This Board began a goal-setting process last June at the Capon Springs retreat with a series of discussions led by staff and an outside consultant. Notes from those discussions were assembled by staff and sparked another night of discussions in October, again led by staff and the consultant. Conclusions from those sessions were compiled by staff, which developed a number of metrics under each heading and presented by staff in January.
The School Board is scheduled to meet again to discuss its goals on April 1st, again with staff present.
The Loudoun County School Board has not taken a leading role in this process and has not followed the MGT recommendations for SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realsitic, Timely). The final result is a document that makes our Board no more focused than before, no better able to evaluate the Superintendent’s performance or steer the direction of LCPS.
Just as the Board, of its own initiative, adopted a set of budget priorities for FY10, so our Board should be able to adopt clear and concise goals for the corresponding school year... without needed consultants or staff to lead the discussion, assemble notes or make presentations.
I've heard this is being resisted heavily by Hatrick and his liuetenants, including DuPree. They need to suck it up and learn to be evaluated on perfromance just like everyone else. The School Board needs to mark its territory as the true bosses of the school system. Right now, whether it is true or not (I think it is) the public perception is that the foxes guard the henhouse and Hatrick runs the whole show. That must change, now.
ReplyDeleteThe Board needs to start standing up to Dr. Hatrick. That doesn't mean that they have to fight every decision he presents; that merely means that the Board should not be so afraid to challenge him and his assistants! Have him clean house in Ashburn before he starts "cleaning" house with staff around the County who work with the students every day. It's been said on here many times--his building has no communication with the teachers and staff--and it's easy to say that we can definitely do our job without a lot of them.
ReplyDeleteLI, how about doing some deep thought on this stuff before jumping to your tried and failed personality attacks?
ReplyDeleteYou need to realize that Supervisor Waters and the BOS earlier in this cycle set a goal for the School Board to present a zero increase budget with absolutely no new schools.
Which the School Board accomplished.
Then out of the blue, the Waters High School, with it's 99M cost shows up as something that needs to be swallowed this year.
Where the heck did that come from?!?
In less than 90 days the budget thumping cost cutter Waters turns the other cheek and says, let's get creative and put up a new high school. Damn the budget. Bizarre.
So, I am not sure where you're gettin this public perception thing, but that's not what people are saying out in Ashburn. This High School isn't Hatrick's idea, it's not Dupree's idea, it's not the taxpayers idea. It's a total wonderment how Waters can flop so quickly on her fiscal acumen and set a goal to increase the load on taxpayers.
It is time for Dr Hatrick and his posse/cronies to move on and get out of the way so that real progress and reform can take place. The disciplinary policies are awful and need to be replaced/revised in the best interest of the children. Children are guilty before they have a word to say. Anything they could say would be held against them. We have a society and a Judicial system that says you are innocent until proven guilty. LCPS should abide by that. Children and their parents have no say that means anything to this school Board. Anything that they sign off on with Dr Hatrick's name has to be upheld by them. They do not stand or vote on their own or vote for what is right even if it disagrees with Dr, Hatrick. There is no justice for the kids in LCPS.
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