Mamie Till Mobley

"There was an important mission for me, to shape so many...young minds as a teacher. God took away one child but...(gave) me thousands. And I have been grateful for the blessing." Mamie Till Mobley

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Pamela Brown to continue as superintendent 5 to 4 vote



Superintendent Pamela C. Brown is here to stay at least through the 2013-14 school year.

And Lorey Schultz didn't get the support she needed to start her controversial $115,000 top media job with Superintendent Brown.

It was a contentious board meeting held in the Buffalo Common Council Chambers tonight, Wednesday, Sept. 25, where Park District Rep. Carl Paladino motioned to dismiss Superintendent Brown.


School board members Carl Paladino, John Licata, Jason McCarthy, James Sampson voted yes to support her dismissal, while Dr. Theresa Harris-Tigg,  Florence Johnson, Sharon Belton-Cottman, Mary Ruth Kapsiak and Dr. Barbara  Nevergold voted against her dismissal.

On the school board chopping block was the consulting group Cross and Joftus who hired Dr. Mary Guinn. Board member Sampson motioned to end its contract with the district. It was sent to committee for legal department to review. Sampson thinks its contract with district not done right .

West District board member Sampson motion to hold school board meeting every second Wednesday, starting next month passed.

And Sam Radford from District Parent Coordinating Council told board they would appeal to the State Ed folks any board vote to approve district transfer plan tonight.

Dr. J. Elliott responded the State Ed expects the transfer plan to be fully implemented with 2000 seats available by fall 2014.

And a district official of student support services added State Ed expects plan by Sept. 30, and it will not allocate any additional building aid for the plan contending BPS has adequate space. 



Friday, September 20, 2013

Lorey Schultz newest Buffalo public schools chief of public relations

Lorey Schultz newly appointed Chief of Public Relations for the Buffalo Schools  two years ago lived in Eggertsville, when Mayor Brown appointed her to his communications staff. A disgruntled citizen complained to the Fiscal Control Board contended  the appointment was politically motivated, the salary too high and wonder if she was going to give up her suburban residence for a phantom apartment in Buffalo though it appeared she sold the house in May the following year.

A Buffalo news story  said Superintendent Pamela C. Brown appointed Schultz  because  she " became convinced that the district needed more resources in community relations because of the volume of requests she gets to speak and respond to the community, Guinn said. “She gets multiple requests on the same day, at the same time, for many, many media and community outreach activities,” Guinn said.

Dr. Mary Guinn is the consultant hired last spring as an interim deputy superintendent brought here by Say Yes another consultant company the Buffalo Board of Education hired to conduct the superintendent search one year ago.

And Carl Paladino Park District School Board member has criticized the hiring of Dr. Guinn and her reorganization work in the district. Her salary at $179, 000, has been questioned as well though initially paid for  by Say Yes and foundation money, it is now coming from a state grant.

Although, Guinn was supposed to have left last June, she is still here, while Paladino complained at last school board meetintg that he had been informed she is supervising central office administrators though Superintendent Brown defended her consultant work for the district described her as a "coach" not a supervisor.  On Tuesday Dr. Guinn accompanied Superintendent Brown to the lecture Dr. Pedro Noguera presented at Westminster Charter School both  leaving later in the district chauffeur car.

Several school board members have criticized the appointment of Schultz to the newly appointed Chief of public relations asking why the position is needed in the first place since there already is a staff in central office  Elena  Cala Buscarino assigned this role.

Others question why Lorey Schultz hired when the public relations office in the central office in  City Hall if it needed another staff member perhaps it would have been more appropriate to appoint somebody who better reflects the demographic make up of the students and community not a former anchor who until one year ago was  a resident of Amherst.

Schultz was the assistant director of communications and marketing in the communications office in the Buffalo City Hall who previouy she worked for 17 years as a reporter at WIVB-TV Channel 4.

Mike Blake's Unbalanced Opinions: Letter to the Control Board re: Lorey Schultz hiring

Friday, September 6, 2013

New bill in congress to limit power of Arne Duncan

It was only a matter of time but it finally happened.
The National School Boards Association  Support for HR1386,  "The Local School Boards Governance and Flexibility Act," is a bill in Congress that limits the power of Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education. It's about time!


This bill is "To support the local decision-making functions of local educational agencies by limiting the authority of the Secretary of Education to issue regulations, rules, grant conditions, and guidance materials, and for other purposes."
02:32 Mar 30, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 000


SEC. 3. AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY.
Unless specifically authorized by Federal law, the Secretary may not issue a Federal regulation, rule, grant condition, guidance material, or other requirement pertaining to a State educational agency or a local educational agency that—  and so on and so forth......

Introduced on March 2013, if this bill passes, the NYS Board of Regents will have to be rein in too awaken from its deep slumber at the switch limited as well from imposing unrealistic requirements and mandates to the education of NYS children such as abolishing the local high school diploma that has been a major contributing factor for the lower graduation rates in the State  that particularly had an impact on black and Latino students, commencing with the freshman  cohort of 2008.

Whitney Tilson (3rd background)

Whitney Tilson (3rd background)
"Let’s be honest: we need a lot more well-off, well-educated white folks with a personal stake in both charter schools and education reform in general if we’re going to take reform to the next level, both politically and operationally.Whitney Tilson, hedge fund manager and major funding angel for the school privatizing Democrats for Education Reform, thinks there’s not enough rich, educated white folks.( Preaprez) click photo to his blog.

Arne Duncan

Arne Duncan
U.S. Secretary of Education, click photo