Board Retreat
The School Board is having an all day retreat from 10:30 to 5:30 on Saturday, September 22 at El Centro de la Raza on Beacon Hill. This is a public meeting. You are welcome to come and watch.
Here is the agenda.
Most of the meeting will be about developing a Strategic Plan. If that work is getting started, then I guess Mr. Banda isn't actually going to take much more time to listen and get to know the community before he decides what big changes are needed.
Here is the agenda.
Most of the meeting will be about developing a Strategic Plan. If that work is getting started, then I guess Mr. Banda isn't actually going to take much more time to listen and get to know the community before he decides what big changes are needed.
Comments
He's an empty vessel, just what they wanted.
Wake up and smell the nothingness!
New day indeed!
He tells the public on Monday that he's not going to take time and get to know the District before he sets any direction.
He says essentially the same thing on Tuesday.
Then, on Saturday, he starts the work of setting a new direction.
Are we to believe that on Monday and Tuesday he didn't know that this was going to be on the agenda for Saturday? And, if he did know it, then how does he honestly tell people that we're going to "stay the course" on Monday and Tuesday?
I think he can do it, but I don't see how he can do it honestly.
Or does the agenda for two-thirds of the Board Retreat come as a complete surprise to him?
"The Board’s primary role is to develop a structure to fulfill the
vision of the district, adopt a strategic plan, approve the
financial plan and annual district budgets, and employ a
Superintendent who is charged with the day-to-day operations of the district."
They absolutely need to have a strategic plan.
How can the two parties of the "governance team" not be in concert on this?
Charlie? Oh, eternal optimist, naive, Charlie: Haven't you heard of the "culture of lawlessness"?
There was pushback at that meeting. The A4E representative insisting "our grant is to tell you guys how to do what we say, I mean, be a more effective governance team.
KSB insisted that the board had actually heard enough of DeBell's/A4E's 1620 screed. I left shortly thereafter so I assume they compromised. I did not get a sense that somehow Banda was pushing for more power/autonomy behind the scenes....
"Setting the direction for the new strategic plan
Process: Identify process for how the plan will be reviewed, revised, redone
Guiding Principles: for board members
High level vision for the plan
Board priorities
3:00"
This is a great starting point that actually gives me faith in Banda.
Still Optimistic
In first-hand and second-hand conversations senior people within the Alliance for Education, LEV and Stand have made it clear that they are not happy that Banda is here. They aren't trying hard to hide their opinion. They can barely look the man in the eye. They want him gone before he even gets going.
The faster Banda fails the faster the corporate types and ed reformers and Gates can get a topdown leader in here - MGJ style or that striver and strident woman from Oregon that they wanted for Banda's job.
And with that will come a cascade of told you so editorials from Lynne Varner at the Seattle Times pushing for a Business Board in the next election.
Things will get much worse, fast, if Banda fails. Go Banda.
Want to help the situation? Be sure Banda hears from more than the Corporate Cronies this fall. Let him know there are other opinions in this town. Majority opinions that have nothing to do with the PowerPoint People.
-skeptical-
"I was at the Exec Comm meeting on the 12th.
There was pushback at that meeting. The A4E representative insisting 'our grant is to tell you guys how to do what we say, I mean, be a more effective governance team.'"
So the Executive Committee is turning over committee time for a member of the public to speak?
We don't really know for sure what Banda will do or not do until we see some kind of actions from his office. So far he has obviously been in learning mode.
That said, I do think it's important that we, as parents and community members try hard to connect with him early and show our (initial) support for him as a sort of counterbalance to the pressures you know he is coming under right now from "influential" folks.
frustrated