The first controversy to mark the tenure of newly hired Superintendent Anthony Amato makes one fact perfectly clear when it comes to the KCMO Public School District:
Nobody Really Wants to Change Anything.
The School District is not only facing a slew of financial cutbacks but also steadily decreasing enrollment. It's clear that if anything is going to change in the District there is going to have to be some serious belt tightening, SCHOOL CLOSINGS of beloved neighborhood (empty) facilities and a general acceptance that the status quo has failed.
However, once changes were proposed to the LINC program the vast network of people who ate at this trough were quick to invoke "the benefit to students" rather than simply admit that the program is flawed and mainly serves as a warehousing operation for parents who obviously didn't realize that they were too poor to have children in the first place. And the silly notion that an after school program is a substitute for a responsible adult/parent is merely a reflection of the backward thinking of so many local Education officials. A closer look at this story reveals many administrators and proponents of this program who stand to lose in its demise. These people are far less concerned with the program becoming more academically-focused under Amato's regime than simply holding onto their jobs with whatever sound byte that will evoke the most sympathy.
Yet, even as it became clear that the LINC cuts won't be significant as first reported there is a sense of entitlement that is pervasive among those who continue with the program. The Northeast News reports a sense of jubilation among the nearby schools that won't see much change.
Still, if there is any hope of Amato turning the School District around then more cuts and drastic changes are in the offing. Meanwhile, entrenched programs, administrators and teachers seek to persuade the public and the media that their presence benefits students when the steady downward slide of the District over more than a generation suggests otherwise.
Tony, the problem is that Amato has spent $9 million on a reading program that sucks yet he can't pay $1.4 million for an after school program that is both successful and popular.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you watched channel 5 last night, you saw an investigative report about wild spending by district administrators.
Now they want to close schools. Well maybe if they stopped spending money they don't have, then they could afford to keep some schools open?
The reading program is inherently flawed and has not existed long enough to yield quantifiable data on whether it improves scores in any or all subjects. It forces educators to teach from a script, with no room for innovation or creativity and does not take different learning styles into account. Don't blame the Superintendent--he can present any wacky idea he wants. Blame the School Board who supports it.
ReplyDeleteTony, the board should have looked up Mr. Amato's legal history in advance of hiring him. Mr. Amato is spending money on a reading program known as Success for All (SFA). There is some question that Mr. Amato has some management-level connection with SFA, but that remains unresolved. He is also following through on a suggestion by a contractor to buy a math program called "Investigations." These programs cost money, and Mr. Amato is more than willing to spend us into a black hole on those things.
ReplyDeleteApparently, in our district the money never has been there (or was mismanaged), so like squeezing one end of the balloon, the other end swells. Right now, Mr. Amato is looking to cut contractors and close underutilized facilities. This may yield some money, but it won't be enough.
Mr. Amato has a track record (provable through checking litigation history in New Orleans, Hartford, etc.) in other districts of dealing with spending cuts by using "reductions in force" to get around teacher-tenure laws - so far, in those districts, Mr. Amato did not succeed before wearing out his welcome, but it is telling that press in Hartford referred to Mr. Amato as "iron fisted." While there is absolutely no problem with buying into reading and math programs, we need to be guarding against Mr. Amato playing with our teaching and administrative personnel, as that appears to be his next move. I hope the Board isn't as caught off guard with that as they have been with LINC.
Parents, the community, and the district will be well served by keeping a sharp eye on what's going on at the top of our district. I have no problem with SFA - SFA will give us a two-year boost in reading scores - after that, the evidence available suggests reading scores will flat-line. However, a two-year boost is better than nothing at all. We also need to get the state to make a more realistic and culturally appropriate MAP test so the state stops discriminating against black citizens in schools. Just my two-cents, Tony.