Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Sean Garballey votes NO, then takes credit for SPED/ELL reform.

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Suzanne Owayda, who served on the Arlington School Committee from 2001 to 2006, was outraged when she saw Sean Garballey’s website.  Sean is now taking credit for initiatives he opposed as a member of the school committee.

As a former School Committee member who worked with both Jeff Thielman and Sean Garballey, I am supporting Jeff Thielman for state representative. Jeff is extremely dedicated to public service, will work very hard for Arlington and brings unique life experience to the complex issues our legislature faces. As Jeff’s colleague, I was particularly impressed with his leadership role as chair of the School Committee during the FY ’07 budget cycle.

Jeff and I worked together on the last round of negotiations with the Arlington Education Association (AEA), in which we followed an interest-based bargaining approach. Jeff listened closely to the concerns of teachers and used what he heard to help construct a contract the AEA could accept.

I read with interest Sean Garballey’s Web site and was surprised at his claim to have “led the effort to address the needs of students in our Special Education and ELL [English Language Learner] programs.”

Jeff Thielman was the Chair of the School Committee when the state determined that the district was not in compliance with these programs. He met with Department of Education officials and made sure the School Committee gave the new superintendent the support necessary to implement the state’s requirements.

More importantly, the School Committee voted in the spring of 2006, at Jeff’s final meeting as chairman, to reduce several administrative positions in order to put more resources into special education and ELL for the 2006-07 school year. The vote, taken just days before Jeff faced the voters for re-election, resulted in the addition of three full-time ELL teachers, 1.5 additional special education teachers, 7 full-time reading specialists as well as other positions that increased services to our students.

What did Sean Garballey do? He voted against this budget! When the special education and English Learner students needed him most, Sean chose not to be a leader. The facts on who really led the effort to improve these programs are clear, which makes it completely disingenuous for Sean to claim a leadership role on this issue as part of his campaign for state office.

Please join me in voting for Jeff Thielman for our state representative.

Suzanne Baratta Owayda

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Comments

    • Looks like Sean is all too eager to emulate the worst of Beacon Hill culture.  He tried to sell out the SPED and ELL kids for the unions, then tried to take credit for the services he voted against!

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      p>He is well-prepared to vote for the lobbyists and leadership, and then turn around and tell people in the district how hard he worked on their behalf.

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      p>Somebody – QUICK – what’s Howie Carr’s phone number?

  2. Ms. Owayda is correct.  Let me share the meeting minutes when Sean and Martin Thrope voted against the budget.

    REVIEW AND VOTE ON PROPOSED FY ’07 BUDGET

    Supt. Levenson presented his amendments to the budget proposed on March 14th. Recommended changes include the restoration of the METCO director to full time, splitting the K-12 director of health, wellness and counseling into two positions: a K-12 director of counseling and coordinator of at risk services and a lead teacher of health, physical education and FACS, increasing the traffic supervisors time in the afternoon to 30 minutes and changing the leadership in the ACE program. Supt. Levenson explained that to offset the changes he would use $15,000 from the utilities budget, $15,000 from grant reserves and $23,000 from various salary lines.

    Committee members discussed the budget and amendments. Mr. Thielman noted that the budget reflects the motions passed by the School Committee directing the Superintendent on how to build the budget; it is pro-child and pro-teacher and urges approval by the committee.

    On a motion by Ms. Lovelace seconded by Ms. Owayda it was
    Voted to adopt the amendments to the budget as presented by Superintendent Levenson. Unanimous vote

    Mr. Thrope offered a substitute motion seconded by Mr. Garballey
    Moved that the superintendent return to the school committee at the next meeting with a transition budget proposal with a more collaborative structure for 2006-2007. Motion defeated (Mr. Thrope and Garballey with yes votes; student rep also noted his support of the motion)

    On a motion by Ms. Lovelace seconded by Ms. Sheffler it was
    Voted that the Arlington School Committee adopts the FY2007 Arlington Public School budget in the amount of $35,319,943 as amended. Roll Call: 5-2 motion carries (Ms. Lovelace, Owayda, Sheffler and Mr. Thielman and Mr. Schlichtman voting yes, Mr. Garballey and Mr. Thrope with no votes, student rep was not in favor of the vote).

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    p>These were tough votes.  There were several unhappy traffic supervisors (crossing guards) in the room, as well as some folks who were going to have their positions eliminated.

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    p>Mr. Garballey claims to be the advocate for special needs and ELL children, but when it came time to vote for the budget that cut other areas to move funds to the children, he voted no.

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    p>Mr. Garballey claims to be a coalition builder.  However, the only coalition he was able to build in this case was with Mr. Thrope.

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    p>If you scan the meeting minutes, Mr. Garballey has a long history of being on the losing side of lots of 5-2 votes, often with Mr. Thrope.  It doesn’t paint the picture of an effective coalition-builder.  If Mr. Garballey can’t get to 4 votes on a 7-member school committee, how is he going to get 80 other representatives and 21 senators to agree with him?

  3. Kathy Fennelly, who served with both Mr. Thielman and Mr. Garballey on the school committee, asked me to include her comments on Blue Mass Group.

    When I assess candidates, I compare what they say with what they do.  I also decide if the person is actually a competent and effective advocate – pleasant, affable and able to communicate, persuade and gather momentum around an issue or vote and works steadily to achieve the goal.

    Last year, I spent 10 months on the School Committee sitting between 2 of the current field of Democratic Candidates for the State Representative seat.  I listened to what they said and watched what they did. That is why I decided that Jeff Thielman was the person who I believe would be an effective advocate for Arlington and West Medford.

    Serving at the State Legislature level involves dealing with complex issues, constituents, lobbying groups, colleagues and host of competing pressures.   Jeff has filled his life with actions that affect people – creating institutions that continue to affect the lives of thousands of people in this country and in Peru.  Now, he didn’t do it by himself, which is why I emphasize the importance of watching what people do.  To make lasting change, others have to be able to see your vision and join with you in the hard work of making it reality.  This is the talent that I want to see in the Legislature working on our behalf.

    Each of us brings to public service the person we are – all of the education and know-how, the good times and bad of our life.  Jeff is a person I can see being effective with all the personalities and prejudices and conflicts at the State House.   Because he has had more than 20 years of knowledge and experience, I see him as someone who will be taken seriously by the House Leadership and his other House colleagues.  I see him as someone who will be able to meet his fellows as an equal and gain their trust because they speak a common language and understand the trade-offs that effective legislation demand.  I see him as someone who can make a difficult decision and be willing to explain it to the constituent who violently disagrees, as well as someone who can process new information and change his mind, even if it angers others, when that is the right thing to do.

    I see the job of State Legislator as one of serious business – our business  – for someone like Jeff who has the depth of knowledge, intellect and experience to represent our interests in the legislature. These are some of the reasons that I will vote for Jeff Thielman.

    Kathy Fennelly,
    who served on the Arlington School Committee from 1987-95, 2005-06

  4. The budget is the school committee member’s statement of values.  It is a difficult task because there is not enough money in the school budget to fund all the needs of the school system.  The fiscal 07 budget that Sean voted against added teachers and more direct services to students, particularly special needs students.  If Sean is claiming he voted against that budget because he did not agree with how the crossing guards were paid then he was putting crossing guard pay ahead of children.  That is fine, but he cannot have it both ways.  What I find disingenuous is that he claims in his website that he “led the effort to address the needs of students in our Special Education and ELL  programs”, when in fact he did no such thing.  He did not even support the effort to address the needs of students in our
    special ed and ELL programs.

    I think Sean owes the public an apology for misleading them in his website.

    • while i’d visited the websites of all the candidates, this story led me back to look more closely at claims, endorsements, etc.

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      p>it looks like the names of some of sean’s supporters are repeated — make of that what you will.

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