Weast eliminates job title, keeps administrator and salary

Remember in June 2010 when Superintendent Jerry Weast bemoaned the elimination of the Chief Academic Officer position in his list of budget cuts? Here's what his June 8, 2010 memo to the Board said:

The chief academic officer (CAO) position and $221,081 is eliminated for FY 2011. The position is a key leadership position that coordinates the work of the offices of Curriculum and Instruction, Organizational Development, Special Education and Student Services, and School Performance. The CAO fosters a work environment that is student focused and results-oriented. The CAO ensures that these four offices work collaboratively to implement strategic initiatives designed to eliminate the achievement gap and improve academic achievement for all students. Eliminating this position will impede communication and clear articulation of system priorities, integration and alignment of the work of the four offices, and cross-functional and collaborative work processes that promote effective teamwork.

So what happened to the person that had held the CAO position?

Nothing.

The person is still there, in the same office but now with a new title "Special Advisor in the Office of the Deputy Superintendent of Schools" and receiving a salary of $182,260. Benefits for this position are unknown.

There is no evidence that the position "Special Advisor in the Office of the Deputy Superintentendent of Schools" existed prior to this year. How was a position cut from the Deputy Superintendent's office if the person is still there with a new title? Looks like the CAO title was deleted and a new position was created in the same office.

How does the renaming of a position constitute a budget cut?