On another post Anonymous wrote:
"
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/perspectives/stop-slamming-city-schools-696612/
The
PFT president claims our schools are safe and violence is rare. Why
then does the Fraternal Order of Police President call our schools a
"bloodbath". What does he know that the media doesn't report or what
PPS keeps under wraps"
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11 comments:
Nina Visgitis states the following in this article: "and realize that the great education our schools provide is an asset to our city and to our neighborhoods. The truth is that our schools are the envy of most major cities in America, and our students should be proud to attend them."
Just one question, Nina:
WHY are PPS ranked 494 out of 500 in PA?
PA, PDE, parents, students, and even teachers know the answer to this question, why don't you?
The success stories that you cite came through PPS in years past when PPS had credibility. Read the blogs under this one. Not much good testimony printed there for today's PPS.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/perspectives/stop-slamming-city-schools-696612/#ixzz2ZyzMZluj
Another problem with the PFT article is that it cites a Great Schools report, and Great Schools is funded by the same foundations that are supporting the Broad/ Gates initiatives. So, Great Schools is not exactly independent. And, the report is on URBAN schools, and how Pittsburgh ranks among urban schools will not be very convincing to police officers who, whether correctly or incorrectly, believe that suburban schools are better.
When and where did the FOP president use the word "bloodbath" in reference to our schools? In what forum?
Nina's timing could not be worse with the furloughs announced tonight.
Between PELA and the New Teachers Project, I can't help but recall the wisdom of an old friend who warned Roosevelt, Spolar, and Tarka that the fully loaded price tag of the initiatives seeded by Broad and Gates were nearly triple the advertised price and ultimately unsustainable.
As we think about those furloughs, flash over to the courthouse. So far this has been unreported by local media, but Board attorneys Stacey V. from GRB and Max Junker from the Law Offices of Ira Weiss have not only been to the Lellock trial, but they are stationed immediately behind the former officer and his attorney, interacting during and at recess. Exactly what are my tax dollars funding and why?
That reps from the district's legal team are in the courtroom would not trouble me. The "interacting" makes me livid.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/burgess-wants-referendum-on-police-officers-living-in-pittsburgh-694694/
The link above is the PG story where the "Bloodbath" term was used.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-north/north-catholic-names-first-female-principal-696846/
Kellie Abbott, former removed Westinghouse co-principal, has landed on her feet as the new principal/CEO of the new North Catholic high school being built in Cranberry. Here's another PPS administrator getting out of our great school system.
How much money did the school district spend to have Ira Weiss' friends at CSI Investigations simply identify where Superintendent Roosevelt's driver worked since 1999?
What a waste of taxpayers money when the records are already in the district's possession.
Nina Esposito is pathetic; she says this stuff to make sure she still has a job, but what she doesn't realize is that she makes our teachers look stupid by making a comment; what she should be saying is that except for KAPA, ALDERDICE, AND OBAMA, the high schools are a disgrace to education(mostly due to her ineptness), and since high school is the end-all, then who cares about the elementary schools?
Nina has sent a letter tonight that bemoans the new cut off ratings as described by Lane and her 'people' in today's PG. 15% of the teaching force will be eligible for improvement plans this year--which is the road to being terminated.
She is right to be worried.
Last year, 300 teachers were furloughed. Not one of the district's 700 administrators who do not work in schools was touched. With 2015 being pointed to as the year which will bring financial chaos to PPS, what Lane and her "people" are doing is providing an early warning system that two things will happen:
-1-Even more teachers will be fired, without administrators being touched.
-2- Even more schools will be closed.
This is PPS central administration, friends. A place where teachers can be fired but administrators should be spared. These are people who are literally afraid to enter a PPS building.
RISE is a sham....a complete salary dump. A way to get rid of teachers. Yes, it is empowering. It empowers administration to fire teachers with impunity.
This is your district, dear taxpayer. Never has a group of greedy, power hungry individuals enjoyed such power without oversight in this city.
What a shame that no one dares asks questions.
July 31 @ 4:38 PM I couldn't agree more! Our PFT President is so out of touch it's embarrassing to the membership. Instead of fighting the battles that need to be won, an orderly environment in all PPS schools, a poorly written curriculum with a teaching strategy that lends itself to the students teaching each other and the teacher working the classroom as the coach, inclusion of PSE and ESL students into the regular education classrooms with minimal to no support by paraprofessionals or PSE/ESL co-teachers, a lack of equitable resources across all schools, and PELA principals who replaced retired veteran principals have no idea what they are doing are just a FEW causes that Nina and her Officers should be taking to the forefront.
Instead she writes this drabble even though the vast majority of PPS teachers send their children to suburban, Catholic or charter schools. It's not about the teachers; it's about ineffective discipline policies that are about to get even worse and teachers who are boxed into a curriculum and teaching strategies that fail to meet the needs of all children. PPS has fallen behind since the days of Roosevelt-Lane-Lippert and their partnerships with Broad-Gates-Walton. The educational reform policies that are in place have led to NO SUSTAINABLE PROGRESS for the majority of PPS students. All we have to do is look at the state report data. PPS is 494 out of 500 school districts. What does this tell those who are in charge? We've been blaming it on teachers for quite some time now. I know that the teachers in PPS would be the "Rock Stars" in non Pgh Public Schools just as principals who have jumped ship.
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