Letters to the Editor

Nepotism compromises decision-making

Thank you for Howard Manly’s excellent report on nepotism in the Boston Public School system. I have to confess that I naively thought that a school might be one of the few places in government where folks would have the decency to refrain from this type of behavior.

Kudos also to Councilor Chuck Turner for looking into these instances. His comments about the harm that nepotism causes were right on — although they only covered part of the problem. Yes, it’s a matter of fairness in access to jobs. But more importantly, nepotism draws into question all types of decisions that impact our ability to support and provide resources to our children. Jobs in education (and elsewhere in government) should only exist to meet the critical needs of the public. There will be times when a particular position or role may no longer be needed or may need to change. When the family member of a decision-maker is hired or holds such a position — the decisions around that job are, by definition, compromised.

That element of doubt or bias, in turn, can lead to poor utilization of resources and outright corruption. And that directly hurts the delivery of education to our kids.

If we truly care about our children’s future, we should take this issue very seriously. We must realize, remind each other, and teach our children that government-funded jobs and public resources are not “spoils” to be doled out ... but rather, vital tools to be used wisely and with good stewardship.

Geoff O’Hara
Dorchester, MA

+ Add Comment

Oct 2 2:36am by Tarif Aziz [98.217.181.40]

Hello My name is Tarif Aziz, the President and Founder of Save Another Youth Taekwondo Inc. A local non-profit located at 168 Neponset Ave in Dorchester. We operate a after school program and a summer day camp and martial arts programs. our after school program combines academics and martial arts to teach the youth the values and tools they need for success. I have been active in the community for 4 years, 3 years at the Trotter Elementary and 1 year at my current location. I have 15 kids in my program and 20 more waiting but I cannot take them because I am not receiving any funding. We operate on a shoestring budget and currently we are behind on the rent and we are in danger of losing the space. We owe back rent of $2,000 and desperately need sponsors to help our financial situation. I am married with 8 children of my own and have used as much of my personal finances as I can.

We service at risk children and children who just need positive activities in their lives. These children have been in my program since the begininng and I have watched them grow up and even graduate from elementary to middle school. these children and their parents depend on the services that I provide. Our martial arts program combined with afterschool is one of a kind. We have taken these children all over the country competing in martial arts tournaments. Several of the children are ranked number one in the country for their age and rank. With all the violence in our community these children need somewhere to go afterschool and if we cannot pay the rent then we cannot continue to Save Another Youth. So please support our cause and help us keep our youth center open.