Thanks to Linda from CT for this article:
Removing the mask from Bridgeport education reformers
Published 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 18, 2012
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There is always more than meets the eye, particularly when a mask camouflages a hidden agenda.
Excel Bridgeport, a new education reform group, describes itself in flattering terms on its website. It announces:
“1. We want every child in Bridgeport to have the opportunity for a world class education;
2. We build knowledge in our community;
3. We empower community members to be leaders;
4. We partner with the district and hold them accountable.”
Who can disagree with the noble and laudable activity of empowering parents, building knowledge and accountability?
However, a look behind the mask reveals a different and disturbing reality.
Empowering parents, building knowledge and improving urban schools are not new ideas. Twenty years ago, the Bridgeport Futures Collaborative, a Casey-funded initiative, successfully established parent training programs. When Bridgeport Futures ceased operation, parent training was carried on by the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition (BCAC), which continues to the present day. Also, groups such as the Child Guidance Center worked tirelessly to help parents remain involved in their children’s education.
Excel Bridgeport recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. It wants to head the parade of education reformers and consign established organizations to a subordinate role.
Anyone following the “reform efforts” currently ravaging the Bridgeport school district must have noticed the ubiquitous presence of Excel Bridgeport staff at government meetings. The executive director spoke before the City Council regarding charter revision. She urged the City Council to approve the mayor’s proposal for an appointed board of education rather than one elected by the people.
I guess that is how we empower parents.
The executive director addressed a recent Board of Education meeting urging the board to extend Superintendent Paul Vallas‘ contract, while heaping obsequious praise on him.
A quick look behind the Excel mask reveals the reason for the praise and source of the tentacles reaching into the City of Bridgeport under the banner of Excel.
Excel was incorporated on Dec. 15, 2010, by Meghan Lowney, of Fairfield. Official records reveal that Nathan Snow and Lee Bollert are also incorporators. Bollert is a member of Mayor Finch’s staff.
According to the website, in addition to Lowney and Snow, the current Excel board of directors includes the following individuals: Jonathan Hayes, Joel Green, Robert Francis, Carl HortonJr. and Joseph McGee.
Lowney serves in multiple capacities in and around Fairfield County. She is the principal of a consulting company, known as the Ripple Effect, executive director of the Zoom Foundation, aSteve Mandel-funded foundation, and the director of an entity known as Leadership Development Roundtable in Fairfield.
Those of you familiar with the state takeover of the city’s elected Board of Education on July 5, 2011, will recognize her as the “conspirator-in-chief” of the coup that led to the illegal removal of a democratically elected Board of Education by the state.
The now-infamous email exchange circulated among state officials began on Jan. 11, 2011, with an email introduction by Alex Johnston, the former head of ConnCan and education reformer extraordinaire, to Lowney and Allan Taylor, the chair of the state Board of Education.
In her first email to Taylor, Lowney confided, “A small group of us are strategizing a Bridgeport charter revision campaign that would result in mayoral control of the schools. This is a confidential conversation of course.”
So much for building knowledge in the community!
Nathan Snow currently serves as the president of the board of directors. He is the paid executive director of the Connecticut chapter of Teach for America, a major player in the national education reform effort of the rich and famous.
Bridgeporters will remember that he ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Board of Education in 2009. After the election results were final, he set about trying to clandestinely defeat through bureaucratic machinations those who had defeated him in a free and open election.
Robert Francis, a shoreline resident, is a nonprofit guru and serves as the executive director of RYASAP. The school takeover has proven to be very advantageous for RYASAP; it has just entered into a long-term contract with the Vallas-led Board of Education, a contract negotiated before an elected board consisting exclusively of Bridgeport residents can scrutinize it.
So much for transparency and accountability!
Also on the board of directors is Joseph McGee, a former employee of People’s Bank and sometimes referred to as the Paul Timpanelli of the Stamford business community.
Still hidden behind another mask is the funding source for Excel, although one could surmise that billionaire hedge fund operator Steve Mandel and the Lone Pine Foundation are actively involved.
Shakespeare said that the entire world is a stage and all that glitters is not gold.
Watch carefully, as the masks are removed in the next act of the Excel production!
Carmen L. Lopez, of Bridgeport, is a retired Superior Court judge.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Diane: in journalism the very interesting piece by Judge Carmen Lopez would be described as an op-Ed column. Not as an “article”.
Reuters “article” on TFA is true reporting. Thanks for it too.
I want your readers to understand that while Judge L cites facts as she sees them the other side is not included.
Gail Janensch Bridgeport & a retired teacher & reporter
Sent from my iPhone
So Gail….report the “facts” here for all to read.
Which of her assertions are not true and then disprove them.
Thank you.
Ms. Janensch, I would also call for some supporting evidence of your claims.
Recent CT Post “Articles” have themselves been largely biased parroting of the news releases and opinions of the Board of Education.
These are editorial pieces, too.
There is much being hidden.
As Bernstein wrote, “Everything’s free in America, for a small fee in America.” Just follow the money as everything becomes a commodity. The problem with a market, they can be bought, sold, and manipulated. Our children are our treasure, we can’t replace them. They should be worth more to us. Parents, you will have to help us out on this, your voices and votes will have to defend your children. Primary elections are more important than general elections, they set the stage. Consider this an S.O.S. from future generations and democratic functioning government.
The American people are not stupid. They’ve had their eyes clouded by the recession but things are beginning to clear now, especially with the help of people like Judge Lopez. The public schools belong to the people and that’s where they will likely remain. I have faith in that.
Ms. Janensch,
Most of the op-Ed pieces in the CT Post have supported the appointed board, which the CT Supreme Court determined was illegal.
It terms of being “one-sided”, the illegal board, the corporate influence and the Vallas takeover have received the most support in this newspaper. As a matter of fact, the CT Post news articles read as press releases with few questions asked and a few quotes spattered here and there.
Since you signed your entry as a reporter, I wonder if you could take the time to point out the inaccuracies you believe have been cited by Judge Lopez.
As a Parent Leader in Bridgeport. Paul Vallas who has no qualifications to be a superintendent and or as an acting-superintendent in the State of Connecticut. Paul Vallas is not a State employee, or a public official. He is hired help of the lame duck board. The State of of Ethics verified that if he was a State employee or a public official his company being the day to day director of Bridgeport Public Schools and he being the Superintendent is against State of Connecticut Code of Ethics. So it is within the power of the current board appointed by the State to fire this employee Paul Vallas and expel all signed contracts along with his company.
There is a youtube video under shamless/shame showing Kenny Moales Jr. screamimg, yelling, cursing attempting to fight another man until police stopped him at a Dunbar School closing Board of Education Public Hearing. He has called a taxpaying Resident Crystal Mack (a longtime advocate of children education and safety for 20yrs)a “crackhead” five times at a Baord of Education Committee meeting at 45 Lyons Terrace in Room 305 infront of a child. Out of the 150 pre-school seats Bridgeport received from the State his small business received 50 seats.
Hernan Illingworth family buinesss UNIFORMZ on Main Street Bridgeport contract with Bridgeport Public Schools since he was the PAC President and the relationship continues.
Any past resgining board members must not come back on principle alone because they voted to take Bridgeport residents voting rights away. That includes and not limited see saw Mulligan, and Leticia Colon and who creates conflict of interest in her dreams. She cannot be on the City Council and accept a seat with the Board. Another Conflict of Interest. Any current member who wants to come to the seat have not demonstrated changes that could impact the District like FREE SUMMER SCHOOL which was at their discretion. What they did do is make a decision to agree with the State and accept their appointed position agreeing with the CSDE ,CSBE, Mayor that the residents of Bridgeport do not have a right to elect our Board of Education Members.
WAKE UP BRIDGEPORT!
More Thoughts…… All the candidates for the vacancy seat for the Bridgeport Board of Education in the September 4, 2012 election with the exception of one suppourted the Parents who brought the law suit to the Surpreme Court verifying the ILLEGAL TAKEOVER. As a former District PAC Member I insisted, demanded that the PAC President Korene Garica under the consultation of past President Hernan Illingworth that we stand behind these Parents because they are fighting for all our rights to vote. In the end Korene Garcia promsed to be there along with varied members of the PAC. One member large showed up on the steps of Superior Court to support both Parents. Korene Garcia stated that the PAC is not a “political” group. So we could not support the Parents that we represent and whose rights are being erroded?.
Hernan Illigworth the Parent Center Director Lisa Palvich on Boston Avenue, Ms. Mason who salary each school pays to part of Network Partnerships and does nothing in her misinformation to her bosses are directly behind the miseducation, misinformation, disinformation of the Parents in Bridgeport. Speaking from first hand knowledge of their inactions.
The PAC has free dinner and babysitting and are spoken to and told what to do without direct impact upon the Parents of Bridgeport. Denying Parent knowledge of School choice, Parent Choice, SERC and PIRC Free State of Connecticut Funded workshops that teaches advocacy to Parents and where we would have learnt about NCLB accountability and what ECS dollars are. . Parents do not control the PAC the DIstrict controls the DIstrict PAC. Giving the preception that most Parents do not care to the Public whilst or the Board and the District giving the false impression that Parents are behind all of Vallas illegal changes and no bid cotracts to his company. When a culture is created the apathy is difficult to break without the information being presented. Leaving out the Limited English Proficiency residents who by Federal Law must have all communication in their language. But if the District PAC will not inform these Parents who make-up over 45% of the 22,000 children in Bridgeport Public Schools. They won’t tell them that they can easily write the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights in Boston and report this only prosceutable crime. I strongly beleive that those purposely untapped Parents where if made aware of what was going on in their own lanaguage they would teach the other Parents who treat the Public School system as a daycare center and would rather stand in the cold for 4hrs to get a free bike and winter coat but you can’t attend a PTA meeting, and attend a Board of Education Meeting.
We could demand together as Parents to stopping them from holding the Board of Education Public Meeting in a inaccessible area to public transportation after 8pm. Lessening the attendance to these meetings instead of keeping them in the center of town more accessible to the Parents through transportation who would like to attend.
The Point is we need to all work together and see the A.L.E.C. charter school push and do not re-elect the A.L.E.C. members in the GSA.