March 20, 2014
The Kelly Mascio Dilemma
First off, let me set the stage for the reasoning behind my opinion in this matter.
• I am a homeowner and resident of Mullica Township
• I have NO political ties to any one party or affiliation.
• As a matter of fact I could care less about party lines, I vote for the person.
• I have no children in the Mullica Township School system since all my children are grown.
Last month as many in Mullica Township and the rest of the world for that matter read in awe about the incident on September 30, 2013 between Ms. Mascio and the 2 students, I could not believe what I was reading. According to the Press of Atlantic City article, it appeared on the surface that Ms. Mascio did her job and did absolutely nothing wrong. The social media world immediately became abuzz with the situation and everyone had an opinion. Instead of reacting to the social media hype, I relied upon creditable people I knew in Mullica Township to inform me of this situation.
One thing that came about of our conversation was the fact that something more than the public knew about had occurred. I was asked to come to the school board meeting back in February 2014 of which I did. I watched and listened and I too was shocked at the boards behavior and the way they were handling the whole affair. But what I did witness was a school board elected by the people of Mullica Township UNITED in their decision on the Ms. Mascio incident. Although like many others would agree I didn’t like the non-transparent setting of the meeting. I believe regardless of the outcome in this highly charged debate that all the citizens and taxpayers alike in Mullica Township want is transparency in this matter.
The boards attorney addressed the crowd and reemphasized the fact that although the crowd wanted this whole affair to end then and now, that regardless of public outcry, public opinion or presence of the media, the forum for this incident was not at a board meeting and that Ms. Mascio regardless of the pubic’s outcry, Ms. Mascio will have the opportunity to defend the charges against her in the “PROPER FORMUM” and a school board meeting was not that forum.
I too was taken back by that statement after hearing emotional pleas from everyday Mullica Township residents and the also from the mayor, yet their emotional pleas seem to go unanswered by the board. The only logical taught I had was there must be more to this whole affair then what the public at this point is aware of.
I have followed this story and have again spoken with people who I consider to be reasonable like minded trusted residents of Mullica Township. Again my motivation in all of this should be the same as the rest of the taxpayers in Mullica Township, “What is this mess going to cost us in tax dollars?”. I went to the meeting last night, I listened with an open mind and was very moved at the countless people who all seemed to have the same theme and displeasure with Mr. Harring-Marro and the rest of the board speak of their concerns and displeasure. The atmosphere was something out of a movie the last two meetings, a mob scene, like the late General of the Roman Army, General Maximus Decimus Mediduis once said in the Coliseum in Rome “ we only have the ability to amuse a mob and the mob does not rule Rome”.
Could the Kelly Mascio situation been handled differently? I believe it could have, but again, the public only knows part of the whole story. What brought this whole affair to light last night for me was when the mob demanded to know who the lone vote was not to fire Ms. Mascio, the mob forced the board through it’s attorney to reveal who that person was. The mob gave Mr. Stollenwork a standing ovation, but his statement after the round of applause really drove the point home.
Please concerned parents, residents and taxpayers of Mullica Township listen to what Mr. Stollenwork had to say:
He basically said that although he voted not to fire Ms. Mascio, there were 8 other people who were not bullied or pressured into making a united decision under great public pressure to fire her. Obliviously, something occurred and a mistake happened, a serious mistake according to Mr. Stollenwork statement and something has to been done about it. He also felt that the board was not the proper forum to make that decision on the matter and that is why we are where we are with this incident today.
My hat goes off to Mr. Stollenwork for his brave comments last night, for once someone gave us all some sort of clarity in this matter. I have heard people expressing their opinion at voting the entire board out come November. The ones who make that kind of a statement should really think about that statement. First off, their are 9 people on the board, by design their re-election bids would not happen at the same time since their time on the board is staggered so as to prevent a disruption of board business with a major turnover that the mob wants. Secondly, I find it very hard that you would find 9 people who would want to dedicate their time and energy to a thankless job that those folks have to deal with.
Our school board should be proud that they did not crack under the mob mentality that has been displayed over the last two meetings that I have observed. Again, could have things been done differently, YES, but our board members based upon the information they have made a decision based upon what they know and WE the people don’t know. Please remember, Ms. Mascio was paid for over 4 months before the board voted to terminate her employment. So have faith in the system and leave your emotions at the door.
We all need to shift our focus away from Ms. Mascio and work to minimize the expense that his whole affair is going to cost each and everyone one of us when we pay our taxes. Perhaps Ms. Harring-Marro could start by meeting with the MTEA and kindly explain in a way that is legal why her and the board made the decision they all UNTIED made. From what I seen last night last night and then the comments by Mr. Stollenwork, the board will most likely renew her contract based upon the facts and not the mob rule. It almost appears on the surface as Ms. Harring-Marro walked into the “Good Olde Boys Club” when she took the job and she is rocking the boat in an order to effect change. Do I agree with her method, NO. What I believe in is CLARITY and TRANSPARENCY. Perhaps if Ms. Harring-Marro and the entire board were a little more transparent we would not be stuck in this dilemma.
Concerned Citizen of Mullica Township
Friday, March 21, 2014
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8 comments:
If there were more to report as Mr. Stollenwerk alluded to then why isn't it made public? We have seen the tenure charges and it was for not supervising the students. The only ones that really know the answer to that are the children and Mrs. Mascio.
I don't know who you've been relying on for information but it's not anyone who knows Kelly or working at the school. Sure these people are upset seeing one of there own being railroaded and knowing they could be next.
Have you even read Mascio's incident statement, the tenure charges,or the false police report? This whole incident was handled wrong from the beginning by Marro and Kelly has an excellence case against the school and town because of that.
Dear Concerned Citizen of Mullica. I,too, am concerned.
There are too many things "rotten in Denmark" to not smell that something deeper is going on here.
If Mrs Mascio did do the wrong thing, there are lesser sanctions that could have been applied before jumping to removing her teaching certification. This is a witch hunt. The Superintendent and Principal gave salacious details that generated this controversy. Mrs Mascio now is without viable means of support for her family. At least she isn't just leaving like so many other fine teachers have. Since you don't have children in the school maybe you never met some of the outstanding teachers who are leaving or have left recently rather than fight the Mazzoni- HarringMarro tag team.I have.
Mrs Brown of the math program, Mrs Strawn, Mrs Blankenship, Mrs Davidson, Mrs Ailes, Mr Dugan, the list goes on and on. Ten times the number this year over the average number of the last 10 years. I am one who left. This mass exodus of excellent staff will produce different outcomes. But without the Gifted; they will be in the classrooms teaching their peers and the test results will go to the mean. Not that the Gifted students won't be there, they will. They just won't receive the additional time and effort the teachers put in before. They will be busy helping the struggling learners as "junior teachers" and this will reduce their opportunities to excel. The test scores have already dropped since Dr Marro has implemented her strategies she made from her doctoral dissertation at the Univ of Phoenix.
Also, the federal money follows to support the gifted student, so Mullica will/may loose federal funds over time. It will take a decade to see the results but the trend is already in. Our test scores are declining since Mr Goldberg left.
Just be patient. We have nothing but time to test her educational theories. In the meantime, good and experienced expert teachers have left. Dr Marro can get 100-300 applicants for every opening, but that doesn't mean a teacher is FUNGIBLE. Teachers aren't widgits where you take one out and put in a replacement and get the same result. Since you didn't sign your name. I feel compelled to sign mine. Joy Roehnert, RN, MSN
My information is solely based upon my own personal observation attending the last two meetings trying to figure out why a board has been so silent under the great pressure the public has put on them all on.
I am not the only person who thinks there is more to this story then we all know. Either Marro is just plain stupid and has everyone fooled which I don't think so or we all don't see the whole picture.
I do believe it could have been handled differently but Mr. Stollenwork's statement the other night SPEAKS volume's. As he put it a mistake was made something did happen and the board felt that they should let some other entity make the critical decision, not them. Stollemwork felt she shouldn't be fired but the others did over it.
Regardless of who is right or wrong in this whole affair, ALL taxpayers of Mullica Township lose.
At the last meeting both sides agreed the Police Report was false. Not just the "Union".
To re-cap...
The teacher was moved to Kindergarten from 2nd grade. There was a new teacher hired who could have been assigned to Kindergarten obviating the need to put Mrs Mascio into Kindergarten from 2nd grade in the first place. Then when this incident happened she was placed on suspension despite following policy and chain-of-command. The state agencies investigated and found nothing actionable. Then there was further in house investigation. The BOE may have decided to let it go forward at the urging of Administration and the advice of the Board Solicitor. It is a bit like labor, you can't decide that you want to stop when the pain becomes intense. So, damages start running as she soon as Mrs Mascio began not being paid. The BOE voted to send the charges to the state when lesser sanctions were bypassed.
This incident has generated interest in attending the BOE meetings, as you said,you have attended 2 now. But it is Mrs Mascio's livelihood and professional reputation that are hanging in the balance. (Professional libel).
The Superintendent is pursuing her own agenda and 93% of her staff voted "no confidence" that speaks to a larger problem between the current administration and the staff. The parents who had their employers contacted by the Superintendent for speaking out their support for Kelly found out how a difference of opinion is dealt with by Mrs Marro.
Dear Concerned Citizen,
I am glad you are going to the BOE meetings to see things for yourself, firsthand. So am I. However, I am not sure what you think may be lurking out there in the unknown. Please read the public document (found on this very website) that the BOE and Marro filed against Mrs. Mascio. It outlines their specific charges. There is nothing else out there.
Yes, Mrs. Macio made a mistake. A mistake that has happened to many, many teachers and probably, almost all parents! A mistake that she confessed to and one for which she followed all proper procedures. She provided a statement that no one has either denied, diluted, or found fault with. It is a shame that we can't say the same about the police report filed by Mazzoni. Have you read the articles where our own police chief acknowledges the false statements made to his department and how neither Mazzoni or Marro attempted to correct the report?
In your follow up comment, you are correct. Marro is not stupid. She is manipulative, conniving, cruel, self-serving, and a liar. She is anything but stupid. Please refer back to the details within Mrs. Rheault's letter from the last BOE meeting.
Marro is also someone that a whooping 93% of her staff have NO confidence in as a leader in our community's school. Marro thinks that 93% is a small number. Could you possibly believe that 93% of the staff at Mullica got it wrong? Please take notice that the staff did not vote on "the Mrs. Mascio incident". Their vote does not mean that 93% of the staff think Marro and the BOE handled the Mrs. Mascio incident incorrectly. No, their vote was with regard to whether they have confidence in Marro as the leader of our community's school. 93% of them told us that they do not!
I signed the petition to not renew Marro's contract. I signed it because of what I have witnessed as my children have moved through the school and how, under her "leadership" it is deteriorating. But, I also signed it because I am concerned about the message that my children's teachers are sending to us as a community. My children have loved their Mullica teachers and I have entrusted them with my children's educations. I am pleased with the job they have done. They are competent, caring, hard-working individuals that I respect. When 93% of them tell me they have no confidence in Marro to lead our school, then Marro needs to leave.
To Concerned Citizen.
You, the town, the state, the country and even the world thinks there must be more to this story because of the severe action taken by the Board. The charges were made public and nothing new came out.
This is why everyone is shocked that this administration didn't follow traditional disciplinary avenues and went straight for tenure charges.
The Administration filed an admitted false police report and based the charges on that report.
I hope the state starts investigating Marro and sanctions her for all of her mistakes in handling this case.
As far as the board, they are not allowed by law to discuss personnel matters with the public. That's why they can't be clearer or transparent until the matter is resolved.
The "mob" are citizens who asking that established laws be followed, truth be told and justice prevail.
The Mascio case has only been the tipping point that reveals the mishandling of the school and teachers by the Marro Administration.
I do think that the Board should be replaced because they allowed Marro to carry on her agenda. None of them have been paying attention to the atmosphere of terror the teachers work under, the destruction of programs or the wishes of the community.
We need to start over. First with a new Administrator and Principle.
The "creditable people"(Board informant or relative???) you relied on, gave you wrong information. Marro resigned, Mascio got her job back and the "mob" were just people who knew the truth and wanted justice.
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