This sentiment was backed up by Ms. O'Quinn, Ms. Butts, and Ms. Portalupi.
In the video, Mr. Townsend denies and does not recall these remarks even though a copy of this email was handed to all board members for this meeting and during the comments from Ms. Wright, he has this email trail in his hands. At one point, Mr. Townsend flat out denies stating a family members' name to the attorney. Both Ms. Wright and Ms. O'Quinn reply that this did occur.
When Ms. Rief questions the comments about Mr. Townsend in his defense, Ms. Wright asks her if she read the emails. Ms. Rief replied she did not!
Needless to say, the board chair offered no apology.
ORCSD School Board Chair Needs to Apologize from Oyster River Community on Vimeo.
Go To marktownsend.org after or before you watch this video... Here is a blog post from Mark:
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the community turn out at the candidate’s night. A special thank you to our gracious sponsors, the media team and especially our moderator Bill Leslie. It was also nice to meet the other candidates, representing Lee and Durham and listen to their thoughts.
The questions from the community were quite interesting, showing a lot of thought and concern for our school system. Two things occurred to me, there is great pride in our schools - and there is a strong desire for change.
Change is component of most campaigns, and each year we elect new members to our board - but this year change is different. You will be electing three new members to our board, changing the composition by nearly half. That represents a lot of new energy, ideas & potential! You have a great opportunity to create a positive change for our schools!
The board you elect should recognize they are in service to our students and our community. Our next board’s first task needs to be to rebuild the trust of the community. We have many challenges, from the economic crisis affecting many our friends and loved ones to ensuring our children have the education they deserve. The last challenge we need during these trying times is a lack of trust.
Our next board has many challenges in front of it. I’m ready to serve - are you ready to help create the change we need?
My family is new to Durham. We chose to pay higher taxes to be a part of the Oyster River School District. I have followed the school board closely in my first year here and can't quite believe what I see each week. I think this board has drifted too far from its purpose and role. Do we have any options - as a town and/or cooperative district - to get rid of the entire board and start over?
ReplyDeleteI agree.
ReplyDeleteThe Strategic planning committee is a joke, several board members are jokes (going to Lee selectmen meetings and reporting his opinions and making suggestions is borderline illegal regardless whether he states he is there as a "taxpayer" and not a "board member"), a board chair who attacks other board members, etc. etc. etc.
I thought we turned a corner for the better. Instead our board has become a soap opera and a citadel of hostility.
Come on, we deserve better.
The chair was caught red handed, in an ourright lie. Yes he should apologise. Henry should also take note that perhaps he needs to be more aware that when he speaks, private citizen or not, he is seen as a board member.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if one board member will be called out for attending a town meeting, then it should apply to all.
By the way, I would actually hope that board members pay attention to town goings on and vice versa. I find it strange that just because you are elected to office in one capacity, you give up all of your rights to pay attention.
I know for a fact that Joe often attended town meetings and updated the town to the goings on, and there never seemed to be this skuttlebug.
If anyone paid attention to the vote on the audit committee, they would be hard pressed to believe that there was a plot to go in and force a vote. It was one of the most confusing votes I have ever witnessed.
Can we PLEASE get back to business and stop behaving like spoiled kids with hurt feelings.
By the way, Howard simply sitting there with out anything to say continues to prove his worthlessness.
Sadly the Board is actually better in the past year than it has been in a long time. Some members of the Board are actually acknowledging the public and attempting to respond to public concerns.
ReplyDeleteI agree with post above, the Superintendent seems to keep the Board divided.
Really, No apologies needed unless they all are going to apologize to one another for something that likely has occurred from several of the Board members of late, including Henry Brackett
ReplyDeleteI took note of everyone that did not support the budget committee and I will not support them unless they change their tune very quickly. The Superintendent appears to be relying on Joanne P. and Jennifer R. to work against the changes. I cannot understand Mark T.'s motivation, but, he couldn't have been thinking straight. Perhaps he intends to step down and wanted everyone to know his thoughts. If the Superintendent were truly a good leader, he would be trying harder to please the taxpayers. He is resistant to change because he likes all the pork fat in Durham. They are overpaid and overstaffed. The town needs to take over.
ReplyDeleteTo the previous poster:
ReplyDeleteThank God you are clueless. The town cannot legally take over the school district. And, taxpayers come before our children????? What the hell are you smoking?
Children come first and foremost in the school district. Providing them with a 1st rate education is the number one priority. Failure to do this would result in mediocrity and be a disservice to our most precious resource.
By the way, I am taking note of all the people who vote for a budget committee and voting against them. Such a committee is not the answer to your dreams. If you think it is, you can invite Henry Brackett and Roger Spiedel over for more deep tokes on your wacky tobbacky.
Is the word on the street true? Is the board going into emergency session this week?
ReplyDeleteWho screwed up now? Any bets?
Anonymous, above--it is you who are clueless, or else deliberately trying to mislead. The town can withdraw from the District any time a majority of its citizens vote to do so, and then take over and run its own schools.
ReplyDeleteIf you weren't so clueless yourself, you'd know that here in NH it has happened at least twice in the past five years, most recently in the Mascenic district. You can look it up.
Another board member leaving.... Another emergency session...
ReplyDeleteWe have lost two chairs in six months. There is a cancer in our system and it is the superintendent. He cannot be trusted and only serves himself. Until he leaves, or we elect a Board that will rubber stamp whatever he wants, there will be no peace on the Board. Howard Colter is the one who needs to hand in a resignation. And now.
ReplyDeleteDitto!!! HC needs to go.
ReplyDeleteNo way. These board members dug their own holes. No need to blame others and bring the house with them.
ReplyDeleteLet's get some history here:
Shirley asked to resign because she routinely spoke out to the public about information discussed in non-public sessions. That is why it is called non-public.
Kim Clark cried because she couldn't convince other board members to follow her initiatives. She became frustrated with the fact that public discourse moves slow and action doesn't move at light speed. She then pulled a Sarah Palin and left before her first term was up.
Mark Townsend pulled a Richard Nixon. He did something unethical, lied about it and tried to deny it. He got caught and realized the important and right thing to do was to resign.
I don't think Howard had anything to do with any of these three people resigning. try to find another scapegoat.
You might want to actually get your "history" straight & have a conversation with Thompson & Clark. You have been given mis-information. Go to the sources.
ReplyDeleteYes, Townsend screwed up all by himself.
However, the superintendent sets the tone for the district. He is supposed to lead. Colter isn't even trusted by many of his own teachers. Try talking to a few of them. Until we get a more dynamic team player to lead our district, we will have strife on the Board.
Wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe superintendent is supposed to do what the board tells him to do.
Can you imagine the revolution that would occur if Howard controlled the board? That is exactly what is not supposed to happen. It is the people who control the district - not the district who controls the people.
If Howard ran the board, it would be more like the disaster known as Dover.
I have my issues w/ Howard but I think the board owns these mistakes.
Even though I work in the district, I am new to watching Board meetings. Surprisingly, most teachers don't. We entered the classroom because we wanted to teach, not because we were interested in politics.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I have been shocked by what I have seen on DCAT and read on this blog. You know, everyone keeps saying to get a new superintendent, but given the messages this blog and the articles in Fosters are sending to the public at large, who would ever want to come here?
This is a great district, but you would never know it by doing a Google search and reading what comes up. Any decent person who gets an interview will do their homework. People on this blog criticize music, foreign language, guidance, administrators...you talk about dissolving the district...why would anyone want to walk in to that?
I would hope that someone would come here with no rose colored glasses and a desire to bring leadership and skills to fixing a mess. Why would anyone want to be President after Bush? Because people think they have someone to offer that can help the situation. This is a fantastic district in MANY ways. We also have MANY weaknesses and flaws--so does every school and every community. At least the next Super will no exactly what he/she is getting into and hopefully we will have a fantastic leader. The Super sets the tone for the teachers, the Board and the community...
ReplyDeleteTo the poster above who states "the supt is supposed to do what the board tells him to do."
ReplyDeleteYou are very correct.
However, it is well known by teachers and those who pay attention that Howard has made public statements remarking how he controls the board.
His attempts to control former board members did not work. His attempt to direct Mark to conduct activity that sent Mark on the wrong path, continue this pattern.
This board has put their trust in an administrator who continues to disapoint.
As Mark once said "the buck stops here"
Very true, however it is Mr. Colter who has been guiding this board as to when to pick up the buck and when to ignore it.
The buck in reality stops with Mr. Colter.
Shirley was never asked to resign. She resigned because she could no longer put up with the insulting way she was being treated by some members of the board and by Howard.
ReplyDeleteAt the time Jennifer and Kim were the only board members who treated her with any respect.
She resigned on her on, she was not asked.
The earlier writer who thinks that Colter doesn't manipulate the Board is living in a dream world. He totally takes sides on issues. I really wish that the staff & teachers could be honest & say what they think of Howard and the high school principal. But they fear repercussions. If they could do this, both Colter & Rogers would be out the door.
ReplyDeleteThe above is true. The way that Colter and Rogers treat the hard working professionals in this school system is shameless. Intimidating, bullying, harrassing, & yelling at teachers. And what is a teacher's recourse? Who can the teachers complain to? They simply try to avoid being noticed by the administration. What a toxic environment to work in. I've heard that Rogers calls the teachers "children" when they are in their faculty meetings. Almost all of our teachers are respectful to our kids. It is sad that their bosses cannot treat them with respect. I used to want to teach in the Oyster River district. Based on what I hear from my OR teacher friends, I am grateful that I teach in another district.
ReplyDeleteWe have no recourse because we do not have a leader we can trust. Howard will only protect his finds, the ones he brought to the district, while other long time leaders of the district are shunned. We can not turn to the board because they protect Howard. We have no one to turn to, remember what happened to Don Maynard?
ReplyDeleteWe all now fear the same. Teachers have no voice. I understand the citizens here venting who feel the same way, but imagine for a moment having to work in a district where you love your job, but feel no respect for it. Where you love working with these kids, but wonder if their parents also dis-respect what you do and what you stand for? From our perspective, we have no one to turn to and worse, see no hope for the future. The attacks here on the blog only serve to further beat down our morale. Especially given that we as employees in this district know the problems, yet when we do take the time to speak up, it is ignored. When will we be heard? We need a leader who will hear us, support us, and begin to show how great our schools and our teachers are.
Thank you I teach for speaking up. More teachers should share their experiences & expose what is actually happening. We do have great teachers. And it is pathetic that they have leadership that cannot be trusted. It would be nice if parents could talk about the exciting things that are happening in the classrooms here rather than having to focus on the destructiveness and devisiveness of our superintendent and high school principal. It is time for the manipulation to be exposed and the bullying and favoritism to end.
ReplyDeleteThank you I teach for your service to our community.
OR is fortunate to have fantastic teachers. Let's not allow that fact to get buried in the bs of the leadership. Colter was a mistake. It is time to face that fact.
ReplyDeleteI work at the HS and am very pleased with Colter and Rogers. Both treat staff with respect and offer us the opportunity to try new things and branch out of a text book to instill creativity and discovery. I hate to think what would have happened if the other candidate (instead of Howard) was selected. He was routed out of Barrington and I can't for the life of me why he was a finalist here.
ReplyDeleteI know first hand that there are staff persons in the district that have been hurt by a former board member's loose lips down at Young's. Don't tell me that Shirley is innocent. She was caught with her hands in the cookie jar.
It is amazing that you continue to perpetuate that lie. Shirley hasn't been on the Board for a year & a half. Please come up with something new. Spreading gossip about someone who served our community & continues to volunteer in our schools is very low.
ReplyDeleteIf you work at the HS and you haven't noticed the lack of respect Rogers shows for many staff members and students, then you aren't paying attention. Or maybe you are one of the "chosen." There is unevenness in her treatment of teachers and students. If she likes you, you are golden. If she doesn't, then watch out. Many of the other staff members have observed this and console other teachers by saying, "Don't take it personally, she does this to everyone." What a healthy workplace... not!
It is funny that a blog that began with a heading of "School Board Chair Needs to Apologize" degenerates into criticism of Shirley Thompson. Jeeeez Louise!!!
ReplyDeleteI teach at the High School too. I have nothing but good things to say about the administration at all levels (Colter down to the building principals).
ReplyDeleteI agree with my colleague above, whoever you are, that Laura Rogers provides us opportunities to be different and think outside the box. There is evidence of that nearly every week at the high school. If people stop bickering for a moment and see what is happening in our schools, the community would be very impressed - no, blown away - with what our students accomplish.
Countless alumni of ORHS come back to say hello to teachers and friends every year - especially this time of year when they begin their summer break. Almost all of them say that ORHS has done a stellar job at preparing them for college - even the most challenging of colleges (and yes, Henry Brackett, our students do go to top-notch colleges and they succeed there, thank you).
So for all of you who like to rain on the Oyster River parade, you have no idea what you are talking about. You take rumors, hearsay and innuendo and spread it like manure on a corn field. All it would take to get the truth is to listen to the positive things at board meetings by administrators. Sadly, all the good things are drowned out by all this talk about who said bad things about whom and all the talk about budget problems and other negativity. Take a moment and look at the good things. Ask your children about the good things they learn in the schools in the district. Think about when the last time you volunteered in your child's school and listened to the staff and faculty you meet. Many live in the district and it isn't as bad as one might think from reading this propaganda machine (the blog).
While we are far from perfect, we do have some work to do. And while it may seem that things are moving at the speed of the fastest glacier, believe it or not things are getting done and we as teachers have support from our supervisors, our administrators, our colleagues and the support staff.
Please don't listen to the nay-sayers and those who wish to tear up someone's integrity - especially from a poster who can hide behind the name anonymous.
I can't believe that the previous response was truly from someone who works at the HS. Enough is enough. The whole "anonymous" deal is tough to deal with, but those of us who truly work at the HS resent people who are posing as if they do. The only reason I must remain anonymous is because of the repercutions I would face if I identified myself. Isn't that sad? Our HS administration is synical, hateful and just plain awful to its staff and students, but the staff is too afraid to say anything because they know Laura Rogers is completely protected by the superintendant.Anyone who thinks that Rogers is encouraging us to think ourside the box, lives in a very small box. Again, the vast majority of teachers and students I speak with on a daily basis are appalled that she has been allowd to continue to be so disrespectful to her staff and students. For those of you who may think that our staff is divided, we aren't. We actually really adore and admire one another and the students--it's sooo good. However, we all have to mute what we do and say to stay off the Rogers raydar. I don't know of one colleague I've spoken with in the last year who isn't discouraged, demeaned and feeling a little hopeless about the leadership in our school. For what it's worth, I honestly know that my impressions, based on conversations with colleagues are dead on.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the previous poster swallowed the bitter pill today.
ReplyDeleteWhat did she do to piss off the admin. I don't see the evil at the HS that she speaks of. It may not be hunkey-dory (sp?) but we all seem to get along and respect each and everyone in the building from Admin down to teachers to support staff (secretaries and custodians). Everyone does a great job and pulls their weight.
In previous years, our facutly meetings were a bitter poison to have to sit through. Laura Rogers actually does a good job (not as good as Don Lafferty but no one can come close to that wonderful man) and makes it bearable by throwing in some humor and praises us on a regular basis. She gives everyone the opportunity to share news, ideas, thoughts and positions on many decisions we make at the HS. I can say that everyone in my department is actually pleased with most decisions coming out of the front office.
So that being said, I have no idea what the previous poster is talking about.
This is great, now teachers are insulting teachers. How productive is that?
ReplyDeleteEvery person speaks from his own experience. It is annoying that a teacher shares his personal experience and then another teacher accuses him of being bitter and having "pissed off the administration." Unless, of course, the 2nd teacher is actually an administrator posing as a teacher... hmmm, food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI am really glad that there are teachers at the high school who are having a positive experience. And I mean this. But I have to say that this is not true for all of us. We are trying to do our best job, keeping the kids as our first priority. But we are not all getting "warm fuzzies" from the administration. Many of us go about our business and try to avoid the front office. And it has nothing to do with bitter pills or getting in trouble with the administration.
ReplyDeleteCount me as another HS teacher who thinks that Laura Rogers is doing a fantastic job. She puts her heart and soul into that school, encourages innovation and collaboration among staff members, and goes out of her way to get to know students. I'm sure there are those who don't care for her style of leadership, but I believe her intentions are always good.
ReplyDeleteYes, I really am a teacher at the high school. Please don't call me names or doubt that I am who I say I am because you have a different point-of-view.