Don't Hold Your Breath

On December 15 Brad Bernatek gave the Board an update on the School Reports. The update focused on a few topics, primarily the percentage of students ready for a 4-year college, the students making gains on state math and reading tests and the number of advanced learners at each school.

Mr. Bernatek claimed that the District staff had learned that they need to ensure definitions are clear, manage changes in data and proactively communicate with stakeholders. Further, he promised specific future actions. He said that the district would adjust the language for the student gains measure, update and expand the frequently asked questions about school reports on the web site, change how they report the number of advanced learners at schools, and make a significant adjustment to Ballard High School's results to reflect a corrected understanding of some classes there.

During the conversation with the Board, Mr. Bernatek said that he would guide a couple of Board members through the calculation and meaning of the Colorado Growth Model.

So where are these promised changes?

Nowhere to be seen.

And where is Mr. Bernatek.

Nowhere to be seen.

And the instruction on the Colorado Growth Model for those Board members?

Nowhere to be seen.

In Mr. Bernatek's absence, who will fulfill the commitments he made? Who is his replacement? Does he even have a replacement? Mr. Bernatek knew that he wouldn't be around to fulfill those promises, so why did he make them? More to the point, why would anyone believe them?

I don't know when these things will get done. It has been about a month so far. Don't hold your breath.

Comments

Melissa Westbrook said…
I was wondering all those things as well, Charlie. But if the Board takes it without a fuss and allows a "we'll get back to you" as an answer, then they have no one to blame but themselves. Now AND in November.
1/11/11, 4:45 PM
Charlie Mas said…
The comedy here is that the person who said "I'm going to do this work" was known to be leaving and he has now left without doing the work. When will it dawn on them that the work has been dropped.

Don't think that Jessica de Barros is going to do it. She has a new job working on the TIF grant.

This shines a glaring light on the Board's gullibility and their inability to think even one step ahead. They knew that Mr. Bernatek was leaving the District when they accepted the promises of future work from him. Who did they think would be doing that work? They didn't even think to wonder.
1/11/11, 5:42 PM
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