A clash that started two weeks ago with a school board presentation on teacher effectiveness continues to roil Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leadership. Interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh, normally a mellow guy, sent a strongly worded memo to the board accusing two members of bullying faculty, "behavior so egregiously unfair that I cannot remain silent" (read it below).
During the Feb. 28 discussion of "hard to staff schools," board member Richard McElrath peppered teachers with questions about that label. Somali Davis-White, a teacher at Thomasboro Academy, attended the meeting as part of a teacher study group that crafted the report.
Afterward, McElrath and board member Joyce Waddell made unannounced visits to Thomasboro and other schools that are part of Project LIFT. I talked to McElrath the afternoon of March 1 about some of his remarks at the meeting, and he told me he was visiting LIFT schools to ask principals and teachers about the philanthropic program and its support of segregated schools. A few hours later, Hattabaugh emailed board members about complaints he'd heard from the Thomasboro visit.
Hattabaugh's memo sparked a heated discussion of school board behavior last night, one that's likely to continue at Friday's meeting on the superintendent search. Today I got a copy of Hattabaugh's email to the board.
From: Hugh E. Hattabaugh
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2012 6:08 PM
To: Ericka Ellis-Stewart; Mary T. McCray; Eric C. Davis; Tom Tate; Richard McElrath; Joyce Waddell; Amelia Stinson-Wesley; Tim Morgan; Rhonda Lennon
Cc: George E. Battle
Subject: Action Required: Review of Board Policy Constituent Services
Dear Board members,
On Wednesday, two Board members visited Thomasboro Elementary. They spoke with several teachers, challenging the assertion put forth at Tuesday’s Board meeting that Thomasboro is a “hard to staff” school. One Board member suggested that racism was a factor in that description of Thomasboro. Both members asked questions but did not allow teachers to answer them, talking over teachers and the principal as they tried to answer the questions they’d been asked. The Board members spoke in a denigrating way about one of the teachers on a work team to her Thomasboro colleagues as they gathered for a meeting. The work team’s discussion of the challenges facing the school was characterized as “dirty laundry” that should not be aired in public. The Board members suggested to several teachers that they had been tricked or treated unfairly in matters of salary. They spoke in a critical way about Project L.I.F.T. to several teachers and the principal.
All of these actions violate the Board’s own policy governing how Board members interact with staff and the public. I have attached Policy BHE, Constituent Services, for your reference. It states in part: “Each Board member will avoid involvement in management activities or giving direction to staff … In making this commitment, Board members recognize that their involvement in management and administrative matters creates confusion among district employees, leads to dysfunctional management systems, undermines the authority of the Superintendent and the administration, and weakens the Board…”
To this clear and unequivocal statement of why the two Board members’ actions on Wednesday were in violation of Board policy, I would add the following:
What message has been sent to staff by these actions? How can teachers avoid the conclusion that speaking up can lead to a visit from Board members who will bully and belittle them in front of their colleagues? How will these actions affect teacher and staff morale?
What message does this send to the public about the Board’s role in governing CMS and its responsibility to work in the district’s best interests, helping all students and schools?
What message does this send to potential superintendent candidates about Board governance and a clear division of duties between the superintendent and the Board?
What message does this send about transparency of district operations and equitable treatment of employees?
I recognize that my speaking out in this way puts me at some personal risk. However, the behavior reported to me by the staff at Thomasboro was so egregiously unfair to our teachers and staff that I cannot remain silent. As the superintendent, I ask that Board members please follow the policies that you have set. We may disagree often about what the right choices are for CMS. Such disagreement is expected and even healthy. We are dealing with the future of children and all of us have great emotional investment in our work. But we must remain civil and professional in our dealings with one another. Open disrespect and abuse of the staff by Board members is wrong . It is damaging to CMS. It can do very serious harm. Therefore I feel I would be remiss in my duty if I did not share with all of you my very serious concern about this matter.
Respectively,
Hugh E. Hattabaugh
Interim Superintendent
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Government Center
600 East 4th Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
Showing posts with label Project LIFT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Project LIFT. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Were LIFT school visits out of line?
After two Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members made an unannounced tour of Project LIFT schools recently, colleague Rhonda Lennon says it's time for a public discussion of the proper way for board members to deal with CMS staff.
Lennon added the discussion to Tuesday night's agenda, with the support of members Eric Davis, Tim Morgan and Amelia Stinson-Wesley. "We need to as a board address where the line is -- how do we behave in public, what we're supposed to be doing," Lennon said today.
On March 1, board members Richard McElrath and Joyce Waddell visited schools in the new Project LIFT Zone, asking principals and teachers what they think of the effort to improve nine west Charlotte schools with private donations. The board voted unanimously in January to approve a contract that gave the philanthropic board an unprecedented role in running those schools, but McElrath said he still has questions and concerns.
“I’m just trying to get my head around the real focus of this program. I’m just confused about the long-term plan,” McElrath said, adding that he's especially concerned that it focuses on supporting "segregated schools in segregated neighborhoods."
Lennon said board members have to realize that even if they're voicing personal concerns, employees see them as the voice of authority. She said the board needs to talk about a perennial question: How to voice dissent without undermining board decisions. "If we have a 9-0 vote, should someone be out in the community saying they don't support it?"
Lennon added the discussion to Tuesday night's agenda, with the support of members Eric Davis, Tim Morgan and Amelia Stinson-Wesley. "We need to as a board address where the line is -- how do we behave in public, what we're supposed to be doing," Lennon said today.
On March 1, board members Richard McElrath and Joyce Waddell visited schools in the new Project LIFT Zone, asking principals and teachers what they think of the effort to improve nine west Charlotte schools with private donations. The board voted unanimously in January to approve a contract that gave the philanthropic board an unprecedented role in running those schools, but McElrath said he still has questions and concerns.
“I’m just trying to get my head around the real focus of this program. I’m just confused about the long-term plan,” McElrath said, adding that he's especially concerned that it focuses on supporting "segregated schools in segregated neighborhoods."
Lennon said board members have to realize that even if they're voicing personal concerns, employees see them as the voice of authority. She said the board needs to talk about a perennial question: How to voice dissent without undermining board decisions. "If we have a 9-0 vote, should someone be out in the community saying they don't support it?"
Friday, February 3, 2012
Preparing for LIFToff
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' new Project LIFT Zone officially opens on Feb. 27, but Zone Superintendent Denise Watts reported to work this week. The zone is the offspring of a union between CMS and Project LIFT, designed to see what $55 million in private money can do to turn around nine struggling schools.
Yes, the earlier reports said eight schools. That's the first news out of the new administrative office: Ashley Park PreK-8 School had been left off the list of schools that feed into West Charlotte High, so the new total is nine.
This kind of public-private partnership to run public schools is unique for CMS and rare in the nation, so the new zone (Project LIFT Zone is the official name) will be watched closely. Here's what I've learned so far:
Watts will make $150,000 in her new job, with private money covering the cost (she was earning just under $135,000 a year when she left a similar position with CMS last summer to lead LIFT). She's a CMS employee, reporting to Chief Academic Officer Ann Clark, but she'll also continue her fund-raising and partnership work with donors as executive director of LIFT. CMS will hire an executive director (paid with public money) to handle the day-to-day oversight of the schools.
Christian Friend will also be a LIFT zone executive director, with his $100,000 salary paid by private money. Friend moves from the CMS accountability office (where he earned $83,600) and will handle evaluation, strategy and project management, Watts said. Part of the plan is that LIFT will require all groups that get grants to set aside 5 percent to cover the cost of independent third-party evaluation, she said. Donors want to be sure they've got a good handle on what's working and what's not. Board members told the school board they expect some of their efforts to fail, and it's important to be able to identify and replicate what's really working.
The LIFT Zone plans to have its offices in the Beatties Ford Road corridor, amid the neighborhoods and schools the staff is working with. But the building isn't available yet, so for now the staff will work from the old Villa Heights Elementary, along with the two central administrative zones that oversee CMS' high-poverty Title I schools. Clark says CMS does not plan to relocate or reduce staff in those zones, which currently have the nine LIFT schools on their roster.
The administrative mechanics will no doubt spark debate, as people puzzle over an arrangement that gives private donors a previously unheard-of role in running public schools. But the most intriguing part remains to come, as we see what LIFT can do with schools, families and neighborhoods.
Yes, the earlier reports said eight schools. That's the first news out of the new administrative office: Ashley Park PreK-8 School had been left off the list of schools that feed into West Charlotte High, so the new total is nine.
This kind of public-private partnership to run public schools is unique for CMS and rare in the nation, so the new zone (Project LIFT Zone is the official name) will be watched closely. Here's what I've learned so far:
Watts will make $150,000 in her new job, with private money covering the cost (she was earning just under $135,000 a year when she left a similar position with CMS last summer to lead LIFT). She's a CMS employee, reporting to Chief Academic Officer Ann Clark, but she'll also continue her fund-raising and partnership work with donors as executive director of LIFT. CMS will hire an executive director (paid with public money) to handle the day-to-day oversight of the schools.
Christian Friend will also be a LIFT zone executive director, with his $100,000 salary paid by private money. Friend moves from the CMS accountability office (where he earned $83,600) and will handle evaluation, strategy and project management, Watts said. Part of the plan is that LIFT will require all groups that get grants to set aside 5 percent to cover the cost of independent third-party evaluation, she said. Donors want to be sure they've got a good handle on what's working and what's not. Board members told the school board they expect some of their efforts to fail, and it's important to be able to identify and replicate what's really working.
The LIFT Zone plans to have its offices in the Beatties Ford Road corridor, amid the neighborhoods and schools the staff is working with. But the building isn't available yet, so for now the staff will work from the old Villa Heights Elementary, along with the two central administrative zones that oversee CMS' high-poverty Title I schools. Clark says CMS does not plan to relocate or reduce staff in those zones, which currently have the nine LIFT schools on their roster.
The administrative mechanics will no doubt spark debate, as people puzzle over an arrangement that gives private donors a previously unheard-of role in running public schools. But the most intriguing part remains to come, as we see what LIFT can do with schools, families and neighborhoods.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
CMS board says 'I do' to Project LIFT
The leaders of Project LIFT are getting a warm reception from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board, as they describe the CMS/LIFT partnership as an effort that unites westside families and corporate leaders in a chance to transform struggling schools and neighborhoods.
"Let's just go. I'm ready to go," said school board member Tom Tate, who said he was skeptical when the contract was presented before today's board-to-board confab.
"I can't think of a better partner to get married to," said Eric Davis, referring to board Chair Ericka Ellis-Stewart's comment yesterday comparing the unprecedented partnership to a marriage. "I'm in. I'm all in."
The $55 million, five-year plan for eight westside schools includes new efforts to put top-notch teachers in every classroom, summer programs and year-round school to keep kids from losing academic ground during breaks, technology for students and homes, and charter-like flexibility for all public schools. The philanthropy group would hire a lobbyist to work with the state legislature, and pay the salaries of three administrators who would oversee the schools (CMS would pay for two more staffers in that office).
"You have 100 percent blessing from me," said Rhonda Lennon, who said she wants to see this kind of support, innovation and flexibility extended to all schools. "Whether they're from the peninsula or whether they're from the projects, every child deserves it," she said.
LIFT board members said they're following the lead of CMS officials, especially Chief Academic Officer Ann Clark, in everything from pushing for flexibility to pursuing specific partners and strategies. "They directed us. They guided us. They got us excited," said co-chair Stick Williams of the Duke Energy Foundation.
CMS board Chair Ericka Ellis-Stewart said the private money is "adding some muscle mass to help us do the heavy lifting."
Denise Watts, the former CMS administrator who recently became LIFT's executive director, would head the effort as a CMS employee whose salary is paid by Project LIFT and who would also report to LIFT's board. She said the eight schools were chosen because they are at the bottom on virtually all measures of academic success, and because spreading the money to more schools would dilute it. But she and others say if results come in, donors will be eager to replicate what works.
"When this community has shown success, the money has always followed," said Michael Marsicano of the Foundation for the Carolinas. If West Charlotte, which now graduates just over half its students in four years, were to hit 90 percent graduation, "I guarantee this community will find the money to spread it across the system."
The LIFT folks gave the school board a 45-page draft of the group's strategic plan, and the board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a contract.
***
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board has reconvened for the second day of its retreat feeling optimistic, but knowing huge challenges lie ahead. Members say yesterday's talks helped them get past some of the hard feelings generated in recent weeks. Facilitator Mary Kendrick, who was unknown to many members before the session started, got rave reviews from everyone.
On Friday, the board unanimously and enthusiastically agreed they want the next superintendent to be a "change agent." Today they faced the tougher question: What does that mean?
"I'm still not convinced that there is a true commitment to a change agent," Tim Morgan said. "Maybe everybody has a different view of what a change agent looks like."
Tom Tate agreed: "What are the changes that we want? Does change mean what we are doing right now we don't want to do anymore?"
"We use the same words to define so many different things," concurred Kendrick.
The audience at this morning's retreat is tiny but powerful: Stick Williams and Anna Spangler Nelson, co-chairs of Project LIFT; Michael Marsicano, head of the Foundation for the Carolinas; Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown, a LIFT board member who's also a leader in community health care; Denise Watts, a former CMS administrator who's now LIFT's executive director; and Howard Haworth, a former state Board of Education chairman who remains engaged in education advocacy.
Most of them are here for the most meaty item up today: A proposed partnership between CMS and the philanthropic Project LIFT to run and revive eight westside schools. That discussion is about to begin.
"Let's just go. I'm ready to go," said school board member Tom Tate, who said he was skeptical when the contract was presented before today's board-to-board confab.
"I can't think of a better partner to get married to," said Eric Davis, referring to board Chair Ericka Ellis-Stewart's comment yesterday comparing the unprecedented partnership to a marriage. "I'm in. I'm all in."
The $55 million, five-year plan for eight westside schools includes new efforts to put top-notch teachers in every classroom, summer programs and year-round school to keep kids from losing academic ground during breaks, technology for students and homes, and charter-like flexibility for all public schools. The philanthropy group would hire a lobbyist to work with the state legislature, and pay the salaries of three administrators who would oversee the schools (CMS would pay for two more staffers in that office).
"You have 100 percent blessing from me," said Rhonda Lennon, who said she wants to see this kind of support, innovation and flexibility extended to all schools. "Whether they're from the peninsula or whether they're from the projects, every child deserves it," she said.
LIFT board members said they're following the lead of CMS officials, especially Chief Academic Officer Ann Clark, in everything from pushing for flexibility to pursuing specific partners and strategies. "They directed us. They guided us. They got us excited," said co-chair Stick Williams of the Duke Energy Foundation.
CMS board Chair Ericka Ellis-Stewart said the private money is "adding some muscle mass to help us do the heavy lifting."
Denise Watts, the former CMS administrator who recently became LIFT's executive director, would head the effort as a CMS employee whose salary is paid by Project LIFT and who would also report to LIFT's board. She said the eight schools were chosen because they are at the bottom on virtually all measures of academic success, and because spreading the money to more schools would dilute it. But she and others say if results come in, donors will be eager to replicate what works.
"When this community has shown success, the money has always followed," said Michael Marsicano of the Foundation for the Carolinas. If West Charlotte, which now graduates just over half its students in four years, were to hit 90 percent graduation, "I guarantee this community will find the money to spread it across the system."
The LIFT folks gave the school board a 45-page draft of the group's strategic plan, and the board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a contract.
***
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board has reconvened for the second day of its retreat feeling optimistic, but knowing huge challenges lie ahead. Members say yesterday's talks helped them get past some of the hard feelings generated in recent weeks. Facilitator Mary Kendrick, who was unknown to many members before the session started, got rave reviews from everyone.
On Friday, the board unanimously and enthusiastically agreed they want the next superintendent to be a "change agent." Today they faced the tougher question: What does that mean?
"I'm still not convinced that there is a true commitment to a change agent," Tim Morgan said. "Maybe everybody has a different view of what a change agent looks like."
Tom Tate agreed: "What are the changes that we want? Does change mean what we are doing right now we don't want to do anymore?"
"We use the same words to define so many different things," concurred Kendrick.
The audience at this morning's retreat is tiny but powerful: Stick Williams and Anna Spangler Nelson, co-chairs of Project LIFT; Michael Marsicano, head of the Foundation for the Carolinas; Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown, a LIFT board member who's also a leader in community health care; Denise Watts, a former CMS administrator who's now LIFT's executive director; and Howard Haworth, a former state Board of Education chairman who remains engaged in education advocacy.
Most of them are here for the most meaty item up today: A proposed partnership between CMS and the philanthropic Project LIFT to run and revive eight westside schools. That discussion is about to begin.
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