First, my apologies. For those of you who have grown used to being able to find out "what does Tracy say" on what's happening in the Worcester Public Schools, I let you down yesterday. When the news broke about Superintendent Boone's acceptance of the position of Norfolk Superintendent at about 10:30 yesterday, my phone blew up with messages, and from that point on, I was returning calls, being interviewed, and otherwise running. I never got to a full keyboard. It's the first time I've experienced quite that as a headlong collision, and yesterday, blogging lost out. I'm sorry.
As much as I know everyone loves a good conspiracy theory, I feel honor bound to point out that Norfolk has had three superintendents in the past five years, with the most recent having his contract terminated in March after 70% of Norfolk's schools failed to earn certification and the district missed deadlines for Title I, resulting in the fortiture of $1.6 million. The board bought out that contract for a full year's pay. The position was posted in May, with applications due in July. This wasn't a recent decision (or reaction).
And, yes, in Virginia, the entire process can take place in executive session.
As a side note, I should point out that the current Norfolk school board is appointed by their City Council, though this current board is the last that will be, as Norfolk voted overwhelmingly to move to an elected board starting this coming spring.
So did I know? No. Am I surprised? No. I follow the national press on school districts, and Norfolk has had a rough couple of years. It's the district in which Superintendent Boone had much of her prior experience, and it's where her family lives. Seeing that district struggle would I think give any of us cause to think twice.
Let's be really clear: the Worcester Public Schools are an excellent argument for hiring anyone involved in what we're doing. From the graduation rate gains (nine points in six years) to the dropout rate declining to the largest number of innovation schools in the state to the pulling schools out of Level 4 status (ourselves, not by outside providers) to gains in kids taking APs and going to college to rising enrollment (yes, they're rising) to millions of dollars in building repairs to expanding programs (and I could go on, and that's all in the budget...)...we're a good argument for hiring her. We--any of us involved in public education in Worcester--should be proud of the job we're doing here. We're a city with a strong parochial school system, two charter schools, and a homeschooling community, and we in the public schools educate 85% of the kids who live in the city. That's an argument of itself.
And anyone telling you otherwise doesn't know much about education.
So what does that mean for us now?
If you look at the agenda that was posted this afternoon for Thursday's meeting, we have two items in executive session. The first is to discuss Superintendent Boone's contract, as there's a clause regarding notification of her leaving that a December start date in Norfolk conflicts with (I should perhaps point out that's my assumption based on what I've seen reported from Norfolk; I know no more than is the item). The second is connected to Mayor Petty's recommendation, which appears on the public section of the agenda, that Marco Rodrigues be appointed interim superintendent. We also have items on the public section to send out an RFP for a search firm and to set a timeline for the search.
Only a bit more from me, lest I stray into predeliberation and thus violate the Open Meeting Law:
The Worcester Public Schools are the third largest employer in the city, with nearly 4000 employees. We have 50 buildings, 44 schools, 25,000 students. We have a budget of $350 million. That's a lot to oversee. More than anything else, the actual administration of all that is the job of the superintendent, and it needs to be done, daily. It can't be put off. It can't be ignored. And it isn't something you can pick up overnight.
Executive session is scheduled for 6 on Thursday night, with the public meeting scheduled (I use the word deliberately) to begin at 7.
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