Showing posts with label James Notter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Notter. Show all posts

Saturday, October 8, 2011

More bad reporting on education at Miami Herald -Tell you about meetings the morning of them rather than in advance so you can attend; Supt. Runcie

Above and below, July 13, 2010 photos by South Beach Hoosier, looking south at the Broward County Schools HQ, 600 S.E. Third Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.


More bad reporting on education at Miami Herald -We'll tell you about meetings the morning of them rather than in advance so you can attend them ...

We'll tell you about govt. meetings the morning of them rather than in advance, like on Sunday, so you know in advance and can maybe plan to attend.
The same reason we run our "Week Ahead" calendar on Monday instead of Sunday like most normal newspapers would do.
And if Broward School Board members engage in questionable personal behavior, we'll tell you about it MONTHS after-the-fact.
That is, if we do at all.

Love,
The Herald

They did the same thing for the Broward Courthouse Task Force meetings, only quoting -parroting- judges and selected courthouse workers and never interviewing anyone in depth who was knowledgeable and AGAINST the construction of a new County Courthouse, despite the fact that a clear majority of the county's taxpayers were/are against it.

Not that you'd ever have known it from what the Herald wrote at the time.
They could never find the opposing P.O.V. because they never honestly looked.

Was Thursday's story in the Herald by Laura Figueroa,
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/06/2441742/broward-school-district-hosts.html, a preview of the Herald's sleepwalking plans for covering new Supt. Robert Runcie?
(*Friday night postscript: Actually, the Herald has changed the story that used this URL on Thursday afternoon, wherein Figueroa talked about the meeting being held that night, and then used the same exact URL on Friday on that meeting. I checked the Herald's archives and they completely deleted the original story I complained about in an email I sent to about 6-7 dozen people around South Florida. Surprise!)
If so, Runcie would be better off telling the Herald not to even bother sending anyone to meetings -not that they always were, just like the Broward County Ethics meetings they rarely attended- and that henceforth, he'll call their bluff, and make arrangements for his public comments to be videotaped and placed on the school's website or a new YouTube page within 24 hours for the public to see for themselves.
If only...

Oh, and in case you forgot, in the year 2011, the Herald STILL doesn't have an Education blog, either!

Predictably, NOT mentioned in Thursday's Herald story -why wasn't this meeting with Runcie being televised on taxpayer-owned BECON, which is on both satellite and cable systems in Broward County?
Is it the same reason that the three-headed Integrity meetings -none of whose meetings were ever held south of Downtown FTL- were also NOT aired on BECON?
Plain old-fashioned incompetency!

See my January 10, 2001 post on the topic of the complete under-utilization of BECON to communicate with shareholders, Monday night's public meeting of Notter's Three Amigos -Bring hand warmers! Where are BECON's TV cameras?

Supt. Runcie needs to take the initiative ASAP and make an example out of some highly-paid people in the school system, who can't even conceive of the simple idea of putting that meeting on TV and having an email address that questions could be sent to from Broward parents and taxpayers, and give them their unconditional release.

The only forum being held in south Broward will be on October 20th at McArthur High School, 6501 Hollywood Blvd. from 7-9 p.m.
Here's the website: http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/pctf/


As for Monday, on the Broward Schools website...

newsBCPS to Host Broward Legislative Delegation Public Hearing
Broward County Public Schools will host a Broward Legislative Delegation public hearing to receive testimony concerning issues related to education and cultural affairs on Monday, October 10, 2011 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Collins Elementary School, 1050 NW 2nd Street, Dania.


My previous posts on the James Notter-appointed Integrity Committee:

Nov 04, 2010
Oh yeah, and be sure to ask Integrity member Bob Butterworth what he thinks -on camera, too- about the very idea of the present School Board members voting on this before the new members are sworn-in. Yet another nail in Broward Schools ...

Jul 15, 2010
Rather ominously for concerned Broward citizens and taxpayers who hoped for more diligence and speed on their part, panel member Bob Butterworth said "he is confident Broward School Board members "want to do right" and will take the ...

Feb 17, 2010
The three members of the independent commission – Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, attorney W. George Allen, and former Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth — are donating their time. But the school district agreed to pay for ...

Feb 07, 2010
previously that the January 10th Butterworth & Company public meeting could've been and should've been televised on the Broward School Board's own cable channel, BECON-TV, using the very TV cameras that Broward taxpayers have ...

Jan 11, 2010
To serve on the commission, Superintendent Jim Notter chose former Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth; Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, a former state legislator; and attorney W. George Allen, who filed the lawsuit that forced ...

Dec 01, 2009
Does PR guru Bob Butterworth know about this meeting in secret? And when, specifically, is he going to meet with Broward parents and taxpayers in public and answer their questions? Just wondering. Or is that too much to ask? ...

Nov 27, 2009
1st Sun-Sentinel column about FP&L and Notter both turning to Bob Butterworth to lend some assistance, In Sticky Situations, Just Add Mr. Butterworth http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-butterworth-mayocol-b103009,0,2880202.column ...

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Broward County Schools' dysfunction junction continues to rile taxpayers, parents & pols in S.E. Broward County who want honest answers

July 13, 2010 photo by South Beach Hoosier of the Broward County Public Schools HQ in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Other than tap-dancing around the truth, what exactly is it that Broward School South Area Supt Joel Herbst is doing, and why is it that the Broward School system and the School Board remain unable to tell the truth and communicate effectively with taxpayers, parents and voters?
It just never ends with them.

First, how goes that search for a new Superintendent of Schools?
Well, according to their not-so-useful website:
Deadline for applications is August 16. The slate of semi-finalists will be presented to the Board on August 29 and finalists will be interviewed the week of September 12. The School Board is expected to make a selection at the conclusion of the process.
Or not.
Which is to say that just as I predicted here months ago, dear readers, despite having ample time to make some solid selections, they will NOT have someone in place by the time the new school year begins on August 22nd.
Maybe not even the first month of the new school year.

This inability to appreciate how this rolling-tumbleweed of a deadline looks to students, parents and taxpayers, who all have to meet deadlines, says a lot about who's running things.
And it only reminds me all over again that they need to select someone from outside of the state who has never heard of any of the sorry characters inhabiting that building.

Speaking of people who want to be Supt, or rather, who for now are publicly saying they don't want to seek it, late Monday night, a not-so-secret fact known to more than a few people hereabouts, finally came to light in a Sun-Sentinel story by Cara Fitzpatrick about some clearly unethical shenanigans that took place under Herbt's tenure as principal at South Plantation High School.

Unethical on its face, unethical when you think about it, and unethical when you get to know the facts about how long it was tolerated by people who should have known better.
Yet Herbst would have us believe he didn't know it was wrong.

Frankly, that sort of sheer stupidity is more than enough to dis-credit him for good in my book.

I wonder if Herbst mentioned this moral indiscretion of his to the FBI last year when they interviewed him about the longstanding culture of corruption in the Broward School system?


South Florida Sun-Sentinel
South Plantation High kept $200,000 a year in undisclosed fund
By Cara Fitzpatrick, Sun Sentinel
3:49 PM EDT, July 18, 2011

For at least a decade, principals at South Plantation High allowed hundreds of thousands of dollars in school funds to be diverted to an outside bank account, bypassing rules imposed by the Broward School District to safeguard its money from misuse.

In one flush year, records show more than $350,000 was in the account; in the last two years, it was $200,000 or more. The district's chief auditor, Patrick Reilly, called it a "clandestine bookkeeping operation," and said it paid for about $4,200 for Florida Marlins tickets, $4,450 for shoes and clothes for the baseball team, and $1,600 for a Back-to-School barbecue.

The school even had a $75,000 investment fund, not authorized by the district.

District auditors say it's possible other schools are using similar accounts. "We don't usually ask the question, 'Where's your other, second set of books?''' Reilly said.

The fund, which mixed some district money with fund-raising proceeds, was managed by the Parent Teacher Student Organization, a group outside the authority of district auditors. It was used for about three years by current principal David Basile, and from 2000 to 2006 by Joel Herbst, who is now an area superintendent supervising some principals.

Basile flagged the account to auditors last year after concerns were raised by the PTO president and it was later closed at Basile's request. He declined comment for this article.

Herbst said he wasn't aware the school's use of the account violated district and state policies.

"Certainly, if I was aware I would have immediately taken appropriate measures to correct the deficiency," Herbst wrote in an email to the Sun Sentinel.

Reilly, however, said principals receive ample training in how to manage school funds. Funneling money "outside" the school creates an opportunity for fraud — and makes it difficult to track, he said.

For instance, auditors can't tell who used the Florida Marlins tickets. And the $4,450 check for shoes and clothes went to a "guy in Stuart," violating district-approved vendor contracts, he said.

"Did it get to the kids? I don't know," Reilly said.

District officials aren't sure how long the practice existed. Auditors have been able to review only two complete years of records, though they say it dates back at least 10 years. Area Superintendent Desmond Blackburn put it at 19 years, according to district records.

Auditors only learned of the practice last year and have spent months trying to unravel how much money was spent and where, said Reilly.

Basile, who has been at the school about four years, told district officials he didn't realize the account was in violation of district and state policies. Herbst said it was used for "the welfare of the school" and in keeping with the philanthropic mission of the PTO.

But putting the school money in that account meant auditors could not track it. They only saw financial reports on accounts signed by the principal and school bookkeeper each month.

The PTO isn't obligated to give its records to the district. It filed financial papers as a nonprofit organization dating back to at least 2004, but those records don't clarify how the money was spent.

Auditors might not have discovered the fund at all if PTO president Kay Arnold hadn't raised concerns, prompting Basile to close it last July, Reilly said. Arnold couldn't be reached for comment, despite three phone calls.

Both Herbst and Basile have been honored by the district for excellence as principals. Herbst was named Principal of the Year during his tenure at South Plantation. Basile was a finalist for the award this year.

Neither Interim Superintendent Donnie Carter or school board members could be reached for comment, despite each receiving at least one phone call and email.

Auditors are expected to present their report to the School Board on Aug. 2.

Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.
Reader comments at:

To start with the most obvious education-related issue, what's the deal with the new un-named principal at Hallandale High School?

I'm really starting to get the impression that the new "cooperation" that we were all promised at the June 13th forum at the HB Cultural Center, by Herbst and Co. was just, a mirage.
Poof!
Now it's gone!

That meeting was years in the making, real YEARS, not metaphorical ones, and my friend and fellow HB resident Catherine Kim Owens of the Broward Schools Diversity Committee did a GREAT job of mobilizing people in the community to attend and was fair in moderating it.
A meeting that actually ran on-time and on-schedule, that rarest of things here in HB!

A meeting which, as we all know, in someone else's hands -I won't say her name- would have easily taken 2-3 times longer.

Yet a meeting that Hollywood-based Broward School Board members Ann Murray (District 1) and Jennifer Gottlieb, (At-Large), were no-shows at, even while At-Large member Robin Bartleman of Weston could make it.
Murray & Gottlieb?
Too busy.
Schedule conflicts, don't ya know!


Above and below, two checklists re progress mediating longstanding problems at Hallandale High School, from the Power Point presentation made during the forum.
June 13th, 2011 photos by South Beach Hoosier.


South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Officials update residents on the state of three Hallandale schools
July 15, 2011
By Sergy Odiduro, Forum Publishing Group

A recent community meeting updated residents on the conditions and academic progress at three Hallandale Beach schools.

Discussion at the meeting, sponsored by the Broward School Board's Diversity Committee, the Hallandale Beach Education Advisory Committee and the Hallandale High School Task Force, centered on the high school, Gulfstream Middle and Hallandale Elementary School.

Several administrators highlighted positive aspects at their schools, including Hallandale Elementary, which pointed to its nine-year record as an A school.

"I can tell you for sure our school is headed in the right direction," said Brian Kingsley, principal at Gulfstream Middle.

Hallandale High School also touted its successes, reporting that 99 percent of its 2011 class participated in the graduation ceremony.

Despite this, lingering questions remained about the condition of the school's facilities.

A report detailing a site visit made in December revealed the observations of the diversity committee, some of whom were upset over conditions at the school.

The report, which described "prolonged years of neglect and lack of resources" at Hallandale High, included pictures of missing portions of a ceiling with exposed plumbing in the boys' locker room, frayed power cords, torn chairs on weight equipment, outdated textbooks, and noted a "a strong odor upon entering the school building."

In response to the report, the school is undergoing a series of upgrades aimed at addressing the top 20 most-needed renovations suggested by the committee.

At the meeting, South Area Superintendent Joel Herbst outlined a number of projects at the school, including new computers, textbooks and novels, a new hydraulic lift for the automotive shop, refurbished bathrooms, and a remodeled boys' locker room.

James Sparks, a member of the diversity committee who voiced concerns about the condition of the softball field, said he wants progress to continue.

"I'm not asking for anything other than what we deserve. I have seen tremendous improvements, but why did it take so long?" he asked.

The Rev. Josh Brown, who graduated from Hallandale High in 1978 and whose daughter also graduated from there, wrangled with officials at the meeting over whether irrigation or drainage was an issue in flooding near the school.

"The school opened its doors in 1977. We are talking about issues that still have not been addressed," he said.

Catherine Kim Owens, co-chairwoman of the diversity committee, said she hopes the conversation with school officials will continue and that the only way to change conditions is by more parents getting involved.

"That's one of the reasons why I joined the diversity committee," she said. "We need to get involved if we are not happy with the facilities. Unless we speak up, we are not going to get heard."

Just to give you a little more idea of how the forum went and the community's dis-satisfaction, watch this Channel Ten news video from a month ago:

Channel 10 News
Parents Upset Over State Of S. Fla. High School,
Work To Be Done To Fix Decade's Worth Of Problems
by Baron James
POSTED: Tuesday, June 14, 2011,
UPDATED: 11:28 am EDT June 14, 2011


So, is it that they have STILL not decided who it is yet, or, that they don't want, anyone to know who it is until they announce it officially this week, reportedly, Wednesday?

In some towns in this country, a new principal at an improving but still, admittedly, 'troubled' school, would be considered "news" and the local press corps would likely attend.

This part of South Florida is NOT one of those places, so if the School Board, in its infinte stupidity, is deliberately keeping us in the dark so they can have a surprise, they're only fooling themselves.
In the year 2011, nobody from the local news media will show-up at School Board HQ just to hear who the winner of their HS principal search is.

Which only gets to the dysfunctional, disconnected universe up there at Broward Schools HQ.

As I've said so many times on my blog, despite all their resources and personnel, Broward Schools and the School Board seemingly have no real sense of how to effectively communicate to parents and taxpayers in the year 2011, something made worse in our case by geography, since we are repped by the uncommunicative and invisible Ann Murray.
Just saying...

-----
Channel 10 News
Bob Norman's Blog
Superintendent Search: Joel Herbst Says He Won't Apply For Job
By Bob Norman
POSTED: Wednesday, June 22, 2011,
UPDATED: 1:28 pm EDT June 22, 2011


In case you didn't receive this article from me last week:

Friday, June 10, 2011

Stupid is as stupid does, but then practice makes perfect: Ann Murray & Broward County School Board pretend they care what public thinks -they don't!



Did you happen to see this post by the Sun-Sentinel's Cara Fitzpatrick yesterday titled, School board seeks public input on new superintendent, on their Schools blog?

Rather than watch the Broward School Board continue to engage in this costly charade, why don't we simply hire the highest-ranking person available in the consistently high-performing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools that is willing to come down here, and then move on?
Why all this pretense when not more than 2-3 people on the Broward School Board genuinely cares what parents and taxpayers think?

(Oh, that's right, I suggested that very thing two months ago when I publicly wondered why the Broward School Board was SO incompetent that they couldn't devise a plan that insured they had someone in place BEFORE the new school year starts.

For proof of the pretense, see some of Bob Noman's recent blog posts and stories about Broward Schools for Channel 10/WPLG-TV here,

That includes video of the following embarrassing School Board stories:
Plan To Build $5 Million Maintenance Building Under Fire
http://www.local10.com/video/28177995/index.html and Bob Noman: $25 Million Schools Building Sits Empty

The best evidence of the School Board's neglect and incompetency with regard to oversight is the reality all around us, including here in Hallandale Beach.

By the way, the link in the Fitzpatrick post below shows that all 4 forums are in Plantation and Fort Lauderdale.
Taxpayers and parents of Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, West Park, Pembroke Park, Miramar and Dania: no soup for you!


That sounds so familar...
Oh, that's right, the so-called Broward Schools Integrity Committee meetings of last year with the Butterfield Trio NEVER had a public meeting south of Fort Lauderdale, either, which I also mentioned at the time.


And did you already hear the news that despite the meeting being YEARS in the making, that is to say, YEARS OVERDUE, both Ann Murray and Jennifer Gottlieb will... yes, be no-shows for the Community Forum on Hallandale High School Monday night at the HB Cultural Center?
I was told this a few weeks ago and have heard nothing about them changing their schedules so they could attend.

Yes, once again, none of the people elected to REPRESENT Hallandale Beach on the Broward School Board will be in attendance, just as happened SO MANY times over the recent years with Carole L. Andrews, Eleanor Sobel and Ann Murray.

The first, Andrews, selfishly stayed in office far too long and abused her SE Broward constituents' trust after getting very sick by continually not showing-up for official meetings and workshops but refusing to resign so someone else could do the job right, even running for re-election even though she knew she was dying of cancer; the second, Sobel, flat-out lied to Broward voters while running for the School Board position and NEVER had any intention of serving out the entire four-year term, always keeping her eyes on the State Senate position she now holds; the third, Murray, is an incompetent, small-minded bigot who ran as as reformer and has rewarded voters by being among the single worst offenders on a very corrupt and sorry lot that the statewide Grand Jury said ought to be ABOLISHED.

Their personal, professional and political needs ALWAYS took precedence over the legitimate needs of this community's taxpayers and parents.

Nothing quite says I could care less like actually NOT showing up!

And whatever happened to that public meeting Ann Murray promised SE Broward parents MONTHS AGO when they showed up en masse at the Hepburn Center in HB one Monday night when Murray was there -her first time ever in HB for something non-political?-fully expecting her to listen and to be able to competently answer their questions, all of which was caught on tape by Channel 4 News and reporter Natalia Zea?

CBS-4 video of February 28, 2011 - Broward Committee Demands Action For Dilapidated School

As of today -NOTHING!
At least Murray and Gottlieb are consistent in their continuing indifference to us!

----------
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
South Florida Schools blog
School board seeks public input on new superintendent
By Cara Fitzpatrick
June 9, 2011 11:19 AM

The Broward County School Board is asking parents, employees and community members to describe the qualities they'd like to see in a new superintendent.

Read the rest of the post at:

Monday's forum on Hallandale High School at the HB Cultural Center:
flyer fr 6 13 11 community forum.pdfflyer fr 6 13 11 community forum.pdf
142K View Download
6_13_community_forum_agenda_ppt.PDF6_13_community_forum_agenda_ppt.PDF
762K View Download
minutes_fr_5_19_11_tf_mtng.docminutes_fr_5_19_11_tf_mtng.doc
44K View Download

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Broward Schools General Fund Budget Update workshop on Friday; Michael Mayo: "How many Broward school officials does it take to change a light bulb?"



Broward County School Board General Fund Budget Update workshop on Friday the 20th from 12:30-3:30 p.m. at the KCW Bldg., 600 S.E. 3rd Avenue, Fort Laudedale.

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South Florida Sun-Sentinel
South Florida Schools blog
Broward school administrators to take furlough days
By Cara Fitzpatrick
May 18, 2011 03:23 PM


Miami Herald
Broward schools officials to take furloughs
Principals, assistant principals and district administrators will be expected to take 10 to 15 days unpaid leave as a way to save $4.5 million next year.
By Carli Teproff
Posted May 18, 2011




South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Teachers get saved in Palm Beach County, sacrificed in Broward – why?
Job loss for 1,400 teachers in Broward shows misplaced priorities, mismanagement
By Michael Mayo, Sun Sentinel Columnist
7:08 p.m. EDT, May 18, 2011

How come there's a teacher massacre in Broward schools, but not in Palm Beach County or Miami-Dade?

With 1,400 Broward teachers told this week that their jobs are going down the drain, there's been a circular swirl of blame. The teachers' union points the finger at superintendent Jim Notter. Notter says it's the Legislature's fault. The Legislature blames unions.

Ordinarily, I'd say take your pick since there's plenty of blame to go around. Except for one thing.

So far, Broward teachers are alone in their pain.
Read the rest of the column at:


South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Florida Politics blog
Scott puts blame for teacher layoffs on feds
By Kathleen Haughney
May 17, 2011 11:22 AM

Read the reader comment already posted there.
You have to love spammers who think sincerity will do the trick!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Passing the hat, but ignoring what's in plain sight! Broward School Board's Community Budget Task Force meeting at 5 p.m.; equivocating Bartleman

Broward County School Board Community Budget Task Force meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday in downtown Fort Lauderdale: 600 S.E. Third Avenue.
I won't be there.


Their web page is at: http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/budget/

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As you read this Carli Teproff story from the Herald below about the Broward School Board's myriad budget problems, and their positively uninspired 'ideas' to cut millions and millions of dollars, if you're at all like me, it's hard to read, knowing that at any moment, as she has since she first got elected to the Broward School Board posing as a 'reformer,' Robin Bartleman will say one thing, and then a few paragraphs later, equivocate and be quoted as either saying the exact opposite, or, walk back her initial statement to the middle of the road where it won't offend anyone.

With so much need for someone -multiple someones!- on that School Board to show some real character, vision and leadership, wow, is that dithering and equivocating nature of hers ever frustrating to read!

And don't shoot the messenger, since that equivocating is clear in news articles in both the Herald and the Sun-Sentinel.

It's NOT the reporters' fault when they accurately quote Bartleman and it makes your head hurt to later pick up the newspaper and read the predictable blather, sheer banality and self-serving contrivances coming out of her mouth.

Whether the story is true or not, I'm frequently reading and hearing from reliable, well-informed people that one of the reasons Bartleman seems to live a rather charmed political life here despite her fingerprints on so much that is uninspired and incompetent, is that her pal Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is a little rainmaking angel on her shoulder, ready to drown any challengers to her friend in money spent on campaign ads and the like.

If that's not 100% true, it almost doesn't matter, since so many smart people throughout South Florida already believe that it IS true.


In my opinion, even more than many other better-known female pols in this county that I have often taken to task here on the blog, perhaps in large part because on local TV at least, she has largely flown under-the-radar on unflattering stories for ethics and policy, unlike the other female 2010 incumbents on the School Board, Bartleman is the Queen of Broward County's two-faced pols.

To my way of thinking, Bartleman may be the single most over-rated politician in all of Broward County.


In story-after-story the past few years where I find her name mentioned, it's hard to NOT find an example of that equivocating nature I spoke of earlier, a damning personal and political characteristic to my way of thinking.


I've saved some of those stories that show this pattern and hope
in the not-too-distant future to post some of them here -and some comments of mine- that I believe highlights some delicious examples of that two-faced nature of hers.

I can't help but wonder if Bartleman equivocates in her Tweets, but I can't say with any certainty since they are "protected," so I can't say who her 6 Followers are.
http://twitter.com/#!/rbartleman

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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/18/2174089/broward-schools-using-the-f-word.html

Broward schools using the “F” word: Furlough

By Carli Teproff


As the Broward School Board contemplates how to slash more than $100 million from next year’s budget, one word keeps resurfacing – furlough.

On Monday, Superintendent Jim Notter gave the board a chart showing how the district could save millions by asking employees to take off — without pay.

If each of the 28,000 schools employees took one furlough day, the district would save $4.7 million.

And, if each employee took 20 furlough days, basically a month off, the district would save a whopping $93.6 million.

Although that extreme is unlikely to happen, it is possible all school district workers, including teachers, will be asked to sacrifice some of their pay in order to save jobs. But even furloughs won’t fix all of the district’s financial woes, said School Board member Robin Bartleman.

“It’s not going to solve all the problems,’’ Bartleman said, adding the decisions this year are going to be “brutal’’ for everyone. “But it will help.’’

Taking a furlough has been brought up at several of the board’s latest workshops where they are struggling to meet what could be a $115 million budget gap.

Notter has already said the district will likely cut about $25 million from the executive leadership, including the area offices that oversee the different schools.

Before a furlough could be implemented, it would have to be backed by the employees and the districts three school unions.

Broward Teacher’s Union President Pat Santeramo said imposing a furlough on employees – who have not received raises in several years — should be a last resort.

“Before we will proceed with any furloughs, we need to see corrections made to how the district is wasting money,’’ he said.

Santeramo said the union has already suggested areas where the district could cut spending, including shortening the year for principals, reducing the number of assistant principals and looking at consolidating bus routes.

“We are looking for equity here,’’ he said.

At a workshop last week, board members said they would be looking to cut everywhere but the classroom first.

“The goal is to minimize the impact on the students,’’ said Bartleman.

There have not yet been specific discussions of where else cuts will be made.

A preliminary budget, which will include what the cuts could mean to the school district, will be discussed next Tuesday, Notter said.

“I see us trying to drain an Olympic-size pool with an eyedropper,’’ said Board Member Dave Thomas at last week’s meeting, where the board looked at proposed cuts in different administrative departments. “We are continually asking [teachers] to do more with less and they are getting to the breaking point.’’

Board Member Nora Rupert said the district has to take another look at deeper cuts for management.

“The upper management charts have hardly changed,’’ she said. “I personally believe there should be changes.’’

This is not the first time the district is considering furloughs. Last year, the employees were asked to take a five-day furlough, but federal stimulus money came in and the board agreed to lift the request.

Reader comments at: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/18/2174089/broward-schools-using-the-f-word.html#disqus_thread

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Any guesses out there who this belong to? http://www.youtube.com/user/watches33021

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See also:

Broward Politics
YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BrowardPolitics

Website: http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/

BrowardPalmBeach NewTimes YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BrowardPalmBeach

Website: http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/

Broward Clean Sweep's YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BrowardCleanSweep

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Is Broward Schools Supt. James Notter's replacement in N.C.? Why is Broward School Board aiming to have new Supt. start AFTER new school year?


BrowardPalm Beach NewTimes video: Michael
Marchetti Rips Broward County School Board, April 5, 2011
http://youtu.be/aHRq7fRHSBQ

Per the list of school systems nominated for the
Broad Prize for Urban Education that were announced earlier this week, which Broward County and Miami-Dade were both on, causing Broward School Board member Jennifer Gottlieb to warble: “We deserve it,” she said. “Despite the criticism, our children are successful” in Tuesday's Miami Herald, why is Broward NOT seriously considering going after some high achievers and hire the #2 or 3 person at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina to replace outgoing Broward Supt. James Notter?


http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/Pages/Default.aspx
http://www.broadprize.org/asset/0-110405tbpfinalistrelease.pdf

That district made the Finalists short list this year and last year, and consistently ranks high among Education groups that rank these sorts of things,
even if the criteria used for ranking school districts and individual schools might be considered dubious or questionable,
http://broadprize.org/about/decision_makers/review_board.html since who is more responsible for school/district improvement:

a.) savvy and resourceful school administrators,
b.) properly-motivated teachers with adequate supply of resources and support from principals and administrators, or
c.) involved parents who push their children to excel and won't accept mediocrity from their children, or

d.) the kids themselves?


Forgotten in all the hoopla -sometimes, it's the kids.

Official website for
Broad Prize for Urban Education: http://www.broadprize.org/

But if we are to assume the criteria is solid, then why would that district not be the first place you'd look, the way the New England Patriots were the place where NFL teams looked first a few years ago to have some of the Patriots' great success rub off on them?

As many of you are already aware, in the NFL, it's traditional to at least strongly consider the 'hot" coordinators at successful playoff teams as your new head coach, before you re-cycle an old NFL head coach, so why is the Broward School Board so intent on reinventing the wheel?


It's a longstanding mental defect in Broward County, in all sorts of areas of public policy, that Broward officials of one sort or another insist that it's SO unique, that nobody from outside could ever possibly know how to do something right. (With predictable results I'd say.)

Additionally, why is the Broward School Board so intent on waiting until
AFTER the new school year has started?

Isn't there a reason that most intelligent people make a point of moving
their family BEFORE the new school year starts, esp. in places like South Florida that insist on starting their new years in sweltering August, so why should this be any different?

Isn't there a reasonable chance that the children of any prospective new Supt. would ALSO be dealing with the same issue?

Why would he or she be any different than any other parent, and not insist that the job starts before or concurrently with new school year, or no deal?


Especially for a job that many smart and qualified candidates would NOT want to touch to begin with, that now comes with increased scrutiny from Tallahassee?
(
For perfectly good reason!)

Seriously, do we really need to eliminate good candidates before we even start by pretending that having your kids in a new house -and settled- before the school year starts, isn't the preferred option?

I'm confused; dumbfounded actually.

This is such common sense and conventional wisdom, is there a specific reason that these particular questions
aren't being asked, raised or reported?

--
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
South Florida Schools
blog
Broward School District a finalist in prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education
By Rafael Olmeda
April 5, 2011 09:58 AM

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/educationblog/2011/04/broward_school_district_a_fina.html

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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/05/2151328/miami-dade-broward-school-districts.html

Miami-Dade, Broward school districts vie for education prize

By Kathleen McGrory and Carli Teproff

April 5, 2011


The Miami-Dade and Broward school districts have been named finalists for the Broad Prize for Urban Education, the most prestigious award bestowed upon public school systems.

The announcement Tuesday came as welcome news to the nation’s fourth and sixth largest school districts, which have been dealing with budget cuts, Legislative issues and pressure from the unions.

Beleaguered Broward has also seen two School Board members charged with bribery, a scathing report from the state Grand Jury and a surprise resignation from the superintendent.

“It’s about what we’ve been able to do even in adversity,” Superintendent Jim Notter said Tuesday after announcing that Broward was a finalist. “That’s to keep the focus on our core business of teaching and learning.”

The Broad Prize — Broad rhymes with “road’’ — honors large school districts that have demonstrated the greatest gains in student achievement. It also seeks to recognize districts that have worked to close the achievement gap among poor and minority students.

This is the third time Broward has been a finalist for the award.

The Miami-Dade district was a finalist in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

“Southern Florida can truly be proud of the remarkable progress your students, teachers and school districts have made,” said Eli Broad, whose foundation sponsors the prize. “For most of the last decade, Broward County and Miami-Dade have consistently shown greater relative student improvement than other large urban districts across the country.”

Leaders in both school districts have high hopes for this year.

“We believe that this time, we will be the winner,” Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said, noting that students posted record high test scores last year.

Broward School Board member Jennifer Gottlieb said the nomination was a testament to the hard work Broward has done.

“We deserve it,” she said. “Despite the criticism, our children are successful.”

Broward is a long-shot candidate.

While the award has more to do with student achievement than governance, school districts in turmoil are rarely winners. When the Miami-Dade district was nominated in 2008, School Board members were feuding with former Superintendent Rudy Crew. Although Miami-Dade was considered an early favorite, it did not win.

This year, the Broad Foundation considered 75 urban districts were for the award. School systems are not allowed to apply or be nominated.

The winning district gets $550,000 in college scholarships for high school seniors.

The three finalists each receive $150,000 in scholarships.

The other finalists this year are the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina and the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas.

The winner will be announced Sept. 20 in Washington, D.C.

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Channel 2's Issues program of 4/1/11: Jim Notter's Resignation
Host Helen Ferre, Guests: Antonio Fins, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Page editor, Bob Norman, NewTimes, Robert W. Hill, EdD., NOVA Southeastern University
http://ka.uvuvideo.org/_Issues-Notter39s-Resignation-/video/1556116/86294.html


Disclaimer: I've known Issues 'guest' Robert Hill and his family since I was nine-years old
and in third grade. He was my best friend when we were both growing-up in North Miami Beach, at Fulford Elementary and then JFK Jr. High and then NMB Senior High.
He's literally, part of our family, at nearly every single event of importance I can think of for myself or my sisters, as well as as too many NMB Chargers, U-M Hurricanes, Baltimore Orioles spring training, Miami Toros and Fort Lauderdale Strikers games to count.
And I was always there for him.


I got the opportunity to visit him in 1984 after he'd graduated from Gainesville and gotten his first real job as a high school English teacher in Port Charlotte, where he was also the Womens Tennis coach, and he was one of the most popular teachers in no time because of his subject knowledge and enthusiasm.

In a more normal world, dedicated and enthusiastic educators with common sense (and senses of humor) like Robert -and clones of him- would be on the elected Broward County School Board.
Then, Broward parents and beleaguered taxpayers could FINALLY sigh a sigh of relief, relax and know that the 'bad days' were behind them.
FINALLY.


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This Bob Norman post from Wednesday contained the video at the top.

BrowardPalmBeach New Times

Daily Pulp
"Miss Gottlieb, YOU Are the Distraction"
By Bob Norman

April 6, 2011 @ 8:59AM

-- Broward County schools building inspector Michael Marchetti has long been appalled at the influence of lobbyists and contractors -- and their proxies, the School Board members themselves -- on school district staff in the building department.

Marchetti has shed more light on the rampant corruption at the district than perhaps any other employee.
Read the rest of the post at:
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2011/04/mrs_gottlieb_youre_the_distrac.php


For prior posts about the Broward County School Board, see:
http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/search/index?keywords=School+Board&x=14&y=19

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South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/fl-broward-school-board-super-20110406,0,3972446.story
School Board tells superintendent to find solutions to problems in facilities, building departments

By Cara Fitzpatrick, Sun Sentinel
April 06, 2011

The Broward County School Board told Superintendent Jim Notter that one of his final responsibilities before retiring will be to propose solutions to long-standing problems in the district's building, facilities and construction divisions.

Board members also agreed to search nationally for Notter's replacement — and said his successor must be ready to get involved in the reform of those departments.


"I don't want you walking out the door leaving a mess to be cleaned up," board member Dave Thomas told Notter during the meeting.


Notter surprised board members with his announcement last week that he planned to retire, effective June 30, and the board is scrambling to start the process to replace him. Notter promised again Tuesday to work with them on outstanding issues until he leaves.

Board members Ann Murray and Jennifer Gottlieb have suggested in recent weeks that drastic changes are needed in the facilities ranks, in light of a highly critical Feb. 18 grand jury report.


The facilities department has been under fire for years for shoddy work, cost overruns and construction delays.

The grand jury report also said board members had micromanaged the construction department, hand-picking politically favored contractors and then awarding them inflated fees to manage projects.


Board member Ann Murray said the district must "get serious" or the pattern will repeat itself — because two previous grand jury reports had identified similar issues.


"We recognize that there are problems, but we just haven't been able to nail it down," she said.


Gottlieb told Notter to consider all scenarios, including "complete independence" from the district. But she said she wasn't suggesting privatization of the departments.


"It could be a step to help restore public trust," she said.


But at least one audience member told board members they should look at their own behavior first.

Michael Marchetti, a district building inspector, read to board members from the 2011 grand jury report, which focused more heavily on the School Board than individual departments.


"I didn't hear facilities department in there, I didn't hear building department, I heard School Board," he said. "Ms. Gottlieb, you are a distraction. Ms. Murray, you are a distraction. … You fail to hold yourselves accountable."


Marchetti has filed a whistleblower lawsuit in Tallahassee, which alleges that district officials conspired to manipulate contracts and needlessly drove up construction costs.

Gottlieb said after the meeting that she disagreed with Marchetti's assessment of the board, and said current members weren't the ones overstepping their bounds.


"Those days are behind us," she said.
Reader comment at: http://discussions.sun-sentinel.com/20/soflanews/fl-broward-school-board-super-20110406/10

"Those days are behind us," she said. I'd prefer HER days are behind us.

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I should mention here that for weeks prior to Notter's announcement last week that he was retiring effective in June, I was sending emails to local reporters asking them to look at Notter's contract and see what his golden parachute might look like.

I made my intention clear with the subject header of January 28th: Anyone know how much James Notter's retirement package is?...1/28/11 Indy Star: Wayne Twnsp. school superintendent's $1M retirement package creates storm

The reason was this late January story I came across in the Indy Star while looking for some news about the IU basketball team:


Indianapolis Star


Wayne superintendent's $1M retirement package creates storm

Wayne Township Schools Superintendent Terry Thompson received a retirement package worth more than $1 million.
By Bill McCleery

In 2007, the Wayne Township School Board and then-Superintendent Terry Thompson agreed to a renegotiated contract that provided a generous retirement package for whenever Thompson decided to step down.

But it wasn't until this month that board members realized just how lucrative that deal was, to the tune of more than $1 million.


Thompson, 64, who retired in December after 15 years with the district, already has received more than $800,000 of his retirement deal, which included a year's base pay at more than $225,000, as well as contract provisions that kicked in hundreds of thousands more.


But that's not all.


The contract also created the position of superintendent emeritus -- a position that has been paying Thompson $1,352 a day since his retirement to advise his successor, among other duties. That amount, over the 150 days laid out in the contract, would pay him more than $200,000 -- bringing the total to more than $1 million.


In addition, the contract called for one other perk -- a onetime $15,000 stipend for "retirement planning."

On Thursday, the board issued a statement asking Thompson to resign from the superintendent emeritus position, but it's unclear whether the board can force him to do so -- or reclaim any of the money in the contract.

"It's just a terribly difficult time because Terry Thompson did terrifically wonderful things for Wayne Township," said board member Shirley Deckard, who was not on the board in 2007.


Five of her colleagues, however, were on the board at the time. They either were not able to be reached for comment Thursday or deferred comment to the district spokeswoman.

Thompson did not return calls made to his home Thursday.


A call placed to Jon Bailey -- the school district's attorney at the time the contract was renegotiated -- was met with a recording that his voice mailbox was full.


Mary McDermott-Lang, the district's spokeswoman, said board members signed off on the provisions of the contract when it was reopened at Thompson's request in 2007. But she said they did so without full knowledge of the information tucked into lengthy documents that she said Thompson asked them to approve at several different meetings.

There were 223 comments to that Star article when I first saw it, which was a few days after it first appeared. 223.

Did you notice the use of the word "emeritus" in the piece?

Sound familiar?


Correct, the current Broward School Board's original exit/no exit plan for retiring Broward Schools counsel Ed Marko, until it became widely known.


Nobody responded to my email.

Well, to be precise, I should say, no South Florida print reporters or columnists or TV reporters or producers responded.


Why should they, after all, since the Conventional Wisdom was that Notter wasn't going anywhere?


Right, as if the statewide Grand Jury's report came as a complete surprise...
Only the exact wording was a surprise -and the lack of indictments.

My friend Charlotte Greenbarg, president of the Broward Coalition, quickly responded to me email and said that she doubted anyone in a position to do so was or would look into it.
Charlotte was right.

Nobody cared until AFTER the announcement, and then...
EVERYONE got curious.

Which proves that the vast majority of South Florida reporters are NOT interested in thinking outside-the-box, so you can give up thinking that's going to happen anytime soon with the current status quo media crew we're stuck with down here.

With the exception of Bob Norman, none of them want to rock the boat any more than the Broward School Board did.


The self-evident results of that approach, entirely predictable, are all around us here in Broward County.



South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/fl-notter-quits-mayocol-b033111-20110330,0,642502.column
Will departing Broward Schools Superintendent renounce guaranteed $126,000 job?

By Michael Mayo
, Sun-Sentinel columnist
6:42 p.m. EDT, March 30, 2011

When the going got tough, Jim Notter got going.
There's no other way to look at the Broward Schools superintendent's resignation, no matter what Notter says about it having "absolutely nothing" to do with a blistering statewide grand jury report.

One minute he's talking about how these are the toughest times ever faced by the school district, the next he's saying, "Sorry, gotta run," even though he still has three years left on his $299,000-a-year contract.

Watch this now: Reunited. Joyous reunion as rescued dog and her owner greet after tsunami.

How's that for leadership?

In the bizarre world of Broward Schools, leaving might be Notter's biggest display of leadership yet.

"Interesting timing," said Nora Rupert, one of four School Board members elected in November.

After so much recent tumult — arrests, budget cuts, union fights, a war on public education from Tallahassee — Notter's announced June departure might be the clean slate the district needs.

Or with so many ongoing investigations, it could signal darker times ahead, for him individually or the beleaguered School Board. Notter was criticized for weak leadership in the grand jury report and for allowing a culture of waste and mismanagement to flourish.

Whoever takes the superintendent job — calling outgoing Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith? — will have to be part miracle worker, part CEO and part kindergarten teacher (to keep School Board members, unions, contractors and lobbyists in line). Smith met with Notter last week as a follow-up to the grand jury report.

Notter appeared to still have the backing of a majority of the nine-member board, but his resignation spares a potential prolonged battle over his future.

"It's been a tough past two years," Notter told me Wednesday. "A lot of people don't realize I'm going to be 65 this summer. The time I've got between now and that bright light is precious."

If he stayed and got fired, he could have collected another six months' salary (about $150,000) as severance.

But resigning could prove pretty lucrative, too, and a lot less stressful.

Besides cashing in unused vacation and sick days (he received 36 annually the past four years, according to his contract), he's looking at an annual state pension benefit of roughly $103,000.

And then there's the matter of a three-year administrative job, at roughly $126,000 a year, spelled out in his contract.

It's known as provision 9.9, labeled "subsequent employment," and says that even if Notter resigns as superintendent, the School Board "shall appoint Mr. Notter to an administrative position within the School District" with a minimum salary of a top-scale high school principal (now $125,946) and "shall grant him an employment contract for a period of three years."

Not might, but shall.

If Notter got fired because of a failing job evaluation, he could have lost his unused sick days (worth a hefty chunk, perhaps six figures) and the guaranteed administrative job.

When I asked Notter about the job provision, he said, "I'll have to have my lawyer look at that."

He said it is his intent to retire, not take another administrative or principal's job, like the attractive opening at McFatter Technical School in Davie.

"McFatter's a good job, but no, I don't plan on doing that," Notter said. "I've got too many things to do at home."

If Notter puts in for his state pension, he couldn't take a School Board job for six months. After 12 months, he could take a School Board job and keep drawing his $8,659 monthly pension benefit. His contract doesn't spell out a starting date for the guaranteed job.

How audacious would it be if Notter "retires" and then becomes a double-dipper?

Until I see Notter renounce any claim to the job provision in writing, I'll remain skeptical about what comes next.

After all, his word keeps getting harder to believe.

In late February, a few days after the grand jury report was released, Notter circled the wagons and said he had no intention to resign or retire "at this time."

On Tuesday, after an all-day budget workshop, Notter announced that he'd quit in June, and that he had been planning his retirement for months.

Uh, which was it?

Guess he wanted to keep his options open.

"You get to the point in life where you enjoy surprises," Notter said Tuesday.

At this point, stability and credibility — not more surprises — are what Broward's schools really need.
Reader comments at:
http://discussions.sun-sentinel.com/20/soflanews/fl-notter-quits-mayocol-b033111-20110330/10


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http://www.youtube.com/user/BrowardPalmBeach