May 19
jonpeltoA Better Connecticut Education Reform Lobbying Group, Achievement First/ConnCAN, Charter Schools, Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER), Ethics, Excel Bridgeport Inc., Malloy, Michelle Rhee, Stefan Pryor, StudentsFirst, Teach for America, Wendy Lecker A Better Connecticut, Achievement First, ConnCAN, Ethics, Malloy, Michelle Rhee, Stefan Pryor, StudentsFirst, Wendy Lecker
Pro-public education commentator Wendy Lecker has written another “must read” piece, this time pointing out the fact that corporate education reformers are either unwilling or unable to tell the truth as the spin their political stories to try and convince elected officials and the public to support their “education reform” agenda.
Lecker, like many of us, has heard the latest round of ads that side-step the truth in a politically self-righteous attempt to convince us that we can improve out public education system by handing it over to private corporations and charter schools.
This new $1.5 million advertising campaign by a front organization called, ironically enough, A Better Connecticut, is just one more step in the most expensive lobbying effort in Connecticut history.
Here are the latest numbers;
To date, since Governor Malloy took office, the corporate education reform industry has spent at least $4,650,721.54 on lobbying, breaking all Connecticut records for the most expensive effort in history to buy up Connecticut Public Policy.
The following chart reveals the players in this scheme.
Following the chart is a link to Wendy Lecker’s latest piece in the Stamford Advocate, Bridgeport Post and other Hearst media outlets.
| Corporate Education Reform Organization |
Amount Spent on Lobbying |
| |
|
| Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, Inc. (ConnCAN) |
$1,121,672.17 |
| |
|
| Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Advocacy, Inc. (ConnAD) |
$758,969.00 |
| |
|
| A Better Connecticut |
$1,490,000.00 |
| |
|
| Students First/GNEPSA (Michelle Rhee) |
$876,602.08 |
| |
|
| Achievement First, Inc. (Dacia Toll/Stefan Pryor) |
$237,504.22 |
| |
|
| Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER) |
$126,559.85 |
| |
|
| Students for Education Reform (Michelle Rhee) |
$15,714.22 |
| |
|
| Connecticut Charter School Association/N.E. Charter School Network |
$22,000.00 |
| |
|
| Excel Bridgeport |
$515.00 |
| |
|
| Teach For America |
$1,185.00 |
| |
|
| EDUCATON REFORM LOBBYING EXPENDITURES |
$4,650,721.54 |
Wendy Lecker: Imagining where all that money could have gone
“Proponents of corporate-driven education reforms seem to believe that the notion of telling the truth is a low priority. Take for example the false claims being made by charter school advocates about the size of waiting lists for charter schools.
In as diverse locations as Massachusetts and Chicago, charter lobbyists having been pushing charter school expansion by claiming lengthy waiting lists. In both locations, investigations by journalists at the Boston Globe and WBEZ revealed that the waiting list numbers were grossly exaggerated, often counting the same students multiple times. As a Massachusetts legislator noted, raising the charter cap based on artificial numbers “doesn’t make sense.” Unless, of course, your main goal is charter expansion rather than sound educational policy
Another common theme promoted by charter schools is the questionable claim of amazing success. Recently, Geoffrey Canada of the famed Harlem Children’s Zone gave an online seminar in which he boasted a 100 percent graduation rate at his schools. However, if one looks at HCZ’s attrition rate, the true graduation rate is 64 percent. Many have also noted that Canada kicked out two entire grades of children because of sub-par test scores.
Here in Connecticut, ConnCAN, the charter school lobby, is the prominent peddler of shaky claims and half-truths about charter schools.
Recently, in an effort to promote the expansion of charter schools in Bridgeport, Jennifer Alexander, the CEO of ConnCAN, Inc. declared that nearly 80 percent of charters outperform their host districts. However, data from the State Department of Education reveals that about 90 percent of Connecticut’s charters serve a less needy population than their host districts: fewer poor children, fewer English Language Learners or fewer students with disabilities, with most having a combination of two or three of these categories.
Considering poverty, language barriers and special education needs are the prominent factors influencing standardized test scores, it is not much a feat to have higher test scores with a less challenging population. ConnCAN’s claim is hardly an indication of success or innovation.”
Read the rest of Lecker’s commentary piece here: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Wendy-Lecker-Imagining-where-all-that-money-4526450.php#ixzz2TlStOU64
May 03
jonpeltoCorporate Viewpoint, Ethics, Malloy Corporate Influence, Ethics, Malloy
At the very moment Governor Malloy’s political operation was weighing the political fallout of his trip to the White House Correspondents Dinner and whether he should “reimburse” People Magazine for $1,000 or so (we still don’t know how much taxpayers shelled out for Malloy’s security detail), the U.S. Security Industry Association was releasing a press release that Malloy would be this year’s “Keynote Speaker” at their Security Industry Association Government Summit next month in Washington, D.C.
According to the Security Industry Association (SIA), the event is the “premier annual public policy conference in the security industry.”
The press release explained that Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy will serve as the keynote speaker and that, “Gov. Malloy’s remarks will precede a panel on school safety on day two of the Summit. Violent events in our nation’s schools have demonstrated that these “soft targets” are not sacred to those seeking to do harm. Understanding there are many factors that can contribute to secure learning environment, this panel will examine those factors as well as the contributions the industry can make to provide safe educational facilities.”
The press release goes on to note that, “The SIA Government Summit provides attendees with unique insights that help them better understand how policy drives business in the security industry. The exclusive nature of the setting allows one-on-one conversations with government decision makers.”
According to the Security Industry Association’s website, they are “the leading trade association for electronic and physical security solution providers. SIA protects and advances its members’ interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation at the federal and state levels; creating open industry standards that enable integration; advancing industry professionalism through education and training; opening global market opportunities; and collaboration with other like-minded organizations. As a proud sponsor of ISC Expos and Conferences, and owner of the Securing New Ground Conference, SIA ensures its members have access to top-level buyers and influencers, as well as unparalleled learning and network opportunities.”
Interestingly the press release did not reveal whether Governor Malloy’s trip to Washington D.C. would be paid for by the Security Industry Association or the taxpayers of Connecticut.
May 02
jonpeltoEthics, Malloy Ethics, Malloy
“To remove a needless distraction when there are far more important public policy issues to deal with, Gov. Malloy has made the decision to personally reimburse People Magazine for the costs of his attendance at the White House Correspondents Dinner. He has written a personal check for $1,234.62,” said his spokesman, Andrew Doba.
You have got to be kidding me!
So it was an official visit to Washington, but he will reimburse People Magazine…and yet the taxpayers will still pick up the tab for the airfare, accommodations, payroll and overtime for Malloy’s security detail – - – the cost of which Malloy’s office refused to provide…
As just reported in the CT Mirror, Malloy’s spokesperson said;
- “We are confident that People Magazine’s payment would have been proper under Connecticut’s ethics laws…The governor attended the event in his official capacity and used the opportunity to advance Connecticut’s interests. The governor’s office accepted People Magazine’s gift in order to relieve taxpayers of the cost. Instead of shifting the cost to the taxpayers, the Governor is personally paying the cost.”
- “First, during the event, Gov. Malloy engaged in substantive discussions with numerous senior officials,” Doba said. “To note just a few discussions among many, he talked with Small Business Administrator Karen Mills about Connecticut’s Hurricane Sandy relief plan and small business investment programs under the JOBS Act, talked with House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer about the strategy for pursuing federal gun control legislation, and talked with Congressman Steve Israel about proposals for the establishment of a regional infrastructure bank.”
- “And Gov. Malloy promoted Connecticut’s economic development agenda in discussions with numerous business and media leaders.”
See CTMirror Blog Post at http://www.ctmirror.org/blogs/malloy-reimburses-people-white-house-party
May 01
jonpeltoEthics, Malloy Ethics, Malloy
True it is only May 1, 2013, but Governor Malloy has swept into the front-runner position for the Wait, What? “Quote of the Year” competition with his explanation to WTNH Channel 8 news regarding his decision to attend the White House Correspondents Dinner.
“I could do it with state dollars, or I could do it with someone else’s dollars. I thought doing it with somebody else’s dollars made a lot of sense,” Malloy told Channel 8 news.
According to the Channel 8 report, People Magazine paid about $1,000 for the cost of airfare, hotel accommodations and the ticket to the White House Correspondent’s Dinner.
People Magazine explained that they invited Malloy because he would make an interesting guest as a result of the Newtown nightmare. Or as the editor of People Magazine put it, “with all eyes on the tragedy in Newtown, a story that People readers care deeply about, and that People has been covering intensively, we saw Governor Malloy as someone suddenly playing on a larger stage, someone interesting to our readers, our editors and other guests.”
Malloy defended his decision telling Channel 8, “With all due respect, it’s not a gift, there was an offer to pay to have the Governor of the State of Connecticut, in his capacity as the Governor of the State of Connecticut, attend a very important meeting, session, series of events,” said Governor Malloy.
Channel 8 went on to explain that in addition to the dinner, the Governor attended, “at least one party after the star studded annual event on Saturday night, and quickly came back to Connecticut, a visit by his estimate of about 22 hours.”
While Governor Malloy’s “official schedule” is always made public and Malloy, himself, explained that his trip to the White House Correspondents Dinner was made exclusively in his official capacity as Connecticut’s Governor, his press secretary told CTNewsjunkie and other media outlets that they did not issue a press advisory about Malloy’s trip to D.C because they only inform the media when “Malloy is speaking or has the opportunity to be interviewed. The correspondents’ dinner fit neither category.”
Considering Malloy said the trip was funded by private dollars, it must be assumed that the $1,000 for airfare, accommodations and other expenses covered the governor and his security entourage.
As usual, the controversy is not so much that he attended the dinner…who wouldn’t want to attend the White House Correspondents Dinner…but the political spin around that decision.
You can read and watch the Channel 8 news story at: http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/politics/magazine-paid-for-malloy-to-attend-correspondents-dinner#.UYBtqys_9B1?utm_source=Coffee+and+Politics+No.+415+May+1%2C+2013&utm_campaign=Issue+415+%7C+Morning+Coffee+%26+Politics%3A+Budget+Analysts+Predict+%24488M+Drop+In+Revenue&utm_medium=email
Apr 30
jonpeltoCL&P, DEEP Commissioner Dan Esty, Ethics, Malloy, Northeast Utilities CL&P, Dan Esty, Malloy, NU
As Connecticut residents are now learning, one of the primary speakers on a recent Northeast Utilities/UBS Wall Street conference call with more than 150 analysts, stock brokers and investors was Connecticut’s Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The issue was the development of a new set of electric transmission lines that would allow Canadian company, Hydro-Quebec, to deliver its electricity to southern New England, providing Hydro-Quebec and Northeast Utilities with hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue and hopefully lowering electric rates for Connecticut consumers.
According the CTNewsjunkie, “Malloy said he read the transcript of Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel C. Esty’s call with UBS investors and saw nothing wrong with what he said…’I read the entirety of the transcript,’ Malloy said. ‘Everything he said there he’s said elsewhere. Almost everything he said I’ve said publicly time and time and time again.’”
Malloy, Esty and others have been strong supporters of Northeast Utilities and the project, but Commissioner Esty’s direct involvement in a UBS investor call generated a swift response from groups ranging from the Connecticut Citizen Action Group to the Connecticut Republican Party.
Calling for a full investigation, the chairman of the Republican Party wrote, “The first question is why did the Commissioner even participate in this call in the first place? There appears to be no State or public interest served by participating in the conference call…It appears that Commissioner Esty, who received $205,000 in consulting fees from Northeast Utilities prior to being appointed as DEEP Commissioner, was trying to curry favor with an entity that formerly employed him.”
Prior to the Republican’s call for an investigation, the CTMirror reported that “Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said earlier today that it is important for him and his commissioners to be explaining public policy to the widest possible audience.”
In this case, UBS had already up-graded NU’s stock from “neutral” to a “buy.”
You can read the latest on the expanding story here: http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/ctnj.php/archives/entry/malloy_defends_esty_canadian_hydro/ and http://www.ctmirror.org/blogs/ct-gop-chair-asks-ag-investigate-esty-investor-call and http://www.ctmirror.org/blogs/malloy-defends-esty-message-not-delivery-stock-analysts.
Apr 28
jonpeltoEthics, Malloy Malloy
“Malloy’s office issued no press release” is what the Hartford Courant reported, but our governor flew off to Washington D.C on Friday to join Conan O’Brien, Barbara Streisand, Kevin Spacey and a host of movie stars and media personalities at Saturday night’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner.
Or as Justin Bieber puts it in his “hit song” “Party like it is 3012″;
“Show you off, tonight I wanna show you off
What you got, a billion could’ve never bought
We gonna party like it’s 3012 tonight
I want to show you all the finer things in life
So just forget about the world, we young tonight
I’m coming for ya, I’m coming for ya”
Making the evening all the more magical was the fact that for first time, the television network, E! Entertainment, announced that it would “live stream the red carpet.
In fact, you can see a slide show of some of the best dressed here: http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/04/red-carpet-white-house-correspondents-dinner.html#slideshow=/slideshows/2013/04/26/white_house_correspondentsredcarpet2013.slideshow.json.slideshow.json%7CcurrentSlide=00045
According to today’s Hartford Courant, Governor Malloy was a guest of People Magazine, although “guest” wasn’t quite defined in any detail so we don’t know if People just picked up the cost of the event ticket, food and liquor or whether they went full-out and paid for the plane rides, hotel and transportation for Malloy and his security detail.
Considering the event went late Saturday night, we don’t know, but will try to determine if it was People Magazine of the People of Connecticut might who had the privilege of picking up the tab for two nights of accommodations and food for Malloy’s weekend in the limelight.
But one thing is for certain, these White House Correspondent parties aren’t cheap…
According to a recent article in the Style section of the Washington Post, “some media organizations will drop as much as $200,000 each to entertain an elite list of guests.”
As the Washington Post noted, media outlets purchase tables and then fill them up with paid celebrity appearances, along with tickets for other famous people and movers and shakers, as they seek to fill the seats not taken by their own high ranking corporate officials.
Leading up the big event, celebrity websites were reporting that;
The CBS News table was going to include actors Kevin Spacey, Claire Danes, plus Korean Rapper sensation Psy (Side Note: Psy fans can re-live the magic of his GANGNAM STYLE video here).
USA was reporting that they would be showing off Courtney Cox, Kristin Chenoweth, Kate Walsh, Ashley Judd and Josh Gad. [It’s okay, I didn’t know who some of these people were either].
The Newsweek table was scheduled to include Nicole Kidman, Olivia Munn and movie producer Harvey Weinstein, while the Huffington Post was going with Bon Jovi, Shaquille O’Neal and Scarlett Johansson
ABC focused on their own TV show casts including Sofia Vergara, Eric Stonestreet, Ty Burrell , Julie Bowen, Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere, Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn.
And the Neflix table was to include Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Corey Stoll, Kate Mara, Constance Zimmer and Michael Kelly.
Of course, NPR had to show off their “we’re better than the rest” approach with Jessica Alba, comedian Tracy Morgan, actress Sophia Bush and Star Wars creator George Lucas.
Jeremy Renner, comedian Fred Armisen, New York Giants Victor Cruz were all expected at the Reuters table, as were Dan Stevens, Kathleen Turner and Madeline Stowe.
Time was going with Steven Spielberg, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and gymnast Gabby Douglas and NBC was planning to show off with Michael J. Fox, Matthew Perry and Michael Douglas.
Interesting, it wasn’t exactly clear who made the People Magazine table but hopefully the Governor’s media operation can fill us in…a media request has been submitted.
As the Washington Post went on to report, while the dinner of 3,000 is prime spotlight time, it is the after-dinner parties where you know whether or not you really are a part of the “in crowd.”
The Post reported, “The two biggest after-dinner events, one hosted by Vanity Fair and Bloomberg Media and another hosted by MSNBC, will fete 400 and 750 people, respectively, in rented embassies (France and Italy, respectively). The Vanity Fair-Bloomberg party is so chichi that guests have been asked to send digital headshots of themselves in advance in order to discourage gate-crashers.
At least a dozen other media companies, including People magazine, the Hill newspaper, Yahoo, Reuters, Politico, the New Yorker and the co-owned Atlantic and National Journal will do up their own parties (The Washington Post is hosting a pre-dinner reception at the Hilton).”
Governor Malloy’s Office neither confirmed nor denied whether Connecticut’s Chief Elected Official was invited or attended any of the post-dinner events.
Apr 23
jonpeltoBoard of Regents, Eastern Connecticut State University, Elsa Nunez, Ethics, Higher Education Board of Regents, Eastern Connecticut State University, Elsa Nunez
When Governor Rell nominated World Wrestling CEO Linda McMahon for a position on the State Board of Education, McMahon claimed that she had a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. Thanks to some investigative work, I learned that the degree was really in French.
More recently, Wait, What? readers will recall that an aide to Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch listed himself on a national website that he served as Bridgeport’s Deputy Mayor for Education despite the fact that Bridgeport didn’t have a position of Deputy Mayor and the young staff person wasn’t actually even at the director level of anything.
In this Internet age, padding one’s resume has become increasingly difficult since the truth is only a search or two away.
That said, “Resume Enhancement” remains a part of our world.
The tactic is especially condemned in the world of colleges, universities and academia, which makes the following story all the more strange.
Connecticut State Register and Manual, often called “The Connecticut Blue Book,” has been the official record of Connecticut government since 1785.
The State Register and Manual lists the President of EASTERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY as Elsa Nuñez, Ph.D.
Meanwhile, the Connecticut Campus Compact (CTCC) is an organization that was established in 1998 and is made up of twenty-eight Connecticut colleges and universities. Its goal is to help colleges develop more effective community partnerships. The CTCC is governed by a Board of Directors, which lists Elsa Nuñez, Ph.D., as its Vice Chair.
Elsa Nunez, Ph.D. also serves on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Association of Human Services, a one hundred-year-old organization that promotes economic security strategies for low-income families.
And Eastern Connecticut State University’s Canadian Studies Program lists Elsa Nunez, Ph.D. as the President of Eastern.
Elsa Nunez, Ph.D. is also quoted by numerous media outlets such as the Manchester Journal Inquirer newspaper and the CT Latino News.
The only problem is, Elsa Nuñez doesn’t have a Ph.D.
Elsa Nunez doesn’t have a Ph.D. but she did receive an Ed.D. (A Doctor of Education) from the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in 1979.
At the time, Rutgers’ granted an Ed.D. from the School of Education in a variety of concentrations including; “(1) Creative Arts Education, (2)Elementary/Early Childhood Education, (3) English-Language Arts Education, (4) Language Education (with emphasis in BilingualBicultural, English as a Second Language, Foreign Language and Linguistics Education), (5) Mathematics Education, (6) Science Education, (7) Social Education.
Let’s be clear. There is absolutely nothing wrong with an Ed.D. but as academics will tell you, an Ed.D. is a very different degree than a Ph.D.
The Ph.D. is an academic doctoral degree and is specifically called a “doctor of philosophy.”
An Ed.D. is traditionally a professional or vocational degree for people who work in the field of Education.
As New York University notes in their Graduate School of Education catalog, “The Ph.D. program is a research degree designed for students who aspire to conduct research throughout their careers in roles such as faculty members, researchers, government employees, policy scholars, or institutional researchers…”
NYU goes on to say, “In contrast, the Ed.D. program is designed to meet the increasing need for visionary and entrepreneurial leaders in community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, corporate-sponsored education, and governmental agencies.”
Or as Wikipedia explains, “In the United States, the Ph.D. degree is the highest academic degree awarded by universities…” Whereas, the Doctor of Education (Ed.D) is a degree that has a more “professional” focus. Wikipedia goes on to explain. “From the very beginning there was a formal division between the Ed.D. and the Ph.D. in education, and the growing popularity of the applied doctorates was met by faculty in the arts and sciences questioning their legitimacy. They argued that practical and vocational aims were inappropriate for doctoral study, which they contended should be focused on producing scholarly research and college professors…The Ed.D. and the colleges of education that granted them continued to face criticism…”
While the issue may seem rather archaic to some, rest assured that at universities around the nation, the debate remains heated. Many academics are particularly sensitive about whether the letters Ph.D. or Ed.D. are listed after their names.
In Nunez’s case, rather than explain that she has an Ed.D. from Rutgers with a concentration in “Language Education (with emphasis in BilingualBicultural, English as a Second Language, Foreign Language and Linguistics Education),” President Nunez’ simply states that she has a “Doctorate in linguistics from Rutgers.”
And that is how Nunez’ bio reads today – “A Doctorate in linguistics from Rutgers.”
It would be fair to say that such a claim is one of those statements that isn’t quite true, but then again, it isn’t quite a lie either.
What is true is that Nunez collects $299,460 a year, plus benefits, as the President of Eastern and now gets an extra $48,000 as a result of the extra administrative duties she provides for the Board of Regents. Her pay raise was caught up in last year’s illegal bonuses that the previous President of the Board of Regents doled out. Those bonuses or pay increase were then revoked but later re-instated for Nunez and one of the Community College Presidents who was also given “extra administrative duties.”
In the world of politics, there is little awareness of the difference between Ph.Ds and Ed.Ds, but that is hardly the case in the world of academics.
And it is for that reason that it is rather odd for Elsa Nunez to approach this controversial issue in the way that she has.
Apr 19
jonpeltoBridgeport, Ethics, Malloy, Mayor Bill Finch, Paul Vallas Bridgeport, Conflict of Interest, Ethics, Malloy, Mayor Bill Finch, Paul Vallas
As a member of the Bridgeport Board of Education, Hernan Illingworth took actions that directly benefited him and the company that he works for.
That is an ethics violation.
It is a serious ethics violation and it requires action.
Mayor Finch, the state is waiting to see how you handle this issue.
The Bylaws of the Bridgeport Board of Education: Policy 9270: Conflict of Interest
“(1) No member of the Board shall have any direct pecuniary interest in a contract with the school district, nor shall he/she furnish directly any labor, equipment, or supplies to the district. It is not the intent of this bylaw to prevent the district from contracting with corporations or businesses because a Board member is an employee of the firm. However, in such instances the member may be expected to declare his/her association with the firm and will refrain from debating or voting on the question.”
The spirit of the Conflict of Interest rule is simple enough.
If you are a member of the Bridgeport Board of Education and your job is with a company that is connected to the functioning of the school system, you are expected to declare your association with that company and abstain from discussing or voting on issues related to the products or services provided by that company.
Hernan Illingworth works for Uniformz. He sells uniforms to students and families who attend Bridgeport’s schools.
As reported here at Wait, What?, according to the company website, the uniform company that Illingworth works for opened a much larger, more accessible store on Main Street in July 2009 in preparation for the implementation of Bridgeport’s new uniform policy.
As the company’s website explained, “The main reason for this move was to handle the school uniform needs of Bridgeport parents after a new uniform mandate (K-8) went into effect for the 2009/2010 school season.”
The website goes on to report, “Uniformz quickly became the “ground zero” of the back-to-school uniform rush! The Bridgeport PAC held a press conference, TV news crews arrived throughout August and our overflowing parking lot caused some minor traffic jams on Main Street.”
The Bridgeport PAC mentioned on the Uniformz website is the Bridgeport Parent Advisory Council and Hernan Illingworth was the President of that Parent Advisory Council.
Ramos/Illingworth Letter to Parents
In fact, in the spring of 2009, John Ramos, in his capacity as Bridgeport’s Superintendent of Schools and Hernan Illingworth, the President of the Bridgeport Parent Advisory Council (PAC) were on the cover of the Bridgeport Board of Education Newsletter.
That cover was a letter to parents and students informing the community that the Bridgeport Board of Education had formally adopted a mandatory uniform policy for K-8 students. According to the letter, “This policy was enacted after several months of meetings and with collaboration between parents, the Board of Education and District Administration. The letter informed parents that the mandatory school uniform policy would officially be enacted in August 2009.
The letter ended with the news that, “In the coming months the District Executive PAC will work with every school to provide more information to parents to ensure the implementation of the policy.” It was signed by John J. Ramos and Hernan Illingworth. However, nowhere did Hernan Illingworth explain he was a salesman for Uniformz.
CT Post Covers Uniform Policy
On August 31, 2009, the CT Post’s Linda Conner Lambeck wrote a story entitled, “FOLLOWING A NEW UNIFORM CODE.” In it she wrote, “Outside Uniformz, a new shop on upper Main Street, a sandwich-board sign proclaims ‘Bpt. Public School Uniforms, 10% Sibling Discount.’”
Lambeck added, “On Wednesday, if the policy works, a sea of nearly 15,000 students, all wearing collared shirts, and dress trousers — not a baggy pair of jeans in the bunch — should converge on the schools for the first day of classes.”
The story listed Hernan Illingworth as the President of the Bridgeport Parent Advisory Council (PAC) and as one of the parents who successfully pushed the uniform policy. However, the story failed to note that Illingworth worked for Uniformz.
The CT Post did explain that, “planners anticipate a child can get by with a wardrobe of three to five pairs of pants, six tops and a sweater for about $120. Logos, for schools that have adopted them, would be an additional cost.”
At the time, Hernan Illingworth told the CT Post that it would take time to get full participation in the uniform policy, but added, “If we get 75 percent on the first day, I think that would be a nice goal. Once the 21-day grace period is over, I think participation will become more universal.”
In April 2011, the Bridgeport Board of Education voted to expand the district’s uniform policy to cover high school students. At the time, the CT Post wrote, “Hernan Illingworth, president of the District PAC, said uniforms were a much easier “sell” this time around because the policy is already in place in the elementary schools.”
Illingworth appointed by Malloy Administration to illegal Board of Education
By the end of that summer, in August 2011, Hernan Illingworth became the seventh member of Bridgeport’s new, illegal Board of Education. As noted on the Only in Bridgeport Blog, Illingworth was the “second Finch campaign supporter” named to the Board, the first being Finch’s campaign treasurer, Kenneth Moales.
As the Only in Bridgeport blog reported, at the time, Finch’s campaign website included a testimonial by Illingworth in which he wrote, “Being both the Mayor and a father to children in Bridgeport Public Schools puts the Mayor in a unique position. His commitment and dedication to improving education shows.”
As the request of Stefan Pryor, Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, the illegal Board of Education then brought on Paul Vallas to serve as Bridgeport’s Acting Superintendent.
One of the initial actions following Vallas’ arrival was the creation of the Bridgeport Education Reform Fund. The Chairman of the illegally appointed Board of Education, Robert Trefry, announced that the names of donors to the fund would be kept confidential and that a committee would be created to oversee the distribution of the funds. Trefry then appointed Andy Boas, the Chairman of Achievement First – Bridgeport, Anita Gliniecki, Bruce Hubler and Hernan Illingworth to manage the fund.
As part of Mayor Finch’s slate of Democratic candidates, Illingworth later ran and won a seat on the democratically elected board.
Most recently, rather than abstain from any discussions about school uniforms, Hernan Illingworth has used his position to pressure Bridgeport school administrators to get tough on forcing students to buy and wear school uniforms.
As was reported in Wait, What?
Last week, with only about 40 days left to the 2012-2013 school year, Central High School announced that they would begin enforcing Bridgeport’s district-wide school uniform policy.
As the CT Post wrote, “The edict, made during morning announcements Tuesday by Principal Stephen Anderson and sent home to parents by letter, was ordered by the district administration after some board members learned that the district’s 2-year-old high school uniform policy was being ignored at Central.”
That Board of Education member was Hernan Illingworth…who just happens to be a salesman for Bridgeport based Uniformz, whose website reports that the company is, “the premier local supplier of School Uniforms to the students of the Bridgeport (CT) Public School System.”
In this case, Central High School’s new principal, Stephen Anderson, was not a fan of the uniform policies for high schools, but Bridgeport School Board member, Hernan Illingworth, explained to the CT Post, “I am sorry, that is unacceptable… “It is a district policy. He can’t decide he is not going to do it.”
It is hard to imagine that the violation of Bridgeport’s code of ethics and conflict of interest rules could be any clearer.
Hernan Illingworth was, and continues to be, a major force behind the effort to require Bridgeport students to wear school uniforms.
Illingworth works for a company that proudly proclaims that school uniforms are a vital part of their business.
Rather than announce his conflict of interest and exempt himself from discussions and actions related to school uniforms, Illingworth used his position to push for greater enforcement of the uniform policy.
As a member of the Bridgeport Board of Education, Hernan Illingworth took actions that directly benefited him and the company that he works for.
That is an ethics violation.
It is a serious ethics violation and it requires action.
Mayor Finch, the state is waiting to see how you handle this issue.
Apr 17
jonpeltoBridgeport, Ethics, Mayor Bill Finch, Paul Vallas Bridgeport, Conflict of Interest, Hernan Illingworth, Mayor Bill Finch, Paul Vallas, Sandra Kase, School Uniforms
Last week, with only about 40 days left to the 2012-2013 school year, Central High School announced that they would begin enforcing Bridgeport’s district-wide school uniform policy.
As the CT Post wrote, “The edict, made during morning announcements Tuesday by Principal Stephen Anderson and sent home to parents by letter, was ordered by the district administration after some board members learned that the district’s 2-year-old high school uniform policy was being ignored at Central.”
That Board of Education member was Hernan Illingworth…who just happens to be a salesman for Bridgeport based Uniformz, whose website reports that the company is, “the premier local supplier of School Uniforms to the students of the Bridgeport (CT) Public School System.”
In this case, Central High School’s new principal, Stephen Anderson, was not a fan of the uniform policies for high schools, but Bridgeport School Board member, Hernan Illingworth, explained to the CT Post, “I am sorry, that is unacceptable… “It is a district policy. He can’t decide he is not going to do it.”
You could call Hernan Illingworth an expert on school uniforms, Bridgeport’s uniform policy and the Bridgeport Board of Education.
Illingworth was a driving force behind Bridgeport’s decision to require that all Bridgeport school students wear uniforms. The Bridgeport Parent Advisory Council, led by their President, Hernan Illingworth, lobbied for a mandatory uniform policy. As the CT Post explained, “Uniforms became mandatory in city high schools in fall 2011, two years after they were mandated at the elementary school level.”
Meanwhile, Illingworth was appointed by the Malloy Administration to serve on Bridgeport’s illegal Board of Education and later won a seat on the new democratically elected Board of Education as part of Mayor Finch’s Democratic slate. Illingworth has been a consistent vote for the team loyal to Mayor Finch and was one of the five members to vote in favor of Paul Vallas’ illegal contract, a vote and contract that is now in Court.
But perhaps most importantly, in his positions as a Bridgeport Board of Education member and school uniform salesman, Illingworth has been able to keep an eye on the implementation of Bridgeport’s mandatory school uniform policy.
In fact, back at Central High School, Illingworth and Vallas’ chief administrative officer, Sandra Kase, were on hand last Tuesday when Principal Anderson reversed course and made it clear that the City’s uniform policy was being reinstated at Central High School. Principal Anderson used the morning announcements to explain that the uniform policy would now be enforced adding, “We need your help … I ask you to come in tomorrow in uniform and the next day,”
According to the CT Post, the Principal’s letter to parents explained the uniforms were needed to ensure school security, writing, “Uniforms help us identify, at a glance, people who do not belong in the building.”
When not spending time on Board of Education business, Hernan Illingworth remains an active salesman for Uniformz, the uniform store located on Bridgeport’s Main Street.
According to the company website, originally known as Nosotros Sports Plus, the company has opened a much larger, more accessible store on Main Street in July 2009.
The website explains that, “The main reason for this move was to handle the school uniform needs of Bridgeport parents after a new uniform mandate (K-8) went into effect for the 2009/2010 school season.”
As the website goes on to report, “Uniformz quickly became the “ground zero” of the back-to-school uniform rush! The Bridgeport PAC held a press conference, TV news crews arrived throughout August and our overflowing parking lot caused some minor traffic jams on Main Street.”
The Bridgeport PAC mentioned on the Uniformz website is the same Bridgeport Parent Advisory Council that Hernan Illingworth presided over.
For more on Uniformz, check out their website http://www.uniformz.com/pages/about-us, including the line, “Our highly talented team members are Juanita, Rita, Nilsa, Hernan and Michele…” Hernan, of course, being none-other-than Bridgeport Board of Education member, Hernan Illingworth.
This is the part of the blog post where we start singing “it’s a small world after all.”
Apr 09
jonpeltoChristina Kishimoto, Ethics, Hartford Christina Kishimoto, Ethics, Hartford
I was recently introduced to a blog written by Kevin Brookman called “We the People.” Brookman created the site as a way to shine the light of truth into the inner-workings of Hartford City Hall.
One look at the blog and you can see why some of Hartford’s political elite should be living in fear of his efforts to inform the taxpayers of Hartford and Connecticut about what is actually going on in the state’s capital city.
Of particular note is his recent acquisition of 257 pages of credit card charges by city officials, using their city credit card.
Although the information is certainly a public record, Hartford officials failed to provide Brookman with the information, despite a Freedom of Information request for the data. However, he was finally able to acquire the reports by, as he puts it, “alternative means”.
Brookman writes, “After reviewing the reports below, I can see now why the City did not want me to see them. So much for that transparency they keep talking about.”
The reports reveal literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenditures charged to Hartford City Government Credit Cards.
Many of the charges are clearly personal in nature and it isn’t clear whether these high-ranking Hartford city officials are required to reimburse the city for their personal expenditures.
Assuming the expenditures are reimbursed, it is still a stunning portrayal of arrogance that any public official would think to use a public credit card for such expenditures.
And if the expenses are not reimbursed, there should be a whole lot of job openings in Hartford in the coming weeks and at least one multi-passenger bus ferrying former city employees off to various correctional facilities.
One look at the list will paint a far more provocative picture than I ever could.
And as Brookman notes in his blog, “One of the highest paid City employees, Jose Colon Rivas seems to enjoy the finer things in life, running up a hotel bill at a luxury hotel in California. Over $7,400 in the course of 6 days at the Hotel Palomar in West wood LA. “
Here is a link to the credit card report: http://www.scribd.com/doc/134568220/Hartford-Pcard-Report-All-Users.
Feel free to nominate expenditures that deserve follow-up.
My favorite is the dozens of expenditures on Amazon.com. Maybe part of Malloy’s corporate welfare package for Amazon was an understanding that some key public officials in Hartford would use public funds to buy hundreds of items from Amazon thereby helping the internet giant and funding Connecticut’s growing deficit via Amazon’s new willingness to collect sales tax.
Another “head-scratcher” is the various expenditures for iTunes including $29.97 worth of expenditures that Hartford’s Superintendent of Schools, Christina Kishimoto charged to her City Credit Card. Maybe she was downloading the audio version of the education reformer’s best seller, “How to Privatize American’s Public Schools.”
But Hartford City Treasurer, Adam Cloud, easily beat out Kishimoto with $51.50 worth of iTunes on his Hartford credit card.
And you can find more in Brookman’s blogs, which can be found via the following links: http://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2013/04/mayor-segarra-get-out-scissors.html?m=0 and http://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2013/04/city-credit-cards-full-report.html?m=0 and http://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2013/04/mayor-segarra-time-to-join-aaa.html?m=0
Older Entries
RSS
