A parent in SAU16 commented on the email sent by David Ryan (below), Superintendent of SAU16/Exeter. She indicated that he is playing the victim in this email he sent to the SAU16 community – replying to a notice sent out by parents describing the dire conditions within the school district under his leadership.
She mentions that he has played the victim card with school board members and the public on different occasions rather than take responsibility for the dismal conditions that currently exist. Playing the victim is what children do to manipulate parents -it’s not a good characteristic of leadership.
I will allow the people who reside in the district to determine if this is a characteristic they see from Ryan. Based on this email (below), I find it in poor taste to go on the attack against parents who’ve watched their children suffer in this school system. They are the real victims, the children who’ve suffered emotionally and academically.
The quality of the academic performance has suffered under this administration, and that’s reflected in the proficiency scores. Many members of the school board have been complicit by allowing this to happen with little or no challenge aimed at David Ryan.
For those who believe their children are thriving, even if your children are measuring “proficient,” the standardized assessments used to measure their knowledge in math do not tell the entire story.
Proficiency in mathematics, according to the Common Core Standards, means that your child is proficient if they’ve reached Algebra I by 9th grade. That is two years behind their international peers.
The top-performing countries that spend a fraction of money on education put their students on a path to Algebra I by 6th and 7th grade – so do most home-school parents. Has the administration mentioned this to parents or the school board? Did 2Revolutions mention this in their presentation at the school board meeting? Of course not.
If parents knew how poorly their children were performing compared to children in Russia or Singapore, they might demand even more from the administration.
What is a good way to measure your child’s proficiency in the subjects of math and science? The district could administer the TIMSS test. This is an international test of knowledge in both math and science.
Notice how your district does not administer an international achievement test in math and science to your children? Instead, they rely upon 2Revolutions to mask the poor performance of students who do not achieve the same levels as their international counterparts.
Instead of focusing on raising academics, there is a focus on other things like CRT, mental health assessments of your children without your knowledge or consent, shutting down the schools, and political bias in some classrooms.
A good leader will acknowledge their mistakes, apologize, and then offer a path to excellence. That started in Litchfield recently when their Superintendent and School Board Chair scheduled a public meeting and listened to the criticism about the CRT resources they included in a unity statement.
It wasn’t about unity at all, as parents discovered.
The Superintendent could have claimed he was a victim of some sort, but instead, he answered the concerns from parents and then apologized. Yes, you read that right SAU16 parents, they offered multiple apologies to the community for their ONE mistake.
Has there been an apology to the parents of the student shamed for wearing the Thin Blue Line Flag when the teacher violated his free speech rights? What about the students who were branded at the prom –and their medical information displayed for all to see? There was no apology included in the statement from the administration or school board chair. What about all of these kids who suffered academically and emotionally this past year when the school was shut down?
Parents want their child’s education free from political bias and focused on rich academic content. When you see the rankings in SAU16, have fallen when compared to other schools in New Hampshire, keep in mind that the ranking is still inflated compared to students in the higher-performing countries. Parents have every right to demand better from those who are supposed to be serving their children.
Parents can start by requesting that the TIMSS test be given every four years to eligible students. The TIMSS test will give you a better idea of your child’s proficiency in math and science. You can also have your child tested outside the school district using an achievement test. Ask a home-schooler what they use; they tend to be focused on academics and authentic measurement tools for their kids.
As someone who supports parents who want their children masked and those who do not, it’s a simple solution – choice. Give parents some respect and support their decision to guide their children in the best way they see fit. Unless you go through due process and terminate their parental rights, it is their decision to make.
It’s time to start showing good parents some respect in this district. With all of the parents out there who are abusive and neglectful, trampling on the rights of good parents shows a real lack of respect for caring parents. Provide parents with materials from legitimate resources and then let them make the decisions for their children.
To the Superintendent: You do not double down and insult the parents who are upset; you listen, take notes and make the changes that they are demanding. Show some respect to parents, and return to a focus on quality academics in the classroom –one that is free of political bias. You serve ALL of the families in the district, not just some.
August 2, 2021
Good morning SAU 16 Community:
I am sorry but I feel compelled to resend our message of last Wednesday, July 28 in the event that you did not receive it or were not able to view it. It appears that there has been an effort by some in the community to spread information that is simply not true, factual, nor helpful to the mission of our schools, and we want to be sure that you have all of the information available to you so that you can make decisions for your family based upon facts. We apologize that you are receiving more information than is necessary for the summer break, and we are grateful that there is much more support for our school system than there is opposition.
I have attached a letter inviting you to an information session about DEIJ in SAU 16. We are offering the first of what we hope to be several helpful sessions on August 19, 2021 at 5:30 at Exeter High School. It will be at this meeting and those following where you will receive factual information about our DEIJ mission of ensuring that all members of our community are seen, heard, and valued. We invite anyone who wishes to learn more about the work to attend and ask questions about any part of it.
Our principals will begin sharing our school operations plans in upcoming school board meetings in the month of August, and our first meeting is scheduled for the Exeter Region Cooperative School Board on Tuesday, August 3, 2021. At this meeting we will be sharing our recommendation for masking guidelines with the school board. We welcome input from families, and to date we have received some indicating a preference (37 messages). We have requested guidance from our six town public health officers, consulting physician, the NH DHHS, and we have reviewed the guidance for K-12 schools from the Center for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics. We look forward to sharing our recommendation that is in the best interest of all students, staff, and families at these upcoming meetings knowing that any decision will not be satisfactory to some.
Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at our DEIJ information evening and upcoming school board meetings. Until then, enjoy your summer plans!
I am sorry that many of you recently received unsolicited flyers in your mailboxes that are designed to impose contention and anger toward your school system and school boards. We want to continue to work together through this very difficult time in a respectful and professional manner for the benefit of our students, and it is our intention that our public meetings and information sessions will be conducted in the same fashion. I am hopeful that these recent efforts to divide the community will give way to more rational and constructive thinking as we move forward.
Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at our DEIJ information evening and upcoming school board meetings. Until then, enjoy your summer plans!
Update on DEIJ Info Nights (1).pdf
