Letters to SBE and Director DeBell

May 8, 2009

Dear State Board of Education Members,

I have deep concerns about how SBE math recommendations are currently being handled and disseminated by OSPI.

I found much to be very concerned about in the Seattle Math Adoption Process.

The SPS has decided to purchase a text series that was by far the worst of the texts reviewed by the SBE MAP for high school adoption.

A presentation by Ms. Greta Bornemann of OPSI reduced two years work by SBE MAP panelists to essentially zero impact.

Details follow in my letter to the SPS board president:

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May 8, 2009

Dear Board President and Director Michael DeBell,

I deeply appreciate your efforts and although you are extremely busy I would appreciate a response to this letter.

On May 16, and May 30, 2007, I was very displeased as Ms. Rosalind Wise with the assistance of Mr. Brad Bernetek presented cherry picked data as if the data were representative random samples. Seattle adopted Everyday Math (and something else that never appeared).

Deception has become a characteristic of the Seattle process.
(The committee selection application and rubric make any references to a diverse group laughable)

I felt I was sitting in a Kangaroo Court for Ms. Bornemann's presentation.

She had been asked by the Central Administration to speak and inform the directors about the process.

She delivered a presentation that would make every salesman proud.

Her presentation was incredibly deceptive and disrespectful to every member of the SBE MAP. We worked two years to provide better guidance to schools.

We provided you and your fellow Directors with next to nothing in the way of guidance thanks to the actions of Ms. Bornemann and the SPS Central Administration.

Please see the following link for exact details of why I see two years of effort discarded by a biased Olympia Bureaucrat.

http://mathunderground.blogspot.com/2009/05/check-out-sps-meeting.html

With my Deepest appreciation for your efforts,

Danaher M. Dempsey, Jr.
SBE MAP (2007-2009)