Principal Steve Perry, you just don’t get it – it’s the double standard that is so offensive!

Jan 21

jonpeltoMartin Luther King Jr., Steve Perry Capital Preparatory Magnet School , 80 Comments

The celebration of Martin Luther King’s Birthday was an opportunity to celebrate Dr. King’s life, recognize his incredible contributions to our world and come to grips with the reality that our nation is failing to make much, if any, progress when it comes to the Dream that Dr. King laid out for our society.

A prime example of that failure is America’s infatuation with and dependence on incarceration. As noted in a recent Atlantic Monthly article, “while the United States has 5 percent of the world’s population we house 25 percent of the world’s prisoners.”

Highlighting the myriad problems with our country’s criminal justice system is something that Capital Prep Principal Perry is actually quite articulate about.  He often tweets about the unfair and racist approach taken against young African-American Males.

And he is right…

But the problem is not simply a system that unfairly targets Blacks.  As the Atlantic Monthly story explained, according the Journal of Crime & Delinquency, “By age 23, nearly 50 percent of America’s black males, 44 percent of Hispanic males, and 38 percent of white males have been arrested.”

There is no doubt that we are surrounded by racism but equally appalling is the fact that we’ve seen the creation of an underclass and that regardless of race, Americans without money and status are treated very differently than those who have the wealth, status and prestige to do as they wish.

Capital Prep Principal Steve Perry is living proof of this double standard.

When Steve Perry tweeted his now infamous threat that he was going to “strap up” and “there will be head injuries” he wasn’t arrested.

In fact, despite a call for an investigation, his employer, the Hartford Board of Education apparently took no action at all.

Perry’s Tweet was as follows;

Dr. Steve Perry‏@DrStevePerry
The only way to lose a fight is to stop fighting. All this did was piss me off. It’s so on. Strap up, there will be head injuries.

When Perry was confronted with mounting criticism about his words he Tweeted WNPR reporter John Dankosky, “@johndankosky John, does the word metaphor mean anything to you? I really and truly used to think that you were a real actual news guy.”

By comparison, look what happened to student at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

According to media accounts, an 18 year old “Doss High School student has been arrested after police say he posted multiple threats on Twitter.”

His tweets…

“Is time to get da [expletive] straps out [expletive] heads about to get blown away!!!”
 
“Doss ain’t ready for wat I got coming to em,”

A local television news report explained that, “The student was arrested and charged with terroristic threatening… A letter was sent home with students Monday afternoon, explaining the situation and saying students were never in danger.”

The kid said he was simply joking, but the “joke” got him arrested.

Google the words “student arrested,” “twitter” and “joking” and you will find dozens and dozens of situations in which students were arrested, sometimes for specific Twitter threats and other times for more generalized threats. But joking or not, the individuals were arrested.

But lets face the reality of the situation.  The young Kentucky man’s Tweet, “Is time to get da [expletive] straps out [expletive] heads about to get blown away!!!” is not very different from Perry’s Tweet, “All this did was piss me off. It’s so on. Strap up, there will be head injuries.”

Weather permitting the Hartford Board of Education is finally scheduled to discuss Principal Steve Perry in executive session tonight.  That discussion will take place behind closed doors and it is not clear the particular issues that will be discussed.

But the sad truth is that no matter what happens, in present day America, wealth and status kept Steve Perry from being arrested for something that probably would have gotten a student arrested, put in handcuffs and led away.

That is the double standard.

That is exactly the type of discrimination that Martin Luther King Jr. was talking about fifty years ago.

  • mookalaboona

    Yes, the nation’s most “trusted educator” should be in jail and the key thrown away.

  • David Lynch Topitzer

    Say it.

  • George

    What? No pseudonymous poop-slinging by the self-revered Mr. Perry? My best friend works for the state in Hartford, in a capacity in which he has knowledge of Perry, and he is generally known as a pompous asshole of questionable character who runs a questionable program.. But then again, he publishes that everyday repeatedly, doesn’t he?

  • buygoldandprosper

    America’s Most Trusted Educator…right up there with Jerry Sandusky!
    Perry is Hartford’s OJ only with a Twitter account.
    What a dolt.

  • Disgusted Parent

    Meeting was cancelled..hope it’s rescheduled….

  • notafanforeal

    Jonathan you are actual and factual! My child graduated from Capital Prep. I know first hand that students as well as parents were dismissed for far lest than this! Given the fact that we actually live in the very same state that the Newtown tragedy occurred, for America’s Most Trusted Educator to conduct himself in this manner day after day after day is appalling! Investigation?????? There should have been swift and immediate action taken day one! So now, if a child makes similar or less threatening comments, what rightful action can be taken against them????

    • guest

      PLEASE WATCH THIS! It’s less than 4 minutes long.
      (Thank you, Luv2Teach, for posting it.)

      http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/1on1-Dr-Steve-Perry—Innovative-Educator-241488061.html

      This clip shows why Perry has so much support. His message is compelling. Too bad none of it is the truth.
      Is he evil or stupid? Is he in this for personal gain or does he really not know that his lies will be used to give others like him (others with personal agendas) private (charter) schools where they can treat students any way that they see fit, as long as parents agree and make the “choice” to put their kids in the charter school…

      • jrp1900

        Guest: I agree that the clip gives you sense of why Perry’s message is “compelling”–to some. The interview with Perry is simply amazing. In watching the interview, it’s as if you had entered a parallel universe where up is down, and night is day. The interviewer calls Perry an “innovative educator.” He reports as simple fact that 100% of Capital Prep students have gone to a four year school. There is no discussion of the fact that Perry’s innovativeness is nothing other than the tired old routine of “no excuses.” And there is no mention of the fact that Capital Prep has an attrition rate of 35%, and this more than anything is why Perry can claim that ALL his students go to college,. Perry says that his methods are effective because he combines “high expectations” with “high support” or rigor with love. He does not mention that he more or less expels students–or “compacts” them out, as they say–if said students fail to go along with the program. Capital Prep is a public school but the practice of driving away undesirables makes it de facto private. The interviewer never went near any of these issues. One is left with the impression that Perry is some kind of genius. With notable exceptions, what terrible media we have in the United States.

  • guest

    We need to get this word out. Perry spoke in VA yesterday and he’s on an impressive (even for him) twitter-rant today. Here’s 2 examples. For more, see:

    https://twitter.com/DrStevePerry

    Dr. Steve Perry ‏@DrStevePerry45m
    We opened a school that’s designed to train kids how to act against social injustices which means we, the adults need, to set the example.

    Dr. Steve Perry ‏@DrStevePerry49m
    97% grad rate, 100% four-year college placement rate, 2,300 applicants & all we have is ONE Capital Prep…? Na, the community has spoken.

    • Charlie Puffers

      What’s up with the 2300? Either 2300 apply to Capital Prep as their first choice and someone is playing with the lottery so the athletes his coaches illegally recruit can get in. Or of the 2300 only about 100 or so pick Capital Prep as their first choice on the application. Capital Prep is not the top magnet school in the city – not even close.

      • guest

        Dr. Steve Perry ‏@DrStevePerry1h
        When our community is applying to Capital Prep at twice the rate of any other school, we MUST open more seats, now.

        Dr. Steve Perry ‏@DrStevePerry1h
        Can someone explain how CPrep can currently have 2,300 apps, we’re only accepting 50, yet there are no plans to open another in the city?

      • Linda174

        Perriochio lies again and again and again

        • brutus2011

          How come his pants are not on fire! lol!

        • R.L.

          That’s how these shysters wok. They have adminstrative or political ties to the press and they tell their story no matter how close to the truth it is. The people who write their stories don’t need to be bothered with fact checking or they’re discouraged from doing so by their politically motivated bosses, and thus the lie becomes “reality”. That’s how Perry works, it’s how Adamowski works, it’s how Vallas works, it’s how Malloy works, it’s how Obama works, it’s how Bush worked……Unfortunately for society, it seems that this is how our country works. He with the most money behind him has the greatest ability to produce “reality”.

          • brutus2011

            There is a report just issued by Oxfam re: how the world elites are essentially enslaving the rest of us by manipulating the political process and the press.

          • Linda174

            Where we would we be without Jonathan?

            The 2,300 apps should be verifiable.

      • HartfordPirates

        Interesting because he was 10 short of his target number for the school this year as of October 1…

    • Luv2Teach

      “97% graduation rate”?!?! How the h@!! does he get away with that claim when as many as 35% of students who enter that school never make it to senior yr/graduation??? Can’t he be held accountable for these false claims??

  • Terry Winters

    It appears there may be 2,300 or so applications to ALL HPS magnets and Perry claims all of these apply to his school. There must be a way to verify. He seems to tweet the lies. Does he state these stats during public meetings?

  • CoachT

    I don’t care for Steve Perry and his antics. He constantly ontradicts himself and seems to think it’s all about him. How is he saving young men in other states, when less then a block from the school he is the SO CALLED PRINCIPAL young men are in need of postive Role Models.

  • WHAT? Wait…

    Being schooled on “racism” and what could be thought of as “affirmative action for crime” by the civil rights leader… oh, wait, what? It is only Pelto. I am glad to see people go to the one who have been persecuted because of the color of his skin for the truth on race relations. MLK would roll around in his grave had he known you were trying to extrapolate his ideas to prove your point.

    • R.L.

      Is that all you got?! If you want to talk about skin, the closest thing I can think of is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. That doesn’t really fit Perry though, because he doesn’t wear the clothing of a sheep. He’s more like a cannibal. He devours “his own” for his own personal gain. Skin color has nothing to do with one’s intentions on doing the right thing.

      • MsIvy

        And who are “his own” that you speak of? You surely cannot be talking about black children since race has nothing to do with it? Please clarify?

        • R.L.

          You!

          • msivy

            Classy

  • jrp1900

    The road traveled by African Americans has been long and hard, but the journey towards freedom is far from over. If Martin Luther King were alive today, he would surely take note of the positive developments in American society, but he would also see that the Promised Land has not been reached.

    In “Why We Can’t Wait,” King wrote: “Negroes are still at the bottom of the economic ladder. They live within two concentric circles of segregation. One imprisons them on the basis of color, while the other confines them within a separate culture of poverty. The average negro is born into want and deprivation. His struggle to escape his circumstances is hindered by color discrimination. He is deprived of normal education and normal social and economic opportunities. When he seeks opportunity, he is told, in effect, to lift himself up by his own bootstraps, advice which does not take into account that he is barefoot.” King was writing in 1964, but his words still hold meaning for today, as want and deprivation still ravage African American communities.

    King points out that “normal education” was denied to African Americans throughout the 20th century. The 60’s and 70’s saw some positive developments in terms of desegregation and curricular innovation, but, sadly, the resources needed for true egalitarian schooling were never made available, and now, in the era of corporate education “reform,” things are taking a substantial turn for the worse.

    It’s hard to imagine public authorities closing down 50 schools largely populated by middle class Euro-Americans; but this policy was enacted in the largely black and Latino district of Chicago, and it was done in the face of strong protests by the community. The privatization of American public schooling is being visited upon poor urban communities of color, precisely because these are the most defenseless and vulnerable people in the American polity.

    Steve Perry and his kind are like sharks who smell blood in the water. They realize that corporate education “reform” offers them the chance of money and power–all they have to do is to play the game to the best of their ability. And what is the game? Educating children? Building trust with the community? No, the game is “success,” as defined by test scores, college applications and admissions and financial “compensation” and bonuses. I have known a great many educators, but I have never heard any of them talk about teaching as a path to business success. Perry disturbs and appalls precisely because he sees teaching as a “main chance.” One gets very little sense that teaching for him is “vocation.”

    So many of the reformer types view themselves as “managers” and CEOs and their gargantuan salaries add some reality to their self-conception. In fact, the corporatists are more than happy to pay the administrators and the managers the big money: the large salary helps to concentrate the mind of the administrator in coming down hard on “ineffective teachers” and the salary gap between administrator and teacher reflects the growing power gap between them, which the corporatists are bent on consolidating. Obviously, the corporatists are not going out of their way to make sure that teachers are properly compensated for their labors.

    Martin Luther King points out that you can’t use education to pull yourself up by your bootstraps when you don’t even own boots. This is one of the most insidious aspects of corporate “reform” and its “no excuses” mantra: the claim that poverty has no necessary effect on a child’s schooling. Not only does this claim trivialize the effects of poverty, it also lets American society of the hook in failing to take care of the impoverished. No wonder, the 1% and their servants in education “reform” are in love with the “no excuses” line: It blames the victim and keeps us all from talking about the dirty secret of the contemporary US: which is the fact that the rich and the corporations are robbing us all blind by not paying a fair share of taxes.

    Perry knows which side his bread is buttered on, so he continues to serve up the same old thin gruel–that “education is the surest way to escape poverty.” Of course, this can be true for this or that individual, but it cannot possibly true for whole communities that lack the resources to compete, let alone succeed.

    So Perry claims that he was speaking metaphorically when he talked about “strapping up.” But, even so, it shows very poor judgment to talk about shooting people as an analogy. The boy in Kentucky was charged with speaking literally. Before he opened his mouth, he should have made sure that he had some powerful people in his corner. Isn’t that the lesson here?!

    • msavage

      Brilliant analysis. Thanks for this.

  • Concerned Parent

    We all know the handles that Steve Perry uses on here. I would have to say it is not even worth commenting on his posts.

  • MsIvy

    Ok. So this is disgusting and as an African American I am outraged by your use of Dr. Martin Luther King as a headline to further bash Steve Perry. Say what you want about Dr. Perry, but to ignore the blatant racism of this country and cover it up by stating facts about white males in prison is disgusting. So what that Steve Perry tweeted about racism and inequality in the justice system. What the heck does that have to do with anything at his school. Your blogs are often sloppy and disjointed. I felt like I was reading two different blogs that you were reaching to weave together. If your focus is Steve Perry, stick to the facts and leave it at that. To dismiss the racism as strictly classism is false. You only have to look at the recent tragic events in this country to see that. You all are up here following this post without seeing how you are being played. Hooked line and sinker by a journalist looking for a juicy angle. Come on…I guess a blog gives you head way you to break common journalism rules.

    • speaking up

      MsIvy, I agree that racism is alive and well in this country and I find it to be disgusting. It is less blatant today than it has been in years past, and that is not necessarily a good thing. In many ways a blatant, outspoken evil is less dangerous and harmful than a covert, underhanded one.

      I also am watching a new classism emerge in the U.S. and I see it burgeoning because we are not ready to acknowledge it or even admit that it exists. We have spent 200+ years telling ourselves that we are… a lot of things, but my point here is that the idea of classism is new in this capitalist society, and I hope that we all, quickly, find it to be disgusting.

      All of this said, I would like to agree with you and say that my intent with any comments that I make on this site are to make known the truth of what is happening under Steve Perry’s watch at Capital Prep.

    • jrp1900

      Mslvy: Yes, racism is alive and well in the USA, and, yes, it is not synonymous with “classism.” But Jon Pelto is right to draw a comparison between Dr. Martin Luther King and Dr. Steven Perry.

      We have been told by every corporate reformer, from George W. Bush to Gov Dan Malloy, that reforming schools is “the civil rights issue of our times.” These people are explicitly laying claim to the legacy of Dr. King. They are stating that they are carrying on his heroic work to bring freedom and justice to the African-American people. Let me suggest that this is all so much nonsense.

      Education “reform” in the United States is backed by some very powerful and very wealthy people. The kind of “reform” we are getting comes from their perspective and serves their interests. It does NOT come from the parents, the children, the teachers who are most directly affected. Do public schools in urban districts need “reform”? Absolutely! But we are talking about more resources, better facilities, desegregation, better care for children and so on. But instead we have privatization, endless testing, less local control, harsh disciplinary treatment of children. Perry is a problem because he enthusiastically promotes this deplorable direction taken by the corporate “reformers.” In fact, there is a racist angle to many “reform” policies because they could never be enacted in “white” middle class districts, as people would resist. And their votes and money count for something. As you know, poor people of color in the USA often count for nothing.

      If you want to consider the difference between MLK and Dr Steve Perry as civil rights leaders, ask yourself if MLK would be so pally and so flattering of the big money people behind education “reform.” And also take note of the fact that when MLK was murdered in Memphis he was there to show solidarity with janitors and sanitation workers who were on strike. Now consider Dr. Steve Perry who only shows contempt for teachers’ unions, and who once went so far to compare unionized teachers to “roaches.”

      The “facts” speak for themselves…

    • speaking up

      Dr. Steve Perry has been very vocal about racism and inequality in the public school system. He characterizes
      anyone who does not agree with ed reform as being a “defender of the racist status quo system” and he points to this racist system as being one of the most important reasons that he ought to be given control over more schools.

      Dr. Steve Perry then exerts classism over all of the students whose parents enroll them in Capital Prep as he uses different tactics to drive undesirable students out of “his” school.

      I agree that our public school system is based on de facto segregation, and I want for this reality to be changed. I
      agree that school choice is a good idea. There are Hartford Public Magnet Schools that are abiding by the rules of the (blind) lottery system and these schools have truly, beautifully diverse student populations – and all of the children who attend these schools are being served as is appropriate for each of them. I live in a suburb and my child attends one of these schools today. Hartford Public Magnet Schools were designed to address the issues in the Sheff case and the schools that are abiding by the rules are achieving the outcome(s) that were the point of this legal decision.

      Private, charter schools are different – and this is what Dr. Steve Perry is pushing for. I agree that parents ought to
      be able to choose the school that their child will attend, but in order for this to be an actual choice, they need to be informed. If I had known that Capital Prep was a private, charter school I would have looked very closely at the Student/Parent Handbook and I would have researched the statistical data on achievement in the school. I would have asked many more questions of Dr. Steve Perry about his personal philosophy of what makes a school a good one, and about his experience, aspirations and goals in the field of education (public or otherwise). Because Capital Prep is a Hartford Public School I trusted and relied on my belief that the administration in the school would be overseen by the administration in the Hartford Public School system, and that rules and
      regulations would be followed and upheld accordingly.

      My child was harmed by Dr. Steve Perry’s unequal treatment of different classes of students (he is not racist in the classism that he exerts), and I take responsibility for having made the “choice” that put my child in this situation. I was uninformed and it is my responsibility to use due diligence in every decision that I make for my child. My intent in commenting on this site is to inform other parents about the choice that they will be making if they enroll their child in Capital Prep.

      • WEP55

        Doesn’t anyone remember when Perry was tweeting from the front steps of the school during mornings, ridiculing the way the young Black mothers who were dropping off their kids, how the women were dressed or how they groomed themselves? Such behavior reveals disrespect for the Black women of the hood. Then he hurls charges of racism at people who point out the many disturbing paradoxes of Steve Perry.

        There’s a lot to be concerned about; this is NOT a man to turn over even more control to.

        • speaking up

          I was not aware of this particular example of Dr. Steve Perry’s exertion of classism over (and blatant disrespect for) his students’ parents while acting as a Hartford Public School Principal. Does anyone have any record of it?

          • Disgusted Parent

            I remember …and he mentioned parents showing up in pjs…I believe it was a fb post.

        • guest

          Dr. Steve Perry ‏@DrStevePerry13m
          Nothing will mean more to ‘huddled masses yearning to breathe free’ than a world class love filled education. Not one thing.

    • Magister

      Hypocrisy is colorless, or maybe panchromatic. Perry is a hypocrite, regardless of his color. MLK was and is a hero of civil rights, regardless of his.

      I don’t see any problem with Pelto writing about either in his objection to hypocrisy.

    • WEP55

      Steve Perry has been Tweeting up a storm with the honorable MLK, Jr.’s quotes being warped in their use to promote Perry’s attempt to corporatize schools. (How much do you like when, these days, you have an issue to take up with corporate entities? THAT is the direction we’re headed if people accept profiteers like Steve Perry.) To let Dr. King’s words be used for purposes King himself wouldn’t support is perverted.

      Be very afraid of the trend to sell out schools to people who are building lucrative businesses on the backs of children. We’re not talking Dr. King or Mother Theresa here, we’re talking about Perry, a man who is happier when he’s in front of a big, adoring crowd (for $10,000 an hour), who yearns for the red carpet and the life of rubbing elbows with celebrity over the tiled hallways of a school building; is more likely in his office, on the air on TV or radio, broadcasting somewhere outside CT, where people still believe he’s talking truth instead of being with students and teachers in the building. Or he’s ranting on Twitter in a very contentious, ego-centric, and undignified, unprofessional manner. He tells his followers to block the people who don’t help him promote his questionable and unprofessional manner and tactics.

      Steve Perry is absent from his responsibilities an alarming amount of time, either on the road (out of state) giving speeches for each of which he’s paid about 1/4 of what each of his teachers make in a year of pouring heart and soul into their kids, then seeing their profession being insulted and verbally abused on Twitter by their PRINCIPAL! He burns them out, harasses teachers for taking lunch breaks, expects 12 hour days from them and disrespects those who aren’t able to live up to a model he shuns for himself.

      But, THE WORST THING about Perry is that he casts off the kids who need the most help. He sends kids back to their sending schools (so, they can’t be counted as dropouts, but he’s given up on them), then Tweets and talks and broadcasts insults about the schools and teachers who take those kids back and also, just like Steve Perry, struggle to find the answer to the question, “How do we help these kids succeed??” Steve sheds up to 35% of the kids who enter his school so by the time graduation comes, his statistics “100% rate” aren’t dragged down and sullied. Then he claims he has a replicable model! HOGWASH!

      Perry is using the Black community and the neediest ‘hood kids as a doormat and as a ladder, while he climbs over them toward more fortune and fame.

      Can you imagine, if he were allowed to incorporate that school and absorb others, how many more Black, ‘hood kids would be left behind? Can you imagine how much more he’d be out of state or in his studio/office broadcasting to promote his books and speaking engagements? Do you understand how much money would be diverted from the poorest neighborhoods to the mega-franchise Steve Perry aspires to?

      If he’s having so much success with the public magnet school, why allow him to incorporate? Answer: Because for him, THAT is where even more money is. How will Hartford feel when Steve Perry is collecting an annual ceo salary of $400,000-$450,000 while kids in the hood are being pushed out of his corporate schools because the bottom line profit system sees too little value carrying those kids.

      I have no dog in this fight, just the heart of a former educator who has the time to investigate and determine that Perry is not after all, what his agent and pr people want us to believe.

      • MsIvy

        Alas. Responsible reporting! Applause. This is what I mean. No sensational headlines, disjointed points, etc. I applaud your writing style. Thank you. Not sure I agree with all of your points, but I respect what you have written here. Maybe you should replace Mr. Pelto???

    • msavage

      Andrea Comer?

      • educationmatters

        Is that tongue in cheek or do you really think it might be her? Because if it is, then that means this blog and this topic are in the hearts and minds of the state board of education…

        • msavage

          She’s been here before. Sounds like her. This topic should be in the hearts and minds of the state BOE, should it not?

          • educationmatters

            Not this state BoE – they are too busy undoing public education and trying to privatize everything. So Pelto holds no interest to them.

          • msivy

            I can assure you that I am not Steve Perry, nor his wife (thanks for the compliment from whoever suggested that as she is a beautiful black princess) nor am I Andrea. I don’t work at the school nor am I a die hard Steve Perry supporter. I am a city resident, with a child who follows education stories. A concerned citizen who wants responsible reporting and a great education system in this city, state and country. The end. You can try to keep guessing who I am, but why? Is it not in the realm of possibility that this city has informed citizens on both sides of the reform movement…people capable of participating in the debate or civic conversations just a a plain old citizen? Yes. That is me.

  • Concerned Parent

    Again we all know the handles that Steve Perry uses on here. I would have to say it is not even worth commenting on his posts.

    • MsIvy

      Well maybe he has multiple handles but he is not the only one who smells garbage. Don’t comment. Please. You all keep singing the same sad song and are doing…nada. Keep fighting for your kids but this blog is only getting desperate. There could be validity in what he is reporting but its overshadowed by his constant need to reach for a sensational story. I am black. I read this and was so offended that this man, who will and never will walk in a black persons shoes can think he can interpret what was intended by Dr. King. Not saying that he is not capable of some understanding, but to use it to tear down another African American by using weak examples of injustice is just despicable. And color shouldn’t have anything to do with it. But welcome to America. You are also the same people who weeks ago went on and on about Dt. Perry’s white mother and how he should acknowledge her, etc. How many principals talk about the color of their mothers. Get real people. Erase…

      • Concerned Parent

        I am only responding to you because you and I have one thing in common; we are both black. Yes we both know racism is still alive and thriving. And it is happening @ Capital Prep!! Mr Pelto is the only “person” who has heard the parents, teachers and CT residents cries about the treatment of our children @ Capital Prep.

        I am more offended that Perry lies to the black community about what he is and isn’t doing for “our” children. He represses our children to corporal punishment which we both know would never happen in the suburbs, treats the minority children @ Capital prep w/ SPED and ELL as second class citizens even counseling them out, (which I and others have experienced first hand). My question is where do “our” kids go then? There are many other countless acts that “our”children are subjected to. And this privatization nonsense would only happen to “our” children because he doesn’t think we have a voice. Well regardless of color, the parents @ Capital Prep do have a voice and we will not allow him to ” pad” his pockets off of our children’s backs.

        P.S Who’s to say this blog is the only thing we are doing??? ;-)

        Have a good night

      • educationmatters

        There is no sensational story here. But your comment actually sets race relations back to a time before Dr. King. “walk in a black persons shoes” what does melanin have to do with anything? The idea that a person has to have a certain melanin percentage to understand the philosophies and teachings of someone with a similar melanin percentage is exactly what Dr. King was trying to move us past – we look beyond the melanin to the heart and soul of the other person. We are all human and, therefore, have more in common than we do dissimilar. But your need to defend Perry even past the facts, the charts, the parents, the teachers, other administrators, and every fact as presented…and defend a man because he has a similar amount of melanin…shows that the most racist person posting…is you.

        • MsIvy

          Obviously you didn’t read my post. I am not defending Perry, but I am pointing out sloppy reporting. The link between Steve Perry and his tweet and Dr. Martin Luther King is simply despicable. It was a stretch. I set nobody back. I am black and I can assure you that my words echo the sentiments of some of “my people” but of course I don’t speak for my race. I am simply saying that I am outraged by the use of Mr. Kings ideals to draw comparisons between Perry and a kid who was locked up over a tweet. Sad situation but very offbase. I would love to stop singing We Shall Overcome and hold hands and walk into the sunlight with all my white, black, etc brothers and sisters. However, that is not the reality. As a black person, I live a different reality most days then Mr. Pelto, etc. i could give you plenty of examples, but then i too would be missing the point of what this blog is supposed to be about. And, if color has nothing to do with it, why was this blog laced with statistics about the justice system and the color of men locked away. Why was it necessary to point out that not only blacks are locked away. Again to my earlier point, Steve Perry’s tweet about the injustices in the criminal system have nothing to do with his school. Why not point to the facts about the school without talking about race, etc. He brought it there and I’m disgusted. Trying to pretend that racism doesn’t exist, not acknowledging it and trying to use a holiday to tear someone down is a set back in my opinion. Why does it make me a racist because I’m pointing out irrelevant linkages and professing my color. It doesn’t. You sound uncomfortable.

          • Guest

            I’d say that you’re defending Perry, very much in the same way that a wife or business partner would do.
            Your point is nothing more than a deliberate spin to detract from the well documented points and comparisons made that exposes the real Steve Perry. Look at the facts. If he was as good as his facade, his home district would cherish him and we wouldn’t be having this discussion.

          • WEP55

            ALL of the issues you’re asking about related to this blog relate DIRECTLY to arguments Perry has Tweeted or remarked in his speeches. If the issues are outlandish or seem inappropriate, you would have to look to Steve Perry as the source. If you are truly interested in truth, follow his claims yourself, checking facts against the Connecticut State Dept of Ed figures PERRY reports to them. That is one place where he can’t get away with fudging figures.

          • Disgusted Parent

            Sorry to burst your bubble…by Perry himself is always promoting the race card which I find amusing simply because he is two races, he seems to forget. The school promotes reverse racism.

          • msivy

            Le sigh…listen, this could go on and on. And the race debate continues. Mr. Perry identifies himself as black. Maybe America doesn’t let him forget when they look at him (not that he should want to). He is a black man with a white mother. So because his mother is white, you really think he is exempt from experiencing racism???? Wow. a little comical. And I love the “race card” argument. We black folks pull it out everytime something isn’t fair and then we use it to reverse discriminate against white people. Wrong. Why does wanting equal rights mean racism ? It doesn’t. And maybe Perry shouldn’t make things about race all the time and I’m not sure that he does. I hope he is not discriminating against anyone because that would be wrong.

      • WEP55

        The problem is the people who put their trust in the man because his skin is Black. There are liars and selfish, egotistical people in every race. It’s unwise to trust children to a man with so many controversies connected to him, some regarding his treatment of children, others related to misrepresentation of facts.

      • msavage

        You are all over the place here. First of all, how offensive is it to suggest that a white person is incapable of understanding and sympathizing with Dr. King’s ideas? “And color shouldn’t have anything to do with it.” Make up your mind. Color has something to do with it, or it does not. You talk about Pelto using Dr. King to “tear down another African American,” and in the next breath you’re talking about how it shouldn’t have anything to do with color. Huh? As another commenter has so astutely pointed out, racism is obviously still alive and well in the good old U.S. Running both ways (i.e. your suggestion that a white person couldn’t possibly interpret Dr. King’s words adequately). But as big an issue is the classism. People like Perry and other well-paid minions of the 1% being held to different standards than poor folks of ANY color. Keep focusing only on race while the 1% steals everything right out from under all of our noses.

        • Msivy

          Well obviously you did not read my post or reach understanding of my point. You took my statements out of context and conveniently quoted half of my points. I did say that race should not matter. They key word is should. But I followed that statement by saying but welcome to America where we are all painfully aware that it does. Jonathan’s post made that painfully clear. Reread the blog and you will see the points made about race. So while on the subject, I continued the convo by stating my sentiments as a black woman. Make no mistake, sure white people are capable of understanding the ideals of Dr. MLK which I also stated. However, Dr. MLK fought for equal rights because of the experience of the negro (so we were called in those days). And sure, while white people can reach understanding and even empathize, I do take exception to someone trying to use his ideals to make a point that to me, seemed unrelated. Steve Perry tweeted about injustices in the criminal system. Ok. Got that. But it was a stretch, in my opinion to then turn that into a story about why Steve should be locked up. Equality is something we should ALL strive for. Exactly. Classism exists. Exactly. But this blog doesn’t point to the fact that racism transcends class. You can look at myriad examples of middle and upper class blacks who have been mistreated to see that. Again I digress. Not what this should be about which was my point to begin with. It should be about exposing a school that isn’t living up to the hype. I cannot speak on that because I don’t have children there, etc. But lets not make leaps to draw connections that aren’t there. Its manipulative and weak and detract from the true issues. That is all.

          • R.L.

            Seems that you begin with “Obviously you did not read my post….” an awful lot. I hate to break it to you. Money discrimination (classism) trumps race “You can look at myriad examples of middle and upper class blacks who have been mistreated to see that.” What myriad? Clarence Thomas, Condeleeza Rice, Michael Jordan, Herman Cain, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Perry….? Sorry, the color that counts in this New World Order is GREEN.

          • msivy

            Really??? I’m glad you can list examples of black people who have made it (so to speak) but I guarantee you they are not exempt from experiencing some form of racism. But do you know the names of the college students killed by police because they were black, or the shoppers st Barneys who were unfairly arrested because they were shopping while being black, or what about the recent tweeting frenzy about the black football player who went on a rant on Sunday. Someone called every racist slur you can imagine despite having an Ivy League degree, a masters degree, and money. Oprah, Barak Obama, etc. Have money and experience nasty racism. So again, not denying that classism exists, but I wholeheartedly disagree that money erases that for people. It doesn’t.

  • bigdaddy

    I have a child that attends cprep. I can say that I have not seen a lot of the negative issues expressed on this blog. Maybe that’s because her mother teaches there? I will say though- cprep basically craps all over the arts, and holds PE in a low regard. The kids are forced to play a sport (and they can be cut from the sport they choose) in lieu of PE in the upper school. I think that the overall concept of the school is good. They encourage teachers and staff to engage with students through advisory, and try to build that relationship over years.

    I’ve watched perry coach my child. I’ve watched him encourage my child. I’ve watched him care for my child’s well being like they were his own. I do not think he’s a bad man. I do however, think he’s an egotistical douche, and that’s what this is really all about.

    He thinks he’s above everyone else, squeezes every last drop out of his teachers and then hammers teachers and unions out of the other side of his mouth. No other admin would get away with what he has publicly. It’s flat out embarrassing. Nevermind the plagiarized logos the school has had.

    • Concerned Parent

      Last time I looked Perry wasn’t a coach @ Capital Prep. So you must be from his Middletown hometown; where he coaches his sons Football team.

      • bigdaddy

        No I’m not from there and my daughter doesn’t play football. I wasn’t talking coach in terms of sport.

        • Concerned Parent

          I don’t know who Steve Perry is coaching (role modeling for) but it is certainly not my children and NOT many others either. I take it back maybe it is when he is “pressuring” the seniors to go to a “four year” college where they can’t afford so he can keep his “100 % college stat”. (Wait those seniors who actually make it to senior year @ Capital Prep are a select few because the children from freshman year to senior year are weeded out). I always wondered why many of our Capital Prep “seniors” didn’t reap the benefits from the fundraisers for Capital Prep scholarships too??????

          • Tom Burns

            There is no 100% college stat except for liars and phonies–nowhere in the US–I would like to see Mr. Perry get a real job where he actually has to perform and is held accountable for what he achieves–he is the ultimate joke and an embarrassment to education anywhere–how can the people of Hartford stomach this classless phony–Vallas and Kishimoto are gone –now it is Perry and Adamowski who need to leave–please say goodbye fellas–if you have any concern about children at all–Tom Burns

    • educationmatters

      Your sons are fortunate – apparently there is video of him yelling and demeaning his own kids after a football game he coached. There’s a parent group that has contacted Middletown and refused to participate if he’s allowed to coach next year.

    • WEP55

      bigdaddy, I appreciate your perspective. I do think you are correct that because her mother teaches there that she is protected, or because she is the ideal student (and your interest in her education, your aspirations for her, are what help support that status). However, please don’t disregard the heartfelt testimony of parents whose experience has been very different. Because one student escapes is no indication at all that things are.

      I would NEVER entrust my child or grandchild or any other child to a man who, as you say, is an egotistical douche.

      • guest

        Really? His interest in her supports that she is an ideal student? Your statement implies that all those students at Capital Prep who aren’t ideal students must have parents who are uninterested in their education and do not have aspirations for them, and hence, are targets of Dr. Perry. Weird conclusion.

        • WEP55

          Guest: That didn’t come out right! I was interrupted while typing my
          comment and wanted to complement him on his involvement, but certainly
          didn’t intend to imply what I seemed to suggest. My apologies for giving
          that impression. I
          empathize and agree with you well taken point. Additionally, it appears
          that when I came back to complete my post, I was confusing two different
          commenters. Please forgive my inept expression of what I wanted to say.

      • bigdaddy

        WEP, in no way did I mean to disregard anyone else’s experience, but just to convey my own experience and thoughts. I don’t speak to things I don’t have first hand knowledge of, nor will I form an opinion if I don’t think there is enough evidence there to support it. I can say this is not the first place I’ve heard of many of the issues raised on this board, which lends further credibility to both what many have discussed here and what I have heard through other sources.

  • Adios

    Nice Tweet Steve… “There is actually a clown who takes the time to follow me & then lie to anyone who tweets favorably. Sick. What a miserable existence.”
    7:54pm – 21 Jan 14

    Even better…
    Why can’t we disagree w ppl’s politics, yet leave their life in tact? Why have things become to toxic that simple compliments become more?
    10:11pm – 21 Jan 14

  • Luv2Teach

    Watch this very interesting video of Steve Perry doing a tv interview in Virginia on Monday, with an interviewer who didn’t know even facts to challenge Perry’s err, misrepresentations of facts and figures! http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/1on1-Dr-Steve-Perry—Innovative-Educator-241488061.html

    Just one ex: note how on Monday the waiting list figure is back up to the 4k+ figure aplying “for 50 spots”, LOL. He doesn’t correct the misrepresentation of the figures, which apply to the entire district list, not the list for just his school. Cunningly, he allows the interviewer to make the statement so we can’t say Perry lied.

    So, Steve Perry said “That’s true” when the interviewer said that has “4,000 applications for 50 spots” in his school. Perry did not clarify that any waiting lists are for all Hartford magnet schools.

    (How do the principals and teachers of the other Hartford schools feel about this man who is obviously not interested in promoting THEIR more successful schools of choice? One comes away with the impresssion that Capital Prep does a better job than the other Hartford schools, when in fact, Perry’s scores tell a different story.)

    This slipperiness with the facts is very disturbing and part of the reason why so many parents and teachers from CT oppose Perry’s attempts to turn the school and others into his corporate venture.

  • Gloria A. Brown

    34,198
    TWEETS
    23FOLLOWING
    40,023FOLLOWERS Steve Perry

    • Gloria A. Brown

      Perry blocks anyone who disagrees with him on Twitter. Looks like he isn’t very willing to listen to others.

  • Jonboy

    When is the punk’s hearing being rescheduled for?

    Keep us posted JP!

    • Rafael G

      when I went by and showed up there in the snow despite not being sure if there was still meeting the janitor told me they rescheduled it for Monday

      • educationmatters

        Interesting…since they need to provide 10 days notice. Something must be pressing and a decision needs to be made.

        • JonBoy

          … Or they may try to pay it 5 minutes of lip service and proclaim the matter moot since nobody showed up to express concerns!

          Go get him Rafael!

  • Prof