With Apologies to Roger Angell Redux

Mother Earth’s made her annual tour ’round the sun, so let’s crack the champagne and review what we’ve done.

A year has gone by and we look back with pride – the Parents Coalition continues its ride. We’ve reported the news and broken the stories, to cast light on dark corners and unveil the mores of councilmembers, staff, and the Board of Education. We hope the New Year will bring more edification.

Our Parents Coalition continues its mission and we’re proud to say we get lots of attention. With this blog and your hits we continue to thrive. Thank so much to you all, you’re what keep us alive. So send us your stories, your memos, and tips, we’ll publish them all – we’ll outdo Loose Lips.

We are known far and wide and get hits from California; from Texas and New York and even Livonia. So it’s time to raise drink to the friends of transparency, more openness and fairness and a lot less malarkey.

It’s that time of year to hoist up our glasses with a wish of good cheer to all laddies and lasses.

To Nancy Floreen, we bid fond adieu good luck in the New Year, good wishes to you and welcome to Valerie Ervin, our new Council prez, glad tidings to you as the old carol says.

And to Chris Barclay who’ll preside o’er the Board, in a year when our incomes most likely won’t soar. We wish for you issues that won’t tax our wallets, smaller classes, more teachers, get rid of those fees! and last but not least, choose a wise superintendent, we know its a tall order, somewhat shocking, yet we hope you find all of these things in your stocking.

Warm mittens and headgear in this cold winter weather for our Council staff as we gather together to say Happy New Year to Susan Buffone, who answers our questions in her cheery tone, and Dale Tibbets, Merry Christmas to you, we thank you sincerely, your hard work is noted quite clearly. To all those who work for us at the council, good cheer! We wish you the best in the coming New Year.

And under the mistletoe who do we find?

Here’s Peggy Dennis, of Civic Fed fame, we wish her the best, with a glass of champagne.

To the hard working teachers here in our county, we hope you enjoy this holiday’s bounty. Our children and we think you are the mostest! Good thoughts for you now during this Winter’s Solstice.

You teach them good manners, mathematics and physics, your good works and efforts confound all the critics.

And cheers to Phil Andrews who’s testing his mettle, his quote about fish really stirred up the kettle.

Farewell Peary High – it’s gone in a flash, $1.9million – maybe – is all of the cash.

This year we discovered the IAC - who knew government decisions were made so secretly.

And this was the summer of FieldTurfTarkett whose ground rubber tires were installed to our sorrow, we want real grass for the fields of tomorrow. That black gunk is now oozing right into the Bay, with heat islands that Santa sees from way up in his sleigh.

And then in the fall the board let it be known that the Pearson contract was ours to own. For a few million dollars we gave up our rights and the taxpayers embarked on a new adventure – now the curriculum we paid for is a for-profit venture. The MCPS logo we owned with such pride now belongs wholly to the Pearson side. So here’s to the staff at Arcola ES, they led the way and provided the test.

To new council members Hans Riemer and Rice, we hope that new faces will add some spice to the council; we need it – some straight talk and honesty would be so refreshing. We hope in the New Year the gears are all meshing.

And as for those school fees, unfair and illegal, we all know that pay-schools are just for the regal. If they’re charging a fee to provide education, then what is the need for all this taxation? We know that the County has flouted its rules. Do they think that the public are nothing but fools? Through the year on this issue we’d beg and entreat, in hopes that our school board would show less deceit. So now who will step up to save the day? Cause we’re at risk when some children can’t pay. We say schools should be free throughout the Free State, no reason our County should be second rate.

To Laura Berthiaume we hoist up our glass, your outspokenness and honesty make one rare lass.

To Lyda Astrove and to Louis Wilen, here’s hoping in 2012 you’ll be willin’ don’t stand in the wings and wait until then. And kudos to Agnes Trower and to Karen Smith, you both stand tall, your run for the Board of Ed inspired us all.

Christmas cheer and goodwill to Janis Sartucci in her pink fuzzy slippers; she deserves to wear Gucci. She keeps the wheels humming with sheer determination, her hard work and openness are an inspiration.

Good holidays all to Julie Parker and from The Examiner our own Lisa Gartner. And to Andrew Ujifusa and of course to Ms. Spivack, for your coverage of the County and education issues there is no lack.

Of course we’re still in an economic disaster, with cuts to the schools coming faster and faster. A $300 million gap needs to close, how will we do it? Right now no one knows. No more free rides for our kids in the summer. No more police in the school, what a bummer. Cuts here and cuts there on our nerves it’s so grating; the idea is to rescue our good Moody’s rating.

So out with the old and in with the new, a Happy and Healthy New Year to you.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for a Healthy and Prosperous New Year from the Parents Coalition of Montgomery County.