Dear Dr. Mitchell Chester,

     As you know the Southbridge School District is currently a level 4 school district, the percentage of Southbridge students in all grades combined scoring proficient or advanced in all areas tested is well below that of the state average, the district’s Accelerated Improvement Plan was recently finalize and approved by the DESE. As I am sure you are also aware last evening the Superintendent of Southbridge Schools, Eric Ely was placed on administrative leave.

     As parents of students in the Southbridge School district, we are heartbroken and are very close in losing hope for the education of our children and their future. The lack of leadership, integrity, professionalism, and accountability on the part of members of the School Committee has become the norm. Members of the School Committee have put the education of our children and what is in their best interest aside in order to prioritize all sorts of foolishness. The discourse that takes place at these meetings isn’t about policies issues around what needs to be done to ensure that every child in this district receives an excellent education it is about personalities, egos, personal agendas. If this is the best we can expect from our leaders what hope do we have for our children?

     The Southbridge School District vision statement is "Southbridge Public Schools is a diverse community of learners in which students, teachers, administrators, parents and other stakeholders form a partnership to assure that each student achieves a quality education in a safe and supportive environment. We are committed to achieving academic excellence, embracing cultural diversity, developing personal integrity, instilling responsible citizenship and promoting lifelong learning for all." We share this vision but do not believe the realization of this vision is possible without strong leadership.

     This community has so many positive things going for it we are a diverse community, we are a supportive community filled with families that want the best for their kids and all the kids in the community, we have so many amazing teachers who are committed to providing each of their students with an excellent education, we have so many students who are eager to learn, we have staff members who work tirelessly to provide students with the support they need to be successful, we have school committee members who are working hard to try to get the work done to improve the district for everyone in it, we have administrators who are dedicated to providing school environments that support teachers, students and families and foster a sense of community. We have so many bright spots within the district that get overshadowed by people in leadership who do not represent or reflect who we are as a community. They are preventing this district from moving forward, building on our strengths and minimizing our weaknesses.

      Dr. Chester we ask for the sake of and the futures of all of the children in Southbridge please, place a receiver in our district. We need a leader to come in assess our strengths and weakness and make the appropriate decisions regarding what is in the best educational interests of the children of Southbridge. Martin Luther King Jr said “The time is always right to do the right thing”, I am pleading with you to do the right thing, and the time is now. Please restore our hopes, our schools and our children's futures.