Dec 02 2008
Noteworthy news links
Here are some news items from the Journal Star that caught my interest:
- Pat Nichting is going to give up his fifth district seat and run for treasurer. I found that surprising.
- Mayor Ardis is hoping to vote on the “wonderful development” (hotel) project before the end of the year. Interim city manager Henry Holling is trying to “[make] sure this thing is fast-tracked.”
- In less than three months, without making any changes to the budget, District 150 went from predicting a $200,000 surplus to a $2.8 million deficit. “Revenues will not come in like we originally anticipated,” Treasurer Guy Cahill explained.
Re: Dist. 150 recent announcment of budget deficit. Did you see a 4 day school week is under consideration?
I must have missed the 4-day school week reference at the meeting last night. Was that really brought up? I guess we shouldn’t have fussed over the Wacky Wednesdays. I know I didn’t hear any mention of administrative salaries or of reducing the number of “consultants.” But in fairness, a couple of meetings ago Jim Stowell did ask about the possibility of top-heavy administration at Manual since there are two extra “leaders” because of the 7th-8th and 9th grade academies.
Frustrated – Who brought up a 4 day week? I’ve read where some models have been adopted in other parts of the country (most with community-wide student “enrichment” days on day 5), but I have not heard it being discussed with the Board. Will I be hearing about this for the first time next tuesday? Do tell…….
Jim – Cahill mentions it as a possibility in the Dec 1st PJS article regarding the 2.8M deficit.
Have you seen Time Magazine, Dec 8 edition, with D.C. Schools Chief Michelle Rhee on the front? She is featured for her approach to reforming urban school systems. Although I don’t necessarily agree with all her tactics, I think it is a good read. She is fierce, maybe too much so. But . . . still food for thought for the District 150 Board and the tough decisions facing it. I think in these times you cannot “make nice” and expect a different result than what we currently have. If I were to find fault with Mr. Hinton and the Dist. 150 leadership during these turbulent times, I would say perhaps it has been too fair, too willing to balance the needs of all involved, when maybe unpopular decisions in the short run are needed to ensure long term success.
Maybe it is time to revisit closing a high school or other school consolidations to save costs, in order to direct what dwindling monies that are available to the students. Also, maybe now is the time to again consider outsourcing of services, such as building maintenance. Bloggers are happy to bash the District administration, but with 8 separate unions to negotiate and manage, it is little wonder administration ever gets around to considering matters of education.
Frustrated and Jim: I hope no one considers the outsourcing. Look where that got us with the food services. Also, now we’re having the “Wal-Mart” discussion–employees with lower wages, more part time, and fewer benefits. My church (on a much smaller scale than 150 would be) outsources janitorial services–you lose something in terms of loyalty to a “building,” etc. Custodians are crucial to the smooth operation of a building and they also have to interact with children–school needs more control of who is hired, etc. As for closing a high school–maybe so if it can be replaced with an alternative school.
Sharon: At my church — the members are the janitors for free — everyone takes a turn at keeping our building clean and tidy. I guess that makes our janitorial services insourced!
Sharon:
I agree that nothing has ever been right with the outsourcing of food services, which in my mind is technically not outsourced. The employees that man the food service are still District employees. This is a wacky setup that has caused many problems for the District and little cost savings. But that does not mean there are not efficiencies to be gained or cost savings to be had in outsourcing.
The other points you raise are exactly the “tough decisions” I was referring to in my previous post. You are correct, in outsourcing or consolidating schools the Board will have to decide to eliminate some jobs, but . . . the Bd of Ed is not responsible for guaranteeing community employment, nor is it their responsibility to shore up declining neighborhoods, it is simply to educate.
Like GM, the District is being held hostage by its own archaic infrastructure which makes it incapable of moving forward. For example, I agree with you that I have some concerns with the establishment of a Charter school, however, I also hate to see the life beat out of the idea before it is given a chance, like the Edison schools concept was. Every idea the District comes up with seems to be thwarted by one constituent group or the other, and thus nothing ever changes.
The District can no longer afford to simply remain status quo.
Jim: The newspaper article to which I linked in my post said, “Other possibilities may mean moving to a four-day school week, although Cahill said there may not be much savings there. And the School Board already is looking at a small tax rate increase with its proposed levy, expected to pass later this month.”
Four day of schools and 3 days of TV, Text-messsaging, YouTube, hanging out and free sex?
Put that with spread the wealth. What a great country said “esteemed” Professor William Ayers upon his aquittal of all terrorist charges. Just what O.J. and the idle kids are saying.
A small tax increase? Just what we need are more yearly numbers of “small” tax increases that never go away.
I think the four days of school have been tried in smaller communities. If I recall the idea took hold to save on gas in communities where students had to be bused in from rural areas–the idea would be a disaster in an urban area.
Merle, read your post. “Professor Ayers” He is a teacher! If you think not going to school is bad, how about going to school with teachers like him? He wants to turn our schools into indoctronation centers.
What the economy in the drink, what are parents to do if there is a 4 day school week? How are they going to pay and extra whole day in babysitting fees for children too young to be at home on their own on that 5th day? There has to be a better way to fix this budget problem than dumping it on already overburdened parents. Babysitting is no longer 50 cents an hour and hasn’t been for 30 years. It appears to me that this is a perfect set up for children to be neglected and left home alone.
The first thing District 150 should do is close Peoria High. The second thing they should do is get rid of their buses, require parents of students grades 1-4 to take there kids to school and issue City Link, or whatever they are calling themselves these days, passes to students in grades 5-12. Let getting to school by themselves be part of their education. The schools should be segregated by sex and by what the student has shown herself to be capable of studying for in the future. If she can do college work, let her continue with an academic curriculum. If she can’t, let her learn the basics of what it means to be a citizen in the 21st century and engage in work/study programs with local employers. Finally, since 150 will never initiate any change that will help either the kids or their parents, the taxpayers, start a voucher program that will let some of the kids escape without forcing their parents to move out of Peoria.
Why are bringing up Ayers (University of Michigan grad, Professor at U of Illinois)? He is interested in un-indoctrinating students. He is interested in a critical pedagogy that teaches are students to think for themselves and not swallow the baloney handed down by the media, the press and other vested interests.
Ayers said that he had never been responsible for violence against other people and was acting to end a war in Vietnam in which “thousands of people were being killed every week.” He also stated, “While we did claim several extreme acts, they were acts of extreme radicalism against property,” and “We killed no one and hurt no one. Three of our people killed themselves.”
“We weren’t terrorists,” Ayers told an interviewer for the Chicago Tribune in 2001. “The reason we weren’t terrorists is because we did not commit random acts of terror against people. Terrorism was what was being practiced in the countryside of Vietnam by the United States.”
He actively protested what EVERYONE now (except people like John McCain) considered an immoral and illegal war.
Merle says: ”Four day of schools and 3 days of TV, Text-messsaging, YouTube, hanging out and free sex?”
Hmmmm… maybe that’s why Utah is looking at 4-day workweeks. Heck, I wouldn’t complain about a week that included: “…3 days of TV, Text-messaging, YouTube, hanging out and free sex?” That last item is much better than the non-free kind. :)
“Put that with spread the wealth”.
Wow….amazing how much Obama is responsible for in your eyes, and he hasn’t even been sworn in.
BTW, how are those “moving out of Peoria” plans coming along?
Frustrated: I understand your concerns and thoughts. I’m probably much too idealistic in that I want the District to concentrate on ways to draw more students back into 150 instead of figuring out ways to survive with low enrollment, etc. I do remember a time when the district survived without all the consultants and so many administrators sitting at desks justifying their existence by coming up with one new program after another–none of which solve the real problems. They just can’t acknowledge that the teaching experts are actually in the classroom–not on Wisconsin Avenue. Therefore, Wisconsin Avenue produces ideas that look good on paper, but are completely unworkable for the students that are presently in Peoria schools. Then they ask the teachers to do the impossible to make the programs work–the “new” Manual is certainly a perfect example. If the District really believes that teachers aren’t properly trained for the job, they should be complaining to the colleges that train teachers. Finally, the district seems to be listening to the teachers’ and principal’s cries for help with discipline. I finally found the district’s newer discipline policy on the 150 website. They don’t even have to write a new one–just follow it. Of course, they would have to have an alternative school, etc., to handle students who do not follow the rules. Monday night Terry Knapp presented them with an idea–the one in place in Pekin where disruptive high school students can finish with computer programs (away from other students) or can return if they can return to their home school if they can get their act together.
Well, I didn’t deal with outsourcing did I. I think taxpayers should ask for a very detailed accounting of how much money is spent on administrators, consultants, etc., who come up with these unworkable ideas. The real work is done in the classrooms by the classroom teachers.
I agree that nothing has ever been right with the outsourcing of food services, which in my mind is technically not outsourced. The employees that man the food service are still District employees. This is a wacky setup that has caused many problems for the District and little cost savings. But that does not mean there are not efficiencies to be gained or cost savings to be had in outsourcing.
The other points you raise are exactly the “tough decisions” I was referring to in my previous post. You are correct, in outsourcing or consolidating schools the Board will have to decide to eliminate some jobs, but . . . the Bd of Ed is not responsible for guaranteeing community employment, nor is it their responsibility to shore up declining neighborhoods, it is simply to educate.
Like GM, the District is being held hostage by its own archaic infrastructure which makes it incapable of moving forward. For example, I agree with you that I have some concerns with the establishment of a Charter school, however, I also hate to see the life beat out of the idea before it is given a chance, like the Edison schools concept was. Every idea the District comes up with seems to be thwarted by one constituent group or the other, and thus nothing ever changes.
The District can no longer afford to simply remain status quo.
Left by Frustrated on December 3rd, 2008
Sorry–I should stick to putting up Christmas decorations. Frustrated: I copied your post so that I wouldn’t have to keep going back up to read it–then I forgot to erase it.
Sharon:
I agree there are savings to be gained by trimming Wisconsin. Again, a “tough decision” that the Board should be demanding, given the budget deficit it is facing. My impression is that they need so many consultants, because there are some in administration who are not capable. The Board should insist that the top level administration that remains take a 20% cut in pay until some time when the budget is righted.
Jim Stowell and I have a bit of a disagreement about the teachers’ work day–he think teachers should be obligated to an 8-hour working day. I, of course, maintain that most teachers (certainly not all) work many, many hours of “volunteer” time–take work home at night, on weekends, and in summer when they plan, etc. I have mentioned to Jim that a study should be done to find out how many hours a day central administrators actually work. At least, teachers are tied to their classrooms for their full school day. I’ve been at the board rooms and have seen administrators walking around visiting, etc. They probably aren’t aware of how much time they waste interacting, etc.–probably typical in many office settings. I just can’t imagine that some of these Wisconsin Avenue jobs require work from 9 to 5 five days a week. I am just guessing, but I think the number of employees on Wisconsin has increased over time (at least, they now complain of being overcrowded) even though district enrollment is decreasing.
Did I really say “he think”–back to the Christmas decorations.
The very first thing District 150 should do is release all the consultants. First of all, bringing the retired folks back only brings back old ways of thinking. Secondly, alot of money is being spent on these consultants. It is truly out of control.
Has anyone ever FOIAed how much they are spending on consultants? How many consultants are there?
Cahill has got to go. Hinton has got to go… what am I thinking?
District 150 Administration Building needs to be shut down and locked up tight. Give everyone else a year off WITH PAY (teachers, staff and students) and start all over from scratch. How could things be any worse?
Wonder if the BOE will blindly pat Cahill and Hinton on the back for having a $200K surplus this last year? Ohhhh, I hope not because in her presentation the auditor from Clifton Gunderson, Helen Barrick, clearly stated that a conscientious decision was made to defer a $1 million dollar purchase of new buses. Do the math – In other words they blew the overall budget by $800k, but covered it up by not replacing some of their aging fleet. Timing wise it would also appear that as a result of the recent audit Cahill and Hinton were advised their FY 08-09 was a bust so now it’s being amended downward to a $2.8 million loss.
Today on WMBD radio I heard the latest Edison proposal for District 150. I’m not sure of the details, but Edison (whose contract is up at the end of the year) wants 150 to pilot a computer learning program. Students will do all (?not sure about all) their learning on the computer with teachers hanging around to help if they are needed. Hinton declared that it would be a wonderful way to involve parents with the students’ homework–to see to it that the kids are doing the work). I don’t know what grade levels will be involved in the pilot. I guess the teachers will be needed just in case there are discipline problems or to give students permission to use the restroom, etc.
WHAT?! There has to be more to that story.
Here it is: Sounds like it is intended only for high school.
Edison Schools is promoting a cyber school concept to Peoria Public Schools. It’s a program that allows students to take classes online. There are daily lessons and tests — right down to being able to download or print the textbook. Representatives of Edison Schools met with the District 150 school board meeting as a Committee of the Whole Wednesday night. A pilot program, possibly during summer school, is suggested. Eventually full high school offerings could come later once District 150 teachers are trained through the system. There were many questions from board members including how can a teachers tell a student is actually doing the work. David Zieler with Edison Schools told the board, “We have a Provost pulse in the background that tracks every click a student makes.” District 150 Superintendent Ken Hinton says the system would also provide for greater parental responsibility. “What we’re saying is here it is Mom…Dad. No more excuses as to the levels not being addressed or the resources not being provided,” said Hinton. “We’re showing you how to use this, how to access it, how to make your son or daughter successful.” The timing with Edison’s presentation coincides with the school board beginning to review it’s contract with Edison which expires the end of this school year.
What I truly find interesting about the Edison proposal is that this appears to be a high school program. 150 doesn’t have an Edison High School–yet.
Just remember Hinton worked for Edison. He is in thick with them.
Wow! It is one flavor of the month after another. It is like the Admin. is ADD. First one direction, than another, never really achieving anything. Really does not give a person very much confidence that things will improve. Is there no strategic plan that they are following??? How does computer learning at the HS level fit into improving student performance? I can see how a computer learning program might work for a self-motivated student but the students that Sharon speaks of have reading and math challenges that would seem to be best addressed in a intimate classroom setting which allows the teacher to work on all issues that help make a student successful.
Frustrated: I guess you have some experience in this area, also–or a heavy dose of common sense. It is amazing to me that–out of one side of their mouths–150 decision-makers talk about the importance of building relationships (Manual restructuring plan, but never defined what kind of relationship) and then they get excited about sitting students in front of computers all day with no interaction with teachers or their peers. THE KIDS WILL INTERACT–but not resulting in any academic learning.
Terry Knapp–as I mentioned earlier–did suggest this kind of setup for disruptive students as a way to get students out of the classroom( as available at Pekin)–but not as a program for all students. Anybody care to guess how much Edison would be charging for this innovation?
Tommy Simpson is the “consultant” for the strategic plan. Hmmmmm.
Just what is the strategy???? That implies planning doesn’t it?
Maybe the Board should ask Dr. Simpson for his plan. How long has he been a consultant?
Would this plan somehow lower the costs for teachers and their benefits?
Would teachers still need to be certified at the same level(s) for computer vs. ‘regular’ classroom teaching?
What about the families of students who do not have a computer at home?
Would these families sue D150 for an unequal education if a computer was not furnished by D150?
Would Internet access be required for students to complete this computer based curriculum? If yes, how would families fit that into an already tight budget?
How would homework assignments be handled?
Who would be responsible for the cost of printing off a textbook if at school? Last we heard, D150 was having financial challenges and new buses were not in the budget…. now a zillion reams of paper and ink cost (well maybe not a zillion).
Where has Edison tried this model and what were the results?
And, and, and …..
First of all, the District already purchased such a program with a rather steep price tag–it’s called PLATO. Students who fail a class–instead of being forced to go to summer school or night school as it was in the “old” days of accountability–just go to the PLATO lab and do something on the computer for a couple of months and then they pass the class. I can’t say for sure–but I think it was just a place to spend time and whether or not the material was mastered, the student passed the class (not the teacher’s choice). I had a student who had failed probably every English class he ever took–but he went to PLATO second semester and was able to graduate in May. It is a joke and kids know it–not much incentive for then to try hard in their regular classes.
As for certification, etc.,–this is uncharted water. A certified teacher is required for the PLATO lab. The teacher at Manual was a fairly new very qualified teacher–they dumped her into the PLATO lab where none of her subject matter knowledge was needed. Fortunately, with restructuring she was transferred to Washington Gifted, where she is really teaching.
It would be interesting to find out who would provide the computers–150 or Edison–since this is a “pilot.” Will 150 pay them or vice-versa? I believe this is a new area that Edison is trying out–since it isn’t exactly succeeding with the old program. 150 is one of the few schools still hanging in with Edison (I think). So now 150 will be the guinea pig for the cyber experiment. Edison is in it to make money, so–this looks like a sneaky way to break into 150 high schools by piloting the program in the summer. Strings attached maybe for piloting the program.
Isn’t this just an admission that teachers can’t teach anymore? 45 years ago we had those self paced SRT (?) reading programs… the teachers weren’t necessary for those programs to work. All that was necessary was I had to be able to read already. Well duh. There wasn’t any teaching going on, just evaluating. Perhaps computers are more sophisticated… but have any of you ever tried to take a computer taught program? (Like how to troubleshoot your device drivers on your PC?)
Computers can not teach. Full Stop. People teach. Computers lead you through formulaic ritualized routines… they train.
Maybe teachers aren’t perfect, etc., but who or what has a better chance of motivating students–teachers or machines? Does anyone really believe that the students who are turned off (or are too far behind) from learning, etc., will come alive when sitting in front of a computer? You’re right–all computer learning will just be ritualized routines–I would think mostly limited to rote learning.
Yes. Rote “training”. I even had the chair of my department tell me that as far she was concerned, “learning is Skinner and Watson”. (in other words, conditioning) She thinks that and socially or critically based learning theories are worthless. Students shouldn’t learn to think, they should learn to give the “right answers”.
Kcdad: I realize that you and I might not have the same ideologies, but I certainly think we can agree that students should be taught to think. I guess that is the reason why I cringe when I think of education becoming too practical–too utilitarian. That is one of the reasons why I hate the idea of Manual’s new academy concept–with paths to specific careers. I do not like education geared only to how to make a living without any concern with their inner beings–their souls, if you will. I am afraid that utilitarian education will ignore the arts–literature, etc. I believe that literature–more than any other subject matter–can lead young people to understand others different from themselves, to work out some of the moral dilemmas of our world, etc. I do not want great literature and great writers to be ignored in the educational process.
District 150 can’t make Jan 3rd payday
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x17.....n-3-payday
My understanding of that meeting was that we will be issuing our tax anticipation warrants earlier this year than last. It is a cash flow issue that is being addressed. The realities of a weakening economy are evident. The discussion, while direct, was never heated nor confrontational. Student achievement and financial responsibility are at the core, yet external factors deteriorate variables for all.
I wasn’t able to link my post to the pjstar story. Can someone please help. Long day. Thank you1
Jim, the PJS, I believe, is very fussy about which e-mails they accept. I know that hotmail users can’t respond. You have to have a Comcast account–maybe something else.
When this happened before Hinton told principals that the next time he just would not pay people so they get the message how bad things were financially. I hope this includes himself and all of his “consultants”.
Maybe Hinton should sell the Prospect properties, you know the ones he bought without public knowledge.
Of course, I don’t understand the whole “separation of accounts” situation–but then neither does the general public. Therefore–when District 150 talks about all these grand building plans, money to John Hopkins and Edison for special programs, etc–people find it hard to believe that the district is broke. The district needs to acknowledge perception as well as reality. Consultant and administrative salaries should be high on list of cuts.
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x17.....n-3-payday
Good.
Close it down, TODAY. (IMMEDIATELY) Fire everyone in charge of that financially and ethically bankrupt organization. File criminal charges against the “public servants” that run it and have fattened their purses at the expense of their employers, the public, and their responsibilities, the students.
Next in line: The School Board. What the hell have they done to oversee and supervise the operation of that mess on Wisconsin?
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!
Serenity: the strategic plan that Simpson supposedly is working with is the plan that was developed by the district, with wide community input, around 2003. It is interesting to note that the district has rarely mentioned this plan for quite a while yet it requires the services of retired principal/administrator Simpson (at a very generous per diem) to administer this plan. Is it my imagination or does something seem a little off here? You could probably FOIA the strategic planning document and see just what the district releases. It could be quite interesting . . .
PrairieCelt,
hmmmmm, 2003 – gosh that is the plan put in place under the Royster administration, but the way 150 has smeared Royster and tried to distance themselves from her isn’t it funny that it has been kept alive? Besides that I believe it was C Sanfilip who maintained that, but now they have passed it to consultant Simpson, let alone split Sanfilip’s schools of responsibilities by bringing in yet another top administrator, Mary Davis, to 3202 N Wisconsin. Yup, this administration sure knows how to tighten it’s belt!
My question is why the Board is not demanding these consultants be let go? Why are they not publicly asking the dollar amout going towards paying them?
Because the board knows nothing about education and defers all their decisions to the “experts”, who also happen to be the administration of District 150, and they defer their decisions to their “experts”, who just happen to be the consultants.
Does the district have contract with these consultants? If so, for what time period… because to the public who is paying their fee, they are like contract workers and it is time for them to go. I cannot believe the board is not taking care of this situation. No money for teachers, but thousands and thousands for consultants. This is an outrage. It is so obvious the board and admin are pulling this stunt to screw the teachers in negotiations. As for the hours teachers need to put in to earn their pay, God bless them! I have never met a teacher that did not put in extra hours practically every night of their life grading papers and working on things for their class. Not only do they put in hours on their own time, they spend half their paychecks on items for the classroom. There isn’t enough money to pay district 150 teachers for what they do, because they do what few others would even attempt, and that is to walk into a classroom full of low income children who often do not have support from home and believe they can make a difference, even with an administration and school board that more often than not, fights against them by shortening days and changing grades. (whew! that was a long sentence!)
ImaSwede: Thanks–especially for throwing in the money teachers spend. Most of us could never have taught effectively without buying materials with our own money. If teachers would just stop working “overtime” and spending their own money, the results would truly be noticeable. I doubt that even a strong union “suggestion” would cause teachers to stop doing both–because teaching would be impossible.
I understand that Terry and the union have done a lot for teachers, but why? Why is there an administration controlling the purse strings and setting curriculum? Who are these people that they think they can tell teachers what and how to teach and students what and how to learn? Put teachers in charge of their own schools and their own curriculum. OR… rotate teachers every 6 years or so through the administration positions.
Administration should not be a reward and fat check to sit around and look pretty, but just another duty like supervising recess or the lunch room, or being a union rep.
Serenity: if you analyze Hinton’s consultant appointments carefully, it appears that those retirees so appointed are all “F.O.K.” (friends of Ken). It doesn’t appear that he has appointed anyone whose opinion differs from his. Although that is not particularly surprising, it certainly diminishes the elements of critical thinking and dissent which can be good for an organization. As it is, the administration and BOE seem to have developed a good case of “organizational group think” with no one left to challenge their “vision.” Given their declining test scores, poor academic achievement, student discipline problems, employee morale concerns, and ongoing financial issues, their “vision” certainly needs to be challenged!
Of course, Terry is no longer president of the union–he has been retired for three years. The present union president seems to focus mainly on monetary issues–at least, he hasn’t spoken out at BOE meetings on very many issues affecting teachers and students. He didn’t attend most of the summer BOE meetings and wasn’t at the last one–has missed others, also. He was silent on the Wacky Wednesday issue. Terry would never have let so many issues to unchallenged. Terry still gets up at every BOE meeting to call some problem to their attention–as does Jeff Adkins-Dutro (PHS teacher) who regularly calls attention to specific discipline or academic problems in the district. Jeff definitely is calling on the district to treat teachers as professionals–that they are the ones to consult about classroom.
Retired administrators (usually chosen as consultants) have been out of the classroom for so long that they have no sense of the real problems that require real solutions.
Serenity: Your assessment is very accurate–150 administrators and board members do seem to be exposed to only one side of every issue. Most do not seem to have that “advantages vs. disadvantages” mentality–they just look on the bright side of every new proposal or program. I’m anxious to hear their opinions on the Edison Cyber education proposal–to see if they consider the negatives.
Prairie Celt: I though I was responding to Serenity–it was actually yours.
Is it still the Manual History teacher? $75,000 a year and he is focused on money issues? Great.
Yes, Scott is still the Manual history teacher–he was quoted in the paper recently as being a bit aggressive for teachers with regard to the budgetary problems, etc., but I think he should be much more visible and interested in teacher issues–and educational issues.
I know Scott is buddies with HR director, Tom Broderick and the forever troubled SPED director, Mary O’Brian. There have been many troubling situations in the SPED dept., some involving teachers, and Scott sides with his two buddies. Of course Tom and Mary are connected at the hip, she can’t run a meeting without him. I’ve never seen such incompetence. The Board needs to investigate the SPED dept. and don’t let quiet little voices fool them.
I guess that’s always been my impression of Scott (and he was my colleague). In our building when he was just a union rep, I often felt he sided (or kept quiet) with building administrators (also friends) when he should have sided with teacher(s). The “new” Manual has even more such issues that should be getting the union’s attention. I just object to the union addressing primarily bargaining (for salary and benefits) and ignoring working conditions and academic issues that affect teachers–and students.
Sharon: these working conditions and the focus being on bargaining is much to do with the HR director. The culture and working conditions have gone down the tubes partially because of the director’s inability to handle the HR dept. However, ultimately, Hinton has allowed the deterioration of the district’s culture.
How many people have quit the HR dept. this school year?
Serenity, perhaps the better question to pose is how many people left the HR dept. since Hinton took over as “superintendent” in 2004 and why did they leave?
Rumor has it that the SPED department at MHS is seriously out of compliance and that the state audited the MHS SPED dept – as well as other Dist. #150 schools – last week. Wonder if someone blew the whistle?
Question – has Hinton allowed the deterioration of the district’s culture or has he facilitated the deterioration of the district’s culture? I suspect the latter. Any other thoughts?
I agree that they may have gotten worse, but things weren’t that grand before. I really believe that most problems that teachers encounter on a daily basis are discipline problems–and the lack of support from in building and central administration. And that didn’t start with Hinton’s administration. It has just grown worse naturally because of inattention by previous superintendents (and continuing “head in the sand” attitudes). I taught 7 years at Roosevelt and 36 at Manual. For the first 25+ years of my career, I felt very supported, etc. I rarely sent referrals and had few complaints. By the 1990s things really took a turn for the worst. Because I didn’t have too much to worry about in terms of repercussions because of seniority, etc., I decided it was time that I started speaking out about problems to help younger teachers out because they weren’t being backed in the same way that I was. I can’t in good conscience lay it all at Hinton’s feet. However, I don’t think he is addressing the problems effectively–some drastic measures are needed now, and I don’t know when a superintendent will be willing to take those steps. The fault I find with Hinton are all those we have discussed here–mostly too many irons in the fire and too may innovations that really don’t solve any problems; in fact, his “solutions” may just be creating even more problems. Uniforms are one (but not the only) good example; what problems will really be solved because all students will be forced to wear uniforms? It’s one of the “feel good” measures with no real value.
PrairieCelt: how right you are. They hired Broderick because he is a lawyer and he could halt lawsuits etc. There are more lawsuits now because every communication with Broderick turns into a dispute, alls he does is tick people off.
I believe Hinton has facilitated the deterioration of the district’s culture. No doubt. They can Pacific Institue people to death and it won’t help because no one trusts Hinton and most of his central office staff.
O’Brian should be investigated. She has made horrible decisions and came in not even knowing SPED law. She yells and screams and crys in meetings. She has even been asked to leave a meeting until she could pull herself together. Again, why would they hire someone like her? The buck stops with Hinton.
Serenity, I agree – the buck stops with Hinton (or should).
Sharon – you believe Hinton is not successful because he has too many irons in the fire, etc. But where we differ is that it is my opinion that he does not possess the knowledge, skills or ability to identify, let alone solve, the problems. No one in his administration does. Not one of them has been trained to be successful. We do agree on one point – this problem just didn’t arise, the district has been gradually declining since the late 1960s or 1970s. Who led the district in those days – Whitaker, Griffith and Garrett for the most part. And which individuals were working their way through the district career path during those days – Hinton, Sanfilip, Simpson, Hannah and Fischer.
I’m not letting Hinton off the hook–didn’t mean to be too simplistic about his administration’s faults. However, I think other things were at work in the 70s and 80s. Harry was a strong superintendent–but all was not well then either–the problems actually began in Harry’s era (not at all implying that he was the cause). In my opinion, two bad things happened under Harry’s regime: high schools went to a 6 hour day and eventually industrial arts and home ec and many electives were dropped; K-8 schools were replaced with middle schools. The other two superintendents weren’t especially strong. However, things ran relatively smoothly–they were pretty much status quo superintendents; nothing new really happened in that era. Discipline was eroding, however–many causes and I don’t know exactly who or what circumstances to blame, but nobody was ready for what happened. Recalling board members of that era–few of them really new anything about educational issues either. Then came NCLB–and I believe that has created many of the problems while at the same time calling attention to academic problems that had been ignored. But NCLB hasn’t provided any solutions–it just shines the light on the problem. And now everyone is playing the blame game because no one knows how to solve the problem.
Broderick the cause of problems?? I guess that depends on your perspective. Broderick is an employment and labor relations attorney with years of experience in the corporate setting. Perhaps there is more trouble a brew since he arrived because he is holding more employees feet to the fire than previous HR administrators. My impression from years before he began working for the District is that the unions were running the school, not the administrators. As PrairieCelt states, in part that is because many of the principals and administrators are not leadership material and are unable to make decisions or create a vision for their staff. I am not certain if Hinton has everything it takes to be Superintendent of such a troubled institution but, for sure he is spread thin because some of his direct reports offer so little to the mix. The Board should give Hinton an ultimatum just like Congress intends to give to the Big 3 Automakers – find a sense of urgency, cut executive staff, reduce executive pay, gain concession from your unions or else we will appoint an “education czar” to do it for you. Like the Big 3 Automakers, the District has been in a slow decline for 20 years but continues to operate with a mindset “business as usual.”
So, Broderick’s job is to intimidate? Why else would he have to be in practically every meeting Mary O’Brian has with her underlings? Or is she simply too incompetent to handle these meetings on her own? Since when does a “company” have to have HR in every meeting that supervisors have with their employees unless they are trying to intimidate them? HR used to be a place where employees felt free to go if there were problems at work. This is certainly not the case any longer, and especially with District 150.
I am not familiar with Ms. O’Brian or the circumstances to which you refer, however, I think it is definitely typical that an HR representative be present at a dept. meeting if there are “issues” involving personnel. It appears from post by Serenity that there are “issues.” Broderick served as a lawyer for the District prior to assuming the HR position and would be able to assist Ms. O’Brian with the interpretation of spec. edu law and it sounds like she made need some help.
I was in the district for 43 years and I never, never remember a time when employees felt that HR was the place to go if they were having problems with administrators, etc. In the 1960s & 1970s all sorts of horror stories related to the HR (Personnel Dept at the time) method of handling disgruntled employees. Personally, I believe HR (Personnel) has always been the right arm of the superintendent, not support for employees.
I hate to open this topic but here goes–since you have brought up Mary O’Brian. Does anyone know how Special Ed is being handled at Manual. I have heard that all or most special ed students are in regular classrooms–and that special ed teachers are serving only as “mentors,” going from classroom to classroom to sit beside high school special ed students (not exactly what I would call good for self-esteem). The parent who spoke at last week’s BOE meeting seemed to be complaining about this situation–but I’m not sure of that. I’m not sure of any of this. I would like to know if the special ed students actually meet in classrooms with special ed teachers any time during the day: how often, what subject matter? Then, of course, I want to know if special ed kids are receiving the services mandated by school law.
Frustrated – your idea of an “education czar” is intriguing. Paul Vallas, perhaps? The District was given the opportunity to work with him by the Mayor and rejected the idea out of hand. I believe Hinton’s comment was something like they were already doing what Vallas proposed so why bother with him? Based on the BOE’s & Hinton’s administrative track record, if that statement wasn’t so sad it would be funny.
Although Broderick worked for KSSWF, the main attorneys representing the district were Cannell, Walvoord, Lenzini, and before he became a judge, Dubicki. Broderick didn’t get much play with KSSWF and the district.
Many meetings Broderick sits in with O’Brian are not that serious. She just does not know what she is doing. My understanding is the HR dept. is a disaster, that’s why all of their clerical quit except one. Broderick has zero knowledge of a school and the culture of the students in Dist. 150. I also ask, just how successful was Broderick while working for corporations, such as CILCO?
As far as SPED at Manual, I am uncertain, but I know O’Brian wants to run it and she is in a personal conflict with the SPED administrator there. I know the SPED administrator is very good but O’Brian won’t let her breathe unless she says she can. O’Brian’s traumatic brain injuries are revealing themselves again. She is not rational and is not familiar with inner city schools except to read a journal article about them.
Prairiecelt – As you pointed out David Walvoord is the point man for the District but Tom Broderick and another associate at KSSWF did the labor & employment work for the District after Cannell retired. This I know for sure. But . . . you certainly have much information regarding KSSWF & the District . . . makes me wonder exactly who you are.
Serenity, I believe Broderick has quite a bit of knowledge relating to education but in any event, I know he has knowledge of employment and labor law and many of the HR issues and practices that needed addressing were (are) not unique to an educational setting.
All I can say if you have ever taken a HR class (educational administration) the district’s HR dept. is not run appropriately at all. Broderick may have background knowledge but he sure does not now how to apply it correctly. He has mishandled situations therefore causing pending lawsuits. That is all I am going to say about that.
A recurring theme one hears about Broderick is more about his style – he is alleged to be very confrontational with an almost prosecutorial mentality. The HR classes in my background were part of the School of Business, and those classes emphasized one critical point about HR; that is, the main function of HR is to keep the employer out of trouble. If Broderick does not have effective people skills or is not skilled at problem solving and conflict resolution, grievances will escalate. That appears to be what is happening at the district.
However, to give him some benefit of the doubt, he does not set the administrative tone – that is established by Hinton, Cahill and the BOE. Broderick takes his orders from them. Cahill was rumored to be tough with unions before he ever joined #150 and he doesn’t appear to have changed.
Broderick also was dealing with some unusual issues within his office that could have affected office morale and turnover. His assistant was Hinton’s son-in-law, Charles Davis, who recently made a hasty departure. Whether real or perceived, people could be uncomfortable working in that environment – it would be easy to develop an attitude of mistrust when one of your supervisors is the son-in-law of the superintendent.