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.
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.
posted by Craig Cox | 9:19 PM
2 Comments:
Too bad the superintendant doesn't get a SAR. No, I'm not talking about a School Accountability Report, I'm talking about a Superintendant Accountability Report. Then again, a real SAR measures progress of students. There is no similar requirement of Superintendants, is there?
I'm guessing you're right, Craig, that Bishop will get most, if not all, of his bonus pay. You forget that the union had in mind a significant goal in purchasing its new board members - get rid of site-based management. Bishop has delivered and will be rewarded.
Under our board, we did give the superintendents both mid-year and end of year reviews. Remember how the liberals responded when we provided Sharon Thomas with feedback? Remember how they said that it was unfair to give her guidance? There has been no mid-year or end of year review of Bishop's performance by this board. Despite the lack of review, the board just handed him a $10,000 raise, no questions asked. How would you like a job like that?
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