Dave’s Photo Blog

The Question: Please comment on the current condition of the Thompson School, the status of the planned renovations and how these renovations will impact the budget.

The vote was conducted and passed, which led to a round of applause from the audience. I should note that there was no other vote that elicited that kind of response.

At the meeting, the MSBA will consider moving the Thompson School from the planning phase to the feasibility phase. This is a very important step forward in the state process.

However, in light of the questions raised at the meeting, the equity task force, principal, fire department and concerned parents have distributed the most recent information about many of the issues highlighted by the school committee.

…Thompson parents are worrying about the health, safety and educational equity of their children and repairing their school with duct tape [slams duct tape on table and points to sign in audience] that you won’t pay for with the $120,000. -Meg Moloney

The MCAS results are particularly prone to misinterpretation. My advice for those parents that are concerned over declines like these is to stay calm, look deeply at the underlying data and remember that the comparisons made in both scoring and ranking are complex relationships.

Both the school’s condition and performance are cause for great concern. For now, I’m going to stick to the facts. But I can’t promise that this issue won’t lead to activism on my part because I see some disturbing trends in what I have learned to date.