You've heard by now IPS is going to make $26 million in cuts. The Board says it wants to stay away from the classroom, so let's help them out. Suggestions, please; and be specific.
Why does IPS not start with the administrators who do nothing more than walk around looking for dust and measuring the size of the grass.
They can then consolidate the work load back on Dr. White (like other superintendents) and get rid of some of the Asst. Superintendents they have hired to do his job since busting up the responsibilities.
Take back the coaches salary increase. Go back to the level they were given for years.
Get rid of the football coaching positions being transfered to the other schools (or as my school would hope move them back and let football go on).
Stop all out of state travel to conferences.
Seriously look at reducing the perks for such as car allowance, travel allowance, gas, etc. for Dr. White. With that salary he does not need help.
Just some quick thoughts this TUE morning before heading in
Do we seriously need all these 400-700 student building open? When their capacities were built for much larger (some over 2,000 if you look at enrollments of the past). Why not consolidate some of the schools (maybe make the programs magnet at the schools they are in) and shutter some buildings.
Donnan and Gambold should be consolidated into Manual and Northwest. Those buildings could absorb the students at the capacity they currently hold. We are not going to have true high schools anyway except Tech once Dr. White is finished. So, why not do it now. The resources and curriculum could be aligned together and raise scores for those schools (hopefully).
Kay Kelley made note of the duck and/or goose fecal matter on the football field at Broad Ripple and wrote that this situation was a health issue that Broad Ripple needed to address. I suppose she was 'walking around' when she made this significant educational discovery. The IPS Board will need to form a committee to devise a new and improved flight pattern for the ducks/geese passing over the Broad Ripple area.
Thanks to our Ed Center Compliance Monitors, who earn more than $100K each, our students are now safe from stepping in poop on the athletic fields.
Too many buildings ...too many administrators...too many friends and family of Eugene White on the payroll.....and a school board that is spineless and afraid of Eugene White....result= financial diaster.
Indianapolis Public Schools. From the news coverage, White says... To close a $26 million budget gap, IPS could cut more than 250 positions from the general fund. But some of the people holding those jobs would continue to be paid from different funds, including special education. What does this really mean? He's being so vague as usual, hoping to fly it by without any scrutiny.
Sounds like supplanting of funds, to me. If a general ed person is paid from IDEA (special education) funds, then the Feds will pay us a visit really soon.
All that needs to be done, is change the title of the administrator, possibly to Chief Executive Administrative Superintendent of Special Educational Funding Programs
I think many administrative, clerical, and custodial duties could be piecemealed out to staff who volunteer to take on extra duties for extra money. It would be more efficent, help prevent overlap of duties and having so many high-paid administrative positions, extra benefits, tax contributions, etc.
I think the same thing with teachers voluntarily taking on more students. Some teachers are very good at effectively teaching large classrooms. That's an asset to cash-strapped districts and should be financially rewarded. Would the union prevent that? Extra pay to teachers who to teach larger classrooms?
The compliance monitor at our school wrote that there were unflushed urinals in the boys rest room. The solution, I guess, would be to hire rest room monitors or assign teachers to go into the bathrooms and flush the urinals. This write up comes from someone making well over $100,000 a year.
The answer to this blog question is to find ALL of the fat and cut it out without affecting the classroom. Here are some of my (not a teacher but a taxpayer) ideas. Others have had good ideas here as well.
1. Cut the superintendent's contract by $100,000 and reduce benefits for that position. 2. Have only ONE assistant supt. who is paid $100,000 and send the rest out to the schools with lesser pay. 3. Eliminate all jobs in the administration building that are not absolutely necessary to the functioning of the educational process. Could this be 30-40-50 percent or more? Try to do this not by immediate layoff (most of these people have families to support), but by attrition. 4. Get rid of all of the public relations machinery. The supt. himself should speak to the media when necessary and press releases, website work, etc., could be outsourced to Indianapolis area freelancers who would do it for thousands less. 5. Consolidate high schools that are shrinking in size. 6. Eliminate all taxpayer-paid travel outside of Indianapolis by all IPS employees - except in very rare circumstances where a very practical need for such travel is proven (for someone to buy some reduced-priced janitorial equipment in Evansville, for example). 7. Sell the downtown administration building and set up shop in a smaller, already-closed school building. If the cuts are made of unnecessary administrators, such a big building downtown would not be needed. 8. Make a demonstrated effort to save money in ALL expeditures. I read that many IPS kids are given new Mac laptops, which are tremendously expensive, for example. Why can't used laptops be purchased instead for a fraction of the cost of a new Mac? 9. Eliminate these "Compliance Monitors" I read about. That's what building principals are for.
IPS has been operating like the national government for way too long - spending taxpayer money like 'drunken sailors."
It is long past time for true financial accountability for every dollar that is spent by IPS.
We have to do that in our own family budgets, so why can't the IPS administration do the same?
1. Eliminate all compliance monitors and directors. 2. Get rid of all the coaches--trust teachers to use their brains. 3. Sadly, rid the district of parent liasions. Either parents will or they won't be supportive. 4.Cut all the afterschool tutoring programs that are drainng the system dry. Where is the data they are helpful? 5. Combine Manual with Donnan; Northwest with Gambold. Close and sell John Marshall and School #48. Offer Cold Spring to Marion College. 6. Cut down on field trips and out-of-town travel.
students get laptops, administrators get 100k+ salaries, and teachers need to take their own printer paper and pencils to school to use to teach, and get scolded if they are a minute late, and are told they are the reason for not making AYP - sounds fair to me - am i missing something here? You couldn't find a better setup than that in the corporate world!
Get inside and you will find that IPS has an enormous racism problem which contributes to the financial woes. Many feel entitled to their do-nothing, highly paid, imaginary jobs, and often while being unqualified for the real titles. This is more true in the Educational Services building downtown than anywhere else.
The entire IPS school system is beyond hope. The system needs to be completely taken over by the state and rebuilt from the ground up. As it is today, IPS could be given triple the funding and it would still be a poor performing system.
I heard a that some teachers were told by their principal to plan on bringing their own toilet paper, soap, and paper towels next year. He wasn't going to budget for those items for the staff.
I used to really believe that IPS was worth saving. That if it just had the right resources, it could be a beacon of hope for the city. But I slowly grew more cynical and after reading this blog for the last several months, I'm sure of it now. It's too top-heavy. The administration is hostile to teachers. Teachers are hostile to parents and students. Students and parents are hostile to teachers and administration. There is no trust. There is no respect. There is no cooperation. It's a failure. A very big, very expensive failure. Break it down into charters and/or piece it out to the townships.
Well, well, guess what? things are geting better at coleman. My the blog does wonders. STAFF ARE TRYING to be on time. buuuuuuut they are pissed now their business is on the blog. But the wrong people are geting blamed for the coleman business. what are the duties of the police officers? pick on certain staff. call check on people. which is none of school police business. make sure police are clean before they start checking on staff.is your back ground clean ??? because one officer doesnt want her business on the blog. so back off. I love how the person in charge starts the threats with the staff.
We need compliance monitors. Until we had compliance monitors every one of the many principals at our school ignored obvious problems that teachers had been complaining about for years such as hordes of students openly cutting class. Heck, the favorite spot to cut class was on the steps of the administration building! HOWEVER, this is something parent volunteers can be trained to do. The idea of paying someone 100k per year to go around and do a job that basically anyone can do is absolutely mind boggling!
re: "Get inside and you will find that IPS has an enormous racism problem which contributes to the financial woes. Many feel entitled to their do-nothing, highly paid, imaginary jobs, and often while being unqualified for the real titles."
I know what you're talking about. I can think of a particular 50-something male teacher who used to be an administrator but was demoted to the classroom(which means he was REALLY bad). Now he just pimp walks all over the building, high-fiving students, never where's he supposed to be, never turns in plans, etc. The principal won't do anything because this teacher is protected by the principal's supervisors.
If IPS would talk to parents and teachers they would know these things without anyone else having to be involved. With the new "top down" system teachers and other underlings are not allowed to talk to anyone about anything except the school principal. That decision really cut down the line of communication. I guess they don't want to be bothered downtown. Too busy.
"A very big, very expensive failure. Break it down into charters and/or piece it out to the townships"
Hon, things aren't so rosey on the charter side. We charter teachers can't wait to bolt to a better paying township job where we don't have to kiss the student's behind because we don't want them leaving and hurting our enrollment. Education costs money. The only thing that saves our charter school money is we get paid far less than all of you who complain. I've even had a friend who was OWED a check the last few weeks at his charter school and was not paid because the school said they were "closing" and ran out of money. They didn't and he never got paid. Better hope you don't work for the state OR turn into a charter. You don't know how good you have it other than working in a township situation.
We need compliance monitors because principals aren't doing their job? That's idiotic! Whoever the principal's normally answer to should be the one's doing the monitoring. So I guess they're not doing their job either. When do we start getting monitors for the monitors?
Hey "hon" you're obviously a fake. Charter schools are public schools so there is as much chance of never getting paid by a charter as there is by IPS -- virtually impossible. Also, most charter schools pay HIGHER than IPS scale for almost all of their teachers. And while some do move to the townships, I have never met a single charter teacher who didn't prefer charters to anything IPS has to offer. It's not that I think charters are "so rosey" but they actually try to please teachers, parents and students. IPS does not or can not. If parents, teachers, and students are all unhappy with IPS, what do YOU suggest as a solution?
I what is the deal with Broad Ripple? Seems like two students were caught dealing drugs, Linda girl you need to get out of the office and walk the school instead of just sitting in your office eating.
The goal of the cuts will be to keep as many classroom teachers in place, White said, and not increase the number of students in classrooms.
“We have made every effort to maintain the class sizes we set for this particular school year,” White said. “We think this (plan) will satisfy the need.”
Some cuts would affect budgets for extracurricular activities and music and art programs. The district plans to save money by having music and art at kindergarten and first grade taught by classroom teachers rather than specialists. Arts instruction at other grades would continue as it has in the past.
And $835,000 will be cut from the athletics budget, but most of that is money that has been allocated each year to pay for sports no one has signed up to play and has therefore not been spent.
The planned cuts would eliminate two assistant superintendent positions and 13 jobs in the curriculum office. Other central office cuts include $205,899 from the business office, $666,000 from the technology office, $201,000 from the human resources office and an unspecified $250,000, according to a list provided by the district.
I know there are still "extras" downtown but you have to give administration some credit for a good start to trimming the budget. I also read the Deputy Superintendent will be eliminated.
Twenty school police officers will be cut and the deputy superintendent position would be eliminated, along with 29 positions in that office. The superintendent says the changes should not affect student-teacher ratios.
Respect is the biggest factor in the success or failure of IPS. Students should not be allowed to disrespect adults, any adults in the building. Yet the administration is too busy high fiving and putting them in headlocks to nougie their heads to do anything about it. I guess as long as they aren't fighting every thing's fine huh? Dr. White talks a good game. Too bad it's not followed through. As with most things in IPS good idea, poor execution.
a few posts up, you don't need the star if you work for ips. we all got a power point today telling us how we will be fucked over. it came complete with cute little pie graphs. anyone up for watching the Ed Center parking garage to see if their will be any fewer $60k+ cars lurking around? i have my doubts.
Parents and teachers must work as a cohesive group. Parents cannot have their livelihoods jeopardized for speaking the truth and teachers know how the system works. Together they are formidable.
The books must be opened. With the financial sacrifices ahead it is time for details to be revealed not concealed.
Focus Area One of The Board Action Plan calls for a revision of the make-up and organization of the "site base school leadership teams". Presumably this is the SBDM. The IEA, the Principals and the School Board will create the new rules and guidelines. The parents? No mention of the parents. None.
I imagine some administrators will read this and label me a "racist," but I am absolutely not a racist in any way, shape, or form.
However, as an interested observer of IPS goings-on for many years (not an IPS employee), I have come to feel that the "racial agenda" may be more important to the school board and administration than the education agenda.
There are principals and others in important roles in IPS who write and speak in terms that would flunk out a college freshman. Some literally butcher the English language so badly that it makes me cringe. And these are the people who are supposed to be educating the kids? But some/many apparently keep their positions because of this unstated racial agenda.
There is a history of this going back to the 1960s nationally when school corporations in predominately African-America inner city areas would push "Afrocentrism" to the point of trying to fire anyone who didn't fully embrace that agenda. This was the case in one New York inner-city district where a large number of Jewish teachers were driven from their teaching jobs.
The Star and other Indianapolis media won't touch this topic, for fear of being called racist. But it appears to me to be a major factor in many of the problems in IPS.
So, who does this racial agenda hurt most in IPS? The kids, who are mostly minority students and largely African-American. Keeping them from a quality education is the most "racist" agenda I can think of.
It is well known that there are principal(s) who feel that the students cannot be properly educated by caucasion teachers. In order to receive the proper education, they must be instructed by someone of their own race. How is that for a racist agenda?
As someone who DOES teach at IPS, and I can assure you that racism is disturbingly common. But it isn't "Afrocentrism." It's plain old white-on-black, bow-to-our-superiority type of racism. What's sad is I think you really, truly believe you are not a racist. If you speak English-book grammar 100% of the time, then kudos to you. But most people don't. Most people speak relaxed "versions" of English in their everyday speaking, and those versions will vary depending on your culture, age, and geography. I end sentences with prepositions, use "ain't" and double negatives (like "There ain't no way you'd get me to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.") I use slang and cultural references that might confuse other people. But nobody tries to change that. Because my kind of language-butchering is considered "American." But it's no more American than the thousands of other versions of English spoken all across the U.S. I guarantee you if you record a friendly conversation at IPS between a principal and a student and then record a conversation between a principal and student at a rural, all-white school like Shelbyville or Martinsville, and then had an English Major count the errors in both conversations, they would be very comparable. So my point is, when schools choose a less qualified African-American over a more-qualified White person, that's wrong. But I don't think that's what they're doing most of the time. They're hiring people who have more experience with urban communities and respect for the people who make up those communities. Which they SHOULD do. (By the way, you are no different in that you speak the way your generation, geography, and culture(obviously senior citizen, obviously white, obviously raised in the suburban Midwest, obviously didn't go to college). I know you won't admit I'm right on this board, but we both know I'm right. So cut other cultures some slack.
It is NOT well known at all. I've worked in IPS for almost 20 years, and I've only heard that accusation on this blog. The issue is cultural sensitivity, not race. If a teacher thinks students and parents in IPS are worthy of respect only if they try really hard to talk and act like students and parents in Carmel, that teacher is not going to get support from students and parents. So its better if they try to find teachers who are not hostile to urban populations and urban cultures. If you're not a teacher, you aren't familiar with the volumes and volumes of research on this topic, but it puts already disadvantaged students at an even bigger disadvantage when teachers see their own culture as superior to the students' culture.
To people who want the Star and local TV stations to print gossip, you all need to learn more about how journalism works. You can't just print things without sources and proof and facts. You don't print racist nonsense even if a significant portion of your readership is racist. You publish fact. A fact is "so-and-so has filed a racial discrimination suit against IPS, alleging he/she was passed over for hire, despite being better qualified, based on race." Or even, "this person from this organization reports a trend in IPS..." I guarantee if such facts existed, Indy media would print it. Printing "it is sometimes said by anonymous sources that IPS hires based on race but we have no confirmed reports" is gossip. No legitimate media source can report things like that.
I saw an interview on the news last night. The principal of Carmel High School was interviewed about the coverup of the bullying incident that happened on one of their activity buses. The grammar errors made by the Carmel principal were too numerous to count. I wonder if he was trying to relate or if his English skills are that weak.
"obviously raised in the suburban Midwest, obviously didn't go to college)." +++++++++++++++
Well, a lot of false conclusions are being made about my previous post. 1. I am absolutely, positively, NOT racist in any way, shape or form. So to imply this is an absolute falsehood.
I am a Christian and the Bible I believe in says that God created ALL human beings in His image and that God is "no respecter of persons."
I love racial diversity and I look at people of different colors, races, and cultures as being like various kinds of beautiful flowers in God's garden.
As I stated in my previous post, my concern is for the predominately African-American children attending school in IPS. So how does this reflect "racism" on my part (I think your implication was that I am subconsciously racist)?
I did NOT grow up in the suburban Midwest. I grew up in a very poor neighborhood where half of my best friends were African-American. Thank God, we never had any interest in focusing on our racial differences, one way or another. We just loved each other and enjoyed each other.
Last, but not least. You say I didn't go to college. I have an earned Ph.D. and not from one of these so-called "diploma mills" I read about.
Sounds if you were stereotyping ME with your generalizations and presumptions. God bless you nonetheless.
As to the other comment about the news media, etc. I observe that The Star and others do not do the "legwork" necessary to do much in-depth, interpretive reporting. One example: all of these hundreds of exorbitant administrative salaries in IPS....
Why do I learn about them here and not on the front page of The Star or on the nightly news? These salaries and benefits are the "facts" you mention and not "accusations."
"I did NOT grow up in the suburban Midwest. I grew up in a very poor neighborhood where half of my best friends were African-American. Thank God, we never had any interest in focusing on our racial differences, one way or another. We just loved each other and enjoyed each other."
This reminds me of homophobes who think homosexuality is a sin and don't want gay people to marry but swear they have lots of best friends who are gay.
Well, I made those posts that these people are referring to.
They are obviously just seeing me as a convenient "target"to aim their demeaning derision at no matter what I say or explain - not even attempting to try to understand the philosophical nuances of my points. So I will just bow out of this conversation and check in from time to time to see what others are writing about.
And, you can "LOL" (or laugh internally) all you want, but I do have an earned Ph.D. hanging on my wall that I did not receive from IWU. I anticipated that one would be coming at me and I anticipated correctly.
Reporting salaries isn't news unless it's higher or lower than other schools. That's why they did the article on the superintendents in various school districts, but have not reported on every position. It sounds like you WANT them to approach news with a biased agenda. Obviously most respectable news sources wouldn't do that. (If you'd actually gone to even a semester of college, you would know that too, because you would have failed your first writing assignment if you tried to write on a topic without critically evaluating credible sources to support your position.)
And I'm afraid you've earned more than one critic. I'm the one who accused you of being racist and stereotyped you as a midwestern senior citizen, and I posted above about salaries and journalism. Other people posted the other posts.
You can't post racially charged statements on a blog that discusses an urban school district and not expect a great deal of criticism. Certainly, you realize that most of the people who come to this blog are going to disagree with you.
Well, I said I wouldn't post again but I lied. This is the last one and from now on I will just read from time to time.
I am the person who has a Ph.D. who according to my critics here say I don't have a Ph.D. (smile).
The last several posts of people calling me a racist, homophobe, etc. got me to doing some reflection and prayer.
I'll make this short and sweet: I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by what I wrote.
I have many black friends who I love and who love me and they frequently tell me what it is like to be black in Indianapolis and Indiana.
They get watched every time they go into stores; stopped by police because they are driving a nice car; treated like second-class citizens in many ways. I remember hearing the story of one black female teacher whose car broke down on the south side of Indianapolis and the racist gas station people would not even help her get back on the road.
So, and I mean this sincerely, please forgive me if you are African/American and my comments have been hurtful to you. I should have done more introspection before I posted those remarks.
God bless you all - red, yellow, black, white, etc. "Be they yellow, black or white, they are precious in His sight."
I just worry so much about the black children in Indianapolis and want so much for them to have great opportunities in life that their ancestors were denied due to racism.
I will just shut up now. I hope you who have posted here in criticism of me will not hold animosity towards me for what I wrote previously. God bless you all.
Do you always attempt to force your religion on people also? Why do you find it necessary to constantly refer to your religion? Isn't it a private and personal relationship that people have with their version of a Supreme Being and why do you inject yours into blog discussions?
It is a shame when someone is so easily offended by a "God Bless You" statement. To the poster above, God bless you in your journey through this time of your life. I don't feel offended when someone says "Good Luck" to me although I certainly do not believe in Fate; so why should someone who does believe as I do be offended by a sincere "God bless you". I fear the time is coming when we will be "religionphobic" and will interpret every reference to faith as intrusive. I believe that you sincerely care for the children of IPS and hope that you will continue to walk in faith through this difficult time.
You seem to have overlooked your declarations of Christianity and your references to the scriptures. There were several God Bless You. All I am saying is that you spend a lot of time saying how you respect diversity but you seem to impose your own religion on everything without regard to the diversity of religions we have in this country.
The post you are referring to was written to encourage the person with the tumor - the God Bless statements were not made by him/her this time.
However, you are certainly free to "impose" your own religion in sharing your comments because we live in a country where we have that freedom. When we come to the time when it is illegal to openly talk about one's religion, respect for diversity will not be an issue. We all see things through our own "filters" whether it be cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious, etc. and to share that in the context of how we arrive at a conclusion is for clarification, not for proselytizing (sorry...can't spell that word right now)
How can referring to one's religion be synonymous with imposing it? By definition, to impose something is to establish or apply it as compulsory. No one is forcing you to accept Christianity as your religion. If you are offended by a few "God bless yous," then you need to grow a thicker skin.
It is the repeated reference to it that gives the impression that the writer is trying to impose his/her religious beliefs. Isn't religion a personal issue? We also live in a country where we are free to choose our own religion and not have one imposed on us by the government or other people. Simply make your point without trying to prop it up with religious statements. We are not discussing religion here.
Good grief people, lighten up. No one was trying to "impose" anything. It makes me nervous that some of these posts are written by individuals who work with children. Relax a little!
Romans 1:22-23 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
I may have grammatical errors in my speech, but I USE VERBS.....
As a white male teaching in an IPS elementary school, I can tell you that respect is almost non existent. A kindergarten student pointed at me today, and said "you can't tell me what to do; I'm in charge here" (not kidding)...
and maybe some of it is cultural. Ever been to a movie on 38th street? can't hear the dialouge for the conversations in the audience. so why would we expect their children to shut up when we teach?
I am literally mouth-agape at your bigotry. I hope beyond hope you don't actually work with urban kids, or any kids for that matter. Little kids say smart-mouth things all the time. Red yellow black and white. Sometimes they get it from parents. Sometimes siblings or friends. Sometimes classmates. Sometimes they mean it different than how it comes across or will misunderstand something told to them. I assure you it is not part of any race or culture to raise disobedient children. And yes, some cultures talk back to the movie (or talk back at church). Some don't. What kind of ignorant, ill-bred moron do you have to be to think you are in a place to pass judgment on anyone who doesn't act or talk like you do. Who the hell are you? I don't go to the Indy 500 because I don't like the drunk rednecks there. But I don't build entire racial stereotypes about the culture of white parenting based on that.
Many children of all colors and backgrounds are being taught civil disobedience by parents that are self-serving. The idea of "for the greater good" is becoming extinct
"For the greater good" is a communist slogan. We live in a democracy. Our country recognizes individuality and personal freedoms and respects the various cultures that make up this nation. We tried a socialized school model for the last 50 years or so, and obviously it failed miserably. You are a perfect example of why. These children have a right to be treated with the same respect and dignity with which teachers want to be treated. You are why I won't send my kids to school in IPS, even though I teach here. Too many treat children like cattle and then look down their smug noses when kids resent it. Of course kids resent it. And of course adults resent it when you act like it's their parenting and not your own incompetence that is causing the problems. You are the problem. Not the kids. Not the parents. You. Whether you're a teacher, or juts a troll who spouts off bigoted nonsense, you and people who think like you are the biggest problem with urban schools.) --- Signed an IPS teacher who gives her students as much respect as she asks for (and receives it.)
I'm sure you think its cute to spend your God-given days spreading hate and ugliness. And its a free country. But the next time you sit at your computer preparing to start your work spreading the message of Satan, it might not be a bad idea to stop a second and think if that is really the mark you want to leave on the world today. Is there no better way to spend your energy?
I pray every day at school. Pray I survive, pray someone doesn't kill me, pray I don't get stabbed in the back, pray I remembered my meds. Pray my students remembered their meds. LOL
God lives in the hearts of children. The devil lives in the hearts of bigots. You make the choice with every word you speak and every post you type. If it pleases God, it hurts Satan. If it pleases Satan, it hurts God. So when you post ugly thing about God's children, who do you think it hurts and who do you think rejoices.
How to save money--- 1. All professional jobs in a public school system should be on the same pay scale as teachers, including years of service and education level. Adminstrators who do not deal DAILY with the most important aspect of school (ie students!!!) should not be paid more. I am not saying their jobs are easy,but how many students/parents a day to they actually talk and see compared to a classroom teacher or a discipline dean? I know many a teacher who would do Dr. White's job for half the pay and benefits he is making. 2. Like many big city's--high schoolers should ride Indy Go- it would be cheaper to provide year passes to Indy Go for these students than current use of buses. Students would not have an excuse to miss a full day of school; if they miss a bus...another one will come along. Students could use these passes to go to after school jobs, which many use to support themselves and their families. And finally it would be an incentive to Indianapolis and Indy Go to improve public transportation and provide more routes. 3. If you are going to reduce police staff on school grounds, then you need to provide the remaining officers with equipment to make them more efficient, such as working cameras that can record activity that they can not reach in time because they are spread so thin. We must have a safe school environment! 4. To make up for teacher loss from retirement and to keep class sizes down, require all adminstrators (Top down...superintendent, principals, etc) to teach one class a day or be a discipline dean once a week. 5. There is also some real estate that can be sold that would help. It poorly used and its sale would improve the neighborhood. 6. The more paperless we can go, using emailable and internet forms, will reduce waste and cost.
Overall, it is a matter of focusing on our purpose... we are not a profit company where the employees are going to be rich and we should not be expected to be paid like a profit company. We are a non-profit, paid for by tax dollars school system thats sole purpose it to try to educate students.
For the "greater good", that's a communist slogan. We live in a democracy... You are an idiot, yeah, we'll all be better served by Corporate America. You're not fooling anyone by stating you kept your kids out of IPS because of commie teachers, you've kept them out because you didn't want them rubbing shoulders with those students you respect so well. Mine went to IPS because I love public education.
My kids rub shoulders with IPS students because we live in the IPS district. I didn't move my kids away from them. I moved my kids away from teachers and administrators who devalue IPS kids in a way that other schools do not.
I have no problem with corporate America as long as they don't have a monopoly. It's lack of competition and accountability that allows for corruption, whether that's IPS or Microsoft. This whole blog is dedicated to the corruption of IPS. When people realize corporations are corrupt, they can quit doing business with that company. Government organizations have far more power and greater potential for corruption than private entities. If you are afraid of capitalism, it's likely you lack understanding of economics. In a pure capitalist market, profits are almost nonexistent. It's the regulation and monopolies that allow for obscene money to be made and unevenly distributed to the top (again, that goes for IPS or Microsoft.)
My school aparently has a school improvement team that meet, but no one knows who they are or what they do. I think that they are old ICs bthat are supposed to go. Iwould consider that checking dust and measuring grass.
"PURE CAPITALIST MARKET" is a contradiction in terms...we ELECT our government, we control NOTHING in the business community, where the bottom line is always profit
Paddling was never as universal as many people believe. It was predominantly used in poorer, southern, rural cultures (even if those cultures lived in the north) and in religious schools. Many schools in the north prohibited corporal punishment almost as soon as public schools were established. Eventually within the last 50 years, even places that previously used it began to see it as abusive or at least low-class. Also, even parents and communities that supported the concept of corporal punishment began to object about it being unjustly applied. And now, of course, there is all the research showing that children who are paddled are MORE likely to behave badly at school than children who are not paddled, so I think society is leaning more away from corporal punishment even at home. I've used it at home with my own children but I'm certainly glad we don't spank in schools anymore.
Why does IPS not start with the administrators who do nothing more than walk around looking for dust and measuring the size of the grass.
ReplyDeleteThey can then consolidate the work load back on Dr. White (like other superintendents) and get rid of some of the Asst. Superintendents they have hired to do his job since busting up the responsibilities.
Take back the coaches salary increase. Go back to the level they were given for years.
Get rid of the football coaching positions being transfered to the other schools (or as my school would hope move them back and let football go on).
Stop all out of state travel to conferences.
Seriously look at reducing the perks for such as car allowance, travel allowance, gas, etc. for Dr. White. With that salary he does not need help.
Just some quick thoughts this TUE morning before heading in
Do we seriously need all these 400-700 student building open? When their capacities were built for much larger (some over 2,000 if you look at enrollments of the past). Why not consolidate some of the schools (maybe make the programs magnet at the schools they are in) and shutter some buildings.
ReplyDeleteDonnan and Gambold should be consolidated into Manual and Northwest. Those buildings could absorb the students at the capacity they currently hold. We are not going to have true high schools anyway except Tech once Dr. White is finished. So, why not do it now. The resources and curriculum could be aligned together and raise scores for those schools (hopefully).
"Why does IPS not start with the administrators who do nothing more than walk around looking for dust and measuring the size of the grass."
ReplyDeletePretty bold statement, can you actually name any of these people?
Kay Kelley made note of the duck and/or goose fecal matter on the football field at Broad Ripple and wrote that this situation was a health issue that Broad Ripple needed to address. I suppose she was 'walking around' when she made this significant educational discovery. The IPS Board will need to form a committee to devise a new and improved flight pattern for the ducks/geese passing over the Broad Ripple area.
ReplyDeleteThanks to our Ed Center Compliance Monitors, who earn more than $100K each, our students are now safe from stepping in poop on the athletic fields.
Too many buildings ...too many administrators...too many friends and family of Eugene White on the payroll.....and a school board that is spineless and afraid of Eugene White....result= financial diaster.
ReplyDeleteIndianapolis Public Schools.
ReplyDeleteFrom the news coverage,
White says...
To close a $26 million budget gap, IPS could cut more than 250 positions from the general fund. But some of the people holding those jobs would continue to be paid from different funds, including special education.
What does this really mean?
He's being so vague as usual, hoping to fly it by without any scrutiny.
Sounds like supplanting of funds, to me. If a general ed person is paid from IDEA (special education) funds, then the Feds will pay us a visit really soon.
ReplyDeleteAll that needs to be done, is change the title of the administrator, possibly to Chief Executive Administrative Superintendent of Special Educational Funding Programs
ReplyDeleteI think many administrative, clerical, and custodial duties could be piecemealed out to staff who volunteer to take on extra duties for extra money. It would be more efficent, help prevent overlap of duties and having so many high-paid administrative positions, extra benefits, tax contributions, etc.
ReplyDeleteI think the same thing with teachers voluntarily taking on more students. Some teachers are very good at effectively teaching large classrooms. That's an asset to cash-strapped districts and should be financially rewarded. Would the union prevent that? Extra pay to teachers who to teach larger classrooms?
ReplyDeleteThe compliance monitor at our school wrote that there were unflushed urinals in the boys rest room. The solution, I guess, would be to hire rest room monitors or assign teachers to go into the bathrooms and flush the urinals. This write up comes from someone making well over $100,000 a year.
ReplyDeleteThe answer to this blog question is to find ALL of the fat and cut it out without affecting the classroom. Here are some of my (not a teacher but a taxpayer) ideas. Others have had good ideas here as well.
ReplyDelete1. Cut the superintendent's contract by $100,000 and reduce benefits for that position.
2. Have only ONE assistant supt. who is paid $100,000 and send the rest out to the schools with lesser pay.
3. Eliminate all jobs in the administration building that are not absolutely necessary to the functioning of the educational process. Could this be 30-40-50 percent or more? Try to do this not by immediate layoff (most of these people have families to support), but by attrition.
4. Get rid of all of the public relations machinery. The supt. himself should speak to the media when necessary and press releases, website work, etc., could be outsourced to Indianapolis area freelancers who would do it for thousands less.
5. Consolidate high schools that are shrinking in size.
6. Eliminate all taxpayer-paid travel outside of Indianapolis by all IPS employees - except in very rare circumstances where a very practical need for such travel is proven (for someone to buy some reduced-priced janitorial equipment in Evansville, for example).
7. Sell the downtown administration building and set up shop in a smaller, already-closed school building. If the cuts are made of unnecessary administrators, such a big building downtown would not be needed.
8. Make a demonstrated effort to save money in ALL expeditures. I read that many IPS kids are given new Mac laptops, which are tremendously expensive, for example. Why can't used laptops be purchased instead for a fraction of the cost of a new Mac?
9. Eliminate these "Compliance Monitors" I read about. That's what building principals are for.
IPS has been operating like the national government for way too long - spending taxpayer money like 'drunken sailors."
It is long past time for true financial accountability for every dollar that is spent by IPS.
We have to do that in our own family budgets, so why can't the IPS administration do the same?
1. Eliminate all compliance monitors and directors.
ReplyDelete2. Get rid of all the coaches--trust teachers to use their brains.
3. Sadly, rid the district of parent liasions. Either parents will or they won't be supportive.
4.Cut all the afterschool tutoring programs that are drainng the system dry. Where is the data they are helpful?
5. Combine Manual with Donnan; Northwest with Gambold. Close and sell John Marshall and School #48. Offer Cold Spring to Marion College.
6. Cut down on field trips and out-of-town travel.
Why is there rampant discussion about the closing of school #48? Has that been proposed?
ReplyDeletestudents get laptops, administrators get 100k+ salaries, and teachers need to take their own printer paper and pencils to school to use to teach, and get scolded if they are a minute late, and are told they are the reason for not making AYP - sounds fair to me - am i missing something here? You couldn't find a better setup than that in the corporate world!
ReplyDeleteGet inside and you will find that IPS has an enormous racism problem which contributes to the financial woes. Many feel entitled to their do-nothing, highly paid, imaginary jobs, and often while being unqualified for the real titles. This is more true in the Educational Services building downtown than anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteThe entire IPS school system is beyond hope. The system needs to be completely taken over by the state and rebuilt from the ground up. As it is today, IPS could be given triple the funding and it would still be a poor performing system.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I think that poster above has spoken the truth.
ReplyDeleteI heard a that some teachers were told by their principal to plan on bringing their own toilet paper, soap, and paper towels next year. He wasn't going to budget for those items for the staff.
ReplyDeletesorry I typed to fast and didn't proofread the posting above.
ReplyDeleteor that one evidently.....lol.
ReplyDeleteI used to really believe that IPS was worth saving. That if it just had the right resources, it could be a beacon of hope for the city. But I slowly grew more cynical and after reading this blog for the last several months, I'm sure of it now. It's too top-heavy. The administration is hostile to teachers. Teachers are hostile to parents and students. Students and parents are hostile to teachers and administration. There is no trust. There is no respect. There is no cooperation. It's a failure. A very big, very expensive failure. Break it down into charters and/or piece it out to the townships.
ReplyDeleteWhy paint a school's interior when it's slated for total refurbishment in a year?
ReplyDeleteLet's use that money for more buckets to catch the leaks from our Swiss-cheese flat roof!
Well, well, guess what? things are geting better at coleman. My the blog does wonders. STAFF ARE TRYING to be on time. buuuuuuut they are pissed now their business is on the blog. But the wrong people are geting blamed for the coleman business. what are the duties of the police officers? pick on certain staff. call check on people. which is none of school police business. make sure police are clean before they start checking on staff.is your back ground clean ??? because one officer doesnt want her business on the blog. so back off. I love how the person in charge starts the threats with the staff.
ReplyDeleteWe need compliance monitors. Until we had compliance monitors every one of the many principals at our school ignored obvious problems that teachers had been complaining about for years such as hordes of students openly cutting class. Heck, the favorite spot to cut class was on the steps of the administration building! HOWEVER, this is something parent volunteers can be trained to do. The idea of paying someone 100k per year to go around and do a job that basically anyone can do is absolutely mind boggling!
ReplyDeletere: "Get inside and you will find that IPS has an enormous racism problem which contributes to the financial woes. Many feel entitled to their do-nothing, highly paid, imaginary jobs, and often while being unqualified for the real titles."
ReplyDeleteI know what you're talking about. I can think of a particular 50-something male teacher who used to be an administrator but was demoted to the classroom(which means he was REALLY bad). Now he just pimp walks all over the building, high-fiving students, never where's he supposed to be, never turns in plans, etc. The principal won't do anything because this teacher is protected by the principal's supervisors.
If IPS would talk to parents and teachers they would know these things without anyone else having to be involved. With the new "top down" system teachers and other underlings are not allowed to talk to anyone about anything except the school principal. That decision really cut down the line of communication. I guess they don't want to be bothered downtown. Too busy.
ReplyDelete"A very big, very expensive failure. Break it down into charters and/or piece it out to the townships"
ReplyDeleteHon, things aren't so rosey on the charter side. We charter teachers can't wait to bolt to a better paying township job where we don't have to kiss the student's behind because we don't want them leaving and hurting our enrollment. Education costs money. The only thing that saves our charter school money is we get paid far less than all of you who complain. I've even had a friend who was OWED a check the last few weeks at his charter school and was not paid because the school said they were "closing" and ran out of money. They didn't and he never got paid. Better hope you don't work for the state OR turn into a charter. You don't know how good you have it other than working in a township situation.
We need compliance monitors because principals aren't doing their job? That's idiotic! Whoever the principal's normally answer to should be the one's doing the monitoring. So I guess they're not doing their job either. When do we start getting monitors for the monitors?
ReplyDeleteHey "hon" you're obviously a fake. Charter schools are public schools so there is as much chance of never getting paid by a charter as there is by IPS -- virtually impossible. Also, most charter schools pay HIGHER than IPS scale for almost all of their teachers. And while some do move to the townships, I have never met a single charter teacher who didn't prefer charters to anything IPS has to offer. It's not that I think charters are "so rosey" but they actually try to please teachers, parents and students. IPS does not or can not. If parents, teachers, and students are all unhappy with IPS, what do YOU suggest as a solution?
ReplyDeleteI what is the deal with Broad Ripple? Seems like two students were caught dealing drugs, Linda girl you need to get out of the office and walk the school instead of just sitting in your office eating.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Indy Star:
ReplyDeleteThe goal of the cuts will be to keep as many classroom teachers in place, White said, and not increase the number of students in classrooms.
“We have made every effort to maintain the class sizes we set for this particular school year,” White said. “We think this (plan) will satisfy the need.”
Some cuts would affect budgets for extracurricular activities and music and art programs. The district plans to save money by having music and art at kindergarten and first grade taught by classroom teachers rather than specialists. Arts instruction at other grades would continue as it has in the past.
And $835,000 will be cut from the athletics budget, but most of that is money that has been allocated each year to pay for sports no one has signed up to play and has therefore not been spent.
The planned cuts would eliminate two assistant superintendent positions and 13 jobs in the curriculum office. Other central office cuts include $205,899 from the business office, $666,000 from the technology office, $201,000 from the human resources office and an unspecified $250,000, according to a list provided by the district.
I know there are still "extras" downtown but you have to give administration some credit for a good start to trimming the budget. I also read the Deputy Superintendent will be eliminated.
The o/u program getting cut means the thugs that are now used to being in a HS are going back to elementry buildings. Ready.
ReplyDeleteFrom WTHR:
ReplyDeleteTwenty school police officers will be cut and the deputy superintendent position would be eliminated, along with 29 positions in that office. The superintendent says the changes should not affect student-teacher ratios.
Where is Giles going?
Respect is the biggest factor in the success or failure of IPS. Students should not be allowed to disrespect adults, any adults in the building. Yet the administration is too busy high fiving and putting them in headlocks to nougie their heads to do anything about it. I guess as long as they aren't fighting every thing's fine huh? Dr. White talks a good game. Too bad it's not followed through. As with most things in IPS good idea, poor execution.
ReplyDeleteyou created an empty profile called anon to post anonymously... not a reader...
ReplyDeletea few posts up, you don't need the star if you work for ips. we all got a power point today telling us how we will be fucked over. it came complete with cute little pie graphs. anyone up for watching the Ed Center parking garage to see if their will be any fewer $60k+ cars lurking around? i have my doubts.
ReplyDeleteEugene White is a big fat pink shoe wearing liar!!!
ReplyDeleteThe juvenile jibe scribe is back in full effect. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteParents and teachers must work as a cohesive group. Parents cannot have their livelihoods jeopardized for speaking the truth and teachers know how the system works. Together they are formidable.
ReplyDeleteThe books must be opened. With the financial sacrifices ahead it is time for details to be revealed not concealed.
Focus Area One of The Board Action Plan calls for a revision of the make-up and organization of the "site base school leadership teams". Presumably this is the SBDM. The IEA, the Principals and the School Board will create the new rules and guidelines. The parents? No mention of the parents. None.
This is unacceptable.
I imagine some administrators will read this and label me a "racist," but I am absolutely not a racist in any way, shape, or form.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as an interested observer of IPS goings-on for many years (not an IPS employee), I have come to feel that the "racial agenda" may be more important to the school board and administration than the education agenda.
There are principals and others in important roles in IPS who write and speak in terms that would flunk out a college freshman. Some literally butcher the English language so badly that it makes me cringe. And these are the people who are supposed to be educating the kids? But some/many apparently keep their positions because of this unstated racial agenda.
There is a history of this going back to the 1960s nationally when school corporations in predominately African-America inner city areas would push "Afrocentrism" to the point of trying to fire anyone who didn't fully embrace that agenda. This was the case in one New York inner-city district where a large number of Jewish teachers were driven from their teaching jobs.
The Star and other Indianapolis media won't touch this topic, for fear of being called racist. But it appears to me to be a major factor in many of the problems in IPS.
So, who does this racial agenda hurt most in IPS? The kids, who are mostly minority students and largely African-American. Keeping them from a quality education is the most "racist" agenda I can think of.
It is well known that there are principal(s) who feel that the students cannot be properly educated by caucasion teachers. In order to receive the proper education, they must be instructed by someone of their own race. How is that for a racist agenda?
ReplyDeleteAs someone who DOES teach at IPS, and I can assure you that racism is disturbingly common. But it isn't "Afrocentrism." It's plain old white-on-black, bow-to-our-superiority type of racism. What's sad is I think you really, truly believe you are not a racist. If you speak English-book grammar 100% of the time, then kudos to you. But most people don't. Most people speak relaxed "versions" of English in their everyday speaking, and those versions will vary depending on your culture, age, and geography. I end sentences with prepositions, use "ain't" and double negatives (like "There ain't no way you'd get me to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.") I use slang and cultural references that might confuse other people. But nobody tries to change that. Because my kind of language-butchering is considered "American." But it's no more American than the thousands of other versions of English spoken all across the U.S. I guarantee you if you record a friendly conversation at IPS between a principal and a student and then record a conversation between a principal and student at a rural, all-white school like Shelbyville or Martinsville, and then had an English Major count the errors in both conversations, they would be very comparable. So my point is, when schools choose a less qualified African-American over a more-qualified White person, that's wrong. But I don't think that's what they're doing most of the time. They're hiring people who have more experience with urban communities and respect for the people who make up those communities. Which they SHOULD do. (By the way, you are no different in that you speak the way your generation, geography, and culture(obviously senior citizen, obviously white, obviously raised in the suburban Midwest, obviously didn't go to college). I know you won't admit I'm right on this board, but we both know I'm right. So cut other cultures some slack.
ReplyDeleteIt is NOT well known at all. I've worked in IPS for almost 20 years, and I've only heard that accusation on this blog. The issue is cultural sensitivity, not race. If a teacher thinks students and parents in IPS are worthy of respect only if they try really hard to talk and act like students and parents in Carmel, that teacher is not going to get support from students and parents. So its better if they try to find teachers who are not hostile to urban populations and urban cultures. If you're not a teacher, you aren't familiar with the volumes and volumes of research on this topic, but it puts already disadvantaged students at an even bigger disadvantage when teachers see their own culture as superior to the students' culture.
ReplyDeleteTo people who want the Star and local TV stations to print gossip, you all need to learn more about how journalism works. You can't just print things without sources and proof and facts. You don't print racist nonsense even if a significant portion of your readership is racist. You publish fact. A fact is "so-and-so has filed a racial discrimination suit against IPS, alleging he/she was passed over for hire, despite being better qualified, based on race." Or even, "this person from this organization reports a trend in IPS..." I guarantee if such facts existed, Indy media would print it. Printing "it is sometimes said by anonymous sources that IPS hires based on race but we have no confirmed reports" is gossip. No legitimate media source can report things like that.
ReplyDeleteI saw an interview on the news last night. The principal of Carmel High School was interviewed about the coverup of the bullying incident that happened on one of their activity buses. The grammar errors made by the Carmel principal were too numerous to count. I wonder if he was trying to relate or if his English skills are that weak.
ReplyDelete"obviously raised in the suburban Midwest, obviously didn't go to college)."
ReplyDelete+++++++++++++++
Well, a lot of false conclusions are being made about my previous post. 1. I am absolutely, positively, NOT racist in any way, shape or form.
So to imply this is an absolute falsehood.
I am a Christian and the Bible I believe in says that God created ALL human beings in His image and that God is "no respecter of persons."
I love racial diversity and I look at people of different colors, races, and cultures as being like various kinds of beautiful flowers in God's garden.
As I stated in my previous post, my concern is for the predominately African-American children attending school in IPS. So how does this reflect "racism" on my part (I think your implication was that I am subconsciously racist)?
I did NOT grow up in the suburban Midwest. I grew up in a very poor neighborhood where half of my best friends were African-American. Thank God, we never had any interest in focusing on our racial differences, one way or another. We just loved each other and enjoyed each other.
Last, but not least. You say I didn't go to college. I have an earned Ph.D. and not from one of these so-called "diploma mills" I read about.
Sounds if you were stereotyping ME with your generalizations and presumptions. God bless you nonetheless.
As to the other comment about the news media, etc. I observe that The Star and others do not do the "legwork" necessary to do much in-depth, interpretive reporting. One example: all of these hundreds of exorbitant administrative salaries in IPS....
Why do I learn about them here and not on the front page of The Star or on the nightly news?
These salaries and benefits are the "facts" you mention and not "accusations."
LOL, you have NOT earned a Ph.D!!!
ReplyDelete"I did NOT grow up in the suburban Midwest. I grew up in a very poor neighborhood where half of my best friends were African-American. Thank God, we never had any interest in focusing on our racial differences, one way or another. We just loved each other and enjoyed each other."
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of homophobes who think homosexuality is a sin and don't want gay people to marry but swear they have lots of best friends who are gay.
Is this another PHD from IWU???
ReplyDeleteWell, I made those posts that these people are referring to.
ReplyDeleteThey are obviously just seeing me as a convenient "target"to aim their demeaning derision at no matter what I say or explain - not even attempting to try to understand the philosophical nuances of my points. So I will just bow out of this conversation and check in from time to time to see what others are writing about.
And, you can "LOL" (or laugh internally) all you want, but I do have an earned Ph.D. hanging on my wall that I did not receive from IWU. I anticipated that one would be coming at me and I anticipated correctly.
So, rave on....
Reporting salaries isn't news unless it's higher or lower than other schools. That's why they did the article on the superintendents in various school districts, but have not reported on every position. It sounds like you WANT them to approach news with a biased agenda. Obviously most respectable news sources wouldn't do that. (If you'd actually gone to even a semester of college, you would know that too, because you would have failed your first writing assignment if you tried to write on a topic without critically evaluating credible sources to support your position.)
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm afraid you've earned more than one critic. I'm the one who accused you of being racist and stereotyped you as a midwestern senior citizen, and I posted above about salaries and journalism. Other people posted the other posts.
ReplyDeleteYou can't post racially charged statements on a blog that discusses an urban school district and not expect a great deal of criticism. Certainly, you realize that most of the people who come to this blog are going to disagree with you.
ReplyDeleteWell, I said I wouldn't post again but I lied. This is the last one and from now on I will just read from time to time.
ReplyDeleteI am the person who has a Ph.D. who according to my critics here say I don't have a Ph.D. (smile).
The last several posts of people calling me a racist, homophobe, etc. got me to doing some reflection and prayer.
I'll make this short and sweet: I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by what I wrote.
I have many black friends who I love and who love me and they frequently tell me what it is like to be black in Indianapolis and Indiana.
They get watched every time they go into stores; stopped by police because they are driving a nice car; treated like second-class citizens in many ways. I remember hearing the story of one black female teacher whose car broke down on the south side of Indianapolis and the racist gas station people would not even help her get back on the road.
So, and I mean this sincerely, please forgive me if you are African/American and my comments have been hurtful to you. I should have done more introspection before I posted those remarks.
God bless you all - red, yellow, black, white, etc. "Be they yellow, black or white, they are precious in His sight."
I just worry so much about the black children in Indianapolis and want so much for them to have great opportunities in life that their ancestors were denied due to racism.
I will just shut up now. I hope you who have posted here in criticism of me will not hold animosity towards me for what I wrote previously. God bless you all.
Do you always attempt to force your religion on people also? Why do you find it necessary to constantly refer to your religion? Isn't it a private and personal relationship that people have with their version of a Supreme Being and why do you inject yours into blog discussions?
ReplyDeleteWell, my friend, I have a big tumor in my body and I am not long for this world. That makes my focus a lot on eternal subject matter.
ReplyDeleteLike Bono of U2 says: "Well, God...that's the big question we all ultimately face, isn't it?"
I don't try to force my religion on anyone - so please forgive if you have felt offended.
I won't tell you God bless (because this offends you) but I will tell you all best wishes.
It is a shame when someone is so easily offended by a "God Bless You" statement. To the poster above, God bless you in your journey through this time of your life. I don't feel offended when someone says "Good Luck" to me although I certainly do not believe in Fate; so why should someone who does believe as I do be offended by a sincere "God bless you". I fear the time is coming when we will be "religionphobic" and will interpret every reference to faith as intrusive. I believe that you sincerely care for the children of IPS and hope that you will continue to walk in faith through this difficult time.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have overlooked your declarations of Christianity and your references to the scriptures. There were several God Bless You. All I am saying is that you spend a lot of time saying how you respect diversity but you seem to impose your own religion on everything without regard to the diversity of religions we have in this country.
ReplyDeleteThe post you are referring to was written to encourage the person with the tumor - the God Bless statements were not made by him/her this time.
ReplyDeleteHowever, you are certainly free to "impose" your own religion in sharing your comments because we live in a country where we have that freedom. When we come to the time when it is illegal to openly talk about one's religion, respect for diversity will not be an issue. We all see things through our own "filters" whether it be cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious, etc. and to share that in the context of how we arrive at a conclusion is for clarification, not for proselytizing (sorry...can't spell that word right now)
How can referring to one's religion be synonymous with imposing it? By definition, to impose something is to establish or apply it as compulsory. No one is forcing you to accept Christianity as your religion. If you are offended by a few "God bless yous," then you need to grow a thicker skin.
ReplyDeleteIt is the repeated reference to it that gives the impression that the writer is trying to impose his/her religious beliefs. Isn't religion a personal issue? We also live in a country where we are free to choose our own religion and not have one imposed on us by the government or other people. Simply make your point without trying to prop it up with religious statements. We are not discussing religion here.
ReplyDeleteMay the Force be with you. All of you.
ReplyDeleteGood grief people, lighten up. No one was trying to "impose" anything.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me nervous that some of these posts are written by individuals who work with children.
Relax a little!
May Allah be with you and protect you each step of each day!!
ReplyDeleteTo anyone who ever says "God Bless You," or any similar phrase, did it ever occur to you that I might not want the blessings of your God?
ReplyDeleteKAH...CHOOO!!! Er...Bless, er...no, Good Luck, er...Excuse...AH!! Oh, heck....quit 'yer sneezin'
ReplyDeleteWould "Bless you" be sufficient? Or, am I offending you then too?
ReplyDeleteBlessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
ReplyDeleteHello Neo. The matrix has you.
ReplyDeleteRomans 1:22-23 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
ReplyDeleteCHANGE THIS TOPIC!!! CHANGE THIS TOPIC!!!
ReplyDeleteCHANGE THIS TOPIC!!! CHANGE THIS TOPIC!!!
CHANGE THIS TOPIC!!! CHANGE THIS TOPIC!!!
"None is righteous, no not one."
ReplyDeleteYou look up the verse.
Perhaps Budda will help you find the peace and serenity in your life which is obviously lacking.
ReplyDeleteI may have grammatical errors in my speech, but I USE VERBS.....
ReplyDeleteAs a white male teaching in an IPS elementary school, I can tell you that respect is almost non existent. A kindergarten student pointed at me today, and said "you can't tell me what to do; I'm in charge here" (not kidding)...
and maybe some of it is cultural. Ever been to a movie on 38th street? can't hear the dialouge for the conversations in the audience. so why would we expect their children to shut up when we teach?
I am literally mouth-agape at your bigotry. I hope beyond hope you don't actually work with urban kids, or any kids for that matter. Little kids say smart-mouth things all the time. Red yellow black and white. Sometimes they get it from parents. Sometimes siblings or friends. Sometimes classmates. Sometimes they mean it different than how it comes across or will misunderstand something told to them. I assure you it is not part of any race or culture to raise disobedient children. And yes, some cultures talk back to the movie (or talk back at church). Some don't. What kind of ignorant, ill-bred moron do you have to be to think you are in a place to pass judgment on anyone who doesn't act or talk like you do. Who the hell are you? I don't go to the Indy 500 because I don't like the drunk rednecks there. But I don't build entire racial stereotypes about the culture of white parenting based on that.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a real IPS teacher. It's a troll. Don't feed the trolls (don't respond to them.) It only encourages them.
ReplyDeleteMany children of all colors and backgrounds are being taught civil disobedience by parents that are self-serving. The idea of "for the greater good" is becoming extinct
ReplyDelete"For the greater good" is a communist slogan. We live in a democracy. Our country recognizes individuality and personal freedoms and respects the various cultures that make up this nation. We tried a socialized school model for the last 50 years or so, and obviously it failed miserably. You are a perfect example of why. These children have a right to be treated with the same respect and dignity with which teachers want to be treated. You are why I won't send my kids to school in IPS, even though I teach here. Too many treat children like cattle and then look down their smug noses when kids resent it. Of course kids resent it. And of course adults resent it when you act like it's their parenting and not your own incompetence that is causing the problems. You are the problem. Not the kids. Not the parents. You. Whether you're a teacher, or juts a troll who spouts off bigoted nonsense, you and people who think like you are the biggest problem with urban schools.) --- Signed an IPS teacher who gives her students as much respect as she asks for (and receives it.)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you think its cute to spend your God-given days spreading hate and ugliness. And its a free country. But the next time you sit at your computer preparing to start your work spreading the message of Satan, it might not be a bad idea to stop a second and think if that is really the mark you want to leave on the world today. Is there no better way to spend your energy?
ReplyDeleteSATAN???? The Devil himself??? Big "D"?
ReplyDeleteWhat 'choo talkin' about?
I pray every day at school. Pray I survive, pray someone doesn't kill me, pray I don't get stabbed in the back, pray I remembered my meds. Pray my students remembered their meds. LOL
God lives in the hearts of children. The devil lives in the hearts of bigots. You make the choice with every word you speak and every post you type. If it pleases God, it hurts Satan. If it pleases Satan, it hurts God. So when you post ugly thing about God's children, who do you think it hurts and who do you think rejoices.
ReplyDeleteHow to save money---
ReplyDelete1. All professional jobs in a public school system should be on the same pay scale as teachers, including years of service and education level. Adminstrators who do not deal DAILY with the most important aspect of school (ie students!!!) should not be paid more. I am not saying their jobs are easy,but how many students/parents a day to they actually talk and see compared to a classroom teacher or a discipline dean? I know many a teacher who would do Dr. White's job for half the pay and benefits he is making.
2. Like many big city's--high schoolers should ride Indy Go- it would be cheaper to provide year passes to Indy Go for these students than current use of buses. Students would not have an excuse to miss a full day of school; if they miss a bus...another one will come along. Students could use these passes to go to after school jobs, which many use to support themselves and their families. And finally it would be an incentive to Indianapolis and Indy Go to improve public transportation and provide more routes.
3. If you are going to reduce police staff on school grounds, then you need to provide the remaining officers with equipment to make them more efficient, such as working cameras that can record activity that they can not reach in time because they are spread so thin. We must have a safe school environment!
4. To make up for teacher loss from retirement and to keep class sizes down, require all adminstrators (Top down...superintendent, principals, etc) to teach one class a day or be a discipline dean once a week.
5. There is also some real estate that can be sold that would help. It poorly used and its sale would improve the neighborhood.
6. The more paperless we can go, using emailable and internet forms, will reduce waste and cost.
Overall, it is a matter of focusing on our purpose... we are not a profit company where the employees are going to be rich and we should not be expected to be paid like a profit company. We are a non-profit, paid for by tax dollars school system thats sole purpose it to try to educate students.
For the "greater good", that's a communist slogan. We live in a democracy...
ReplyDeleteYou are an idiot, yeah, we'll all be better served by Corporate America. You're not fooling anyone by stating you kept your kids out of IPS because of commie teachers, you've kept them out because you didn't want them rubbing shoulders with those students you respect so well. Mine went to IPS because I love public education.
My kids rub shoulders with IPS students because we live in the IPS district. I didn't move my kids away from them. I moved my kids away from teachers and administrators who devalue IPS kids in a way that other schools do not.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with corporate America as long as they don't have a monopoly. It's lack of competition and accountability that allows for corruption, whether that's IPS or Microsoft. This whole blog is dedicated to the corruption of IPS. When people realize corporations are corrupt, they can quit doing business with that company. Government organizations have far more power and greater potential for corruption than private entities. If you are afraid of capitalism, it's likely you lack understanding of economics. In a pure capitalist market, profits are almost nonexistent. It's the regulation and monopolies that allow for obscene money to be made and unevenly distributed to the top (again, that goes for IPS or Microsoft.)
ReplyDeleteMy school aparently has a school improvement team that meet, but no one knows who they are or what they do. I think that they are old ICs bthat are supposed to go. Iwould consider that checking dust and measuring grass.
ReplyDeletePaddling worked great for me, where did that go?
ReplyDelete"PURE CAPITALIST MARKET" is a contradiction in terms...we ELECT our government, we control NOTHING in the business community, where the bottom line is always profit
ReplyDeletePaddling was never as universal as many people believe. It was predominantly used in poorer, southern, rural cultures (even if those cultures lived in the north) and in religious schools. Many schools in the north prohibited corporal punishment almost as soon as public schools were established. Eventually within the last 50 years, even places that previously used it began to see it as abusive or at least low-class. Also, even parents and communities that supported the concept of corporal punishment began to object about it being unjustly applied. And now, of course, there is all the research showing that children who are paddled are MORE likely to behave badly at school than children who are not paddled, so I think society is leaning more away from corporal punishment even at home. I've used it at home with my own children but I'm certainly glad we don't spank in schools anymore.
ReplyDelete