Monday, February 28, 2011

Get RIF'd

Did you get a RIF notice today? If you have under three years teaching experience, you probably did. Is that fair?

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Hello, It's Been A While

Want to share, but don't know where to send? ipsbs@hotmail.com. Don't use school property. That's against the rules.

Don't You Wish

Regardless of what you think about some of our lawmakers going to Illinois, don't you wish they would have taken the administration with them?

Monday, February 21, 2011

Answers, Please.

In order to eligible for a school improvement grant from the IDOE, all Indiana schools have to prove to the IDOE the building principal has an established academic track record of success using ISTEP or End-of-Course Assessment Exams. Based on the most recent administrative changes within IPS, which building principals have a documented track record of success using state standardized testing? Please provide examples.


Monday, February 14, 2011

We Told You So

The Indianapolis Public School Board voted 4-3 Monday to approve Superintendent Eugene White's contentious plan to reassign administrators at 12 schools.

The plan is identical to one the board rejected on Jan. 25, except for changes that affect administrators at Northwest High School. Those changes were enough for board member Michael Brown, who voted no in January, to vote yes Monday.

Brown said he had been concerned that removal of an assistant principal at Northwest would have caused unnecessary turmoil for the school's freshman center.

"I had specific concerns," Brown said. "He (White) addressed my concerns, and it deserved a yes vote."

Last month's rejection of the plan, aimed at cutting costs and meeting federal grant requirements, had exposed sharp divisions on the board and prompted an angry White to demand the board buy out his contract.

Member Samantha Adair-White, who voted against the plan with Annie Roof and Diane Arnold, noted during the meeting that Brown's son attends Northwest.

"All the changes were to pacify board member Brown," she said.

Roof had harsher comments: "This is adults taking care of adults," she said. "(This is about) people's self-interest, nepotism, politics and favors."

The compromise that gained Brown's vote was reached after a closed-door meeting on Jan. 31. Board members Elizabeth Gore, Mary Busch and Marianna Zaphiriou also voted in favor Monday.

"This is not a contest," White said. "We have to work together in order to do things to serve our children."

The moves mean eight schools will have new principals by the start of next school year.

This is part of an overall plan that trims $560,000 from the IPS budget. The district still needs to cut $15 million from its budget for the upcoming school year.

The reassignments of principals at Arlington, Northwest and Howe high schools are a response to rules in the No Child Left Behind federal education law and the district's desire to seek federal grants for those schools.

The district had to take corrective action because the schools' students have recorded six years of subpar test performance. The federal rules require officials to "reconstitute" underperforming schools by removing the principal and at least half the teachers.

The changes allow IPS to seek federal grants to help improve the schools.

Another change under the plan calls for a promotion and $13,000 raise for White's son, Reginald White, the behavior dean at Tech High School. He becomes an assistant principal, raising his pay to $92,000 from $78,606.

Eugene White has said he played no role in the decision to promote his son. He noted Monday that despite the raise, his son's hourly pay rate actually decreases because he goes from working 10 months a year to 12 months a year.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

So What's Your Plan

We've been accused of having no ideas for school reform. Let's offer some right here.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Can We Compete?

I heard some talk yesterday that we are afraid of competition. IPS B.S. thinks we can compete with anyone if we had an administration that was worth anything.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Rally Ho!

Will you be at the statehouse rally today making your voice heard about what's going on down there regarding "education reform"?

Sunday, February 6, 2011

We're Back Baby

IPS will open tomorrow! Did you miss it?

Friday, February 4, 2011

Reform Reform

So what do you all think of all the education reforms being proposed at the State Legislature?

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Expecting Change?

Forget about any change coming as a result of the recent IPS Board meeting with Eugene White. Michael Brown caved, big time. So almost everything will stay status quo.

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