At its meeting of Oct. 25, our school committee voted 5 to 4 to disapprove a project-based learning (PBL) program application to provide professional development training to teachers. 

The PBL vendor was Simona Simpson-Thomas. Her program is called Freedom Dreams. I suspect it was largely inspired by Robin Kelly’s book, “Freedom Dreams – The Black Radical Imagination.”

My understanding is that the program was recommended by Assistant Superintendent Diane Sanna and high school Principal Deborah DiBiase.

As reported in the Phoenix, the discussion among school committee members became a bit heated. The minority “gang of four” was not happy with the majority’s vote.

At the public speaking segment of the meeting, I spoke against accepting the program. Based on my review of the available materials, the program was fraught with critical race theory ideology jargon. Also, the professional qualifications of the vendor and her program, in my view, were especially thin on merit.

I could not see how anyone would want to approve this program for any amount of money, including no cost, to provide professional development training on PBL for our teachers.

Critical race theory ideology is real. It is divisive, dangerous and destructive. It already exists in our Bristol Warren schools in one form or another. If you do not know what CRT is, do some minimal google research. It is not hard to find. Become better informed.

I believe the five members of the school committee: Chairperson Marjorie McBride, Victor Cabral, Karen Cabral, Tara Thibaudeau and Sheila Ellsworth, made the right decision, notwithstanding the heavy flak they caught at the meeting and since by the local newspaper editorial, the “gang of nine” authors of a jointly signed letter to the editor and, in particular, one letter writer who was quick to resort to an ugly slander and cry racist when the vote did not go his way. Ms. Thomas did not do herself proud by resorting to the racial slur in her interview with the press.  

I believe the editorial position was wrong to attribute to the “gang of five” the discord that the biased editorial itself helps to foster by blaming them for school problems past and present. The newspaper is certainly free to disagree with the majority, but it should have been more temperate and balanced in its criticism.

The gang of nine overstated their case when they stated twice that this was a program that “everyone supported.” Their assertion is not at all factually accurate. At least one, if not more, of the minority committee members did not even know that the program was on the agenda that evening and apparently had not yet seen the vendor’s application. Yet she was willing to vote for its acceptance. You tell me if that is how you want your elected officials voting.

Pete Hewett 
Bristol