As I mentioned in a previous post I was at the Central Office last Wednesday (7/15/09) to inspect I-SS records. In addition to the invoices from JSA, I have also asked to inspect any consulting contracts entered into by the system between 2002 and the present. Most of those were basic contracts such as for architectural designs and the like.
However, there was one very interesting contract. There was a contract with Brennan Worldwide in Winston-Salem, NC. In that contract, I-SS agreed to pay Brennan Worldwide a minimum of $36,000.00 to assist with the 2008 Baldrige Application Project. Kay Fulp, I-SS Chief Financial Officer, signed the contract on Oct. 11, 2007. The objective of the contract was stated as follows: provide consulting, facilitation and writing expertise to support the I-SS in development of a 2008 Baldrige application that optimizes the evidence and effectively moves the district toward their goal to achieve a site visit and a value added feedback report.
Note that I said a minimum of $36,000.00 was to be paid to Brennan Worldwide. The contract stated that the fee of $36,000.00 would be for 18 days of consulting services and that any additional days required would be at the rate of $2,000.00 per day. There were no invoices with the contract so there was no way of knowing how many, if any, additional days were required. I plan on asking for those invoices.
Wait, there’s more. On the Brennan Worldwide web site, under the section titled What our clients are saying about us, Dr. Holliday is quoted as saying "The Baldrige application can be a very daunting task. Our organization utilized the Fast Track approach to develop our application. Thanks to Maryann Brennan’s support and insightful feedback, I-SS scored at the top 6% of all Baldrige applications in 2007 and was the only education organization to receive a site visit." Therefore, not only was Brennan Worldwide hired to help with the 2008 Baldrige Award application, they were also hired to help with the 2007 application. For some reason I-SS did not make that contract available for inspection. I wonder how much was paid that year? I will ask for that information as well.
Dr. Holliday has moved on and it's time for you to move on. What's done is done. How does this information possibly help the system move forward? There are many administrators and teachers who work hard every day to do what is best for children. Stop your sterotypical slander of all Central Office employees and use your energy to to help schools help students. Lots of talk and posts, little action/commitment to helping kids.
ReplyDeleteDr. Holliday may have moved on, but I guess we're not supposed to listen to history and what it teaches us about mistakes. You must like hiding the truth from others, not a very admirable characteristic. Unless you are afraid of what might come out, then I advice you that others have the right to know how much money was really wasted. We the people have rights, and unless you are personally responsible for all this waste of money, then what are you so afraid of? This should have all come out sooner.
ReplyDeleteGosh. lots of talk and posts, little action/commitment to helping kids sounds exactly like the Instructional Facilitators qualifications. Oh my, did we hit a nerve?
ReplyDeleteHe has not yet escaped Dodge City. And who knows what damage can be caused until he leaves town on Aug. 4. Terry Baldrigeseed has planted many seedlings during his seven year stint. How many more interesting expenditures of the taxpayers money can be uncovered? I am afraid and certain it is probably tons. No, I am afraid it is not time to put this issue in the grave somewhere in Boot Hill (but that is another city, maybe somewhere in Kentucky this time). I apologize for my sarcasm but the first comment was my inspiration.
ReplyDeleteKeep digging Mr. Klaene and others. You are a much better public servant than the BOE.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the Fourth Estate in this town? Mr. Klaene is doing the investigative journalism that a REAL newspaper would do. Too much cronyism around here..they really ought to lose the right to call themselves a newspaper, because they certainly are not serving the best interest of the citizens of Statesville and Iredell County.
ReplyDeleteWhich begs the question, whose best interest are they serving?
The R&L is a newspaper. Ha!! I have
ReplyDeletenot bought one in years ,because it is too thin and the sports page is nothing compared to the Salisbury Post. The only important part is the Letter to the Editor. The rest , I have already read in the Charlotte Observer days before the R&L has published it. So I really don't consider it a newspaper. Sorry.
You're right, it is sorry.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we could get the Observer to look into the irresponsible use of public funds.
Yes it does seem that Holliday had a plan since his first days in I-SS. Some of the pro-B people say that people such as Brenda Clarke and others were not brought here for the purpose of Baldrige. Now, do we really believe that! It was full steam ahead for Baldrige since her arrival. It seems as though we have been scammed by professor Harold Hill "the music man".
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe our BOE could let all this money be spent. Steve Johnson needs to start looking into all this Baldridge expense. I wonder if anyone received any kickbacks for this program.
ReplyDeleteHello Mr. Klaene, I think we need a correction on the signing of this contract by Fulp. I believe you probably made a typo. You typed Oct. 11, 2009. What was the correct year?
ReplyDeleteThank you for pointing out my mistake. The correct date is Oct. 11, 2007. I will amend the post.
ReplyDeletePaul - We rarely see eye to eye on issues, but I have to agree with you on this one. To me, this looks like a giant waste of money.
ReplyDeleteCount the days after I-SS "won" the award...until the day Holliday was "awarded" his new, better-paying position. Every taxpayer, and especially the BoE ought to be boiling angry at how they have been made fools of.
ReplyDeleteIF you agree with the concept of applying Baldrige to education ---which I do not, because W. Edwards Deming's methods were designed for industry, not education---but if you do, then you should be furious that the very expensive short-cut method was purchased to "win" the award. The fact that Brennan purchase was needed proves that I-SS had not properly implemented Baldrige principles. If they had, then the 36K+ Brennan would not have been necessary.
I agree with Paul about the amount of money that has been spent on winning the Baldrige award. I am sending an e-mail to Mr. Ramee today asking to see all the grants and other monies that have come to ISS because of the award. Dr. Holliday has made public the fact that we have received numerous grants and partnerships because of the award but has never made public what they were and how much they received.
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe the first comment. This person must be highly involved in the misspending of tax payer's money. I have a big issue with someone who does not think it is wrong to waste our taxpayer's money. The end does not always justify the means. You must think if a crook does something and a certain amount of time passes or he leaves town, then that's fine. Just forget all about it, and go from there.
ReplyDeleteWhatever grants and monies may or may not be a direct result of the "award," it's hard to imagine that the amount would offset the huge expenditure--salaries, consulting fees, time lost that could have been better spent, etc.---that has been squandered on the career advancement of one individual.
ReplyDeleteSure hope the BOE is receiving all of this information!
ReplyDeleteI have made an observation about Holliday's salary. It seems to me that his salary is always quoted as $170,000. That is only his BASE salary. The extra perks and payments as called for in his contract make his real salary more than $210,000 per year. His salary in Kentucky is $225,000, not such an increase as the R&L would have us believe. I'd be willing to bet that the $225,000 is BASE pay as well. Who knows what he'll wrangle from Kentucky?
ReplyDeleteVery interesting if one takes the time to go to the DPI website and research, say Statesville Middle School and American Renaissance School (charter school) grades 6-8. Two schools that are relatively close in proximity, yet it is amazing to see the higher test scores for the charter school that does not use Baldridge and also spends less money on average than the district. I am sure there are many more examples just like that. How are we to justify the cost of Baldridge and its hired personnel? Someone posted earlier "how can you compare charter schools? Well, DPI does it and charter schools receive local as well as federal funds just like ISS. Parents can chose to send their children to charter schools and many have. The new IB schools being created are a direct result of the attendance i.e. monies that ISS has lost to charter schools. Another example that perhaps Baldridge isn't all that it is cracked up to be.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Baldrige will be used at the IB schools....I'm pretty sure that the two schools do not have Instructional Facilitators.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know for sure?
Which begs the question, if not -- why not?
ReplyDeleteI know that the IB school at Northview does indeed have a IF. I also hope that the school board is looking at the information. The reason I am requesting information about the grants that the system has received because of the award is to see if indeed it justifies the amount of money to was spend on winning the award. True awards should be earned and given without cost to the persons receiving the honor.
ReplyDeleteDon't think so....according to the NV IB website, the individual that was an IF in 2008-2009 is now the IB Coordinator --see no sign of an IF on the IB school's website.
ReplyDeleteNor do I see an IF on the list of staff for CCTL...why not? If Baldrige is such an effective tool, why isn't it be consistently implemented at ALL I-SS schools?
ReplyDelete*being
ReplyDeleteIF, IB? Sounds like only the name has changed.
ReplyDeleteNo, IB stands for International Baccalaureate and IF stands for Instructional Facilitator...
ReplyDeletegive them time though...they change the names as soon as negative connotations start being made---
Baldrige changed to 'Continuous Classroom Improvement'(who would dare disagree with that!)
and Lead Teachers magically transformed into 'Instructional Facilitators'
I am sure that the NV person is still the IF, she moved from Ebenezer to NV. They just changed her title. Sounds more important doesn't it.
ReplyDeleteNope...she is not IF there. I know folks at Ebenezer and was told that she herself stated that she was not going to be an IF at NV IB.
ReplyDeleteGuess we'll see...
I can not believe anyone is willing to try and justify baldridge as ineffective by comparing Statesville Middle and American Renaissance School...wow. Yes that are physically close to each other, you are correct in that regard. Any child can go to American Renaissance so that school does not just service the area that it is located in.
ReplyDeleteLet me use this statistic to help clarify. Statesville Middle had 69% of their students who took the EOG listed as Economically Disadvanted. American Renaissance didn't even have enough kids listed as Economically Disadvanted to make a subgroup (so that means they had less than 40 out 329 students taking the test in that catagory). So even if they had 39 kids in that subgroup, that would only make 12%. So you are comparing a school is 69% kids economically disadvanted to a school with 12% or less economically disadvanted.
I recall Dr. Holliday telling the staff of a school with a large number of "economically disadvantaged" children that there was "no excuse." Baldrige would make it right. Sorry, but it didn't happen!
ReplyDeletePS: PLEASE, Baldrige defenders: It's BALDRIGE, not BALDRIDGE!!!! Don't know why it should bother me since I despise the whole concept but at least you should try to correctly spell it. Do you really understand what you are advocating?
ReplyDeleteWho said I was advocating for it? Just stating that comparing SMS and ARS to validate your belief is laughable at best.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember the last time IB programs were supposed to start in Iredell schools? The reason it was not implemented was money. So in these tough economic times Iredell Statesville Schools begins another costly endeavor to compete with Charter Schools, Private schools and to take everyone's mind off the revolution they almost started with the Lake school parents when they considered redistricting last fall.
ReplyDeleteI am an educator at ARS. I will not be using data in my classroom this school year to drive instruction. I will use the "Children Come First" concept. I will use my time to learn the strengths and needs of each child in my classroom. I will have team meetings to plan fun, educational, activities. I will be a member of a support team if a child is identified with a concern. I will use my time contacting parents and other professionals to assist me with that child. I will not lose my focus of the children coming first. I will have a school board of concerned parents to assist and support me. I will see achievement levels increase, I will see confidence levels rise, I will hear laughter, and I will celebrate being in an environment where the child is the most important focus of my day.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely NOT an advocate of Baldrige in education either...but it is spelled
ReplyDeleteB-a-l-d-r-i-g-e...no second 'd'. I make it a point to try to fully understand the adversaries that I come up against, so I researched the Malcom Baldrige pretty thoroughly.
*the Malclom Baldrige Award
ReplyDelete*lol, Malcolm
ReplyDeleteOops! I just saw that poster July 20, 2009 11:36 PM
ReplyDeletewas doing the 'correct correcting'
apologies
Educator at ARS. Thank you for putting your students needs first. Even though your school is not part of I-SS, the students are part of Iredell County so I want them to have the best education possible. I hope that soon, the teachers in I-SS will be able to make the same statement about their classroom.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the Cloverleaf Elementary, it does have an IF/Ap in its staff. This is NV and Ebenezer combined.
ReplyDeleteYes, Cloverleaf has an IF, but NV IB does not.
ReplyDeleteThis individual referenced was at Ebenezer, but will not be at Cloverleaf--they will be at the NV IB, but not in the capacity of an IF
Thank you ARS teacher. By looking at strengths and needs of students you are looking at data. ISS teachers don't like to look at such data. They also do not like meeting like you mention or serving on support teams. They don't feel they need any assistance. They are the experts. They also don't like to talk with parents. They don't have time. They prefer giving lots of worksheets. Maybe I need to send my kids to ARS.
ReplyDeleteTo July 21, 2009 at 6:31pm....
ReplyDeleteJust which ISS teachers are you referring to? I
am one of the teachers in this system and you are right, time is valuable. In fact, there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to do ALL that is asked of us. Maybe it would be an eye-opener to you if you followed in a teacher's shoes just one day and make sure your statements are accurate.
To the July 21, 2009 6:31 poster:
ReplyDeleteWhat in the world are you talking about? Where did you such erroneous information?
Please, do tell, what the name of the school is--- at minimum (that is, if you are on the up and up).
I have a sneaking suspension that you are Pro-Baldrige and are upset that its days may be numbered.
If you choose not to name a school, then please cease and desist with your absurd comments.
*Where did you get
ReplyDeleteJuly 21, 2009 8:19M:
ReplyDeleteI think you're right. That particular type of sarcasm sounds very familiar to those of us subjected to the ones who rode the Holliday power train.
To the July 21 @ 6:31 poster:
ReplyDeleteI am a teacher in ISS. While there are always a few bad apples in any profession, I find most of my coworkers to be extremley dedicated to their students. We welcome parents into our classrooms and count them as our allies in providing their child with the best education that we can. Good teachers looked at "data" before Baldrige and will continue to know where their students are and what they need to succeed to the best of their ability.
Data has been here and always used. Someone must not be in a classroom or else they would know this. It is just when there is too much data for no reason except as data that it ceases to be of any value to anyone.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's reverse psychology...to make our dislike of Baldrige even more pronounced. Notice to the haters, did not use hate. :) No one can truly be that disconnected from reality.
ReplyDeleteOn meetings, our teachers like to meet togther and discuss strategies for helping our students. We did this long before Baldrige. We did not like being maniupulated at our meetings by an IF that had no idea what she was talking about. She thought she did, and when you are brainwashed , I guess you do.This made the meetings worthless. The classroom teacher may not be important to the higher ups, if they dare to think for themselves and do what is right for their classrooms. The higher ups seem to think that they have all the answers when they do not. We as classroom teachers do differentiate. We ,also, continually change with our classrooms each year. I am so tired of hearing that classroom teachers do not. That is bogus.
ReplyDeleteHere is the problem. IF's are not needed. Period. They are a waste of I-SS resources...they are the last thing we need--additional unnecessary administration. Most of them know it, that's the reason for all the busy-work constantly being thrust upon already time-constrained teachers by IF's. The only way they can make themselves feel useful is to spend their time creating more for teachers to do.
ReplyDeleteI have nothing personally against any of them. This is just the reality and the reason for a lot of the friction in I-SS.
If the IF was used as a true instructional resource, rather than a PDSA spy, they could be of value. I truly feel that they can be good...but the way they are doing this causes the friction. I agree with you in that they are not instructional resources, they are administration there to look over shoulders to make sure a PDSA is posted for the Quality Department. That is where the change needs to start! We don't get a lot of Quality out of Quality.
ReplyDeleteAmen! (to comment above.)
ReplyDeleteIFs need to go back to the classroom or go on and become assistant principals at schools who need them.
Agreed, a big waste of money the way they are currently being used. I witnessed a lot of busy work and also a lot chit chatting with other cronies as well as long buddy lunches. This position could be clustered and one IF could cover more than one school. TA's are now being spread thin, why should they be any different in a budget crunch.
ReplyDeleteTo the one who thinks it is "laughable at best" to compare SMS and SRS: Tell that to Dr. Holliday. Thank heavens he is leaving! I only wish that in 2003 he had realized that the principal and staff of a SMS feeder school with a large percentage of "economically disadvantaged" children were doing a great job in spite of the data! He said there was "no excuse," and treated the principal and staff like trash! He claimed that his plan (Baldrige) would fix it! That was only until that school, with a new, classroom-experience-challenged but Baldrige brain-washed principal, with fluctuations over the years, got the same results. It is currently a "priority school" after seven years of intensive Baldrige saturation, wasting the time of the students and the staff. 2007-08 Reading EOGs: 39.3%. Is that not the lowest EVER in the history of Iredell/Statesville/Mooresville?
ReplyDeleteWho is the current principal of that school? Do you have anything to say? Can you keep your job under No Child Left Behind? What do you have to say to the former principals of that school? Do you owe anyone an apology and is it possible for you to return to the classroom or should you be "kicked up?"
ReplyDeleteIt's OK. You don't have to respond. We know you're reading!
ReplyDeleteJust for the record ARS did not make their growth target during the last reported year (07-08) and Statesville Middle made expected growth. So basically the kids at SMS progressed more during the course of the year.
ReplyDeleteBoy, does this ever sound familiar! --found it on the ASQ (American Society for Quality) web site:
ReplyDelete"As a staff member of Gallup-McKinley County Schools in Gallup, New Mexico, GMCS decided to go with Baldrige or what we call "Systems" of Improvement, using a 5-7 day PDSA cycle.
In short over the past 2 years of district implementation, Baldrige has been an ineffective tool to utilize in the classroom. Typical responses from teachers and principals; Lost Instructional Time, Over-assessment of students with no results, Too much emphasis on Baldrige rather than teaching and learning, financial resources that could be better utilized, and teachers actually becoming ill from the botched implementation in the district. There are no educational models or examples.
This also includes botched training from Jim Shipley and Associates, and our own Regional Quality Center.
The report "The Promise of Baldrige", essentially notes that there is very few, if any empirical studies of Baldrige and it's effectiveness. The Baldrige studies mentioned do not have enough data or details to give "Legitimacy" to the Baldrige system or it's own previous studies.
There are many studies that are quoted by Baldrige promoters. However, those studies as quoted from the Promise of Baldrige study, as lacking empirical evidence to justify their claims."
Gallup-McKinley County Schools
Somehow it's a little bit comforting to know that we aren't the only ones...
Who's comparing SMS and ARS?
ReplyDeleteFrom post above:
ReplyDelete"Very interesting if one takes the time to go to the DPI website and research, say Statesville Middle School and American Renaissance School (charter school) grades 6-8. Two schools that are relatively close in proximity, yet it is amazing to see the higher test scores for the charter school that does not use Baldridge and also spends less money on average than the district. I am sure there are many more examples just like that"
To the post regarding ASQ and the school district in Gallup, New Mexico. Can you please post where on the ASQ website you were able to find the data. I think it would be most interesting for all of the readers. I did notice Under Quality of Education section, the first thing you see is Hollidays picture. I wasn't able to find anything negative about Baldrige, just article after article of how wonderful it is. Thanks
ReplyDeleteIt's on the discussion board about education and Baldrige.
ReplyDeleteI re-located it. It's here
ReplyDeletehttp://www.asq.org/discussionBoards/thread.jspa?messageID=101496
at the bottom of the page.
And you're right, there is much gooey praise of Baldrige on the site...many of the folks involved are so-called "Quality Consultants" and probably similar to Brennan (the one hired by Holliday), making their opinions profit-based.
Just for the record: Most improved? Well, duh!
ReplyDeleteJuly 26, 2009 12:09 AM
ReplyDelete"Just for the record: Most improved? Well, duh
To what are you referring?
Sorry if that was too cryptic. I respect all the students and teachers so I am uncomfortable with faulting those who had no choice under Dr. Holliday, but is it not just logical that a middle school whose feeder schools have been saturated in Baldrige for the last 5-7 years would NEED to "progress more" over the school year? Those students have had such limited learning experiences compared to those who chose the charter schools, where Baldrige is a joke. The charter schools have less room for growth, since they are already on target!
ReplyDeleteGrowth isn't a set rate, students who performed higher the past year have to grow less to make what the state terms as "expected growth". Nice theory though...
ReplyDeleteNice theory? As one who actually works with (and cares about) children, YOU BETCHA!
ReplyDeleteNow when did Sarah Palin enter this discussion :) ?
ReplyDeleteYeh I work with and care about children too...what does that have to do with the fact that what you said about "charter schools having less room for growth" and its actual validity.
ReplyDeleteI see what you mean. If a student is scoring the 90th to 99th percentile, then it does make sense that there is less room for growth, because of course 100 is the top. So those students couldn't have any more that 1 to 10 points of growth.
ReplyDelete*than 1 to 10 points of growth
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, that is why the state uses a formula to establishing if I child met growth from one year to the next. It is not a set number, more like a sliding scale. Higher children have less room for growth, so they are not required to move up the scale as much as a low child.
ReplyDeleteHigher children = those not hampered by the Baldrige model.
ReplyDeleteok...well those children not hampered by the baldridge model at ARS didn't make expected growth.
ReplyDeletesorry baldrige
ReplyDeleteDo you prefer "Priority School?"
ReplyDeleteSarah Palin? Maybe she would be impressed by Baldrige and invite Dr. Holliday to Washington. So has there been no word yet from the elected president? Surely he should get his priorties straight!!
ReplyDeleteAh, it just goes to show! The statistics, and Dr. Holliday's claims, really don't mean anything! Most of us knew that all along! No - you really CAN'T compare SMS and ARS. You must also consider the impact of the "lake" population on the ISS overall scores over the last 7 years. Sorry, Dr. Holliday is no guru, just lucky!
ReplyDeleteJim Shipley must be laughing at all of us on his way to the bank. He and his company are the only benefactors via all the money that has been spent on Baldrige from overly paid consultants to fancy workshops and materials. Just looking at some of the expenses that were paid from ISS for the program over that past several years all while classrooms increased in size, supplies were cut and support was stretched to the max is despicable. If anyone is looking where to point fingers perhaps it should be at them.
ReplyDeleteI believe Shipley had a middleman. His name is Holliday.
ReplyDeleteHolliday was the middleman for Jim Shipley and the BOE the enablers. We must ensure we have a BOE that truly cares about its constituents, the students, and not about the power of the position or the possibility of making money from creating companies to serve ISS. To state the facts, just research QPI Inc.
ReplyDelete*correction - Qualifying Profiles Inc.
ReplyDeleteIs Qualifying Profiles Inc. the company that someone else posted as belonging to BoE member Bill Brater's wife? Does I-SS use this company? I know that when my child's class went on a field trip, many of the parents had to pay about $25 for their background checks (I have no problem with background checks and believe that they are completely necessary when children are involved) but how can Mr. Brater provide adequate oversight if his family income is dependent (to whatever degree) upon I-SS. Conversely, the business given to the wife's company could be viewed as a payoff...or at least a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" situation.
ReplyDeleteIs ANYone looking out for the best interests of I-SS students and our hard-earned tax dollars?
Simply go to http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/corporations/ click on the left Search by Corporate name. You can then type in the company name and find out who the agent is for the company and their address. Check it out. Most likely if you paid $25.00 for a background check it ultimately went into their pockets.
ReplyDeleteWell the info is here,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.secretary.state.nc.us/corporations/Corp.aspx?PitemId=4873141
we just need to know who provides the background searches for I-SS to determine if there is conflict of interest.
Mr. Klaene, did you happen to see any documents/invoices to Qualifying Profiles Inc. when you were looking through CO files?
ReplyDeleteI do not remember seeing any documents from Qualifying Profiles Inc. but I was given a large stack of consulting contracts to go through. And, since I was not fully aware of the company at the time, I might of overlooked them. I can put that on my list of things to ask about.
ReplyDelete