On April 20th you may have read an email posted to WM Soapbox by an apparent anonymously signed "Cherished Meadow" presumably writing as a representative of our Lagunitas Waldorf Inspired Program. Meadow's email was in response to a letter I have not yet received and is rife with omissions and a serious factual mistake about the Open Classroom's previous discussions about going charter. What follows is a response by Open Classroom teacher Larry Nigro who has given me permission to republish here. I hope this begins a calm and informed discussion in the comment section below about these issues.
Unlike Cherished Meadow I hope that all who join this discussion will disclose their real name. Afterall, anonymous claims leave one to wonder about their veracity and validity as well as the credibility of those on whose behalf they speak.
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No
charter!!!
As a
twenty-three year Lagunitas School District Open Classroom teacher once
involved in the discussion about Open Charter, I feel compelled to respond to
Cherished Meadow's posting. To use the San Geronimo Open Classroom as an
argument for the Waldorf charter movement is ridiculous. The Open Classroom involved the
school community, administration and all the Open Classroom parents in
discussion about a possible charter from the beginning, well before any sixty day deadline. The Open Classroom never came close to
presenting a petition when we saw how negative it would be to both us and the
District. As a full-time
teacher, I was always opposed to the Open Classroom charter, but others
explored it because the District had not been granting seniority to two of our
teachers who had worked there for, as I recall, about eight years and frankly
some members of our community were interested in the charter grant.
But
when we saw so how much going charter meant we would be separated from the rest
of the District, we all decided to drop the charter idea. Again we never presented a
petition. Eventually, we were able
to grant our teacher's seniority.
I
still teach there and we never regretted this step.
Two
key differences between 2002 and now. 1. The Waldorf Academic Council appears to be much
less inclusive than the Open that met with the entire parent body and
administration in large meetings from the beginning. It a shame that in the recent school board appointment the
Waldorf parent running for school board chose to keep quiet about the charter
movement. The community deserved
that discussion.
2. We were a revenue spending district and
would have receive money for any student attending our District even for out of
District. Today we are a Basic aide
district and the District will receive 0 money for out of district
students. The District would write
a check for $5,100 to the Waldorf, plus the Waldorf charter has asked for
$165,00 in additional money next year straight out of the District budget with
no backfill. Open would have never
even uttered the words charter if we had been basic aide.
The
charter is a divisive movement that will result in less money for the District
children. Please let your Board
members know that this is not what you want your parcel tax and property tax to
go for. Community opposition is crucial to support our great Board of Trustees
in voting NO!! And please attend the May 10 meeting. The information is posted
below. And thanks for being a
community that supports public schools.
Larry
Nigro 1/2 grade teacher Lagunitas School District
A
Special Meeting is scheduled for May 10, 2012 beginning at 5:30 p.m. • The
first hour of the meeting will be a question and answer period. The District is
inviting the public to submit written questions to the Board, using the form
developed for that purpose (form on the next page). This form will be available
at either school office and online on the school website – http://lagunitas.marin.k12.ca.us.
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