Retraction

I sent the below letter to the Editor of the Seekonk Star today, but in case it does not get printed, here it is for your viewing pleasure.

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To The Editor:

Recently I wrote a letter outlining my disgust at the behavior of some members of the Seekonk School Committee and the School Department. One of the individuals I singled out was Dr. Emile Chevrette, the current Superintendent of Schools. To be exact I accused him of not caring for Seekonk’s best interests, and of being more concerned about “sucking up to the unions”.

Since writing that letter I have had the opportunity to speak with a variety of people; some who share my position along with others who do not. As I absorbed the information and stories that were told, I walked away with two very important lessons which I would like to address.

One of the people I had a chance to sit down and speak with was Dr. Chevrette himself. I was struck by his openness and willingness to not only give his side of the story, but he was more than willing to answer any questions I had and offered to give me any information I was looking for. The first lesson I learned in all of this is that we quickly forget the good, but rarely do we forget the bad.

When Dr. Chevrette first took over as Interim Superintendent he was facing the daunting task restructuring an entire elementary school district. The proposition 2 ½ override had failed, North School was closing and layoffs were imminent. The task was so daunting in fact that the original person slated to take over as Superintendent of Schools left to take another position in another town. Dr. Chevrette successfully overhauled the school system, restored programs that were cut, and has worked tirelessly to ensure that our children are receiving an outstanding education. In short, he has done everything that we hired him to do, and fulfilled the expectations that I as a parent would have for a school system.

I however, chose to attack a man I have never met on his ethics and on his principles. For that I was wrong, and for that I apologize.

While Dr. Chevrette and I may still disagree on how to solve the issues, I do not think that any of us will argue that when it comes to the management of our children’s education, Dr. Chevrette has been exceptional.

The second lesson I learned is quite simple. We need to let go of the past. Many of the people I have spoken to have been a resident of Seekonk for many years, in some cases all of their lives. There is a strong history, and there are strong resentments. I have been in Seekonk for barely 5 years, so I do not share in it’s past, however I, like all of us will share in its future. It’s time to put away whatever resentments we harbor. What’s done is done. It is going to take the whole community working together to weather the rough times that are surely in our future. We need to communicate with our leaders all year long, not just 30 days before Town Meeting. We need to demand that our leaders are proactive and are working together across all departments, and if they refuse, we need to replace them. This will be a long process, and will require a long-term commitment from all of us if we are to see it through.

I may be a Republican, but I will say it anyway….”Yes we can.”