Response to PMSA "community letter"

The PMSA distributed a "community letter" to all schools' mailing lists yesterday. You can read it here. This is our response as posted on Facebook:

Beyond PMSA exists for one purpose only – to reform the system of governance at our schools to make it transparent and accountable for the benefit of all stakeholders, but primarily the students.

We have clearly stated this intention since our formation, which has garnered the support of almost 4,500 concerned individuals.

While Beyond PMSA and its supporters have sought clear answers from the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association, none have been provided.

Instead, the PMSA has decided to issue a letter listing its complaints and seeking sympathy because it has been questioned.

For transparency, it is important to examine the sources of the PMSA’s criticisms:

(a) The media: The media were well aware of, and reporting on, the unacceptable behaviours and actions of some PMSA Councillors and employees well before Beyond PMSA came into existence only a few short weeks ago. Interestingly, no media outlet has issued a retraction of any of the stories to date.

(b) Other social media forums: These forums have been operating independently and without connection to Beyond PMSA for some time, but they appear to have equal concern over the mishandling of specific events by the PMSA in recent months. Beyond PMSA has no involvement with them.

(c) The PMSA’s own Facebook page: Beyond PMSA believes the introduction of the PMSA page was a genuine attempt to be more transparent. Unfortunately for the PMSA, it has been littered with unanswered questions from day one. The tone of many of the posts reflects the exasperation of individuals who have not received responses. Most of those unanswered questions also seem to have fuelled recent media articles. Beyond PMSA has no involvement in feeding those posts.

(d) Beyond PMSA: Yes, we have been critical, but we have done this through a platform that allows our followers to ask questions and exchange information in a respectful and appropriate way. Beyond PMSA posts have never been disparaging or personal towards the PMSA. When the media has asked Beyond PMSA for direct comment, those comments have never been aimed at individuals.

So let’s look at the individual allegations in the PMSA letter:

1. “Establishing teams of people to review PMSA actions - in some cases going back decades”. Beyond PMSA takes credit for reviewing the history books. We have looked at submissions penned to the PMSA in past decades outlining entirely reasonable steps to improve governance. In doing that, we have had cause to ask “why” they were not adopted and what the response of the PMSA was in each case. However, we do draw the line at “teams”. A large number of individual Beyond PMSA followers and avid question posters on the PMSA’s own Facebook page appear to have taken it upon themselves to use their own time, resources and professional experience to try and find out more about the body that governs our schools in response to their unanswered questions. We have no control or involvement over what those individuals choose to do, but we are pleased people are taking a keen interest. We don’t hold current Councillors responsible for the actions or inactions of previous councils, but history always provides an ability for us all to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

2. “Using those resources to 'investigate' a litany of perceived wrongs and then feeding them to the media without any attempt to fact check them much less to ensure any semblance of truth”. The media are getting a portion of their information from individuals coming forward of their own volition, including recently resigned staff, former independent school councillors, and former PMSA Council members themselves as well as the unanswered independent questions asked on the PMSA’s own Facebook page. For obvious reasons, reports in the news media must be appropriately fact checked and the integrity of individual journalists is at stake. Just because the PMSA doesn’t like an article doesn’t make it untrue.

3. “Organising public rallies, including the gates of Somerville House while students were in some cases, preparing for end-of-year-exams”. Guilty. However, these rallies never interrupted students or their exam preparations. The Somerville House rally was held before school and not during exam blocks. The recent Green Day Rally was held several kilometres from any PMSA school. We fail to see how any of this has disrupted students and in fact, we have been very cognisant of their exam blocks.

4. “Creating distressing fictions about our schools that have, in many cases, tarnished the final year of school in the memories of young men and women who are completing Grade 12”. This is not true and a complete distortion of the facts to generate sympathy for the PMSA. The only tarnishes on the memories of the students are the recent appalling behaviours and actions of some at the PMSA. For example, some Somerville House students have been openly taunted on public transport about bathhouses. We know that the removal of Flo Kearney suddenly and without notice was extremely upsetting for the senior girls, who were not given an opportunity to say goodbye.

5. “Creating angst and disillusionment for the thousands of dedicated teachers and support staff who work in our schools” A complete fabrication. Beyond PMSA has given nothing but full and total support to the wonderful staff at all our schools who are suffering under poor governance and have been for decades. They are our schools’ best assets. Any staff angst is undoubtedly driven by the recent termination of employment arrangements, the marching of respected staff from school premises, the resignation of many other staff in protest over the PMSA’s actions, and the aggressive (and strange) tactic of employing an IT security firm in an attempt to investigate data files so the PMSA can identify if staff had been leaking data to the media. We support the staff of our schools absolutely and without reservation. We have always made that clear. We are fighting for them too.

6. “Issuing an anonymous letter to a senior PMSA employee, threatening him if he took any action to support the PMSA”. We have absolutely no knowledge of this and it has no connection to any member of Beyond PMSA as far as we are aware. We do not support or condone bullying or intimidation of any kind. It is one of the reforms we are, in fact, pursing to the culture of the PMSA. If it is of genuine concern, we suggest the PMSA employee concerned take the letter to the police immediately and have it fully investigated. It is unfortunate this same sense of compassion does not seem to exist for the Somerville House P&F and other school community members who have received open and threatening letters from PMSA lawyers in recent times. They are, after all, volunteers as well.

7. “Systematic and hurtful character assassination of the Councillors which have often been severely distressing for us and our families”. No one should be subjected to hurtful character assassination. Beyond PMSA feels very sorry for the families of some current and former employees and Councillors of the PMSA whose conduct had been reported in the media before Beyond PMSA came into existence.

We do not support or condone disparaging or defamatory comments directed at anyone. We have never targeted individuals. We are focused on issues, and we encourage questions to be framed in a respectful way. If this complaint is levelled at Beyond PMSA, it is a complete misconception and has no basis in fact.

To complete the openness surrounding this issue, Beyond PMSA members themselves appear to have been on the receiving end of a number of conversations, harassing phone calls, and messages from a range of people connected with the PMSA in one era. The objective appears to be to try and paint Beyond PMSA as a group that is damaging the schools through their actions. Yesterday’s message from the PMSA seems to be a continuation on that theme, assisted by their communications strategists with a blatantly incorrect statement regarding “unique and damaging actions directed towards Somerville House”.

Freedom of speech and the right for parents and supporters to ask those who govern our schools to do better is not wrong, nor is it damaging to our schools. To suggest otherwise based on recent events is scandalous and an attempt by the PMSA to dissociate itself from its own failings.

8. “Feeding and supporting the Courier Mail in publishing articles that consistently ignore the true facts the PMSA has tried to present.” The media are unable to legally publish stories that aren’t true. But importantly, no-one is really sure what the PMSA’s “truth” is as 99% of the questions that people ask are never answered. The PMSA has never obtained any retraction from the media about any of the issues that have been reported.

The PMSA seem determined in their need to have an “evil force” that is trying to tear them down. It appears this convenience may be served by targeting the 4,500 supporters of Beyond PMSA who are behind a genuine and constructive cause. Unfortunately, their perception is misguided.