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"Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is offering to kick in private funds to attract someone to lead Atlanta Public Schools, but some, including Georgia Sen. Vincent Fort, say that's too much..."
While a high salary helps, with Atlanta (DeKalb and Clayton, too) needs is a superintendent who can fix the staffing issues that are so endemic to Urban systems' central offices. You need a proven leader who can hire well, recruit better and retain the best. You need to have a vision that is outside of the box so that solutions that are proven, say in a charter school, can be implemented in traditional schools.
While the research is pretty clear about how important the teacher is in student outcomes, I would argue that the Principal is the most important because he/she does the hiring. Principals are generally hired by the central office people, so you see the connection.
Also, the principal supports his or her staff ... or doesn't. And creatively rearranges subpar, preexisting staff when unable to fire them, which unfortunately is a reality. The principal makes or breaks a school.
The mindset that the highest quality/highest pay should be centralized makes me crazy. APS teachers have not gotten a salary increase in 6 years, while they're asked to do more and take on additional students each year. I cannot holler it loudly enough: the good teachers have bailed or are about to.
I think the new superintendent will just be a very well-paid position for someone who'll go through the usual motions of running a school system. Any real reform would be met by internal and public backlashes. It might take a Michelle Rhee in DC but would face the same fate as she.
But, honestly -- who would TAKE the job for less than that? It's a thankless job which will require some serious cajones to bring APS schools out of the mud that all of these test scandals have left them smeared with.
I don't know if it's arrogance or what, but Reed's become more and more callous (maybe because there is no legitimate challenger this year?). He could have easily said, "I'm willing to help in anyway possible to bring the best superintendent we can to Atlanta. If we need more money, I'll find it. I'm here to help the ABOE - just let me know what I can do." No one would have a problem with that.
BTW, Beverly Hall received over $400k/year and is perhaps the worst thing to ever happen to APS - money alone is certainly not the answer.
Perhaps I'm wrong, but I believe you can find the root of APS' problems in Gene Taylor's remarks. There are huge problems inside of our awfully expensive central office that must be addressed. The next super will have to tackle that or we'll continue down the wrong path.
""We are going to recruit a superintendent like we would recruit the head of football at the University of Georgia."
So . . .hire someone from a very successful but very corrupt organization, throw big money at them, recruit the most talented teachers in the country and somehow find a way to make them worse, over promise and under deliver on measurables and results, and have half the population calling for your termination by the mid-point of every academic year.
Perhaps I'm wrong, but I believe you can find the root of APS' problems in Gene Taylor's remarks. There are huge problems inside of our awfully expensive central office that must be addressed. The next super will have to tackle that or we'll continue down the wrong path.
I agree, Seatlien. That and the problem of subpar standards. It will take someone with PATIENCE and confidence, someone whose ego is large but does not revolve around money--this is the ego that thrives on surmounting the insurmountable challenge. True educators ARE that way, and there is someone who will want this enormous job. I must also say it will require BOE members who have high standards and patience with their superintendent. These problems will not be fixed in one or even five years. The whole system must be undone.
I think the right person would be far more enticed to see Mayor Reed raising up funds to throw at the under-funded classroom TEACHERS than at central office. Mayor Reed is severely misguided.
"[b]"We are going to recruit a superintendent like we would recruit the head of football at the University of Georgia."
Craziness, isn't it?
If APS was ranked in the nation's top 10 (or 20) programs every year that might make sense.
As it is....
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