We are hearing that the district is CONSIDERING furloughing a number of teachers. While there is no way to verify this report at the current time it seemed best to mention the issue since jobs are at stake, and maybe teachers can obtain some information from their union.
33 comments:
Not a teacher and never have been but isn't there some deadline to furlough teachers?
To anonymous 7:38
There are rules in place that govern teacher placement, transfers, etc.
Some are contractual. Some are based on "past practices", which have some legal standing.
However, in recent years, our union has waived most of these.
Case in point: Transfers used to be done by seniority. While this was not a perfect system, it prevents discrimination by race, age, position on the salary scale, etc.
The PFT waived all this and replaced it with a "job fair."
Participants were told that there would be a "deadline" in notification for new positions, the end of April.
But many were kept waiting until June. So much for deadlines. The administration does what it wants and the union signs off.
What Union?
All High Schools are cutting Staff, teachers, paraprofessionals,social workers, ect.
They are increasing class sizes to the max. There are other budget cuts affecting the schools.
But, Mr Roosevlt will keep hiring more and more people at 341 South Belfield. He loves to hire people who do not work directly with children. He likes to hire more layers of management to rate the teachers.
Here is a great question? Why do weed need a new office of recruiting teachers & talent management if we are furloughing
teachers.
In my building they were cutting staff and asking teachers to teach an extra class. More work makes more effective teachers.
The best thing that could ever happen to the Pittsburgh Public Schools is hopefully some other urban district will hire him, his PR department, and the Broad Idiots.
The talk of furlough is curious at this time when Mr. Chester's (Talent Management) resignation was just in board minutes in june. At least his position has already been filled.
More than one "Chief" resigned if you read the minutes.
I can say they are replacing people to make room for their own, and making up positions to hire more. I read somewhere the Broad Foundation is a really well oiled employment agency.
The kids and the community are getting hosed.
It is unreal over there. Who replaced Mr. Chester?
A long time career employee of PPS HR - Ms. Marlene Harris replaced Mr. Chester-Her historical PPS background journey starts from bring a high school secretary, quickly placed at the Board working varied HR secretarial positions and job duties under the tutelage of Mrs. Nickolas-a longtime PPS HR Director. Let us say no HR educational formal training or HR degree. The only true PPS employee left in the PPS management at the Board. Over 20 or more years of hands employee situational issues or expertise working in PPS HR. Her salary has ramped up to over $62,000 from a Secretary 1 Scale. She ramped up in HR by taking all of her superiors tough duties regarding Teacher Eligibility List Placement, contacting new and senior teacher s regarding staff assignments due to new hires to displaced teachers, doing the dirty work let us say if Principals do not want certain staff members and trying to place those staff members in other open slots.. The majority of time being a go between or go to person in HR. Not always avaible for the new or senior district employees for answers to questions regarding the whys of being displaced targeted, etc. She is running the WHOLE show for now called the Talent Management Office. There are very specific employment laws that need to be adhered to regarding employee issues. Governance, due process, furloughs, etc. Yes, Labor relations. Take Union dues and save for attorney legal fees.
As a parent, I hope they have the teachers placed. Llet me digress on the PPS spending of federal or state funds for Summer Programs. The supermarket or latest PPS School Program that you have your child enrolled in is the HOT place to acquire the latest info on the money trail of the PPS Management Team. A true waste of money the Summers Dreamers Academy-with one child in Summer School at Langley and one in Dreamers let us talk about the unfair monetary distribution of pay for teachers, administrators and Programs. No AC for the Chemy class at Langley with many students having Asthma. The Principal is addressing the issue. Langley Summer School-Brashear, CAPA, Peabody, Obama –Dreamers Academy Site.
It was brought to my attention the waste of money from Obama or state money for the Dreamers Academy –a Camp Program versus Summer School Program and funding distribution. Another parent stated and I investigated Summer School Staff receive a percentage of their salary for Summer Teaching. Dreamers Academy staff: Camp Site Director receives $8500 around 27 days of work-a Camp Teacher $6000, a Camp Coordinator a recent high school graduate as qualification $2500. A lot of money not counting the real CAMP Activities (Vendors) - the Board is not making a true contribution as a Camp Environment. They can cut the Camp activities at will due to student enrollment numbers. Dreamers Academy very disorganized and a high price babysitting service.
My son is in three hours of Literacy classroom every morning. Fine-but I could have taken the books out of the Library for him to read –not have him sitting in a classroom environment for classroom instruction looking at a classroom projector. MAJORITY OF THE STUDENTS ARE BORED- 99%.
The students are doing fluency testing of another student in pairs. Talked with my son’s principal and I was the third person to call. The others were teachers. It dilutes the process. No just the teacher giving the test. He has enough of the classroom instruction all year. This is a camp=not literacy classroom instruction and so-called literacy activities. Make a great Tech Project a video- no digital cameras and computers working in many of the classrooms-only 15 minutes devoted to this daily. Teachers paid $6000 and my son computing his fellow student fluency Reading score. He stated Mom it is now many words my partner can read correctly from a selected reading story. He computes and records with a timer-how words correctly read per minute. I believe he gave me this information correctly. I am not a teacher.
Hold it-Discussed and as stated in numerous other posts on this -a well paced /managed - LITERACY curriculum is being taught in the PPS Schools. Well, welcome to Dreamers Academy – a camp program. My son states-he receives 6-work pages daily that his teacher must cover -and observes his Teacher’s Work Binder-he assumes the class lessons are in there-it is very thick and full with at least 500 pages from his observation.” It looks like your Binder for one of my semester college courses,” he states.
In summation-You talk about a waste of money-if federal dollars-Arne Duncan needs to look at this mess. Show me the money-they will say it is working- the Board members and parents-a high priced babysitting service for the summer-I am worried our children need this money for teachers, classroom assistance, supplies during the upcoming schoolyear.
Another Summer Dreamers Academy Parent watching tax dollars wasted and PPS cutting teachers? I cannot reach Camp Site Director-only a dozen parents showing up for a Parent Night- Camp Site Director sends a notice home the night prior regarding this event. Is this an indicator- my child will have to be in all day of literacy classroom instruction and less activity time due to student enrollment-students dropping out? Will they be cutting activity time due to enrollment and all day literacy. They must read two novels-fine-but my child’s teacher allowed the students to take home their books and bring them in daily. Guess what only 5 students brought them in daily at the most. They do not call their outside reading homework but Do Not forget to do it. The poor teacher following PPS commands gets burnt-kids do not want any homework this is a camp.
The three or more hours of Literacy classroom every morning. Some sites did not even have an all camp meeting on the first day-my child did not. All parents agreed we could’ve taken the books out of the Library for them to read –not have sitting in a classroom environment for classroom instruction in heat. MAJORITY OF THE STUDENTS ARE BORED- 99% students.
My poor child’s teacher was constantly interrupted by people coming into the classroom asking for this or that. And the so called Camp Coordinator or Assistants were wearing their purses in the classroom and interrupting instruction of the teacher and student INTERACTIONS ABOUT ACTIVITIES. My child felt bad for the teachers. This happens in the Morning Academic Teacher with the assistants in the classroom and afternoon activities when there is an assistant.
Week one- no teacher supplies-my child said his teacher had to bring in supplies, clean the classroom they had no scissors-why it was stated because one student asked why there was not enough of scissors and why his desk was not clean. The teacher probably did not have enough of time to clean it. And they blame the teacher- many teachers do a lot of stuff beyond the call at my child’s school. And my child’s Dreamers Teacher did the same because we helped carry out stuff when we visited the site before it started. No games for a so called game center time-no computers for Computer center time-no computers were working. Teachers winging it –I do feel bad for the teachers-the ones not making $6000 that have to use their own money to buy supplies clean and arrange the classroom. And no AC in the classroom. My child ate cold pizza and came home sick Monday.
Yes, children eating cold lunches that are to be hot-YES -very late for lunch and hour after they were to have had scheduled lunch-this happened at more than one site location-I was told when I questioned an assistant site director. Where are the Principals that need to run the Camp Sites-at our camp parent night close to 50 PPS Dreamers Academy Staff and only a dozen of parents present? Where’s our tax dollars so this program right from the get go-and this Board mistreat teachers in this Program. Mistreat students, mistreat money for supplies that are needed and what about AC-can they not fix it --no windows to open for the students to get air??? I do not blame teachers for getting angry at the way they are treated-this is another century and not a one room school house. They have to clean room to make this kinda of money. That is the reason they pay them so much-one excuse.
My child is not waiting around while they fix their issues. I will not have my child go to this type of a camp=while they waste our tax dollars as the other posted stated and fix it as they go along this year=playing DREAMERS CAMP this year, so next year this will work for them.
Explain- why furlough teachers, cut programs during the school year-why not cut and stop this Program-they will have the money and get interest in the bank to spend on REAL items not DREAMS.
At the Agenda Review one of the Board members said she had visited a Summer Dreamers session and it was wonderful. She backed up that impression with specific descriptions of interesting lessons and good approaches to behavioral issues. This may be the only report the rest of the Board gets. Parents and others who have observed problems really need to come out to a public hearing or find other ways to let it be known that there are still issues to be addressed (commenting here is a good start). A limitation though is that to use the stimulus funds on camp the program had to be very literacy oriented.
Sharing the stories here in this blog serves a lot of purposes and it is appreciated by many especially those who opted to not participate in camp. If you have a story to tell you have got to reach your board representative. Otherwise, next week at the next meeting there will be nothing but good news and tales of great numbers. It isn't too late to fix the situations of week one.
It would be helpful to have a building mentioned to know where the most attention is needed.
I have heard a good story from a parent with a gifted student attending camp at CAPA. Yet, CAPA had the best "camp" activity so the other sites will definitely pale in comparison. Location obviously lends itself to more attractive afternoon activities.
The Camps are Brashear, King, and Peabody- respectively. Stimulus money for literacy does not have to be spent the way PPS is implementing -as a DREAMERS summer literacy instructional classroom teaching practices. A projector, taking notes and lessons can be modernized-by being student friendly -different approaches-it is a camp. They should have incorporated technological based instructional activities. There are varied approaches to teaching-including literacy concepts with web-based activities. They need more diversified activities and lessons for middle school students-other than games and videos-need more literacy options.
My son is not a Gifted child-that makes no difference-this is not about afternoon activities-this is about the academic literacy block of time in the morning. No complaints from parents about the afternoon activities at the above sites. Oh my, What about the students that do not even like their afternoon activities-they are probably only going to attend the days where there are big field trips for their site and Pirate Game. Thus, that is more evidence as a waste of stimulus money. No complaints from my godson-he is at South Brook or his teachers at that site- they are just perfect over there in that end of SH. It is Fab.
Anon 11:16 7/16
Marlene Harris did not replace Mr. Chester, she is a manager, he was the "Chief" that position has not been filled.
I have my money on the current Broad resident who is currently a director.
Anonymous 11:16, thanks for the clarification on titles, (chief vs. director), now I just have to ask how many management positions are needed to manage all the talent? Look, I am crazy about change when the results of the change are positive, but when I read class sizes are increasing and teachers are being asked to teach additional periods I don't call that change for the better. So much of the CHANGE we see is experimental, driven by what the experts and money sources have suggested, but too few of the recommendations from parents over the years have ever been tested. Specifically, reducing the size of a class. To make differentiated instruction possible, shrink class size. To provide personalization, shrink class size.
How about combining small classes and personalization with a program like the Youth Advocates Program, which assigns high risk students an advocate for mentoring and intervetion and is on call around the clock all year around? This way both instruction and help with life issues would be personalized.
A NYT article explained how the advocate program is being used to help students at a high risk for violence in Chicago:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/02/us/02chicago.html?_r=1
August 1, 2010 is the deadline date for furloughs. - A neighbor of mine is a teacher. Please, do not get hung up on titles at this time. I am positive and hope they do not cut my child’s academic necessities for a successful academic school year this fall.
Sorry, Marlene Harris is running the Department with Jody Spolar until-the Title position is filled. Mrs. Spolar, as the inner circle state is an attorney so-she covers all the legal areas and angles when necessitated. A great asset to have an HR employee with a legal degree. Her signature holds weight in many HR issues on a PPS letterhead, when an employee needs cut or dismissed. Extreme cases for illustration. Spolar is another PPS career employee with over 20 years of PPS Experience. Spolar and Harris really do all the work. They work closely with the Union regarding all employee relations regarding teacher positions, grievances, etc. In fact, their PPS experience illustrates a history of working through many superintendents and HR management changes -this district would have been in such turmoil without them. They make any transition seem seamless under any Title Headmaster of this Department.
We need teachers with acquiring a second degree in law-a great career opportunity.
Remember people have titles-but there are others that do the work.
No idea about a Broad person working in that Department-sorry-but I am a positive person and believe and hope that this be rectified for my child’s sake and having no cuts that would influence class size and instruction would be great.
Also, great article from NYT-great concept-will the Board management read it????
I use to be positive until I learned the truth. Now I am appalled.
Bystander,
It looks like they hire as many as they want. Linda lane said she needed 4-6 new "talent managers" and poof she got them.
There is zero accountability, and this is the hugest scam and it is scary. I wish I knew less than I do.
I am guessing that no organizational chart exists. I am hoping that when a new cost per student is calculated it will not include the price tags for offices of teacher effectiveness and talent management positions and the cost to operate the PELA programs and teacher academies. If these initiatives are federal or foundation grant-funded they should be excluded from calculating cost per student.
Had to laugh out loud of the wonderful kudos going out to Human Resources leadership. That's great. I appreciate Ms.Harris and the tasks that she must perform and am happy to note that she has worked her way up the ladder instead of just being some flunky appointed by the Roosevelt Ad.
I think what is truly troubling to anyone with even the faintest remembrance of what school is supposed to be all about is how this administration has gone from doing what is right for students to building a corporation, plain and simple. People forget this is an urban district with many types of learners. To that end, advocating the needs of each type of learner and advancing the achievement of students should be paramount.
It isn't.
To me, the great "team" in all of this must be the students, the teachers and the families. Amazingly, you don't see this. In Ponzi Scheme style, we see a system top-heavy with money going to people NOT in the classroom. We see portions of administrative hierarchy that seem to have nothing to do with advancing students. We see administrative types who were never in the classroom, were there for a relatively short amount of time, or are fresh out of college doing more to rein in teachers than to build a solid, all encompassing curriculum that will ensure student success as they advance towards college.
Again---I would love to see the numbers of the following:
-How many administrators there are in the district, from VP's to Counselors to Principals to people not in schools themselves.
-Their salary figures
-The amount of consultants we have clinging on and their salary figures
-The amount of research efforts we have and the money going towards it
But no one asks for these, just as no one asks about kids whose grades were inflated to get Promise money and then go to college. How many lasted a year? How many have lasted two?
Those numbers are out there, but we have an administration adept at obfuscating such info.
Isn't it troubling to any parent that any teacher may be furloughed, but the district will keep administrative positions intact? Isn't it troubling that the role of school districts--to educate all of its students--continually seems to be pushed aside locally?
Mike is talking on KDKA right now to ACLU regarding single gender schools. 1020
To the Old Timer post-Right on-your post is exquisite with the right conceptual knowledge and verbatim-about educational theory and practices. It is a corporation not called the Board of Education-but Broad of Education. Gates and Broad have taken their honing of investing, boardroom strategies for stock market transaction, and investing in education. Breaking rules –example as a corporation breaking down Unions for the good of the Company Stock and the sitting top stockholders. A great parallel analogy.
Yes- I am the post of Spolar and I agree we need to investigate the accountability and the expenditures of this Talent Management and Talent Performance Team -when teachers likely be furloughed and directly influence our children via instructional classroom and programs. Talent Management and Talent Performance Team sound like a Talent Agency representing movie stars in Hollywood.
From Board minutes, PELA has such a huge number of candidates for this upcoming year-why? They seem to be keeping the same Principals. Many parents e complain about how the Board is wasting money this summer with their Summer Camp Programs-this board will do whatever it takes to get Obama stimulus money and that is why we are wasting time with single-gender school critique. They will be closing the schools Wednesday and with the proposed changes in place. They know how to play the Public domain response wagon. They want the Obama money. Single gender schools are so archaic due to the fact women have to compete in the real world-when was NOW-over 45 years ago. We need to look at the total picture and not get off track. What about the transgender student that wants to enroll at Westinghouse. I see lawsuit time.
Old Timer is right.
We need outside consultants to follow the money trail of this current administration. They are very buxom at the top-level departments. Children need teachers, supplies, and assistive programs.
Next up the Superintendent will receive his new raise and expenditures. That can even be voted on this week.
OLD TIMER States:
Those numbers are out there, but we have an administration adept at obfuscating such info.
Isn't it troubling to any parent that any teacher may be furloughed, but the district will keep administrative positions intact? Isn't it troubling that the role of school districts--to educate all of its students--continually seems to be pushed aside locally?
You are very accurate and many seem gravely concerned. Nevertheless, it is all about the money. Silence parents with Promise Money-great publicity and great reward program. Well, show me the money and Old Timer is accurate as the previous poster states-with examples-showing way too much money in ADM. No, data on fiscal policies, practices, and accountability of PPS Management. Our current Fifth--Eighth graders will receive $40,000 upon graduation from a PPS High School. I am not talking about the Charters. Great hush money and rosy picture.
Would the 40k have been better spent educating them while they were in middle and high school- ie, to pay for smaller classes, one on one mentoring, better career training...
Would the 40k have been better spent educating them while they were in middle and high school- ie, to pay for smaller classes, one on one mentoring, better career training...
I cannot agree with you more Questioner about the $40,000. But- look at the front page of the PPS web site our superintendent has a Mentoring Program in place, A Summer Dreamers Academy, Ninth Grade Nation and a new CTE ( Career Training Program) rolling out at Oliver. They all target that age group. . However, I agree it is about educating our students with researched-based educational practices and not about all whatever new name for PPS jargon of programs. We need to use the 40k educating our students while they were in middle and high school-classrooms during the school year- yes and pay for smaller classes, and certifiable personnel for one on one mentoring-with assistive teaching methods, social workers and counselors, and better career training...
I have heard and checked board minutes to verify that there are some VPs going back into classrooms as teachers. An earlier post here mentions a high number of PELA candidates accepted, WHAT GIVES?
I get the portion of the discussion about better use of 40,000 but that ship has sailed and it is too soon to judge the benefits of the Promise. It is okay to analyze but we can't let the discussion morph into the idea of reneging. I have heard many grateful parents already and kids are just getting the 5,000 right now.
VPs have the feeling that their days are numbered in all of this charade, as well. A number of schools this year will only have a principal and no VPs. This should not be a surprise to any teacher in that for the past few years, administration has basically thrown more at teachers where discipline is concerned.
Some here have talked about more PELA's being accepted for the coming year. I count only 6 PELA cohorts placed for the coming school year and to me at least, it indicates a saturation point has now been realized. There are only so many places you can put these indoctrinated "leaders", especially when the number of schools run by PELA-grads or individuals young enough to be bombarded with the PELA in services is a huge majority in comparison to the "old guard" that remains.
Questioner, here are my problems with the Promise. More than anything else, it is truly hush money/bribe money. It's the carrot under the nose of any parent considering a non-PPS alternative.
And yet...
1) it is bridge money. Nothing wrong with that, but most parents still don't understand that Promise money only kicks in after you have arranged all aid possible through FAFSA. It is NOT a free education.
2) it has compromised the very theory of academic integrity in a rush to form public opinion. Promise money is a good thing, of course, but the idea is corrupted when an assistant superintendent takes the initiative to water down grades to get more kids eligible for Promise money. Is this really academia?
3) true students suffer thanks to point 2. Obviously, there is a fairness issue with regard to that point--student A works hard and achieves, student B larks about and is given grades--but again, one must wonder what admissions reps who go through prospective candidates think about what is happening in PPS.
4) from a true academic standpoint, are we doing any favor for kids by inflating their grades, passing them along, putting them on the pathway to the promise, cough, and then setting them off for the rigors of college? All for good PR?
What a charade.
bystander, I realize that the Promise money "ship has sailed". However, it is still worth noting that the priorities of the District in regard to spending money are misguided. The Promise, in its third year, has not stemmed the tide of parents leaving the district and at a time when we are furloughing teachers, one must note that this money could have been better spent to keep more teachers and decrease class size, prevent the laying off of paraprofessionals and social workers etc.
And really, has the ship really sailed when money needs to be raised year after year for the next 7 years to obtain the UPMC matching funds? There is no doubt but that contributions that woudl have gone for other programs will go instead to the Promise.
Also, if money will need to be raised after that point to continue the program we should definitely consider the pros and cons long before that time.
Both PPS and Tarka will play the ignorance card where your comments are concerned, Ms.Fine, and have done so repeatedly during the past contract year. They have stated that payroll for teaching staff is one thing and that for administrators with incentive pay, it's another. They have stated that Gates money is a separate ledger. They undoubtedly would yelp about Promise money.
They have a great many people fooled with such diatribes. I have known principals who were quite adept at spending money and drawing from accounts legally.
Who do THESE people think they are fooling?
As a parent of a recent PPS graduate, who is totally disgusted with the path that Mark Roosevelt is leading the district down- I am taking the Promise money and running as quickly as I can! I know that this sounds thankless, but I do consider it as consolation money. Sadly, I don't feel consoled and mourn the future of the PPS.
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