Gutless move by Pinnochio

 
In a move that can only be described as classless, School Board President Lou Petrucci informed interim School Superintendent Amber Dixon that she would not be getting the permanent nod, via text message. From Mary Pasciak's blog...


Moments before the board emerged back into public session to unveil its decision to hire Pamela Brown, board President Lou Petrucci let Amber Dixon know what the board had decided.
By text.

"It's going to be Brown," he texted her.
As word of the notification-by-text has trickled out, many Dixon supporters say her 21 years in the district and nine months at the helm of it should have warranted the courtesy of a personal visit -- or at least a phone call -- to deliver the news.

"He ought to be ashamed of himself," one City Hall insider said about Petrucci.

Anyone in South Buffalo who knows Lou Petrucci is not the least bit surprised at this. He will do anything in his power to make himself look good (including telling outright lies). He will take credit for things he has no part in. His sole qualification for public office is an unbridled ability to kiss Ray McGurn's ass. Everyone and their brother knows this. I'm surprised a reporter as tenacious as Mary Pasciak hasn't exposed him yet. Total fraud.


Dixon has served the schools well in her short time as superintendent. She did the best she could under some trying circumstances. I worked with the developmentally disabled for over six years. When text messaging became popular, some of them would inform their bosses they were quitting via text message. We explained to them that that's not how adults in the real world conduct business. Obviously, nobody every relayed this basic message to Lou.
That five-word text message from City Hall - School Zone - The Buffalo News

Unjust war on teachers continues

I don't blame the teachers for not removing the clause, which would have chronically absent students count on their evaluations. Basically, they are saying, you can't evaluate the academic progress of students who are never in class. The state and the Buffalo News are saying, just go along with it, we need the money.

That's not the teachers' fault. Students who are chronically absent should not count against their evaluations. And I don't feel it's the teachers' job to get them in school (like some are saying). It's the parents' job to get their kids to school...


The Buffalo News editorial in favor of counting the absent students is another one of their all time classics. Apparently written by one of the failing students themselves, the title of the editorial is Absentees Should Count.??? I love this excerpt, where they tell the teachers to count the absent students because it will only count towards 20% of their evaluation...

For one thing, this part of the state's new evaluation template accounts for only 20 percent of a teacher's rating. That's not an insignificant amount -- nor should it be -- but that still leaves 80 percent based on other factors. Indeed, 60 percent is to be based primarily on classroom observation.

20% isn't a significant amount? Tell that to someone who just lost their job based on an evaluation. I think most statisticians would disagree. 20% is very significant. I wouldn't vote for counting absentee students if it counted towards 1% of my evaluation. Buffalo teachers are not responsible for the district's fiscal woes. Amber Dixon's threatening of layoffs is way too predictable. How about focusing on getting these students in school and having them not act like animals when in the classroom? Do that and you won't need any more money.
Absentees should count

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Dixon caves in to misinformed parents

Her approach to handling school discipline problems in Buffalo makes Amber Dixon appear weak and part of the status quo.


As usual, it will be up to me to be the voice of reason with the charade that is the city of Buffalo school system. Interim superintendent Amber Dixon missed a great opportunity to show leadership and make actual change this week. The topic was discipline. Instead of talking about what is actually taking place in the schools each day, Dixon caved in to the parents' flawed beliefs that the teachers and principals are somehow at fault...

“Too many students are suspended from school on a daily basis,” she said. “We’re concerned at every level. We’re particularly concerned at the elementary level. We know we can’t solve our attendance problem when we’re walking kids out the door on a daily basis.”

She rolled out 11 recommendations, some intended to take effect very soon, and others that are longer-term. The recommendations, which were generated by an advisory group following four public hearings, are subject to board approval.

Clearly, the "advisory group" needs some advising from the Blogger. Instead of talking about the attitudes of the students being suspended, they and Dixon believe it is the principals who simply don't have the tools to "understand" them...

Dixon is recommending that principals be trained on how to use the conferences and that the new requirement take effect Feb. 27.

What an insult to the principals. They need to be trained on how to use conferences? As I've said before, the parents in question expect the teachers to take the place of the child's actual parents. At no point in the meeting (or at any of the other meetings) has Dixon or a board member stood up for the people on the front lines (or for the many students who do behave). It is a classic cop out. We (society) continue to not hold the students themselves accountable for their atrocious behavior. And when I say atrocious, people who have never walked the hallways of a Buffalo Public school have no idea. These are not kids being suspended for chewing gum or wearing hoodies. These are students who continuously choose to disrupt the educational process simply because they can.

From the youngest possible age, students should be taught to respect education. If they have not learned this from home, it is not the fault of teachers or the principals. Students showing continuous disrespect towards adults should be removed from mainstream schools (away from good students) and placed into alternative schools. In other words, the adults in the building should be allowed to take back their schools. According to the likes of Dixon, it is the adults, and not the disrespectful students, who need to change.

In the Buffalo schools, we are seeing the results of parents who would rather be their child's friend than teach them right from wrong. We are seeing the results of absentee fathers and children raised by their grandparents (because mom isn't done partying yet). Instead of confronting the truth, Amber Dixon threw all the teachers and administrators under the bus this week. She missed a great opportunity to stand up for what is right. It will be now up to "Pinocchio" Petrucci and the rest of the board to stand up for the teachers and talk about the real issues at play. Don't hold your breath. It'll be a cold day in hell before any of them show the slightest sign of courage.

Dixon lists proposals on student discipline


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