"Randolph schools on the mend July 2, 2008
OVER THE past several years, students and faculty members in the Randolph public schools have been banging into each other in a rush for the exits. But signs of stability are starting to return to the beleaguered school district south of Boston.
Last week, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved a plan to restore sound educational practices to the 3,100-student district. The Randolph "turnaround plan," adopted unanimously in May by the town's School Committee and Board of Selectmen, averts a state takeover. More importantly, it should help to restore public confidence and civic pride in a town where nearly 10 percent of the student body fled the school system in 2006.
Also see: Patrick Plans For State to Raise Your Children
This workout is possible, in part, because voters stood up for their schools in April by passing a $5.5 million override of Proposition 2 1/2, the law that limits what a community can levy from property taxes.
Yup, the Globe is happy when TAXES are RAISED -- as long as AIN'T THEIRS!!!!
Voters had rejected earlier override attempts. That made state officials wary of involvement in a town that contributed less to its schools than its tax base would suggest it could. But now that Randolph is putting up more of its own money, the state can be an enthusiastic partner in improving the school district.
I don't want the state involved in the school systems anymore -- and that is SUCH a CHANGE from a former Mass. lefty!
Randolph has a chance to reverse years of classroom cuts, including the axing of foreign language and vocational instruction. Newly hired curriculum coordinators in English, math, and science are aligning standards with coursework. Special-education students should start to receive the services they need to succeed. And sufficient numbers of teachers and librarians can be hired to provide the intellectual environment that families will demand if they are to return to the system.
Much work remains. Randolph will need state assistance for teacher training, especially for older staffers who haven't come to grips with the changing demographics of a town where slightly more than half the students are African-Americans. The state education board would be especially wise to keep its four-member Randolph support team in place to ensure that the changes in the school district are sustainable.
Randolph, despite its underperforming status, has something important to teach to the state Department of Education. While state officials struggled to find the best ways to intervene on behalf of failing school districts, Randolph crafted its own plan with modest assistance.
"I intend to make this a model school district," says Randolph School Superintendent Richard Silverman. That would have sounded laughable a few years ago. Not so anymore."Yeah, I'm not laughing either, not when you consider how much money this state pisses away!
Please see: What Your Massachusetts Tax Dollar Goes For
