I am an avid follower of David K:
...whatever their own views might be, the current board members have utterly deferred to the super, unfortunately so. The current board is intimidated by the "veil of expertise," be it the lawyer's or the super's or the facilities guy, which means we're back to the "structural" problem.
And of Les J's:
I have not understood why salaries and increases for the administrative staff have not been reported out as a matter of course. I work for a public institution and all of our salaries, all of our raises, and, for those few eligible for bonuses, bonuses are a matter of public record and are published in paper and electronic formats. Why is this not the case for Irvington ???
It's b/c the Board either doesn't share that philosophy, hasn't thought about having a philosophy on such matters to begin with, or is held captive by counsel whose view presumably is "nothing more than the law dictates." I'm trained as a lawyer -- I get it -- but our school district is supposed to be run by us, not by the "experts," such as they are.
Have I mentioned I've become a community organizer?
Well, I have.
Are the complaints driven by money?
ReplyDeleteIn our town, everything revolves around money. Curriculum and expectations take a back seat. I can't imagine using an argument that ties spending less with getting a better education. It's not that I don't think it's possible, but there are those who do care only about money. They are not your friends. They are the ones who will drive everything towards a simple argument over money.
I think that it's reasonable to demand more, given the cost per student, but if the argument focuses on saving money, then the curriculum argument will be lost.