This We Believe

We are writing as representatives for many concerned parents and community members. Our membership includes parents who have devoted hours of sweat, hopes and dreams on behalf of this school. We have entrusted to your our hard earned tax dollars and our most precious possession – the lives of our children.

We demand the immediate resignation of Board President, Bill Bush and his supporters Marc Richards, Gerald Calone, Anne Morroney, and Ty Malone. As the Board of Trustees of Graystone Academy Charter School YOU HAVE VIOLATED OUR TRUST. During your terms in office, your governance can only be described as incompetent, unethical, and criminal. Below we offer as evidence the following:

YOU HAVE VIOLATED OUR TRUST because of your refusal to conduct the affairs of the Board according to the terms delineated in the bylaws and Pennsylvania Law.

You have not acted to enforce provisions of the Bylaw regarding the attendance and membership of Board members. As per your by-laws section 3 (3.3) Removal of Trustees states: Cause for a Trustee’s removal shall include, but is not limited to failure to attend three consecutive meetings of the Board (public or otherwise). Therefore, Ty Malone should no longer be a member of Board. In addition, Ann Morroney’s attendance over the past two years warrants action as well.

YOU HAVE VIOLATED OUR TRUST by intentionally breaking public law through the willful violation of the Pennsylvania Open Meetings Act (commonly known as the Pennsylvania Sunshine Law). The Board repeatedly holds lengthy executive sessions, without the attendance of school administration, followed by brief public sessions at which votes were conducted but no discussion on matters before the board is held. Board members participated in the votes used by the three other charged board members to illegally accomplish their purposes. By criminally conducting the business of the school, you are insulting the parents, staff and community and YOU HAVE VIOLATED OUR TRUST

YOU HAVE VIOLATED OUR TRUST by not informing the community, parents, and staff regarding the current investigation of the BOARD, not the staff or administration, by the Coatesville Area School District. You have full knowledge of the investigation for over three months and choose not to disclose to the public the nature and potential consequences of the action. Your action was an intentional cover-up of serious allegation that should have been formally communicated to the public and refusal to fully cooperate with the CASD has put our children’s school in jeopardy. No matter the outcome of the investigation, your behavior has violated our trust.

YOU HAVE VIOLATED OUR TRUST though a history of incompetent leadership resulting in a failure to secure a proper facility for our children, declining test scores, declining enrollment, exorbitant legal fees, high administrative turnover, high teacher attrition, and a public reputation not worthy of our students and families.

YOU HAVE VIOLATED OUR TRUST by creating an atmosphere of internal mistrust and fear. As parents, we have spoken with former and current faculty and staff members who indicate a hesitation of speaking out against Board practices for fear of retaliation, up to and including termination and litigation. Those who have spoken up have described repeated acts of professional retaliation by the Board. Teacher pay is below traditional public school districts, anywhere, but loving what you do and who you do it with can keep good teachers. Working for someone you fear and can't trust doesn't. Because of your inability to support the teachers and employees of Graystone, YOU HAVE VIOLATED OUR TRUST!

We are united in the belief that the Board is acting on their personal self interest and does not want what is best for the school. The current board members further presence in office would be harmful to the public welfare. Your performance is beyond the “mere mistake or failure to carry out minor statutory requirements attached to office” and does indeed warrant the extraordinary remedy of removal from office. We believe the charter and future of the school is in serious jeopardy. Many parents, especially the volunteers and advocates, are considering the painful decision to withdraw their children from the school for the next school year all because of issues that relate directly back to current Board of Trustees.

As board officials you must understand that the work you do requires you to be held as a model example for children, parents, and educators alike. Every decision that you make changes the future! There simply isn't room for my child's leaders to make poor decisions now or to continue in the future. We need leaders our educators can stand behind, too.

If your resignation is not submitted we are prepared to take additional LEGAL action. We realize that the discretion of the school board is not unlimited, and when it is abused, the courts may step in with the power of judicial review; the presumption of good faith is not irrefutable, and when it is overcome the court must determine whether the officer should be removed from their position of “public trust.”

Many parents and community members feel that as the elected leaders of the school, the Board clearly does care about what is in the best interest of the students. They have also, thus far, turned down all minority members wanting to serve on the Board. We collectively agree the current Board of Trustees are no longer good representatives for the school or children of the school. YOU HAVE VIOLATED OUR TRUST.

We thank you for your time that you have given to our school as board members but we implore you to relinquish your positions. You owe it to our children. We must save Graystone Academy and your resignation is the first step.