This shows that he is more dedicated to trying to be a high-flying VIP than he is dedicated to efficiently and intelligently managing his school system.
Maybe he'll like it so much down in Miami that he'll stay there. Well, you can always dream....
I'm not the one who posted the "weary" comment, but as another complainer/returner I think the people who complain but keep coming see potential in this blog, but wish it would refocus, at least that's why I complain and keep coming back :) The best threads are the ones that have lots of different ideas and opinions. Thread after thread after thread of nothing but insulting this person or that person simply isn't interesting. The other reason I come is because there are obviously people on this board who pretend to be teachers who are not. Since this blog is open to the public, I feel obligated to speak on behalf of real IPS teachers sometimes.
I'm no administrator--my paycheck proves it! I just finished filing my taxes online and I am getting less than $600 back. I was so counting on the 1% bonus that we were suppose to be getting at Spring break--I know you all heard, it's being postponed!
Does it matter if someone is an administrator, teacher or office associate? People at varying levels aren't happy with the current climate at IPS. This "Us vs Them" mentality only breeds more discontent. I also enjoy how anyone who doesn't seem to agree with the majority on this blog instantly becomes some upper leve chrony of White. Get over yourselves people, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And who really cares if White goes to the super bowl? Bitter you aren't?
PULEEEEZE help me understand how being on the 2012 Super Bowl Committee benefits IPS....or relates to the job that the superintendent of IPS is supposed to be doing to benifit / ensure the best possible education of Inpls. kids??? Who is paying for this?
What are you talking about? I'm on committes that have nothing to do with the school, and that doesn't take away from my job as a teacher. The Super Bowl Committee isn't paid for out of education funding. You're freaking out about nothing.
If Eugene is out of town during regular school hours to "be on a committe that has nothing to do with school" than we should ALL be "freaking out!" It's the double standard!!!
LOL, I don't know if he even gets vacation days like regular employees. But either way, this seems like a silly hill to die on. If I was on the super bowl committee, nobody would care if I missed a day of work? Superintendent is a visible position. I'm sure politics is involved in serving in things like Super Bowl committe. This just doesn't seem to me to be any kind of breach? What are we not understanding?
IPS board holds cost-cutting meeting this weekend Posted: Feb 04, 2010 5:36 PM EST Updated: Feb 04, 2010 5:49 PM EST
Teachers may be asked to do more to keep their classrooms clean if janitorial staff are laid off. The IPS police force could be a target of cuts.Jeremy Brilliant/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - The state's largest school district has to cut millions of dollars from its budget, a process that will likely mean cutting jobs. The Indianapolis Public Schools board will hear recommendations to cut costs this weekend.
Faced with shrinking enrollment and fewer available funds, Indianapolis Public Schools will have to cut $26 million, about 5 percent, from their current budget.
"The budget deficit is in our general fund. That's the fund that pays the salaries of the majority of employees. So it's going to be hard to keep away from all people but we are going to try to keep as far away from the classroom as possible," said Mary Louise Bewley, Indianapolis Public Schools.
That means finding ways to keep the district's 3,200 teachers. But nothing has been ruled out.
Administrators won't say exactly where the cuts will be. The superintendent will give his recommendations to the board at a meeting this weekend. But they do say that all programs and all positions are on the table.
Among the staff that could be reduced is the IPS police force. Eighty-three officers currently patrol inside and outside schools with full police powers. It's unclear how many officers could lose their jobs. Also being considered: administrative positions, support staff and even custodians.
"Teachers may end up doing more than they usually would in their rooms just to keep them clean and tidy. That affects classroom management because you have to have an orderly classroom. Neatness counts and that affects students," said Ann Wilkins, Indianapolis Education Association.
No matter where the cuts are made, IPS' 34,000 students will, in some way, feel the affects.
IPS is hoping some positions will be eliminated through early retirement or attrition. The two-day board meeting Friday (Feb. 5th) and Saturday (Feb. 6th) is open to the public.
If anyone is looking for fairness, he/she will spend a lifetime of disappointment---not even in the justice system is there any fairness. Kurt Vonnegut, Indianapolis' great writer said, "It's a shitty world, but I can keep my corner clean." IPS is about the kids; they are beautiful; if we as teachers can reverse this antagonism and welcome each student to the learning environment, in ten years we might look back at the recalcitrance of the money & power grubers and see citizens who remember caring & dedicated educators. I'm not Pollyanna, honestly, but somebody has to speak for the kids.
Issued by The National Weather Service Indianapolis, IN 2:31 pm EST, Thu., Feb. 4, 2010
... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM FRIDAY TO 6 AM EST SATURDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM FRIDAY TO 6 AM EST SATURDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
* MAIN IMPACT: UNTREATED ROADS MAY BECOME SNOW COVERED ON FRIDAY. SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE ON ROADS BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW FRIDAY NIGHT WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY. TRAVEL MAY BECOME HAZARDOUS.
* ACCUMULATIONS: SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED.
* TIMING: SNOW WILL BEGIN IN THE WARNING AREAS AFTER 400 AM AND CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT.
I would be willing to bet that 95% of those administrators whose contracts were not renewed will end up in administrative positions at the same pay. Some of them are telling their staff that already. The know it is a smoke and mirrors PR gimmick by Eugene White.....he may even add more administrative positioins.
Reading this blog it is really easy to understand why some teachers never progress beyond their pathetic careers in the classrom. If they knew enough to get in out of the rain they would understand that TECH is going to benefit by millions of dollars by IPS hosting the Super Bowl practice facility. They are so bitter about their lost careers they resent all the positive accomplishments of Dr White. For those who think Jeff White was such a great administrator they never spend much time with him. He was so interested in his public imiage he had little time for his job! I have been in IPS for over 30 years and Dr. White is the best Superintendent I have worked with including Pat who was a friend.
I've heard the same thing...why do they do this every single year? If they would cut the 20 some administrators on the list that would save the police force! I've also heard that the elementary assistants will be taking over the open elementary principal jobs.
Pink slipping administrators year after year and then rehiring them at the 11th hour is part of the IPS culture of high drama. Keep everyone on their toes and worried sick about their jobs for the next year...It's a power thing.
All employees should face the facts that Eugene White does not have the best intentions for students. Look at the facts. We have the lowest student enrollment in the history of the district. Community support is at an all time low and academic achievement at the middle schools and high schools is also at an all time low. Point blank, it is time for Eugene White to retire. If Dr. P had such results, the concerned clergy and school board members would be outraged
Oh my god! Seriously...does it make you feel better than others to call out a petty, trivial spelling error? It's a freaking blog. Maybe if you spent more time on your lesson plans than calling people out, our students would be better off. Who really cares if someone can't spell crony
Who cares if an IPS high school gets some money for a football field because Gene is on a Super Bowl committee. You think playing on a better football kid is going to get kids to college?
Let's be real here! He's about status and self-importance and being a local celebrity and using his job to live like a king (as well as make monarchs of his relatives and friends).
Gene's job is in INDIANAPOLIS. Not Miami. He is superintendent of INDIANAPOLIS Public Schools.
He has lost his credibility with the public and as a taxpayer I hope he resigns or retires very soon.
Yes, the administrators are back. Who else would refer to a life long career teacher as "pathetic" and never advancing beyond teaching. Teaching is a noble career. Who would want to sell his/her soul to the devil in order to be an Ed. Center ass kisser who had to write attacks on career teachers.
I agree with the previous post. I think this reflects the attitudes of many (most?) IPS administrators - that teachers are second-class professionals. It is reflected in the total lack of respect from this administration for teachers and the important jobs they do.
Since Tony Bennett pimp slapped down Eugene White re: the 2 hoiur delay on Monday, if I were White and we had a little snow on the ground Monday, I would call a 2 hour delay due to emergency weather conditions. White would return the slap down and won the battle. I wonder if White is bold enough to do that.
We get it, Ms. "pimp slap." You don't like your job and don't want to go to work on Monday. How close are you to retirement? I agree that the "pathetic careers in the classroom" comment is beyond disgusting. I am hoping it was directed at some of the really unprofessional self-described teachers who post here and not a jab at everyone who doesn't see teaching as a step on a career ladder to management!
ONLY IN IPS By now most of you have received the Connect Ed call from the Ed Center that was sent to staff, students and parents. My students were laughing at how stupid IPS is. The call says that there will be a one hour delay on Monday. Then goes on to say that if your school normally starts at 7:30 then Monday it will start at 9:30. Even the students with poor math skills figured out that would be a 2 hour delay not a 1 hour delay. They are confused and many are saying that they are not coming at all. Is there any chance that this was an intentional error??? I wonder.
I still haven't received a call, and my kids haven't brought home anything from school. If I didn't read the paper and visit this blog, I would still think there was a 2-hour delay from the call I received Tuesday night. I received a call on Wednesday about Colts Friday. Nothing since. If they were deliberately trying to create chaos, they could not do a better job!
Ann Wilkins is a zero in my book. I am very seriously thinking of dropping my membership to IEA. What do you mean we aren't getting our 1%before spring break?
It will be a mess come Monday. That's the problem, IPS can't handle doing things like this. Remember Conseco? I for one, will take and pick up my children.
I haven't heard doodly squat from Ann Wilkins or the IEA about any 1% of anything. I suspect the only reason Ann Wilkins spoke to a local TV station is because its reporter appeared at her door and she was caught on the spot and was forced to say something or anything. Actually, all she had to offer in the way of comment was about teachers having to clean up their rooms if custodial staff is reduced. Whoopee, Ann!
I'll place my classroom trashcan outside my door and help the cause! The custodians, as nice as they are, only empty the trashcans in my classroom, and that's it! They don't clean my desk, clean the student desks, vacuum any rugs, or even clean the boards. They're a sweet group of folks in my building, but they don't do a lot inside my classroom that I don't already do. Cutting custodians would not have a negative impact on my students.
If I don't get my 1% bonus on time as named in the contract, I will drop my long time membership. Ann Wilkins is invisible and in the rear pocket of Eugene White and is afraid of him.
Annie Roof, so glad that you are in a position to drop off and pick up your children at CFI. IPS, however, has about 27,000 students who rely on bus transportation to school and home.
If Monday is a mess because bus drivers again call in sick en mass, the mess is one created by Tony Bennett. IPS tried to address this issue. You know the rest.
If a parent and student follow the directions of the connect ed and come to school at 9:30 at a school that usually begins at 7:30, will they be punished???
I completely disagree this mess is Bennett's fault. This is 100% the fault of IPS. IPS is the one who not only wanted to sanction employees and students skipping school, but did not want them to have to make it up. IPS is the one who did not verify Indiana law before announcing the hairbrained scheme to the public. And IPS is the one who has not made the final decision clear to the parents. I'll defend administration against speech impediments and personal insults. But this is an IPS administration screwup of biblical proportions. My kids go to CFI too, but things like this make me second-guess my decision because the district is just so broken. It's really hard to trust a system like this with your kids!
Tony Bennett did not create this mess we speak about. The DOE has regulations and guidelines regarding school delays, school closings, etc.
It is incumbent upon the local school administration and the local School Board to know exactly what the regulations are and then to follow those regulations.
Dr. White did neither. First, he does not know what the regulations say, perhaps. Second, if he does know, then he intentionally chose to flip them off and do his own thing. Either way, IPS is looking bad -- either they're too dumb to know the rules or they're too arrogant to give a rat's patoot.
Again, this had nothing to do with Tony Bennett. It had everything to do with White and the IPS School Board. Rules are rules.
I think though, that if a small school system in rural IN would have made the two hour delay decision then not a word would have been said about it. I think Bennett jumped on it because it's IPS and he doesn't like IPS. That being said, White and IPS screwed up and they are still screwing up with not being clear to the kids/parents what the plan is for Monday. I have a feeling we'll get a weather 2 hour delay (with this snow we have) or they'll cancel. Guess we'll see what happens! Oh, and the custodians at my bldg are nice too but they empty trash, sweep my tile, I'm not sure there's much vaccuming going on, and sweep the halls. I hear we've got it better than most. At an old school I was at the cust. dusted every room, wiped down every desk, washed the boards, emptied trash, vaccumed, etc. I think IPS custodians have it pretty easy.
"Annie Roof, so glad that you are in a position to drop off and pick up your children at CFI. IPS, however, has about 27,000 students who rely on bus transportation to school and home.
If Monday is a mess because bus drivers again call in sick en mass, the mess is one created by Tony Bennett. IPS tried to address this issue. You know the rest."
Just to let everyone know, this blog isn't really a "safe" place to post anonymously. This was a comment posted after I wrote that I for on will be taking and picking up my children. I posted as anonymous. I have emailed the blogmaster regarding this situation. Not only was I personally called out, but my children's school was named. I have posted on here, and signed my name, something I haven't seen anyone else do. But when I post as anonymous, I really truly believed it was. Like the rest of you. I am very disturbed by this. Be careful what you say. This will be my last post. Blogmaster - please remove the comment naming my childrens school. And if you posted that comment, how very disappointing. This blog was a great way to express oneself. Signed, Annie Roof
Annie, the blog is anonymous, but each person creates a unique code that can be easily viewed by anyone unless you specifically use a program or website that "hides" you. So if you ever posted revealing your name, then it's easy to check if an anonymous post has the same code as the one in which you revealed your name. That said, I do not think the blogmaster (or most people) knows how to check code. She frequently accuses posters of being certain people (usually she's wrong) and reveals personal details about those people. So I'm guessing she didn't know for sure that it was you who posted. She was just being nasty revealing your personal info because she's just a nasty person. I'm sorry you don't feel it's safe to post here. I admire your passion for education, and you definitely have my vote for schoolboard. -- an IPS parent
Stop Blaming Tony Bennett for Dr. Whites screw up!!!! It's good to know somebody is doing their job and staying on top of Dr. Whites super inflated ego trip!!!!
If a person posts anonymously every time, then no chance of them being identified by anyone?
But if a person posts once or more with their name, then any of their anonymous posts that follow can be figured out by the blogmaster and maybe someone else?
Blog master. Please clarify this. I think it may be important to the future viability of this blog.
Ms. Roof. I am a taxpayer and not a teacher. But from what I have read of your posts, you sound like an excellent candidate for school board and I hope you win.
I am truly sorry you will not be posting here anymore and your contributions will be missed. Best wishes for the future.
Obviously we have another administrator on here trying to define this blog as a place to bash and trash. I contend that the real place to bash and trash is the Ed. Center where it was started by Eugene White and has spread to his minions. What happened to the rules that were created for Prudence Bridgewaters before she visited classrooms. She was at a community school this week doing surprise visits to classrooms and then bashing and trashing the teachers after she left. None of the visitation guidelines for her observations were followed. Too bad we don't have an IEA president who would do something about this. Eugene White owns Ann Wilkins. She will understand this spring when hundreds of IEA members cancel their memberships.
I dropped out of IEA last August during the 'window' of time set aside for dropping out. Check the IEA website and look for the very small print. You must write a letter and mail it to the IEA Office stating that you no longer wish to be a member. Email will not work.
if your dues are being withheld from your paycheck for IEA, all you need to do is write a letter telling them that you want that deduction stopped...I don't think there is a "window" for quitting the union. Is there?
Yes, there is a window of time for dropping your IEA membership. If you don't submit a written letter to the IEA Office during that window of time, then your membership is automatically renewed for another year and your dues are automatically deducted by payroll whether you wish or not.
It's easy to join the union, but they make it more difficult to sever your relationship.
If you notify the union you want to drop out, by letter, during the window, you had better still alert payroll that you want the deductions stopped. I have heard of people doing everything by the book, then being surprised that their dues are still being taken of their checks.
Both of my parents were union members and I have always been. I am cancelling during the window time because Ann Wilkins is owned by Eugene White. She never speaks up unless it is to agree with White. There are no communications coming to members. The web site is nothing more than a place for Ann Wilkins to post her picture and promote herself. Calls are not returned. She is not in the buildings. She is not at board meetings. She has alienated most of the IEA leadership because she sold out to Eugene White. She will get an administrative job when she leaves office and there will be no union left. That is what White wants and Wilkins will have done her best to help him achieve his goal.
Unions were rooted in racism (to keep black people from working on the railroads for lower wages than what the Irish and Slavs would work for) and organized crime and evolved into proponents of socialism and mediocrity. With or without Ann Wilkins, why any self-respecting professional would belong to ANY union has never made an ounce of sense to me. Good teachers would be worth twice as much without the union. The union is only a benefit if you aren't pulling your own weight.
"Don't be so obtuse." ---------------- Well, I'm a cranky old man (not a teacher) and I am going to be "obtuse" as hell here.
That post was a line of baloney. Unions came into their own in the early 1900s because people - of all races, creeds, etc. - were working on factory assembly lines 10 hours a day, six days a week. And they were being treated like slaves instead of valued employees.
Worker unions got rid of child labor; established the five-day work week; established the 40-hour work week; established paid vacations; helped secure basic civil rights for all hourly workers.
Have they all been perfect? No. But what is perfect in this world?
Like I said, I'm a pretty old guy and I remember friends I went to college with getting jobs as teachers in Indiana in the late 1970s with starting pay of $7,000 a year and very few benefits.
I remember, when I was going to school, that the best teacher in my school district would carry out my family's groceries to our car on nights and weekends because he had to work a second job as a grocery store carry-out peon to keep food on his family's table.
Again, you're just showing your own lack of understanding into both history and economics. Employers cannot hold wages below market value. It's impossible. Employees would simply seek other jobs. It was the same way with the railroads. They called the black people "strikebreakers" or "scabs" but they were just people who were willing to work for less than current railroad workers. So the railroad workers "unionized" (formed a employee monopoly) to keep out the competition. The same thing happened with other blue collar professions. And the same thing happened with teaching. With teaching, it wasn't for racial reasons. They just wanted the salaries and benefits of free market professions, but didn't want to compete. The result is the same though. Good teachers are not allowed to earn what they are worth and poor teachers are protected. Without a union, my wages would go up. Because good teachers are in higher demand than mediocre teachers, and by paying good teachers higher wages, they could save money in special programs, aides, coaches, etc. In my case, a higher than average salary would be a good investment. That's the way capitalism works. All of you "it's not me, it's the parents/administration/students/police/governor" wouldn't be worth less than your salaries. So you unionize. It's like welfare. You take what the hard workers earn so you don't have to work for it.
Again, I completely disagree with your socio/political/historic/economic interpretation.
I absolutely agree that black workers have been historically treated terribly - but that is because of wealthy, greedy, racist business owners in the United States (of which there are still many). As they used to say when I was young: "The Man."
Here's the blind spot in your argument about good teachers getting paid more without a union:
Teaching prowess is subjective. How do you determine who is a good teacher and who is not a good teacher? By the opinion of one semi-psychotic principal who has it in for one individual because of a personality conflict? By ISTEP scores: when every classroom has the variable of kids coming from a variety of home/social backgrounds?
If you're going to judge the performance of an architect, you can look at their drawings and see whose are better. It's all black and white, on paper.
A salesperson who sells vacuum cleaners can be judged on his job performance by the numbers of units he has sold.
No way to do this with teaching. It's like trying to determine who is the better artist: Picasso or Monet. Or, in the musical arena, who was better: Jimi Hendrix or Jim Morrison?
In my opinion, there is no fair and accurate way to judge the performance of one teacher against others.
It is all in the eye of the beholder. Purely subjective. No fair, logical or honest way to do do it.
There are variables even for the vacuum sales person. I used to work in retail, my per hour sales were less then some of my colleagues but my stuff stayed sold, others had a much higher return rate, and it was all factored in.
Anyone who drops their IEA membership is not thinking with a clear head, it is the only protection you have, and the way things are going in IPS you may have a sane administrator today, but who knows about tomorrow.
You all act like it's so complex. If you are a teacher and you really don't know how to tell the difference between a good teacher and a bad one, then you're probably one of the bad ones. And it only takes one or two bad ones to completely screw a kid up. If you're a good teacher, the kids say you're good, the parents say you're good, the principal says your good, your coworkers say you're good, the teachers in the next grade love getting kids who have been in your class, and your students improve on standardized tests after being in your class. So I would use a combination of all of those factors. I wouldn't say "it's all subjective, so let's just keep the status quo. Fuck the kids. As long as I get my union welfare check."
I strongly support union membership.....but where is Ann Wilkins...where is the IEA? I don't want to continue to pay dues to an invisible silent organization. When was the last time you heard from them?
Girl, you need a man or a hobby or both.
ReplyDeleteThis shows that he is more dedicated to trying to be a high-flying VIP than he is dedicated to efficiently and intelligently managing his school system.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he'll like it so much down in Miami that he'll stay there. Well, you can always dream....
What the hell is there to discuss? Was there any doubt? After all, he is on the 2012 Super Bowl Committee. I am getting weary of this blog.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest that if you are weary of this blog that you stop reading it. What I wonder is which female administrators are joining him in Miami.
ReplyDeleteIf you're getting weary of this blog....no one is forcing you to open the website and read: that is YOUR decision.
ReplyDeleteI get a kick out of people who incessantly complain about the content of this blog - but keep coming back and back and back for more.
Kind of like a vegetarian becoming addicted to pulled pork barbecue.
And no, this is not the blogmeister writing this.
lol at above post.
ReplyDeleteI'm not the one who posted the "weary" comment, but as another complainer/returner I think the people who complain but keep coming see potential in this blog, but wish it would refocus, at least that's why I complain and keep coming back :) The best threads are the ones that have lots of different ideas and opinions. Thread after thread after thread of nothing but insulting this person or that person simply isn't interesting. The other reason I come is because there are obviously people on this board who pretend to be teachers who are not. Since this blog is open to the public, I feel obligated to speak on behalf of real IPS teachers sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThe above poster...
ReplyDeleteThere's also administrators posting on this board pretending not to be administrators.
So, I guess it all evens out in the wash, eh?
I'm no administrator--my paycheck proves it! I just finished filing my taxes online and I am getting less than $600 back. I was so counting on the 1% bonus that we were suppose to be getting at Spring break--I know you all heard, it's being postponed!
ReplyDeleteDoes it matter if someone is an administrator, teacher or office associate? People at varying levels aren't happy with the current climate at IPS. This "Us vs Them" mentality only breeds more discontent. I also enjoy how anyone who doesn't seem to agree with the majority on this blog instantly becomes some upper leve chrony of White. Get over yourselves people, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And who really cares if White goes to the super bowl? Bitter you aren't?
ReplyDeletePULEEEEZE help me understand how being on the 2012 Super Bowl Committee benefits IPS....or relates to the job that the superintendent of IPS is supposed to be doing to benifit / ensure the best possible education of Inpls. kids??? Who is paying for this?
ReplyDeleteWhat are you talking about? I'm on committes that have nothing to do with the school, and that doesn't take away from my job as a teacher. The Super Bowl Committee isn't paid for out of education funding. You're freaking out about nothing.
ReplyDeleteIf Eugene is out of town during regular school hours to "be on a committe that has nothing to do with school" than we should ALL be "freaking out!" It's the double standard!!!
ReplyDeleteWhy? Is he not using vacation days?
ReplyDeleteLOL, I don't know if he even gets vacation days like regular employees. But either way, this seems like a silly hill to die on. If I was on the super bowl committee, nobody would care if I missed a day of work? Superintendent is a visible position. I'm sure politics is involved in serving in things like Super Bowl committe. This just doesn't seem to me to be any kind of breach? What are we not understanding?
ReplyDeleteFrom WTHR 6 PM Local News ---
ReplyDeleteIPS board holds cost-cutting meeting this weekend
Posted: Feb 04, 2010 5:36 PM EST
Updated: Feb 04, 2010 5:49 PM EST
Teachers may be asked to do more to keep their classrooms clean if janitorial staff are laid off.
The IPS police force could be a target of cuts.Jeremy Brilliant/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - The state's largest school district has to cut millions of dollars from its budget, a process that will likely mean cutting jobs. The Indianapolis Public Schools board will hear recommendations to cut costs this weekend.
Faced with shrinking enrollment and fewer available funds, Indianapolis Public Schools will have to cut $26 million, about 5 percent, from their current budget.
"The budget deficit is in our general fund. That's the fund that pays the salaries of the majority of employees. So it's going to be hard to keep away from all people but we are going to try to keep as far away from the classroom as possible," said Mary Louise Bewley, Indianapolis Public Schools.
That means finding ways to keep the district's 3,200 teachers. But nothing has been ruled out.
Administrators won't say exactly where the cuts will be. The superintendent will give his recommendations to the board at a meeting this weekend. But they do say that all programs and all positions are on the table.
Among the staff that could be reduced is the IPS police force. Eighty-three officers currently patrol inside and outside schools with full police powers. It's unclear how many officers could lose their jobs. Also being considered: administrative positions, support staff and even custodians.
"Teachers may end up doing more than they usually would in their rooms just to keep them clean and tidy. That affects classroom management because you have to have an orderly classroom. Neatness counts and that affects students," said Ann Wilkins, Indianapolis Education Association.
No matter where the cuts are made, IPS' 34,000 students will, in some way, feel the affects.
IPS is hoping some positions will be eliminated through early retirement or attrition. The two-day board meeting Friday (Feb. 5th) and Saturday (Feb. 6th) is open to the public.
If anyone is looking for fairness, he/she will spend a lifetime of disappointment---not even in the justice system is there any fairness. Kurt Vonnegut, Indianapolis' great writer said, "It's a shitty world, but I can keep my corner clean." IPS is about the kids; they are beautiful; if we as teachers can reverse this antagonism and welcome each student to the learning environment, in ten years we might look back at the recalcitrance of the money & power grubers and see citizens who remember caring & dedicated educators. I'm not Pollyanna, honestly, but somebody has to speak for the kids.
ReplyDeleteIssued by The National Weather Service
ReplyDeleteIndianapolis, IN
2:31 pm EST, Thu., Feb. 4, 2010
... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM FRIDAY TO 6 AM EST SATURDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM FRIDAY TO 6 AM EST SATURDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
* MAIN IMPACT: UNTREATED ROADS MAY BECOME SNOW COVERED ON FRIDAY. SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE ON ROADS BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW FRIDAY NIGHT WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY. TRAVEL MAY BECOME HAZARDOUS.
* ACCUMULATIONS: SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED.
* TIMING: SNOW WILL BEGIN IN THE WARNING AREAS AFTER 400 AM AND CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT.
Not to change the subject....but how do you start one of these blogs?
ReplyDeleteLook at the top of this page. On the right side there is a button. It says,"Create Blog."
ReplyDeleteInteresting meeting this weekend!!! I've heard they're not replacing the administrators that had their contracts non-renewed. GOOD START!
ReplyDeleteI would be willing to bet that 95% of those administrators whose contracts were not renewed will end up in administrative positions at the same pay. Some of them are telling their staff that already. The know it is a smoke and mirrors PR gimmick by Eugene White.....he may even add more administrative positioins.
ReplyDeleteReading this blog it is really easy to understand why some teachers never progress beyond their pathetic careers in the classrom. If they knew enough to get in out of the rain they would understand that TECH is going to benefit by millions of dollars by IPS hosting the Super Bowl practice facility. They are so bitter about their lost careers they resent all the positive accomplishments of Dr White. For those who think Jeff White was such a great administrator they never spend much time with him. He was so interested in his public imiage he had little time for his job! I have been in IPS for over 30 years and Dr. White is the best Superintendent I have worked with including Pat who was a friend.
ReplyDeleteI've heard the same thing...why do they do this every single year? If they would cut the 20 some administrators on the list that would save the police force! I've also heard that the elementary assistants will be taking over the open elementary principal jobs.
ReplyDeletePink slipping administrators year after year and then rehiring them at the 11th hour is part of the IPS culture of high drama. Keep everyone on their toes and worried sick about their jobs for the next year...It's a power thing.
ReplyDeleteAll employees should face the facts that Eugene White does not have the best intentions for students. Look at the facts. We have the lowest student enrollment in the history of the district. Community support is at an all time low and academic achievement at the middle schools and high schools is also at an all time low. Point blank, it is time for Eugene White to retire. If Dr. P had such results, the concerned clergy and school board members would be outraged
ReplyDeleteSounds like Prudence Bridgewaters and Jane Kendricks are back on the blog. Welcome back gentlemen!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my god! Seriously...does it make you feel better than others to call out a petty, trivial spelling error? It's a freaking blog. Maybe if you spent more time on your lesson plans than calling people out, our students would be better off. Who really cares if someone can't spell crony
ReplyDeleteThe person three posts up is playing the race card.
ReplyDeleteWho cares if an IPS high school gets some money for a football field because Gene is on a Super Bowl committee. You think playing on a better football kid is going to get kids to college?
ReplyDeleteLet's be real here! He's about status and self-importance and being a local celebrity and using his job to live like a king (as well as make monarchs of his relatives and friends).
Gene's job is in INDIANAPOLIS. Not Miami. He is superintendent of INDIANAPOLIS Public Schools.
He has lost his credibility with the public and as a taxpayer I hope he resigns or retires very soon.
Yes, the administrators are back. Who else would refer to a life long career teacher as "pathetic" and never advancing beyond teaching. Teaching is a noble career. Who would want to sell his/her soul to the devil in order to be an Ed. Center ass kisser who had to write attacks on career teachers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous post. I think this reflects the attitudes of many (most?) IPS administrators - that teachers are second-class professionals. It is reflected in the total lack of respect from this administration for teachers and the important jobs they do.
ReplyDeleteAnd, NO, I am not a teacher.
"some teachers never progress beyond their pathetic careers in the classrom"
ReplyDeleteThat is such a low and scummy comment. I'm almost speechless. Just let me say that I hope I don't know you.
Since Tony Bennett pimp slapped down Eugene White re: the 2 hoiur delay on Monday, if I were White and we had a little snow on the ground Monday, I would call a 2 hour delay due to emergency weather conditions. White would return the slap down and won the battle. I wonder if White is bold enough to do that.
ReplyDeleteWe get it, Ms. "pimp slap." You don't like your job and don't want to go to work on Monday. How close are you to retirement? I agree that the "pathetic careers in the classroom" comment is beyond disgusting. I am hoping it was directed at some of the really unprofessional self-described teachers who post here and not a jab at everyone who doesn't see teaching as a step on a career ladder to management!
ReplyDeleteMs. "pimp slap" isn't even a teacher. So why she is so emotionally invested in getting a delay is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteONLY IN IPS By now most of you have received the Connect Ed call from the Ed Center that was sent to staff, students and parents. My students were laughing at how stupid IPS is. The call says that there will be a one hour delay on Monday. Then goes on to say that if your school normally starts at 7:30 then Monday it will start at 9:30. Even the students with poor math skills figured out that would be a 2 hour delay not a 1 hour delay. They are confused and many are saying that they are not coming at all. Is there any chance that this was an intentional error??? I wonder.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't received a call, and my kids haven't brought home anything from school. If I didn't read the paper and visit this blog, I would still think there was a 2-hour delay from the call I received Tuesday night. I received a call on Wednesday about Colts Friday. Nothing since. If they were deliberately trying to create chaos, they could not do a better job!
ReplyDeleteTo the above poster. WELCOME TO IPS! If we can't screw it up then NO one can!
ReplyDeleteChaos theory working well in IPS. If it is the normal thing to be done. IPS will not do it.
Ann Wilkins is a zero in my book. I am very seriously thinking of dropping my membership to IEA. What do you mean we aren't getting our 1%before spring break?
ReplyDeleteIt will be a mess come Monday. That's the problem, IPS can't handle doing things like this. Remember Conseco? I for one, will take and pick up my children.
ReplyDeleteYou are getting your 1%, noting has been mentioned by the Board or IEA, it's all public records. I am ok with Monday, its IPS, what do you expect?
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard doodly squat from Ann Wilkins or the IEA about any 1% of anything. I suspect the only reason Ann Wilkins spoke to a local TV station is because its reporter appeared at her door and she was caught on the spot and was forced to say something or anything. Actually, all she had to offer in the way of comment was about teachers having to clean up their rooms if custodial staff is reduced. Whoopee, Ann!
ReplyDeleteI'll place my classroom trashcan outside my door and help the cause! The custodians, as nice as they are, only empty the trashcans in my classroom, and that's it! They don't clean my desk, clean the student desks, vacuum any rugs, or even clean the boards. They're a sweet group of folks in my building, but they don't do a lot inside my classroom that I don't already do. Cutting custodians would not have a negative impact on my students.
If I don't get my 1% bonus on time as named in the contract, I will drop my long time membership. Ann Wilkins is invisible and in the rear pocket of Eugene White and is afraid of him.
ReplyDeleteAnnie Roof, so glad that you are in a position to drop off and pick up your children at CFI. IPS, however, has about 27,000 students who rely on bus transportation to school and home.
ReplyDeleteIf Monday is a mess because bus drivers again call in sick en mass, the mess is one created by Tony Bennett. IPS tried to address this issue. You know the rest.
If a parent and student follow the directions of the connect ed and come to school at 9:30 at a school that usually begins at 7:30, will they be punished???
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree this mess is Bennett's fault. This is 100% the fault of IPS. IPS is the one who not only wanted to sanction employees and students skipping school, but did not want them to have to make it up. IPS is the one who did not verify Indiana law before announcing the hairbrained scheme to the public. And IPS is the one who has not made the final decision clear to the parents. I'll defend administration against speech impediments and personal insults. But this is an IPS administration screwup of biblical proportions. My kids go to CFI too, but things like this make me second-guess my decision because the district is just so broken. It's really hard to trust a system like this with your kids!
ReplyDeleteTony Bennett did not create this mess we speak about. The DOE has regulations and guidelines regarding school delays, school closings, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt is incumbent upon the local school administration and the local School Board to know exactly what the regulations are and then to follow those regulations.
Dr. White did neither. First, he does not know what the regulations say, perhaps. Second, if he does know, then he intentionally chose to flip them off and do his own thing. Either way, IPS is looking bad -- either they're too dumb to know the rules or they're too arrogant to give a rat's patoot.
Again, this had nothing to do with Tony Bennett. It had everything to do with White and the IPS School Board. Rules are rules.
I think though, that if a small school system in rural IN would have made the two hour delay decision then not a word would have been said about it. I think Bennett jumped on it because it's IPS and he doesn't like IPS.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, White and IPS screwed up and they are still screwing up with not being clear to the kids/parents what the plan is for Monday. I have a feeling we'll get a weather 2 hour delay (with this snow we have) or they'll cancel. Guess we'll see what happens!
Oh, and the custodians at my bldg are nice too but they empty trash, sweep my tile, I'm not sure there's much vaccuming going on, and sweep the halls. I hear we've got it better than most. At an old school I was at the cust. dusted every room, wiped down every desk, washed the boards, emptied trash, vaccumed, etc. I think IPS custodians have it pretty easy.
"Annie Roof, so glad that you are in a position to drop off and pick up your children at CFI. IPS, however, has about 27,000 students who rely on bus transportation to school and home.
ReplyDeleteIf Monday is a mess because bus drivers again call in sick en mass, the mess is one created by Tony Bennett. IPS tried to address this issue. You know the rest."
Just to let everyone know, this blog isn't really a "safe" place to post anonymously. This was a comment posted after I wrote that I for on will be taking and picking up my children. I posted as anonymous. I have emailed the blogmaster regarding this situation.
Not only was I personally called out, but my children's school was named. I have posted on here, and signed my name, something I haven't seen anyone else do. But when I post as anonymous, I really truly believed it was. Like the rest of you. I am very disturbed by this. Be careful what you say. This will be my last post.
Blogmaster - please remove the comment naming my childrens school. And if you posted that comment, how very disappointing. This blog was a great way to express oneself.
Signed,
Annie Roof
Annie, the blog is anonymous, but each person creates a unique code that can be easily viewed by anyone unless you specifically use a program or website that "hides" you. So if you ever posted revealing your name, then it's easy to check if an anonymous post has the same code as the one in which you revealed your name. That said, I do not think the blogmaster (or most people) knows how to check code. She frequently accuses posters of being certain people (usually she's wrong) and reveals personal details about those people. So I'm guessing she didn't know for sure that it was you who posted. She was just being nasty revealing your personal info because she's just a nasty person. I'm sorry you don't feel it's safe to post here. I admire your passion for education, and you definitely have my vote for schoolboard. -- an IPS parent
ReplyDeleteA candidate for school board or even a school board member shouldn't be posting anonymously on blogs created for the sole purpose of bash and trash.
ReplyDeleteStop Blaming Tony Bennett for Dr. Whites screw up!!!! It's good to know somebody is doing their job and staying on top of Dr. Whites super inflated ego trip!!!!
ReplyDeleteLet me see if I understand this correctly:
ReplyDeleteIf a person posts anonymously every time, then no chance of them being identified by anyone?
But if a person posts once or more with their name, then any of their anonymous posts that follow can be figured out by the blogmaster and maybe someone else?
Blog master. Please clarify this. I think it may be important to the future viability of this blog.
Ms. Roof. I am a taxpayer and not a teacher. But from what I have read of your posts, you sound like an excellent candidate for school board and I hope you win.
I am truly sorry you will not be posting here anymore and your contributions will be missed. Best wishes for the future.
Obviously we have another administrator on here trying to define this blog as a place to bash and trash. I contend that the real place to bash and trash is the Ed. Center where it was started by Eugene White and has spread to his minions. What happened to the rules that were created for Prudence Bridgewaters before she visited classrooms. She was at a community school this week doing surprise visits to classrooms and then bashing and trashing the teachers after she left. None of the visitation guidelines for her observations were followed. Too bad we don't have an IEA president who would do something about this. Eugene White owns Ann Wilkins. She will understand this spring when hundreds of IEA members cancel their memberships.
ReplyDeleteHow do we cancel, and when, exactly, can we do it?
ReplyDeleteI dropped out of IEA last August during the 'window' of time set aside for dropping out. Check the IEA website and look for the very small print. You must write a letter and mail it to the IEA Office stating that you no longer wish to be a member. Email will not work.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the IEA is that people go from IPS jobs into IEA leadership and then back out again into IPS jobs.
ReplyDeleteHow is anyone going to raise hell against the administration when in a few years they are going to be getting paychecks from that same administration?
I'm generally pro-union by philosophy, but I can't blame people for dropping out of IEA.
if your dues are being withheld from your paycheck for IEA, all you need to do is write a letter telling them that you want that deduction stopped...I don't think there is a "window" for quitting the union. Is there?
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a window of time for dropping your IEA membership. If you don't submit a written letter to the IEA Office during that window of time, then your membership is automatically renewed for another year and your dues are automatically deducted by payroll whether you wish or not.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to join the union, but they make it more difficult to sever your relationship.
If you notify the union you want to drop out, by letter, during the window, you had better still alert payroll that you want the deductions stopped. I have heard of people doing everything by the book, then being surprised that their dues are still being taken of their checks.
ReplyDeleteBoth of my parents were union members and I have always been. I am cancelling during the window time because Ann Wilkins is owned by Eugene White. She never speaks up unless it is to agree with White. There are no communications coming to members. The web site is nothing more than a place for Ann Wilkins to post her picture and promote herself. Calls are not returned. She is not in the buildings. She is not at board meetings. She has alienated most of the IEA leadership because she sold out to Eugene White. She will get an administrative job when she leaves office and there will be no union left. That is what White wants and Wilkins will have done her best to help him achieve his goal.
ReplyDeleteUnions were rooted in racism (to keep black people from working on the railroads for lower wages than what the Irish and Slavs would work for) and organized crime and evolved into proponents of socialism and mediocrity. With or without Ann Wilkins, why any self-respecting professional would belong to ANY union has never made an ounce of sense to me. Good teachers would be worth twice as much without the union. The union is only a benefit if you aren't pulling your own weight.
ReplyDeleteThere goes one of Eugene's stooges writing in this blog again. I wonder how much of a raise that this person will get. Check the next board report.
ReplyDeleteAnyone with a high-school-level grasp of history and economics could have written that. Don't be so obtuse.
ReplyDelete"Don't be so obtuse."
ReplyDelete----------------
Well, I'm a cranky old man (not a teacher) and I am going to be "obtuse" as hell here.
That post was a line of baloney. Unions came into their own in the early 1900s because people - of all races, creeds, etc. - were working on factory assembly lines 10 hours a day, six days a week. And they were being treated like slaves instead of valued employees.
Worker unions got rid of child labor; established the five-day work week; established the 40-hour work week; established paid vacations; helped secure basic civil rights for all hourly workers.
Have they all been perfect? No. But what is perfect in this world?
Like I said, I'm a pretty old guy and I remember friends I went to college with getting jobs as teachers in Indiana in the late 1970s with starting pay of $7,000 a year and very few benefits.
I remember, when I was going to school, that the best teacher in my school district would carry out my family's groceries to our car on nights and weekends because he had to work a second job as a grocery store carry-out peon to keep food on his family's table.
So, you want to go back to that!?
Again, you're just showing your own lack of understanding into both history and economics. Employers cannot hold wages below market value. It's impossible. Employees would simply seek other jobs. It was the same way with the railroads. They called the black people "strikebreakers" or "scabs" but they were just people who were willing to work for less than current railroad workers. So the railroad workers "unionized" (formed a employee monopoly) to keep out the competition. The same thing happened with other blue collar professions. And the same thing happened with teaching. With teaching, it wasn't for racial reasons. They just wanted the salaries and benefits of free market professions, but didn't want to compete. The result is the same though. Good teachers are not allowed to earn what they are worth and poor teachers are protected. Without a union, my wages would go up. Because good teachers are in higher demand than mediocre teachers, and by paying good teachers higher wages, they could save money in special programs, aides, coaches, etc. In my case, a higher than average salary would be a good investment. That's the way capitalism works. All of you "it's not me, it's the parents/administration/students/police/governor" wouldn't be worth less than your salaries. So you unionize. It's like welfare. You take what the hard workers earn so you don't have to work for it.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I completely disagree with your socio/political/historic/economic interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that black workers have been historically treated terribly - but that is because of wealthy, greedy, racist business owners in the United States (of which there are still many). As they used to say when I was young: "The Man."
Here's the blind spot in your argument about good teachers getting paid more without a union:
Teaching prowess is subjective. How do you determine who is a good teacher and who is not a good teacher? By the opinion of one semi-psychotic principal who has it in for one individual because of a personality conflict? By ISTEP scores: when every classroom has the variable of kids coming from a variety of home/social backgrounds?
If you're going to judge the performance of an architect, you can look at their drawings and see whose are better. It's all black and white, on paper.
A salesperson who sells vacuum cleaners can be judged on his job performance by the numbers of units he has sold.
No way to do this with teaching. It's like trying to determine who is the better artist: Picasso or Monet. Or, in the musical arena, who was better: Jimi Hendrix or Jim Morrison?
In my opinion, there is no fair and accurate way to judge the performance of one teacher against others.
It is all in the eye of the beholder.
Purely subjective. No fair, logical or honest way to do do it.
There are variables even for the vacuum sales person. I used to work in retail, my per hour sales were less then some of my colleagues but my stuff stayed sold, others had a much higher return rate, and it was all factored in.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who drops their IEA membership is not thinking with a clear head, it is the only protection you have, and the way things are going in IPS you may have a sane administrator today, but who knows about tomorrow.
You all act like it's so complex. If you are a teacher and you really don't know how to tell the difference between a good teacher and a bad one, then you're probably one of the bad ones. And it only takes one or two bad ones to completely screw a kid up. If you're a good teacher, the kids say you're good, the parents say you're good, the principal says your good, your coworkers say you're good, the teachers in the next grade love getting kids who have been in your class, and your students improve on standardized tests after being in your class. So I would use a combination of all of those factors. I wouldn't say "it's all subjective, so let's just keep the status quo. Fuck the kids. As long as I get my union welfare check."
ReplyDeleteI strongly support union membership.....but where is Ann Wilkins...where is the IEA? I don't want to continue to pay dues to an invisible silent organization. When was the last time you heard from them?
ReplyDelete