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There was an event last week held at Duquesne University for the participants in the "We Promise" program. We can't be sure what message the presenters and facilitators thought they were delivering but one participant interpreted the message to be that "white people want to keep us down, do not want us to succeed, do not want to see us make it." At lease one participant came back to his school and discussed his thoughts with his classmates. He didn't feel his experience reflected the message. Who monitors these events?
It is really all about principals! See Today’s PG: Pittsburgh principals share $114,979 in bonuses January 30, 2014 10:58, by Eleanor Chute
“Not counting the achievement bonus, possible principal pay ranges from $99,000 to $127,780, depending on the type of school, education and past performance increments. The top bonus of $7,500 went to Shemeca Crenshaw, who now is principal of the Pittsburgh Online Academy but was principal of Westinghouse 6-12 in Homewood in 2012-13. Because she voluntarily transferred to Westinghouse, a high-needs school, her bonus considered her previous service at Weil PreK-5. Other than Ms. Crenshaw, only two other secondary school principals received bonuses above $3,000: Melissa Friez at Allderdice High in Squirrel Hill, $4,540, and Dennis Chakey at Carrick High, $4,470. Eleventh-graders at Allderdice and Carrick did significantly better on the new state Keystone Exams in Algebra 1 and math in 2012-13 than their counterparts did in 2011-12. Westinghouse 11th-graders showed a smaller improvement, although grades 6-8 at the school showed significant evidence of exceeding the state growth standard for reading. Of principals in the lower grades, LouAnn Zwieryznski of Faison K-5 in Homewood was at the top with a bonus of $6,100. Her voluntary transfer to the high-needs school meant her previous service at the now-closed Langley High School was considered. Five others earning bonuses above $3,000 are: •Holly Ballard of Weil PreK-5 in the Hill District, $4,500; •Elaine Wallace, now retired, of Whittier K-5 on Mount Washington, $4,320; •Lisa Gallagher of Woolslair K-5 on the Bloomfield/Lawrenceville border, $3,780; •James Nath of Roosevelt PreK-5 in Carrick,$3,480; •Kevin Bivins of Fulton PreK-5 in Highland Park, $3,260."
At least this article is more factual than most--by stating that these bmuses are on the board tabl so maybe, instead of all the so called cost saving measures - like closng schools, we could give principals the autonomy to run good schools and stop requiring them to put good teachers on improvement plans
Is there a published list of criteria or a rubric available to explain the scoring to attain a principal bonus? I see many on the list who I am certain deserve what they received. I would be interested in knowing what, beyond test scores, goes into a favorable rating.
Consider that Faison and Westinghouse are among the LOWEST 5% of Pennsylvania schools. Lowest 5% in the state and the principals are given award bonuses!!?? (The PPS "PRIORITY" schools (meaning lowest 5%) are Faison, King, Brashear, Perry, and Westinghouse.
Consider that Carrick, Woolslair, and Langley were among the LOWEST 10% of schools in PA and the principals were awarded bonuses! (The other PPS schools in the lowest 10% in PA are Arsenal, Lincoln, Miller, Morrow, and Milliones.)
With this kind of LOWEST ranking among the 3,008 public schools in PA, how do Principals, of Faison (Langley), Westinghouse, Carrick, and Woolslair rate such bonuses?
The response will be "growth"; but, "growth" from what to what if you are in the lowest 5% of schools in the state?
When looking at the year the principal left Langley and the first year arrived at Faison - there were double digit drops in scores at both schools…how can this "High Needs" pay be justified based on growth when there was no growth. Westinghouse also had no growth. The fact of the matter is central office made a deal with these two administrators prior to their bonus calculation and now are falsifying how their bonuses are being payed out…everyone needs to look more closely at this….especially since these payouts are now coming directly out of the district's operating budget - will this be looked at more closely when Peduto has the audit conducted?
Well, 6:25, too many of PPS have nowhere to go but up! So, even a few points can be called "growth" even if they are statistically insignificant.
So, maybe the quest for principals is to take a school so low that there is nowhere to go but up and they will earn big bonuses.
Moving up, academically, a few points a year will take more than 30 years to become proficient. How many generations does that leave without a chance at equity, excellence, success, proficiency, the Pittsburgh Promise, whatever the new goal!
Thousands of Pittsburgh's most vulnerable kids won't have a chance in the world. Last year nearly 7,000 African American students were criminally underserved, since that is the number that were NOT PROFICIENT.
How outrageous does it have to become before CITIZENS TAKES ACTION???????????????
Right and this year the state has removed the opportunity to compare schools' inability to educate Black and White students with "equity" and "excellence". There is now no breakdown on which kids are being educated and which students are NOT being educated. Too political! So, don't publish the disparities, then no one can complain or take issue, to say nothing about taking action!
I don't understand this bonus business in the first place.
Suppose a principal is paid $100,000 a year. I would expect that principal to be doing EVERYTHING that he or she can do to improve the school, without the need for any extra bonuses.
So what is the PPS saying? That principals need extra incentives to do their best? That without bonuses, principals will slack off?
If that's the case, then the PPS needs new principals.
This whole bonus thing appears to me to be just another way to funnel more money to the top administrators.
The pittsburgh administrators association is actually asking to eliminate the bonus program and go back to previous cost of living raises...the majority of it's members have stated exactly what 11:17 stated from the bonus program's inception.
The PAA might be against the bonuses because of the assistant principals. If a principal gets a bonus for the efforts by the teachers and students, where does that leave the assistant principal?
14 comments:
Lane: "It's all about the students."
Then why aren't student scores improving?
Then why aren't parents flocking to enroll their children in the Pittsburgh Public Schools?
Then why is the district low in state-wide rankings?
It's not about the students at all. It's about money. It's about protecting the jobs of the PPS central administrators.
I'm so very tired of all the lies and all the smokescreens. Won't someone in the media please start asking a few questions?
There was an event last week held at Duquesne University for the participants in the "We Promise" program. We can't be sure what message the presenters and facilitators thought they were delivering but one participant interpreted the message to be that "white people want to keep us down, do not want us to succeed, do not want to see us make it." At lease one participant came back to his school and discussed his thoughts with his classmates. He didn't feel his experience reflected the message. Who monitors these events?
It is really all about principals! See Today’s PG: Pittsburgh principals share $114,979 in bonuses
January 30, 2014 10:58, by Eleanor Chute
“Not counting the achievement bonus, possible principal pay ranges from $99,000 to $127,780, depending on the type of school, education and past performance increments.
The top bonus of $7,500 went to Shemeca Crenshaw, who now is principal of the Pittsburgh Online Academy but was principal of Westinghouse 6-12 in Homewood in 2012-13. Because she voluntarily transferred to Westinghouse, a high-needs school, her bonus considered her previous service at Weil PreK-5.
Other than Ms. Crenshaw, only two other secondary school principals received bonuses above $3,000: Melissa Friez at Allderdice High in Squirrel Hill, $4,540, and Dennis Chakey at Carrick High, $4,470.
Eleventh-graders at Allderdice and Carrick did significantly better on the new state Keystone Exams in Algebra 1 and math in 2012-13 than their counterparts did in 2011-12.
Westinghouse 11th-graders showed a smaller improvement, although grades 6-8 at the school showed significant evidence of exceeding the state growth standard for reading.
Of principals in the lower grades, LouAnn Zwieryznski of Faison K-5 in Homewood was at the top with a bonus of $6,100. Her voluntary transfer to the high-needs school meant her previous service at the now-closed Langley High School was considered.
Five others earning bonuses above $3,000 are:
•Holly Ballard of Weil PreK-5 in the Hill District, $4,500;
•Elaine Wallace, now retired, of Whittier K-5 on Mount Washington, $4,320;
•Lisa Gallagher of Woolslair K-5 on the Bloomfield/Lawrenceville border, $3,780;
•James Nath of Roosevelt PreK-5 in Carrick,$3,480;
•Kevin Bivins of Fulton PreK-5 in Highland Park, $3,260."
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2014/01/31/Pittsburgh-principals-share-114-979-in-bonuses/stories/201401310084#ixzz2rxddb9nA
At least this article is more factual than most--by stating that these bmuses are on the board tabl so maybe, instead of all the so called cost saving measures - like closng schools, we could give principals the autonomy to run good schools and stop requiring them to put good teachers on improvement plans
Is there a published list of criteria or a rubric available to explain the scoring to attain a principal bonus? I see many on the list who I am certain deserve what they received. I would be interested in knowing what, beyond test scores, goes into a favorable rating.
Something is strange about these awards!
Consider that Faison and Westinghouse are among the LOWEST 5% of Pennsylvania schools. Lowest 5% in the state and the principals are given award bonuses!!?? (The PPS "PRIORITY" schools (meaning lowest 5%) are Faison, King, Brashear, Perry, and Westinghouse.
Consider that Carrick, Woolslair, and Langley were among the LOWEST 10% of schools in PA and the principals were awarded bonuses! (The other PPS schools in the lowest 10% in PA are Arsenal, Lincoln, Miller, Morrow, and Milliones.)
With this kind of LOWEST ranking among the 3,008 public schools in PA, how do Principals, of Faison (Langley), Westinghouse, Carrick, and Woolslair rate such bonuses?
The response will be "growth"; but, "growth" from what to what if you are in the lowest 5% of schools in the state?
Why is no one disturbed that 13 of Pittsburgh Public Schools are in the lowest 10% of schools in Pennsylvania?
That means that there are two thousand nine hundred and eighty PA schools ahead of these 13 in PPS!
When 13 schools rank lower than 2,970 out 3,008 and you know children in those 13 schools, what should happen immediately?
When looking at the year the principal left Langley and the first year arrived at Faison - there were double digit drops in scores at both schools…how can this "High Needs" pay be justified based on growth when there was no growth. Westinghouse also had no growth. The fact of the matter is central office made a deal with these two administrators prior to their bonus calculation and now are falsifying how their bonuses are being payed out…everyone needs to look more closely at this….especially since these payouts are now coming directly out of the district's operating budget - will this be looked at more closely when Peduto has the audit conducted?
That anyone in PPS is getting bonuses (or even minimally earning their salaries) is UNBELIEVABLE!!!
Even Allderdice is substantially LOWER in achievement than it was 10 YEARS ago!
The once proud PPS has fallen to new lows, never ever to have been anticipated, before 2005.
How can this happen? And be allowed to continue year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year . . . . .?
Well, 6:25, too many of PPS have nowhere to go but up! So, even a few points can be called "growth" even if they are statistically insignificant.
So, maybe the quest for principals is to take a school so low that there is nowhere to go but up and they will earn big bonuses.
Moving up, academically, a few points a year will take more than 30 years to become proficient. How many generations does that leave without a chance at equity, excellence, success, proficiency, the Pittsburgh Promise, whatever the new goal!
Thousands of Pittsburgh's most vulnerable kids won't have a chance in the world. Last year nearly 7,000 African American students were criminally underserved, since that is the number that were NOT PROFICIENT.
How outrageous does it have to become before CITIZENS TAKES ACTION???????????????
Right and this year the state has removed the opportunity to compare schools' inability to educate Black and White students with "equity" and "excellence". There is now no breakdown on which kids are being educated and which students are NOT being educated. Too political! So, don't publish the disparities, then no one can complain or take issue, to say nothing about taking action!
I don't understand this bonus business in the first place.
Suppose a principal is paid $100,000 a year. I would expect that principal to be doing EVERYTHING that he or she can do to improve the school, without the need for any extra bonuses.
So what is the PPS saying? That principals need extra incentives to do their best? That without bonuses, principals will slack off?
If that's the case, then the PPS needs new principals.
This whole bonus thing appears to me to be just another way to funnel more money to the top administrators.
The pittsburgh administrators association is actually asking to eliminate the bonus program and go back to previous cost of living raises...the majority of it's members have stated exactly what 11:17 stated from the bonus program's inception.
The PAA might be against the bonuses because of the assistant principals. If a principal gets a bonus for the efforts by the teachers and students, where does that leave the assistant principal?
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