Ideas I Have for a New PPS Superintendent
Portland Public School folks are in the midst of replacing Vicki Phillips. They are asking important community members – including my awesome boss – what they’d like to see in a new superintendent.
Knowing they would not stop by and ask the worker bees what we thought, I figured I’d share my ideas here and then ask for yours. I will call our yet to be named superintendent, “Pamela” for my writing ease. Here we go:
1. Stay more than 5 years.
Pamela, if you get this job, please stay more than 5 years. That seems a proper time to
Get to know Portland, the children, and the issues. When you meet that adorable kindergartner who welcomes you with her reading of Oh the Places We’ll Go, make sure you are there at her 6th grade graduation with her copy of Forever.
2. Address the real issue of race and class in our schools.
Pamela, I know you are not a miracle worker, but there are serious issues of race and class in our schools. We also have “white flight” from allegedly “poor” schools in North and Northeast Portland – neighborhoods good enough to gentrify but not to send kids to the local schools. There is also the matter of the strange ways of deciding which neighborhoods get K-8 and which get the traditional method. Seems to be along lines of economics and color? Please don’t come here and ignore this.
3. Give our teachers real salaries.
Pamela, teachers are with our children longer than parents some days of the week. These professionals are helping us raise our children. It takes a village, but the village residents aren’t indentured servants.
4. Give our kids a safe, beautiful place to learn.
Pamela, it’s not about fancy computers, grants from large corporations, or standardized tests. It is about children going somewhere they’d like be most of the day. If you gross out when walking into a school building (which I’ve done) then you are responsible for fixing it. Please don’t send our children to schools that aren’t even up to earthquake codes. Your first visit should be to Rosa Parks Elementary in North Portland. It is beautiful, it is welcoming and a place where children will thrive. All schools should look like this.
5. Talk to Portland and we’ll talk back.
Pamela, I trust you’ll be welcoming of all opinions and distinguish the thoughtful from the ridiculous.
I don’t have children and after talking to my neighbor with a newborn, my maternal instinct is suddenly in hiding. I still want Portland kids to have the best of what we have to offer. I’d love to see what you all have to say.
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July 12, 2007 |
Karol Collymore | Comments (72 so far)
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Comments
Posted by: Karol | Jul 12, 2007 10:18:26 AM
The Moobs you mention, may sound like a joke, but I've seen said moobs and its true. Feeding children foods full of trans fat leads obviously, to obese children.
Posted by: Himself | Jul 12, 2007 10:19:25 AM
Thanks, Karol, you nailed it on all five points.
So far, PPS has run the community input phase of the superintendent search like a corporat marketing campaign, with focus groups and push polls.
There is a real challenge here for those of us in the community who prefer strong, integrated, equitable neighborhood schools to a system that's getting corporatized by way of charter schools and Gates/Broad grants.
Posted by: nathan | Jul 12, 2007 10:19:59 AM
More Money for Teachers?! Average salary in Oregon is ~43,000$ w/ pension, family benefits, and 2-3 months off per year. I am jealous. I am not saying this is an easy job, but hey if you want to make money go into a corporation.
Posted by: Leslie Carlson | Jul 12, 2007 10:34:44 AM
Pamela: A huge cinnamon role coated with frosting is not a good breakfast for our kids who rely on the free lunch/breakfast program.
I wholeheartedly agree. My children's school, Abernethy, is doing some groundbreaking work at providing education on growing food and cooking from scratch in the kitchen--a rarity in today's heat-and-serve insta-meal school kitchens. We parent volunteers scrimp and beg for funds to keep it running each year, and in fact, we're worried about the future of the program constantly. The District has indicated the kitchen and garden program are a problem because it labor costs are high when people in kitchens actually "cook" (instead of reheating a processed entree).
But don't the labor costs of teaching kids how to eat healthy food pale when obesity and poor nutrition are such a huge problem for our kids? Pamela, take a look in the kitchens of PPS' schools and help us expand this model in order to promote health for the long-term.
Posted by: Eric J. | Jul 12, 2007 11:03:42 AM
A big help would be to accept a salary that doesn't include any perks and is at least 1/2 of what Vicki got. This way we could give that extra money directly to the schools without having to beg for more from the people.
In fact, lets cut all administrative salaries in half and get rid of all perks and give that relased money to the schools.
Posted by: Sean Thuse | Jul 12, 2007 11:11:25 AM
Average salary in Oregon is ~43,000$ w/ pension, family benefits, and 2-3 months off per year. .
Um, Nathan, last time I checked this was a post about PPS, not about statewide education.
Posted by: Sid Leader | Jul 12, 2007 11:20:07 AM
Great post, Karol!
As a PPS veteran teacher, I'd add "years of success as a classroom teacher" with more than just three kids in an ESL room.
Dr. Phillips never had much of that, since she only spent three years (the legal minimum) teaching.
Dr. Phillips may know how to color-coordinate her post-it notes, but she has little or no knowledge of what makes a great teacher.
Posted by: Eric J. | Jul 12, 2007 11:28:24 AM
May I also add to my previous post that the new person be from, or grew up in, the Western part of the US. It seems every time we find someone that comes from the Eastern US, they tend to be extremely bossy and have a "my way or the highway" attitude. We do not need a 'my way - highway' attitude here in Portland.
Posted by: Brandon Wolner | Jul 12, 2007 11:50:45 AM
No mention of the role of the parents. Not surprised for a "liberal" blog, but I did notice the cry for more money.
Posted by: Buckman Res | Jul 12, 2007 12:02:35 PM
Add number 6 to that list:
PPS needs to dismantle its 60’s era school system and institute a more future-looking model, one that promotes alternative forms of education like home-schooling, magnet schools, and a voucher system giving families the right to
choose how their children learn.
Posted by: Eric J. | Jul 12, 2007 12:20:31 PM
Right, Buckman...and in the process promote elitism and propaganda at it's glorious best. The 3 items you bring up can only be available to those who have the funds available to send them to those schools. Parents may have a right to choose how their children learn, but they have to be affluent to actually enable that right to choose. Poor people have no alternative to aletrnative schooling. Besides - we need to hire a superintendent first before we throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Posted by: Underpaid | Jul 12, 2007 12:27:18 PM
"Average salary in Oregon is ~43,000$ w/ pension, family benefits, and 2-3 months off per year."
Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me, especially considering the benefits package and the fat PERS pension that goes along with it.
Nope, not too shabby for a basic Bachelor of Arts degree and a teaching credential.
Posted by: Sarah C | Jul 12, 2007 1:12:11 PM
I think Karol's post was great. As a parent of one child in school and another that will be joining her in a few years I am excited and nervous about the superintendent search. It is an opportunity that I hope is used well. Thirteen years ago when I moved to Portland this was one of the best urban districts in the country. It is not to late for the district to still be great.
I agree that nutrition in school is important. My daughter attends Beach in North Portland. Until this last year Beach was a title 1 school but fell short by a few students. It is a really tough spot to be in. Unfortunately for schools like Beach, while we would like better nutrition we have to focus on other issues. Yes, I know that it can be even more important for the kids on free and reduced lunch but there are limits to what we can do.
One of which Karol brought up. Some of the parents debate if an earthquake hits, is your child better off on and upper or lower floor? Beach gets one of the worst ratings in the distrit when it comes to earthquake readiness but there seem to be no plans to do anything.
When it comes to parent involvement, Beach has a lot of active parents. I know of some parents who are working multiple jobs to keep the family housed. They are still in the school with their limited free time. The reality is that the poorer you are, the less likely you are to have connections to get things done (fundraising, the attention of the district, etc.)
Beach is a very diverse school with rising test scores (I am not a fan of the tests but know this is the measurement used). In part because of the Spanish Immersion program, there is a waiting list to get into Beach. You would think the district would want to support a school like Beach, not try to cut staff like they are trying to do now (thanks in no small part to Vicky's magic math).
When it comes to teachers' salaries they are underpaid. Volunteer for a day in a classroom and you will wonder how they do it. For the record, a starting salary is closer to $35,000 a year, they need to have a master's degree and they get two months in the summer that they do not attend school (the rest of summer break is spent in trainings and other meetings). During those two months, most teachers I know do spend time organizing lesson plans and preparing for the next year. During the school year it is rare for a teacher to work less than 40 hours a week. It is also rare for a teacher not to spend part of their salary on classroom supplies. At Beach many are in the school after hours for various different events. They also dip into their own pockets to pay for things their students cannot afford.
I love Beach, I think it is a great school. We are proud that our daughter attends this school. I like Karol, would like to see schools like Beach better supported by the district.
Posted by: joe hill | Jul 12, 2007 1:29:43 PM
Thank you for an excellent article. I wanted to reinforce your points about the confluence of race/class and school building conditions.
First of all . . . and most important . . . we have to begin to repair the damage that the "school choice" movement has inflicted on public neighborhood schools. Common schools are supposed be engines of democracy and equality. As of now, they are the opposite of that; they re-inscribe class privilege . We need neighborhood schools for all.
"School choice," by the way, in the great tradition of Bush-speak (cf. "Healthy Forests," "Clear Skies," etc.) means the opposite of what its plain meaning seeks to imply. The impact of school choice has been to inflict less choice on every level for the least privileged; less music, less art, poorer textbooks, visibly distressed physical plant, less of the fundamental amenities and choices that make being in school a life-affirming experience.
Get rid of the charter schools that are draining our common schools of those students whose families are most system-savvy. Stop rewarding "white flight." If you live in a neighborhood, you should go to that neighborhood school.
Once all of us have a stake in our neighborhood public schools, we can begin to address the other elements.
jh
Posted by: Sarah C | Jul 12, 2007 1:52:45 PM
Joe:
I must admit we used school choice to have our daughter go to a Spanish immersion program. She is Latina and language is culture as they say. If she went to our neighborhood school she would get no Spanish exposure and we would be spending our time and money on getting that exposure for her. Instead, she attends a school with a similar demographic and we put our time and money there.
Not all neighborhood schools can meet everyone's needs. It would be impossible. That is why we do need to have some magnet programs in addition to and not the detriment of the neighborhood programs.
I agree about charter schools. I love how they can say "we accept any student" but parents must volunteer a certain number of hours, attend certain meetings, etc. If that is not trying to hand pick the cream of the crop then I do not know what is.
Posted by: Sid Leader | Jul 12, 2007 2:01:26 PM
Brandon notes there were no comments on parents and their influence in school.
The proud families of PPS kids have done MORE than their share of talking, writing, listening and voting. The families know they are one leg in the three-leggged stool of education -- families, students, teachers.
And if money isn't an issue in school, why does Catlin Gabel in Portland charge $25,000 per year, per student, and their teachers do not even have to be certified -- although they are obviously very talented.
No one ever has an answer for that one. Brandon?
Posted by: raul | Jul 12, 2007 3:45:43 PM
Buckman res likes homeschooling? We homeschooled our daughter up to 2nd grade- and it wasn't any of that crazy taliban garbage, either. It just worked for us at the time.
We had to be careful, as their is a huge divide in the home school community- between families that are serious about academics and families that home school to keep their kids away from the gays and the commies.
Home schooling was a choice, but we didn't ask for public money to do it. Choices have consequences, right?
Many parents are very involved in their child's education, I would say a great majority of those that I have met and worked with. Your strawman won't stand up on its own.
We as parents have been advocating for a long time, we just weren't listened to. It is the top down approach that is failing us. Let's get rid of this position, and start giving schools and principals and teachers more say in the day to day running of things, not some friend of Bill Gates that sits in a big office with a view.
That is one staffing cut I can get behind. Oh, and 43k per years is crap money- and many have Masters Degrees.
Posted by: megs | Jul 12, 2007 3:47:27 PM
Karol, good points. I only argue on the Rosa Parks issue. Looks great, not teacher or kid friendly. I like to integrate art into my centers. You cannot do art in the classrooms at Rosa Parks. Obviously a problem.
Posted by: Karol | Jul 12, 2007 4:07:34 PM
Megs - how can one not participate in art in the classrooms. They looked full of light and had great long desks. You seem to know something about it, so more information would be appreciated.
Posted by: paul | Jul 12, 2007 5:10:10 PM
Dear Underpaid, an *average* salary is not the same thing as a *starting* salary. The "fat PERS pension" was significantly reduced in value a few years ago.
Posted by: Sid Leader | Jul 12, 2007 5:27:18 PM
Fact: You must have a Master's Degree to teach public school (not private) in the great state of Oregon.
Also, you must score one of the highest scores in the country on the Praxis test to teach in Oregon.
California's minimum Praxis score to get a teaching license is a fraction of what it takes to get a license in Oregon.
Our friends in the Golden State had to lower the bar after mandating 20 student classes in the primary grades.
Posted by: Garlynn -- undergroundscience.blogspot.com | Jul 12, 2007 5:44:02 PM
Yeah, joe? Magnet schools have been working in Portland for decades, and not just for the affluent. I went to a magnet school (MLC, in NW Portland) from 5th through 10th grades, and wouldn't have it any other way. The choice to leave your neighborhood school for another school should be available to all public school children. This actually levels the playing field for parents, who do not have to *purchase property in an affluent neighborhood* to send their children to a different school, where they will have different peers.
Your request sounds more like, "keep ghetto kids in the ghetto school with no possibility for escape." Nice work.
Posted by: Underpaid | Jul 12, 2007 5:53:17 PM
A masters is a basic requirement to teach K-12 in Oregon? Wow. I did not know that. Regarding California, my sister taught at the middle school level for years before earning her masters degree, at which point she soon went into administration. Never complained about her compensation either, but it was significantly greater than 43k plus benefits and the 3 months off deal.
A regular hourly working stiff like myself receives just shy of 3 weeks paid vacation a year, holidays, 401k and so-so medical benefits. I work hard and don't feel under compensated for what I do. However, I do feel overburdened by state & local government. When you're talking about jacking up teachers salaries, I know who'll pay for it- me.
Posted by: Terry | Jul 12, 2007 5:57:43 PM
Wonderful discussion, far superior to the district "survey", the feedback from which will undoubtedly be ignored anyway just as Vicki Phillips dismissed the howls of anger at her proposed reconfiguration of the Jefferson cluster.
Here's my suggestion: just call up Beaverton superintendent Jerry Collonna and see if he's available. He's local and he understands the importance of neighborhood schools. What more could we want in a superintendent?
Before I sign off, let me repeat what Joe Hill wrote:
"Common schools are supposed be engines of democracy and equality."
That's something we tend to forget in the debate over school choice.
Posted by: Himself | Jul 12, 2007 6:00:28 PM
Garlynn, I think what Joe is talking about is having good schools in all neighborhoods, removing the necessity of moving or transferring to have a good school experience for your children.
School choice benefits those who can afford to take advantage of it, and resegregates our schools. It in no way "levels the playing field for parents".
Posted by: megs | Jul 12, 2007 6:28:03 PM
Supposedly there is an art room, since they don't want those nice new carpets getting dirty with paint and such. Teachers are to sign up. Wouldn't work for me.
Posted by: megs | Jul 12, 2007 6:30:48 PM
and one more thing...."extremely bossy and have a "my way or the highway" attitude." That's an understatement. Can you say dictatorial? My favorite quote from the regime was "AND WE WILL BE CHECKING!" Meaning spying on you to make sure you are following orders.
Posted by: Jenni Simonis | Jul 12, 2007 7:07:31 PM
When it comes to teachers' salaries they are underpaid. Volunteer for a day in a classroom and you will wonder how they do it. For the record, a starting salary is closer to $35,000 a year, they need to have a master's degree and they get two months in the summer that they do not attend school (the rest of summer break is spent in trainings and other meetings)
Right. And don't forget that they don't get weeks of paid vacation like people in the private sector. Their time off is the summer. And they don't get paid for it. They just choose to take their 10 month salary and have it divided into 12 paychecks so that they still get a paycheck during the summer.
Those two months in the summer are often spent taking courses to keep their licenses valid, working on their education plans for the following year, etc. All on their own time and completely unpaid.
Posted by: Moe | Jul 12, 2007 10:00:41 PM
"Talk to Portland and we'll talk back."
Under the Phillips administration it seemed like decisions were made, then to make themselves look good PPS (Phillips) would ask for public input, which was then disregarded and the plan that was already in place was just rammed down our throats....school closures, curriculum adoptions, etc etc. Get a superintendent that serves the taxpayers, not the other way around.
Posted by: Steve Buel | Jul 12, 2007 10:40:24 PM
It would be nice to have a superintendent who understands that school is about learning not testing. Fat chance though of getting one of those in a major district. Matt Prophet was from the east and was the best superintendent we have had for the last 40 years. The difference was twofold. 1. He understood that decisions should be made based upon what is best for kids. He infused this throughout the district. This brought many outstanding educators to leadership positions who were both bright and nice people who cared about kids. Most are gone now, of course. 2. He understood that every kid in the district should be treated as equally important making his or her school equally important to every other school. The School Foundation and Stand for Children have pretty much made sure, by controlling the school board and picking the superintendent, that this is no longer true. Hence, we get those rotten, terrible middle schools in lower economic neighborhoods (the southeast and north Portland) and the school board and administration do nothing to turn them around because they are not a priority and they wouldn't have the faintest idea how to do it anyway. After all, they don't live in those neighborhoods, their kids don't go to those schools, they don't work in those neighborhoods, and their friends aren't in those neighborhoods. So why would those schools be a priority with them?
Posted by: Zarwen | Jul 12, 2007 11:12:48 PM
Anyone notice in yesterday's paper that the search has now "gone national"? We've all been down this road before, we know where it ends. Why can't the @#&*% School Board ever learn??????????
Posted by: Garrett | Jul 12, 2007 11:16:53 PM
I love all these people that think teachers are paid what they're worth. I only know about 6 of them directly and 1 that I'm an aquaintence with. 3 high school, 1 junior high and 3 elementary. All have masters degrees and wouldn't have jobs without them...3 from Lewis and Clark, 1 from Westminster, 1 from Pepperdine and 2 from U of P. They're student loans are worth 2 years of their total salary. Are you kidding me? They can't buy houses because of their student loans and they all had to fight for their jobs. Teaching is one of the most underpaid professions anywhere. Get over yourselves. Try working 9 months of the year, 12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week with a bunch of sniveling ungrateful little kids who won't understand what they're doing until 10 years later. Once you do that then tell me they don't deserve 2 months that are unpaid off.
Posted by: Eric J. | Jul 13, 2007 7:22:27 AM
Actually Garrett, we should cut administration salaries by 1/2 and re-distribute the now released money to the actual teachers.
As far as 'going national' - this is a shame. We will end up with someone who is not a native of Portland or the Pacific Northwest who will treat parents and teachers like Vicki treated them - with disdain and a 'I know what's best for these western hicks' attitude. Why can't we just stay within the State of Oregon? I say lets get a new school board as well as a new superintendent.
Posted by: fedup | Jul 13, 2007 7:49:33 AM
Disdain is right! And the attitude also was that nobody knew ANYTHING until phillips and her crew arrived. Keep this search local, get rid of Mincberg and the rest of the imports. Send them packing and lets take back our schools.
Posted by: Sarah C | Jul 13, 2007 8:22:11 AM
I would love to see the search stay local also. The problem is that a lot of local people who would make good candidates have already said no. This is a tough time to head PPS - enrollment is declining, funding is always in question, there are mandates to meet from the feds, etc. I think a lot of it comes back to the funding - as a state can we finally provide stable and adequate funding for our schools? Until then PPS may be looking at outsider using the district as a stepping stone to other things.
Posted by: DH | Jul 13, 2007 10:03:21 AM
" Cut administration pay in 1/2"
Cheap shot for a very complicated job that requires more hours than many know. I've never worked for an administrator that doesn't regularly put in 60 plus hours per week during the school year. I've had some that were great, some that were ok and a very small number that were short sighted in very tragic ways. That being said, let's not hijack the thread onto a seperate topic.
Steve,
I'm really interested in your disdain for the PSF and Stand, which has me really curious. Could you please email me and explain why ? I would really appreciate it.
Supt for a major public school system is a nearly impossible job. There are so many talented and passionate educators in Oregon and I just can't quite believe that no one from the state would be qualified and willing. Community building and trust are sorely lacking and should be a top priority. How refreshing would it be to have someone who actively challenged the negative aspects of NCLB/AYP, instead of grumbling, shrugging their shoulders and then foisting terrible practices upon students ? A leader that genuinely inspires their staff vs. dictatorial decisions . One who will have to make very tough decisions until enrollment stabilizes, funding becomes adequate and NCLB/AYP get major overhauls.
Posted by: Wacky Mommy | Jul 13, 2007 11:20:28 AM
Teachers deserve $80,000 a year for all the nonsense they put up with.
Keep neighborhood schools strong.
Charter schools are frickin' union-busters.
And don't give me any of this, "I drive my kid across town because I CARE," and "If YOU CARED you would do the same!" etc. No more of this parents being pitted against each other crap. We need to support each other, and not be all, "Look how smart I am! I moved across the street from Buckman! Don't you wish you were smart? We have money and GOOD parents at OUR school, nyah, nyah," (Kip and Colleen Richardson, Oregonian Sunday Homes article.)
I want to stay in the neighborhood. I want my kids to know their neighbors. This is my hometown (Madison High, class of '82), but we are still considering a move to the Midwest because all of this gives me a raging headache.
(And what the hell? "...make sure you are there at her 6th grade graduation with her copy of Forever."??? So she can learn how to lose her virginity at... 13? Just sayin'.)
Posted by: Dave Porter | Jul 13, 2007 11:51:58 AM
To the new superintendent:
Please come prepared to have a conversation with the Portland community about the future, what its shape and charactistics will be, what skills today's students will need to proper and survive, and how to give them those skills. I think world is rapidly changing. The world our children will live in will be very different from today’s world. Just getting test score up for all will not be enough. Asia, especially China and India, will be vastly more important in their lives than ours. The world will continue to feel much, much smaller. I think foreign languages, especially Mandarin, will become much more need skills. And foreign languages are best learned starting as young as possible, by immersion and by spending time in a country/culture that speak the language. So how to get more foreign language immersion programs in a school district that values neighborhood schools will be a big challenge. And finding a way to send many more, but hardly all, students to study abroad as part of their high school program will be an even bigger challenge. Just be prepared for this discussion.
Posted by: paul | Jul 13, 2007 12:02:43 PM
Dear Superintendent,
Be ready to deal with parochial attitudes and a culture of mediocrity. Everyone wants input and consensus, which most leaders recognize is a recipe for the status quo. Tough decisions will have to be made and some parents will have to be alienated. It's essential for the long term health of the district.
Posted by: karol | Jul 13, 2007 12:07:21 PM
wackymommy - thanks for your points. I do think many teens can read "Forever" and not immediately want to have sex. I read Blubber about 100 times and never once collected money for UNICEF.
Posted by: megs | Jul 13, 2007 12:39:14 PM
Karol, you are funny. loved the unicef comment. Paul, you're not funny. Tough decisions....do you mean charging ahead without forethought? Do you mean my way or the highway? Closing schools for no apparently good reason? Then wanting to pass a bond measure to build some more? The list goes on and on. Yeah, those are tough decisions. I'm sure VP wasted a lot of sleep over all of them.(not) But not much sleep was lost over alienating parents, teachers or administrators. And personally, I guess I am just pathologically anti-authoritarian. Last time I looked, America was still a democracy, and those are my tax dollars she's wasted.
Posted by: Dickey47 | Jul 13, 2007 1:10:54 PM
megs: I've seen an anti-authoritarian school - Sprague High School in the late 70's. I suspect their graduation rate was very low as neither my brother or sister graduated. They actually had a policy of not questioning students if they didn't attend - "they may be having a bad day and can make decisions for themselves." I went in the 80s and it was a different school. There were expectations. Parents got calls if students skipped school. Teachers taught directly, not this "get into a group and discuss amongst yourselves" methodology known as constructivism. Elementary students actually learned their basic math facts. And there was some sort of basic expectation of discipline in the classroom using basic behavioral principles. Today, students are not taught math facts (hopefully they learn them at home, where schooling is supposed to take place?), there is a huge lack of discipline in the classroom (30% of teachers quit by year 5), and future teachers are not given the basics of behavioral principles.
That said, I really wish they would limit their search for PPS Superintendent locally.
Posted by: megs | Jul 13, 2007 1:26:39 PM
Sorry your experience was so lousy. My own kids went to an alternative project based school where they were taught to think critically and question. One ended up earning herself a full ride scholarhip. The other did just fine, too. So what it boils down to is, would you like to sit in a classroom where your opinion is valued or in a classroom where you are told to sit down and shut up and follow orders no matter what? The latter values do not lead to a very healthy level of citizenship in my mind. So extrapolate that to the superintendent issue at hand if you wish.
On the issue of behavior in classrooms, there are many mentally and emotionally ill children in PPS classrooms with little or no support. And perhaps you should do some reading on the existing special ed laws and what that means for classrooms who operate under the inclusion model. There are families with major dysfunctions who send their kids into the classroom daily. There are drugs and alcohol and gangs and......need I go on? I wonder why there are behavior problems in schools? Well...I could go on forever. But I won't.
Posted by: Zarwen | Jul 13, 2007 1:38:08 PM
Paul wrote, "Tough decisions will have to be made and some parents will have to be alienated. It's essential for the long term health of the district."
Does anyone besides me think that "parents will have to be alienated . . . for the long term health of the district" sounds like an oxymoron?
Paul, we've been hearing this since 2004. I can't say I understand how any of the "tough decisions" VP made (with the help of the school board) have contributed to the "long term health of the district" in any way. I'm with Megs--just a big waste of my tax $ so VP could get a higher-paying, more prestigious job in the private sector. This is why we don't need any more @#$% national searches!
Eric, those of us who campaigned for Ruth and Michele WERE trying to get a new school board! Unfortunately, the Fourth Estate (with the exception of the conscientious souls at the Mercury) was willing to support only one of these fine ladies, and we all know the rest of the story.
Posted by: Eric J. | Jul 13, 2007 1:46:23 PM
"Tough decisions will have to be made and some parents will have to be alienated. It's essential for the long term health of the district."
If that's not ubiquitous propaganda, I don't know what is.
Posted by: Karol | Jul 13, 2007 1:47:41 PM
Thanks Megs, I did know if that was too weird...
So you all know, PPS has a Zoomerang survey for public opinion.
http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey.zgi?p=WEB226LQ6NAXBP
Posted by: Ruth Adkins | Jul 13, 2007 3:25:41 PM
Hi all,
Great post Karol, and thanks everyone for your comments. Just to clarify--the search is local *and* national. It is not an either/or situation. We don't want to limit ourselves or overlook any potential candidates. We want to end up with a person who is the best possible fit for Portland, knowing that we have looked everywhere. The broader the search, the stronger our assurance moving forward that whoever we end up with is the best possible choice for this school district and city.
The feedback we got from the public meetings held in N, NE, SE, SW, and downtown (which as a longtime critic of PPS outreach, I thought were quite good in that they allowed informal, two-way conversation between members of the public and the board) was strikingly consistent.
What I heard at those public meetings in May/June (and am hearing in the additional meetings being held with teachers, community groups, electeds, and others) is that this community wants a superintendent who "gets" Portland (whether from being local or from experience in similar communities, plus willingness to listen + learn), who truly embraces community collaboration, who values and works supportively with our principals and teachers, who is able to lead an honest and open discussion (and take action) on the race and class disparities in our schools, and who looks beyond standardized test scores to educating the whole child.
If you have a candidate you would like to suggest, please send their name to the search firm helping us,
info@proactsearchinc.com. The application deadline is August 10.
You can take the online survey, or simply send in your thoughts on qualities you are looking for in a superintendent by emailing: PPSsuperrecruit@nwlink.com We are currently working on a draft "criteria" document describing the qualities we are looking for that is directly based on the input received, which the board will use to craft our interview questions. This public input really does matter, so thanks for speaking up!
Thank you, everyone, for your passion and support for our public schools.
-Ruth Adkins
Posted by: megs | Jul 13, 2007 3:36:55 PM
Thanks Ruth, for the info. Hopefully the rest of the school board has been hearing things the same way have. And hopefully, for a change, it will matter.
Posted by: megs | Jul 13, 2007 3:38:11 PM
sorry...should say 'same way you have....' Wish I could edit after I post.
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Posted by: hakan | Jul 12, 2007 9:37:19 AM
Pamela: A huge cinnamon role coated with frosting is not a good breakfast for our kids who rely on the free lunch/breakfast program. Seriously, would you eat a huge cinnamon role with frosting everyday for breakfast? Sure, the ups and downs associated with a sugar high make it difficult to learn but let’s also recognize the crippling epidemic of preadolescent man boobs.