Thursday, August 12, 2010

Tell Your Story

Crowded classrooms? No air? Transportation confusion? Incompetent central office administration? We want to know.

49 comments:

  1. The only problem I ever have is with central office. I love my kids' school, the teachers, the principal. (Yes, it has air, I wouldn't register my kids in a school that didn't.) Class size is small (there are less than 25 kids in both of my kids' primary classrooms) The problems I have are always with things like transportation (a disaster yesterday but fine today), office of student assignment, that kind of thing. Another mom asked me to print off a free/reduced lunch form because she never got one in the mail and she couldn't get anyone to answer the phone, and she doesn't have Internet. After searching the website, there is a page that tells you if you didn't get the form in the mail to call central office (which they won't answer). Now THAT'S certainly helpful. Things like that constantly frustrate me and reinforce the feeling that I'm in an inferior district. Sometimes I wish my kids' school could convert to a charter school, so they could handle their own administration, and we wouldn't have to deal with the lunacy of IPS.

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  2. In the Education Center, the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. In addition, few of the rules, policies and procedures are in writing so you get many different interpretations. Under Eugene White, it has become chaotic.

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  3. Arlington is the lame skool now in we can't do nothing we on lock down

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  4. Arlington is lame because you can't do nothing? What a shame. Maybe you can use that down time to attend class.

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  5. For the love of Pete, don't be so gullible. Most people don't type colloquialisms, even when they speak them, students who can't spell first grade words don't tend to play around on the Internet, and they certainly wouldn't have been able to find this blog. There's a poster here who likes to perpetuate the stereotype that all IPS students are illiterate morons. My guess is that post is from him/her.

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  6. Gee, IPS bus driver drops off a Kindergartener at the wrong place. I guess that 110,000 the head of transportation makes is well spent.

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  7. The principal called us to ask that we send 2 - 3 water bottles with our kids so they wouldn't miss any class time. He said it would be better if we donate a case of water. He also asked that we donate fans, new fans, new fans in a box. What did he do with the fans we donated the year before and the ones we donated the year before last year. He is just a big fraud.

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  8. Why is it that Shortridge is the ONLY school that did not have attendance numbers readily available? This was on Indy Star.

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  9. Mr. Cosby marches to a different drummer, don't you know.

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  10. "What did he do with the fans we donated the year before and the ones we donated the year before last year."

    I saw a free one on Craigslist. Perhaps he couldn't sell it on EBay.

    I let my faucets run for ten minutes before my kids refilled their bottles. Hot, hot, hot. HUGE class! Let's get another teacher....soon!

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  11. What about the brand new ghost position at Broad Ripple? I hear that the new "Dean" of Student Activities has no qualification. In other words, he has no Education degree and is not certified. So old Gene put him at BRHS as a Dean but as a classified employee. Check it out. It's right there in the Board Docs. (If you can find them. They'e done their best to make it impossible to find this information.)So this new BASKETBALL COACH is making over 64K plus stipends and benefits to be ill-qualified and do nothing. Does this sound familiar? Shades of the Basil Mawbey scam that Gene managed to pull off last year. Why has the media ignored this travesty?

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  12. I want a ghost position. Where are the clipboard carriers? Are those positions posted? I really can walk around aimlessly, count brown ceiling tiles, and recommend the placement of mulch around the flag.

    Or put me on the Cadre. I can stand at the edge of the classes and run Xerox copies or laminate and cut out stuff, too.

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  13. Don't be so gullible to believe that people who can't spell wouldn't be able to post on the internet. IPS BS is really hard to spell and locate.

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  14. My class is on the second floor. it was 116 degrees.

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  15. So you are implying that the Cadre does nothing? Why the hatred?

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  16. No shit. I hope you're not a teacher. First of all, an insulated building won't get significantly hotter than the outside temperature (except maybe right by the window or near light fixtures). With the windows open and the fans going, there's no way it got even in the high 90s in your classroom. Second, 116-degree air can not only cause heat stroke but can cause first degree burns to unprotected skin. I'm thinking we would have heard about that. We get that you were hot today. No need to exaggerate like some attention-seeking 8-year-old.

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  17. I don't know about 116 degrees but what people don't take into consideration is that when you take a 90 degree plus room and put 30 teenage bodies in it, the temperature goes up either more. Eugene White is an idiot and should be made to work in an unairconditioned school. So should Mary Busch but her hair wouldn't hold up to that kind of heat.

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  18. I have felt it get into the 100's in classrooms on the second floor. Heat rising from the tin roof, 32 bodies in a classroom, it makes for a hot sticky day. They really should call a heat day. I don't think people would complain about having to make it up in June when it's warm but not hellish.

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  19. Has anyone wondered why they haven't published the new budget yet?

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  20. The cadre does nothing....they are glorified gophers who get paid teachers' salaries. There I said it.

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  21. You're an idiot.

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  22. @Has anyone wondered why they haven't published the new budget yet?

    Don't know. I have searched the IPS website to no avail. God forbid that any Board member requests to see the full budget although it is supposed to be advertised to the public before the vote. White will get testy like last year, tell the Board it's too long to read, and then end by telling the Board members to make an appointment with him if they want to read the budget before voting on it.

    Hell, the proposed budget should be posted Online on the IPS Homepage so anyone interested can read it, skim over it, or just take a quick glance.

    The current trendy buzz word in educational circles is 'transparency' (with which I agree), but Dr. White and the School Board are confused -- transparency is not a clear sheet of plastic placed on an overhead projector.

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  23. Most of the school board members are not confused. They are just plain stupid including the one with the 1971 hairdo.

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  24. same old but a different yearAugust 13, 2010

    What about the brand new ghost position at Broad Ripple? Check it out. It's right there in the Board Docs. So this new BASKETBALL COACH is making over 64K plus stipends and benefits to be ill-qualified and do nothing.

    In reply, the only thing I found on BoardDocs were Personnel Reports that were Revised, 6/22/10 or Modified, 7/27/10, no details. However, the word is that the info. will be up by 8/27. Along with the new BB Coach/Dean/Man About Town at 'Ripple supposedly there is some new joker Downtown who has a title like Football/Strength Coordinator or some such silliness. If this stuff is confirmed I'd bet the media will hear about it...no worries.

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  25. Sounds like Doc White is getting some more of his boys into our district.

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  26. OK, we were told to hit the road running the kids would have everything available to go. Lockers, netbooks, schedules, etc. Don't worry about books because they are on the netbooks. Plan as if they have the books.

    Today we are told that the books online are not available because downtown has not turned them on. We were told the kids don't have internet connectivity at home to do assignments because downtown has not turn it on. We were told they ran out of netbooks and some kids don't have them (as if they work anyway).

    We were told that books could not be given out because we have netbooks per downtown orders. (not even classroom sets) We were then told not to run off too much because paper was at a premium this year in the budget.

    We were told that LCD projectors and overheads projectors cannot be given out because they are installed in our ceiling this summer. All most of us have are hook-ups.

    So, much for hit the ground running an plan as if the kids had everything on day one.

    At what point can downtown receive a grade. They are hindering the education at every corner.

    Dr. White if you read this blog explain to me how children come first with this going on? I just don't see it. The central office is hindering educators at every corner. We can only do so much.

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  27. Cadres...gofers, really?

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  28. The "Kids First" thing is cracking me up. In my newly renovated school we have 4 conference rooms, the 4 largest offices have gone to people who don't even work with kids and the social workers, mental health provider, speech therapists and psychologist have been told to share a conference room when "it's not being used". But hey, at least he doesn't have to give up one of his shiny new conference tables to make an ACTUAL child intervention area!

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  29. Was given a two notes today by different administrators in my building.

    One was about not having student work posted?!?! Said, I was being insubordinate.

    It is day three. When have I had time to get student work and have it then posted in my room?

    Oh, I could post the students cards with their phone numbers, address, and information.

    The second said I was being insubordinate for not being in the hall supervising passing period. Guess, I was suppose to leave the parent and child I was speaking with about issues that had arisen already. (A parent who actually showed up the same day.)

    Kids don't come first administrative idiocy seems to rule the day.

    Sorry about any mispellings. Tired and frustrated today. Glad the week is over.

    Must be targeted since my building is going to loose 51% of staff after this year. Oh, well can only do my best. If they don't like it guess I will move on.

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  30. I cant believe the two top administrators in your building can even spell insubordinate!!

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  31. Why is your school losing 51%?

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  32. You can't text message or use your phone during the school at school 15 unless you are Justin Hunter or his girls, House & Gibson. Because, you know.. you can always get an open line out to parents on the school phone . But remember, you must call all parents before you send a child to the SBAC...

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  33. Grow up!!! You could always find a different job.

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  34. What happens to those kids that were sent home for not registering for school that don't show up to register today? You know there will be some.

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  35. The person must have been at one of the four HS/MS that are being reconstituted after this school year. According to state mandate there has to be a 51 percent turn-over and new administration. So, with at least four schools doing this it will really be just shuffling of the staff for most. I have heard that Northwest, Arlington, Manual, and I believe Howe will be doing this to avert a Dr. Bennett takeover from the state.

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  36. They have been "reconstituting" since day one. I've seen Title One schools failed the federal requirements one year and yet qualify another year, same admin, teachers etc. It's all about paperwork and how bend the rules. Some call it flim flam, very much like the nepotism rules IPS has concocted.

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  37. OK, does any have an idea of why work we are not able to pull work into our classes online. IPS online is not allowing the work created to be pulled from our LOR's.

    All that training this summer and it is not working.

    3600 just said they are aware and trying to correct the problem. Will my administrator be understanding when I tell him that downtown is aware that is why I am flying by my hip with backup plans?

    A set up for failure is all these netbooks seem to be. Plan for technology because we will set you and not have them working correctly.

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  38. "They have been "reconstituting" since day one. I've seen Title One schools failed the federal requirements one year and yet qualify another year, same admin, teachers etc. It's all about paperwork and how bend the rules. Some call it flim flam, very much like the nepotism rules IPS has concocted."

    From my understanding the schools mentioned have had to many years of not making AYP in a row. Even if last spring scores come back making AYP it is too late. They must change during this school year and have the high turn-over it is already mandated. This in order to not have Dr. Bennett come in.

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  39. My understanding from Dr. White's opening speech is Bennett can have the schools...but they don't want them. Bennett has no idea what he is doing...wish he was running for office this fall.

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  40. Bennett is popular with the general public. Whether we agree or not, I think it's suicide to ignore the direction that public education is going. Forget Bennett or Mitch. Look at the rest of the country. Look at the rest of the world. This wailing and gnashing of teeth about returning to the "good old days" (if they ever existed) is completely nonproductive. (And annoying, lol, but mostly nonproductive)

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  41. I completely agree with the above post. I think we're delusional if we think that changing superintendents (statewide or locally) is going to return us to a pre-Reagan school system where people didn't question the schools, didn't try to improve them, and if kids failed, it was because they were either stupid or came from bad families. Those days are gone. They were gone 20 years ago. They're never coming back. Many people (including many teachers) need to make their peace with that.

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  42. I agree with the whole debaucle regarding posting lessons and information on the "Parent Weekly Report." Where is it by the way, and why did the literacy coaches train us to post lesson plans online one way but the hidden lesson plans via eschool are a completely different format? I still have no books, no Elmo or overhead or access to a printer. I refuse to print off 150 plus pages of the online text from my home. Do you think I am bring stingy?

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  43. A lot of our students at our "Dysfunctional" IPS newly renovated building went to Charter schools. I don't blame the parents for sending their children to schools with smaller classroom size, strong principals that enforce discipline and less bullshit to "sling"!

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  44. Is it mandatory that every IPS school building have a detention room for disruptive students? I remember Dr. White saying that each building should have a detention room. Our poorly disciplined school does not have a room like this and teachers are stuck with these disruptive and disrespectful students all day long!

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  45. And air conditioning. The charter schools have air conditioning too!!

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  46. There are some really good teachers "stuck" in the cadre who could run circles around some of the teachers out there who should be taken OUT of the classroom, but are allowed to stay because nobody wants the hassle... Let's just all be accountable!

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  47. Check this out folks because it IS TRUE!

    "What about the brand new ghost position at Broad Ripple? Check it out. It's right there in the Board Docs. So this new BASKETBALL COACH is making over 64K plus stipends and benefits to be ill-qualified and do nothing."

    I too found it in the Board Docs, although well hidden. Dr. White "created" a completely useless, unnecessary day position at BRHS,"Dean for Sports and Activities Director", at 64K, just to get an after-school basketball coach. And the coaching stipends are on top of the salary I'm sure!

    I know that BRHS already has an Athletic Director (licensed) and an Activities Director (unlicensed and at half+ the $64K). The Activities Dir. should contact the proper govt. authority and should sue for discrimination!!! And Dr. White should be fired by the Board. If IPS has money to burn just to get a coach, take that money instead and hire more classroom teachers, aides, or reading teachers. WHERE IS THE MEDIA ON THIS ONE? PARENTS? This is really criminal.

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  48. Instead of attacking each other like downtown wants, why don't you work together knowing that what Dr. White and his posse does nothing to implement his cultural imperative #1 (kids first) he implements what makes him and his stooges look good. I have worked in IPS and am thankfully out of that system because it is a sinking ship not because of the teachers that work there, but because of the lack of leadership that has occurred over the past years. Keep moving administrators around year in and year out. Keep moving teachers around year in and year out. You can argue that they are being forced to do this by reconstitution, but why has Arlington had 5 principals (1 co-principal) in the last two years. They want the good old boys or maybe they would have given Greg Allen more than 40 days to turn that school around.

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  49. The new position at Broad Ripple has brought new life into the school and I'm glad he's here. Complain if you want but he's a good guy and does his job well.

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