The troubled Atlanta school system last night named three finalists for the superintendent's job, and two have a history with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
Cheryl Atkinson, who's currently leading the city school system in Lorain, Ohio, graduated from Garinger High and did a stint in the upper levels of CMS administration from 2003 to 2006. She was recently a finalist for the CEO's job in Cleveland.
Barbara Jenkins, deputy superintendent in Orange County, Fla., spent some time leading human resources for CMS. She's a graduate of the Broad Superintendents Academy, which trains and places leaders in urban districts.
Atlanta is just one of several urban districts seeking a new leader -- a pack CMS officially joins tonight, when the school board meets to start planning to replace Peter Gorman. Anyone can come (6 p.m. at the Government Center, 600 E. Fourth St.), but you'll probably just end up hanging out with reporters while the board discusses an interim in closed session.
And CMS alumni are making their presence known in the big leadership shuffle. The last three years have seen former Deputy Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green go to Guilford County; former Chief Academic Officer Ruth Perez take over a suburban Los Angeles district; and Chief Accountability Officer Jonathan Raymond named superintendent in Sacramento, Calif.. Most recently, Raymond's successor, Robert Avossa, was hired to lead Fulton County Schools just outside Atlanta.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Gorman looking forward to anonymity
When he announced his resignation from the head of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Peter Gorman's staff said he would have nothing else to say to the press. Which left us with questions, frankly, since he's still on the public payroll as superintendent till Aug. 15. (OK, we always have questions). He might not be talking to us anymore, but he did answer questions this morning at a meeting of the Small Business Professionals of Charlotte.
According to tweets from people at the meeting, Gorman had plenty to say about his five-year tenure with CMS, and also answered questions. Joseph Margolis, a freelance copywriter, said he was among about 25-30 people present. He sent out a tweet quoting Gorman as telling the crowd: "I'm at a unique phase in my career. Ask me anything!"
According to the folks tweeting, these were some of the highlights of Gorman's talk:
- He is "looking forward to anonymity."
- He will not be involved in finding his replacement.
- There have been 200 principal changes in five years.
- Thomasboro Elementary is the most expensive school to educate kids; Ballantyne elementary is the least expensive.
- Our great teachers don't like poor teachers, want room to do their job well and get good compensation.
- CMS will pay the price for the severe cuts we've had to do, especially in high schools.
- As long as we cluster poverty in particular schools, we're going to have challenges.
Margolis says attendees did ask him my question about his role for the next two months. Gorman's answer: he's going to be the superintendent as long as the board has him, and until the day he leaves. Which doesn't exactly clarify my question. But apparently Gorman isn't planning to clear it up -- at least not to the press, anyway. Margolis tells me the superintendent reiterated at the meeting that he isn't making any further comments to the media.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Summer reading assignments: Boon or burden?
Jeri Ramsey, a parent at Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Sharon Elementary, poses an interesting question: Do schools have a right to make assignments over the summer?
Ramsey says no. What set her off was a PTA notice saying next year's fifth-graders should read two novels related to the social studies curriculum, "A Long Way from Chicago" and "George Washington's Socks," and have two-paragraph summaries ready to hand in when school starts Aug. 25. Students will take part in class discussion and be given a comprehension test the first week of school, the notice says.
In an email to Principal Cathy Phelan and copied to the Observer, Ramsey says she certainly doesn't object to kids reading, or even to schools recommending books. But this crosses a line, she wrote.
"Summer is a time for the families. It is not a time for schools to force specific assignments on children," Ramsey wrote. "Feel free to give a reading list of suggested reading materials, feel free to give a list of writing activities, feel free to give a list of math activities. Let families choose what they do or don't do. You are over stepping your bounds when you start telling parents what students must do on their free time. Do you want children to hate learning? That is what you are instilling."
Phelan backed her teachers' assignment: "I can assure you that the fifth grade team of highly qualified educators have stayed abreast of current professional development. Therefore, they do not arbitrarily assign work to the students that will not enrich or improve their skills," she replied. "They greatly care for the academic and social growth of all of the children. They would not develop a summer assignment that would hurt the students. Students that truly enjoy reading will continue to find the value in all of the novels that they read. Students that normally are not interested in reading will acquire content from the book that will be useful to them during the school year. This is the second year that the 5th grade team has implemented the summer assignment. The assignment proved to be very beneficial this school year to all of the children."
But Ramsey suspects the assignments are a thinly-veiled form of mandatory test prep, tied to the new social studies exams CMS rolled out this spring in an effort to create data that will help kids and rate teachers. She notes that CMS will add 45 minutes to the elementary school day in 2011-12 and suggests schools use that time for additional reading.
"So now it is the parents job to teach to the test?" Ramsey wrote. "Last year you started using Value Added measures with the established EOGs and you knew the Social Studies Summative would be this year. That is when it was decided to begin this new summer assignment. It is all a way to teach to the test, improve Social Studies vocabulary and knowledge. It is not bad to strengthen Social Studies vocabulary and knowledge, just do it in the time designated by the state as instructional days."
Chief Academic Officer Ann Clark, who hadn't seen the exchange, said last week that summer reading assignments are common, and parent complaints rare. "A lot of parents ask for it," she said. "We get requests for summer reading lists."
Ramsey says no. What set her off was a PTA notice saying next year's fifth-graders should read two novels related to the social studies curriculum, "A Long Way from Chicago" and "George Washington's Socks," and have two-paragraph summaries ready to hand in when school starts Aug. 25. Students will take part in class discussion and be given a comprehension test the first week of school, the notice says.
In an email to Principal Cathy Phelan and copied to the Observer, Ramsey says she certainly doesn't object to kids reading, or even to schools recommending books. But this crosses a line, she wrote.
"Summer is a time for the families. It is not a time for schools to force specific assignments on children," Ramsey wrote. "Feel free to give a reading list of suggested reading materials, feel free to give a list of writing activities, feel free to give a list of math activities. Let families choose what they do or don't do. You are over stepping your bounds when you start telling parents what students must do on their free time. Do you want children to hate learning? That is what you are instilling."
Phelan backed her teachers' assignment: "I can assure you that the fifth grade team of highly qualified educators have stayed abreast of current professional development. Therefore, they do not arbitrarily assign work to the students that will not enrich or improve their skills," she replied. "They greatly care for the academic and social growth of all of the children. They would not develop a summer assignment that would hurt the students. Students that truly enjoy reading will continue to find the value in all of the novels that they read. Students that normally are not interested in reading will acquire content from the book that will be useful to them during the school year. This is the second year that the 5th grade team has implemented the summer assignment. The assignment proved to be very beneficial this school year to all of the children."
But Ramsey suspects the assignments are a thinly-veiled form of mandatory test prep, tied to the new social studies exams CMS rolled out this spring in an effort to create data that will help kids and rate teachers. She notes that CMS will add 45 minutes to the elementary school day in 2011-12 and suggests schools use that time for additional reading.
"So now it is the parents job to teach to the test?" Ramsey wrote. "Last year you started using Value Added measures with the established EOGs and you knew the Social Studies Summative would be this year. That is when it was decided to begin this new summer assignment. It is all a way to teach to the test, improve Social Studies vocabulary and knowledge. It is not bad to strengthen Social Studies vocabulary and knowledge, just do it in the time designated by the state as instructional days."
Chief Academic Officer Ann Clark, who hadn't seen the exchange, said last week that summer reading assignments are common, and parent complaints rare. "A lot of parents ask for it," she said. "We get requests for summer reading lists."
Friday, June 10, 2011
On Coach, Trent, Eric, Pete and Rupert
It's a wrap-up at the end of a crazy week. Just think -- at noon Wednesday, it looked like the announcement that Trent Merchant wouldn't seek re-election was going to be the week's big talker.
Politics and personalities aside, the departure of Merchant and Coach Joe White from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board will be a tragedy of epic proportions for local reporters. Let's face it, the former actor and the retired coach are quote factories. Both have strong views and delight in using plain, vigorous language. Sometimes they come up with the perfect metaphor to capture the essence of complex issues (if it's from Coach, you know that metaphor will involve sports). Sometimes they leave listeners with jaws dropped and heads shaking. Either way, they make covering education more fun.
Board Chair Eric Davis is a good bit more buttoned down. So I was delighted to hear him pull off a good one-liner when several of us talked about Superintendent Peter Gorman's departure on Charlotte Talks on Thursday: "We burn out good superintendents faster than we can burn a song on a CD."
And speaking of burnout, the superintendent who launched weekly media briefings and was widely lauded for his skill with the media left a lot of questions hanging with his abrupt resignation Wednesday, followed by departure for a pre-scheduled vacation. But spokeswoman LaTarzja Henry said today he left one very clear instruction: He will do no more interviews before his mid-August departure.
Finally, when it comes to lively speech, it's hard to beat Gorman's new boss, Rupert Murdoch. If you've got a little weekend time to kill, it's worth reading Murdoch's recent speech to G-8 leaders explaining his vision for the new education division that Gorman will help him launch. It's long but fascinating, and gives the clearest idea I've gotten yet of what enticed Gorman to make the leap (besides money, which I assume is pretty darn good).
Politics and personalities aside, the departure of Merchant and Coach Joe White from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board will be a tragedy of epic proportions for local reporters. Let's face it, the former actor and the retired coach are quote factories. Both have strong views and delight in using plain, vigorous language. Sometimes they come up with the perfect metaphor to capture the essence of complex issues (if it's from Coach, you know that metaphor will involve sports). Sometimes they leave listeners with jaws dropped and heads shaking. Either way, they make covering education more fun.
Board Chair Eric Davis is a good bit more buttoned down. So I was delighted to hear him pull off a good one-liner when several of us talked about Superintendent Peter Gorman's departure on Charlotte Talks on Thursday: "We burn out good superintendents faster than we can burn a song on a CD."
And speaking of burnout, the superintendent who launched weekly media briefings and was widely lauded for his skill with the media left a lot of questions hanging with his abrupt resignation Wednesday, followed by departure for a pre-scheduled vacation. But spokeswoman LaTarzja Henry said today he left one very clear instruction: He will do no more interviews before his mid-August departure.
Finally, when it comes to lively speech, it's hard to beat Gorman's new boss, Rupert Murdoch. If you've got a little weekend time to kill, it's worth reading Murdoch's recent speech to G-8 leaders explaining his vision for the new education division that Gorman will help him launch. It's long but fascinating, and gives the clearest idea I've gotten yet of what enticed Gorman to make the leap (besides money, which I assume is pretty darn good).
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Two of three CMS board seats will change hands
Updated 6:15 Wednesday to correct some garbled paragraphs: So this is a strange twist. When De Shauna McLamb announced her candidacy in March, I checked in with the three incumbents about their plans. Kaye McGarry said she hadn't decided. Joe White had been very clear about not running again. And Trent Merchant said he probably should play coy, but yes, he planned to run again.
I was vague about that in yesterday's post because I'd been hearing folks say Trent was not running. I couldn't reach him before posting, but in an email sent last night, he says he basically blurted out a lie when I asked:
"I am not running for re-election this fall," Merchant wrote.
"I made my decision in November 2009. I informed Dr. Gorman in August 2010, Eric Davis in November 2010 - and have been telling others in recent weeks."
"In the early Spring of this year, at the end of a lengthy conversation on another topic, you asked me in passing if I was running and I blurted out a quick 'yes.' I wish that I had said something more cagey and politician-sounding, but that has never been my strong suit - and I was not ready to make my decision public until I had the chance to inform certain people privately."
"I will have served on the Board of Education for over 5 years at the end of my term, and it has been an honor to serve the people of Mecklenburg County. I thank them for the opportunity, and will be eternally grateful. My family, friends, and work colleagues have been incredibly supportive during the past 5 years; now it is time for me to devote more attention to them."
So now it's at least two of the three at-large members who will be new. McGarry sends this: "At this moment, I have not made a final decision. I am still reflecting on the accomplishments during my 2 terms (2003-present) serving all the children and families in Mecklenburg County, and am considering the upcoming challenges and how my experience and dedication might continue to serve public education should I decide to run for a third term."
---
With all the furor over school closings, teacher layoffs and a barrage of new testing, the prospect of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board election this fall has almost gotten lost.
Elyse Dashew, a parent leader at Smith Language Academy and a founder of MeckFUTURE, kicks off her campaign this week, and filing takes place the first two weeks of July. That means we should start getting a glimpse of what the race for three at-large seats will look like (the six district posts aren't up until 2013).
During the last three years of budget cuts, Dashew has spent a lot of time trying to figure out what all the change will mean for her kids' school. From there she started looking at the bigger picture and getting to know families from various schools. MeckFUTURE, launched in March, mobilized folks from about 40 of CMS' 178 schools to lobby county officials for money to avert the massive layoffs projected for 2011-12.
Amidst all the turmoil, she says, there's a common thread: People really care about CMS. "There's so much energy around education," she said Tuesday. "A lot of times its expressed as frustration or anger or anxiety."
So far, Dashew's themes are pretty broad: She wants to get people constructively engaged and help the board work together. She's a first-time candidate and an unaffiliated voter, something she thinks would be a plus on a board that's ostensibly nonpartisan (the current makeup is four Democrats, three Republicans and two unaffiliated).
Dashew joins De Shauna McLamb, a CMS parent and NAACP member who announced her candidacy in March, and Hans Plotseneder, a West Meck teacher who has run twice before and plans to make a formal announcement of this year's candidacy soon. Tim Morgan, elected to represent south suburban District 6 two years ago, is mulling a bid for a countywide seat. At least one newcomer will take a seat, with Joe White stepping down at the end of this term.
It's a sign of the times that Dashew scheduled her formal announcement for Thursday but "soft-launched" via Facebook and Twitter last week. I returned from vacation and saw that a fan had tweeted her campaign web site.
Another sign of the times: We'll be relying more than ever on the web to get details of the school board campaign to the folks who care while making the best use of limited print space. During the 2009 campaign, I was frustrated at how little space we were able to dedicate to each of the 19 candidates. Since then we've launched this blog, which has opened faster and better ways to connect with the readers who care most about education. Keep me and Eric posted on what you're hearing and what you'd like to see to make informed choices.
I was vague about that in yesterday's post because I'd been hearing folks say Trent was not running. I couldn't reach him before posting, but in an email sent last night, he says he basically blurted out a lie when I asked:
"I am not running for re-election this fall," Merchant wrote.
"I made my decision in November 2009. I informed Dr. Gorman in August 2010, Eric Davis in November 2010 - and have been telling others in recent weeks."
"In the early Spring of this year, at the end of a lengthy conversation on another topic, you asked me in passing if I was running and I blurted out a quick 'yes.' I wish that I had said something more cagey and politician-sounding, but that has never been my strong suit - and I was not ready to make my decision public until I had the chance to inform certain people privately."
"I will have served on the Board of Education for over 5 years at the end of my term, and it has been an honor to serve the people of Mecklenburg County. I thank them for the opportunity, and will be eternally grateful. My family, friends, and work colleagues have been incredibly supportive during the past 5 years; now it is time for me to devote more attention to them."
So now it's at least two of the three at-large members who will be new. McGarry sends this: "At this moment, I have not made a final decision. I am still reflecting on the accomplishments during my 2 terms (2003-present) serving all the children and families in Mecklenburg County, and am considering the upcoming challenges and how my experience and dedication might continue to serve public education should I decide to run for a third term."
---
With all the furor over school closings, teacher layoffs and a barrage of new testing, the prospect of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board election this fall has almost gotten lost.
Elyse Dashew, a parent leader at Smith Language Academy and a founder of MeckFUTURE, kicks off her campaign this week, and filing takes place the first two weeks of July. That means we should start getting a glimpse of what the race for three at-large seats will look like (the six district posts aren't up until 2013).
 |
| Elyse Dashew |
Amidst all the turmoil, she says, there's a common thread: People really care about CMS. "There's so much energy around education," she said Tuesday. "A lot of times its expressed as frustration or anger or anxiety."
So far, Dashew's themes are pretty broad: She wants to get people constructively engaged and help the board work together. She's a first-time candidate and an unaffiliated voter, something she thinks would be a plus on a board that's ostensibly nonpartisan (the current makeup is four Democrats, three Republicans and two unaffiliated).
Dashew joins De Shauna McLamb, a CMS parent and NAACP member who announced her candidacy in March, and Hans Plotseneder, a West Meck teacher who has run twice before and plans to make a formal announcement of this year's candidacy soon. Tim Morgan, elected to represent south suburban District 6 two years ago, is mulling a bid for a countywide seat. At least one newcomer will take a seat, with Joe White stepping down at the end of this term.
It's a sign of the times that Dashew scheduled her formal announcement for Thursday but "soft-launched" via Facebook and Twitter last week. I returned from vacation and saw that a fan had tweeted her campaign web site.
Another sign of the times: We'll be relying more than ever on the web to get details of the school board campaign to the folks who care while making the best use of limited print space. During the 2009 campaign, I was frustrated at how little space we were able to dedicate to each of the 19 candidates. Since then we've launched this blog, which has opened faster and better ways to connect with the readers who care most about education. Keep me and Eric posted on what you're hearing and what you'd like to see to make informed choices.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Seeking CMS savings
In its 15-minute meeting Monday night, the school board announced the members of a new advisory committee to explore whether taxpayers can save money by letting private companies take over some of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' business.
If you've been around awhile, you've seen similar studies done by consultants or volunteer panels. The perennial hope is that outsourcing non-educational work such as running buses, feeding kids or maintaining buildings will free tax dollars for schools (or perhaps grant property owners some relief). So far those studies have found no big savings waiting to be plucked, in part because all school business comes with a tangle of government rules and requirements.
Back when new schools were sprouting like dandelions, "lend-lease" public-private partnerships promised big savings on construction. The idea was that a private contractor could build schools cheaper and lease them back to CMS. The district spent about $2 million researching and negotiating such a contract with an Atlanta developer to build one school and renovate three others. CMS pulled the plug in 2008 after concluding it would actually cost more. The challenge: When they're doing public work, private builders are bound by the same bidding requirements and other regs that push up costs for government construction. Plus, of course, they still need to turn a profit.
This time last year, there was a lot of talk about saving money by merging CMS, county and/or city functions such as building maintenance, human resources and communications. Staffers were charged with researching those options, and little has been heard since.
On Monday, CMS Chief Operating Officer Hugh Hattabaugh said visions of merging big CMS and Mecklenburg County functions, such as HR, ran aground because they have different "platforms" for computerized record-keeping. Neither body wanted the expense and upheaval of converting (and from what I can tell, much of CMS' system is driven by state requirements, in an effort to have consistent student records and academic data).
Hattabaugh said there's still some talk of the city of Charlotte and CMS merging vehicle maintenance -- not the bus fleet, but about 300 other cars and trucks used by CMS staff. And he said CMS is working on a contract to hand over maintenance of four administrative buildings to a private service at a savings of more than $100,000 a year -- not big bucks in a $1 billion budget, but a couple of teachers salaries.
So, will the new volunteer crew map a path to significant cost-cutting? One can always hope. Savings large or small will surely be as welcome in 2012-13 as they would have been this year.
If you've been around awhile, you've seen similar studies done by consultants or volunteer panels. The perennial hope is that outsourcing non-educational work such as running buses, feeding kids or maintaining buildings will free tax dollars for schools (or perhaps grant property owners some relief). So far those studies have found no big savings waiting to be plucked, in part because all school business comes with a tangle of government rules and requirements.
Back when new schools were sprouting like dandelions, "lend-lease" public-private partnerships promised big savings on construction. The idea was that a private contractor could build schools cheaper and lease them back to CMS. The district spent about $2 million researching and negotiating such a contract with an Atlanta developer to build one school and renovate three others. CMS pulled the plug in 2008 after concluding it would actually cost more. The challenge: When they're doing public work, private builders are bound by the same bidding requirements and other regs that push up costs for government construction. Plus, of course, they still need to turn a profit.
This time last year, there was a lot of talk about saving money by merging CMS, county and/or city functions such as building maintenance, human resources and communications. Staffers were charged with researching those options, and little has been heard since.
On Monday, CMS Chief Operating Officer Hugh Hattabaugh said visions of merging big CMS and Mecklenburg County functions, such as HR, ran aground because they have different "platforms" for computerized record-keeping. Neither body wanted the expense and upheaval of converting (and from what I can tell, much of CMS' system is driven by state requirements, in an effort to have consistent student records and academic data).
Hattabaugh said there's still some talk of the city of Charlotte and CMS merging vehicle maintenance -- not the bus fleet, but about 300 other cars and trucks used by CMS staff. And he said CMS is working on a contract to hand over maintenance of four administrative buildings to a private service at a savings of more than $100,000 a year -- not big bucks in a $1 billion budget, but a couple of teachers salaries.
So, will the new volunteer crew map a path to significant cost-cutting? One can always hope. Savings large or small will surely be as welcome in 2012-13 as they would have been this year.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Charges dismissed against school board protester
Dr. Hans Plotseneder, a CMS teacher who joined other residents in protesting the school board's decision last year to close about a dozen schools, says the trespassing charge police filed against him have been dismissed.
Plotseneder, a frequent speaker at school board meetings, said in a press release that the dismissal of the charges were important beyond just re-establishing his reputation. "This dismissal will contribute to reducing the fear of CMS teachers to exercise their Free-Speech rights."
He feels he was wrongly arrested. CMS police felt they were justified in arresting him and NAACP President Kojo Nantambu. (His charges were also dismissed). The Observer reported on the arrests. Plotseneder wants the dismissal reported as well in the interests of protecting his good name.
Consider it done.
Plotseneder, a frequent speaker at school board meetings, said in a press release that the dismissal of the charges were important beyond just re-establishing his reputation. "This dismissal will contribute to reducing the fear of CMS teachers to exercise their Free-Speech rights."
He feels he was wrongly arrested. CMS police felt they were justified in arresting him and NAACP President Kojo Nantambu. (His charges were also dismissed). The Observer reported on the arrests. Plotseneder wants the dismissal reported as well in the interests of protecting his good name.
Consider it done.
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