Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Pittsburgh anticipates $3M from nonprofits

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/pittsburgh-anticipating-3-million-from-nonprofits-636987/

- UPMC is not contributing, noting that it already contributes to the Pittsburgh Promise.  But, the school district is a separate taxing authority, and elected city officials did not have the opportunity to vote on whether the Pittsburgh Promise was the best and fairest use of money received in lieu of taxes.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

UPMC stayimg as a non-profit astounds me. PPS does not need more "capitalism" (Broad/Gates) philanthropy. We need to stop hiring consulants. They serve as first level privatization of public schools.. PPS is headed this direction by direction. We have 1-2 years to reclaim our district. 2 years is being optimistic. We have talented teachers that are forced to teach canned cirriculum. It is wrong, they know it, but they will lose their "fancy" teaching jobs if they have an opinion. PPS needs less outside philanthropy! There is a major price to pay with each "donation". The Gates "grant" or "fund" is a matching fund. We have to pay 44 million back to Gates..last year. He was kind enough to give us an extenstion. We still owe...the money is not going to the kds.

Keep in mind all of this money, including taxpayers 44 million was training ivy league grads without teachng degrees to finally teach our little idiots (sorry, it is how they operate) how to fall in line & know their place.

Two 6 yr old kindergarteners ran away from school the other day. It seemed like just another day from the schools response. The kids were unharmed and the mom was told, or felt pressure to keep it hush, hush.

The district cares about themselves more than our children. If they want to prove us wrong they need to publish a flow chart from EVERY department. Change policies that fit our community, not the other Broad/ Gates school districts. (all are sucking too)

Enough is enough.. No results, thank you for your brainwashing. Buh bye.

Pittsburgh can handle Pittsburgh. If we continue to hire consultants and foundations we are in big trouble. We hire consultants either due to ineptness or back alley deals to appease the venture philanthropists!

Anonymous said...

Tonight the Board will vote to hire "Success Schools" at $513,000 to bring their "behavior modification" program to Faison, King, and Milliones. These three schools have requested that this Company implement a behavior program in these school with 1, 2, or 3 consultants to work with the schools to get behavior under control in a "whole school model" such as the one that they have currently at Clayton Academy on the Northside.

What has happened to the leadership of principals, the influence of good teachers, and the buy in of students and community to creating schools that work?

Why must consultants be hired to get behavior under control in our schools?

Why have PPS educators lost all control of our schools?

Anonymous said...

$513,000 to bring in yet ANOTHER consulting firm to try and implement the latest "fad." Maybe it is time for the leaders at the top (i.e., Lippert, French, Lane, etc)to realize that their principals cannot handle behavior issues and provide safe environments for students.

There are schools other than King, Faison, and Milliones that have serious behavior issues. The leaders at the top are so concerned about principals placing teachers on improvement plans, inroducing the latest "fads" that other urban districts are implementing, and changing curriculums on a yearly basis that they forgot one of the golden rules of instruction...Safety in the classroom escaltes student achievement.
My point is.....the leaders of the district are so quick to point the blame at teachers rather than looking in the mirror at their decisions and by keeping totally incompetent principals in buildings. The leaders are very good at spending tax dollars to bring in outside consultants to fix EVERY problem. By bringing in consultants for every problem tells me that our leadership is incompetent as well.

Anonymous said...

more money to flin while we furlough teachers?
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/spend-budget-reserves-before-layoffs-tax-hikes-pa-house-republicans-tell-schools-636995/

148 million and yet, no library budgets, 500 furloughs, monitors instead of our certifed paraprofessionals,huge classes-- what pray tell are they saying this money for? I seldom agree with Republicans lately-- but taxpayers deserve answers.

Anonymous said...

Disipline in all the Schools has gone to Hell

Principals are rated by the number of kids they do not suspend

Their Bonus is based on the number of kids they do not suspend

The PELA's do not have any displine skills, no training at all.

Administration is focused on evaluating teachers

Kids rome the halls and create chaos and disrupt classes

As a teachers we are set up to fail in this Broad/Gates educational model


All Hope is Lost

Anonymous said...

Fire them all from the top down at 341 South Bellfield.

What they have done is criminal

Tell the Gates and Broad to take a hike


Save Our Schools

Anonymous said...

Wait a minute...I don't want to rip on the teachers at Faison, but aren't they effective. I hear constantly how Faison is going to suffer because they have so many effective teachers that are going to be furloughed. How ever can there be discipline problems so severe that these teachers can't handle. Sorry Faison--don't mean to rip, but another poster said that all the schools can use this behavior consultation.

Anonymous said...

Yes, hope is lost-- thingswerent great in schools in February you can only imagine what the next few weeks are going to be in schools where there are absolutely no consequences-- feel sorry for these young people-- what would life have been like if no matter what you did-- nothing happened? Leaving academics out of it- these students are not prepared for the real world-- where things happen when you do sdoemthing wrong!

Anonymous said...

$513,000.00 for discipline consultants? You have got to be kidding! I'll bet you could call retired principals like Rucki or Reginella. I bet they would provide their services for a lot less and they're proven to be successful in PPS! Wasn't Principal Rucki one of the highest bonus earnings in PPS?

I was an Arsenal PSCC parent and community block watch advocate in Lawrenceville. Principal Rucki took the bull by the horn and brought order to the school which also impacted the community. We all worked together to achieve an orderly school environment where teachers could teach and students could learn. If my recolection is correct, Arsenal was even rated a 4on the Rand study and never closed during the right sizing plan. Arsenal children were achieving at gains higher than expected. Ever wonder why? Maybe she implemented a plan than worked!

After Arsenal my child attended Brashear. I thank the high heaven Dr. Reginella was the principal. The school was in order. These two women have a lot in common, yet both very different styles in getting the job accomplished. All I know is that my child got a great education and is finishing college thanks to these no nonsense principals. For the record, I am an African-American parent who thanks god on a daily basis for the influence these two principals had on my child.

Anonymous said...

They could save a half a million if they implemented Hazuda's bright (pathetic) idea. Just throw cold water on students.

Anonymous said...

That was Jean Finks idea.