By DR. LARRY MOSES
No one asked me but… Maybe someone out there can explain to me how a leader’s efficiency rating can go from being fired, to being rehired, then rated Highly Effective and awarded a $97,000 raise in a six-month period. This is the same individual who filed an approximately $2,000,0000 lawsuit against the Board for being placed in a hostile work environment. He did settle for his job back and $92,000 to pay his attorney fees.
I must have missed something. Did the State of Nevada jump from the 49th least effective school system in the nation into the top ten in effectiveness. The 49th ranking is the Superintendent’s number not mine. I have found where the state, in some rankings, rates as high as 44 out of 50 states.
You may feel it is not fair to lay the state’s low ranking on one District. Approximately 300,000 of approximately 450,000 (about 70 percent) public-school students in the State of Nevada attend the Clark County School District. It is therefore fair to assume you will not solve the low rankings of the state of Nevada until you solve the problems of the CCSD.
In 2017, the State Legislature took a step in the right direction as it attempted, by law, to localize control of schools in large school districts in the State i.e. CCSD. Rather than legislate a break-up of the District the 2017 Legislature passed NRS 388G.500-810 to reorganize the District to increase local control and break the grip of the large monolithic and ineffective means of governing the schools of Clark County. While the law does not specifically name CCSD, it limits the provision of these laws to school districts of over 100,000 students. Folks that is CCSD.
When the present Superintendent was hired, there was a great deal of optimism among those who champion the cause of local control of their schools. However, it was soon evident that the new Superintendent had no intention to abide by the laws that would curtail central office control of the schools.
The District immediately attacked the very core of the program to localize control of the schools by successfully championing the cause to have the law changed that required an Area Superintendent who would be responsible for no more that 25 schools. The District was returned to the rule of three zone Superintendents.
In two recent Board meetings, the Superintendent got two Board policies passed even though they violate Nevada Revised Statues. The refusal to abide by the requirement stated in NRS. 388G.660.2 that 85% of unrestricted money be placed in local school budgets is a direct violation of NRS.
When the policy to violate this law as presented to the CCSD Board of Trustees, it was explained by the Superintendent and his Chief Financial Officer when passing that policy they would be in violation of the law. When the Superintendent stated it was impossible for his administration to meet the requirements of the law, the Board passed the policy on a 6-1 vote.
Would not a Highly Effective Superintendent figure out how to run the District in compliance with state law? If the present superintendent proclaims he cannot do so, should the CCSD Board of Trustees not be looking for a Superintendent who can?
In the latest Board meeting the Superintendent presented a regulation change entitled Clark County School District Regulation, District Organization R-2130, Site-Based Decision making. Section 1 Part A of the new regulation deals with NRS 388G. 610.2 which states that “Principals are able to make decisions regarding the responsibilities and control…. within the limits established by federal and state law, District policies and regulations, and collective bargaining agreements.”
There is no provision for compliance to District policy that is in violation of state law, nor is there any provision for compliance to collective bargain agreements. One might suppose that both District regulations and policy would have to be written to comply with state law.
The legislature should not be required to pass laws to come into compliance with CCSD policy and regulations or bargaining agreements.
No one asked me but…I am going to paraphrase a story I heard. As told to me, it was originally about a cowboy and a city slicker. But I am going to take the liberty of adapting it to a school setting.
A teacher in a large school district was tending his class when a man in a sleek suit, spiffy haircut, and entourage of assistants came to his door and asked: “If I tell you exactly how many students are in your class, can I pick a student to come with me?”
The teacher said; “Sure why not?”
The man opened the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports the photo of the class to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds he receives an email on his iPhone that the image has been processed and stored. He accesses MS-SQL databased through OBDC connected Excel spreadsheet. Finally, he prints out a 150-page report on his miniaturized HP LaserJet printer. He tells the teacher he has exactly 32 students.
The teacher says, “You are right. You can take the student of your choice.”
The man selects a person placing him at the back of his entourage. As he turns to leave, the teacher says to the man, “If I can tell you what you do for a living can I have the person you selected back?”
The man says, “That seems fair, what do you think I do for a living?”
“You’re the school district’s Superintendent.”
The Superintendent replied: “That’s correct but how did you guess?”
“That was no guess,” the teacher said. “You showed up here when nobody called you. You want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You used millions of dollars-worth of equipment trying to show me how much smarter than me you are. And you don’t know much about the work real teachers do let alone about students. Now will you give me my friend back so he can fix the electrical outlet that I have had on a District work order for three months?”
Thought of the week… Leadership is solving problems. When soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the time you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you don’t care. Either case is a failure in leadership.
– General Colin Powell
