Monday, October 25, 2010

Sun Gazette Slams Baird, School System

Hello Yupette:

The Arlington Sun Gazette slammed both Sally Baird and the Arlington School System today, providing a laundry list of serious problems and failures ranging from extravagant unnecessary spending to a drop-out rate that's a "barely-concealed scandal".

The Sun Gazette confirms what I and other parents have known all along - four more years of Sally Baird on the School Board will be a disaster for our children.

Donna - Wakefield Parent

15 comments:

Susan said...

McCaffrey finally admitted what parents have been posting to his Sun Gazette blog for years - the Arlington School System's performance is disgraceful.

Sun Gazette said...

"Despite the recession the school system still spends way too much on a per-student basis for the results received."

Sun Gazette said...

"Grandiose and self-congratulatory construction projects rarely impact the bottom line of education achievement, and don't put a dent in over-crowding, while the county's dropout rate remains a barely-concealed scandal."

Sun Gazette said...

"she (like all other Board members) could and should be far more forceful in seeking efficiencies from a school system that spends nearly 40 percent more to educate each student than neighboring Fairfax County does."

Sun Gazette said...

"School officials should also be embarrassed by their non-decision on the future of the David M. Brown Planetarium. Asking a community group to raise funds is as insulting as when the County Board shook down residents to keep a nature center open. If the school system wants to shut the planetarium down it should say so; if it is to be kept open, taxpayer funds should be used to do so."

Pikester said...

WHAT has Scott McCaffrey been smoking to endorse Sally Baird after making these statements in his blog, and presumably, in the printed Sun Gazette?

Joan 22207 said...

McCaffrey is a nut case, he either writes disparaging editorials against anyone who wants to take Arlington forward into the 21st Century or has one of his Chamber of Commerce Republican good buds post a nasty comment about anyone who's progressive in any way.

Carole 22207 said...

Check out what McCaffrey wrote about Marymount's Chief Lobbyist, Barbara Favola, who is helping Marymount destroy my Old Dominion Drive neighborhood with more and more traffic. BTW, McCaffrey and his good bud Paul Ferguson live in Fairlington, eight miles away from Old Dominion Drive.

Anonymous said...

If the county's dropout rate is a barely concealed scandal it's because McCaffrey helped with the concealment.

Norm said...

Since when have these local newspapers done anything for anybody except boost the chamber of commerce and promote more welfare for the wealthy?

Anonymous said...

Speaking of welfare for the wealthy, how about the agenda for today's County Board meeting?

Margaret said...

McCaffrey calls Miriam Gennari a "blank slate to the public". But he never tried to interview her. And he spends countless hours writing drivel about trivia. After re-reading this so-called "endorsement" I find it to be one of the most dishonest articles of "journalism" I've ever read.

Linda said...

I am biting the financial bullet and sending my daughter to a private school next year rather than to Wakefield H.S. It's bad there and getting worse. McCaffrey lives within walking distance of Wakefield and could care less, except when he covers the school system giving itself another self-congratulatory award. The choice on November 2nd is really clear to me - more money spent for worse results from the school system or a significant improvement. Miriam Gennari for School Board.

Anonymous said...

McCaffrey just spent hours writing about the local squirrel population.

Anonymous said...

McCaffrey was instructed to endorse Kelly by the Chamber of Commerce and to endorse Baird by the GLBT leadership.