Northgate Community Has a Voice for Change

Welcome to the Northgate High School Blog. The sole purpose of this blog is to gather information from parents, students, teachers, staff and administrators who would like to share ideas about improving Northgate. The blog will also provide information about MDUSD's, and Northgate's, failure to provide a quality education for our students. If you believe everything is wonderful at Northgate feel free to write that in a post but please understand that this blog is about change. No form of name calling or intimidation will be tolerated, your post will be removed. This is a serious blog for serious people who want to make a difference. Members of the school board view this site, this link can easily be sent to the Superintendent, this is your opportunity to tell them what you think needs to change at Northgate.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Until November... Until November!

Our teachers need a contract, our district needs a strategic plan, our community (whether we all agree or not) needs a parcel tax, and most of all our children need a good education. We have heard this rhetoric non-stop for the past year...even longer.

However...

MDEA won't settle the contract until after November, the very board members who asked for a strategic plan want to delay that strategic plan until after November, and the parcel tax won't move forward until after November. All the while, our children and teachers will continue to be used as pawns in a political process.

I support replacing the Superintendent and, at this point, I support Sherry Whitmarsh. I don't support maneuvers that are designed to accomplish these goals in the future at the expense of our students today.

A letter from teacher Randy Monroe has been making the email circuit due to it's heartfelt relevance. The Misterwriter blog has posted the letter, read it here.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Meet and Greet with McMorris Tonight

New Principal, John McMorris will be the guest of honor at a Meet and Greet hosted by PFC President Monica Fitzgerald tonight. I hope that all of you who attend will take the time to comment on your impression of Mr. McMorris. After years of failed leadership we can only hope that this new Principal will address many of the issues still facing Northgate. Issues like low teacher moral, high teacher turnover, a decline in student standings as compared to students from similar schools, and a lack of high academic and behavioral standards, just to name a few.
In a Contra Costa Times article, Mr. McMorris was quoted as saying, "I believe the challenges that we have at Northgate are not with the district; they are with Northgate."
I hope Mr. McMorris will elaborate on that comment since many of us believe that many of the problems at Northgate are directly related to problems at the District. Mr. McMorris we will ask much of you over the next year, please remember to be our advocate at the District, not their mouthpiece --- please.