BOE Filing, Gallon Letter Up Today
Schools and Board of Education offices are closed today due to the snow storm, but the Business Administrator's office will be open until 4 p.m., which is the deadline to file for the April 21 school board election.
Dr. Steve Gallon III has posted his message for March. It has details on numerous changes accomplished recently. To read it, click here.
Dr. Gallon spoke at the City Council's special meeting on public safety last week and made a distinction between holding events such as the school district's gang symposium and the ongoing effort needed to overcome what he called a "silent epidemic"invading the city.
He said the community must undertake "relationship-building" that has to be an ongoing process among city stakeholders. Although the symposium drew praise, he said, "Quite honestly, that evening was an activity."
The city and district must make a "longterm commitment to establish relationships," he said.
"This endeavor is not a sprint - it is a marathon," he said.
By the way, Dr. Gallon has agreed to take part in the League of Women Voters of Plainfield's second forum on education, this time focusing on charter schools. Heather Ngoma, director of the New Jersey Charter School Resource Center and a representative of a Plainfield charter school will speak also. Plainfield will have four charter schools in September, the only ones in all of Union County. But meanwhile Dr. Gallon has introduced new choices for parents, including an optional K-8 school experience and the establishment of the Plainfield Academy for the Arts and Advanced Studies.
Dr. Gallon's March letter to the community deserves a close reading. If the snow storm has left you with any free time at home till it passes, take a look. Or print it out and read it on a break. As the chief steward of district resources, Dr. Gallon needs our attention in these difficult times.
--Bernice Paglia
Dr. Steve Gallon III has posted his message for March. It has details on numerous changes accomplished recently. To read it, click here.
Dr. Gallon spoke at the City Council's special meeting on public safety last week and made a distinction between holding events such as the school district's gang symposium and the ongoing effort needed to overcome what he called a "silent epidemic"invading the city.
He said the community must undertake "relationship-building" that has to be an ongoing process among city stakeholders. Although the symposium drew praise, he said, "Quite honestly, that evening was an activity."
The city and district must make a "longterm commitment to establish relationships," he said.
"This endeavor is not a sprint - it is a marathon," he said.
By the way, Dr. Gallon has agreed to take part in the League of Women Voters of Plainfield's second forum on education, this time focusing on charter schools. Heather Ngoma, director of the New Jersey Charter School Resource Center and a representative of a Plainfield charter school will speak also. Plainfield will have four charter schools in September, the only ones in all of Union County. But meanwhile Dr. Gallon has introduced new choices for parents, including an optional K-8 school experience and the establishment of the Plainfield Academy for the Arts and Advanced Studies.
Dr. Gallon's March letter to the community deserves a close reading. If the snow storm has left you with any free time at home till it passes, take a look. Or print it out and read it on a break. As the chief steward of district resources, Dr. Gallon needs our attention in these difficult times.
--Bernice Paglia
posted by Bernice at 7:33 AM
4 Comments:
After reading Dr. Gallon's letter and a few others still available on the website I am very encouraged about the direction the Plainfield Schools are headed. Finally, there appears to be strong and consistent leadership for our schools. Work is getting done and there is a Strategic Plan, something that as a person from business I can appreciate. The City should take a few lessons from what the school system appears to be doing. I see leadership, accountability, vision, transparency, and communication. These are qualities I expect in a leader. I wish Dr. Gallon and the BOE well in their efforts.
Last week, Councilwoman Annie McWilliams had an opportunity for the first time to see how politics work in NJ. Her, Cory, and Adrian have been fighting the other council members dealing with the issue of the IT Department. Now here’s an issue that the city of Plainfield is losing a fortune of money over because of a lack of communication dealing with today’s technology. The word in City Hall is that they, McWilliams, Storch, and Mapp, don’t have an answer, so she calls an emergency meeting at City Hall and invited the County of Union’s representative to show that the City is wrong in the direction it’s going. BUT, we are told that that is not the case, and that the City is RIGHT! Also, we were told that the City needs a Director in order to have a successful operation.
Two months into the new year, and ALREADY you see the lack of experience. I’m hoping that after she has embarrassed herself and the New Democrats in this ordeal, she will begin to listen to the other council members who are trying to do the right thing by the City with this issue, and back away from Cory Storch and Adrian Mapp who do nothing but COMPLAIN and yield no solutions to the problems this city is facing.
I have attended a couple of council meetings, and I find Ms. McWilliams a bright and intelligent woman, but has a lot to learn regarding the issues this city is facing. One thing she is going to learn very fast however, is that her generation is not interested in how a person sounds or presents arguments, but the SOLUTIONS they bring to the table, the EVIDENCE of wisdom.
Dan Damon said today:
" I have to say that in my twenty-five years in Plainfield, I can only recall ONE home invasion before the rash of them that has broken out in the last year or two."
You mean in 25 years you have not heard of home break-in Mr. Damon? You have conveniently forgotten about the rash of burglaries on Hillside Avenue in 2005? Your Mayor and Council members were called to block meeting 100-strong. Of course you were the public dis-information officer and that is why the word never got out. Now you have choosen to forget about it all.
You have probably forgotten about the 16 murders in 2005 also.
This administration is presenting the information as it occurs. Let the people have the information so that they are better prepared.
Honesty. What a concept Mr. Damon.
Whew! Dr. Gallon said a whole lot in that letter. This guy surely gives people something to think about. He appears to be delivering to the BOE and working with the community.
Leadership requires straight talk. This guy seems to be providing both. Thanks Bernice, this was a good read on a snowed in afternoon.
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