We are still processing through the SCSD's June School Board meeting.
Never has it been so clear how divided our fair city is. And yet we all - parents, teachers, administrators, community activists - have the same goal...
EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN IN A SAFE, CHAOS-FREE ENVIRONMENT.
How do we come together, cut through the rhetoric, lay aside our baggage and preconceived notions, and sit down at the table to REALLY discuss how to best serve ALL children?
The saddest thing about this situation is that there are good people on both sides, but the problem is that in the middle there stands Contreras, whom I am coming to believe is truly evil. To save her job, to make herself look good (in addition to photoshopping her pictures), incites people to race baiting. She is behind all those fliers, and filling people, who really are ignorant of all the problems besetting the district, and fills their heads with "racist teachers out to get your kids." And then the media, local politicians (useless Miner) want everyone to sit down and make nice. Remove Contreras from the table. It has become more and more obvious with each BOE meeting, with each phony press release, with each condescending and demeaning comment to and about the staff, with each postponed meeting, with each stonewalling, with each hiring of unqualified and incompetent 6 figure administrators, that she really is the problem, and she has no intention of doing anything that she does not want to do. Where are those security officers that were coming to 14 schools immediately? I am so sad at what she has created, and what she has been allowed to do with no consequences.
ReplyDeleteScary and very sad time for scsd. All in my family are graduates but if I had a young family.... Moving would be the only option. How to tell if Broad has infected your district? Re-read that article. It sadly is true. We are infected.
ReplyDeleteI know Donna Desiato is now over at ESM but I wonder what the SCSD would have been like with her at the helm. (Who'd want the job at this point??) I understand she wanted the supt. job several years back - graduated from Syracuse City Schools and knew the district well. I think she did her doctoral dissertation on kindergarten and early learning. She might have struck the right balance - tough but fair, and inclusive. Well, the district had its chance. I think you have to have a leader who values teachers as much as the students and shares good faith with them. It just doesn't seem that way to me at the present time - maybe I'm missing something. Granted, Ms. Contreras inherited many challenges. I just know so many dedicated teachers that have had it - they all say that the disrespect and disruptions are pretty overwhelming. (I think this is increasing in the suburban districts as well.) These are people that never complain about anything and are pretty positive people, but they are discouraged. They tell me they've never seen the climate so poor and that they feel like they are the enemy. I never thought I'd hear one particular friend say she was glad to retire - but she said she is ready as the students are becoming increasingly rude and disrespectful. This is a teacher who has had good classroom management in the past. It's not a good situation.
ReplyDeleteI was at the board meeting last night. Teacher wonder where the disrespect comes from. Before Kevin Ahern's time was up (30s to go) several community members start to tell him shut up and yelled to get him off. Yes, Mr. Dixie you were one of these people. When the teacher walked out, Mr. Dixie yelled over and over again, "You don't live in the city, You don't live in the city" I turned and responded, "You don't work in our schools!!!" So before you place any blame on use teacher, I beg you, come to my class sit there for a week and see the truth. Watch the halls as kids walk them all day and never go to class. When any adult ask them to go to class, the usual response is, "Suck my d*&K" or "Your not my F'n parent." What will be your response? Will you nicely use restoritive justice? What ever that means? I think not, if you were raised with any ounce of dignity you would be taken back at first and not to be able to hold your temper. I have seen your temper in person at the board meeting. The best part is you got into the faces of some teachers. I witnessed it. You should be ashamed of yourself and not open your mouth until you see what goes on with your own eyes.
ReplyDeleteToday police called for fight at Henninger, fight at Roberts and harassment at Ed Smith.
ReplyDeleteAs I left, an elderly gentleman and I locked eyes. He told me I should stay and listen, they listened to me. I said, you didn't listen to me, you listened to the STA leader, nobody listens to me, that's why I'm here. I invited him to come to my school. He hasn't shown up yet. To all the community leaders, please, by all means lead. Come to the schools and see for yourselves just what it's like. Oh yeah, he also told me I didn't know how to talk to the kids, yeah, that's it...
ReplyDeleteBroad and his foundation believe that public schools should be run like a business. One of the tenets of his philosophy is to produce system change by “investing in a disruptive force.” Continual reorganizations, firings of staff, and experimentation to create chaos or “churn” is believed to be productive and beneficial, as it weakens the ability of communities to resist change.
ReplyDeleteAs Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, a proponent of this philosophy has said, “…we can afford to make lots more mistakes and in fact we have to throw more things at the wall. The big companies that get into trouble are those that try to manage their size instead of experimenting with it.”
A hallmark of the Broad-style leadership is closing existing schools rather than attempting to improve them, increasing class size, opening charter schools, imposing high-stakes test-based accountability systems on teachers and students, and implementing of pay for performance schemes. The brusque and often punitive management style of Broad-trained leaders has frequently alienated parents and teachers and sparked protests.
Several communities have forced their Broad-trained superintendents to resign, including Arnold “Woody” Carter (class or 2002), formerly of the Capistrano Unified School District; Thandiwee Peebles,( class of 2002), formerly of the Minneapolis Public School District; and John Q. Porter (class of 2006), formerly of the Oklahoma City Public School District.
A number of other Broad-trained superintendents have received votes of “no confidence” from the teachers in their districts, including Rochester’s Jean-Claude Brizard (class of 2008), Seattle’s Maria Goodloe-Johnson (class of 2003); Deborah Sims (class of 2005) while Superintendent of the Antioch Unified School District (CA); Matthew Malone (class of 2003) while Superintendent of the Swampscott School District (MA); and most recently, Melinda J. Boone (class of 2004) Superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools (MA).
- See more at: http://parentsacrossamerica.org/a-guide-to-the-broad-foundations-training-programs-and-policies/#sthash.Tey7y5QE.dpuf
Police response seen at Elmwood and at Roberts this afternoon --fights.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have information about what happened at Henninger today? Police on site since about 0945 am.
ReplyDeleteFrom what some teachers said a student was under the influence of some substance, took off running without shoes with a Regents exam and was caught on Burnet. You can't make this up....
ReplyDeletePolice at Danforth this morning for a Disturbance and at Lincoln for larceny. Anyone have more detailed information?
ReplyDeletePolice at Beard School for assault and at Webster this morning for Criminal mischief.
ReplyDeleteDisturbance at Frazier arnd three today. Police responded.
ReplyDeleteCan you please share this with the media?
DeletePolice at LeMoyne Elementary around four for Criminal Mischief.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the press, people who have intimate knowledge of violent/inappropriate events occurring at our schools should contact Paul Riede, reporter for Syracuse.com/Post Standard. He will maibtain anonymity.
The police were called because there were kids throwing rocks at the windows. I believe a window was broken.
ReplyDeleteCivil dispute at Van Duyn this morning.
ReplyDeletePolice responded to Van Duyn for a fight this morning.
ReplyDelete