Ward 6 School Committee contest candidate Galina Rosenblit declined to participate in NewTV/League of Women Voters forums that we’ve been featuring here on Village 14. But she did elect to take NewTV up on the offer to create a “candidates message.” Here’s both of the Ward 6 candidates: incumbent Ruth Goldman and Galina Rosenblit
Rosenblit
Decision 2019: Galina Rosenblit from NewTV Government on Vimeo.
Ruth Goldman has been a strong advocate for students during her time on the School Committee. I’m looking forward to supporting her re-election.
Ruth Goldman has lost touch with her constituents and the fact that she is a public servant. She has been incredibly, unnecessarily rude to members of the public who have come to meetings of the school committee – making it very clear she’d prefer they were not there. Ruth, among others, is an example of why these types of elected positions would do well to have term limits. Why has she served so long? Time for a new perspective. At least time for someone who doesn’t take their elected role for granted.
Current City Charter, section 4.1.c
Election and Term—The terms of school committee members shall be 2 years beginning on the first
secular day of January after their election and until their successors are qualified. No person shall be eligible for
election to the school committee for a fifth consecutive full term. (Referendum of 11-04-75; Acts of 2002,
Chap. 368.)
Also, I’m voting for Ruth.
Ok. I stand corrected. I appreciate the information, Chris.
Somehow, Galina has never showed any interest in NPS before the whole curriculumgate started. Make no mistake about it – that’s the reason she is running. She doesn’t attend current school committee meetings, does not have children at NPS, she has no track record of volunteering at schools, and her priorities are really not the ones that have been “trending” among NPS parents. Sure, a better math curriculum is always great, but which one? Has she done any homework figuring out what exactly may need to be changed? How many parents at NPS are unhappy with the math curriculum? Has she gotten any teachers to buy into the need for the new curriculum? Not as far as I know. I also don’t get the “drugs in schools” priority – this is one of the issues I haven’t heard expressed by other parents as a top concern. One of my kids is at NSHS, and that’s not a concern for me, either.
I know Ruth, and like her – she’s smart, she understands NPS’s top priorities, and she has a child in NPS, so whatever decisions she makes effect her family, too.
I stand by my comments that Ruth acts like constituents are people who get in the way of her agenda and that she is rude to people who attend meetings – people who come because they care about their children’s education and how their tax dollars are spent.
Separately, @Irene. You are clearly a passionate, supportive parent. It’s undeniable and it’s admirable. Can you honestly say that the math curriculum in the Newton Public School System isn’t weak and in need of , at the very least, intense review, never mind overhaul? Russian School of Math, Mathnasium (excuse the spelling), Math Kangaroo, Khan Academy, private math tutors and on and on and on and on. The classes are full! They are expensive and many times you can’t even get your child in. Why is that? This is a question that needs to be addressed. Many, many parents are concerned about math in school being weak and especially by the middle school math being reduced to non tracked after years of tracking. MCAS scores vs Math report card grades are where you can find the truth.
As far as drugs in school, vaping is only one tremendous issue and NPS failed our kids by missing it two years ago when it was rampant. They fell behind. Didn’t realize what it was, wow the kids could get it so easily and how addictive it was. NOW we’re talking about it, but it’s too late for many.
There are no perfect candidates, but we can’t ignore the issues she raises.
Here’s are some fun facts@Irene-
New residents are paying a median of $700,000 (its higher now, isnt it?)to move into Newton for our schools ,
and they are paying for tutors and providing a handsome living for the
owners of the Russian school of Mathmatics, Mathnasium and Math monkey businesses. In other words, parents
are bypassing the intransigent, unnecessary, unresponsive math curriculum coordinator and her curriculum by voting with their feet, because they know that if they complain to the school department they’ll be told sit down and shut up, or talk to the hand.
School parents are essentially supplementing the math program that is taught in one of the “best school systems in the state” with outside schools!!
I don’t know if the Chicago math curriculum is still in the Newton schools- “math/english” as kids use to derisively refer to it as, but it created chaos and turmoil in the school system that was unnecessary.
The city should take the money they are wasting on curriculum coordinators and use it to pay our teachers. I think that Galina’s instincts are spot on!
Also @Irene from another thread-
Did you that you could volunteer to pay higher taxes by checking a box to do so when you file your taxes?
I don’t think any of Newton’ state legislators have ever done so, but you could do so first and maybe they will jump in too!!!
@Irene-
I graduated NSHS coming up on 40 years come 2020, and while the “drugs”
issue may not be an issue for you or your child at NSHS,
I guarantee, for someone inside of your child’s circle of friends at South, or their friends, or your social circle,
it’s a very big issue. Consider yourself fortunate. And lucky. People dont wear their addictions on their sleeves, or share chatter about what their kids are putting up their noses, or into their bodies while mom and dad are at the law firm and pilates. Definitely not in Newton with the stakes being as high as they are and a smartphone with a camera within reach. 30-40 years ago you could get just about anything at South, and my guess is with the money, privilege, and time some of these kids have, it’s even more available and rampant. I’m sure there’s ADHD drugs,
synthetic marijuana, ecstasy, and LSD being dealt and used around the hallways of Goodwin, Cutler & Wheeler in the same way that Cocaine, Speed, Downers and Thai stick were in my day.
Ruth Goldman, who graduated a year ahead of me and is a smart and savvy individual who cares about our schools probably knows as much, or suspects this also,
and i’ll bet she had a friend or knew of someone back in our day who was dealing with substance abuse. There are probably a fair number of school parents that are dealing with their own substance abuse issues also…,
@Casey, Do I believe that curriculum in math can be improved? Absolutely. Curriculum in many subjects can be improved, IMHO. My priority is actually English, not math as much. The problem that is related to curriculum in many subjects is the way that public education is administered in the US in general, so the problem runs very deep. As someone who has experienced the Russian Math the straightforward way – by going through 10.5 grades of school in Russia – I also know what the drawbacks of that system are. I am not sure that all the parents sending their kids to RSM and such are doing it because they are so unhappy with math at schools, or because they are following the general trend of joining the arms race of all kinds of classes in hopes of getting their children into Harvard later on. I have recently seen an ad for a STEM toddler class. We also don’t see parents (a majority) who don’t send their kids to RSM because they don’t find it necessary. Curriculum changes are a big deal, and take a lot of work. This is also not a new issue. But somehow Galina has only gotten concerned about it now, after the APT debacle. Curious, huh?
@Paul, you are describing societal problems that sure, will show up in the schools. As a parent of a high schooler, I think they are being well addressed and handled.