Have you heard about this? The school superintendent in Fresno County, California, Larry Powell, is a hero to taxpayers nationwide:
Some people give back to their community. Then there’s Fresno County School Superintendent Larry Powell, who’s really giving back. As in $800,000 – what would have been his compensation for the next three years.
Until his term expires in 2015, Powell will run 325 schools and 35 school districts with 195,000 students, all for less than a starting California teacher earns.
“How much do we need to keep accumulating?” asks Powell, 63. “There’s no reason for me to keep stockpiling money.”
…[Powell asked] his board to allow him to return $288,241 in salary and benefits for the next three and a half years of his term. He technically retired, then agreed to be hired back to work for $31,000 a year – $10,000 less than a first-year teacher – and with no benefits.
Setting aside for a moment Powell’s generosity, though, take a look at his salary and responsibilities compared to District 150’s superintendent:
| Fresno Supt. | Peoria Supt. | |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | 325 | 28 |
| Districts | 35 | 1 |
| Students | 195,000 | 13,021 |
| Salary | $288,241* | $198,000** |
| *Including benefits | **Not including benefits | ||
The school board also awarded District 150’s superintendent a $10,000 bonus this year. It seems the Fresno superintendent has a much bigger responsibility. If you run the numbers, you’ll see that Peoria’s school system is less than 7% the size of Fresno’s by enrollment, yet our superintendent’s salary is almost 70% the size of Fresno’s — not including benefits.
Am I suggesting that our superintendent should only get 7% of what Fresno’s makes (it comes to a little less than $20,000)? No, of course not. But I am questioning whether $198,000 is too high, given the size of our school district. If the Fresno superintendent thinks he’s overpaid at $288,000, and his school district is nearly 14 times the size of ours, then it seems we may have a problem — especially when you factor in the cost of living. According to BestPlaces.net, Fresno is 26% more expensive than Peoria, housing in Fresno is 75% more expensive than Peoria, and a salary equivalent to $198,000 in Peoria would be $250,371 in Fresno.
I’m sure I’ll be accused of comparing apples and oranges, but it does make a taxpayer wonder if our salary scales for administrators are too high. The educational opportunities provided at schools, such as scholarships for masters degree, may be one of he reasons. And oh, that there would be more public-sector workers like Powell — ones who would say, “There’s no reason for me to keep stockpiling money,” and voluntarily take a pay cut for the sake of better government service.
Jon’s comments have made me realize that some of our best superintendents actually did work “under the radar.” The spotlight wasn’t on them because they didn’t micromanage. They saw to it that the teachers’ teachings needs were met and then got out of the way. The most successful superintendents relied heavily on the advice of people (often teachers) for information about what was needed in the classroom. Certainly, when it came to choosing textbooks and instructional materials, the superintendent and/or the curriculum director formed groups of teachers to look over several possible choices of new textbooks. Teachers were given (and helped forumulate) the criteria for choosing materials.
It would seem that this administration has only one criteria for choosing materials–which of our friends is in the business of selling materials? Teachers were certainly not part of the process. New textbooks are extremely expensive investments–the decision making process is now flawed.
Dennis, do you really believe that there aren’t enough competent people in the Peoria area to run a school system? Do you really believe that competent people only come from the state of North Carolina?
Look at the joke she brought from San Diego to run the transportation dept. Two weeks into the school year and buses are still running consistently 30 to 45 minutes late each day. This man couldn’t get a bus from the bus barn to Richwoods HS on time and those buildings are next door to one another. If he can’t control it from his IPAD he can’t do it.
Talk about having to put on a fake smile when Frau Lathan is present….she blasted the campus police offices in a meeting with them because they weren’t applauding when she spoke at the Bradley Coliseum. She told them that it was very disrespectful of them not to applaud her.
Do you think that it is possible that she is purposely doing a bad job just so she and her carpetbagger friends will have to be bought out of their huge contracts?
Her management strategy is to terrorize the support staff which takes the focus off of her not being able to do her job.
Not only did she blast the security officers for not clapping after her speeches, she told them that she also reviewed the video tape of the event to make sure they weren’t clapping before she spoke to them about it.
What kind of an administrator does stuff like that?
As long as Debbie ‘Worthless’ Wolfmeyer and her crew of morons are on the Board what changes does anyone expect to happen?
“Do you think that it is possible that she is purposely doing a bad job just so she and her carpetbagger friends will have to be bought out of their huge contracts?”
And I bet she has an agreement to get a % of the money. I wouldn’t put it past her.
Sharon- Teachers are still waiting for the district to distribute enough old textbooks .. Now it has to go from the top down..some teachers haven’t instructed out of the books yet bc they are dozens short even though they put the order in 2 weeks ago. This problem is occurring bc of school closures.
To Really?: Just for a clarification, I hope you are talking about Billy Dennis’s comment, as I have not posted on this subject until now.
However, I would have doubts about Dr. Lathan being able to view videotape
of the Kick-off Rally to see who was or wasn’t applauding her. Last year, the Rally uses just 1 camera, and it is focused on the podium for the large screens. You can’t see the crowd, let alone see who’s clapping or not.
Now, I admit I wasn’t at this year’s Rally, but I doubt they went to the extra expense of having 2-3 cameras and a video mixer. If there’s someone here that was at that Rally, and saw more than 1 camera (can’t count News Stations cameras) for the screen, let me know.
Dennis, you are loosing out on some good money if Frau Lathan isn’t paying you to be her PR man because you are trying your best to make her look good. LAMO
Even if there weren’t enough cameras to pan the crowd don’t you think that is pretty low to even try to intimidate employees with a statement like that?
We also have no reading books or materials. Each child is supposed to have his/her own leveled book that the teachers are supposed to come up with each week. There is no sense to the reading curriculum that a lot of incompetent reading coaches made up over the summer. The teachers are so disheartened. It’s almost impossible to believe but this is what we have been told to do.
The lack of a cohesive reading curriculum is one of my biggest concerns as a parent of a primary school student right now. I know some of the folks who worked on the pacing guides. I believe they truly did the best they were able under the circumstances. But, handing teachers pacing guides and expecting them to come up with the materials to implement their own, individual curriculum is NOT a good concept in my book. What is the validity of the curriculum? Why wasn’t it piloted with materials suggested following the pilot? Who is monitoring the fidelity of implementation for the “curriculum” as it will likely look different for each student with differing materials, etc? Also, my understanding is that there is no longer separate time in the day for science and social studies, as these topics are supposed to be integrated into reading time. I’m not a fan of this plan at all…I am NOT vilifying my kids’ (or anyone else’s) teachers with my concerns. I think that you need a solid, evidence-based curriculum to guide classroom efforts. Making changes to accommodate individual student needs from there makes sense, rather than crafting an individualized programs for each child…
Teach…I agree…this has been the most disorganized I’ve seen D150 @ the start of a year. And, the issues we’ve run into are district-controlled, not school-controlled…
There was more than one camera at the Bradley event on the 18th.
Balanced Literacy is the reading initiative this year. The professional development was conducted this summer for those who attended, which was not many.
Pinpoint comprehensive computer program was also approved and purchased at a board meeting this summer. It is to be district-wide by January. No trainings have been scheduled. This from the website of the owner of this program:
“Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s unique solutions-based approach combines the best learning resources available with the services and professional development you need to support deep implementation—so you always get the right content, for the right student, at the right time.”
Middle schools got a comprehensive Science curriculum in 2007, but that wonderful curriculum is now being replaced, when it is totally unnecessary. Again…Houghton Mifflin books, along with the new History from Houghton Mifflin. I believe the board minutes said Houghton was paid $750,000 in total.
From board minutes, May: “Compass Learning Presentation – Two representatives from Compass Learning gave a short demonstration of the program. Questions were asked by Board Members as well as Administration.” The district purchased this web-based program also. Many students, families and teachers do not have access yet.
What to do, what to do.
…and since it’s “all about the children”, let’s hear from all the teachers on whether they support school choice……
J. C. Friberg, I certainly agree. It’s one thing when a superintendent changes high school curriculum, but much worse when primary grades are in chaos. I am more and more convinced that all these materials were purchased as some kind of payoff to friends or way of buying favors from new friends. And for a cash-strapped district, it’s a crime to buy new science books when the old ones are just 4 years old. I truly wonder how the BOE members can possibly justify their votes. The board was so excited about change coming to District 150–is this what they envisioned?
I would be remiss if I didn’t add that it will be the teachers who will make the best of what seems to be a very bad situation. The central administration should not make it this hard to teach. I hope that teachers find a way to create their own support systems. No, I don’t support vouchers, which wouldn’t be a consideration if all those who care about the public school system would raise their voices to demand better of District 150. When the board of education meets and sees only 10 people in the audience and hears only 3 to 5 audience comments, they make the assumption that everyone is satisfied with the job they are doing. Apathy is the same as approval.
Sharon, perhaps the BOE should be careful about being so excited about change since it doesn’t appear that they are getting the change that they wanted.
Dennis,I’m still waiting on your comment to defend Frau Lathan’s intimidating statement of how she reviewed the video tape of the Bradley speech so she could see which employees applauded her or not.
Sounds like the people here feel Dr. Lathan has an agenda seperate from the BOE. We know she meets regularly with a “cabinet of local city leaders”. Does her affiliation with the “cabinet of local leaders”, in some way usurp the authority of the locally elected school board? Would you think the BOE would be good with that?
Recall the this article in the WSJ (http://online.wsj.com/article/…..22096.html), regarding mayors taking schools in their own hands, where Mayor Ardis made the following statement:
“As cities come under increasing pressure to fix failing schools, more are, like Rochester, trying to take matters into their own hands—or at least those of their mayors.
“People are desperately seeking a model that can be duplicated and used in different communities,” said Jim Ardis, the mayor of Peoria, Ill., who is considering such a move. He argues that a Peoria model—yet to be developed—is more likely to fit smaller cities across the Midwest than existing systems in larger urban areas. ”
Is the development of this “cabinet of local leaders” meeting with the Superintendent on a regular basis, the model that Ardis is/was working on?
How about the people who brought Lathan to Peoria, do you think they are pleased right now? The Team that brought Lathan to Peoria:
Glen Barton, retired chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Inc.
John Erwin, president of Illinois Central College.
Rita Ali, Illinois Central College’s executive director of diversity.
Carl Cannon, community organizer and founder of C.H.O.I.C.E.S., a youth outreach program.
Dr. Andy Chiou, a local physician.
McFarland Bragg, president of Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity Inc.
Linda Daley, former District 150 School Board member and current member of the Peoria Public Library Board.
Jackie Petty, Peoria Park Board trustee.
Debbie Ritschel, general manager of the Peoria Civic Center.
Barbara Penelton, formerly in the education department at Bradley University and also on District 150’s original strategic planning group.
“Rest assured that the pivotal role that the next superintendent will play is well understood by all that have agreed to be part of this process.” Andy Chiou, responding to a comment, in the 10/20/08 pjstar
I think it is too soon yet to really judge. This school year will be the first one she has had total planning control for. Major staff changed have occurred which is to be expected. Not everyone is happy but then not everyone would be, no matter what she did. That is the burden of a top exec, you cannot please everyone.
I would say she has this school year and the end of next (Spring 2013) to show substantial improvement in the district as a whole.
Mahkno, it is true that this is her real first year and it is true that top exec’s can’t please everyone however the MAJORITY of major staff changes was done just for the sake of moving people around. There was no real need to move all of those people around.
I have seen top exec’s like Lathan rule by intimidation & fear and while it worked for a while in the long run the top exec was a total failure. Maybe she has found a way of making that kind of strategy work but I seriously doubt it.
I think Emerge might well be on to something about who is really pulling the strings, etc. When we talk about goals being met, I’m not sure any of us know for sure what the goals are or whose goals they are. If what Emerge has said has any element of truth in it, then I think the goals for Dr. Lathan included closing schools and breaking the union. Some of you will agree with those goals, but some of us won’t.
The current BOE seemed to want some sort of shake-up and had a bit of a “let the chips fall where they may” attitude when introducing Dr. Lathan as the new superintendent. I am curious to know, in their heart of hearts, how they feel now that they can see the way the chips are falling.
Two of the goals that Terry and I have often brought to the podium were a return of vocational classes and an alternative school. I would certainly be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that Dr. Lathan has taken what seems to be substantial steps in bringing about both of those goals. I don’t have a good idea of exactly what is happening at the reopened Woodruff, so I am anxious to find out exactly what is happening there. If discipline in the schools improves, then I will know that the alternative school is working.
If any of you recall the meeting earlier this year at the Gateway Building with both city leaders and District 150 board members–the mayor’s hints at wanting to take over the district was an undercurrent. I recall Jim Stowell making some reference to the thought–in a joking way. Personally, I had some sneaking feeling that such a possibility was one of the reasons Jim ran for City Council. Yes, Jim, it was just a thought that crossed my mind–in no way a verifiable thought. 🙂
Mahkno, that was the same timeline that was given for Manual to show improvement–and the proof of improvement in the beginning was to be a dramatic change in NCLB scores. That didn’t happen, so now people are trying to justify the Johns Hopkins program with other criteria–but changing NCLB scores was the goal and it remains unmet.
Lathan has an almost impossible job. People need to give her some time to see what kind of impact she can make.
I can’t believe that the Chamber of Commerce and the COP allows all of this money to be spent in NC. APPLY PRESSURE PLEASE!!! We need to vote people out of office and take our schools and city back into the people’s hands.
District 150 Observer, Lathan’s strategy of making life unbearable for the rank and file will certainly not make Lathan’s job any easier either! Contrary to the belief of Lathan’s supporters it is possible to efficiently run an organization without being a tyrant in the process.
Some pain was inevitable.
Where’s the Chamber–right where Emerge said they are–pulling the strings. It was the Chamber that pressured that Woodruff be closed. I was at the board meeting when Rob Parks was the only one of many speakers from the audience who recommended closing Woodruff. That one voice was stronger than all the others.
Remember it was the Chamber’s idea to close Woodruff–and right after those same people announced their plans for a charter school, which would in three years begin a new high school. As it turns out, the people who said we didn’t need 4 high schools were lying–they just had their own ideas about the 4th high school.
I forgot, the Chamber is busy sending our tax dollars over to Turkey.
Sharon, you are all Oliver Stone over the Chamber. Paranoid is not a strong enough word.
District 150 Observor, be more specific–which one of my observations is not true? To give you even more fodder for your paranoid accusation, what are the chances that the charter school had high hopes for making the Woodruff building the charter school? I am grateful to Dr. Lathan for taking that possibility off the table–at least, for now.
The fact that you and some others blame the Chamber for most that you do not agree with in town. They do not have the extraordinary power you seem to think….
The black helicopters seem to be everywhere…..
District 150, you still didn’t answer my questions. Was the Chamber the main proponent of closing Woodruff? When were the charter schools plans unveiled? Who backed, at least, the last two candidates for the District 150 school board. What other “abandoned” District 150 building would best serve the needs of a charter school that includes high school grades?
I did answer your question. I don’t believe the Chamber made these decisions and I believe you overestimate their power.
Sharon…
Where did Emerge say that the “Chamber was pulling strings”?
Sorry, Emerge, you are right–I didn’t look too far past Glen Barton’s name on the list My own opinion is that the Chamber has been very influential in what happens in District 150. 150 Observor, why else would the Chamber interview and back candidates for school board? Obviously, they want to have a say. Of course, the city has its own agenda, too. I do believe that the board listens to the opinions of the city leaders and the Chamber more than they listen to parents, teachers, and taxpayers, in general. And the truth is that I don’t really know to whom Lathan answers or listens. I know that she recently thanked the board for not micromanaging–and they certainly do seem to have a hands off attitude.
1. Sharon, have you seen the latest Remarkable Times video on YouTube? It includes a tour of Woodruff by the principal about what is going where. It was shot at end of July though. Don’t have the link right now, but you can do a search of ‘pcceopeoria’, and it will show up.
2. If the Chamber of Commerce is having some influence on District 150, I don’t see a big problem with that. Business has a vested interest in the quality of education in the city. After all, they’re tied into the EDC in trying to attract new business to the city, and the public school system would be a factor. Not to mention that today’s students are going to be tomorrow’s labor force or entrepreneurs.
3. To Really? Being a video professional for almost 31 years tells me, I would have to see the video 1st before commenting on that subject, thank you very much.
Dennis in Peoria, I have watched the video of Woodruff. Telling me what’s going to be there and what is there are two difference things. I have heard enough to believe that the equipment will probably be there. Then I’ll be wondering who paid for it. Then I’ll want to know who and how many get to take advantage of the programs. I will want to know if “regular” students will be transported to Woodruff for one class or are the students who will be taking the tech courses housed at Woodruff?
As to the Alternative School, I will want to know what qualifies a student for Alternative School, how many students and for how long? I will, also, want to know what courses will be offered to these students and whether or not their home school teachers will have to provide the work (which should not happen). In other words, will these students have teachers or just babysitters who dole out homework from the regular school (like a glorified study hall)? I don’t think that’s the case–more of a hope than factual.
As to the Chamber’s influence over education–I do have a problem with that. I don’t want our schools to be warehouses to produce employees for minimum wage jobs in Peoria–and please don’t tell me that hasn’t happened. Nor do I want the Chamber pushing for even more Charter Schools. I don’t care if the Chamber lets the BOE know what kind of jobs are available in Peoria (for possible curriculum planning), but they don’t need to have undue influence.
It was, also, RU Kidding, not just “Really” who said there was more than one camera at the BU event. I might tend to believe that person–but, of course, I wasn’t there.
150 Teachers, can any of you tell me about the Thinking Map materials purchased? What grade levels use the materials? Do these materials replace other materials or are they completely new and “extra” materials? Are they used just for language arts or for math and/or other subjects? Do kids get books or are the materials just for teachers?
thinking maps are graphic organizers used by every grade level in the district. no more Venn diagrams. a woman from north carolina came to Peoria quite a few times last year to “train” people in the district to train the teachers. too many initiatives at once. I can do a few things well but I cannot do everything “with fidelity”…..give me a Break.
Thinking Maps was part of the professional development this summer as well, in August. I did not attend, but I assume it is also part of the Balanced Literacy initiative. Many pieces to it, but no real textbooks or “books”. You’re right, teacher, it’s hard to implement with integrity when so much is changing at the same time. And…thinking maps are graphic organizers. I still use Venn, though.
I pretended to clap . . . just in case.
Bwa-haw! This blog is both informative and entertaining. Hang on teachers…you’re the glue holding D150 together.
Woodruff Info–What I’ve heard from what I regard as a reliable source. Woodruff is frozen at 90 students right now. District says 150 students but 60 are Peoria High students who come for 1 or 2 classes a day.
90 Students doing whatever is not much to write home about, so to speak. This is what happens with hype such as the video about Woodruff. It gave the impression that the school, which holds 150 would soon be full of students taking tech courses. We don’t know what it will become in the future, but right now it’s mostly hype.
People tend to believe what they read in the paper or hear on TV and District 150 PR counts on it.
How about the stabbing at Roosevelt on Friday? One student stabbed another with a knife requiring stitches. Anybody hear about that?
Sharon says “I am beginning to think that the large amounts of money spent in education have little or nothing to do with educating children. C.J., of course, is right that the money should be spent on teachers, especially on educational specialists trained to work with children with developmental problems.”
I would argue that we spent too much money on those that will most likely never go to college (or maybe even graduate from HS) instead of spending more time and money on those most likely to succeed. Those who are more talented are left in boredom as they have to learn at the rates of the slowest in the class.
Dunlap Observor, you can argue that if you like. However, there are a good many people in our society who needed and made good use of a high school education even if they didn’t go to college. In my mother’s generation and even later, a good many women never went to college but benefitted from high school. In fact, I came very close to being one of those. When I graduated from high school, I planned to be a secretary for what I could see of my future. It was somewhat of a fluke that I even decided to go to college.
I am more concerned with the time aspect. I do agree that the academically ready students should not be held back by those who need more help. Also, those who need more help do not receive it when they are in classes where the majority are capable of learning at a faster and more advanced pace.
I just don’t like the idea of considering some students to be not worth the effort. If behaviors are the problem, then I do believe those student should not be allowed to disrupt classrooms. Also, I have a hard time buying into the too bored to get an education argument. If you are a parent of a student who is talented and not challenged, there are other options and most parents of such children search and find those options.
Sharon, as a parent of 3 top students, I found it very difficult to get each of them into higher level classes than if I had claimed they were “disadvantaged” and wanted them in lower level level classes. I ran into roadblocks at every turn. Ask for SPED level classes and you get an “individualized education plan” (IEP). Ask for higher level classes and you get blank stares and excuses.
Dunlap Observer – maybe you should come on back to District 150 then, because the counselor at Richwoods could not have been more accommodating in getting my student into all the advanced courses needed.
We purposely avoided Dunlap because we heard what a fight it was to get upper level classes. If there are so many capable students at Dunlap, why not just open more honors and AP course sections so that all that are interested and able can take the classes???
Frustrated, that is great to hear.
Frustrated… For some reason, I am not surprised that the counselor at Richwoods was very accommodating towards you. 🙂
True, Emerge, but why not the counselor at Dunlap? 🙂
I am sorry Emerge, don’t understand what you are implying. I am no one important in Peoria, believe me. I said the counselor was good at his job — the administration I had to deal with to get my child registered — not so interested in my business.:)