I'd like to tell you the story of the DOE Easter Egg:
I was a broken woman the day I declared local control dead. I had bared my soul, fighting on behalf of CSD's teachers, without ever having been asked by these teachers to do so. I went to battle on principle, only to learn that those I considered my allies were more devious than the Governor, himself.
It's been a few years and as much as things have changed, they remain the same. Although, I was proud to stand with Christina when the state banished us of RTTT, to have learned from remarkable educators, and to have been humbled by the tenacity of our students; tonight is another night like the one that transpired in April of 2011. The CSD BOE will again tackle - perhaps the final time this season - MOUs that will dictate the future of some its schools and its most fragile children.
Of course, the edict is a bit different. Unlike RTTT, there is no "50% of your teachers must go." Last week, I posted a comparison of between the Speedwell, the Mayflower, CSD's negotiations with DOE. And I declared the teachers were saved. That hypothesis rankled some. But, it was much more than a guess -
You see, there is an Easter Egg in the Technical Guidance documents for Priority Schools and found again in the original MOU. The department either misquoted statute or gave themselves an out - the fabled RTTT "50% must go" isn't there.
Go ahead - Go Read It:
14 DE Admin Code 103.7.6.1.3 vs 103.7.6.2.3.1.2!
Could that be the reason Red Clay caved so early on?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Delaware, Your Governor is a Bully and Local Control is Dead
30
Apr
2011
My very deeply personal statement to Christina constituents. This is my opinion and only mine.
Dear Christina,
Tonight, I ceded to the political coercion thrust upon our district through the media manipulation and propaganda campaign purported by the Governor of Delaware and his Department of Education to cripple our board's good faith action to rectify what I truly believe was the poor implementation of the PZ teacher selection process.
I voted with my fellow board mates to rescind the April 19th board action to retain and retrain our teachers at their current campuses. There has never been a more tortured dilemma before me. I continue to believe that the Department of Education failed to promote collaboration when they chose to freeze our funding without expressing their concerns directly to the board and giving us the opportunity to re-evaluate and initiate corrective action.
The spirit of collaboration is now dead. There is no "kinder, gentler DOE," as representatives have so publicly proclaimed. There is no desire to learn and share best practices. There is only their way or the highway. Christina, for my naiveté, I am deeply sorry. I will not rest well tonight. The weight of this failure weighs much too heavily in my heart. While I am committed to continue the reforms that our community has supported, I will forever know that my vote on April 19th was right, appropriate, fair, and in the best interest of our students.
The vote I cast tonight, Christina, was for you, to walk the path delineated by the Department of Education, if Christina is ever to reclaim the $11 million stolen from our children. The future is in their hands. Apparently, it always has been.
Jack Markell for President, he'll be right at home in Washington D.C.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Dear Christina,
Tonight, I ceded to the political coercion thrust upon our district through the media manipulation and propaganda campaign purported by the Governor of Delaware and his Department of Education to cripple our board's good faith action to rectify what I truly believe was the poor implementation of the PZ teacher selection process.
I voted with my fellow board mates to rescind the April 19th board action to retain and retrain our teachers at their current campuses. There has never been a more tortured dilemma before me. I continue to believe that the Department of Education failed to promote collaboration when they chose to freeze our funding without expressing their concerns directly to the board and giving us the opportunity to re-evaluate and initiate corrective action.
The spirit of collaboration is now dead. There is no "kinder, gentler DOE," as representatives have so publicly proclaimed. There is no desire to learn and share best practices. There is only their way or the highway. Christina, for my naiveté, I am deeply sorry. I will not rest well tonight. The weight of this failure weighs much too heavily in my heart. While I am committed to continue the reforms that our community has supported, I will forever know that my vote on April 19th was right, appropriate, fair, and in the best interest of our students.
The vote I cast tonight, Christina, was for you, to walk the path delineated by the Department of Education, if Christina is ever to reclaim the $11 million stolen from our children. The future is in their hands. Apparently, it always has been.
Jack Markell for President, he'll be right at home in Washington D.C.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Word Verification May Be Case Sensitive