On another post Anonymous wrote:
"*New Post*
Auditor General DePasquale to audit of PPS:
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/01/27/State-Auditor-General-Depasquale-to-audit-Pittsburgh-Public-Schools/stories/201401270130
"
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34 comments:
Sounds like this will be a real audit not like the one done under Mr. Wagner.
It's about time!
The question is whether this is an audit Pps requested, in order to pressure the board into closing schools and cutting sports. Whether the auditor takes serious aim at high consultants fees and is pro- gates funding will be clues.
Exactly, Questioner. The very fact that articles in both papers have Depasquale talking about 'helping' during these difficult financial times was the first red flag.
Everyone and everything in politics is corrupt. This is no different.
And Depasquale has the nerve to talk about "ballooning pensions" but not say a word about excessive waste? Insane.
And Peduto was there but Pps is unlikely to complain as it did in the past about city gov interference; about a year and a half ago Peduto began joining forces with isler.
Remember when they brought in Peggy Pennepacker ($10,000) to do a Title IX audit? That was a sham. Hopefully this audit will be open to the public and not "amended" by PPS first.
And the best way to ensure that is to bring it up often publicly!
There are those among us who can cite the evidence and provide honest testimony to the practices deliberately in place and constantly use to obfuscate the truth and fact at PPS.
So very sad!
I was going to mention the Title IX audit and some other person already did.
The audit then was also a PLOY to do nothing, for more than a year, because we are waiting for the results of the audit.
We knew what was what. The audit was not going to uncover anything we didn't already know.
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/01/27/pittsburgh-public-schools-first-up-in-statewide-education-audit/
DePasquale is counting on the School Board and District Administrators to work with them. (no mention of the PFT)
They are considering test scores, dollars spent, school safety, and the impact of pre - and post charter school reimbursement. (TEST SCORES?)
He said, "We're going to keep the heat on until the necessary changes happen." (Keep the heat on whom?)
This sounds more and more political to me. Do we really think he will uncover/reveal the layers of corporate contracts, consultants, and high paid administrators? And what about all the money wasted on the different "educational reforms" that didn't work and were cast aside? I am suspicious also because Peduto is involved in this and he just met with the Gates people in Seattle. I wonder what the real agenda is with this "audit"?
The "how we got where we are" series needs to get to the auditor, and the heat needs to stay on for a response from the auditor.
One only needs to go back through the Board minutes for the last several years to see the consultants, salaries, employees moving in and out monthly for various reasons, job posting closes and then reopening under a "new" title, tranfers, etc. And what about administrators like Spampinato, Butterworth, etc. who "left" and were paid...
Anon 6:39 AM ,you hit the nail right on the head .Lets start at the top of school safety.You got 3 people in charge of 90,police and security total,All you need is the chief and a commander,Not a assistant chief ,who is like being the middle man,who does nothing and getting well paid for it.They need the chief to answer questions and to handle the people upstairs at belfield,you need the commander to oversee the police and security,so why do the have a assistant chief and what are the job responsibilities of a assistant chief. I am concerned tax payer who has the rite to know
How can they afford to hire in school safety a assistant chief during all of the cuts. Was this just done or was this recently and why.
Anon 12:36 ,The assistant chief job is to get the chief lunch and bully the safety department.I will be calling the state auditor generals office to see how they can afford to hire a assistant chief and more police and security within the last year with all of these budget cuts when they are cutting teachers.I heard the assistant chief is a really good friend of the chiefs.Does linda lane know what's going on when they hire more people and how do they justify it with all of these school closings and cuts.
While you're at it, ask how central administration can number somewhere between 600 and 700 individuals. This district is like a giant ponzi scheme. Keep screwing the people who really matter--all of those in schools---while those NOT in the schools get paid well to affect policy and sit in cozy offices, wondering whats for lunch.
And they don't get evaluated at all.
600 or 700 individuals? Where do you get this math?
Board Members: The taxpayers of the City of Pittsburgh want to see the personnel report published for January 22nd in the Board minutes. Why was it excluded? Transparency is not so transparent to this taxpayer! Auditor DePasquale needs to check into this as well.
Again, Perhaps the personnel report will become another secret document similar to the eligibility list. Not to be confused with the seniority list. Neither of which we never saw with Sylvia Wilson sitting along side of Fondy or Tarka. Is it possible this too will become a 'private' document not for public review? I smell a rat! Will there never again be 'transparency' or is there a veil of secrecy taking over.
10:32, speaking of secret documents, I remember PFT contract ratification meetings where we members were not even allowed to see the contract.
We just got a single-page salary sheet. Everything else was still at the printer, or still under discussion, etc.
This started during the Tarka years. Those meetings were 50% like a Twilight Zone episode and 50% like a South Park comedy episode.
At first I would get quite angry, but it never did a lick of good. So I decided to just sit back and enjoy the show. Because it was all just a show.
Come on now. If you open the board minutes for any month, you'll see the personnel report. It's not the Pentagon. And what is your goal? That the public should get to choose all staff because tax dollars support salaries? That will take a large part of each of your individual days, and where would such a rationale end, because if taxpayers choose each school staff person, then why shouldn't they choose each garbage collector, road crew person, police officer etc. who are also supported through taxes? You want all this information but you don't really know what to do with it after you get it except to ask for more information.
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2014/01/29/Wilkinsburg-board-fires-consultants/stories/201401290082
Wilkinsburg fires their consultants as scores have dropped since they were hired. Have our scores gone up since all of our different consultants have been onboard? I don't think so... The audit definitely needs to address all the money spent on PPS' consultants, results (or lack of), etc.
12:10 AM
The point of the personnel report is first of all it is public knowledge - the right to know. It is not a matter of choosing staff. It gives PPS shareholders information about who has retired, been transferred, hired, coaching, etc.
There has always been a personnel report included as part of the minutes. That is why the absence of it this month stands out so much.
Annon 12:10. Yes, you are correct when you say that the personnel report is in the board minutes for any month. ANY month other than the Jan 21st meeting. They are missing. They are also public record. Many people want to see them. Why do we need a goal to see them? Annon 11:13, this did not start during the Tarka years. it goes back to the 80 or 81 contract that I recall. Fondy would come to the stage at the Downtown Hilton and give updates. A printed copy came out at around 3:00 AM. Another contract came out and on the end it stated 'other items related to healthcare' to be negotiated between Mr. Fondy and the board at a later date. Another contract was settled a year early. Blindsided everyone, teachers, taxpayers and the press. We had a notice to appear for an "emergency" ratification meeting.
Oh pps fires (or at least fails to rehire) consultants, but it just keeps hiring new ones. It will be interesting to see if Wilkinsburg goes through a string of consultants. Why pay or at least exorbitant pay is not conditioned on results is a real mystery.
If a contract is settled, there usually is a press release. Are you saying a contract has been signed and the lawsuit the union filed against the district has been settled? Wouldn't that be big news that they would want to share and not hide?
Interesting reading in the PG this morning. On one hand, Wilkinsburg gets rid of consultants with one board member saying, "It's time to stop the bleeding."
Then, an op ed piece by Linda Lane, who has the audacity to say "It's about the students."
No Linda, it's not. It never has been. It's all about reining in costs. It's all about dumping higher salaries for lower ones or if nothing else, ensuring that you will NEVER have to negotiate pay raises for an entire union of teachers again.
THAT'S the issue, Linda. Tell it like it is. You wouldn't know effective teaching if it bit you in your backside. In remarkable fashion, the piece goes on to intimate that the superintendent is often in schools, observing teachers.
What absolute bollocks.
Who will write the piece that calls this administration's record into question? Who will have the gumption to ask administration about failed curriculum, poor school discipline, a large number of "resignations" by veteran teachers, about bullying tactics of school administrators, about poor and improper financial decisions?
Where is that journalist, the one who understands his role?
A friend's daughter was going to transfer next year from a parochial school into PPS. The family was interested in Sci-Tech. The girl visited Sci-Tech and could not believe not only the students using the F-word, but directing this word towards the teachers also. Needless to say, she will not be attending the PPS. I thought Sci-Tech was supposed to be one of our "better" schools? What goes on in the rest of our schools?
As an aside, KDKA ran a story yesterday about a Springdale police officer who was arrested and going to jail. I believe they said he was also a PPS police officer. Did anybody else see this story? Did I hear wrong?
Yes, he is a PPS officer.
As for the prospective student, good choice. There is no right fit for such a student. No matter the school you go to, you will see hallways that are largely out of control and many students who have disrespect for teachers. And the teacher has no recourse. Try calling a parent. Try writing a referral.
This is all too funny in contrast to Lane's piece today. what baloney.
To 3:42
You stated that he (Mark E. Thom, Jr.) is a PPS officer. As of when and where? He got in trouble in 12/2012, and then again in 12/2011. He was recently sentenced in Federal Court. How could he be a PPS officer? What timeframe?
So sad, this young man has been in "trouble" since he was 10 years old.
FYI - January 2014 Minutes have been updated to include Human Resources/Personnel Section
We the taxpayers must hold the Lane administration accountable. When information from the Board Minutes is deliberately left out, we need to make our voices heard as we did for January's FULL report. Kudos to all of those who made comments. I'm going to check out the January personnel record now.
To Anon 5:30:
Mark E. Thom, Jr. is not a PPS Police Officer and never was.
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