P-I Story: A culture of fear
This P-I story about the communication failure in Seattle Public Schools lays a lot of the blame for the failure of oversight on the communication policy that limits contact with the Board to the four members of the District leadership.
Here's the telling part, however. After everyone agrees that the communications policy helped to create this problem, Director Maier apparently wants to keep it in place.
Here's the telling part, however. After everyone agrees that the communications policy helped to create this problem, Director Maier apparently wants to keep it in place.
As to whether the district's communication protocol needs to change, "I'd have to study that," Maier said.
Comments
But they were notified. Only it was people that they don't pay attention to, instead of SPS administration - so they weren't listening.
For me, as a teacher, it was learning about NWEA and the MAP test, and Goodloe-Johnson's non-disclosure and sole-sourcing and cronyism.
The liberating thing, once you take the plunge, and start making waves, is that, well, you might as well keep going, cuz you're already dead (paraphrasing Winston Smith from Orwell's 1984).
Board members are actually pretty easy to speak to. Not at Board meetings, which are circuses (and everything is pretty much decided already). But those Saturday morning community meetings are usually attended by less than 10 people, and you can really slice off a piece of your mind.
So far, in my very outspoken year, I have not seen a whiff of reprisal.
So far.
When MAP was first presented to staff we were told it would not be used as an evaluative tool against teachers. Here we are just a couple years down the road and its like our lives rest on these numbers. What does MAP measure? Does it tell you this student loves learning, how motivated they are to learn?
99% of the teachers do everything possible to increase the progress of their students. Sometimes they just aren't ready t o learn but they will because they are motitvated and determined but it doesn't always happen today, on a 'time line'. We don't all fit a mold, a teacher does more than just teach facts to be poured back out. We have to motivate, be each students cheering squad even against impossible odds and it doesn't always happen today.
snowydaze
I do not get this Board.
The scandal unfolding at the school district is calling into question why Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson and the seven members of the school board weren't alerted earlier to concerns about Silas Potter, who ran the Regional Small Business Development Program.
Those concerns aren't new -- at least, not to a handful of employees in the school district. But when those concerns were voiced over the last several years, they never made it up to the school board.
No mention of the Sutor Group's report to MGJ in 2008. No mention of the email showing she avoided discussing it with the Board.
The scandal unfolding at the school district is calling into question why Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson and the seven members of the school board weren't alerted earlier to concerns about Silas Potter, who ran the Regional Small Business Development Program.
Those concerns aren't new -- at least, not to a handful of employees in the school district. But when those concerns were voiced over the last several years, they never made it up to the school board.
No mention of the email showing MGJ, through the Sutor Group, was in the know in 2008 and was less than open with the Board.
Brad Bernatek had to cough up a post-facto sole source justification for the MAP purchase in 2009. He knew that they might actually have to solicit and evaluate superior products in 2011. Sure give principals and teachers a tool for "informing instruction" BUT DO NOT tie "value-added" evaluations to the test.
Don't be bullied into something you have concerns about.
A Garfield librarian complained to the board about MAP testing eliminating library use time.
Debarros asked Enfield if there was a policy to prevent staff from communicating with board. The response was "unfortunately not".
Given an opportunity, the district would love to close down board communication.
Superintendent MGJ relied on Holly Ferguson to write and revise all Board Policies.
Small Business Works was a stale board policy that Holly Ferguson needed to revise.
Holly Ferguson did not do her job.
GROSS PAY - $110,000
Second: Superintendent MGJ relied on Roy (Ronic) Lirio to clean up financial records. Ronic failed in his job and he was rewarded with a new job that whose title was obscure at best - Strategic Management Manager. Ronic should have reviewed the role of the Small Works, but did not. Ronic did not do his job.
GROSS PAY $130,000
John Harman Duggan was expected to provide reliable financial statements. To this day, Seattle Schools does not have a set of reliable financial statements. John Harman Duggan did not do his job.
(These numbers are close estimates and maybe more if you includeded benefits. )
Superintendent MGJ relied on Holly Ferguson to write and revise all Board Policies.
Small Business Works was a stale board policy that Holly Ferguson needed to revise.
Holly Ferguson did not do her job.
GROSS PAY - $110,000
Second: Superintendent MGJ relied on Roy (Ronic) Lirio to clean up financial records. Ronic failed in his job and he was rewarded with a new job that whose title was obscure at best - Strategic Management Manager. Ronic should have reviewed the role of the Small Works, but did not. Ronic did not do his job.
GROSS PAY $130,000
John Harman Duggan was expected to provide reliable financial statements. To this day, Seattle Schools does not have a set of reliable financial statements. John Harman Duggan did not do his job.
(These numbers are close estimates and maybe more if you includeded benefits. )
http://www.scribd.com/doc/41918024/How-DARE-the-Board-Hear-the-Truth-About-MAP
Send this to Maier. Tell him to put it in his pipe and smoke it!
Let's give those three a one-way ticket out of town.
grumpy
Eric:
As to the atmosphere, let me relay a simple tale.
A couple years ago, I witnessed (with another employee)a District administrator (in a grievance hearing) use a three letter "gutter" word for people of the Hebrew faith as a verb as in:
"I'm not going to J** you out of this".
It was appaling.
I relayed this to his boss (lo and behold Fred Stephens) AND one of the Senior General Counsel's (Mr. Cerqui). But nothing happened but a shoulder shrug.
What else was I to do?
The administrator is still there with no consequences whatsoever. He's had several high paying jobs since.
What would your advice be that I should have done but did'nt?
Should I have told Ron English? Or just gone on with my career with my head down.
You seem to be talking out of your hat and don't even begin to understand the depth or magnitude of the problem.
THIS WAS THEIR CULTURE and they flaunted it.
Race card? It was every card in the deck!