Friday, March 18, 2011

Gorman on Rahm Emanuel short list?

The Chicago Tribune reports today that Rahm Emanuel, who recently left the White House to become mayor of the Windy City, may be looking outside for someone to lead the city's troubled schools.

The article says he's looking at inside candidates, but "many believe he wants to nab a proven leader or education innovator from outside Illinois." Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Peter Gorman is among four outside candidates said to be on Emanuel's "short list," along with Jerry Weast, who was superintendent in Guilford County in the 1990s and retired as superintendent in Montgomery County, Md.

Gorman's response to the speculation: "Not interested in being superintendent anywhere else!"

This is becoming a familiar drill, as superintendent jobs come open and people speculate about names that are prominent on the national education scene. Next comes the part where I remind you that superintendents always say they're not interested in leaving right up until they make a public finalist list, and you weigh in on whether Gorman's departure would be a tragedy or a cause for celebration.

The thing that's got me grinning this time is imagining Gorman, after five years' immersion in ever-so-polite Charlotte, dealing with Emanuel's infamously earthy tirades. Talk about culture shock!

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

The teachers in CMS will party like its 1999 if this happens!

Anonymous said...

Don't tease us!

Anonymous said...

Chicago has 430,000 students 27,000 teachers and 5 billion budget.

CMS is only 130,000 students 9000 teachers and 1.3 billion budget?

Gorman biting off more than he can chew with a system 400% bigger?

Anonymous said...

Hopefully Gorman will leave then we can get a black man, or a black woman, in that job.

Anonymous said...

So a Latino or Asian would out of the question? Thats bigoted.

Anonymous said...

Cant blame him with the NAACP harrassing him at every step or going to his home and causing trouble.
Thats moron Mutumbo or Magabe or what his stupid name can be happy now.
He was a decent CMS superintendant.

Anonymous said...

OH Anne - don't be a teaser.

Anonymous said...

"The thing that's got me grinning this time is picturing Gorman, after five years' immersion in ever-so-polite Charlotte, dealing with Emanuel's infamously earthy tirades. Talk about culture shock!"

Have you been paying attention during the comments period of the school board meetings? The NAACP and some local activists have been anything but polite. (And don't think they haven't been trying to run Dr. Gorman out of town.)

Anonymous said...

"Next comes the part where I remind you that superintendents always say they're not interested in leaving right up until they make a public finalist list..."

This reminds me of coaches who are being courted by another team; they say they're staying, but always leave. Pete is cut from the same cloth as Arne Duncan who is part of Emanuel's Chicago inner-circle. Hopefully, he will take his education deform ideas to the Windy City.

Read more: http://obsyourschools.blogspot.com/2011/03/gorman-on-rahm-emanuel-short-list.html#ixzz1Gz6Wid4B

Anonymous said...

Could we be so lucky? Could the man who wants to lay off (just in CMS teachers and assistants) 1 out of every 100 state workers in the whole country finally be exorcised?

John said...

This from the same guy who helped pick President Obama's Cabinet and other advisors... enough said!

Wiley Coyote said...

Chicago has 17 of the worst 100 schools in the US...None in the Top 100...

Also 9 of the Top 10 worst high schools in Illinois...

CPS report card shows many schools struggling

Dozens of elementary, high schools get poor or failing grades in the district's own scoring system

September 09, 2010
By Azam S. Ahmed, Tribune reporter

By Chicago Public Schools' own reckoning, about a quarter of its elementary schools and more than 40 percent of its high schools are failing, according to internal documents obtained by the Tribune.

Each year, district officials score each school based on academic performance. Last year, they assigned grades A through F based on the numeric scores, and schools chief Ron Huberman talked of publicly releasing them so school and community members would know where they stood. But he never did.

An analysis of the grades shows that a disproportionate number of schools scored in the D range or worse, including 48 percent of elementaries and 68 percent of high schools.


Have fun Pete....

Anonymous said...

www.mayorcityofchicago.org

Phone (312) 311

Hurry, please let Mr. Emmanuel know your desire to send our entire leadership team to the Land of Lincoln.
If they act now we'll throw in a recent corsage from a county commission meeting.
I'm on my knees looking upward knowing it'll never happen. Why would they want a Michigan State grad?

Anonymous said...

Seeing the condition our school system is currently in, the fact that Rahm Emanuel would be interested in Peter Gorman speaks VOLUMES!! Personally, and I'm sure many would agree, I say... TAKE HIM, PLEASE!!!!

Anonymous said...

With all the hot air from Pete, he will do fine in the windy city...I will help him pack, especially all his worthless degrees.

Anonymous said...

THE MAYOR OF CHICAGO MADE $216,000 A YEAR in 2009.

The CEO of Chicago School District 299 was $208,000 in 2005-2006. CEO is the same as Superintendent.

Here's a list of some the highest teacher salaries in Illinois.

1. The highest-paid public school teacher in Illinois is a physical education teacher making $191,124 per year (I'm assuming this is a 9-month teaching "year").

2. Six of the top 12 highest-paid high school teachers in Illinois teach physical education, each making $170,000 or more.

3. Six state employees teaching driver education make $150,000 or more.

4. Six high school teachers make more than the Illinois Governor's salary of $177,500.

5. 14,048 Illinois high school teachers made salaries of $100,000 or more in 2010, which is up 13% over last year.

Just a little FYI.

Bolyn McClung
CMSdollars.com
Pineville

Anonymous said...

Mrs. McClung, what do Illinois teacher's salaries have a single thing to do with Gorman taking the job???? Do you ever really think before you fire that howitzer off?

Anonymous said...

Gosh, just think how many CMS admins he would take with him!

Anonymous said...

REPLY TO 9:07pm

You're correct but that wasn't the point.

Illinois teacher wages have no bearing. The proper comparison is his CMS wages that are a $100,000+ greater than the Chicago mayor's or the school CEO's.

The salary issue with the teachers was to show that Illinois taxpayers already show some displeasure on large paychecks.

I had assumed it would be easy to come to a conclusion that that dissatisfaction and the State's budget problem that is second only to California would mean there might be a teeny-weeny reluctance to match $325,000 a year.

Illinois has a terrible budget problem with its school district. The State has over $1billion dollars that are owed the districts. If the new mayor is looking to implement pay restructuring, the last thing he would want to do is bump up the top position by 100 grand plus.

Please visit my website, CMSdollars.com. It covers many issues and tries to live-up to the site’s motto: Pro or Con OK. Clueless Isn’t!

Bolyn McClung
CMSdollars.com
Pineville

Anonymous said...

Wasn't this the system Arne Duncan came from?

Anonymous said...

Let's start a moving fund for Gorman! The best thing for Charlotte would be for Gorman to leave. Let him go to Chicago and "reform" that district just like he did here.

Anonymous said...

I have taught in CMS for three years in one of the district's lowest performing schools. I've met Gorman on several occassions and had great talks with him about the future of CMS.

I hope he stays but if he goes, I look forward to reading everyone's complaints about the his replacement. All you people do is whine and moan about how terrible CMS is. It's depressing to read the comments sometimes. CMS, like most of the country's school systems, is faced with huge budget issues. The SB or Gorman can't help a 100 million dollar cut. Eventually he HAS to cut teaching jobs. And if any of you have ever actually taught, then you know there is some dead weight around CMS.

And if you have taught and are thinking "no there isn't," then YOU are the dead weight.

Anonymous said...

So now Obamas DOJ tells white bullied school victims tough luck jack? Double standards?


http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2011/mar/18/doj-white-male-bullying-victims-tough-luck/

Anonymous said...

To Anon 4:47:

Of course you like Gorman. As a third year teacher in CMS, you stand to lose very little, if anything, under Gorman's PfP plan.

Anonymous said...

Of course there's "dead weight" in CMS. That's just the nature of "education" in the US.

I'm sure it cuts across the board, from students to teachers and administrators.

After all, look who the "students" are and also look at who studies "education".

The best and the brightest are not well represented on those lists.

Anonymous said...

Why would Pete leave? He has a school board that supports every destructive move he makes. Davis just can not thank him enough for firing top teachers, for using large sums of money to fund failed policies, and for leaving our schools more vulnerable to violent crimes. When Pete goes, the entire board needs to be swept up and thrown out with him!

Anonymous said...

Gorman is just working his way back to his beloved home state of California. Next stop in 5 yrs after he ditches Chicago will be the Los Angeles Unified School District.

700,000 students
45,000 teachers
7 billion budget.
Superintendant salary = 550,000. Prob a million in 5 yrs.
oh hell yea baby ...

Buy a big beach home in Malibu with the San Gabriel Mts backdrop ... oh yea ... coming back home to Cally ... 5 years ... sunshine beach Hollywood , Baywatch babes ...
and a million smacks ... yahoooooo

Anonymous said...

PLEASE...

Feel free to bash CMS but there ain't no way Pete and Sue are gonna' move their rising 9th grade daughter out of South Meck. H.S. to some "troubled" school in Chicago unless they're changing their mailing address names to Mayor and Mrs. Anthony Foxx or President and Mrs. Barack Obama - in which case they can send their daughter to some swanky private school without much ado.

Anonymous said...

Just finished "Crazy U". A story about a dad getting his son into college including the insanity, hypocrisy and absurdity of the admissions process. Funniest thing I've read since the madness began - starting around preschool age.

An enjoyable must read for any parent who has survived or is about to embark on the journey.

Educational "experts"? After getting my son into college this year, my rats behind is more than qualified to establish a highly effective support group (at a zero pay-for-stellar-performance salary). Standardized test scores and stupid essay questions written by overly educated people who never worked a day in the real world strictly prohibited.

High class martinis and Utica beer optional.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:01, you are right, BUT have you all thought about this...the feds may be breathing hard down Pete's neck because of the whole Waddell scandal and complaints by the NAACP.

I think he may get the heck outta Dodge before he gets his name really dirty.

Anonymous said...

Congrats to my neighbor whose child was accepted at a highly prestigious university with a coveted scholarship.

I'm certain CMS will take full credit for this kid's stellar academic performance after they attended the most expensive and exclusive private school in Charlotte grades TK- 8.

Of course, it's so nice living next door to someone who has become so totally pro-CMS due to the plethora of the system's fine offerings, effective leadership and abundant diversity that makes all things possible.

Anonymous said...

Feds breathing down Petes neck because of the "Waddell scandal" ??????????

HUH? Thats too funny.

OK. Whos the comedian? Who are you trying to kid? It was Waddell or Harding as you know.

Empty classrooms. 100 million shortfall.

That 100 million BTW will foot a more important event with the DNC as you know.
Also we have 450 million in the small uptown NBA arena that was much more important that public schools(or libraries) for petes sake. Right? Dont forget the other big projects like arts and culture centers etc

You must get your priorities in order, right?

Nice try.

Roberto Brockman said...

Cant blame him with the NAACP harrassing him at every step or going to his home and causing trouble. Thats moron Mutumbo or Magabe or what his stupid name can be happy now. He was a decent CMS superintendant.