The D11 Fact Sheet

There is much disinformation and misinformation circulating around the School District 11 community. Much of this misinformation is being spread by those who are intent on maintaining the status quo. This blog will set the record straight and it will educate the public on the identities of these defenders of the status quo.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

All it takes to get a $10,000 Raise...

In 2000, the voters of School District 11 passed a mill levy override question for the district. Within this question was a mandate for a detailed performance review of the district to be conducted once every 2 years by an outside agency. In the case of D11, the Quantum Performance Group (QPM) has performed the reviews. QPM noted during its reviews that D11 staff would always provide lists of tasks that were being accomplished, but never lists of results from these tasks. QPM correctly noted that these tasks were meaningless unless they resulted in improved performance by the district. After all, the mission of a school district is to educate kids.

The Sunday Gazette carried two articles on the performance of D11 superintendent Terry Bishop. The article noted that Bishop had a list of 25 tasks that he wanted to tackle as superintendent. The article also noted that after his first year on the job, Bishop has managed to tackle exactly one of these tasks. For this one accomplishment, Bishop receives a salary of $130,000 plus benefits and bonus. Nowhere in the article was the academic performance of D11 mentioned after Bishop’s first year at the helm. The reason might be that the overall performance of D11 declined slightly last year.

While no one would expect that Bishop and his massive staff of bureaucrats would accomplish all 25 of his tasks, one might expect that they would accomplish more than one. The tax payers might also be interested in understanding the academic goals attached to each of those tasks. By contract, Bishop was required to present the school board with specific performance goals by mid September of last year. One year later, this list of goals has still never been created.

One of the most disturbing accomplishments of Bishop to date is his dismantling of the site based management system. When he was hired, Bishop publicly announced his full support of reducing the bureaucracy to push more funds to the classrooms where they were needed most. Bishop quickly reneged on this promise in favor of hiring more administrators to continue the growth of an ever expanding central administration.

Bishop claims that he needs a strong central administration, but he confuses “big” with “strong.” The reality is that a large bureaucracy is actually a weak governing instrument. Large bureaucracies place layers of interference between the principals and the superintendent, diluting any possibility of strong accountability. Bureaucracies suck money from the classrooms and impose meaningless mandates on teachers. Above all else, bureaucracies are extremely inefficient.

D11 has always had a large central administration. By choosing to stick with this governing model, Bishop has chosen to tell the public that although the district is in decline academically and in numbers of students, he will remain wed to a system that has proven beyond doubt not to work.

If anyone wishes to see the results of the power of a decentralized school system, they need look no further than New Orleans. Due to a catastrophe in the form of Hurricane Katrina, the school district opted to do allow neighborhood schools to function without the bureaucratic oversight of a central administration. In one year’s time, these schools have performed miracles because the teachers and staff have been given the power and authority to do what it takes to educate their students. They have been given funding based on their student populations with no skimming off the top by overpaid administrators.

Bishop claims that it is inequitable to fund D11 schools based on their student populations. Is it really equitable to give a school with 150 students the same funding as a school with 600 students? Schools with low populations should not be subsidized by schools with large populations. The whole point of a site based funding system is to make the schools responsive to their public. If schools need more students, then they should work harder to provide the academic excellence that will draw students to their buildings.

The D11 school board now has to determine whether Bishop receives a performance bonus for his first year as superintendent. Based on the lethargic performance of this board to date, it is likely that they will grant Bishop 100% of his bonus for completing one of 25 tasks. Sure, this board has not been fighting, but that is because they are not fighting for the public for whom they are supposed to serve. While the student population in D11 shrinks, the D11 administration continues to grow.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

4% and proud of it

The Sunday, August 19, 2007 Gazette contained an article on D11 superintendent Terry Bishop. The article appeared to be a press release issued by D11 and printed without critical analysis by D11’s own reporter, Shari Griffin.

I have been critical of the bloated D11 administration and of individual administrators, who I believe make way too much money for the work that they perform. D11 bureaucrats claim that they are working hard to ensure that D11 students receive a quality education, but these same bureaucrats are at a loss to inform the public what it is that they actually do during their work day.

It appears that Terry Bishop and his advisers are taking a new tact. It seems that Bishop has decided that it is more beneficial to publicly admit that he does very little, but to pretend that the little that he does is actually a big deal.

The Gazette listed 25 goals that Bishop had decided were important for him to tackle during his tenor as superintendent. Keeping in mind that Bishop has stated that he only desires a 2-year stint as CEO of the district, it would seem odd to most people to read that Bishop has only completed one of his self-imposed tasks even though he is half way through his desired term as superintendent. Rather than acting humbled by his lack if ambition, Bishop actually bragged about this 4% accomplishment rate, claiming as always, that he just needs more time.

For anyone who knows how education bureaucrats function, the task by task listing of Bishop’s to-do list is as predictable as can be imagined. Each of the unaccomplished tasks has a corresponding explanation by D11 officials that the task is (a) Being studied (b) Being worked on (c) Being looked at by a committee. One would think that with this massive bureaucracy of friends that Bishop has surrounding him, he would have at least been able to have accomplished four or five tasks. But no; he has accomplished 1.

What does the ever vigilant school board think about this blistering pace of action by their employee? Yaaaawwwnn! If the superintendent tells them that he is doing a great job, who are they to hold him accountable? After all, the labor union has not given them their talking points yet, so how are they supposed to know what to think about all of this.

Another glaring point that stands out about this article is that Bishop does not tie any of his tasks to a measurable objective relating to improved district performance. D11 is a district that is losing students by the hundreds and is flat in academic performance, and Bishop cannot think of one objective that will improve the academic standing of the district to draw students back into the schools. Faced with a budget crisis brought on by declining enrollment, Bishop resorts to the only action that pops into his mind: hire more administrators. How will this help to improve D11, you ask? According to Bishop on radio station KVOR, he heard that “all the large urban districts are doing it (hiring big administrations)…” Are all of the large urban districts worth sending your child to? Of course not, but they are all blessed with large inept bureaucracies, so why not lead D11 down that same path?

It will not be surprising to learn that the school board will present Bishop with a minimum of 90% of his bonus pay for accomplishing 4% of his goals. He only had a year on the job, they will say. This is hard work, they will tell us, and we don’t want to push these poor people too hard. It is not easy earning 6-figures and having to drive all the way from Monument every day to get to work. Besides, just a little more time and you will see miracles happening again in D11. Just you wait. Really.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Sometimes, it is OK to just laugh

Today was "welcome back" day for many of the D11 teachers and staff. The welcome back ceremony traditionally takes place in the Doherty High School auditorium. What was once supposed to be a motivational ceremony designed to prepare teachers for their first day with students has brought such memorable moments as Sharon Thomas talking about a "one-eyed titty banger" and Terry Bishop wooing the crowd with his rendition of "Country Roads."

According to to teachers who attended today's event, the entertainment was the best that it has been in years. The visual alone is enough to lift one's spirits.

John "it's all about me" Gudvangen, the most unaccomplished board president that D11 has ever seen, placed the teachers into a deep slumber with a rambling 25 minute speech that contained the same empty platitudes that Gudvangen is known for speaking. But the best was yet to come. Was it his discussion of the academics? No, he never mentioned that. Did he touch on his plan for making D11 great? Of course not - what plan? Did he promise to show leadership for a declining district for a change? Now that would be funny, but it didn't happen.

As Gudvangen was finishing off his yawner, Bishop and his band prepared to play once again. Much to the surprise and pleasure of everyone who was looking for a reason to laugh, Gudvangen sauntered off stage, then returned, accordian in hand. Witnesses said that it was a site to behold - Gudvangen performing a little jig and playing his little accordian. I suppose that if anyone was looking for a way to take the attention away from the dismal performance of so many of D11's schools, this was one way to do it. The good news is that for those who can't visualize the humorous scene in the Doherty gymnasium, it will probably be shown on D11's channel 16.

Tim Gill, your purchase of the accordian player from the Old North End was priceless.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

"Those" kids

The School District 11 administration and labor union talking heads constantly defend the poor performance of the $500 million government entity by explaining that there is a fairly large population of poor and minority kids in the district. They will tell you that "those kids" just aren't smart like certain other kids, and are therefore not able to learn.

East Middle School was recently closed by the labor union controlled school board, and the performance of the staff in the school's final year was bordering on criminal in its incompetence. The math scores for 6th grade were 14% proficient or advanced (PA), while the reading scores were 29% PA, and writing was 13% PA. The corresponding scores at the 7th grade level were similarly awful, coming in at 15%, 34%, and 22%, while the 8th grade scores were 17%, 34%, and 17%. Apologists for this incompetence will point fingers at the students and parents, claiming that the East staff did just fine.


Read the following article from Forbes magazine and defend the East staff and the D11 administration.

























Notice the indictment against the education cartel. It took a "disaster" in the form of a hurricane to force the city to ditch the bureaucracy to focus, for the first time, on the students of the city. One would think that school boards around the country would look at this and decide that they are not going to wait for a natural disaster to focus on their student populations. The reality, as we all know, is that this will not be the case. The labor union and the overpaid bureaucrats will not stand for a loss of power and funds over the silly notion that they are to educate kids.

What excuses will the apologists for mediocrity use to explain away the successes in New Orleans? Are these kids all privileged kids from the wealthy neighborhoods? Of course not. These kids were specifically targeted by the Kipp charter school because they were impoverished. 90% were from low income families, and not just low income families, but low income "African American families." This is the exact population that the D11 administration and labor union claim cannot be educated.

The key element in the New Orleans situation is that the bureaucracy has been stripped away and the schools (public charter schools) are free to innovate. They are free to focus on kids and not have to worry about placing the needs of the administration above the needs of the constituents.

In D11, the needs of the bureaucracy greatly outweighs the needs of the students. Staffs such as the East staff would never "do what it takes" to educate their students. They will only go as far as their labor union contract allows them to go. The staff at East and other low performing schools could make immediate gains if they made a true effort. The excuse that it always "takes time" has been put to rest by the accomplishments in New Orleans. Man of those kids suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. Many had lost friends or relatives in the storm, yet the educators were able to move these kids, 85% of whom were working 2 or more years below grade level, to grade level or better in only one school year. These were not just elementary students; these were students in grades 3-8. It took hard work and it took effort, just the two ingredients missing in D11.

On the morning after the latest D11 CSAP results were published in the paper, D11 Deputy Superintendent for Instruction Mary Thurman was interviewed by radio station KVOR. She actually stated publicly that she was "encouraged" by the latest data, data that showed decreases in overall district performance.

What do people like Thurman say when they see "real" encouraging data like that coming out of New Orleans? Everyone will agree that the barriers that educators use to explain away poor performance are much greater in New Orleans than they are in Colorado Springs, yet Thurman and her labor union allies will continue to insist that there is nothing different or better that D11 could possibly do to improve. They will pretend, year after year, that D11 is just on the verge of greatness, and that all it will take is more time.

The teachers and staff in New Orleans understand that their students don't have "time" to wait for educators to pretend to care about their futures. It took the literal destruction of a failed and inept bureaucracy for kids to become a priority. Many who follow education locally fear that it will take just such a disaster to force improvements on the local education cartel. Sadly for the students, they may be correct.

Friday, August 03, 2007

CFO Glenn Gustafson blames NCLB for growth of Central Admin

School District 11 Chief Financial Officer Glenn Gustafson told community members that the D11 administration was indeed growing under the watch of superintendent Terry Bishop. At a citizen’s committee meeting on Monday, July 30th, Gustafson blamed this growth on the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program.

It is fashionable in education circles to blame NCLB for every shortfall or problem faced by the nation’s public schools. The real problem that public educators have with NCLB is that it forces school districts to have their data exposed to public scrutiny. This is unacceptable to a multi-billion dollar enterprise that never meets its supposed goal of education America’s future.

In D11, Gustafson is just one of many who use NCLB as an excuse for every failure. What Gustafson failed to do at the July 30th meeting was to explain, specifically, which NCLB mandates have caused D11 to have to hire more administrators. NCLB requires school districts to improve student performance. The hiring of more friends and family of current administrators can hardly be seen as an attempt to improve student performance. Has there been a recent change in NCLB reporting requirements that caused a need for more administrators? No, there has not been. What could Gustafson possibly be talking about?

During the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, I asked Gustafson and Deputy Superintendent for Instruction Mary Thurman to provide the school board with a list of unfunded mandates in D11. I and other reform board members had suggested that, since there was this claim of unfunded mandates in D11, the district should forgo accepting federal funds. Using simple math techniques, it was clear that if federal mandates were dipping into D11 operating funds, any logical person would conclude that there was no reason to take these federal funds. After having to prod for several weeks, the D11 administration finally issued the board a report that conclusively showed that D11 was suffering under no unfunded mandates whatsoever. According to this report, of which Gustafson had a part, all NCLB mandates were being funded by federal dollars.

Since Gustafson now claims that the hiring of a massive administrative staff is due to NCLB, and since he officially stated that there are no unfunded mandates in D11, that would indicate that these new administrators are all being paid with federally supplied dollars. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The new administrators of which Gustafson is so proud are being paid from the same general operating fund as is Gustafson himself.

Gustafson’s excuse for the current central administrative hiring binge is completely false. There is nothing in NCLB that requires D11 or any other school district to expand its administrative work force. As more and more D11 schools prepare to fall under sanctions for poor performance, there will be requirements for training teams to enter these schools to assist with training for the school staffs. These teams should be comprised of competent teachers, not the current group of bureaucrats who have done nothing but push CQI gibberish on schools. For the record, if Gustafson is claiming that these training teams are the reason for the administrative surge, then that is not the fault of NCLB. The fact that D11 has failing schools rests squarely on the shoulders of Gustafson’s comrades in administration and on the labor union leadership, all of whom have fought any type of improvement in the schools.

The D11 administration is under a board mandated administrative hiring freeze. By law, the administration is required to obey this freeze since it has never been lifted by the current board. The administration pays no heed to the freeze at all. This is the perfect example of how hapless the current D11 board is and of how little respect the current administration has for its bosses.

As has been the case for over a decade in D11, the student population (and hence, the funding) in D11 continues to dwindle, while the high paid administrative staff continues to grow, unchecked. While labor union activists continue their cry for more money for public schools, they sit by silently as more and more D11 tax dollars get pulled from the classrooms to fund the ever expanding club of high paid bureaucrats. Don’t expect the property taxes of these new administrators to help fund D11 schools. These administrators will live anywhere BUT D11.

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