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Monday, December 14, 2009
Leadership Academy for at-risk students proposed for New Bedford High School | SouthCoastToday.com
Leadership Academy--Readiness School. Call it whatever you want it still has not been negotiated and apparently the powers that be don't feel it has to be. It still doesn't change the fact that this is the sum total of two years of restructuring team efforts. There are over 45 posts under another heading relating to this exact same concern. Two years of restructuring talk resulting in a program for 125 kids and the other 2875 kids can wing it. The SOS says she hopes to have an academy in each house eventually. That means what? 4 times 125 still only equals 500 kids. That still leaves 2500 kids.
I have long felt that the so called revisited freshmen are lost souls with no guided light. I would love to see this program concentrate on the revisited students who are without enough credits to move to the next grade and who are almost by definition destined to drop out. Something like that in every house I could support.
This is beautiful. a s_ _tload of changes proposed for NBHS for next year that have not been negotiated but scheduling for the changes is planned to start soon. Do we even know who the Headmaster will be next year?
I hope the membership realizes that what affects one, does affect us all. The negitiating team(s) have worked extremely hard over the years to gain some incentives in the contract, especially in those years when money was tight and raises were small. It seems to me that members should read more than the salary schedule of thier contract to understand how "readiness" schools would impact us ALL. Do you like being able to call in sick? Do you like having an opportunity to take a personal day? Do you appreciate the fact that you can take maternity leave? Are you happy that their is a grievance process when your contract gets violated? If so, you better seriously reconsider some of the "ideas" in place for this "readiness school".
It is a shame that this process was started with a top down 'know it best' approach. Don't believe it is some grand scheme, its just incompetence. What does it say for professionalism that someone has been working on this for days, weeks and months, only for it to fail from lack of proper communication and inclusion? To make lemonade out of this lemon you would need leaders who could admit their mistakes and rework this. However, that won't happen . It's all obstruction by the union will be the cry.
So no 7 period day, no rotating schedule, no shorter planing periods so teachers can be on duty in the hallways? No themes in the different houses, no "different way of doing business." I am not impressed and will look to bid out of the high school. I can't believe that with teachers quitting, students doing whatever they please, this is what the committee comes back with. What a disappointment.
It is a shame that this process was started with a top down 'know it best' approach. Don't believe it is some grand scheme, its just incompetence. What does it say for professionalism that someone has been working on this for days, weeks and months, only for it to fail from lack of proper communication and inclusion? To make lemonade out of this lemon you would need leaders who could admit their mistakes and rework this. However, that won't happen . It's all obstruction by the union will be the cry.
Where did it all go wrong? This committee started out with such great aspirations: visiting schools, studying schedules, reporting back to the faculty, etc. What happened??? I'm not hearing anything about the restructuring of the school. What gives????? Have the rest of us been sold down the river? When can I bid out?
I have had the opportunity to read some information on the proposed changes at NBHS and I saw the list of people making up this so called committee to restructure NBHS. I am totally surprised at the number of Unit A people involved in this blatant attempt to circumvent the existing contracts by negotiating directly with the powers that be. There are only two Unit B people on the committee. Teachers will have smaller classes (AT whose expense?), teachers will work from 7-3 (With what compensation?), teachers will have common planning time, there will be self governance and control of the budget in order to get away from the "traditional top down leadership style." What leadership??????? Only the most qualified teachers will be hired. When did any of this get negotiated? Why do we pay union dues if we are not represented?
To say that this academy will only affect the 8 teachers involved is a blatant lie! The grant received from the state was for $10,500. How do they propose that they will pay that $92,000 administrator salary and the $10,000 that they plan to spend on each of the 125 students. What about the other 3,000 students? This money will be taken from them! This affects everyone. Where are they going to obtain the 1.25 million that they project necessary for their first year? Maybe they can borrow the money from China. What happened to no child left behind, because it sounds to me like they are going to “leave behind” every other student in the school? While I realize that the restructuring committee was not just convened to address scheduling issues at the HS, I was under the impression that they were supposed to address the restructuring of the entire school, not just a fraction of the population. And who decided on the admin’s salary? The person who plans on being the administrator? If so, is this not an ethics violation? This is disgusting. Are the parents in the community aware of this initiative? As a parent myself, I am extremely angry. My children are considered “at risk” but still perform incredibly well because I make sure that they do! I do my job as a parent and don’t expect teachers and schools to pick up my slack. Why don’t they make parents of poor performing students accountable? Why are the students who maintain good attendance, pass the MCAS and get good grades being punished for doing what they are already supposed to do? Better yet, where is their reward for being good students? No reward for them; they are going to be robbed! Yes, I know my children can attend the NBLA even if they don’t meet the criteria, but will they be offered high level, rigorous and challenging curriculum, like AP and pre-AP? No they won’t because that is not what the NBLA is designed for. My children will be exploited and used as mentors and tutors for those students who are underperforming. I can read between the lines. This whole proposal is a pretense. This does not help the district as a whole. If the issues of attendance and underperformance were addressed early on with the parents in a student’s life then there would be no need for this joke of an academy. As a final note: I have worked in the healthcare field for more years than I care for. I know what it is to work under a dictatorial regime with no union or contract to protect against abuse and exploitation. Any measure taken to undermine the teacher’s contract or the union should be fought against to the full extent of the law. They are abused enough as it is. We don’t need more good teachers leaving the district because they don’t know how to keep them. Maybe they should focus on the issue of teacher attrition, since all the studies link turnover to student achievement.
There was an independent group hired from the outside going around the HS recently asking questions about the feasibility of restructuring NBHS. I guess our little self centered group can stop calling themselves the restructuring committee. 2. I'm told the good old boy network is already pushing the inside, hand picked, yes man candidate for Headmaster of the HS while the SOS may have a certain traveling companion in mind for the job. Maybe we should get the school's leadership issues in order before we start making changes a new leader will have to live with. Or is this another done deal already? Inquiring minds want to know.
I can't wait for this proposal to come before the board for a vote. I and my colleagues intend to veto it and to send a message to the superintendent and her cronies that our contract means something to us. On the other hand, we will begin opening initial talks for a new contract in a few months.
I'm told that the "Readiness School Committee" (What a play on words!!!!)recently had the rug pulled out from under them by none other than the SOS. She told them to go back and redo many parts of their grant because even if the union buys in they will not be treated like an autonymous charter school,or a private school. They will have to abide by negotiated contracts, they will answer to the Headmaster/Headmistress of NBHS,hiring will be done in accordance with negotiated hiring practices and the SOS will maintain her right to be in charge. She charged them to explain and defend how they arrived at what offerings should be available. She directed them to spell out where this "school" will take place, how it will deal with special ed, low income, Ell students, second language learners other than Hispanics, etc.She has told them to forget about this dream of a 15 to 1 student-teacher ratio because of the affect it will have on the other teachers at NBHS. You see, even the SOS realizes that this affects more than 8 teachers. She has directed them to redo this pronto so that meetings can begin with the union. Perhaps the SOS is finally starting to get it and is sending a message to those committee members who have already submitted their resumes for the 8 teaching positions and the administrative job. Now if only "The Restructuring School Committee" would get it.
It is sad that what began as a plan to bring the high school out of the dreaded block scheduling, a plan that all hoped would benefit all 3,000 students and provide equity for all teachers has produced a plan to benefit only 125 students and 8 teachers. Dennis Winn and the committee are to be commended for aiding in diminishing what little morale remains at NBHS.
"....a plan to bring the HS out of the dreaded block scheduling....". Please keep in mind the block schedule was negotiated in and must be negotiated out. How many teachers do you think will want to teach and prep for 5 instead of 3? Have a forty minute prep instead of 83 minutes? Have the same students the whole year instead of half the year? All teachers at the high school follow the same schedule. What equity are we talking about? For the most part you are exactly right. This committeee and plan are complete, self serving failures.
From what I understand this proposal is about incoming freshman, at risk, (read that didn't pass at the middle school) who will be brought up to the high school anyway. 125 kids is an extremely large number that can't pass at the middle school level, but pass them along. Then complain about the drop out rate, failures, etc. That you middle school concept.
Also those names on the committee list - no everyone is still involved. Many have dropped off for various reasons.
16 comments:
Leadership Academy--Readiness School. Call it whatever you want it still has not been negotiated and apparently the powers that be don't feel it has to be. It still doesn't change the fact that this is the sum total of two years of restructuring team efforts. There are over 45 posts under another heading relating to this exact same concern. Two years of restructuring talk resulting in a program for 125 kids and the other 2875 kids can wing it. The SOS says she hopes to have an academy in each house eventually. That means what? 4 times 125 still only equals 500 kids. That still leaves 2500 kids.
I have long felt that the so called revisited freshmen are lost souls with no guided light. I would love to see this program concentrate on the revisited students who are without enough credits to move to the next grade and who are almost by definition destined to drop out. Something like that in every house I could support.
This is beautiful. a s_ _tload of changes proposed for NBHS for next year that have not been negotiated but scheduling for the changes is planned to start soon. Do we even know who the Headmaster will be next year?
I hope the membership realizes that what affects one, does affect us all. The negitiating team(s) have worked extremely hard over the years to gain some incentives in the contract, especially in those years when money was tight and raises were small. It seems to me that members should read more than the salary schedule of thier contract to understand how "readiness" schools would impact us ALL. Do you like being able to call in sick? Do you like having an opportunity to take a personal day? Do you appreciate the fact that you can take maternity leave? Are you happy that their is a grievance process when your contract gets violated? If so, you better seriously reconsider some of the "ideas" in place for this "readiness school".
It is a shame that this process was started with a top down 'know it best' approach. Don't believe it is some grand scheme, its just incompetence. What does it say for professionalism that someone has been working on this for days, weeks and months, only for it to fail from lack of proper communication and inclusion? To make lemonade out of this lemon you would need leaders who could admit their mistakes and rework this. However, that won't happen . It's all obstruction by the union will be the cry.
So no 7 period day, no rotating schedule, no shorter planing periods so teachers can be on duty in the hallways? No themes in the different houses, no "different way of doing business." I am not impressed and will look to bid out of the high school. I can't believe that with teachers quitting, students doing whatever they please, this is what the committee comes back with. What a disappointment.
It is a shame that this process was started with a top down 'know it best' approach. Don't believe it is some grand scheme, its just incompetence. What does it say for professionalism that someone has been working on this for days, weeks and months, only for it to fail from lack of proper communication and inclusion? To make lemonade out of this lemon you would need leaders who could admit their mistakes and rework this. However, that won't happen . It's all obstruction by the union will be the cry.
Where did it all go wrong? This committee started out with such great aspirations: visiting schools, studying schedules, reporting back to the faculty, etc. What happened??? I'm not hearing anything about the restructuring of the school. What gives????? Have the rest of us been sold down the river? When can I bid out?
I have had the opportunity to read some information on the proposed changes at NBHS and I saw the list of people making up this so called committee to restructure NBHS. I am totally surprised at the number of Unit A people involved in this blatant attempt to circumvent the existing contracts by negotiating directly with the powers that be. There are only two Unit B people on the committee. Teachers will have smaller classes (AT whose expense?), teachers will work from 7-3 (With what compensation?), teachers will have common planning time, there will be self governance and control of the budget in order to get away from the "traditional top down leadership style." What leadership??????? Only the most qualified teachers will be hired. When did any of this get negotiated? Why do we pay union dues if we are not represented?
To say that this academy will only affect the 8 teachers involved is a blatant lie! The grant received from the state was for $10,500. How do they propose that they will pay that $92,000 administrator salary and the $10,000 that they plan to spend on each of the 125 students. What about the other 3,000 students? This money will be taken from them! This affects everyone. Where are they going to obtain the 1.25 million that they project necessary for their first year? Maybe they can borrow the money from China. What happened to no child left behind, because it sounds to me like they are going to “leave behind” every other student in the school? While I realize that the restructuring committee was not just convened to address scheduling issues at the HS, I was under the impression that they were supposed to address the restructuring of the entire school, not just a fraction of the population. And who decided on the admin’s salary? The person who plans on being the administrator? If so, is this not an ethics violation? This is disgusting. Are the parents in the community aware of this initiative? As a parent myself, I am extremely angry. My children are considered “at risk” but still perform incredibly well because I make sure that they do! I do my job as a parent and don’t expect teachers and schools to pick up my slack. Why don’t they make parents of poor performing students accountable? Why are the students who maintain good attendance, pass the MCAS and get good grades being punished for doing what they are already supposed to do? Better yet, where is their reward for being good students? No reward for them; they are going to be robbed! Yes, I know my children can attend the NBLA even if they don’t meet the criteria, but will they be offered high level, rigorous and challenging curriculum, like AP and pre-AP? No they won’t because that is not what the NBLA is designed for. My children will be exploited and used as mentors and tutors for those students who are underperforming. I can read between the lines. This whole proposal is a pretense. This does not help the district as a whole. If the issues of attendance and underperformance were addressed early on with the parents in a student’s life then there would be no need for this joke of an academy. As a final note: I have worked in the healthcare field for more years than I care for. I know what it is to work under a dictatorial regime with no union or contract to protect against abuse and exploitation. Any measure taken to undermine the teacher’s contract or the union should be fought against to the full extent of the law. They are abused enough as it is. We don’t need more good teachers leaving the district because they don’t know how to keep them. Maybe they should focus on the issue of teacher attrition, since all the studies link turnover to student achievement.
There was an independent group hired from the outside going around the HS recently asking questions about the feasibility of restructuring NBHS. I guess our little self centered group can stop calling themselves the restructuring committee.
2. I'm told the good old boy network is already pushing the inside, hand picked, yes man candidate for Headmaster of the HS while the SOS may have a certain traveling companion in mind for the job. Maybe we should get the school's leadership issues in order before we start making changes a new leader will have to live with. Or is this another done deal already? Inquiring minds want to know.
I can't wait for this proposal to come before the board for a vote. I and my colleagues intend to veto it and to send a message to the superintendent and her cronies that our contract means something to us. On the other hand, we will begin opening initial talks for a new contract in a few months.
I'm told that the "Readiness School Committee" (What a play on words!!!!)recently had the rug pulled out from under them by none other than the SOS. She told them to go back and redo many parts of their grant because even if the union buys in they will not be treated like an autonymous charter school,or a private school. They will have to abide by negotiated contracts, they will answer to the Headmaster/Headmistress of NBHS,hiring will be done in accordance with negotiated hiring practices and the SOS will maintain her right to be in charge. She charged them to explain and defend how they arrived at what offerings should be available. She directed them to spell out where this "school" will take place, how it will deal with special ed, low income, Ell students, second language learners other than Hispanics, etc.She has told them to forget about this dream of a 15 to 1 student-teacher ratio because of the affect it will have on the other teachers at NBHS. You see, even the SOS realizes that this affects more than 8 teachers. She has directed them to redo this pronto so that meetings can begin with the union. Perhaps the SOS is finally starting to get it and is sending a message to those committee members who have already submitted their resumes for the 8 teaching positions and the administrative job. Now if only "The Restructuring School Committee" would get it.
It is sad that what began as a plan to bring the high school out of the dreaded block scheduling, a plan that all hoped would benefit all 3,000 students and provide equity for all teachers has produced a plan to benefit only 125 students and 8 teachers. Dennis Winn and the committee are to be commended for aiding in diminishing what little morale remains at NBHS.
"....a plan to bring the HS out of the dreaded block scheduling....".
Please keep in mind the block schedule was negotiated in and must be negotiated out. How many teachers do you think will want to teach and prep for 5 instead of 3? Have a forty minute prep instead of 83 minutes? Have the same students the whole year instead of half the year? All teachers at the high school follow the same schedule. What equity are we talking about? For the most part you are exactly right. This committeee and plan are complete, self serving failures.
From what I understand this proposal is about incoming freshman, at risk, (read that didn't pass at the middle school) who will be brought up to the high school anyway. 125 kids is an extremely large number that can't pass at the middle school level, but pass them along. Then complain about the drop out rate, failures, etc. That you middle school concept.
Also those names on the committee list - no everyone is still involved. Many have dropped off for various reasons.
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