Get Schooled

By jim d

January 9, 2008 9:53 AM | Link to this

Bad luck? hmmm?

Are you certain it might not be considered Good luck? I’m not sure that having one person in control for a decade has really helped Gwinnett. To the contrary, I believe it narrows the vision to that of just one person when it comes to improving the system. So you tell me is that a good thing?

By WFC

January 9, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this

If you want to understand why supers bail on Fulton county, simply watch the Fulton county Board of Education meetings broadcast on Comcast’s education channel. I wouldn’t work for Katie Reeves if the salary were $10,000,000 per year. Bob Burke would, though. Go for it!

By MannyT

January 9, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this

While I prefer that leadership change over time to bring in fresh ideas and perspectives, this is a bit too frequent.

Most places I have worked as well as schools I have seen, go through an adjustment/getting to know you period while people try to figure out how to work with a new leader or boss. When the change happens this frequently at a high level, it does slow momentum.

As a fulton parent, I hope the board can step up and make a good choice that will be around for 5-8 years.

On another note from your article—how do you get a B- overall grade when you grade the learning achievement at a D+? Seems like grade inflation is everywhere.

By catlady

January 9, 2008 10:38 AM | Link to this

how do you get a B- overall grade when you grade the learning achievement at a D+?

The answer to this explains why children can “pass” the CRCT and still have below-level skills. It explains why we can have “A” level “standards” but when our students are compared nationally, we are near the bottom of the heap.

Think about it.

By Lee

January 9, 2008 11:12 AM | Link to this

Here’s a question someone needs to ask the Fulton BOE:

Do you have a succession plan for the Superintendent’s position? If no, why not?

Look at the model used by most Fortune 500 companies. They have a succession plan for their CEO and other key employees. The CEO leaves the company and they already have the press releases ready to go announcing the new CEO. Heck, that’s one of the due diligence questions the large accounting firms ask their clients.

Why the revolving door at Fulton? Well, if you hire from out of state / out of system, dont be surprised to find out that they are using you as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

Or, another way to look at it, if you do not have enough confidence to promote one of the Asst Super’s into the Super position, why are you retaining them?

By Lee

January 9, 2008 11:53 AM | Link to this

Oh, one caveat for the above post, if your school board is dysfunctional and your central office is rotten to the core (Clayton County perhaps?), you may find yourself in a position of having to hire a white knight (some may refer to them as hatchet men) to ride in and save the system.

Once they are done, however, they usually ride off into the sunset as well.

By V for Vendetta

January 9, 2008 12:59 PM | Link to this

Pros and cons, pros and cons …

As JimD said, having absolute control for a decade has proved problematic in one system; however a revolving door doesn’t particularly seem like a good solution either.

As Lee said: perhaps the succession system needs to be reevaluated. It seems both sides of the coin need a good solid overhaul.

By Northview Teacher

January 9, 2008 1:13 PM | Link to this

Who would want to work with Ashley Widener? If you watch her on TV or look at her horrible website (look under Windener and Associates), you will quickly find out that she is not only incompetent and unqualified to make ANY educational decision, but she is a blind right-winger. They used to call the Ashley Wideners of the world “stealth candidates,” i.e., those who try to hide their desire to destrot public education. Now they just call themselves Republicans—and everybody understands that they are trying to destroy public education.

James Wilson always seemed to me to be a decent man and I bet that dealing with out dumba** school board wore him down. I also wouldn’t work with Katie Reeves for $10 million a year, and I would not work with Ashley “the thug repub” Widener for unlimited salary.

It sure is a good thing we have kiss ups like Bob Burke and synchophants like Randi Nagle to tell Ashley and Katie what a good job they’re doing.

Fulton county schools are on the decline.

By Tony

January 9, 2008 5:53 PM | Link to this

The average tenure of superintendents for Georgia school systems has been reported to be 2.5 years or slightly less. The political climates of school boards seems to account for this more than anything else. Some board members are elected because of the “axe-grinding” issue they choose.

I have seen cases where the best thing was to buy out the remaining contract and I have seen excellent leadership pushed out. Political systems almost always push towards mediocrity because of all the compromises.

In these cases it is the children who lose out because leadership with vision and purpose often gets excluded from the superintendency. Leaders make wavesand political systems can not tolerate that.

By marc

January 10, 2008 12:44 AM | Link to this

All school board micro-manage to an extent. Even good ole Fulton County, but you won’t hear Mark Elgart, the SACS Czar, even say one peep about Fulton County’s micromanaging — after all, he lives in Alpharetta, and he might be mobbed in the Publix’s produce section if he put the Fulton County Schools on probation. Heck, he’s got Clayton County for this. Clayton County is Mark Elgart’s whipping child.

By WFC

January 10, 2008 7:10 AM | Link to this

Northview teacher: you are my hero! Hit the nail on the head. The Fulton County school board is full of politically ambitious women whose husbands’ bring in enough money to subsidize their “stepping stone” careers. Widener is almost as bad as Reeves. Bryant is the only one whom I have the slightest respect for.

By Northview Teacher

January 10, 2008 8:54 AM | Link to this

We miss you WFC! You should blog about your experience at Northview sometime.

By Silvina de San Telmo

January 10, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this

Very interesting blog. And design is nice. I’m a teacher too. Best wishes from Buenos Aires. Silvina. Spanish Teacher. Argentina.

By Bridget Gutierrez

January 10, 2008 1:27 PM | Link to this

Hi, Silvina. Thanks for stopping by. You just might be our first international reader.