A Vision for BUFFALO PUBLIC Education

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

The new incoming board for Buffalo released a document called A Vision for BUFFALO PUBLIC Education and it has some pretty strong ideas. I HOPE the people in Buffalo see the CHANGE that is coming.

Some of the highlights.....

PARENT AND STUDENT CHOICE

Expand High Performing Charter Schools: The Board should seek to
provide as many additional seats in high performing charters as possible for
the start of the 2015-2016 school year. The Board should actively recruit high
performing providers by offering space in vacant school buildings, co-location
space in operating schools and an enhanced charter reimbursement formula.
Given the wait lists at current high performing charter schools, there appears
to be an immediate demand for 3,500 seats.


Suburban Transfers: Several higher performing suburban districts are
projecting significant space availability for the upcoming school years. The
District should explore the possibility of a transfer agreement for Buffalo
students to provide immediate school choice options for students in failing
schools. This should be considered as a short-term interim solution pending
the development of the choice options described above.

STRUCTURAL REALIGNMENT

Neighborhood Schools: The board in collaboration with key stakeholders
should develop a phased in approach to returning to neighborhood schools
keeping in mind original concepts from the joint schools reconstruction
project.

NEW DEAL FOR TEACHERS


Increased Base Pay: A substantial pay increase for many teachers is
necessary to make up for inequities created by the step system and the
failure of the parties to reach a new agreement for the last twelve years.


Health care reform: The District’s current health care system is too
costly and unsustainable. A new system needs to include greater individual
choice to teachers, a system of health savings accounts, increased
deductibles, and edited excessive coverage such as the cosmetic rider.. The
District also needs to implement an aggressive opt out alternative for
retired teachers that better suits their actual health needs, provides them a
financial incentive for doing so and reduces the District excessive legacy
costs.


Work rule reform: Simply put, the authority for operating schools has to
be returned to the District. This will require a major rewriting of the work
rules, evaluation, seniority and hiring/termination portions of the contract.

INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT

The Board should hire an interim Superintendent (2 year contract) who will be charged with
planning and implementing the reconstruction plan described above. The Interim should be a
strategist with extensive leadership experience who understands that it his/ her task to set up
the district for a Permanent Superintendent to manage two years hence.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

It's going to be interesting to watch Carl go head to head Rumore. It also seems they are setting up Ogilvie to be the transition manager with his 2 year term. Essentially making all of the hard but necessary calls without the need to make deals in an effort to keep his job.

[Genoobie]

Merit pay is an insult. Just go to your doctor and ask, "Hey for an extra $40, would you do a really good job instead of your usual work?"

Personally, I hope the district does go all charter (although I'd like to see Termini or a few other players in the action) or send their kids to suburban districts (hahaha...yeah right, I can already see the U-Hauls in Cheektowaga heading for Lancaster). The majority minority charters won't be able to keep a teacher more than a few years (unless you happen to be one of the wealthier and stable charters). The rest of the charters that serve poorer populations will just keep opening and closing (witness Community, Pinnacle, KIPP-Sankofa, Enterprise High School, Stepping Stone, etc.)

The experiment will eventually fail to educate but by then Paladino and his boys will have cleaned up on the rents and laughed themselves all the way to the bank. In reality, the discussion ceased being about education but rather, about the numbers...

Hahaha..."These will not only reward current teachers but attract the best teaching candidates to the District."
Right, that's why most people went into teaching, for the "merit pay". Bwaaaahaaaahaaa

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Merit pay is an insult. Just go to your doctor and ask, "Hey for an extra $40, would you do a really good job instead of your usual work?"

There is already merit base pay in medicine you idiot.

1 - Doctors are tied to patient satisfaction rankings for reimbursement payments.
2 - Many areas like ER doctors have their pay directly tied to how many patients they see and the outcome of each visit.

It's comical how you don't grasp how out of touch your compensation is.



The reality is the hammer is about to come down on you and your cronies. They have a interim superintendent lined up who is ready for a two year mission to change things. They have control of the board now and are more concerned with the results in the school than diversity in the leadership group and perception of equality for administrators.


The hammer is going to come down on your union and people are going to rejoice.

[Genoobie]

Yep...merit pay is a fantastic idea...tool

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kaifalke...r-your-health/

[NY The Vampire State]

Yep...merit pay is a fantastic idea...tool

You can ALWAYS find another job... fool.

[FMD]

You can ALWAYS find another job... fool.

Arnt you one of those conspiracy nut jobs that claim unemployment is at record highs?

[NY The Vampire State]

Arnt you one of those conspiracy nut jobs that claim unemployment is at record highs?

Not sure what you're getting at, but if he doesn't like the way his employer treats him, he is free to go. The first part of this plan outlines a base pay raise for teachers. That's a pretty good thing and teachers in Bufalo should be happy and grateful considering the current state of the district. If he doesn't like what's going on, and it's soooooo horrible to work for the BPS then he's free to seek another employer. He won't leave,though. Greedy pigs like him are just looking to constantly widen the trough they feed from. Its not about working in an unfavorable situation, it's about preserving and collecting.

[Genoobie]

Not sure what you're getting at, but if he doesn't like the way his employer treats him, he is free to go. The first part of this plan outlines a base pay raise for teachers. That's a pretty good thing and teachers in Bufalo should be happy and grateful considering the current state of the district. If he doesn't like what's going on, and it's soooooo horrible to work for the BPS then he's free to seek another employer. He won't leave,though. Greedy pigs like him are just looking to constantly widen the trough they feed from. Its not about working in an unfavorable situation, it's about preserving and collecting.

Well, similarly I suppose, if you don't like the way the public sector is run you can vote with your ballot or you can vote with your feet. "Greedy pigs like him [you] are just looking to constantly widen the trough they feed from. It's not about working in an unfavorable situation, it's about preserving and collecting."

I can assure you that unless our Superintendent's contract included merit pay I would not vote for a contract that includes merit pay.

Put your money where your mouth is.

I know this is hard for you to understand, but suppose you go to your dentist and say, "Hey for an extra $50 would you do a really good job instead of the one you usually do?" That's what merit pay is and it is insulting.

I would turn down a raise in base pay before I support a contract with merit pay.

[Linda_D]

There is already merit base pay in medicine you idiot.

1 - Doctors are tied to patient satisfaction rankings for reimbursement payments.
2 - Many areas like ER doctors have their pay directly tied to how many patients they see and the outcome of each visit.

It's comical how you don't grasp how out of touch your compensation is.



The reality is the hammer is about to come down on you and your cronies. They have a interim superintendent lined up who is ready for a two year mission to change things. They have control of the board now and are more concerned with the results in the school than diversity in the leadership group and perception of equality for administrators.


The hammer is going to come down on your union and people are going to rejoice.

I always thought that "merit" in medicine was measured by getting the right diagnosis and right treatment so that the patient had the best possible outcome, not how "satisfied" surviving patients were or how many were seen and then sent on their way per hour.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

I always thought that "merit" in medicine was measured by getting the right diagnosis and right treatment so that the patient had the best possible outcome, not how "satisfied" surviving patients were or how many were seen and then sent on their way per hour.

Thanks to trial lawyers and people looking for a quick buck, the idea of a doctor working towards the right diagnosis and necessary treatment is a long way in the rear view mirror. Sadly.

I have been told countless stories from my friends who are doctors on just how bad the system is and how much they dislike it. They actually still want to help sick people get better.

I'll give you an idea of merit pay work that actually helps all around. My friend is a partner in an ER group and they implemented a procedure where they would start looking at vitals and running what tests they could on patients while they were still in the waiting room rather than waiting until they go a bed. This allowed them to speed up the process of collecting information so that the first time they actually get to see the patient that have 'data' to review rather than just the initial QA with a request for tests.

It's been a great success. Not only do they get to be more effective in seeing patients and 'turning beds' which is a reality but the patients also are pleased with the reduction in time they have to spend. Sadly, this is what medicine is today and it's not getting any better.

I'll also give you an idea of how the system prevents doctors from getting the right diagnosis and treatment so the patient has the best possible MEDICAL outcome. A couple of years ago there was a minor accident that involved a bus and a car. It was a minor fender bender where a car tried to cut it close and hit the bus. Minor damage was done and nobody was really hurt. That said, every. single. person. on that bus went to the ER to get a workup because they had 'back and neck pain'... Each person had to get the full workup, even though it was obvious that it was not needed, because of the exposure to liability to the hospital and doctors. We're talking scans and X-rays. The works. Every single 'patient' came back with no issue but it stained the ER for the better part of an entire day.

All of this could have been prevented by giving the doctors the ability to say NO. You were in a minor fender bender inside of a bus hit by a car going less than 5 mph. I'll do a personal checkup with you but you don't need X-rays or scans. But sadly, the right of doctors to act like doctors is gone.

So now your left with what exists and that's merit pay in medicine.