Just about every state and city in the country is top heavy with administration in school districts. Even many teachers unions can no longer butt horns with administrators and their cliques.. Administrators in all states have become as powerful as any politicians because, well they are politicians with all that goes with the label.
Lots of central office spending that should have been cut BEFORE school based staffing. The union isn't helping. Maybe now that Doug Prouty is out, who toed the management line, an actual examination of the unnecessary central office programs can be made. Doug didn't care about cutting back on bloated central services programs. He didn't care that more and more was being dumped on school teams.
Instead of funding conferences and travel for central services staff, training programs that require funding substitutes, and professional growth programs for union members, Prouty should have been standing up for school based positions. He supported rotating teacher positions and pouring money into training that people didn't want.
While they cut the less costly clerical positions in the central office, they did not cut the most costly positions. A big waste of funding is executive director positions who manage no one but make the equivalent of principals for doing the job of a personal assistant. These positions could easily be handled by secretarial staff much more effectively and at a lower cost.
Other positions that could be cut are departments that have 3 or 4 directors managing less than 20 people! These directors get paid more than principals. They are accountable for nothing and most times are figure heads. Some have been around for so long they are on the payroll for sentimentality. All this does is hurt schools.
Now that the Chromebook rollout is stalled MCPS has some work to do. wireless radiation has not been proven safe for children and if most of the children will not be on Chromebooks and if those that are, will use internet access for a very short amount of time during the day, it doesn't seem right for them to have all day, full body microwave radiation exposure. wifi may be everywhere, but that doesn't deem it safe to use in any strength, it is much stronger in a school environment and parents should be informed of possible risks and consenting into this type of environment for their children. There are risks. Peer reviewed independent studies have shown evidence of neurological, reproductive issues, absorption deep into the brain, cell inflammation, and unfortunately much more. In homes, parents are starting to use wired internet to take a precautionary approach. we need real safety data before we risk our children's health. I see a lot of risk we are asked to take, but little educational benefit. In fact, for the kids who don't have a Chromebook which is most, there is only risk, no benefit. This is why France banned WiFi for the youngest children and for children K and up the WiFi is allowed only as needed. In our homes we can use wired internet access, shouldn' there be an inherent right or moral standard that we can trust our children are being put in the safest school environment possible and that MCPS is not knowingly putting our kids in harms way for their convenience. read here for more info on WiFi in schools http://www.naturalhealth365.com/radiofrequency-electromagnetic-fields-1457.html
This is an interesting point. Yesterday, my wife and I were standing near the street, to the side of a school building, a substantial distance from the brick walls. She could pull a perfect wi-fi signal on her hone, even from that distance. I understand the challenges that buildings, especially old school buildings, must present for wireless access, but at the very least, couldn’t more hardware be used at lesser power than that used currently until the debate about FR field strength is sorted out? The cost wouldn’t be that great and might be covered by the savings from the increased vigilance of MCPS credit card use.
This will definitely result in a top heavy organizational structure.
ReplyDeleteJust about every state and city in the country is top heavy with administration in school districts. Even many teachers unions can no longer butt horns with administrators and their cliques.. Administrators in all states have become as powerful as any politicians because, well they are politicians with all that goes with the label.
ReplyDeleteThere must be a new trend to do less with more. . .
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't call that new....
DeleteLots of central office spending that should have been cut BEFORE school based staffing. The union isn't helping. Maybe now that Doug Prouty is out, who toed the management line, an actual examination of the unnecessary central office programs can be made. Doug didn't care about cutting back on bloated central services programs. He didn't care that more and more was being dumped on school teams.
ReplyDeleteInstead of funding conferences and travel for central services staff, training programs that require funding substitutes, and professional growth programs for union members, Prouty should have been standing up for school based positions. He supported rotating teacher positions and pouring money into training that people didn't want.
While they cut the less costly clerical positions in the central office, they did not cut the most costly positions. A big waste of funding is executive director positions who manage no one but make the equivalent of principals for doing the job of a personal assistant. These positions could easily be handled by secretarial staff much more effectively and at a lower cost.
Other positions that could be cut are departments that have 3 or 4 directors managing less than 20 people! These directors get paid more than principals. They are accountable for nothing and most times are figure heads. Some have been around for so long they are on the payroll for sentimentality. All this does is hurt schools.
It sounds like things will get much worse before they get any better.
DeleteNow that the Chromebook rollout is stalled MCPS has some work to do. wireless radiation has not been proven safe for children and if most of the children will not be on Chromebooks and if those that are, will use internet access for a very short amount of time during the day, it doesn't seem right for them to have all day, full body microwave radiation exposure. wifi may be everywhere, but that doesn't deem it safe to use in any strength, it is much stronger in a school environment and parents should be informed of possible risks and consenting into this type of environment for their children. There are risks. Peer reviewed independent studies have shown evidence of neurological, reproductive issues, absorption deep into the brain, cell inflammation, and unfortunately much more. In homes, parents are starting to use wired internet to take a precautionary approach. we need real safety data before we risk our children's health. I see a lot of risk we are asked to take, but little educational benefit. In fact, for the kids who don't have a Chromebook which is most, there is only risk, no benefit. This is why France banned WiFi for the youngest children and for children K and up the WiFi is allowed only as needed. In our homes we can use wired internet access, shouldn' there be an inherent right or moral standard that we can trust our children are being put in the safest school environment possible and that MCPS is not knowingly putting our kids in harms way for their convenience. read here for more info on WiFi in schools http://www.naturalhealth365.com/radiofrequency-electromagnetic-fields-1457.html
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting point. Yesterday, my wife and I were standing near the street, to the side of a school building, a substantial distance from the brick walls. She could pull a perfect wi-fi signal on her hone, even from that distance. I understand the challenges that buildings, especially old school buildings, must present for wireless access, but at the very least, couldn’t more hardware be used at lesser power than that used currently until the debate about FR field strength is sorted out? The cost wouldn’t be that great and might be covered by the savings from the increased vigilance of MCPS credit card use.
Delete