News-Record.com

From the March 24, 2008 article:

"In fact, both Frazier and Arnold said that the DPI insurance premiums are so low that private companies have a hard time matching them. Arnold estimates the district is saving hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on premiums, which could total in the area of $3 million if you multiplied those savings by 15 years, the amout of time the district has bought state insurance (since merger in 1993). GCS is currently paying $534,758 a year to insure its $1.4 billion in assets, but is seeking insurance bids for 2008-09."

Yes, DPI's insurance premiums were so low that private companies couldn't match them. But, GCS has learned the hard way why, and that is simply because if you buy cheap insurance, you will pay in the long-term. DPI's insurance was cheaper because it didn't provide sufficient coverage. And, the result is that property taxpayers will have to fork-up an extra $20 million more. At an extra approximate $200,000 per year for better insurance, it would have taken 100 years to break-even on the Eastern loss. Maybe, just maybe, someone at GCS has learned that buying cheap insurance is a fool's game. The key to buying insurance is not price, but value.

And, we now know that GCS could have found better coverage for a little more, if they had only gone to market and shopped their coverage. My guess is that someone wanted to low-ball their insurance coverage, so that they could use it for pet projects. If can not find that for which you have not looked.

From what I know about the testing process, it should be abandoned post haste.

My understanding of the testing process coms from my conversation with a principal. The principal told me that the test penalized those who provide answers indicating that parents or parental involvment were a solution to any of the problems raised in the scenarios. The principal then told me a story about an who applicant failed the test because the applicant was supplying answers that indicated parental involvement and responsibility were necessary to resolve the issues raised. The applicant failed the test. The same applicant, after learning that these were the "wrong" answers, took the test again and supplied answers which did not reference parents or parental involvment but which stressed schools, programs, etc. The applicant passed the test the second time.

This approach to hiring is completely misguided. Any school system which does not believe that parental involvement and responsibility is not only important, but also required for students to do well is destined to fail. If a child comes to school without any indication of what is expected of him with regard to discipline or work ethic, how, pray tell, are teachers and administrators supposed to turn out a responsible member of society. Parents and students must take resposibility for the student's education. Schools can only do so much without them.

Paul,

Sounds like Terry Grier has designed an elaborate system to change his administrative staff and principals without running afoul of the unionized environment in California. He's doing the same thing there that he did here, bringing in Friends of Terry. He has to be a little slicker there than usual because of the unions. He is right about one thing; the hiring process reveals his value system, and it doesn't include parents, but promotes Terry's programs. We saw that here in spades. How long will it be before San Diego catches on to Terry Grier, the huckster?

So this explains why schools with a successful past record such as Colfax Elementary and Florence Elementary now have new principals that are not doing well. Terry must have put the good principals in the low achieving schools as his parting gift before he left Guilford County.

The majority teachers and parents are Colfax are not happy this year with the new principal. This is a prime example of not stressing the imporance of parental involvement but placing all the load on the teachers. One boy at Colfax had been in three different third grade classrooms this year. Next they transferred him to Florence. It seems to me that if any student has to be with four different teachers in one school year that he should be in an alternative setting with special help or expelled.

Read this year's survey for Florence Elementary. Several teachers have met with NCAE about the current principal for various reasons. They are not happy. The PTA is not happy. It must be nice to sit in your office and enjoy cheetos for most of the day.

So this explains why schools with a successful past record such as Colfax Elementary and Florence Elementary now have new principals that are not doing well. Terry must have put the good principals in the low achieving schools as his parting gift before he left Guilford County.

The majority teachers and parents are Colfax are not happy this year with the new principal. This is a prime example of not stressing the imporance of parental involvement but placing all the load on the teachers. One boy at Colfax had been in three different third grade classrooms this year. Next they transferred him to Florence. It seems to me that if any student has to be with four different teachers in one school year that he should be in an alternative setting with special help or expelled.

Read this year's survey for Florence Elementary. Several teachers have met with NCAE about the current principal for various reasons. They are not happy. The PTA is not happy. It must be nice to sit in your office and enjoy cheetos for most of the day.

So this explains why schools with a successful past record such as Colfax Elementary and Florence Elementary now have new principals that are not doing well. Terry must have put the good principals in the low achieving schools as his parting gift before he left Guilford County.

The majority teachers and parents are Colfax are not happy this year with the new principal. This is a prime example of not stressing the imporance of parental involvement but placing all the load on the teachers. One boy at Colfax had been in three different third grade classrooms this year. Next they transferred him to Florence. It seems to me that if any student has to be with four different teachers in one school year that he should be in an alternative setting with special help or expelled.

Read this year's survey for Florence Elementary. Several teachers have met with NCAE about the current principal for various reasons. They are not happy. The PTA is not happy. It must be nice to sit in your office and enjoy cheetos for most of the day.

It sounds as though GCS is declining qualified teaching applicants based upon this screening test. This may be a concern in that we may not be getting the best teachers, because they don't have the right attitude about students and teaching? How can GCS use a test such as this if it is not validated as a hiring aide?

I understand that even GCS' online screening questions come from Haberman, so many qualified teachers do not even make it to an interview.

Sounds like Terry Grier's legacy is well ingrained in GCS.