Dear Editor:
The following poems were written by a Parsippany Parent in the past month in reference to series of events that led the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District into what many refer to as Schedulegate.
Part 1:
Twas the day before school started and all through the town,
When the kids in the middle schools were really let down.
They waited all summer for their schedules to arrive,
When they logged onto Genesis it seemed to take a nose dive.
There were many kids with out any classes,
As the parents thought what a bunch of Asses.
The Superintendent had this really great plan,
Let’s change the schedule, I don’t give a damn.
If you asked the teachers they said it would fail,
However to get his bonus, the plan must prevail.
He moved forward and got paid for his goal,
It is time for the Board to regain control.
As parents we all must take a stand,
For our kid’s future is at hand.
Enough is enough, we can no longer be silent,
We need to put an end, and stop the tyrant.
Part 2: The Story Continues
Twas a few days after middle school when all through the town,
when Mr. Rixford, the Superintendent, could no longer be found.
From the start, he upset a whole bunch of teachers,
With disgust we all watched from the bleachers.
The dress code was the first thing he wanted to change,
Worrying about rivets, now it seems so strange.
He continued to rule with an iron fist,
As he guided most Board Members by their wrists.
The Middle School schedule was another item on his list,
When the board approved the change, the parents were pissed.
If you asked the teachers, the said it would not work,
Yet he cashed in his bonus check with a really big smirk.
He came to the district with his master plan,
chances are it will result in him getting canned.
His big changes, he hoped, would be his claim to fame,
Yet when put to the test, put the district to shame.
The first day of school the kids were with out their class assignment,
To bad his contract, was not on consignment.
With no schedules in hand, he said it was a glitch,
When in reality, he was starting to twitch.
As expected his plan seemed to have failed,
it is time for his ship to raise the sail.
The moral of the story is for the board to listen,
to the people who voted them in to their position.
While the Board and his team thought this was a grand slam,
It was the Counselors and Teachers who got them out of this jam.
The parents are outraged with the issues at hand,
Don’t be surprise if we come out and take a stand.
Part 3:
Twas the night of the meeting, The first of the school year.
When the parents of Parsippany, began to appear.
The came out in full force, ready to take a stand.
To speak about the redesign, which seemed to take a crash land.
The story at hand, that I want to share,
Is to tell a story for those that may be unaware.
Well over a year ago, the hunt was on,
To find a Superintendent the district could rely upon.
The Board found Mr. Rixford, they said he was the man.
Who eventually came up with, what we will call the master plan.
The middle school schedule at the top of the list,
Is when this story took a twist.
The parents, the teachers, were against it from the start,
Yet the board approved this thinking it it was state of the art.
There was a lot to absorb, so much to discuss,
Unfortunately the board failed to listen to us.
For Rixford’s goals, he had to succeed,
His plan was passed with light speed.
He presented his plan, which the board approved his check,
Yet from the start, this was a train wreck.
A week before school started the schedules came out,
It was at that point the parents began to doubt.
Mr. Rixford said that there was a little glitch,
Apparently new schedules was not his niche.
He tried his best to pass the buck,
As his master plan ran amuck.
The middle schools were in major trouble,
Yet he remained in his bubble.
As Superintendent he was paid top dollar,
So the parents began to hollar.
When things began, to get really heated,
Is when it seems that he was defeated.
When we needed him most he seemed to bail,
For his plan was nothing but a fairy tale.
With Mr. Rixford no longer in site
The schedules were still not right.
To correct the problem the board had to decide,
That it is time to swallow their pride.
Nine periods is what the middle school needs,
As they began to apologize on their knees.
The moral of the story as you see,
Is that the board should not be afraid to disagree..
Part 4: Back by Popular Demand
T’was the night of another Board Meeting, a month after the initial schedule release date,
When the people came out to vent frustration over what is now called Schedulegate.
If you have not been following, I could fill you in over a cup of tea,
However you probably should read part one, two, and three.
We left off when the decision was made to switch back in time,
When both middle schools were running just fine.
We were told this process would take a lot of time,
All of this funded on the taxpayer’s dime.
The night of the meeting Dr. Gigante addressed the crowd,
She announced the schedule was fixed, she seemed so proud
This process to fix this mess should have taken at least five weeks,
But she sped up the process and fixed it in 9 days, as she continued to speak.
She recognized the counselors, supervisors, building administrators, and academic technology staff.
I’m just wondering if they were all paid time and a half.
A big thanks to all those who helped fixed this big mess,
We all know it has caused a whole bunch of stress.
The meeting continued like nothing was wrong,
When the Public portion was open when we learned Rixford said so long.
The Board and administrators tried to hide the fact,
That Mr. Rixford was planning on breaking his pact.
It was a parent, who mentioned this to the crowd,
When she was done, the audience clapped really loud.
A topic that was important as this,
Should not have been pushed through, hoping it would be missed.
The citizens of Parsippany are ready to take a stand and fight,
To find out what happened, this is our right.
His plan was pushed as being so elementary,
Yet when it failed, he rode off into the sunset in his Bentley.
Many did not like him due to his ego trip,
Yet when things where rough, he was the first off the sinking ship.
Now that he is no longer around,
It seems as though everyone is jumping up and down.
As the district begins doing damage control,
There is no doubt this fiaso has taken its toll.
The moral of the strory has left with me writer’s cramp,
Maybe the Board and District should put away the rubber stamp.
Name withheld upon request
