Awaiting District 150's new organizational chart

Although I don't recall ever seeing an organizational chart for any of District 150's previous Superintendents, developing the organizational chart was something Norm Durflinger was asked to come in and do when he was the Interim Superintendent. Reportedly, the move was promted by the retirement of administrators who held at least six positions on the organizational chart.

Over the past two years, the district's administrative structure has been in flux, moving from two associate superintendents to one and from two academic officers to one. Also, a number of faces rotated in other positions, including the district's student affairs director.

Durflinger said some jobs could be combined, and others possibly eliminated.

I ASSume that the new organizational chart will be revealed in the 2010-2011 budget, which needs to be approved by September 30th.

Chicago Public Schools has revealed it's 2010-2011 budget amid concerns of "outsiders running most key departments". Sound familiar...

New Organization Chart for CPS Shows that Educators Are No Longer Welcome in Huberman's Executive Ranks
August 16, 2010

click image to enlarge

One of the many major political changes in Chicago revealed in Ron Huberman's 2010 - 2011 proposed budget for Chicago's public schools is that trained professional educators are definitely not welcome in the executive ranks of Chicago's public schools. The unprecedented and radical change in governance amounts to a virtual coup d'etat against professionalism in public education in the city that has been pioneering much of what has become the national model for corporate "school reform."

A few details are necessary for the reader to fully understand what is taking place in Chicago. On Page 314 (print edition) of the Proposed Budget, 2010 - 2011, Huberman, for the first time, provides the public with his organization chart. The chart shows that while claiming a budget "deficit" for the past seven months, the Chief Executive Officer of Chicago's public school system has been adding to the ranks of unqualified outsiders running most key departments — and almost all of the ever-expanding "Area Offices."

In a dramatic shift that even goes beyond what his predecessor, Arne Duncan, tried, Huberman has relegated those with classroom and school-based principal experience in Chicago to the sidelines.

Read the entire article here.

Chicago Teacher's Union sues BOE to stop layoffs

The Chicago Teachers Union is suing the city’s board of education in order to stop more than a thousand teachers from being laid off.

In June, the board gave Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman the power to lay off teachers and increase class sizes to close a multi-million dollar budget hole. The lawsuit claims the board violated union agreements on seniority when pink slips were sent to tenured teachers.

Karen Lewis is the president of the teachers union.

LEWIS: We’ve been working on it for a while, because we felt that there was something patently wrong, and we were hoping to get people’s jobs back by discussing other options. But you have to approach issues like this on more than one front.

From Chicagopublicradio.org

Can I get more information PLEASE

August is upon us and the countdown for school to start has begun.

The new Superintendent is shaking off some of the District's old practices that didn't work and is bringing in some new ideas (new to Peoria).

As the new school year approaches, I have many hopes for the District - the main one being that they find a way to better communicate with parents about programming and testing.

Last year, my daughter seemed to spend more time testing than anything else. The testing and it’s purpose, is a secret to the majority of the District’s parents. You may get a note about testing taking place, but you don't get the big picture as to what the test is for, why it is implemented at a certain time and the impact the test has on programming. All you know is that testing is going on.

This lack of information is not conducive to parents helping their students be their best and needs to stop. Stop taking parents for granted, that they don't want the information or won't know what to do with it.

Chicago Public Schools has already posted their Elementary School Assessment Calendar for 2010 – 2011*. If we could get something like this in District 150, that would be outstanding. All of the information in one place – what a concept.

District 150 has an Accountability and Research Department, other than Skyward Access, chasing down FOIA's and running numbers for a formulaic gifted program, they don't appear to do much else. I say let's put Chumbly & Co. to work on District 150's Assessment Calendar. It's not too late, they still have time to get it done before the beginning of the school year.

In what order should teachers be let go?

Should teachers who receive "unsatisfactory" ratings be let go first - regarldess of senority?

At the June Board of Education meeting Wednesday, members are considering a resolution “with respect to order of layoff to comply with the Illinois School Code.” At a press conference before the board meeting, Huberman said the Illinois School Code allows CPS to consider factors other than seniority in making layoffs.

He said the small number of teachers—only about 3 percent—who are rated unsatisfactory on their evaluations should be the first to go. “We have to do the best by our students,” he said.

However, he admitted that the school code is in “conflict” with the union contract, which calls for layoffs based on seniority. He said he believes state law takes precedent.

The move spurred an immediate negative reaction from the Caucus of Rank and File Educators. According to a press release issued Wednesday: “Today’s move by the Board is illegal, unnecessarily confrontational, and belligerent,” .

CORE has a different reading of the law. According to the group’s press release: Illinois School Code Section 24-12 is crystal clear: the order of dismissal of teachers for budgetary reasons must be done according to tenure unless another method is established in conjunction with the union.

It is unclear whether the resolution being considered by the board Wednesday allows Huberman to open up discussions with the union, or whether it gives him the go-ahead to change the order of layoffs.

What is the impact of school closings on students?

Chicago Public Schools (“CPS”) have been dealing with school closings for years now. In 1988, when parents saw that sweeping changes were needed to improve their schools, they began to meet and formed school reform groups. Today they are organized as Parents United for Responsible Education (“PURE”) and they continue to advocate on behalf of schools; their parents; and teachers. PURE has been instrumental in the development of the CPS School Closings Policy and are now looking for the data to show what impact the closings are having on their students.

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