Perry and Company Engage in Personal Attacks, Makes Lawrence Look Like Geniuses Paying Attention With Tom Duggan By Tom Duggan – August 9, 2006 So you thought the Lawrence School Committee was a joke? Well, last night the North Andover School Committee made the Lawrence School Committee look like educational geniuses as their meeting […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITTORIAL August, 2006 Parents of children in the North Andover school system revolted this past week and demanded that the School Committee get back to work. While individual motivations varied, the common theme was that the schools were facing numerous challenges and the School Committee needed to provide leadership and guidance. Hundreds […]
Classroom Credit to Support Terrorism? Ron Francis is an Andover High School teacher, co-chair of the Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party, leader in the Somerville Divestment Project and, as some in thecommunity would argue, is “anti-Semitic.” “Ron Francis’ politics, statements and actions are anti-Semitic,” says Eric Danis, a graduate of Andover High School. “Both his […]
Our Missing State Legislators When Northern Essex Needed Them PAYING ATTENTION WITH TOM DUGGAN By Tom Duggan – July, 2006 Every two years the voters of Lawrence have to endure the platitudes of politicians like Barry Finegold, Dave (Where-is-HE) Torrisi and State Senator Sue Tucker crowing about how they are “friends of higher education.” […]
By: Tom Duggan – June, 2006 It was the usual circus at last nights meeting of the Lawrence City Council’s Housing Committee as Councilor Nilka Alvarez, (who is supposed to chair the meeting), completely lost control, allowing the meeting to degenerate into name calling, accusations of racism, a spate of misinformation, and a […]
North Andover School Committee Chairman Al Perry needs to step down. PAYING ATTENTION WITH TOM DUGGAN By: Tom Duggan – May, 2006 Besides his general incompetence on the School Committee, Al Perry is a perpetual elitist insider who opposes reform, defends the status quo and is more concerned with being a member of […]
By: Tom Duggan – March 2006 While suburban cities and towns like North Andover are cutting their teaching staff and eliminating art and music programs due to lack of funding, Wilfredo Laboy and the Lawrence School Committee have chosen to use state education dollars for out of state travel conferences (to the tune of $4,000) […]
What Does Your Fifth Grader Know About AIDS? February, 2006 Does your fifth grader know about AIDS? Does your fifth grader know of the “myths of AIDS”? Do you want your fifth grader being taught about AIDS in school? Many parents in North Andover this week are asking themselves these same questions after their children […]
By: Tom Duggan – October, 2005 Last month the North Andover School Committee approved measures to evaluate academic expectations and goals for students in the North Andover School System. School Committee member Charles Ormsby made a motions, which was unanimously approved. The motion was to intended to support the school committee initiatives adopted last […]
By: Dr. Charles Ormsby – January, 2005 We have been bombarded with news stories recently detailing the abysmal state of public education in the US. It is a theme I have been preaching for decades and a disaster that I am now witnessing up close and personal. The spate of recent articles was prompted […]
By: Tom Duggan – September 2005 LAWRENCE – Lawrence School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy is increasingly coming under fire by candidates for both mayor and school committee, as the city elections in November draw near. Embroiled in public scandal over the alleged assault on School Committeeman Amy McGovern, Laboy has become the subject of controversy […]
PAYING ATTENTION EXTRA Larger than expected crowd turns out for Jorge Gonzalez By: Tom Duggan – August 25, 2005 Lawrence School Committee member Jorge Gonzalez now enjoys the unique distinction of being the only candidate for any office in Lawrence to have been publicly endorsed by the Superintendent of Schools. Last Thursday Gonzalez, (who is in […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL June, 2005 Teachers Union 10, Children and North Andover Taxpayers 0 Get ready for the hand wringing! Next spring you will hear about the massive cuts in services and the need to layoff approximately two-dozen of North Andover’s teaching staff. Intense pressure will be brought to bear on fire, police and public […]
By: Ralph Wilbur – May, 2005 During the “Public Participation” portion of the North Andover School Committee Meeting on April 12th, Ms. Cynthia Jalbert rose to complain about the brochure I distributed before North Andover’s recent town election. Specifically, she suggested that my praise for Dr. Ormsby’s efforts to improve the quality of education […]
Ted Tripp, North Andover Taxpayers Association – April, 2005 That’s a fair question to ask. Just as recently as three years ago, North Andover voters showed up in huge numbers to overwhelmingly reject a $4 million tax increase by means of a Proposition 2 ½ Override. The School Committee, the Finance Committee and […]