Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which will be CMS Superintendent Peter Gorman's employer come mid-August, has a contract with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools via the recently-acquired Wireless Generation.
Gorman will join former New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein in developing the corporation's new education division. That division is charged with carrying out Murdoch's vision of creating digital learning products that customize education the way consumers now "customize their clothing, their cuisine, their news, and most anything else they want to buy."
Before Gorman signed on, News Corp. bought Wireless Generation, a Brooklyn-based company specializing in technology for testing, curriculum and educational data-gathering. Since 2008, Wireless has had a contract with CMS to provide the software and platforms used to track pre-reading skills in all CMS elementary schools. The most recent yearlong renewal, which runs through August, was for $568,173.
Testing and data-gathering became a touchy subject during Gorman's final weeks. It could be interesting to watch how the digital learning opportunities he and Klein craft mesh with whatever direction the CMS board and new leadership chart.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Pete Gorman as CMS vendor?
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All future superintendent contracts should have a clause that prevents dealing with the district on behalf of a new employer to prevent cronyism of this kind.
You weren't surprised by this, were you?
Disgusting!
Not surprising since Arthur Griffin was head of the school board and he left and then joined a book publishing company who then sold to CMS. Cozy such deals are the norm in Charlotte.
Cut all ties with this weasel.
'air ya go Petey-Boy. Become a corrupt, amoral lobbyist buying biz'ness for Rupert Murdoch and Company. Methinks you've finally hit rock bottom, my man, congrats on your selling out.
Such outrage!
How dare someone leave and go to work for a company that does business with CMS!
If you succeed in getting CMS not to do business with Gorman, perhaps you should then turn your outrage towards all politicians in Washington and lobbyists who benefit from each other.
Wiley,
Glad to see you multi-tasking while at work.
In fairness, it would be very hard to argue that Gorman signed the Wireless Generation contract in 2008 in hopes of landing a job with a yet-to-be-formed company that would acquire Wireless.
In fairness?
OK, The Gormanator is still technically on CMS's payroll until August 15th (?) so let's continue to eat him alive - until this discussion turns to the next superintendent who is so fabulously wonderful with all sorts of dog and pony show ideas that will most certainly (this time) save the day.
Next.
So that's why Gorman added 52 new standardized tests!
"In fairness, it would be very hard to argue that Gorman signed the Wireless Generation contract in 2008 in hopes of landing a job with a yet-to-be-formed company that would acquire Wireless."
But it might have a lot to do with why he added 52 new tests.
OK,
It's summer during a time I transform into being a full-time stay at home mom without a part-time job. Translated - I'm bored (besides collecting cans of food for Charlotte's Harvest Food Bank. Please interrupt for this important commercial announcement: Your donations are most appreciated!).
Time to brainstorm, people.
What else can we discuss here besides Dr. Gorman's past, present and future salary and job title?
BoredMom said....
OK, now we're talking! About those 52 new tests? (after defending The Gormanator).
Ty Betty!
I had my 1 1/2 hour lunch appointment today, revamped some presentations for my boss on calls he is making this afternoon and we're going out later and have a great dinner!
So for the next two hours, I'll be in my hotel room keeping you informed on my next move, which is to try and get earlier flights out of Portland on Thursday.
See, I really do, do it all!
BoredMom said...
Here's an idea since someone suggested naming a closed school after Dr. Gorman which is a rather risky thing to do when you consider the number of famous people with names that have landed on something before spectacularly falling from grace.
Speaking of NYC...
How about simply assigning a number to all 178 CMS schools like they do up north (you know since they do it so much BETTER up north which might finally start some lively discussion).
I say we start with Myers Park High - the "Crown Jewel" school which is not to be misconstrued as having any interested, whatsoever, in seeing someone's Twittered crown jewels from or associated with this school. CMPS (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public School) #1?
https://www.cytiva.com/wgen/details.asp?wgen1418
Interesting job notice...
Wiley,
I'm fairly certain Betty is bored too.
6:11, that is interesting! Esp this: "This new business targets the School Improvement Grants that have been set aside for the lowest performing 5% of schools across the country. Successful candidates will be responsible for selling multi-year professional services engagements to the larger school districts across the country."
Notice the amount of the contract is $568,173 and the budget of CMS is 1.1 Billion.
Now Gorman is most likely going to make around 300K so why would he play with something so small?
We need to quit looking for bad guys here. Yes I personally do not like Gorman but this does seem to have left off the off set to balance out what the numbers mean, like I have done.
From Anonymous at 5:27--OK, The Gormanator is still technically on CMS's payroll until August 15th (?) so let's continue to eat him alive - until this discussion turns to the next superintendent who is so fabulously wonderful with all sorts of dog and pony show ideas that will most certainly (this time) save the day.
You've nailed it. Reporters and bloggers will continue to feast on Dr. Gorman until the next superintendent comes along. They'll give him or her about 2 years and then the attacks will start again.
If you really wanted to be fair to Gorman, Ann, why was this posted with a headline "Pete Gorman as CMS vendor?" Just going for more meat in my opinion.
7:54,
Amen.
-BoredMom 5:27.
On another note, why weren't we informed that the NC legislators were looking at a bill that would add 5 more school days to the school calendar.
Am I going to have to look elsewhere for news and look to the CO to provide me with the daily fodder?
Wiley,
The Senior Center is hoping in Charlotte, you should come by. Only two men had to be revived today. If you get an early flight back may be you can teach us about Star Trek or World of Warcraft.
Ann Doss, you must continue to keep us informed of all dealings Pete Gorman is doing as long as he is being paid with my tax dollars, and as long as his corrupt business deals continues to involve our community schools! Expose this roach to the light!
Amazing how Pete Gorman has so rapidly become the devil incarnate. I hope all who contributed to this are proud of themselves.
Under Gorman:
Achievement improved and CMS was the only large district ever to emerge from NCLB District Improvement Status - all while cutting and redirecting budgets - and Gorman himself declining a bonus for 3 straight years. He wasn't perfect, but he did a very good job.
The Gorman bashing that is going on in this community continues to amaze me. As the previous poster said overall performance has improved considerably under Dr. Gorman, especially for minorities. Yet some "leaders" in the minority community (and I realize that in the school system that are not really "the minority") long for the good old days of CMS and are thrilled to be rid of Dr. Gorman.
Richard McElrath stated at the last Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum "We want someone who can lean more towards our side". Exactly what does "their side" want? (See "This Weeks Announcements" at http://www.tueforumclt.org/). And should an elected school member, even though he's a district rep, be talking about "sides" when making decisions for our school system?
How about following up on Richard McElrath's comments, Ann. Also check out the Swann Fellowship's webpage http://www.swannfellowship.org/, "What Type of Leader?" Quite obvious what Steve Johnston, scribe of the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum, has in mind. Of course, according to Steve, we all know that busing opponents have always only cared about "convenience" for themselves.
Thanks for those last two web links! We will definitely be reporting in on the various views of who/what the next superintendent should be. 9:43 a.m., I could not begin to describe the views/aims of a "side" that includes Richard McElrath, Joyce Waddell and Kaye McGarry.
On the five-day calendar addition: Agreed, it would have been much better to have this openly discussed in advance.
From a legislative point of view, that might have been more likely if someone had introduced a school calendar amendment/bill rather than burying that change on p. 58-60 of 343-page budget bill.
I plead guilty to not bird-dogging the legislature, or even going online to pore through what appear to be nine versions of the budget bill (http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=h200), while covering the beat in Charlotte. And we just don't have as many reporters stationed in Raleigh as we once did.
My sense is all the folks who might have been all over this and tipped us off were absorbed with the dollars and jobs. So yeah, not ideal -- wish we had gotten this earlier.
Anyone else notice "the jewel in the crown" has fallen to #439 in Newsweek's Top Public High Schools?
And, gasp!, Providence came in at 186. A new jewel in the crown?
BoredMom said...
CMPS #186, Providence High - "L'Etat, c'est moi"! Let the coronation begin.
Note to school board members: The translation and history of the phrase "L'tat c'est moi" will be on your next pay-for-performance test in Elective Dance. Points will be taken off for incorrect accent marks which I did not include. Now stand up straight, chin up, shoulders down and pay attention - that means you too, coach. And 5,6,7, 8...
Joyce, Richard and Kaye - a rather odd trio. Oui?
oops, L'Etat.
Courtesy Spark Notes because I'm trying to HELP you people!
Ballet
Louis loved ballet and frequently danced in court ballets during the early half of his reign. He danced four parts in three of Molière's comédies-ballets—plays accompanied by music and dance. Louis played an Egyptian in Le Mariage forcé in 1664, a Moorish gentleman in Le Sicilien in 1667, and both Neptune and Apollo in Les Amants magnifiques in 1670. However, performances at court and in Paris differed substantially. Performances at court were often accompanied by suitably majestic music, especially for those ballets danced by the King. Moreover, the lyrics usually conveyed royal power and benevolence as the patron of the arts. On the other hand, parts played by the King no longer stood out from those of other performers when performed in Paris. In fact, the plays which most overtly promoted Louis's royal image were not performed at all outside of court. This testifies to Molière's readiness to adapt his plays according to the venue and the audience
I think Kaye's been taken for a ride by Joyce and Richard. Kaye at least does seem to be interested in the whole of Mecklenburg County, although I don't think much of her style. Joyce and Richard wear blinders regarding anything but their own districts. Kaye, aligning yourself with these two is not going to help you improve CMS--could lead to a disastrous choice for school superintendent.
Has anyone heard anything about the fate of middle school sports?
The Pope, Billy Graham, George Washington, Mother Theresa, your own mother or father....No one will ever be good enough to run CMS. Dr. Gorman did a great job with what he had. NOONE expected the economic downturn our community took over the past few years. Instead of lambblasting him, acknowledge his successes (which translate to our students' successes) and give him a break. I would hate to be the next person to lead the schools. I would sincerely hope that the school board includes a shield and a gift card to the local ABC store; they'll need it with this populus.
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