Anonymous wrote:
Page A-9 in the print edition of today's PG puts in question whether "spotting talent" is part of the agenda?
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2017/06/02/Two-white-former-Pittsburgh-city-schools-administrators-race-lawsuit-vincent-lewandowski-cynthia-muehlbauer/stories/20170
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42 comments:
There was a very noticeable shift to a younger staff for all types of positions when Mark Roosevelt arrived. As for African American candidates, the district may well have believed that race was among the factors that could make a candidate "best qualified." It would be informative to know how that position would fare under equal opportunity statutes but we will probably never find out, since the district almost always just pays a settlement.
There is also the question of why we need all these assistant superintendents in a shrinking district- can't the superintendent just do his job and the principals do theirs?
In the pursuit of justice for Black students do the "Advocates" ( Anonymous April 30, 2017 @6:09PM 0 ) make the argument that African American candidates are the "best qualified"?
It's about time. This agenda has been going on for years now. The Pacific education group training us that we are all racist, required readings about how white folk can teach in the hood, I've never felt ashamed to be white until this school district began to slowly try to ingrain it in our heads. I can teach ANY child and I'm a great teacher. This is not new in our district, I've seen whites discrimination against since I began 7 years ago. It just got a lot worse because they get away with it.
Uhh that's called discrimination. The color of someones skin does not make someone "best qualified"
The real world should have no discrimination whatsoever. To build a house, bake a cake, fix a car, spell, add, subtract... all require a skill set that is color blind. WE made it racial when PPS had hiring quotas. Perspective AFAM's were given additional points on hiring interviews. Is this fair? Heck no! Was it necessary? Yes. Few AFAM's were hired until the 80's. The quota system made it necessary to pass up candidates for a person of color just for the color. If that person had the qualifications, great. On the other hand, I have seen some who were not able to properly dress themselves, let alone teach kids. Many times, they mess things up so bad that they become administrators!
I think it's a fair question posed by 8:06 AM to the " Advocates of African American Students."
In light of your " ongoing, relentless actions, protests, legal actions, etc." do you consider hiring African American candidates as part of the "concrete action-oriented educational practices that is required for our Black students to flourish "?
Look on the district website. There are teaching jobs advertised for teachers of color.
agreeing with 9:39- I am sure that this teacher can teach all students. And yes, the last 10 years have been marked by awful putting down of white teachers-- and honestly it is NOT their fault that there aren't more AFrican American teachers! These last years have been also marked but increases in advisers, consultants, administrators outta Bellefield-- as opposed to more teachers and administrators who work with students-- a novel idea! Sure we can use more African American teachers and principals and counselors and behavior specialists and just help of all races. When did a teacher ever say, " oh I hope we get more consultants this year?"
Based on what June 2, 2017 at 3:17 PM said, I took a look at the PPS website. On their left side of their Careers page, their are various links. One link of for "Teachers". Another link is for "Teachers of Color". Unbelievable. Each link takes you to an info page. But the info pages are different.
I find that more than just odd. I find it disturbing.
It is not only disturbing, it is disgusting, and equally as disgusting is this racist promoting colleges that are not under "The Pittsburgh Promise". A student should go wherever the student wants to go, but to deliberately promote Historic Black colleges on the district website goes against contributors to the promise. I would pull my funds from the promise and show this biased administration who pays for whom.
Beyond color..."would it not be wonderful if we could reinstate through what we do as parents, as grandparents, as teachers, as administrators, as legislatures...that old noble ambition - to excel."
I am a white teacher who taught in the Hill district for over 20 years. I liked the kids and enjoyed my job. During the last ten years or so,I experienced a great deal of discrimination from African American teachers, principals and and others (like a lady in the Human Resources, you know who I mean). African American teachers were constantly being "mentored" by principals and white teachers made to feel they were always doing something wrong. If someone had to be made a focus teacher I knew it wasn't going to be the young African American teacher who couldn't control her class and was disorganized, it would be a white teacher. You might think this is not true, but many of you who have lived it know that it is completely true and NOBODY cares.
In reference to the article in PPG about two white principals who feel that less qualified African Americans were being promoted over them, all I have to say is this
So these two principals are unhappy that African Americans who are less qualified are being promoted above them. I have a question for you. Did you EVER NOTICE this before, say with teachers? I bet they did but never said anything till it happened to them. I know they saw it.
Exactly! The worse part of the hundreds of thousands of dollars that were spent on the Pacific Education group is when you ask them how do we take this back to the classroom? Their response: "You don't! There's nothing to take back is just realizing your racist, this required course is to make you aware". Hundreds of thousands of tax payers money and nothing to show for it
Wow!! I hope you don't teach our students with that philosophy. The district is going to loose if that was their thinking because that is illegal.
I am also a victim of this discrimination being a non person of color. Once I turned in my papers to the board in the Roosevelt/Lane era, I got a call to go to a school as a substitute assistant principal to finish out the semester which would have been 3 months. Once they found out I am not a person of color, I was immediately replaced by a person of color. Also, I have been on numerous interviews only to be passed up and to see a person of color hired that DIDNT EVEN HAVE THEIR PAPERS yet. Plus, there is a principal in the district who got their papers after me, got hired in place of me, and interviewed me for a position which I didnt get only to see that position filled yet again by a person of color. In addition, another principal worked in central administration, interviewed me, and hired a person of color in place of me. I now pass on all the postings of assistant principal/principal positions in this district because of this discrimination. The sad thing is, I'm not ready to retire, and I must remain anonymous to save my job. Finally, Why is Mr. Lewandowski still working at age 63?
It's obvious what the agenda of this administration is now: hire blacks over whites. It is awesome to see white people rebelling against this type of prejudice. It takes guts to do this. If that is what the African Americans want, then let them have it, but sue the -for a lack of a better term-district- for everything they got. Has anyone noticed the "Opportunities for Teachers of Color" on the PPS website? Explain that one. Go ahead, try. Last, isn't promoting "Historical black colleges racially biased, not to mention being an atrocious slight against the financial backers of the "Pittsburgh Promise"? Promise people, withdraw your money now. Pitt did it. So can you.
I have never been a teacher and can't imagine suggesting anyone go into the profession if their goal is to teach in PPS. Seriously "teachers of color" as a category on an HR page? Shouldn't the PA Dept of Ed be investigating this? To be fair though the groundwork for these practices predates Roosevelt and Lane and really began on a smaller scale under Thompson. I used to think one or two parents were plants in meetings attending just to repeat the request monthly for more teachers of color. This way the district could say they were giving parents what they asked for, totally untrue though, there was just ONE North Side Mom asking all the time. As far as Lewandowski goes, my kids were in school during the period where he walked on water in PPS. Never experienced him as an administrator, but can't count the number of times parents heard his name in our buildings. Almost like a "What would Vince do?" kind of thing.
Just a question, How many historical black colleges are there in PA? Only PA colleges are Promise options.
Crickets from the "Advocates".
10:28, here's one for you. But please don't let the "traditionally black" part disturb you. This is not some party like there's no tomorrow school. At one time, Cheyney was the top school for AF AM students in technical education. Many of the old timer black shop teachers were alumni. (PPS did have several through the 70's-80's
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyney_University_of_Pennsylvania
Cheney? Is that a joke. That school, or so-called school, is on probation regarding their accreditation. A 12" b&w tv was once good, so your lame excuse is worse than it sounds. It's better to have no degree than to have one from that place.
I have to say that some of the comments on this posting do point to big issues with (some) White faculty and/or staff and their opinions of their Black colleagues (or at least some of them) and likely, by extension, their students and their families. It's hard to not sound racist when you're complaining about being taught about racism.
Of course you're racist -- everyone is in one way or another. The point is to recognize racist reactions, identify them and work to not let them affect your interactions. "I don't see color" is the first place to start. We all see color and it has had and continues to have great meaning in our society.
Hey 1:59, rest easy. 10:28 asked if there were any traditionally black colleges in PA. Last I looked, Cheyney was a traditional black college. It is in PA and it is eligible for Pgh Promise money. I threw that out there for 10:28.
I never said it is at the top of the academic list. At one time, it was a great school for technical education. And by the way 1:59, it is spelled Cheyney. Not Cheney.
Did any of you ever wonder why Holley and Sumpter rushed to get a black firm who were to head hunt a new super even though they didn't check out their credentials? Nor did anyone check out the super's credentials! Complete incompetence all around. I knew as sure as there is a God above that the new super would be either a black man or a black woman. This hiring of less qualified African American teachers over others is nothing new in PPS. It's only been brought to new levels or sunk to new levels depending on your point of view.
If we see color - we are blind.
Hey, 7:01, thanks for the spelling error. I know it's not at the top. It's at the bottom; it's tied with Lincoln. You call them colleges? Oh, that is funny. As for being historic black colleges, please stop. If you advised one student to go to CHEYNEY or Lincoln, you are more racist and dumb than the new super and his pathetic entourage are, and that's a tough nut to crack. About this as an answer to the obvious bias against white teachers, administrators, and personnel in our district. Why don't all the black principals, black teachers, and black students have their own schools and the white principals, white teachers, and white students have their own schools. The blacks can even have CAPA, SCI TECH, and OBAMA as their home schools. The whites can have Uprep, Westinghouse, and Oliver. Let's see the DATA after one year. If segregation is what you want, then have it by all means. PLEASE!
This may sound paranoid-- but in light of this discussion of black and white teachers-- is that the reason we are being told to put our face picture on e-mail accounts? I know I never would have thought that before-- but, I never expected separate links on a page-- which is really separate access-- "separate doors" if you will-- and it just creeps me out--
I wonder what happens if we flat out refuse to place our photograph on our email accounts. This reverse discrimination is out of hand. Search for a recent (within the last year) lawsuit against principal Louann Zwerinski. District lawyers tried to grind down the complaintant by dragging her through months of grueling discovery hearings; however, in the end she persevered. Just before a decision was to be rendered the District settled. Zweirinski was moved out of Westinghouse, but the fact that she still retained her job at all is flat out appalling.
PPS teachers who are victims of reverse discrimination (racism), contact the union and file a grievance. Racism is ugly. And so is reverse racism. All racism is ugly.
I kid about contacting the union, of course. The PFT is best described these days as a Vichy organization. They work not for you and me, but for the oppressors of you and me. PPS teachers who are victims of reverse discrimination, hire a good outside lawyer! Get all your ducks in order, then sue the PPS! Make them pay for their racist policies.
Whatever you do, do not contact the union. They are " The pathway to the Promise", and that promise is I promise you the union will destroy any hopes of you winning a grievance, let alone a lawsuit. The union is selling us out as I type this. I still cannot believe who heads our union. Those grade school teachers who voted her in will most assuredly get what they justly deserve, an improvement plan or fired, which are the same thing. The worst form of racism in our district is our own union being prejudiced against its teachers.
Did the teachers' recently get a new contract? If so, what was in it? (what was taken away?)
Cheyney was part of the Hollywood movie, PRIDE, that featured a young swim coach in Philly who graduated from Westinghouse.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_(2007_film)
One of the star girl basketball players from Obama, class of 2017, is headed to Lincoln as a freshman. I imagine she'll play on the women's team there. She had wanted to attend another HBC in TN, but that went down the drain when the coaching staff was replaced.
I do not have a problem with a bit of PR going to HBCs (Historically Black Colleges) and tours to HBCs for high school students. Different strokes for different folks. Getting our kids wider perspectives is fine. Getting more to go beyond the borders of PA is also good in that the limited funds in the Pittsburgh Promise can be preserved. Sadly, I feel that too many of our kids are ONLY looking at schools in PA because of the Pittsburgh Promise. The Pittsburgh Promise was meant as a boost to get kids to go to college and advance themselves, but it seems to have a way of putting blinders onto some of our kids and restricting their options for the future.
In other news, I think my photo shows up in my email about box and even with blogger comments. (smile)
Everyone is not racist one way or another that's your opinion not a fact. The complaining as you call it, is frustration with being discriminated against because of skin color. A real fact is this is happening in our school district right now. Let's be clear the complaints are not about being taught about racism, it's being put down for being white, being told you can't teach black students, being told by people on an interview panel that even though you scored the highest the principal wanted a black candidate, not feeling included in the clicks because your white. It's seems maybe you only see one side and maybe you should start there.
There have been no greater advocates for African Americans than the men and women ( black and white alike ) who fought and died in this nation's civil war for the principle that all men are created equal. Their sacrifice continues to burn and breathe in our hearts today.
Racist? I don't think so.
What are the chances that a person of color will be placed as principal at Allderdice?
Just a guess, that times are better now for it than when Bill Fisher got the job-- people knew it was coming in advance, and prepared for some of the backlash.
I am reminded that during the administrations of a both Lane and Roosevelt there were times parents were left wondering if no local candidates ever applied for cabinet jobs. One such time was when Connie Sims came on board with PPS. I don't believe you have to be a yinzer to be effective, but I also never understood why so many out-of-towners came here very late in their careers even. Once when a principal position was filled I only half jokingly asked, "Is he Derek Lopez's father-in-law or what?" Questionable HR practices seem to be the norm.
The new Allderdice principal is white.
James McCoy is currently the Director at Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy (USA). This is Mr. McCoy’s sixth year at SciTech and third year as an administrator. Mr. McCoy was a social studies teacher for nine years before becoming a school leader. He has also served as an instructional teacher leader and as a behavioral specialist. Mr. McCoy received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and earned his principal’s certification from Point Park University, where he also is currently in the final stages of completing his doctoral degree.
There are changes that need to be made at Allderdice- maybe a new principal can make them.
In addition:
Dr. McCoy will transition from his current role as Director at Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy 6-12, where he works collaboratively with the school’s principal to execute all school management and leadership for students and staff at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) school. As Director (2013 – Present), Dr. McCoy provides instructional leadership
through teacher professional development and evaluation and makes administrative decisions related to academics, discipline, attendance and daily operations.
Dr. McCoy joined the District in 2010 as a High School Civics and United States History teacher at Pittsburgh Science Technology Academy 6-12. During his time with Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy he has served in multiple leadership roles, including Instructional Teacher Leader Social Studies, English and Special Education, Behavior Management Committee Chair
(2010-2013), and Behavioral Specialist Summer Dreamers Academy (2013).
Prior to joining PPS, Dr. McCoy was a teacher in the Wilkinsburg School District (2004-2010).
At my school, a new teacher came to teach music. She was very enthusiastic and hard working. The principal didn't like her from day one. I don't know why. During the course of the year, he gave her a hard time and actually stopped her from doing her job. She went to the union to file a grievance. After a while, she realized that they were never going to do anything. She got her own lawyer and sued for discrimination. She won and they had to pay. If she had received help from the union at the beginning, it could have been stopped and she wouldn't have had such a terrible year.
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