Newton Mayor Setti Warren is calling for an independent review of School Committee governance to ensure future committees “can operate effectively as a group” following the controversial handling of anti-Semitic incidents at F.A. Day Middle School, The TAB’s Jonathan Dame reports.
In an unusual move on Monday, Warren emailed the entire School Committee listing four actions he argued should be taken following a series of TAB stories about an outside investigator’s report on graffiti incidents at Day….
– Each School Committee member must be given the full unredacted Day Middle School investigative report.
– If further appeals to the Secretary of State’s previous rulings are filed, the School Committee’s response must be discussed and reviewed as a body.
– The School Committee must participate in a training with a Civil Rights expert to ensure that Newton Public Schools is complying with civil rights laws.
– The School Committee must commission an independent review of School Committee governance so that the Committee adopts policies and procedures to ensure that future Committees can operate effectively as a group.
Why did it take him a year to react? Could it be that he wants to make sure his ” Governor Resume” looks like he cares?
This is Setti’s transparent and sick attempt to inoculate himself from the wrongdoing of Matt Hills and the School Committee. When it comes to anything related to Newton Schools, Setti has been the go-along to get-along Mayor. Time and time again, he has refused to use the power of his office to rein in the School Committee or influence the policies of the School Department. Rather than do his job for the past seven years, Setti now wants an “independent review of School Committee governance.”Setti has become as big a joke as those pathetic losers on the School Committee. And this is the guy who wants to be the Democratic nominee for Governor? Good luck with that!
@Mike: I wish just once you would tell us how you really feel! 🙂
Enjoy the snow.
The Review is a year late. I don’t think any Members of the School Committee come away looking good.
If anything, Newton voters have good reason to elect a new group of School Committee Members this fall.
I’d suggest the City Council request an external review of Mayor Warren’s practices. In my opinion, unlike Setti’s political games, this would be in the best interest of our community.
@Tom: That’s a pretty general statement. Exactly which “practices” do you believe need review?
Remember that something like this will cost taxpayer money, takes staff time and distract elected officials from governing. It’s in the community’s interest if/when there are legitimate concerns but this sounds like looking for a needle in a taxpayer funded haystack.
Anyone look at the Report now available on-line? It would seem to me that the School Principal should have been held accountable.
Matt Hills has directed more political coverups than anyone since Richard Nixon. He is the most morally corrupt individual I can ever remember holding elective office in Newton. Why the good people of this city tolerate his behavior is a mystery to me. But Hills is a shining example of why the Charter Commission should have included a recall provision in their revisions.
Mr. Striar, you are so wrong about Mr. Hills. I know him fairly well. While I do not always agree with his political or policy decisions, one thing that is crystal clear is that Mr. Hills is nothing if not a mensch, a total and complete mensch.
I do not know all of the reasons behind every decision he makes. (Indeed, I would assume that the constraints around many of these decisions are such that we cannot fully know the circumstances. As such, the nature of your comments on this site surrounding these decisions Mr. Striar reflect a profound and disturbing hubris). What I do know however is that Mr. Hills’ decisions come from a firm moral and ethical underpinning.
You are obviously free to agree or disagree with the decisions and actions taken by the School Committee in general and Mr. Hills in particular. You obviously have rather strident views on a number of topics where the pace of decision making if not the decisions themselves have not been to your liking. But it is not acceptable to claim that Mr. Hills is morally corrupt. Doing so is not only an inaccuracy but cheapens what is already a depressingly low level of dialogue on this forum. For shame.