Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Protest of cancellation of Obama musical

From the PG:

"http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2018/05/23/Obama-students-plan-protest-over-canceled-musical-Benedum-Theater/stories/201805220128http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2018/05/23/Obama-students-plan-protest-over-canceled-musical-Benedum-Theater/stories/201805220128 "

Principal reassignment

Anonymous wrote:

"New post

Rumors are that Perry's principal, on leave for inappropriate behavior, is about to be reassigned to Carrick. We should be outaged. This man shouldn't be allowed back in a school building, yet he was touring the building yesterday. As parents we need to stand up and stop this from happening."

Monday, April 23, 2018

Teaching via the plays of August Wilson

Anonymous wrote:

"New Post: Speaking to' marketing ' city schools.

This week the Pittsburgh Playwrightd Theatre Co. opens with " King Hedley II "- celebrating August Wilson. 
August Wilson plays are terrific vehicles for teaching PA core standards. The students will love it.

The marketing: Teaching Standards using August Wilson Plays!
This is useful information. Where is the 'spotlight ' PPS? "

What happened to the Obama musical?

Anonymous wrote:

"*New Post* Hey, anybody, what happened to the Obama musical? "

Thousands spent on marketing

Anonymous wrote:

"New Post:City Schools spending thousands on marketing.
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2018/04/22/Pittsburgh-Public-Schools-Anthony-Hamlet-district-advertising-marketing-commercials/stories/201804210012

Achieve 70, 80, 90% " proficiency" - and they will come."

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Personnel issues

Anonymous wrote:

"Start a new post
Perrys projectmanger and football coach on leave since December 2017
What about NAME DELETED- another golden guy part of team Hamlet on leave since December- accused of sexual harassment by 3 women, still getting paid - doesn't PPS care about women? "

Friday, April 20, 2018

Decisions by Hamlet

Anonymous wrote:

"*New post please As a PPS parent, I am increasingly concerned about the unfolding events surrounding Hamlet et al. I questioned the Board’s decision to honor his contract when his blatant plagiarism was discovered. I questioned his ability to lead a parade, much less a school district, when the fairy-tale data increases he cited on his resume were exposed as fantasy. I suppose, then, I should have expected nothing more from those with whom he surrounded himself. Instead, I turned a blind eye, taking my cue from Regina Holly, and drove a leg of the Welcome Wagon’s pilgrimage to pave the road to “superintendentdom”. Are we now experiencing the backlash of karma?

Rumors aside, the band of merry men brought in to support Hamlet’s superintendency are falling like Trump cabinet members. First, we had Seema Ramji, the CAO who lasted less time than the smoke rings Hamlet blew to distract us. We collectively waved goodbye to a woman who leapt from a position as a Reading Director to that of a member of the triumvirate.

Next is Milton Walters, brought in via the sunny streets of Youngstown, Ohio after meeting our superintendent at a professional development session. Forget for a moment that Walters resigned from his post as the Chief of Human Resources in Youngstown, citing “personal reasons”. Better yet, instead of forgetting it, file it away for a moment. He came and was given carte blanche to fill the offices around him, which he did. He brought in an “assistant” to work under him (literally it seems), a woman without a track record to support her salary. Not enough of a red flag even when coupled with his past “resignation”? When the relationship started to go south (coincidentally the same direction from which our leader arrived), Walters initiated charges against her for poor performance. One has to wonder exactly which job she was performing poorly, but she returned the serve with allegations of her own of unwanted advances from Milton. His response was Clintonesque as he denied any involvement. At just about the same time those words were being spoken, texts were uncovered in which this man was gushing like a middle school boy. So it was adios to them both, leaving empty (and yet unfilled) positions in a department that has suffered from poor management since, it would seem, its inception.

The third strike in Hamlet’s hiring just emerged, and it may be the most spectacular example of why not to hire your friends. The “newly” appointed principal of Perry High School is now on administrative leave, trailing a chain of allegations of inappropriate behavior. While the details have yet to fully float to the surface, the murky waters surrounding Cooper can’t obscure the fact that he was hired by our super superintendent. In Cooper’s place we once again see Dr. Spadafora, the man who was once responsible for a spate of vicious fights and for letting in-place initiatives wither and die. So far, in his short term as the boss there, Perry has already again made the news when a student was suspended for a fight, his mother wasn’t notified, and the child was sent home on his regular bus without consideration for his safety. In retaliation for the altercation at school, three boys jumped the kid and beat him mercilessly, while someone with a phone filmed the event and posted it to YouTube to ensure its infamy. Spadafora didn’t see that coming?

We may have chosen as a district to overlook Hamlet’s resume, his lies and lack of character, but his transgressions keep piling up, now in the form of misguided hiring. The money his poor judgement is now costing us is unforgivable. Rehiring and retraining personnel in important positions of leadership is expensive. Additionally, these positions are, in some cases, still empty at a time when their work is critical. 

Trump, while stumping, repeatedly promised his supporters to “drain the swamp”. Perhaps it’s time for us to drain our own swamp, the Bellefield Bog, before the creatures there devour us whole and leave behind only the broken psyche and mismanaged education of our children. "

Monday, April 9, 2018

PPS Calendar 2018-19

Anonymous wrote:

"new topic please 2018-2019 calendar
After people voted on calendar- there were notes somewhere that said that the day after Easter and the day after Thanksgiving were vacation for students/ PD for teachers-- I cannot find this anywhere in writing now?? "

Monday, March 12, 2018

Events in Florida/ suspension policy

Anonymous wrote:

"Has anyone questioned the no suspension policy in light of the recent tragedy in Florida. Please start a new post."

Friday, February 23, 2018

Superintendent travel expenses

Anonymous wrote:

"http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/01/18/pittsburgh-schools-superintendent-travel-expenses/

I seriously doubt this little old lady sitting at her desktop typing on an twenty-year-old Dell keyboard will have any impact to negotiations, but curiosity got the best of me and I had to go looking for the story referenced above about travel. Sorry to lack the control needed to post this at a later date, say once contracts are signed. Seriously, Dude? Dublin? You can bet somebody will go look at the request made to approve that and listen to a board meeting where it was discussed. Looking forward to seeing the tangible results of these trips "

Sunday, February 18, 2018

State of the Pittsburgh Promise

Anonymous wrote:

"

New Post:Buying into the Pittsburgh Promise.
http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2018/02/18/The-Pitts-burgh-Promise-reaches-into-the-fu-ture/stories/201802110040

When PPS can boast 90% proficiency in the minmum basic competency skills required to be taught and learned in its schools - only then will the community 'buy-in' to the Promise.
Pittsburgh struggles with its self-image because it's schools are failing. "

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Negotiations with teachers' union

Anonymous wrote:

"

New Post

As just an interested citizen I have to admire that no teacher took the issues surrounding contract negotiation to the PURE site and the court of public opinion it provides. As some solution or action gets closer and as we learn new terms used in news article (teacher churn) and just what sticking points still exist, could it be time for us outsiders to weigh in? What is best for kids is not always part of negotiations apparently. I say this because in the PG article of 2/16/18, (http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2018/02/15/Pittsburgh-Public-Schools-Pittsburgh-Federation-of-Teachers-strike-negotiations-contract-mediation/stories/201802150138) increase of coaches salaries is noted as an item still open in discussion. The arbitrator suggested a 10% increase. The amount of increase does not bother me in the least. What does is that nothing reported indicates whether or not a qualified teacher will be in a classroom while a teacher rides a bus to a game. Yes the game is after school hours but is the transportation time after school hours? Is there just a responsible human in the classroom until the final bell rings or is the coach's fill-in able to actually teach the subject? Maybe after contracts are complete we will hear answers to questions like this. Most likely the biggest issue parents want to hear about is class size. Nothing can ever convince some of us that smaller numbers are not better. I get tired of hearing Marty Griffin tout catholic school and charter school success when the comparison is so out-of-balance. Bring class size down in all grade levels but no classroom from Pre-K-3 should have more than 20 kids. actually no classroom of Pre-K or kindergarten should have more than 15. "

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Mark Roosevelt's term at the PPS

Anonymous wrote:

"New post, please. Perhaps the title of the post should be "Mark Roosevelt's term at the PPS".

Back in 1969 Chuck Noll took over as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers won 1 game and lost 13 that year. Noll ended his Steelers career in 1991, with a record of 209–156–1, including four Super Bowl championships. Not bad!

Given that, I've often wondered how Mark Roosevelt did as the "head coach" of the Pittsburgh Public Schools. He started in 2005, and he left in 2010. He turned the district upside down. So how did he do? What was Pittsburgh's overall state ranking in 2005, and what was it in 2010?

I've done a Google search on this. And I can't finding anything of value. If anyone has the data, I'd love to see it."