Executive Director of Secondary Curriculum/CTE Programs

I have heard that Dale Ellis is going back to Human Resources. I do not know if this indeed true but I-SS is currently advertising for the position of Executive Director of Secondary Curriculum/CTE Programs. Mr. Ellis assumed position of Interim Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education/Student Services when Brady Johnson became Interim Superintendent. So it would seem that not only is Mr. Ellis leaving this position they have decided to make it an Executive Director position.

If Mr. Ellis is going back to Human Resources will he return to his old position of Executive Director of Human Resources? And, if so, will Bill Long go back to his previous position. Also, will they revert to their previous salaries as Mr. Johnson promised.

The advertisement for the Executive Director position has a couple of interesting statements. First it simply states State Salary Schedule as the salary for the position. As we know all I-SS Central Office administrators are paid more than the State Salary Schedule amount and I would imagine that this individual will be paid more as well. Also the advertisement includes the statement that if the position is filled by an employee transferring, then this vacancy announcement will serve as notice for that vacancy. I do not know if that is a standard statement on I-SS applications, but to me it sounds like they already have someone in mind for the position as well as someone in mind for that person's position. In addition, how can this be considered an advertisement for the second position unless they already know what that position is?

In my previous post regarding the media specialists at SHS, I included Mr. Rogers' comment that the two media specialists will be shared between SHS and Third Creek Elementary. If the administration feels that sharing media specialists between schools is an acceptable solution why don’t they just share the duties of the Executive Director of Secondary Curriculum between two or more of the current administrators? If sharing is good enough for the students shouldn’t it be good enough for administrators?

To view the advertisement for the Executive Director’s position, click on the link below.

Executive Director of Secondary Curriculum

SHS Media Specialist

On Friday, I received a phone call from Dewoyne Daye, SHS Student Body Vice-President. Dewoyne was concerned because one of the two media specialists at SHS was being transferred to Third Creek Elementary because the individual at Third Creek was retiring. He said that there were no plans to replace the specialist at SHS and that would mean a reduction in services at the High School. Dewoyne was particularly concerned in that this would mean that the library would no longer be open before and after school. He pointed out that many SHS students do not have access to computers at home and that they use the computers in the library before and after school to complete various class projects. Dewoyne also mentioned that the media specialists assist students and SHS staff in many other ways and that one media specialist at the high school would not be able to complete all of these tasks.

Dewoyne also informed me that at Statesville High currently enrolls 30% of the I-SS High School’s Hispanic population, 44% of the system’s African American population, and 19% of the system’s Asian population. SHS also has 14 different subgroups, which is more than any other high school in the system. In addition, SHS has the largest exceptional children’s population of all the high schools and Statesville High School has been declared a Title One/at risk high school.

Dewoyne asked me about the raises that were given to those taking the interim positions when Mr. Johnson was named Interim Superintendent. We talked about how that money could have been used for student programs and for funding positions such as the media specialist at SHS. Dewoyne said that everyone who works for I-SS should be looking out for the students' wellbeing but that is obviously not happening in this situation.

I think that the administration should be able to find money in the budget to keep these two media specialists at SHS and to hire a specialist to replace the individual at Third Creek. The students at SHS deserve the full support of the administration. I have already sent an e-mail to Mr. Johnson and to Mr. John Rogers in this regard and I am asking the readers of this blog to do so as well.

I received the following reply from Mr. John Rogers.

Paul,

All of the high schools except Lake Norman has lost a media specialist due to budget cuts. It was time for West Iredell and SHS to give up a media specialist. Keith Williams and I have worked closely with Mr. (Larry) Rogers concerning this issue. The plan at present is for both ladies to work at SHS and Third Creek.

This will keep both women at the high school a certain number of days per week. A major issue was the time in the morning and afternoon for students to work in the library on the computers. This will stay the same at the present. One major concern is for an experienced person at Third Creek. We are working on it.

Thanks for your interest and Merry Christmas!!!

New I-SS Organizational Chart

A new version of the I-SS Organizational Chart is now available on the I-SS web site. It is shown to have a December '09 revision date. Click on the image of the chart located on the left side of the blog to access the full-sized chart.

The only change that I noticed from the chart posted in September is that Mr. Johnson is listed as Superintendent instead of Interim Superintendent. As noted before, all of the other so-called interim positions were never listed as such. I guess it is now official that none of the interim administrators who were to go back to their previous positions and previous pay will do so. I understand the need for some of the changes in position as Mr. Johnson took over as Interim Superintendent and now as Superintendent but there was no justification to increase the salaries of these individuals when the budget was severely limited. As many have previously mentioned, teachers and other I-SS employees have been asked to take on extra responsibilities without a corresponding increase in pay. Shouldn't that philosophy apply to administrators as well?

Baldrige Award Received

According to the I-SS web site, a delegation of just over 50 administrators, teachers, Board of Education members, and students recently traveled to Washington, DC to attend the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award ceremony. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke presented the award and Vice President Joe Biden congratulated the recipients. Apparently President Obama was not present.

Click on the link below to access the article on the I-SS web site.

I-SS Accepts Baldrige Award

Update:

Click on the link below to download the video of the Baldrige Award Ceremony. (There is a lot of rhetoric but there are also some excellent selections played by the Air Force Band.)

Baldrige Ceremony Video

IF Training

Pam Schiffman recently sent an e-mail to I-SS teachers stating that Instructional Facilitator Training will begin in December. The e-mail is marked ‘** High Priority **.’

In the e-mail, teachers are asked if they are interested in becoming an I-SS Instructional Facilitator. Teachers are also informed that future Instructional Facilitators (IFs) are teachers who:

• Have had at least five years successful classroom teaching experience career status
• Are committed to continuous classroom improvement and the I-SS Model for Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps
• Exhibit strong people and leadership skills
• Enjoy helping fellow teachers develop high performing classrooms through training, coaching, & support
• Are willing and able to work and be paid August 1 through June 30
• Are willing to complete training in order to become qualified for future IF positions

The IF Training will begin in December and teachers are to contact Kim Rector or Sherrard Lewis if they are interested. According to the I-SS Organizational Chart, Kim and Sherrard are the Elementary and Secondary IF Coordinators, respectively.

This seems to be another example of the I-SS administration putting the cart before the horse. Most of the principals have indicated that the IF model needs to be tweaked and the teacher surveys have not yet been tallied. The roles of the IFs is still in question, yet someone in the Central Office has decided to go on with the IF training as usual. Shouldn’t the tweaking of the roles of the IFs be completed based on the results of the principal surveys and the teacher surveys before any IF training begins? Or, is that just too logical? Did Mr. Johnson approve this or is someone else running the Central Office?