Archives for category: Administrators, superintendents

Students!

Parents! Grandparents!

Teachers! Principals! School board members! Staff!

Friends!

Citizens!

Organize now for a national action against gun violence on April 20!

Take the pledge to participate in the action!

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/national-day-of-action-against-gun-violence-in-schools

Join the National Day for Action to Protect Students and Schools from Gun Violence!

No more murders in schools!

Students, teachers, parents, families, members of the community—join together, and you decide what works best in your community. Walk out, strike, sit-in, teach-in, protest, demonstrate, encircle the school with linked arms, March to your legislators’ offices. Be creative. Let your legislators and other elected officials know: It is time to act now to protect students, staff and schools.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. But they change nothing. What’s needed now is legislation to stop the carnage. Weapons of war belong in the hands of trained military and police, not civilians, not children.

This action is sponsored by the Network for Public Education, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, the BATS, and many more organizations that care about the safety of our children and our educators.

Please take the pledge to join this national action on April 20. 

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/national-day-of-action-against-gun-violence-in-schools

If your organization wants to sign on as a sponsor of the National Day of Action to Protect Our Students and Schools, please contact Carol Burris of the Network for Public Education.

Cburris@networkforpubliceducation.org

David Berliner shook everyone out of their lethargy and state of shock by proposing a national teachers’ strike. Many people loved the idea, but more than a few teachers pointed out that they would be fired if they went out on strike. Lots of people came up with alternatives. Some wanted to exclude elementary schools, but they too have suffered from gun violence. Some wanted actions that took place when school was not in session, but that was like holding a strike on weekends.  It quickly became clear that we would get nowhere if we tried to settle on one plan that was acceptable to everyone. In the end, those of us who wanted action realized that communities should crowdsource their protests and coordinate locally. There was no good reason to impose a one-size-fits-all plan on everyone.

And so we turn to you to do what is most effective for your schoool and your community. But make it loud and bold!

What matters most is to organize, plan, raise your voices, and make sure your legislators hear you.

Don’t settle for thoughts and prayers. Don’t settle for bland promises about mental health services (that are being cut). We need real change. We need to learn from nations that don’t tolerate gun violence. In the five years since the massacre of first graders and staff at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, there have been “at least 239 school shootings nationwide. In those episodes, 438 people were shot, 138 of whom were killed.” (New York Times) The slaughter of children must stop!

 

 

Mercedes Schneider writes here about a company that casts its nets widely to profit from money that was intended for instruction.

ERDI: Paying School Admin to Review Ed Products that Those Admin Could Then Purchase… (?)

There is a price to be paid by administrators who betray the public trust. Consider the sad case of Barbara Byrd Bennett, once chancellor of the Chicago public schools, now in prison.

 

 

Governor Eric Greitens insists on controlling the state Board of Education, even though state law says it is supposed to be nonpartisan and relatively independent. He appointed five new members to the eight-member board and told them to fire the well-liked State Commissioner so he could impose his own person..

However, he forgot that board members must be confirmed by the State Senate, and none of his appointees have been confirmed. 

The board does not have a quorum. Curious that no one has challenged their firing of the State Commissioner since the five members were never confirmed.

“Gov. Eric Greitens withdrew all five of his appointees to the Missouri Board of Education Wednesday morning, then quickly reappointed them in a procedural maneuver that buys them more time to be confirmed by the state Senate.

“But the maneuver also means the eight-member board has only three active members. Nominees appointed during the legislative session — which began at noon Wednesday — aren’t permitted to begin serving until they are confirmed.

“Thus, the board doesn’t have a quorum and can’t take any votes or officially meet until at least two other members win Senate approval.

”The governor spent much of last year appointing new members to the board in the hopes it would fire the state’s top education official, Margie Vandeven. He finally succeeded last month when his five appointees voted to oust Vandeven and begin a search for her replacement.

“So far the state has received only one application for the job. Roger Dorson, deputy commissioner of the Division of Financial and Administrative Services for the state’s department of education is serving as interim commissioner.

“A handful of senators had vowed to block Greitens’ appointees, and if Greitens hadn’t withdrawn their names from consideration, then opponents would have had to stall the process for only 30 days to kill the nominations — and ban them from serving on the board for life.

Some Republican legislators have vowed to block Greitens’ nominees.

In the meanwhile, the state board cannot take any actions.

At the top of the Republican agenda is union-busting and tax cuts

”The governor has not released a blueprint for the session, but he has indicated he wants businesses to have a veterans’ hiring preference. Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, also wants to eliminate business start-up fees for returning veterans, and, as part of an initiative being pushed by first lady Sheena Greitens, he supports allowing foster teens to sign up for their own bank accounts.

“Under one proposal, Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, would eliminate the state’s bottom four tax brackets and lower the top tax rate to 4.8 percent from 6 percent. It would also gradually phase out the state’s income tax.

“But in order to keep his plan from blowing a hole in state revenues, Eigel also would decouple Missouri from the federal standard deduction — a move opposed by Richardson and House Budget Committee Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick, R-Shell Knob.

“Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, R-Joplin, also expressed reservations about changing the tax system, saying he was concerned about reducing revenue too much.

“We’re already cutting higher education to the bone,” Richard said.

Very clever to cut taxes and to cut funding for essential services, as well as higher education.

Mercedes Schneider reports that Louisiana State Superintendent John White has a problem. He is married to a woman who is Relay “Graduate School of Education” director of policy and government affairs. The state Department of Education does business with Relay, a trusted source of inexperienced leaders.

Does he have a conflict of interest?

What do you think?

See what the Louisiana Board of “Ethics” ruled.

Forrest Claypool, CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, resigned following an ethics investigation critical of him. Rahm Emanuel applauded his performance, which was marked by cost-cutting. He will be succeeded by Janice Jackson, chief academic officer and a graduate of CPS.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/under-fire-forrest-claypool-resigns-as-chicago-schools-250000-ceo/

If you have been reading this blog, you have already read about Antwan Wilson’s fiscal problems in Oakland, which he left behind to become the Chancellor of the D.C. schools. D.C. copied New York City, based on inflated claims of dramatic educational gains, and has a school system run by the Mayor. D.C.’s mayor chose Wilson and assured the public that he had a “proven record” of fiscal stability. But after he left, it turns out that he overspent the budget by 100% for administration, having added 75 positions–mostly in the central office–that had not been budgeted.

But as Valerie Strauss writes here, he left the Oakland budget in a shambles. Wilson is a “graduate” of the unaccredited Broad Superintendents Academy. Apparently one of the very important skills taught there is to load up the district with new administrators. Wilson did that.

Antwan Wilson came to Washington nine months ago to become chancellor of the city’s school system, a surprise choice by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, who said she picked the Oakland, Calif., public schools chief because he was a “proven manager” who brought fiscal stability to that district.

But just a few months after Wilson left Oakland, the perennially troubled district is in such severe financial straits that the Board of Education on Nov. 8 ordered $15.1 million in immediate budget cuts — on top of millions of dollars in reductions made earlier in the year.

Mental health services, computer labs, librarians and supplies are now being pared or eliminated at some campuses, and the fiscal pain is expected to continue into the 2018-2019 school year, with additional cuts ordered by the school board. A recent analysis of the district’s finances by state auditors concluded that “the district has lost control of its spending.”

Wilson, who became superintendent of the 37,000-student Oakland district in 2014 after working as a teacher and principal in other states, through a spokeswoman declined requests for comment over the past week. Bowser’s office did not reply to requests for comment.

Dale Russakoff’s book “The Prize” described how everyone—consultants, entrepreneurs, reformers—fattened off Mark Zuckerberg’s gift of $100 Million, which was intended to make Newark the New Orleans of the North. Things didn’t work out so well for the students, who were treated like pawns on a chess board, shuttled from school to school.

The game goes on. The current superintendent of Newark is Chris Cerf, who previously served as New Jersey State Commissioner, chosen by Governor Chris Christie.

As veteran journalist Bob Braun reports, Cerf has given a consulting job to another former New Jersey Commissioner of Education, David Hespe, Another Christie appointee.

Braun writes:

“David Hespe, the former New Jersey education commissioner responsible for many of the worst excesses of state control of the Newark public school district, has a new source of employment–the Newark public school district….

“Hespe’s work for Cerf is the latest in a dizzying exchange of jobs between top state educators. Hespe appointed Cerf to run the district which has been under state control since 1995. Cerf had preceded Hespe as state education commissioner–and Cerf himself had worked for the school district before he was appointed state education commissioner. Jobs among pals of outgoing Gov. Chris Christie spread like a highly contagious stomach virus among preschoolers.

“Contagious. Nauseating. But profitable.

“Both Cerf and Hespe as state education commissioner supported the so-called “reforms” imposed by Cami Anderson, Christie’s first choice to run the state-operated district–wrenching changes in district enrollment patterns, the closing down and sale of public schools and their assets, the misuse of new teacher tenure rules to dismiss veteran teachers and union activists, and the vast expansion of privately-operated charter schools.

“That charter expansion came at the expense of traditional public schools. Tens of millions of dollars were transferred annually by Hespe and friends to privately-operated charter schools to ensure they are “saved harmless” from state aid cuts–cuts that devastated regular public schools. Hespe supported the transfer of public funds away from Newark public schools to the charters.”

New Jerseyans pay very high taxes. Watch the carnival in Newark to see how that money is squandered.

Intent on installing a state commissioner committed to privatization, he New Tepublican governor of Missouri finally succeeded in forcing the ouster of the current state commissioner. The state board of education is supposed to be independent. Not anymore.

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/greitens-gets-his-way-second-try-vandeven-fired-education-commissioner

Charles Sampson, superintendent of the Freehold Regional High School District in New Jersy, sent out a bulletin about the ridiculous number of tests his students are required to take.

For speaking out against stupidity, I add him to the Honor Roll of the blog.

He writes:

“Our testing requirements under the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) extend far beyond federal requirements. With the introduction this year of the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment-Science (NJSLA-S) we have jumped the proverbial shark. With the NJSLA-S, a junior in a New Jersey Public High School will sit for approximately 13 hours of testing between mid-April and mid-June. This does not include Advanced Placement or College Admissions Exams (e.g. SAT, ACT) also commonly taken in the junior year. In fact, current juniors who have already taken the New Jersey Biology Competency Test (NJBCT) as ninth graders, will now take a four-hour field test in the sciences even though they have already taken the federally required assessment!

“The NJSLA-S will have teeth-in fact, it will be comprehensive and there are plans to include it as a graduation assessment requirement. Students that follow interests or passions in the sciences and not prescribed course sequences may be at a disadvantage in meeting assessment benchmarks. These consequences will be compounded by the reverberations of PARCC. If current requirements hold, additional gates barring graduation will be raised, hundreds of students may be required to take a “refresher” course based on standardized assessment performance, equity issues for poor students will become more pronounced and test preparation far worse than what we experienced under No Child Left Behind will be the answer.

“Sound frightening? It should.

“As a superintendent, I am gravely concerned. As a parent, I am outraged.

“We need to stop adding to our standardized assessment load and give back time and energy to teaching and learning. We have a responsibility to speak up for the children we serve, for our own children and for children who have no one to speak for them. I want to see New Jersey lead the nation in educational experiences for children, not seat time for standardized assessments.”

Missouri Republican Governor Eric Greitens wants to remove the state superintendent and install his own choice, a buddy who believes in privatization.

The state board is, by law, supposed to be independent, not politically subservient, but Greitens appointed members who were supposed to do as he told them.

One of his five appointees refused and was removed.

When the vote was called, the board split 4-4, so for now the governor won’t get his way.

More than three hours after the meeting ended, Greitens responded by slamming local school district officials and education organizations, saying the state earmarked more money for schools this year, but the money didn’t result in higher pay for teachers and improved test scores.

“Today, the system works for insiders and bureaucrats who get paid real well, but it fails too many students, families, and teachers,” Greitens said. “There are a lot of people committed to the status quo. They’ve been willing to harass and intimidate anyone who stands up to them. That won’t stop us from doing what’s right. We’re fighting to get results for Missouri teachers and students.”

The four recent appointees who supported Vandeven’s ouster included Eddy Justice, Doug Russell, Sonny Jungmeyer and new member Jennifer Edwards.

Vandeven’s supporters say she is doing a good job and that Greitens is meddling with a school board that operates independently of politics.

“It is critical that the independence of the state Board of Education be maintained so the board can make the best policy decisions for the nearly one million students in Missouri’s public schools,” said Melissa Randol, executive director of the Missouri School Boards’ Association.

Imagine that! The state spent more money on education this year, but test scores didn’t go up!