3/8/10
To the New Britain Herald Editor:
In this letter, I will concentrate my comments on issues surrounding a recent New Britain BOE decision not to accept grant money for restructuring three failing New Britain elementary schools. The Herald received numerous comments from bloggers in its on line publication regarding the issue as did Frank Smith’s blog. All of the comments brought to mind two old sayings, to wit, “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” and, “The buck stops here.”
Most of the bloggers heaped praise on the NB BOE for “bucking” Dr. Kurtz; Dr. Kurtz wanted the grant to be accepted. Also, most bloggers saw the decision by the BOE as a step toward replacing Dr. Kurtz as NB Superintendent of Schools. I see this kind of thinking as not paying attention to the issue at hand, namely, three failing (test scores) elementary schools. Is Dr. Kurtz responsible for the failures? According to most bloggers and one of the old sayings – “the buck stops here” -, YES! The person wearing the “crown” of most institutions gets most of the blame for all failures. Blaming solves little if anything. I believe there are more issues to deal with before you get to the blame issue. Of the issues that can be dealt with more easily, I believe that professional competence is the most important.
The City, through the ELECTED BOE hires a superintendent. The superintendent is responsible for directing and evaluating all subordinates in the central administration. Usually, the subordinates supervise and evaluate the principals; the principals are supposed to supervise and evaluate classroom instruction. Nobody is allowed nor do they want to supervise the parents. So, you can blame everything on Doris Kurtz (she wears the crown) but, in the end there is enough incompetence to go around. Right now, it appears that most people want to blame Doris. Will more money help? I doubt it. How about if everybody does their job! We can get rid of Doris but some others need to go with her. What will the BOE’s decision mean? Same principals and teachers for the three schools; progress? Not a bit.
Lou Salvio
103 Russwin Rd.
New Britain, CT 06053
In my book, more blame belongs to the lazy, overpaid, under-worked union teachers who are not only guaranteed their lucrative salaries, but even guaranteed raises, regardless of their performance.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we need to change the standards to pay teachers based on their student's overall performance on these examinations, then at least the teachers will be paid on merit instead of guarantees whether or not they ever lift a finger to help a student.
Don't blame Dr. Kurtz when you tie her hands. Give her the power to fire ill performing teachers, then you can blame her, until then, the unions are the problem.
The general public hear the words
ReplyDelete"grant money" and everybody gets happy without understanding how grants work. Grants are not forever payments they usually have a time limit or in this case a time limit with conditions. Grants develop new programs and ideals and when they end leave the budget with a new bill for the municipality to pay once the grant closes out or the program must be cancelled regardless of it's merits.
It seems in this instance Dr. Kurtz would like to keep this grant
money in her educational budget and the conditions require her to relieve the principals who have not met the grants goals at these three schools. We must ask ourselves, is this money more important than our principals, is Dr. Kurtz going out on a limb and letting go low performing principals, how long will this grant continue to provide funds and how many dollars would we need to make-up for the BOE budget to remain balanced?
Everyone rejoices at the thought of a federal grant as if it is free money raining down from the heavens.
ReplyDeleteThat is nothing more than our money being redistributed.
Maybe the good doctor will get Obama to fire up the printing presses to print him some of that FREE MONEY to buy all the condoms he can doll out!
ReplyDeleteDr. Kurtz hired mostly all of the principals in the district. Couldn't she have done a better job? Rumor has it they they are all miserable, except for their fat salaries. Rumor has it there will be a mass exodus once they arrive at tenure. They do not like Kurtz's authoritative, derogatory hubris. She has been here way too long and you can blame that on the BOE members nominated from the DTC.
ReplyDeleteThere really should be a strong criteria for BOE candidates.