An awkward silence filled the Mallard Creek High auditorium this morning after incoming Superintendent Heath Morrison invited a room full of Charlotte-Mecklenburg teachers to ask him questions.
Hundreds of teachers gathered at the school today for "summer institute" classes. Morrison, in town from Reno to interview candidates for top administrative jobs, told teachers he'd decided to stay in Charlotte an extra day to stop in and introduce himself. He popped into several rooms and talked about the importance of teachers' work, his determination to help them get raises this year and his desire to hear from teachers in more depth once he officially starts work in July.
But when told the large group in the auditorium it was their chance to "grill the new guy," he got the same reticence he'd encountered in smaller classrooms.
Then Kathy Collins, a consultant leading the session on reading, offered him a tip. When students are reluctant to ask questions, she said, she has them talk in groups about what other students might want to know. That way, no one feels singled out by posing their own questions.
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| Morrison works the crowd at Mallard Creek High |
What will you do about bad morale, one teacher asked. He talked about the rising demands and budget cuts that are straining teacher morale nationwide, and about the gap between the praise CMS gets elsewhere and the criticism it faces at home. But he acknowledged there are local issues he needs to learn more about. "I can't fix it myself," he said. "What I can do is ask what's causing it and then be a part of the solution."
Another teacher asked how long Morrison spent in the classroom. Five years, he said. He told about declining his first offer to go into administration, only to be told it was a "required opportunity." He said teachers who want to move into administration to help students should talk to him. "But if you start the conversation with, 'You know, Heath, I'm a little burned out with teaching,' then that's not going to be a long conversation."
"I want people that we've had to pull out of the classroom kicking and screaming, because those are the people that when they get into administration never forget how hard your jobs are and how the job of a principal as well as the job of a superintendent is to support quality teaching and learning."
With his handlers signalling that he was late for his next appointment, Morrison left, tailed by TV cameras and reporters.
"I thought he handled those questions well," Collins told her group. "So yay!"
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51 comments:
How long is he willing to stay and work for free? I dont know alot of executives who can take a pay check from 1 employer and work for another. Why CMS wants to open itself up to the lawsuit potential I dont know. I will assume since its been almmost 2 years since we have had a "super" that they are just giddy about this guy. I would have more respect for him if honored his current position. Then he would be welcomed with open arms July 1 . He has alot of work too do so he should not sprint rather jog into this mess. Keith W. Hurley
It's called responsible multi-tasking. It's a common trait in competent leaders.
ANON 3:43 , I would agree with you , BUT we are talking about CMS. So I have never seen those phrases used in context with that organization. We maybe on to somehting new in "competent leaders and multi tasking" lets just hope so. Of course when we have all known of the DNC event for 10 months and now the "leaders decide to multi task" about 75 days out that does not add up. I do know my kids will be in Bahamas with me since "downtown" is closed. Keith W. Hurley
Yes, we have known about the DNC for months, however the DNC team has not told CMS (or anyone else, for that matter) the specific plans are for the downtown area. That includes main roads used by many school buses and also several CMS schools, including Metro, and CMS offices. School will be open, but may be tricky for those in downtown area. Some things are CMS fault but not this one. Give it a rest.
Okay teachers, tell me if I am on the right track. Students are not held to consequences with behavior standards clearly spelled out in the Student Conduct Guidebook. Most students just snear at teachers. Administrators will not support the teachers when it comes time to administer discipline. Second, parents are not held to any standard to instill discipline and behavior in their children. Third, past adminstration and with the educrats pushing the same idea onto the mass media, have found an easy out to simply lay the blame for society's ills onto teachers instead off haolding parents accountable.
MCS should refer these family units to the Department of Mental Health and put the students into self study until the DMH certifies the family has passed and is executing a proper home life that focuses on rearing a successful student.
CMS and the teachers have got to flush the idea that they have to raise the child if the family is not.
BTW, CMS has not had a reduced budget these last years.
As for the DNC downtown, for awhile there was word that we could work till 1:00. Now we have been told not to come downtown to work at all that week. They have been surveying us about our ability to work from home.
ANON 4:04- Come on your getting your smoke from the chamber. I work downtwon and we have been prepped for 2 months on DNC happenings. #1 - get out of town. #2 if you stay be prepared for a huge mess by a rookie staff. #3- All roads in the inner 277 circle will most certainly be closed impacting at least 2 schools. This is nothing new.
@Bill Stevens,
Can you contact me at my FB page "Mast for CMS?"
Thanks.
I do not do FB.
You can email me at Bill.Stevens@carolina.rr.com
TO: Bill Stevens
Subject: No reduced budgets?
That's a trick laden statement. Let's say we think about schools and students and services.
If your child attended an elementary school where the FRL ratio was less than 30% there was a straight-out per student
reduction for the last 4 school years.
Let's look at it from square feet of space. $400,000,000 in new schools and additions added to the operation budget over the last 4 years.
No or few text books bought some years.
Deferred maintenance continues, except for buses and critical safety issues is the standard operating procedure.
Unstoppable and ever increasing contributions to the retirement system.
Saying that CMS has not had a reduced budget in recent years is incorrect. The accurate statement is to say that growth in budget dollars grew slower that expenses.
There was a budget decrease and that is a hopeful sign. If teachers can get a raise and CMS continues to lower operating cost, then the goal of a more efficient school system might be possible.
Bolyn McClung
Pineville
Mast: Just took a look at your FB page. It is pretty much the same as your posts here. Good for you for caring about our community. Pro tip: facts are your friend. Learn them before posting your many complaints about CMS. Offer solutions not just rants.
@6:03pm
Thanks for looking at my page.
Believe me, facts ARE my friends. That's why I continually ask for information from the CFO and CMS Board members. This way, I make sure of the facts before I talk about something.
In fact, I'm one of the few people that could say, for a FACT, that the proposed 3% raises for all CMS employees were on the total state and local amounts... contrary to others' opinions that kept insisting the raises were only based on the local supplement. How did I know this? I asked Sheila Shirley for a spreadsheet, detailing the raise amounts. After reviewing her information, I was able to come up with my answer.
Further, I was the only one to post about how the BOCC basically gave CMS a DECREASE in funds (because of the $18 million in restricted funds). Even though most people kept telling me how this was incorrect... it was finally confirmed by Sheila Shirley in her presentation to the BOE about the status of the County budget.
I HAVE offered solutions... many times. Most recently, if you watched or attended several of the CMS BOE meetings about the budget, I offered several alternatives.
Another solution? Break up CMS into smaller pieces... Look up "SPARK Educational Performances" on Facebook.
And with one child in CMS, and another on the way soon, as a taxpayer and a parent, I think I've earned the right to question things. My kids' education (and for that matter, EVERY child's education in CMS) is too important to get wrong.
But please understand, I am all about "if you're going to complain, then you'd better be willing to do something about it, too." And that's why I spend so much time diving into the details.
Alright Heath, if you say that you want people who have to be dragged out of the classroom kicking and screaming, then you better start getting rid of your current administrators! More specifically the young ones who were terrible teachers and have spent less than three years in the classroom. You put it out there pal, now walk the walk!!
Christine Mast: Keep up the good work and the fact checking. Many people who post on these sites are too easily swayed by false statistics and a good hair cut!
There were hundreds of teachers this year and not THOUSANDS. CMES cut out the money paid to the teachers this year. More wasted money if you are not going to give them a supplement for professional credits.
Sorry Bolyn but check your facts. CMS in budget totality has not had a decrease in past years. That is all that needs to be said. Discolor it anyway you want to but I refuse to do so. CMS has always had a free hand in how they spent their money. They purposefully allow FRL fraud to keep that money stream increasing. They purposefully allow "special needs" assignment to children to keep that money stream increasing. They have been putting more and more benefit contribution onto the employees. As a side note, we in the private sector have seen the same as teachers, no raises, increased benefit contribution, etc.
Say all you want to about more square feet, more students and CMS has been adjusting big time in that area by on the backs of the teachers and suburban students. They have run off experience/higher priced teachers for TFA's. They have increased suburban classroom sizes beyond 40 and 50 students.
So bottom line, you have got to have a Missouri "show me" attitude with these professional educrats. Question and challenge every word, every syllable, every powerpoint slide, etc. The public's problem with these "con" men is that they control all the data, all the data collection, all the analysis, ignoring any factor they want to, just to pander to an electrolect(sp?) that is too simple minded to understand any more than fear mongering and keep electing politicans who keep promising more wealth redistribution.
Get your head on straight Bolyn. You are losing your credibility rapidly.
I wish to clear up one thing. With all the school closings, suburban schools weren't the only ones with overcrowded classrooms this past school year. My reality was 35 to 40 students per class and heard about others with 40-45. Quite a few stopped showing up or started skipping around March but they were on the roster.
Ah, the school closing slight of hand to save money again. No one demanded the proof every step of the way and now CMS has been spending an incredible amount of money on renovations. I figured they held back a couple of buildings so LIFT could get them. They will probably play that card in a year or two. LIFT needs some place for all these summer programs and after school programs. Remember LIFT promised they would not cause any increase of taxpayers' normally funded operations.
8:18, yep probably best to say instead of suburban, to say non Central zone or whatever the Achievement Zone has been renamed to. Needless to say, it is obvious which schools were not impacted.
Remember one of the cost savings that did succeed was doing away with separate BB schoolhouses so that level of adminstration was cut. But we all know they were not really cut but absorbed somewhere with some title change if no "real" vacancy was available. At least CMS started putting more kids into all the empty (building) classrooms that we still have in so many schools. There ar estill al ot of schools where you could take 3 ES school snext to each other and reassign the kids to 2 schools and close one down. What I have not heard in CMS is when they have identified a school in need of renovation, they do not ask the question about closing the school and reassigning the students to neighboring schools that have capacity available.
8:35
I was speaking about a Title I school in the central zone.
OK is it ME OR does it bother anyone else that a teacher had to TELL/SUGGEST our new super HOW TO draw out the teachers? Just sayin'. I guess he should put her in his "Cabinet" to help him out.
Mr. Stevens, Bolyn had to have some credibility to lose it. Never had it, never will.
3 districts now.
Anon 8:16....
Define suburban.
Until CMS is carved up into some number of smaller, more efficient and more effective school districts with smaller administrative staffs and less ability to hide numbers under layers upon layers of staff and programs and such, students in Mecklenburg County will continue to be short changed.
Thinking that a one size fits all, or a steal from Peter to pay Paul, approach works for all students is nothing more than short-sighted social engineering at its worst.
Children in inner city have different challenges and needs than kids in suburban areas, who have different needs than kids in rural areas.
We do the children and families in the poverty riddled inner city a disservice when we hide their needs and challenges under the guise of a larger district.
We do every child a disservice by not providing them with opportunities to reach their individual potential. We spend more per child on the low end, we figure the top will be find and have no needs and so we seriously under-fund their education, and the kids in the middle get lost in the shuffle because they are already average and that's right where we want our kids.
Well, that's not good enough for me. And that is not good enough for the America I grew up in.
Our entire system of public education is outdated and obsolete. Sadly, no one on the CMS Board nor Heath Morrison are out in front creating a Public Education Evolution.
We keep doing the same things over and over yet we are disappointed when the results keep coming back the same.
We CAN do better than this...
Mr. Morrison has one issue at the top of the list-discipline. If he can get the students and "parents" to understand this is a learning environment, he will have a chance. If not his role will be one of a politician. Ask Peter Relic-and since then nothing has changed.
To Bill Stevens: 7:57PM
Subject: FRL fraud
I am in agreement about the misapplication of local fund division because of the use for Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act applications. I’m not in agreement with the accusation that CMS is an accomplice in fraud.
The general assumption is that CMS is an accomplice because it doesn’t chase down parents submitting false Free and Reduced Lunch applications. CMS, as well as Wake County Schools, have been sent letters from the USDA warning them that not following strict means testing rules for applications will result in 100% of FRL funding being withdrawn; not in a month or a year, but immediately! Roughly $50M plus. The results would be CMS having to supplant the money. Here is the link to the Federal Register:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/notices/iegs/IEGs11-12.pdf
Your complaint would better be addressed to the use of the FRL numbers within the CMS budget. Specifically, the assumption that all families participating in the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act have been educationally disadvantaged due to early childhood poverty; a very false assumption. The reason CMS uses these numbers is the FRL is the most reliable predictor it has of future poor school performance. The FRL numbers are used in conjunction with the Weighted Student Staffing ratios. As you can see, I don’t like this at all, but not liking something isn’t the standard for criminal activity.
The suggestions of McGarry and Gauvreau to follow a form of Zero Based budgeting would go a long way to correcting the misapplication of all funds.
I’d suggest you look further into the benefits contribution complaint. CMS isn’t in control of that, save for the agreement in the Superintendent’s contract. I know this subject well. The yearly percentage increase is a dictate from Raleigh. You have the right idea – just the wrong target.
You’ve missed my point about per student decreases in funding in the affluent areas. That was an agreement with you. The decrease was offset by an increase in per student funding where FRL numbers were above 70%.
And your last statement, “You are losing your credibility rapidly.” Thanks. One thing I always appreciate is a reason to question what I think I understand.
Bolyn McClung
Pineville
The USDA will only allow any LEA to do a 3% sample audit of their school lunch program.
Does CMS do a 3% sample audit every year?
The problem is, many agree there is fraud within the system and most LEAs encourage as many students to sign up for free lunches because it means more money for them, they throw their hands up and say "we can't do anything about it".
Gauvreau and McGarry were willing to stand up and fight FOR the right of CMS to be able to fully audit the program, but people like Leake and White wanted to continue the pandering and turn a blind eye to the fraud.
It's like immigration. No one wants to do anything to fix it.
Families who do not qualify for FRL continue to be hosed year after year for sports fees, AP/IB tests, paying for their own school supplies and lunches, while others continue to get all this free and don't qualify for them.
By the way. All Detroit students get FRL whether they can afford it or not and several counties in NC are doing the same program.
They still have all kids who "qualify" fill out the forms so the Title I money can keep pouring in.
Remember. It's all about buckets of money, just like for Bright Beginnings and Project LIFT.
Suggestion to Dr. M...Since you were not here 4 years ago when 40 APs were rif'd, go to HR and pull their files and find out where they are now. These were people, primarily from the classroom, primarily males, who put their lives, careers, and income on hold to put in 2 years and $40K or more to get an MA in administration only to be rif'd because instead of socializing and smoozing they tried to follow CMS procedures for administrators. Oh ya, they primarily left the classroom to try to make it better for students and their fellow teachers and not because they were burnt out. I believe this meets your criteria and gee, guess what, they are already trained, experienced and ready to go.
I notice that everyone and their aunt is working on their masters in admin these days. I would be suspect if they haven't seen a classroom in ages, if ever. Me thinks they see the handwriting on the wall, that there will be a downsizing of the glut of pseudo administrators with all the belt tightening going on.
to WC:
I could be wrong about this but because CMS has followed the USDA rules for FRL audit so well over the previous 3 years, that the sample size is lower. It is either that or something about the quality of procedures.
Bottom line, unless the concern is Federal taxation, whether or not there are bad applications has no affect on the operational budget since the lunch program is an enterprise fund....meaning it is self-supporting.
The only problem comes when the FRL numbers are used to direct other CMS operational dollars. That's quite another area and one I'd like to see changed.
How to get it changed? Just find a better predictor of future performance of children that come to school unprepared to communicate and learn.....that means all children; rich or poor.
Bolyn McClung
Bolyn, Have you seen how much FRL food is trashed in the lunch room? That food that is served is barely edible in the first place. The kids eat maybe 30% of it at best. We provide before school treats as well. Now we can get after school care for parents driving Mercedes Benz automobiles. Tell me NASA do we have a problem with FRL program?
I never said CMS hasn't followed USDA guidelines, except one year, CMS WAS going to expand the audits until the USDA immediately shut them down by threatening to yank $34 MILLION dollars in funding.
This from Ann's blog one year ago:
Board members have been discussing the issue for years. Back in 2008, they moved towards auditing a random sampling of applications for the federally subsidized lunch program to see how many families were cheating. But they dropped that idea after being told some $34 million in lunch subsidies could be taken away if they didn't follow federal rules stipulating that they "may do no more" than the checks prescribed by Washington. (The U.S. Department of Agriculture tells school systems to check 3 percent of applications filed by families whose yearly income falls within $100 of the cutoff levels for aid).
Read more here: http://obsyourschools.blogspot.com/2011/05/free-lunch-fraud-debate-still-going.html#storylink=cpy
Fraud is fraud. I don't give a rat's patootie where the money winds up.
Virtually everything is predicated upon that FRL designation.
I have link after link of stories where school districts across the country encourage kids to sign up for the benefit, whether they qualify or not.
The mentality of this country gets worse by the day.
We have a completely inept President who has said on several occasions he cannot bypass Congress on immigration, yet goes out and unilaterally issues a King's edict that he will "forgive" a segment of ILLEGALS in this country, which itself is ILLEGAL.
We have local BOE members - current and past - who favor full audits of the FRL program, yet won't use their bully pulpit to pressure our elected state officials to then put pressure on the USDA to change the rules.
Instead, they throw up their hands and say "well I can't do anything about it".
Our same inept President stood before Congress and the American people in 2009 and said he was going to pay for his health care plan by eliminating waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid.
It only stands to reason he would also want to root out the $1.6 BILLION per year in fraud the USDA itself says takes place.
Speaking of Free meals, Wylie, check this out: http://nc.nokidhungry.org/.
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers free summer meals to kids across North Carolina similar to school lunch and breakfast programs, except meals are free to all kids ages 18 and under who come to a summer meals site."
These meals are free to anyone, no qualifications needed.
ANON 10:06- That is accurate they do that in Charlotte and all you have to do is show up. Similar to the after school care at magnets parents driving $80,000 cars drive up at 6 to get their kids (MP traditional) to name one school. This is complete misuse of federal funds across the board.
So why the heck do we keep hearing about all the hungry children we have in this county? They can get at least 2 meals a day for free (and I know this is not the only source of free meals--church camps all over town provide them too)--are their parents incapable of providing even one meal a day? I recently helped a church group that provides free Friday night dinners in a west Charlotte neighborhood--you just have to show up. Everyone who came was very nice and thanked us for the meal but all had fancy nails, the latest phones, etc. Two little girls who were there with their aunt were later picked up by their dad in his brand new BMW.
We can beat FRL to death. I'm an expert at it.
The bottom line is this.
I have no problem with helping ANY child succeed, in or out of school.
I have no problem feeding any kid 3 meals a day all year if they truly qualify for it.
The problem is, nothing ever changes. Generation after generation is dealt with and told the same thing over and over again by the government; "We'll take care of you".
Goverment and bleeding heart philanthropists pour billions into programs year after year such as LIFT but there is very little, if anything, to show for it.
Okay, fine, but at what point do we say "enough is enough" and demand accountability and ABILITY for one's self and the programs designed to greatly reduce sorry granduation rates and government dependency??
Until that question is answered and actions taken, nothing will change.
Some of the kids are just too lazy to go take advantage of the meals? Your experience is exactly what I have seen over the years as well. Their parents dont want them cooking in their own kitchen while they are at work for fear of burning the place down. (might be good thing) Its all about a hand out and LIFT is more of the same so good luck with that.
Dr. Morrrison, ask how the school closings have affected those in the trenches. Ask how those crowded classrooms are working out with double the number of kids with IEPs and triple the number with ADHD and behavioral problems. Ask how we are supposed to meet the needs of these students with fewer teachers and assistants?
Waddell's students were hurt when their beautiful school was given to Smith and they were sent to rodent infested Harding.They were thrown out of a mansion and crowded into a ghetto with mobiles, floating teachers and overcrowded classrooms.
They were taken from a staff that established a family atmosphere for them and given to one that could care less. A staff that did not try to understand their needs much less meet them. The apparent lack of empathy and concern fueled their anger. The administrative response was suspend, suspend, suspend the West Meck and Waddell kids while exhibiting a double standard when it came to punishing IB kids for the same infractions.
Waddell's kids were bused miles away from their neighborhoods making it very difficult to participate in after school tutoring, club activities and sports. It also made it difficult for their parents to volunteer.
So yes, Wiley is correct, why West Charlotte and not Waddell and West Meck for Project Lift? Politics, Politics, Politics.....check out the alumni of West Charlotte.
Read more here: http://obsyourschools.blogspot.com/2012/06/east-mecks-star-still-shines.html#storylink=cpy
12:35, while I understand your point, suburban kids dealing with growth and changing school lines have done the same thing in this county since the 1980's. The Waddell kids just need to grow upand get over themselves and understand the world does not work like the way they are coddled in public schools. We tip toe around these kids too much as it is. They think they "deserve" some special treatment because of where they live but in reality, we are just drugging them into an artifical unsustainable lifestyle.
NO- All you folks are wrong on Harding its a great place no incidents this year at all ! Eric Davis said so. You most likely did not know that since he locked the press out of that meeting at Harding High ! He is a poster boy for all CMS stands for.
Guys stop picking on Bolyn his feelings get hurt real easy when he cannot choose the topic.
12:35, yes CMS missed the ball on the potential issues at Harding with the crowd from Waddell came. Their parents made it all too clear in the public hearing what they were all about and how their kids would behave when they got there.
Teachers have been afraid to speak up because they have seen what have happened to others! Riffing has been common place in the past 2-3 years for experienced teachers. The vote in the Sentate/House is dissapointing as non-renewal contracts will be common place and due process rights have been decimated. Give it five years--NC will be begging for teachers again!! I just don't understand what the legislature doesn't get about teachers needing respect and security...pay decreases (no raises, higher deductible, furloughs, higher rent, food, etc) PLUS no job security = new career for some who are EXCELLENT teachers! Oh, yes, and I forgot that students can be bullies towards others and their teachers with hardly any consequences..because *gasp* is is the system's fault if they get suspended!!
3:00, the legislators get this message from the educrats because it is far easier and has less consequences to blame the teachers for the ills of this society versus blaming the parents and the kids and holding them to any standards of civilized behavior.
2:28- Your wrong Eric Davis said so when he went with police escort to the meeting at Harding High with a hand full of parents. No gangs, drugs or issues and no press let in ! COWARD he is.
Warning! Warning! New Race to Nowhere video about restricting homework. The lesson really starts at 1:53. It (homework) leads to the achievement gap!
To anonymous writing at 10:53 am and referencing the rats at Harding. Are you sure you are talking about HUHS? Ihave been there several years and the only rodents I have ever seen and heard about are squirrels! Our Principal is OCD about cleanliness and neatness. Trailers? Yes! But name a high school that doesn't! Crowded classes. Probably some. Most I saw had between 10-15 students. But no where near the number of crowded classes like Butler, Providence or Audrey Kell. Teachers didn't like the new students? Shows how much you know. 75% of the teachers were new to HUHS themselves! They didn't know the difference between new and old students. Double standard. You really don't know. Truth is, the veteran students knew what would happen to them for inappropriatae behavior. Many of the new students had gotten away with "murder" at their old schools. One of my students left at 3 months because HUHS was too boring. Not the drama (fights) of her old school. You are obviously part of the false rumor mill. Sorry about Waddell being closed down. We would have been bitter, too. But 90% of what you say is way off base.
Heath
How long has it been since you were in the classroom? Are you like Gorman and dont have a license to teach in NC? At least you were able to think on your feet. Bring back the supplement for teachers at the Summer Institute!
8:48- You of course were educated at CMS per your error. When referencing on the blog the time is at the bottom so your point is off base. Please repeat Project LIFT this fall and then try again.
Just a quick compliment:
I very much enjoy Christine and Boylen's comments. Thank you, even if I do not always agree.
To 8:48 pm
I substituted at Harding and recognize rat droppings when I see them. I have also seen cockroaches running about. As for 10-15 in a class, you must have been in upper level IB classes or EC classes. The ninth grade classes were ridiculously overcrowded with students exhibiting all kinds of issues. It would be hard to meet the needs of all students in that setting.
Good leadership would have provided all 75% of those new teachers with training for the new situation at Harding instead of extolling their past accomplishments as if it would be the current reality. Poor leadership and no vision characterize the Harding administrative team.
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