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This was the letter to which Mr. Farmer was responding:


Slow down the city's school 'reorganization'


To the editor:

One can only speculate what the closed-door conversations may have been leading up to the recent decision by the School Committee to keep the middle school in place and reverse a decision made by the previous committee.

This much is certain, The Plan for Effective Learning Communities was a very hot topic during the campaign season, one for which most members voiced unqualified support. After many cumbersome hours of discussion and public forums the committee arrived at a 7-0 vote to close Fuller Elementary School. This involved three committee members changing their votes (Kirk, Verga, Healy), three others changing their stances on the issue since their recent election (Harrison, Texeira, Sweet) and one member upholding her promise to "roll up my sleeves and see what the next step should be (Gilman)."

Shortly after her mayoral victory, Mayor Kirk declared the vote "a mandate" to complete the project and was quoted as saying, "That vote last night was a vote for certainty on that plan. ... Let's honor what the voters said."

In a not so skillful sidestep, the mayor noted that, in her new role, she may have to overturn past policy decisions. Is that to say that, as a School Committee member, she did not make the best policy decision? Her reasoning for reversing her vote was simple enough, nothing good can come from a divided committee. If she feels that Fuller is the best location, then she should stand up and say it.

If the voters of Gloucester have been heard and there was a mandate on "the plan" - and she was one of the chief architects of the move - then why in the world would she not defend her previous stance, even if her vote would not change the outcome? Perhaps with a better display of judgment, mayoral candidate Jim Destino said he wanted to take a better look at the situation and take a go-slow approach before endorsing the plan fully.

Chairman Verga is also guilty of political haggling. Verga last fall received an endorsement from the Times because he, along with Healy, would "provide continuity in the partially completed school reorganization." Throughout all the School Committee debates he reassured the public that he was committed to the plan and sought its support from all candidates. Recently though, he remembers the thought process as going, "Hey, that's a good idea, let's do it." This is the sort of decision making that causes great harm to our city. When dealing with a decision that has many consequences, some of which are emotional, it is astonishing there was not more development of thought. Many ideas sound good at first glance, but are unattainable when the details are scrutinized.

It's this kind of decision making that has placed Gloucester in a constant state of penury. There is no room for rash decisions. We need thoughtful discussions about tough issues that face our city, not short-term solutions that harm our future. The School Committee is very inexperienced and each member needs room to find his/her footing, but I implore the committee to learn a lesson on the effects of uneducated decisions.

Take the time to get a report on a building's air quality before you condemn it, look at the costs of building a new school versus the costs of repairing an old one. The city cannot afford to spend time or money to resolve past mistakes. Instead of brainstorming avenues to raise the level of quality education for Gloucester's future, we have spent the past months squabbling over which building to use. We have placed an emphasis on what the building looks like as opposed to what is happening inside the building's walls. Instead of using the six public hearings on educating parents on a troublesome math curriculum or high school graduation requirements, we have allowed ourselves to be consumed by a distraction.

This mayor and the School Committee has time to find its balance and fix future problems. I am sure the idea of selling Fuller and its land will face the city at some point. Please slow down the process, gather all the important information, discuss different options, explore those options deeper and then make a choice you can stand by in the years to come.

To best serve our citizens, the city leadership should be able to face an issue and determine the best solution, then move on to the next pressing issue. The residents of Gloucester deserve that much.

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TRISTAN COLANGELO

Dennison Street, Gloucester