providing parents with the truth about the public education system

The Portland Tribune reported that “Judy Peppler, a longtime figure in Oregon education, business and politics, is leaving for greener pastures. The Qwest Oregon president will leave for a superintendent’s post in North Carolina, after completing a training program with the The Broad Foundation.

She’ll resign her duties on the many boards she serves on here, including co-chairwoman of the Cradle to Career Council.”

What is the Broad Foundation’s role in Cradle to Career?

The failure of R.E.A.L Prep Charter School should come as no surprise to PPS leadership. They were warned about their lack of charter school oversight back in 2009. Do you remember the audit conducted by PPS own internal auditor Dick Tracy?

Among his findings:

Lack of timely financial reports inhibits assessment of charter school financial stability. Three of seven charter schools failed to submit annual audited financial reports as required by charter contracts. Consequently, it is not possible to fully assess the budget performance and financial position of all charter schools for the year ending June 30, 2008. Of the four schools submitting audited financial statements, three had positive ending fund balances and reasonably healthy balance sheets.

Dick Tracy recommended:

1. Develop more specific and measurable goals for charter school performance. In coordination and collaboration with each charter school, the district should help each school identify a core set of operational and academic goals that will be incorporated into charter school contracts. The goals should be specific, measurable, and time-bound with the primary focus on improving student achievement. The district and charter schools should consider developing a common set of student achievement goals that all charters share and a school specific set of goals that relate to the unique programs and objectives of each charter school program. The district should also consider obtaining technical advice from PPS Research and Evaluation to aid development of measurable student achievement goals. As charter school operational and academic goals change over time, modifications to charter contracts should be made.

2.  Develop and implement a more rigorous accountability system for monitoring and assessing charter school performance. The district should develop specific methods and procedures for ensuring more complete compliance with charter school contracts that will result in better performance monitoring and more timely improvement of performance problems. Elements of a progressive accountability system could include informal discussions and reminders, technical advice and assistance to address financial or performance concerns, periodic visits to the charter school, written notice of non-compliance with contract provisions, public hearings or meetings to discuss performance or compliance issues, and monetary incentives. Improved accountability provisions should be incorporated when negotiating charter contracts during initial approval or renewal, or, with approval and collaboration from the charter school, during current charter school terms.

District leadership responded:

Dick Tracy, Performance Auditor

Portland Board of Education

501 N. Dixon St.

Portland, Oregon 97227

Dear Mr. Tracy,

Thank you for your work reviewing the performance and impact of the seven schools operating under charter agreements with Portland Public Schools. As you have found, it is very difficult to pin down both the charter schools’ direct impact on achievement of students attending these schools and their impact on other PPS schools’ enrollment and resources.

We find the data you compiled intriguing, and offer our own thoughts about the audit results below. We also very much appreciate the recommendations contained in the audit, and at the end of this response include our commitment to follow through, particularly in building strong partnerships with charter schools and improving our tracking and accountability for those schools – and those students.

The letter was signed by Carole Smith

Another promise unfulfilled!

In case you haven’t heard the hip-hop R.E.A.L Prep Charter School isn’t opening this fall as planned…although I think it might be generous to say that there was much planning.

The Founder Erica Jayasuriya managed to spend nearly $500,000 in taxpayer dollars without having anything to show for it.  Not one day of school.  More later….

Have you ever read PPS Administrators Connection?  The webpage contains newsletter like posts with information for school and central office administrators.  The page is updated weekly.

Administrators Connection includes REQUIRED READING and REQUIRED ACTIONS for administrators.  It’s interesting to read the information provided to administrators.

This is from the May 24, 2011 Administrators Connection;

Marshall Campus Property

The closure of the Marshall campus schools raises questions about the distribution of assets such as classroom furniture, white boards and lockers. Facilities will be supporting future uses in the building. For this reason, campus assets will remain in place for the time being. The IT department is handling the redistribution of IT assets. Title One is handling the redistribution of Title One assets.

Please contact Surplus Equipment at surplus@pps.k12.or.us if furniture is needed. If the Marshall campus classroom furniture is released to surplus, it will be distributed on a first come, first served basis, as usual, requested through the surplus email account.

I wonder what happened with the Title I funds.

Check out the Administrators Connection archives here.

Parents :  Have you received your high school student’s schedule for 2011/12 yet?  Does it include study hall for the eighth class?

I’m hearing from Madison and Franklin parents that both schools are forcing kids to take study hall for their eighth class.  I’ve been told that PPS campus security will be monitoring those study halls.  Really?  Why do schools have security if they’re not needed to monitor the halls and grounds?

Maybe I’m crazy but it seems that with PPS pitiful graduation rate and the problem with high school seniors not meeting reading benchmarks that PPS could have come up with a better use of student time.

Have you heard the rules of conduct that are read prior to citizen testimony at PPS board meetings?  One of the statements talks about adults being powerful models for students.  Apparently that rule doesn’t apply to PPS leadership.

The Secretary of State, Elections Division has determined that the following PPS staff members have violated the election laws of the state of Oregon by campaigning in support of the construction bond while on the job:

Carole Smith, Superintendent of Portland Public Schools

Jollee Patterson, General Counsel PPS

C. J. Sylvester, Chief Operating Officer PPS

Sarah Carlin Ames, CIPA Public Affairs Director PPS

Robb Cowie, CIPA Executive Director PPS

Matt Shelby, CIPA Public Information Officer PPS

Sarah Schoening, Director of the Office of School Modernization PPS

Katie Essick, CIPA Family Communication Manager PPS

Richard Martin, Web Designer PPS

Franciso Garcia, Web Technician PPS

Brian Christopher, Web Technician PPS

Each staff member violating election laws will be fined $75.  Five of the staff members make over $110,000 per year so a $75 fine is just a drop in the bucket.

No doubt Superintendent Smith, Jollee Patterson, Robb Cowie, Matt Shelby, Sarah Carlin Ames, and C.J. Sylvester knew full well that they were breaking the law.  They just didn’t care.

This kind of behavior by district leadership is exactly why voters rejected the bond.  The public doesn’t trust or have confidence in PPS leadership.

Thank goodness most kids have adult models that demonstrate more integrity than district leadership.

A few months ago a Harrison Park student who wasn’t quite meeting benchmark in reading told me that she was sure she “passed” her reading test because the teacher READ the reading test to her.  Last week she received the test results and sure enough, she’s meeting benchmark now.

I’ve heard other stories of test administrators (sometimes teachers, sometimes not) coaching kids to pass the tests in Portland.

While I agree that there’s too much testing and the stakes are too high, I don’t buy the argument that teachers are forced to cheat.  Using that argument, poor people can steal or  sell drugs to make money.  After all, they have no choice but to break the law.

Cheating on the tests fails the students.  Kids aren’t being identified as needing help and they certainly aren’t getting any.

The district has released a 2011/12 principal contact list.  There are a few people (Susan Kosmala and Fred Locke) that I was disappointed to see on the list.

I love page 2 of the list.  See “Leader/Office”.  It doesn’t take much to be a leader.  I guess you can do it with one follower.

It’s that time of year when the deck is shuffled and district administrators end up in new places.  Why is it that it’s never for the better?

A reader tipped me off that:

Sarah Carlin Ames (formerly with PPS bloated communications department) is now working with the Governor’s Education Investment Project through March.

AND Sara Allan is working for the Gates Foundation with Hurricane Vicki.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 27th.  There’s piss, beer bottles and garbage to clean up at Clarendon Elementary.  The district abandoned the school years ago and the building looks like shit.

It’s not on PPS list of schools for clean-up but I’m sure the neighbors would appreciate it.  The abandoned school decreases home values.  Please also consider volunteering to clean-up the other schools PPS closed (Marshall, Kellogg, Washington…)  Call Andre Jackson at 503-916-3078.