On another post Anonymous wrote:
PPS as usual has a solution for their fiscal woes... Hire a consultant! How inept are they, what are they being paid to do?
"Pittsburgh Public Schools seek consultant for financial planning"
http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/2958368-74/district-million-financial-fischetti-schools-budget-pittsburgh-public-bill-board#axzz2CPnibh1C
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11 comments:
Before approving additional consultant contracts the board should require a report back on the activities of the consultants already hired over the past five years- what was the goal in hiring each of these consultants and what was the result?
The first rule for hiring a consultant is knowing precisely what you expect them to accomplish and trace the history of their previous success at accomplishing the goal.
Whoever does the interview must have enough knowledge to ask the unscripted question when appropriate.
Typically, PPS has scripted questions when hiring that they are not permitted to deviate from--supposedly in an effort to keep the interview "fair."
Those applicants with PPS connections know the questions and come prepared with answers--and frequently the answers only have to sound good without evidence of competence, skills, evidence of success at the task/goals at hand.
The result has been the same over and over. PPS hires people who have NOT the necessary skills. So, the hire another consultant, then another, then another, and the beat goes on, and on, and on.
There is quite a long list of consultants who have come and gone after collecting very high fees for a job/goal/result not accomplished.
Those who have been hired by the district as the in-house experts should not need consultant after consultant to do their jobs!
Next thing you know, the PPS will be hiring consultants to help interview all the new consultants.
Perhaps Judy Johnston will be available to further pad her PPS pension. It's always heartening to have a former principal whose contributions during her time of employ were negligible , at best, returning to spread a complete pollyanna, out of touch approach to urban education while continuing the hate-fest aimed at teachers.
PPS. Where else can you have a completely average career and ascend to a position of prestige during retirement.
And she gets paid for it!
Consultants. Can't live with them, can't throw them off the 13th floor ledge.
Speaking of Judy Johnston -- I was surprised when the A+schools report came out and it was so negative. A+schools always seemed to "overlook" PPS' flaws. Didn't Judy used to be the Board Chair of A+schools? Now Sala Udin holds that position and Judy is just another Board of Directors member. How did the "ringer" JJ lose her position as chairman? She was the ultimate "fox in the henhouse."
Must be a term limit, although I was always curious about a few grandparents on the board for what seemed to be from inception. At least two are no longer serving as of this publication. You are right thought 8:52, based on the rollout of this report it does not seem that A+ and PPS are BFFs right now.
It seems that even A+ can't ignore the lack of positive results from change over the last 6+ years.
Originally it could be spun as "it will take a year (or two or three) more before the effects of our changes are really seen. Somehow, finally, they've realized that basically the district has been barely treading water and now its head is dipping underwater from time to time as the struggling can't last much longer before it's dead.
All this grant money, all these "sound good" changes and we've gotten nowhere but deeper in the hole, fiscally and educationally.
Previously successful programming has been eliminated and its replacement programming is being seen for what it is. By the time the plans are played out we'll have very few experienced, excellent teachers left and will have a teaching corps that is so used to just "following the script" that they wouldn't know how to teach without one, couldn't tell you what they'd do instead to raise results.
And that's why I see nothing but doom, unless there's some big changes at the top, fast. Even then it would be very difficult, but without it? Curtains.
I don't see changes at the top coming any time soon because of the Gates and Broad connection. PPS is too deep in bed financially with them. Gates won't allow his "investments" to get derailed. I believe the ultimate goal is to privitize PPS and Gates will come to the "rescue" and completely take it over as a corporate business. Any changes at the top now will not be in his best interest. Our top administrators and even our Board (except for the 2 lone wolves) are working for Gates and Broad - not for our students, parents, and tax payers.
" Anonymous said...
I don't see changes at the top coming any time soon because of the Gates and Broad connection. PPS is too deep in bed financially with them. Gates won't allow his "investments" to get derailed. I believe the ultimate goal is to privitize PPS and Gates will come to the "rescue" and completely take it over as a corporate business. Any changes at the top now will not be in his best interest. Our top administrators and even our Board (except for the 2 lone wolves) are working for Gates and Broad - not for our students, parents, and tax payers.
November 18, 2012 10:08 AM"
Everyone at the top that agrees with you have been disposed of or quit. They made certain to surround themselves with like minded executives and managers, and in some cases incompetent people. Saving money was never at the top of the list, saying yes to expensive, unneeded consultants and redundant programs trumps sound basic business decisions.
It is the saddest situation in educational management, leadership, and professionalism that I have ever seen.
With such abundant evidence of failure in Pittsburgh schools, why are the same BROAD/GATES/ROOSEVELT/RISE/PELA/PULSE frameworks still being continued.
It has been six years and PPS is going backwards instead of forwards!
Why? Why? Why are Pittsburghers allowing this to happen?
Why? Because individuals like Eleanor Chute have no clue about what journalism means. They swallow what comes from PPS hook, line and sinker.
There is never any semblance of investigative journalism in this town and since this is a taxpayer-funded train wreck, it certainly should be a situation in which the books are pored over and explanations checked.
PPS has provided a shell game and the mark is the taxpayer. They tell you to keep your eye on the Promise and forget about the problems. They trumpet teacher effectiveness as being the key to achievement.
The sobering reality is clear: things are getting worse and it is due to outrageously poor leadership from people like Lane, French, Lippert and Otuwa.
Collectively, these four could not carry the books of even one teacher let alone make pronouncements about his or her effectiveness.
And parents?
They could care less.
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