Don't let the vague agenda item fool you: Tonight's school board meeting offers the first chance to see how the new Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leadership team handles a really thorny issue.
"Report on reflections on school redesign" sounds like a bunch of architects musing on how to improve lighting and aesthetics. In fact, it's an update on the school closings and mergers that have rocked Charlotte for the past two years.
Superintendent Peter Gorman and much of the administrative crew that launched the plan are gone now. Superintendent Heath Morrison, his team and new board leadership -- including Chairman Ericka Ellis-Stewart, who was a leading parent critic when these changes were being hashed out -- have promised to examine how well the district prepared for enrollment shifts, how the costs and savings tallied up and how the students fared academically.
They're playing things close to the vest so far. As of Tuesday morning, there's no advance data posted. I don't even know how many schools will be examined tonight: For sure the preK-8 schools created to take students from three closed middle schools, but maybe more.
Parents, community leaders and reporters will be watching to see how candid and detailed the new crew will be about these changes. I've already reported on some pretty dismal test scores at many of the preK-8 schools and Harding High, which lost magnet students and took neighborhood students from the closed Waddell High. I'll be curious to see whether Morrison's folks have figured out a way to determine whether the closings simply relocated unsuccessful students or whether those students gained or lost academic ground in their new schools.
Likewise, many of us know there were discipline problems and crowding issues at some merged schools. This report should quantify that.
But the most important thing is: If this team acknowledges past problems, how do they plan to address them this year?
Seating is limited in the second-floor conference room where tonight's meeting takes place. But the meeting airs live on CMS-TV Cable 3 and can be watched live online.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Today's meeting: Big test for new CMS crew
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16 comments:
They are just going to Gorman bash. The real courage is what can we do going forward. Who in this group has the courage to call the plays? Nobody ! CMS your team is 0-6 this year do you have another QB? Yes its Heath so go forward not back. Come at the big issues straight on and maybe just maybe you can win. EES she has 0 experience her job is done she sold you LIFT.
DON'T FORGET THE OTHER ISSUE TONIGHT...
...the Public Hearing on the policy telling the Superintendent he must report on the circumstances of transferring teachers and the effects that has on achievement.....just a minor issue.
Bolyn McClung
Pineville
My Wileynostrication says the BOE will look for ways to placate certain segments on the community and try to makeup for doing what Gorman had no choice to do under his tenure.
Will we see schools reopened and the school reassignment fiasco all over again?
Will the BOE begin looking at more bonds to build more schools in the wrong places?
Will there be a BOE majority salivating over the chance to play checkers with students/magnets?
I'll be curious to see whether Morrison's folks have figured out a way to determine whether the closings simply relocated unsuccessful students or whether those students gained or lost academic ground in their new schools....... All this time I thought two plus two equalled four, no matter what school you went to and that manners, discipline and respect travelled with a person as well...
Bolyn, there's no public hearing on the agenda. There's a first-read on a teacher-assignment policy (generally no discussion, just formal introduction). I'm eager to learn more about that and will write more when the public hearing does come up.
I find the description of what happened during the school closings and mergers extraordinarily interesting--they "rocked" Charlotte. For many many years children and neighborhoods were moved around like so many pawns for the sake of diversity. Families and children were upset with the assignment roulette we were living under. But there was little sympathy for those affected by the changes--school board and administrators didn't seem to empathize with the dislocated at all, and they certainly got no sympathy from The Observer which more often than not labeled the complainers as selfish. One has to wonder--how it is that when one part of town is upset over assignment they're selfish, when another part is upset it's "a thorny issue...that rocked Charlotte."
1:35, I'm always happy to be extraordinarily interesting! But I've never labeled anyone selfish for complaining about assignment (I know, I know -- at some point the editorial board did). And I've written plenty of stories about angst over boundary changes, new schools opening, magnet programs changing, etc. Remember the barrels of ink devoted to the wrangling associated with the "new Mint Hill High"?
I wonder if anyone realizes the huge loss of moving the Davidson IB program to JM Alexander. That program has been watered down significantly and almost all of the Davidson teachers are gone. It's too bad we did not use that school as a template to improve some of our lower performing schools.
There has been a mass exodus of talented teachers. CMeS does not want the data to get out if possible. Look at the administration data of 1/3 leaving. How can this be put into a positive spin? Wake up LaTarza.
EES has never held a corporate or private employment job in her career. Her back ground is non-profits ie. do nothing. Could not keep a job at the YMCA. She will contribute nothing to this equation. She will however have a earbud with KOJO on the other end to help her. Majority of the current board was in on the vote to do whats been done.
The meeting is ridiculous. CMS says we closed schools to improve classroom enviroment? How in the world does busing a kid 10 miles improve his enviroment? McCully utilization means nothing wen the kids leave CMS and go to private schools. Check your data on your falling grades in CMS and gather the GPA of kids that left. Your give me 4 years excuse hold no water if you wait that long to admit your mistakes you have lost the childs interest at that point. Heath the qoute " CMS Framed the Data for this report" is not a very positive statement. Frankly, it scares me that you would use the term " framed" in context with data. If yo only report on this failure it gives you 12 months to frame your data while kids fall behind. You cannot wait and play roulette with a students education. Any financial data from 2011 your using of course would show a cost avoidance as you let the teachers go. You still have the building that goes unused and is a on going cost. So for data purposes you have the same cost with less functioning schools. Your quality of education has dropped and you have changed bell schedules that is unacceptable. You went from say a B grade to a F+ thats negative data. Keith W. Hurley
Will the last qualified administrator with some common sense please turn out the light and take down the flag.
Just watched it as well. School data comparing one year to the next is questionable. This years students move to the next year and the next group comes in. It is comparing one group of apples to a different group of apples. What does it really mean?
The other issue is with students moving. Lower socioeconomic populations move quite regularly. Here this year and gone to another school the next. The population of a given school can change dramatically even within the same school year. How do they account for that kind of movement? I would bet that some of these schools have 35% student movement. Ask for that Board. I have seen cases where a student moved to a new school a week before the EOG test and was required by law to take the test. He received very little instruction in the school where he tested yet his scores counted the same as the kid who was there from day one. In order to get good data, those students need to be looked at.
Instructional data changes daily. Data should drive instruction. These students should be tested regularly to see where they need specific instruction. Almost weekly would be the most appropriate. Presentations like this shed very little light on this. It measures one moments knowledge on a specific day.
What about teacher movement? How many of the same staff are at those schools this year compared to last? Only two of the strategically staffed principals are still around. They all were promoted because they were all "superlative" leaders. If 4 years of data is really needed, why have almost non of the leaders stayed for the four years? Lots of el torro poo poo it seems to me! They got theirs and now they are gone....just like Gorman. He left before his pay was based on any outcomes. In truth, he knew exactly when to leave.
Stand up Board. Man up. Ask these "leaders" tough questions. Call them on their donkey dung. Educate yourselves on this. You do not ask the right questions.
E E-S is horrible.
The report states that JM Alexander Middle School went up 8.5% in math and reading after adding students from Davidson IB. First of all you're comparing apples to oranges as Alexander had a significant change in its student population in the 2011-2012school year. The bigger question is how can you only come up with that small amount of growth when the scores for Davidon were 95% in reading and >88% in math (can't locate the exact number right now) for 2011. The scores for Alexander were 71% in math and 65% in reading in 2011. Put the two schools together and you are now at 79 and 73. Do we deem that merger successful academically?
PURE dribble. Lets get to the nuts and bolts. Where do we stand with these new supposed state generated final exams....how about reporting on some issues that impact the education of our kids. This mundane power point toxic poison you are so enamored with really shows us nothing. FIND OUT WHERE THE BOE and HEATH stand on this potential final exam stuff. Come on Ann after how many years have you covered this kind of infrastructure crap are you gonna say..... This tell us absolutely nothing....get to the bottom of the educational policies that impact the education of our kids. The BOE will bamboozle you if you let them.... Press for some real info please.
C'mon Ann,
Why are you reporting that crap of a report about the financial savings...all smoke and mirrors....saying they saved money that they never had or will have? Do you think the county was going to issue those bonds? Haven't they turned most of those schools into offices? How much does that subtract from the amount given. We need hard hitting journalism here because that report was transparent alright...a transparent method for covering up the worst mess in CMS . Maybe they haven't told Heath the full story...go back and get those spreadsheets that were put out around the time. Nothing was ever said about factoring in the bond upgrades as savings because they knew that money was not forthcoming. What a crock! Spin 100,credibility 0.
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