not politically connected or beholden to any particular group or any particular person other than the students, parents and teachers of this district. There are a few highly qualified board members who meet this criteria.
May the best, most qualified and experienced person be selected to fill this post as the district moves forward to chose the next superintendent.

Thomas Alfred Paine,
Beautifully written my friend.

Bring back Alicia Caraballo.

The BOE's are the state agencies charged by the General Assembly to oversee the implementation of the Ct constitutional education provisions.

The problem is that the Ct BOE's are state agencies overseeing municipally funded school districts.

So, how does a state agency really tell a city's school district what it should or should not do if the city is footing the bill?

Short answer is that it doesn't and usually rubber stamps whatever the mayor and his/her school superintendent want to do. We all know where this has gotten us.

I would like to see the NH BOE use its power under its organic statute to change how funds are allocated in this school district.

Invert the power structure and put the funds in the schools and the classrooms first.

Change the crony contracts and consulting fees to insiders.

If the adults want six figure jobs, then go to the private sector and stop feeding off of our kids.

Our kids deserve their adults looking out for them ... it's not about we adults, it's about our kids ...

Or am I too naive?

Daisy is a nice person, but is not firm with decisions. She can be easily influenced which can be innefective. In my opinion, the best candidate is Che Dawson. He seems to act more composed and level headed. He is not too political like others on the board. Am hoping Che becomes the president of this board!

Che Dawson is not significantly better than Daisy. Ed Joyner is clearly the man for the job. He is beyond knowledgeable and has the courage to make the best decisions for the students (something the board had not done for a long time). Those with a self-interest want the weakest person in charge, thinking that they can be co-opted and swayed. Those who believe in the students want someone with the courage to shake up the things that need it and shine a light on things that are simply wrong.

posted by: Pepa on January 24, 2017 10:24pm

Daisy is a nice person, but is not firm with decisions. She can be easily influenced which can be innefective. In my opinion, the best candidate is Che Dawson. He seems to act more composed and level headed. He is not too political like others on the board. Am hoping Che becomes the president of this board!

Che Dawson is a agent for the Charter Schools.Bring back Alicia Caraballo.

I talked to some people who are in the know, and then saw the NHR this morning. Apparently both Joyner and Harp are pushing the Daisy deal, which makes me even more concerned and convinced that it is a bad deal. Seems they both think they control her, which I hear she is happily pushing to win both their support.

Seems the mayor is going to wait it out a year until she gets two more appointments to the board, and she feels confident she can control Daisy. Joyner won't go for the position because of his personal ties to the schools system; his daughter is an Assistant Principal and his son also works for the system, and apparently is a little controversial. He also feels confident that he can control Daisy.

Neither Harp or Joyner will support Goldson, since they both know they can't unduly influence or control him. It looks like Goldson may be out on the limb by himself this year, since Harp, Joyner and Daisy will be dancing around each other, Che has no real backbone, and Frank is still trying to figure out where the bathroom is.

Harp belated realizes that she should have never self appointed herself chairmen of the BOE and legislate a year of administrative confusions financial misrepresentations and resignations. The Mayors legacy is rife with failures, most notably her ten point plan for education improvements whose results go unmentioned
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/ed_board_debates_testing_rebound/

And while Harp was floundering around at the BOE, city departments were reeking of mismanagement, creating budget deficits and departmental infighting such as Nicole Jefferson, Jackie James and Sally Brown sagas, to mention only a few. Harp should not only remove herself as chair, she should also depart as a regular board member, appoint a professional and resume her role as defacto BOE member as defined by the charter.

Sec. 3. - Membership on Boards and Commissions.

A.

General Rule 179. The Mayor may serve as a member of every Board or Commission of an executive or administrative nature as may be established by the General Statutes, this Charter, the Ordinances or executive order, so long as there is no conflict with Law. Said Mayor shall have the power to vote on all matters before any of said Boards or Commissions in accordance with the provisions hereof.

C.

Right to Attend. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 3.B, above, the Mayor shall have the right to attend all meetings of every Board and Commission of the City and to address it at any meeting. Moreover, no Board or Commission shall have the authority to exclude the Mayor from its meetings.

She should now apply her limited talents to running a city mired in debt and about to lose funding from its major benefactor, the State OF CT.

Can someone list Ms. Gonzalez's education experience and/or credentials? Unlike our new president, I would hope the Mayor would push for someone actually qualified for the position (and I am hoping that she is since she's made it this far in the machine, I truly don't know)

I continue to be amazed when people weigh in on issues without sufficient information. I am also amazed with how some politicians like to take credit for things that had nothing to do with them. The current board would not have elected Harp and there were board members who saw Daisy as a good candidate before Harp did. Toni is simply jumping out in front of the parade and pretending that she is leading it.
Do not forget that Mrs. Gonzalez was a strong parent advocate who often went against the system when she thought children were compromised. She also was a bank administrator before retirement and according to people who taught her at Cross, a bright student with integrity and character. While it took her a while to see the light, she has seen it and I am predicting that she will surprise her naysayers and focus on the needs of kids and teachers. Who better to lead the board than a parent who is a product of the system, who worked her way out of poverty, and is raising two fine boys who are good students themselves. She does this despite health challenges and getting nothing in return but the joy that comes with helping others. Give her a chance. I hope the critics are doing something to change the bottom line other than chirping. I know I am. Know your facts before commenting.

@ TruthWarrior,

Perhaps it would be better if you were more specific in your blanket assertions regarding Mrs. Gonzales.

Here are my aforementioned words - Mrs. Gonzales may very well be a nice, talanted and intelligent lady, but this position in my view should be offered to a more seasoned person.

I'm in no way putting this person down. It is my view, and I reiterate, that this position should be maintained by a person that has in depth knowledge regarding the intricacies of educating children. Not to mention the deluge of politics that one will experience in that capacity.

It was more than apparent that the mayor herself couldn't even do the job. So to suggest that Mrs. Gonzales (because she's a parent advocate) is more than qualified is absurd.

I'm of the belief that if she were voted in as the vice-president, that of in itself would give her tremendous experience to ultimately position herself for the presidency eventually.

Ms. Gonzalez has a son currently enrolled in an NHPS high school (and he's awesome). She's a New Haven resident determined to strengthen parent involvement in schools. That alone should make her qualified to lead the BOE, not to mention her years of experience on the Board. And she's a Latina woman – I think she makes a strong case for the position without having to seek additional credentials.

And if she struggles, I am confident in the ability of current Board members to support her.

@ Brian Jenkins

You are the most analytical and articulate commenter in this universe of people who chime in. I respect you more than you will ever know. I thought I gave examples of work that Mrs. Gonzalez has done on behalf of children and families and with her banking experience as an administrator she would do a good job working with the other board members. There are many grassroots parents in the city who have benefitted from her work on their behalf. We will see and I applaud that you never attacked her personally which says something about your character as well.

@ EducateourchildrenNH

I am glad you are not a journalist as your mentioning unnamed sources to cast suspicions on people's motives, and to add children to the mix, is about as low as you can go. What you send out comes back. Jasonian tactics have a tendency to backfire.

TruthWarrior,

Unnamed sources? Who names there sources here? How about these gems from you?

"The current board would not have elected Harp and there were board members who saw Daisy as a good candidate before Harp did." Who are your sources?

"Do not forget that Mrs. Gonzalez was a strong parent advocate who often went against the system when she thought children were compromised." When?

"according to people who taught her at Cross, a bright student with integrity and character." Who are your sources?

"Who better to lead the board than a parent who is a product of the system," anybody other than a Harp and/or Joyner stooge!

"Know your facts before commmenting." So your unsupported comments here are facts and others are not? Sounds a little Trumpian to me.

TruthWarrior,

And BTW, the poll above shows that 89% of the public doesn't want the mayor or her stooge running the BOE.

New haven insider. My sources for my comments are Current and recently retired board members, current parent leaders who show up at board meetings, staff and families at East Rock School, and the retired principal and teachers at Wilbur Cross High School. You can check them by coming to a board meetings and also reaching out to people who know Mrs. Gonzalez. Finally, the survey did not mentioned stoogies but that the Mayor should not be the chair of the board. I agree with the survey. I do not believe that Mrs. Gonzalez will be a stooge for anyone.

Wait, tmctague...are you serious? Because she is a latina woman, who has a son in the district that you think is 'awesome', and she cares about the schools....that is enough for her to be qualified to run a floundering school district? That is literally all anyone can say about why she is qualified?? Holy cow, this city is a mess!

TruthWarrior

My sources are Current and recently retired board members, current parent leaders who show up at board meetings, current and retired principal and teachers, current board members and administrators people who are VERY familiar with Joyner and Harp. I did an informal poll, and 8 put 10 people believe she will either be a stooge for Harp or Joyner. She has NEVER held a lead ship position with any organization, much less one as complicated as the NHPS. And there are only 2 people who attends theirs meetings who sees her lack of experience and would support her for leadership, and that would be Harp and Joyner. Which one are you? I would put my money on Joyner, whom you seem to parrot.

Not Joyner but very close to him and a number of educators and New Haven citizens. Your conclusions are just as unscientific as mine and since we share the same sources, the outcomes remains to be seen. You actually sound like Jason or one of his surrogates. Nevertheless, why don't you approach Joyner at one of the board meetings. He is a reasonable guy. Why all the vitriol directed at Daisy? And, I hope you are making a contribution other than the negativity.