Erdem A. Ural, Ph.D.

Stoughton School Committee Member

Stoughton, MA 02072

Telephone: (781) 818-4114

Email: URAL@stoughtoneducation.org

Striving towards Excellence in all Stoughton Schools.
Striving for Safety and Security in the District.
Striving to change the culture of cronyism to that of compliance with the laws and regulations.

CAVEAT: Information or opinions (if any) presented in this web page are those compiled by Erdem A. Ural, Ph.D. as an individual, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Stoughton School Committee.

Stoughton School Committee Violated The Open Meeting Law Again, Says DA; Three Times In A 9 Month Period

The Norfolk District Attorney's office has recently ruled that the Stoughton School Committee violated the state Open Meeting Law by holding illegal meetings on February 10, 2009, and on March 31, 2009.

Late last year, the DA’s office had ruled that Stoughton School Committee “violated the Open Meeting Law by deliberating outside of a properly-convened meeting regarding the contents of their July 11, 2008 response.”

Full text of both decision letters can be downloaded from the links below.

On February 10, 2009, Stoughton School Committee members Thomas Colburn, Allan Mills, along with Superintendent Anthony Sarno, and two other school department employees met with two Stoughton Selectmen, and certain Town employees. The purpose of the meeting was to decide the magnitude of additional cuts from the budget which was approved by the School Committee in December 2008. This group ultimately decided to cut the school budget by approximately $2.1 million dollars. According to Norfolk County DA’s office, this meeting should have been posted, but it was not. However, the DA considered the violation subsequently cured since the discussions which took place during the illegal meeting was later revisited in an open meeting.

After a written complaint was filed with the DA’s office, the Stoughton School Committee attempted to vote on the $2.1 million dollar additional budget cut, in an impromptu meeting on March 31, 2009. According to DA, this meeting was not properly posted. However, the DA considered the violation partially remedied since the School Committee later issued minutes of the illegal meeting. To resolve the violations, the DA’s office “only requires a written statement from the School Committee that they will comply with the Open Meeting Law.”

In order to resolve the July 2008 violation, the Stoughton School Committee was required to “acknowledge on the record at an open session of a properly-convened meeting that it violated the Open Meeting Law, and agree to comply with the Open Meeting Law in the future.”

CLICK HERE for the COMPLAINT letter filed on 3/31/09.

CLICK HERE for ADA's letter describing the second and the third VIOLATIONS.

CLICK HERE for the COMPLAINT letter filed on 8-4-08.

CLICK HERE for ADA's earlier letter describing the first VIOLATION.

Click here for the Stoughton Superintendent Evaluation Tool, and the irregularity in its approval process.

Click here to see how the US math and science education compares to the rest of the world.

COMMUNITY QUESTIONS

What is Diversity?

According to a US government definition, Diversity is all of the ways in which people differ, including innate characteristics (such as age, race, gender, ethnicity, mental and physical abilities, and sexual orientation) and acquired characteristics (such as education, income, religion, work experience, language skills, geographic location, and family status).

What does the School Committee Do?

According to the Massachusetts Law (Chapter 71, Section 37), the School Committee has the following powers and Duties:

• Hire and Fire the Superintendent,

• Review and approve budgets for public education in Stoughton, and

• Establish educational goals and policies for the schools.

Is there a Code of Ethics for School Committee Members?

Yes. Click here or here to read the Code of Ethics promulgated by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (www.masc.org).

What happens if Stoughton Schools can not cater to the needs of all children?

Wealthy parents always have the private school option available to them. Unfortunately, most of us can not afford them. Stoughton residents also have available to them, alternative no tuition options such as the Local Charter School, and Southeastern Regional Technical High School. The Town of Stoughton pays approximately $10,000 for each resident child choosing one of the approved alternatives. It was recently announced that student population from Stoughton to Southeastern Regional went up significantly, from 98 last year to 120 this year (http://www.snydersstoughton.com/news.htm). This translates into approximately 1.2 million dollars paid out of the Stoughton budget. The number of children taking advantage of other alternatives is unknown to the candidate at the moment.

How do the MCAS results achieved by our local public school options compare with those of other Massachusetts public schools?

Why did you not name the "Local Charter School"?

I did not name the charter school used in the comparisons because I do not wish Stoughton School System to lose more kids than it already is losing. I also delayed the publication of this comparison to beyond the charter school application deadline. The charter school threat to Stoughton system was discussed several several times in televised school committee meetings. I am hoping this exercise will motivate all of us to make Stoughton schools unequivocally the best choice for our residents in the future.

Why did you pick the West School as a basis for your elementary school comparison?

I picked the West School and the charter school for comparison because those are the only schools my neighbors and I can send our kids without having to pay tuition. Those are also the schools we have already been paying for, through our property taxes.

How would your "Overall Performance (Column Average)" number change if one were to use Stoughton District results (i.e. all 5 elementary schools) as opposed to West Elementary school alone?

Stoughton School District: 61

Local Charter Schools: 65

Massachusetts State Average: 57

I thought West School had better MCAS results than you quoted.

Prior to 2007, West Elementary schools enjoyed MCAS scores which were comparable to or better than the other elementary schools in Stoughton. The chart below shows that all of the West results took a nosedive in 2007. Recently, West Elementary School showed a phenomenal recovery in 2008 MCAS results. Stoughton needs to discuss and understand the reasons for the 2007 surprise, and make sure that all necessary resources are properly allocated to ensure that a similar surprise does not reoccur in the future.

How does the Stoughton School System compare to those of the neighboring towns?

The chart below provides a two dimensional comparison. The vertical axis, labeled as "MCAS Performance Index," is calculated as the unweighted average of the percentage of students who scored at or above proficient in all 2007 MCAS tests from grades 3 through 10. The horizontal axis is the per pupil spending. Sharon is seen to have the best performance index (82%) at an annual cost of $11,706 per student, which is slightly higher than state average of $11,642 per student. Stoughton, on the other hand has a performance index of 61% at an annual cost of $10,032 per student. In other words, Stoughton School System management produced state average performance level at a significantly lower cost.

Unfortunately, Stoughton's performance index of 61% means that 39% (i.e., 100% - 61%) of the Stoughton students who took the MCAS test were found to be below the proficient level in 2007. This is particularly alarming when one considers the fact that schools have and already use means to shield certain underachieving student groups from the MCAS tests. We should strive to move Stoughton to upper left corner of the chart.

PUBLISHED MISSION STATEMENTS FOR STOUGHTON SCHOOLS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS:

The Stoughton Public School system is committed to the education of the whole child. We view education as a lifelong process based upon the Massachusetts Common Core of Learning. Our mission is to set high standards for academic excellence for every student using innovative and inclusive programs which ensure that students of varying learning styles and achievement levels have access to meaningful creative curriculum. Our primary goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to become articulate productive and responsible citizens.

MIDDLE SCHOOL:

Not available.

HIGH SCHOOL:

Stoughton High School is committed to an educational philosophy that recognizes the fundamental dignity of the individual and our diversity. Likewise, we believe that maintaining high academic standards, mutual accountability, and a rigorous course of study fosters a climate of learning in which students value scholarship and intellectual inquiry. As a community of learners, we must ensure that students master the enabling skills and competencies that will encourage them to be continuous learners.