Hay said he was frustrated by a lack of parent involvement with issues like how to spend the school's funds. "He had sent home notices to every parent, asking their attendance at a half-hour meeting to discuss the school budget as well as the terms of the teacher-parent-student compact that was at the heart of Brookside's shared plan for student achievement," Berler wrote. "One parent had showed ... Mr. Hay was at a loss at what to do. He had tried scheduling the meetings in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening. Every Hispanic household received a flyer written in Spanish. Nothing had worked.... 'You'd think parents would want some say in how we spend our $140,000 in Title I money this year,' he said."
