We appreciate Gothamist taking the time to call us and discuss the matter and then quote us in their article.  It’s not exactly the way we would have presented what we said, but the reporter looks like he is trying to present both sides of the issue, which is laudable.

One detail the reporter left out — which we wish he had included — was that we mentioned Montclair as an example of where the parental activism was decidedly not conservative.  Upset about NJEA President/Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller’s school closures and his blatant conflict of interest, Montclair citizens overwhelmingly stripped Spiller of his powers to appoint the school board.  This is a powerful example of parental activism, which should have been included.  And it defies the characterization of the parental movement as throughly conservative because Montclair is a very liberal town.