« Round One: The Mihos Factor | Main | Baehr Facts »
September 26, 2006
Has Baehr Lost Control?
The latest embarrassments at the Lowell School Department only point in one direction: at the top. Superintendent of Schools Karla Brooks Baehr is clearly not paying attention to what is going on in the public school system.
When the head of the Math Department turns out to be an alleged serial stalker, domestic abuser and incest freak and the principal of the Rogers Schools lacks the good judgment to contact police about the discovery of two .357 Magnum bullets in his building, you have to wonder who is hiring these people and who is ingraining the right - or wrong - values in them?
May contention for a while is that Dr. Baehr is good with education theory and launching intitiatives, but she has no practical knowledge of what Lowell is and what Lowell needs. After six years, Baehr has no true connection to Lowell and its people. She has no stake in its traditions or its culture. She came here to build a major success story, backed by a resume of success at school systems of lesser challenges and the liberal education elititists in this city. But after six years leading the Lowell school system, where are the success stories? We now have 18 failing schools under Baehr's watch and a ton of initiatives under her belt that don't seem to be pushing things forward.
The state has poured nearly $850 million into Lowell since the 1992 Education Reform Act, and Lowell taxpayers have responded by building 16 new schools? Obviously, some of the major union complaints about the schools - a lack of financial resources - have been erased (although the union and the Citywide Parents Council don't seem to ever have enough money to burn.) You have to ask yourself: where does the root cause of the lack of progress lie? And when is enough enough?
Baehr has given the teachers' union everything it has wanted. In fact, she has a too cozy relationship with Paul Georges, the United Teachers of Lowell president who has outwitted Baehr and the School "Committee at every turn. And, no doubt, he is going to outwit and outlast Baehr and the school board this time around in contract negotiations. According to my sources, the school board will gladly give the union a 1 percent raise this year for a 4 percent raise in year two.. What good will that do the kids who don't even have new textbooks or computers while teachers keep fattening their pensions and benefit packages? There is no sense of balance in the school system. The don't know how to say "no."
Baehr has to take responsibility for the lack of advancement in the schools. Imagine, with all the money being spent in K-8, the number of kids heading to the high school who are reading at a Grade 4 level has increased over the past two years, going from 19 percent to 24 percent! How can a superintendent be satisfied with that decline.
Basically, it tells me that Baehr is not paying attention to the details in her school system. She likes to tavel to meetings outside the district and meet with DOE officials where they can talk about new initiatives. Baehr can talk the talk that all education officials can relate too. They like her. They praise her. But for all her talk, nothing is getting done right on the home front. Baehr is failing to connect the dots. And the frustration is starting to show in staff and administrators. Certainly, the union won't give her a break, as shown by their refusal to go along with the superintendent's recommendation for a longer school day. This is what Baehr gets for coddling the union so long. Baehr herself must be frustrated with the union and the lack of progress in the schools.
Sadly, I could see this coming. I've been writing about it for several years now. Some of the education elitists, and certainly the union leadership, like to say I'm anti-education. But if I were anti-education, I wouldn't be writing so passionately about the subject. The fact is, Baehr is an outsider who has brought in a lot of outsiders as principals, administrators, and teachers. More than three-fourths of all teachers don't live in Lowell. Half the principals who do the hiring don't live in Lowell. They hire more outsiders. While these principals and teachers might care for the students, they have no direct connection to Lowell and what it means to fight for Lowell pride and stick up for its traditions and values. They go home at night when the rest of us live in the city and take care of its wants and needs. The balance has shifted drastically and it's unhealthy. Today, the system is overloaded with outsiders who think they know education, but they don't know a damn thing about what is right for Lowell. Sadly, as Paul Tsongas once said, "If you don't do this thing right from the beginning, Lowell becomes the victim, not you." And we are at that point.
Posted by at September 26, 2006 6:08 PM
Comments
What does it say about the rest of the teachers in the school system when a guy with barely two years experience becomes the head of the math department at the signature school in your system?
While one might think this means there aren't enough qualified candidates, I think it means the more qualified candidates are so comfortable in their jobs they don't want the hassle of moving up the ranks. Why take on added responsibility and hours when you can earn a nice paycheck with great bennies being a run of the mill teacher.
Welcome to the union system, my friends
Posted by: Welcome Back Kotter at September 26, 2006 7:58 PM
What a waste...
My family member who works directly with the dean at a umass college has mentioned to me that it is not that they don't screen people they hire, but that they usually only look back 2 years on records. Which is sad, because MOST colleges will interview a candidate up to 5 times. There is a process that has to be gone through, but again, records are only for a few years back, average. Then thats it. They don't check up on the staff ever. EVER. Performance reviews? Bull. I know many people who have had performance reviews, which also includes evaluating the indiviual on a somewhat personal level, and they are good only for getting a grade-step (pay grade #) to earn more money. The supposed higher ups give themselves performance reviews. They give themselves the raises! What else do they need? It must be comfortable at the top...
As for not being from Lowell, the rule goes for them "If I can't see it, oh well", Blah blah.
Umass's are all union. Sad to say, most union workers just don't care. No matter what the position they hold is. All they care about is money. When I was in school teachers still cared, and so did the dean, etc. Baehr probably cares about the system, but has no real inititive. Did you know that money NOT spent on the school system just gets poured back in the pot to use for raises? I don't mean to get all conspiracy on you, but sometimes I wonder.
Posted by: Rick at September 27, 2006 11:08 AM
I don't know if Baehr is up to the job of running an urban school district with all its unique problems. However, the first step in making the system better has to be untieing the hands of the teachers and administrators relative to enforcing discipline. The lack of discipline is the root cause of many of the problems, even the financial ones, in the schools today. And this extends to the hiring practices, where apparently there is not enough discipline in the process to make sure that the best people are hired. By "best people" it means not only educational qualifications, but clean criminal records, determination in character, practical experience and a love for the profession.
Posted by: JP at September 28, 2006 10:14 AM
You have hit the nail square on the head when you say Dr. Baehr lacks a connection to Lowell the city. No doubt she is a very bright person who knows education inside and out. However that connection to the heart beat of the city is lacking and it shows. Also the connection to those working for her is lacking, how else could she let someone rise to the head of the entire math department, yet know very little about him? I am not saying that every new hire should come from within the walls of the city, however someone with a feel for what Lowell is like, it's culture, it's people and especially it's children is a must. We tend to perform these nation wide searches when a vacancy like Superintendent comes up, however the fact is we forget to look at the talent we have in our own back yard.
Posted by: Mike at October 1, 2006 11:46 PM
One should keep in mind that it is THE PRINCIPAL, in this case Mr. Samaras, who recommends a candidate and the Superintendent who must approve. If we look at the record of these two we see a number of staff members who have had to be let go because of sexual issues and virtually all of the leadership is from out of town. To comment on one correspondent, if everyone is from out of town why would local candidates bother, look at the hoops the last math department head had to go through before he got the job but this individual had all the "right" qualifications even though he did not have what was called tenure in the old days.Ever since the day they took the power to elect away from the school committee we have seen a steady decline in morale, school committee involvement, and general interest in a school system that has many more student problems than when it was basically a irish,french,greek population in the 1950's.
Posted by: bill at October 3, 2006 4:44 PM
Hello Jim,
I agree man, Baehr has to start a new life.
The city of Lowell needs a new superentendent
who understands the diversity in our city.
The children of the city of Lowell have to be
taught how they can be successful. happy and
the willingness to learn throughout their lives.
Our first priority motivation.
Bill Deignan
Posted by: Bill Deignan at October 3, 2006 5:11 PM
Why was it necessary to recess into Executive Session to say positive things and to give the Superintendant a vote of confidence? Could that not be done in public? Was discipline discussed? At 6-0 vote, it would seem not. Was her contract discussed? Again, at 6-0, it doesnt seem she was fined. Perhaps she was given a raise?
Posted by: Thos at October 19, 2006 12:21 PM
Bill, the principals may be charge of hiring, but the inspiration and leadership have to come from the top. Superintendent Baehr has to set the tone as to the candidates that are hired as classroom instructors. All things being equal among the competition, why can't the local person be hired? I believet hat some of these out-of-town administrators have no connection to Lowell, don't understand the multicultural balance, and what impact local teachers have on the lives of the children in every day settings. If students don't see the teachers among them, on the streets and in the stores, there is little impetus to conduct themselves honorably. Furthermore, I don't believe the education reform act has hurt teachers' morale. there are other factors, some justified and some not, that are making it difficult to connect positively in the classroom with students and it does get frustrating. Once again, however, these issues have to worked out between reasonable people. We can't quit. The job of teaching is too important.
Posted by: jim campanini at October 22, 2006 10:15 AM
