A Failing School Administration
At the last Allentown school board meeting, Leslie Franklin, head of the teacher's union, gave a scathing report of conditions in the system. “We hear the educational jargon being used, promises being made and the glamor being touted, yet for the last few years, we have lost so many of our faculty members in our district buildings due to a disconnect in expectations,”
She went to say that the staff lacks basics, like pencils and toilet paper. Reports indicate that the school superintendent, Carol Birks, was let go from her former district for similar complaints. However, Miss Birks looks like the school board, even if she less resembles the students themselves. Looking like the district, meaning being a minority was paramount to this board.
Ms. Birk's contract was bought out by her previous employer, New Haven School District, although some on that board though she should have been simply fired. Complaints included unnecessary outside consultants, not unlike the diversity analysis she had recently commissioned for the Allentown School District. If all that isn't enough, our school board started her salary off at $250,000 a year plus increases.
Do you know the length of her contract? I’m curious how many years we’ll have to pay her not to work, once the board decides they made a bad choice.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, Mayor Tuerk’s antics at Center Square have gone viral on the internet, and not in a good way. His wardrobe choice of sneakers and gray suit caused many to note his striking resemblance to Pee Wee Herman. So Allentown is now known around the globe as being led by “Mayor Pee Wee” (the internet’s name, not mine).
Just when I thought that our local politicians couldn’t embarrass the city any more, I’m proven wrong again.
I usually don’t defend Mayor Tuerk, but wearing sneakers with a suit is not weird; it's become a popular trend in recent years. This style blends formal and casual elements, offering a modern and relaxed look.
DeleteWho cares what he wears as long as it's not inappropriate. Same with teachers in ASD. We want to wear jeans, leggings, hoodies, and sneakers.
DeleteMike, the school board is a mess, the administration is a mess, the ASD is a mess, why? Because the media doesn't know how, or doesn't want to to do serious investigative journalism. There is plenty there trust me that needs exposed. Sadly the board seems air tight even though it seems riven with rivalries so precious little leaks out from the inside. My hat is off to the Teachers' union for calling this all out. Let's see if the media can now muster up the energy to care that the third largest school district in the state is failing utterly to adequately educate the children of Allentown.
ReplyDeleteNo changes will happen as long as the current Board members remain in place. We need a real vote on this, with media attention—not just selections based on personal preferences for board members. I worked in the school district, and you’re absolutely right, Scott; there’s a lot to discuss and unpack if people start paying attention and taking responsibility for what’s going on, starting with that HR Director and his team.
Delete“She went to say that the staff lacks basics, like pencils and toilet paper.”
ReplyDeleteI’m assuming that when she says the staff is lacking pencils, she means there aren’t pencils available give to the students (since I expect teachers to bring their own for their use). If for the students, there’s a lot to be said for it being a responsibility of the parent/student, but I accept that the expectation that’s been given is that the district will provide them. So obviously that’s needed, and the Superintendent should realize that.
2). The toilet paper issue is also a no-brainer and an obvious health/sanitation issue. I’d imagine there are issues with theft of rolls and vandalism with the toilet paper, but it has to be available.
It would be nice if school board members could have gotten answers from the Superintendent last night, and maybe they did.
While I wasn’t there last night, I have found past ASD school board meetings to be less about getting answers and more about protecting those leading the district. That need to change for real improvements to happen in the ASD.
The ASD has a habit of taking failed superintendents off the trash pile and hiring them, usually at absurd compensation amounts.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it is too much to ask the school board not to hire someone based on the color of their skin, but on their abilities to lead who has a record of success ?
Two things. It takes a special kind of teacher to work in the Allentown School District. I am now happily retired from there. It’s a constantly changing confused mess with little support from the Administration. It’s true, Allentown’s classroom teachers spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars of their own money to purchases they and their students NEED to operate.
ReplyDeleteNext, that Tuerk video has already made Allentown a laughing stock. The Mayor SHOULD have remained neutral and basically keep out of the way. To his credit, the Mayor didn’t seem to be the one dropping F-Bombs all over the place. But, he should have been wise enough not to even create such an outrage in public. I assume the tall guy was a Parking Authority supervisor. If so, he should expect to be fired.
This over-dressed individual was the wrong choice from the beginning. The New Haven buyout should have been a concern before being considered as a candidate for the job. Her upbeat attitude was great but I think she over promised and blames teachers for her inability to deliver.
ReplyDeleteThis blog shies away from comments just on somebody's appearance, or short comments, such as "I laughed" or "I agree" etc.
ReplyDeleteFor a school district with a budget approaching a half billion dollars, not being able to supply pencils and toilet paper sounds like an administrative/management issue, not a budget issue. I would hate to see pencils and toilet paper being used as an excuse to raise school taxes.
ReplyDeleteThe school district is NOT PULLING IN ADEQUATE tax dollars from a city filled with single family homes converted into multi-family dwellings. The County Real Estate formula must be adjusted!
ReplyDeleteStay in left field where you belong. How much dam money does this outfit need??? We ALL must live within our means, but evidently NO government entity must... more, more, MORE is all government knows. My taxes are higher than ever, as are my 4X gas bill, 3X electric bill and 6X water bill... AND I NEVER USED LESS OF ALL UTILITIES!!! Where the hell is my MORE???????
DeleteMeanwhile, back at the ranch, they give us SS recipients a measly raise while giving themselves a (what?) 25K (no receipt needed) expense account??? WTH/SMH!!! Nice work if you can get it!!!
12:23: You are wise. The multi-family conversions in central Allentown are killing any chance ASD has to provide quality public education. A randomly selected 3 unit in the 500 block of Chew Street owned by a suburban landlord pays $2,300 in school tax while the single family dwelling next door pays $1,960 in school tax. There's the problem. The landlord only pays $765 per unit while the homeowner must pay $1,960 per unit. There are some 6-7 units in downtown that pay less property tax than a modest cape cod detached single family at 20th & Union or 19th & Washington etc. I'd love to see the local state reps or other ASD advocates address property tax reform in Allentown.
DeleteReducing expenses by eliminating the featherbedding and hiring non-union teachers will go far in increasing the revenue available for actually teaching students.
Delete1:20: Speaking of more, more, more don't forget LCA. My water bill is 3 times higher since the sale of the water/sewer systems to LCA with plenty more price increases to come and they answer to no one.
Delete12:23: Here's an ideal example of how unfair the school tax assessments are in Allentown: A 4 unit in the 400 block of N. 7th Street on a .05 acre lot owned by an LLC from NY pays $3,060 in school tax ($765 per unit) while a small single family dwelling owned by the occupants on a .11 acre lot in the 800 block of N. 20th Street pays $4,000 in school tax ($4,000 per unit). I think we can all agree that the school tax assessment should be $1,412 per unit so that the 4 unit pays $5,648 and the single family dwelling pays $1,412. It's simply a matter of fairness.
DeleteIt’s a huge issue that no one wants to discuss. If we were to breakout the current student population being served NOW, then separate all the kids into 2 lists.
DeleteOne list for those living in a single family dwelling unit, and the other list for those living in a multiple family dwelling unit (including subsidized housing projects). The overbalance would be striking.
I believe we would find that without all the multi-unit rental stuff and the government projects, Allentown could support to pay for all its school age kids using just 1 high school, 2 middle schools, and about 12 elementary schools.
An extreme example, but still . . .
The majority of the districts funding comes from the US Dept. of Education and the State.
DeleteJust like the city
ReplyDeleteOwner occupied homes in Allentown have been subsidizing both ASD costs and City services costs. There are converted single family absentee owned multi unit buildings that call for municipal services scores of times every year while the owner occupied single family home may call for service once every 20 years. And the rental property pays lower ASD and City taxes. You are right, this ridiculous inequity should be studied and corrected.
ReplyDelete12:23 - I don’t disagree with you position that multi-unit properties aren’t pulling their fair share of the tax burden, but I disagree 100% with your assertion that more should go to the ASD.
ReplyDeleteThe ASD has a management problem, not a funding problem. If you look at the “profit” generated by the city’s charter school’s, they are getting higher test scores while spending (or managing) their money better than the ASD.
Now some may say we need charter school’s reforms to remove that “profit”, but let’s remember where their revenues come from. Charter school revenue is based on the per student costs of the chartering district.
That means that if the district wants to pay less to charter schools, the district needs to cut their own bloated budget to make that happen. I can assure you that the ASD has far too many administrators on Penn Street. A competent superintendent could fix that and improve test scores - at the same time - by funneling the money saved back into the classrooms.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure that we have a competent superintendent. Absent that, the ASD board and taxpayers would be better off approving as many charter schools as possible and reducing the district’s direct costs that way. By doing so, it should then become obvious to even the most dim-witted superintendent where the Administrative cuts can begin.
Getting back to your original point about multi-family units, I’d welcome a revision that charges them more in property tax but passes the savings on to single-family homeowners. Under no circumstances should the shift in funding go to a school district that can’t properly manage the money it has already.
Thanks. The Real Estate Tax component of ASD’s total funding is way out of balance and unfair to homeowners. That’s undeniable.
DeleteThe amount taken yearly from each homeowner has no relationship to them number of kids that same home address sends to the schools.
It has been common to say “But renters DO pay school taxes through their rent payment.” Unfortunately, that statement really doesn’t tell the complete story. Renters do pay something toward the school tax burden . . . . they’re just not paying enough!
And, let's not forget the landlord also pays the garbage fee for each unit plus the rental license fee for each unit... more money grabs for the city. It always seems to be about the money, no matter what.
DeleteI guess Allentown education is really in the crapper. This is why I believe it didn't matter a whit that they lost a day of schooling yesterday due to the Trump rally. Most of these kids aren't learning anything anyway.
ReplyDelete