Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Morgan talks teacher bonuses

Near the end of tonight's school board meeting,  expect to hear Tim Morgan float a plan to use savings from CMS outsourcing to provide teacher bonuses.

There won't be a vote or discussion.  A lot of things have to happen first.  In spring,  the Privitization Committee that Morgan helped create will report on whether members believe CMS can save money by letting private companies take over such things as busing,  cafeterias and building maintenance.  If that group identifies potential savings,  the board and superintendent would decide whether to pursue outsourcing.  Assuming they could approve a plan,  take bids and award a contract in time,  there might be some money to put to use in the 2012-13 budget.

So why bring it up now?  It's campaign season.

Morgan,  a district representative running for an at-large seat Nov. 8,  is the closest thing to an incumbent on the 14-person ballot.  A lot of the others have taken aim at unpopular decisions Morgan and his colleagues have made,  from closing schools to rolling out new tests to rate teachers.

"All they've said is,  'I wouldn't have voted the way the board voted,'  " Morgan said this week.  "Our teachers have gone three years without any sort of increase.  This is the only idea that would impact teachers in a positive way."

Morgan said he plans to suggest the bonuses,  which he'd like to see linked to teacher performance,  during the board members' individual reports at the end of the meeting.

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is no real personal conviction to the idea here. Mr. Morgan realizes there are a great number of voters who know he kept testing his priority, and now this makes it look like he needs to appease teachers and the public. There is a very real need to get new leadership on that school board to show this member that his agenda is not the way to go. Efforts need to be focused on hiring a solid superintendent with a fresh perspective first. Then decisions regarding performance and pay can be better coomunicated by a different school board member and be more favorably received by the public.

Anonymous said...

Yeah it is campaign season, that would be the only reason that Timmy begins to show any concern or care for the teachers in this district. His blind allegiance to Pete's failing policies and programs is laughable; that he is trying to win votes by offering a few bucks to teachers is INSULTING.

Those savings will come off the backs of other workers, who will lose pay and benefits when the jobs are outsourced. Those new workers doing the same jobs will be paid less and and fewer if any benefits. If I were a teacher I would immediately smell the skunk on the board and resoundingly tell Tim that I will NOT be bribed for my vote from a person who RARELY if EVER cared what his constituents wanted or thought.

Nice move Mr. Shaheen, proves how poor a campaign manager you are.

Is Timmy going to tell the board what he really thinks of testing, like he did the other day at one of the forums? Or does he not really have a problem with testing?

Anonymous said...

Mr. Morgan has a trust problem.

Nobody trusts that he will anything for anyone except himself.

Anonymous said...

Shouldn't it be illegal for him to use his board comments time to float a plan that is so very obviously something that is related to his political campaign?

If he is allowed to do so, should not the board allow all the candidates the same amount of time at a future meeting to offer their plans?

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:06 - Mr. Morgan has stated publicly that he will hire a superintendent just like the old one.

Makes you wonder about where he is coming from, doesn't it?

Anonymous said...

Wow - we can save an extra $4 MILLION by dropping the school system police department and outsource to the cmpd and Sheriff's office.

Bud and his gang were SO effective at Harding...weren't they?

Larry said...

I am sorry Tim feels that way about all of us running for office. I have never seen him pull his cross out of the car and stand on it during the debates. That might have helped.

I have not said a word against him. In fact I said they should have closed the schools.

I did not say anything against him even when what he has said is selling out some people's Children and Sacrificing Schools in the Suburbs in order to get votes from others.

But I now see that he is also wishing to tout his experience on the board which extends an additional year as something that will benefit the community.

So win or lose I see this is turning into a very interesting and well funded campaign season for Him and his handlers.

I know that they are well versed as they have been successful in getting some notable who owe favors in office over the years.

So Tim I appreciate the travails you have experienced all this time having to be with the likes of us who have divergent ideas. I know that I can be brusque and animated when it comes to getting my kids educated. But now that I understand how you already feel then I will fight even harder for my Charter Schools and Choice as the report on my site www.Deconsolidate.com shows works.


But thanks for making the next part of this election fun for all of us.

And Ann when are you going to make that report public?

Anonymous said...

Great post to encourage the Tim Morgan bashers.

Wiley Coyote said...

Hey Tim?

Will you give me 10% of the savings I can find in the school lunch program?

That will leave you with about $18 million dollars after my 10%.

Pretty good slush fund eh?

therestofthestory said...

Go Wiley!

Wiley Coyote said...

TROTS,

While a serious matter, it's comical that Morgan and others want to privatize "cafeteria services" to "save money"...

The ultimate oxymoron..

...or should I just take the oxy off?

Anonymous said...

With one year remaining in his current school board seat, Tim Morgan is running for one of the at-large seats.

Do people realize that if he is elected to one of the at-large seats that he will "appoint" his successor to the board to serve out the remainder of his current term? Who do people think his successor will vote with on the issues facing the board?

Could be a nice move for the Morgan brothers, if he can pull it off...

Anonymous said...

Here we go again with the "Tim Morgan will get to appoint his successor for district 6 if he wins" routine.

The person posting this is either unaware of how the board replaces members when necessary or is deliberately trying to mislead those who do know the process. If Tim wins, anyone from District 6 can apply for his seat on the board. The board then interviews the applicants and the entire board votes for Tim's replacement.

Ann seemed to be fishing for Tim Morgan bashing with this post!And she certainly got it.

Anonymous said...

Anyone from district 6 may apply, but you can be damn sure someone sharing tim's viewpoint will be chosen by the majority of the board, who also seem to hold tim's viewpoint on things like testing.

Aside from the semantics of the actual process Tim is looking to steal a seat and have someone else from his district assigned to his board spot helping to maintain the furtive five and their strangle hold on the board.

Anonymous said...

I'm curious as to what the previous poster means by Tim's "viewpoint"?

My impression is that he takes the prevailing viewpoint on whatever issue is before the board, or that of GovCo.

Anonymous said...

And tus has no "viewpoint" of his own....

Anonymous said...

Tin Morgan could give a crap about teachers. He has consistently been led by the nose by Gorman, Merchant, Davis and the Broad types. He and the others have done little if any study on what motivates employees. He has no understanding of how systemic change works and is simply in this for a platform into some other political office. We need Board members who are clearly for student as well as teachers. So you are going to cut loose a bunch of low hanging fruit to pay for teachers now. Sure....fire all the janitors, cafeteria workers and bus drivers to pay the other low hanging fruit a bonus. That is good government. What a tool!

Anonymous said...

He's looking to spring board from the BOE to the NC State Legislature where he can continue to hide from any real responsibility.

Anonymous said...

Even though I don't always support his candidates I must say that
from a purely campaign management and strategy aspect Larry Shaheen is very formidable and will make sure that Morgan is in a solid position to win on November 8th.

Anonymous said...

Morgan was elected to be a steward of taxpayers money.He has turned into nothing more than a liar and theif.

Anonymous said...

Can anyone tell me one government program that is run in an efficient manner and does not cost the taxpayers BILLIONS in waste such as the US Post Office?

Anyone? Anyone?

Anonymous said...

Where is the ABC Bonus money from four years ago? Keep your damn gimicks and useless talk. A simple cost of living adjustment will never get me back to where I should be. Just like the textile and furniture jobs, the vision and dental benefits will never return. The was a teacher shortage crisis five years ago. Are there any forward thinkers anymore?

therestofthestory said...

No savings exist until you have at least 2 years of data to back it up. Regretably, the push for more and more FRL fraud will only pad these fake savings.

Anonymous said...

Tim Morgan is unpopular on this message board because he has supported pay for performance and Peter Gorman. It's that simple. If Tim had been against pay for performance, there wouldn't be so many negative comments here.

Many teachers have put in several years in the school system, and have earned advanced degrees and certification. Even if teachers' seniority, advanced degrees and certification don't help students learn better, threatening the existing pay system is scary for many teachers and their families.

I suspect that Ann is sympathetic to the teachers' fears of a change to their pay, benefits and job security. As a reporter, she probably spends a lot more time talking to adult teachers and liberal activists than to students and parents.

Add it all up and Ann's post about Tim Morgan was like throwing raw meat into a tank full of piranha.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Larry for pointing that out. You can see the full scripted response on Larry's Youtube show.
http://cltblog.com/19408
This show was brought to you by Educating Change....funded by Gates money and Chamber interests. It is all about Pay for Performance folks....and Timmy is a driving force behind this and testing every kid. Get your babies ready for some testing folks. If Timmy and like minded folks have their way, testing will be the soup of the day.

Anonymous said...

Tim has never had a real job, he was a lobbyist before and continues the tricky maneuvers. All teachers and parents who don't want the garbage overtesting to continue will vote against this clown..

Scott Babbidge said...

I will be applying for the District 6 seat if Tim Morgan is elected at large. IF Tim wins, that ought to be quite a show.....you can be sure I am Tim's LAST choice.

Now, one thing that needs to be made clear is that Rep. Thom Tillis and the NC State Legislature have put $128 Million into escrow for teacher merit pay. Why isn't Tim floating a plan to use that money?

Oh yeah, it's campaign season.....which means its not about having good ideas and telling the truth.....its about saying and doing whatever you have to do to get votes. No wonder our country is such a mess.

Anonymous said...

Oh please Timmy. Take from the lowest paid employees by laying them off and give it to the next lowest paying employees. You are an insult to teachers. As a teacher, I will tell anyone who will listen that you are full of el torro poopoo! Do not vote for Timmy please.

Anonymous said...

If you talk to those who talk to Tim, you will never get the same story. He is a master of the botched communication that IS CMS. Tim tells his audience of the moment what he thinks they want to hear and then moves on to the next. He changes the story to fit the audience. He is NOT trustworthy and should not be elected, re-elected or in any way continue to be paid by the public. He is a WORK DROP OUT! He is part of the reported statistics. FIRE HIM and send him back to the rock he crawled out from under. Larry Shaheen sublets an apartment under Tim's rockhouse.

Anonymous said...

I find it hard to reconcile a "reporter" writing a blog that covers the topic she or he is reporting on. Is it okay for Ann to make an obviously opinionated remark about Tim Morgan--"So why bring it up now? It's campaign season" on her blog, while at the same time serving as an "unbiased" reporter for the school board and the school board race?

Anonymous said...

So this announcement, which was clearly orchestrated by Mr. Morgan, is questioned by the reporter as being politically motivated. Well Tim and/or his handlers did orchestrate it. This was not on the agenda.....so why announce that he was going to even mention it. Politicians are a trip. Now Tim is concerned that teachers have not had a raise in three years and we really need to give them home. Nonsense. Go back to school Tim.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous, 8:59. Contrast the Tim Morgan post with Ann's description of Mary McCray a few days ago. She described Mary simply as a "former teacher" without mentioning that Mary just retired from her position as the president of the Mecklenburg County teacher's union.

As the outgoing president of the teacher's union, Miss McCray might be more interested in the narrow vocational interests of teachers over those of the community as a whole. Why not mention Miss McCray's most recent position now? It's campaign season.

Anonymous said...

There is no teacher's union. I am more afraid of Mary being Vilma Leake without the flower...

Ann Doss Helms said...

Anon, you may have trouble with the concept of this blog, but you seem to spend a lot of time on it. Both Morgan and his campaign manager say the campaign is the reason he's talking about this issue now. He's a sitting board member who has a right to use public meetings to comment about CMS business and has some power to actually made decisions, so it seemed valid to report that and put it into context. I'm not opining on the quality of this proposal or Morgan's merits as a candidate, which would be out of line.

I don't think I've done anything in depth on Mary McCray. I've mentioned her in posts that contain brief references to several candidates; I "omitted" her CMAE connection in the same way I omit just about everything about everyone else in such posts. I do link directly to candidate web sites so the curious newcomers can learn more.

Anonymous said...

Ann, first of all, you are responding to multiple individuals on this message board who are perceiving a certain bias to your reporting.

Personally, I was mainly trying to point out this bias, with the hope that you may ultimately tone it down a notch. For example, your post describes "unpopular decisions Morgan and his colleagues have made, from closing schools to rolling out new tests to rate teachers."

Certainly the decisions you describe have been "unpopular" among many people in the Charlotte area. However, many things are "unpopular" for SOME people. Mayor Fox is unpopular among some people. The Charlotte Observer is unpopular among some people. The Fourth of July is unpopular among some people. But could you as a reporter categorically descibe any of these items as unpopular?

This is just one small example of how your choice of words and topics reveals a bias in some people's eyes. I just ask that you try to tone it down.

Wiley Coyote said...

If you want to bitch about bias, go to www.nytimes.com

You will be in bias heaven and never have to worry about perceived bias here.

Anonymous said...

Oh please. Ann is not biased and does not need to tone anything down.

Our Neighbors Work for CMS said...

Will the Morgan plan get work done that CMS avoids today? CMS has in excess of $100,000,000 documented maintenance work that is not being done. In terms of public policy the cost of CMS taxpayer funded operations increase, while CMS saves pennies today. Will outsourcing get the work done CMS avoids doing today or will it simply continue to not get it done, though for less?

Anonymous said...

Thanks Wiley,
It's a blog not a front page column. You'll have to wander through a lot of poo to find the truth at times but that seems to be Mr. Morgan's trail.

Anonymous said...

Wow - Makes one wonder why anyone voted for Tim in the first place? Didn't voters in District 6 have an option? Anyone could have done better than this.