This is the blog section of the PURE Reform website. Please leave your thoughts and comments here.
PURE Reform has created this blog as a forum for parents, teachers and community members to share information and voice concerns regrading the reform process in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Although we would like to foster constructive dialogue, PURE Reform does not edit content. The views expressed by bloggers in this forum are not necessarily views held by PURE Reform.
To comment on an existing topic, go to the line at the bottom of the post for that topic that begins "Posted by..." That line will list "1 comment," "2 comments," etc. Click on "comments," then leave your comment in the box provided. To post as Anonymous, no registration is required, OR you can choose an identity.
To suggest a new topic, go to this month's post labeled "Start a New Post" and add your comment (as described above) about the new suggested topic. PURE Reform will use these comments to start new posts.
There is so much that can be said in response to these proposals. Notice how plans to close 5 to 10 schools were not announced until AFTER a new board president was elected. Watch and see how many of the buildings closed due to underenrollment end up as charters, some with waiting lists.
And, notice the continued pattern of running in one direction and then going back to the starting point- there was a big push (to save money) by using fewer PAT buses, even if it meant ridiculously early HS start times, and now after all that most HS students are to take PAT buses (to save money).
Linda Lane is grasping at straws. The costs related to the Gates initiatives are not fully funded by Gates. Every piece built requires work in other cost centers of the district. This is bankrupting you. Not to mention the legal fees now for the PFT suit and all the individual suits brought by teachers, which will never end. The only way to stop this bleed is to dissolve pps as a district , shutter it, and open it again as a series of independent schools that compete against one another for students, staff, and resources. Chicago, where Arne Duncan is from and where he served as public school chancellor, and other cities have done something similar. This was Roosevelt's plan. It is moving forward as you see here. Sam Franklin is the person carrying Linda's water on this, along with the rest of the TFA legacy staff still there and remaining a Broads. They are already meeting with legislators and large school management companies to do this now. Pps will no longer exist as a district that you recognize. It's all about the intellectual design of the idea and how cool it would be to see if it works. This change will happen by the end of the next school year. This market model is a plan that will push under served children and troublesome students out of the school walls and onto the street. Education as the civil rights issue of our time as Roosevelt and crew claim? Not so much, it seems. "Patriotism is the last thing to which a scoundrel clings.".Education as the last refuge of the 1%? Yes.
I can't believe this. Someone just sent out the slides used at today's presentation by Dr. Lane for the state of the district. What is this? A picture book? Did she just send the community a picture book with photos and pictograms on pages instead of actual information? Does she think Pittsburgers are that illiterate that we have to just talk in pictures? This is the most insulting piece of communication I've ever seen. It tells us nothing. How is this acceptable?
you have to wonder sometimes if every action is premeditated. how many folks breathed a sigh of relief when they heard Woolslair was targeted to close, sat back and said that isn't too bad?
maybe those of us who held back from perpetuating the wild rumors about schools being considered for closing or reconfiguration will eventually be wiping egg from our faces.
"Option 2 Delaying or deferring technology purchases (see option 1) Modest reductions in student athletics spending (see option 1) Deeper reductions in student athletics spending Eliminating intramural sports; middle school volleyball, swimming and wrestling; and high school golf, swimming and tennis would reduce spending by an additional $600,000 per year"
Somewhere Coach Rauterkus is either rallying his troops or hoping someone will come along to talk him off the ledge.
In the plan ,It says cut school safety.I agree but start at the top of school safety with the assistant chief and the commander ,That alone will save around $150,000 a year.Why and what do we need the to high priced people for.Let the chief of safety run the department and let school police do their jobs.I dont know why they have a assistant chief and what is his job consist of and can his job be done by the chief or by a police officer to save money or is he another ghost employee of the pps.
I am for once speechless. Where, and how, is this is this supposed to end? I do not know about the conspiracy theories. I do not know what the long term plan is behind this proposal. What I do know is this is the most dangerous period in the 170 years plus history of public education in this city.
There are options to end this crisis. It will take work,cooperation, and courage.
I will never accept that the end is near for the PPS---NEVER!
I agree with anon 4:38 cut from the top. Look what happened a perry today 20+ fights and they want to cut security and police,cut the commander who will never step in and help to break up a fight,cut the asst; chief who will not get his hands dirty by helping either.They are not your average police officers who would step in to help his fellow police brothers in time of need. I just want to say thank you to all the school police who were there at perry today for doing your jobs and for protecting all of the other students who were not involved and dont think the asst chief will find some wrong doing on the police and security actions while breaking up the fights
What I found interesting about the Perry incident/news report: The students were in the GYM to take the test (one report). If this is true, what kind of test taking site is this? Have you ever been in Perry's gym (or any schools' for that matter)? This is not a site for test taking. One student interviewed mentioned basketballs flying among other things. Even if they were waiting (at 10:00) to go elsewhere to take the test, why were basketballs available? Doesn't sound like an ideal pre-test/testing situation.
Sacco may be out on leave but neither Lane-Lippert-Otuwa would have ever lasted through the month of September as Perry's principal. PPS top administration need a WAKE UP call. The moves made since the Roosevelt-Lane duo road into town have only served to bring down PPS. It's a wonder that PPS has any principals left and I haven't even mentioned the teachers! As for the teachers, many of us are seeking openings in other districts. Working for PPS is CRAZY!
To 8:04, Yes, Nina Sacco has been replaced by Jeffrey Spadafore as (Acting) Principal, Perry according to action taken at the November 26, 2013 Legislative Meeting.
Is the disastrous decline of Pittsburgh Public Schools a deliberately planned maneuver by Central Office, et al, OR is it the result of total incompetence at Central Office?
What can be done by the citizens of the Pittsburgh community who are ignorant of the calamity that continues to crash this city's public school system?
How can they be informed if the PG is complicit in the catastrophe?
What forces can be brought to bear to stem the tide of recurring disaster and demolition?
My spouse worked directly for Roosevelt and Lane and was involved in high level plans for a few years.
It was an impossible place to work, the stress was insane. At first she/he believed what they were doing was good. Then irregularities and smudging became common and it was difficult for my spouse to morally go along so asked questions.
Huge mistake, so they left before getting forced out. Their opinion is they are really inept & crooked, however not trying to collapse PPS.
They believe in what they are doing and that they are right and are serving children. But they have no real training or experience or seasoning and never learn because no matter what someone covers up for them because the leaders in this city are so in awe of names like Roosevelt, Broad and Gates that they can't rely on their own good common sense. If some of these ideas were brought forth by people named Smith, Jones, or West, average joes, they would never have gotten this far. That's how simple it is. And they are inept. And that's been pointed out repeatedly and painfully. And nothing is ever done. And there are no consequences for them. So it is as much the city leaders fault as anyone's.
Here is what they want to do with school safety / security...the most important reason why people don;t send their children to PPS: School Safety
Projected savings in school safety are entirely a function of reductions in personnel. We appreciate that the safety of our schools is paramount, and pledge to maintain high levels of security in our buildings. At the same time, we have opportunities to be more efficient with how we staff our safety and security personnel. These opportunities could generate as much as between $0.5-1.0 million in reductions depending upon the following options:
* Option 1: Close 13 vacant positions that are currently budgeted to reduce spending by approximately $600,000.
* Option 2: In addition to closing the vacant positions, eliminate an additional 10 security positions to reduce spending by an additional $500,000.
Yet they have a security guard who sits as a greeter / receptionist at Central Admin who makes over $50,000 a year! Nice work if you can get it!
Does anyone realize the number of Principals at PPS who are on leave? Principals at Spring Hill, Perry, Arlington, Greenfield, Morrow, and Roosevelt. There probably are more. Think about it!!! Is this just a coincidence or is the stress level/workload unbelievably high? Or is it the result of RISE? The stress of having to put colleagues on an Employee Improvement Plan is high. This is now a requirement for PPS Principals.
Veteran principals with principles did the honorable thing and retired. They refused to have PPS compromise their values by identifying marginal teachers who they were supposed to assist in growing ones practice through RISE. Instead principals were asked to identify the "low hanging fruit" and place those individuals on an Employee Improvement Plan with the intended goal of termination, resignation, or retirement.
Those of us who are still holding on to our sanity and the stress of the job are well aware that this new breed of PELA principals are nothing more than "YES" people. Just look at the principals who are out on leave. Those identified were trained as old school principals who probably have been struggling with their values being compromised by the failed leadership of Lane-Otuwa-Lippert and French who flew the coup. PPS was looked upon as a leader in urban education and even by our neighboring suburban districts. Now our failure is well known across the city, county, state and nation. This is what happens when those with limited classroom or school based experience as an administrator take the reigns. The only hope for PPS to recover is to hire a Superintendent who was an experienced, successful classroom teacher with experience as a principal and refuses to be influenced by reformers whose big business initiatives are failing urban children and families.
Well stated anon 7:14-- now how to get our new board to resist selling out at svery turn-- can they stop? Will there be moral choices?How can we all back out of the deep hole we are in? Hope is in the rally, where we saw bpard me,bers, union people, teachers, parents and students gathered. Admin. Culd t come..they are the MOST at-will employeesbut I know some who's hearts are with us.
27 comments:
There is so much that can be said in response to these proposals. Notice how plans to close 5 to 10 schools were not announced until AFTER a new board president was elected. Watch and see how many of the buildings closed due to underenrollment end up as charters, some with waiting lists.
And, notice the continued pattern of running in one direction and then going back to the starting point- there was a big push (to save money) by using fewer PAT buses, even if it meant ridiculously early HS start times, and now after all that most HS students are to take PAT buses (to save money).
Linda Lane is grasping at straws. The costs related to the Gates initiatives are not fully funded by Gates. Every piece built requires work in other cost centers of the district. This is bankrupting you. Not to mention the legal fees now for the PFT suit and all the individual suits brought by teachers, which will never end. The only way to stop this bleed is to dissolve pps as a district , shutter it, and open it again as a series of independent schools that compete against one another for students, staff, and resources. Chicago, where Arne Duncan is from and where he served as public school chancellor, and other cities have done something similar. This was Roosevelt's plan. It is moving forward as you see here. Sam Franklin is the person carrying Linda's water on this, along with the rest of the TFA legacy staff still there and remaining a Broads. They are already meeting with legislators and large school management companies to do this now. Pps will no longer exist as a district that you recognize. It's all about the intellectual design of the idea and how cool it would be to see if it works. This change will happen by the end of the next school year. This market model is a plan that will push under served children and troublesome students out of the school walls and onto the street. Education as the civil rights issue of our time as Roosevelt and crew claim? Not so much, it seems. "Patriotism is the last thing to which a scoundrel clings.".Education as the last refuge of the 1%? Yes.
I can't believe this. Someone just sent out the slides used at today's presentation by Dr. Lane for the state of the district. What is this? A picture book? Did she just send the community a picture book with photos and pictograms on pages instead of actual information? Does she think Pittsburgers are that illiterate that we have to just talk in pictures? This is the most insulting piece of communication I've ever seen. It tells us nothing. How is this acceptable?
PPS has mastered the use of powerpoint presentations! They use them for everything.
Here's the whole plan
you have to wonder sometimes if every action is premeditated. how many folks breathed a sigh of relief when they heard Woolslair was targeted to close, sat back and said that isn't too bad?
maybe those of us who held back from perpetuating the wild rumors about schools being considered for closing or reconfiguration will eventually be wiping egg from our faces.
from page 21:
"Option 2
Delaying or deferring technology purchases (see option 1)
Modest reductions in student athletics spending (see option 1)
Deeper reductions in student athletics spending
Eliminating intramural sports; middle school volleyball, swimming and wrestling; and high school golf,
swimming and tennis would reduce spending by an additional $600,000 per year"
Somewhere Coach Rauterkus is either rallying his troops or hoping someone will come along to talk him off the ledge.
In the plan ,It says cut school safety.I agree but start at the top of school safety with the assistant chief and the commander ,That alone will save around $150,000 a year.Why and what do we need the to high priced people for.Let the chief of safety run the department and let school police do their jobs.I dont know why they have a assistant chief and what is his job consist of and can his job be done by the chief or by a police officer to save money or is he another ghost employee of the pps.
Coach Rauterkus here....
I'm not the one on the edge. The DISTRICT has already gone over it.
They must want another 1,000 kids to depart PPS every year for the next 10 years.
Where there is crisis, there is opportunity.
Wax on. Wax off.
Talk to me, talk to me....
Over at a comment on the PG site, anonymous 2:12's prediction is confirmed. Coach Mark is gearing up.
Frankly surprised there is not more traffic on the topic here or at the PG.
I am for once speechless. Where, and how, is this is this supposed to end? I do not know about the conspiracy theories. I do not know what the long term plan is behind this proposal. What I do know is this is the most dangerous period in the 170 years plus history of public education in this city.
There are options to end this crisis. It will take work,cooperation, and courage.
I will never accept that the end is near for the PPS---NEVER!
Thank you Mr. taylor, i feel the same way.
I agree with anon 4:38 cut from the top. Look what happened a perry today 20+ fights and they want to cut security and police,cut the commander who will never step in and help to break up a fight,cut the asst; chief who will not get his hands dirty by helping either.They are not your average police officers who would step in to help his fellow police brothers in time of need. I just want to say thank you to all the school police who were there at perry today for doing your jobs and for protecting all of the other students who were not involved and dont think the asst chief will find some wrong doing on the police and security actions while breaking up the fights
How does the level of fighting at perry compare to before the Oliver merger?
ask the principal who is out on a stress leave and lost control of the school with the merger.
Nina Sacco is out on leave?
What I found interesting about the Perry incident/news report: The students were in the GYM to take the test (one report). If this is true, what kind of test taking site is this? Have you ever been in Perry's gym (or any schools' for that matter)? This is not a site for test taking. One student interviewed mentioned basketballs flying among other things. Even if they were waiting (at 10:00) to go elsewhere to take the test, why were basketballs available? Doesn't sound like an ideal pre-test/testing situation.
The Trib. says the gym held 300 students who were Not taking the test. That was an accident waiting to happen.
Sacco may be out on leave but neither Lane-Lippert-Otuwa would have ever lasted through the month of September as Perry's principal. PPS top administration need a WAKE UP call. The moves made since the Roosevelt-Lane duo road into town have only served to bring down PPS. It's a wonder that PPS has any principals left and I haven't even mentioned the teachers! As for the teachers, many of us are seeking openings in other districts. Working for PPS is CRAZY!
To 8:04, Yes, Nina Sacco has been replaced by Jeffrey Spadafore as (Acting) Principal, Perry according to action taken at the November 26, 2013 Legislative Meeting.
Is the disastrous decline of Pittsburgh Public Schools a deliberately planned maneuver by Central Office, et al, OR is it the result of total incompetence at Central Office?
What can be done by the citizens of the Pittsburgh community who are ignorant of the calamity that continues to crash this city's public school system?
How can they be informed if the PG is complicit in the catastrophe?
What forces can be brought to bear to stem the tide of recurring disaster and demolition?
My spouse worked directly for Roosevelt and Lane and was involved in high level plans for a few years.
It was an impossible place to work, the stress was insane. At first she/he believed what they were doing was good. Then irregularities and smudging became common and it was difficult for my spouse to morally go along so asked questions.
Huge mistake, so they left before getting forced out. Their opinion is they are really inept & crooked, however not trying to collapse PPS.
They believe in what they are doing and that they are right and are serving children. But they have no real training or experience or seasoning and never learn because no matter what someone covers up for them because the leaders in this city are so in awe of names like Roosevelt, Broad and Gates that they can't rely on their own good common sense. If some of these ideas were brought forth by people named Smith, Jones, or West, average joes, they would never have gotten this far. That's how simple it is. And they are inept. And that's been pointed out repeatedly and painfully. And nothing is ever done. And there are no consequences for them. So it is as much the city leaders fault as anyone's.
PG article on fights at Perry:
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/2013/12/05/20-students-involved-in-several-small-fights-at-Pittsburgh-high-school/stories/201312050274
Here is what they want to do with school safety / security...the most important reason why people don;t send their children to PPS:
School Safety
Projected savings in school safety are entirely a function of
reductions in personnel. We appreciate that the safety of our
schools is paramount, and pledge to maintain high levels of
security in our buildings. At the same time, we have opportunities
to be more efficient with how we staff our safety and security
personnel. These opportunities could generate as much as
between $0.5-1.0 million in reductions depending upon the
following options:
* Option 1: Close 13 vacant positions that are currently budgeted to reduce spending by approximately
$600,000.
* Option 2: In addition to closing the vacant positions, eliminate an additional 10 security positions to
reduce spending by an additional $500,000.
Yet they have a security guard who sits as a greeter / receptionist at Central Admin who makes over $50,000 a year! Nice work if you can get it!
Does anyone realize the number of Principals at PPS who are on leave? Principals at Spring Hill, Perry, Arlington, Greenfield, Morrow, and Roosevelt. There probably are more. Think about it!!! Is this just a coincidence or is the stress level/workload unbelievably high? Or is it the result of RISE? The stress of having to put colleagues on an Employee Improvement Plan is high. This is now a requirement for PPS Principals.
Veteran principals with principles did the honorable thing and retired. They refused to have PPS compromise their values by identifying marginal teachers who they were supposed to assist in growing ones practice through RISE. Instead principals were asked to identify the "low hanging fruit" and place those individuals on an Employee Improvement Plan with the intended goal of termination, resignation, or retirement.
Those of us who are still holding on to our sanity and the stress of the job are well aware that this new breed of PELA principals are nothing more than "YES" people. Just look at the principals who are out on leave. Those identified were trained as old school principals who probably have been struggling with their values being compromised by the failed leadership of Lane-Otuwa-Lippert and French who flew the coup. PPS was looked upon as a leader in urban education and even by our neighboring suburban districts. Now our failure is well known across the city, county, state and nation. This is what happens when those with limited classroom or school based experience as an administrator take the reigns. The only hope for PPS to recover is to hire a Superintendent who was an experienced, successful classroom teacher with experience as a principal and refuses to be influenced by reformers whose big business initiatives are failing urban children and families.
Well stated anon 7:14-- now how to get our new board to resist selling out at svery turn-- can they stop? Will there be moral choices?How can we all back out of the deep hole we are in? Hope is in the rally, where we saw bpard me,bers, union people, teachers, parents and students gathered. Admin. Culd t come..they are the MOST at-will employeesbut I know some who's hearts are with us.
Post a Comment