Washoe (NV) officials to pick high-risk schools Friday to seek federal grant

[tonysam]

"Turnaround" is coming to Nevada's Washoe County School District. This is bad, bad, bad shit, and this stupid school board is going to rue the day it ever looked at an Eli Broad hack like Heath Morrison to be superintendent. Mass firings are going to happen at WCSD too, despite disclaimers:

The Nevada Department of Education developed a formula to identify the 5 percent of state schools to be candidates for the $22.3 million in Title 1G grants the state is projected to receive. The state will administer the grants, for which each district must compete.


Key elements of the turnaround process include assigning a new principal, having a new management group of administrators, teachers and parents and requiring current teachers and staff to apply for their jobs, with a limit of hiring only half of them back.


“These are schools with kids impacted by a high numbers of poverty, mobility and language,” Superintendent Heath Morrison said.


The federal government requires the money be used for transformation, turnaround, restart and closure, said Kristen McNeill, director of state and federal programs. She stressed that staff would be transferred but none would lose their jobs.


“We’re not anticipating closing any schools at this point in time,” McNeill said. “That leaves turnaround and transformation.”

What a load of crap. OF COURSE school closings and "charterization" will happen. So will mass firings. THAT'S the point of this RTTT bribery scheme. That's the trend everywhere else in the United States, and the Eli Broad hacks in charge of WCSD will make sure it happens.

There will be mass firings of senior teachers to be replaced by cheapo bimbos, who in turn will be fired in a couple of years to make room for even cheaper hires.

Anybody who thinks of going into this field is insane.

More

[tonysam]

1. More about this, and more spin from Heath Morrison (Eli Broad 2009)

The final two methods, restart and closure, would involve converting schools to charter schools or closing schools altogether. According to Morrison, these final two alternatives are not options in Washoe County.

“Closure is not an option and privatization is not an option,” Morrison said. “The money wouldn’t go to the kids if you close the school.”

That leaves the district with shuffling principals and staff out of their current posts, if the WCSD decides to apply for the grant funding.

According to Morrison, the school district would do its best to find those principals and staff other positions in the administrative end of district business. However, with a hiring freeze in place, a $33 million cut on he way and no plans to create new jobs, Morrison said the positions available would have to be left vacant through attrition.

“Through attrition and reorganization we may have some positions available,” he said. “They could also pursue options at other schools.”

If the principals are truly lousy, they shouldn't be rewarded with cushy administrative jobs. In any case, I don't believe one word Morrison says. Once one district in the country does "turnaround," it will be done everywhere else.

The principal mentioned in the article I once worked under (she wasn't the dipshit who fired me). She will likely retire, and she's about there now at around 57 or 58.

Sparks Tribune

[lutefisk]

2. I imagine morale is a bit low in the WCSD this spring.

"...requiring current teachers and staff to apply for their jobs, with a limit of hiring only half of them back."

Working your ass off and have a new bunch come in and make you apply for your job. That would really suck.

And "Give new principal operational flexibility"? Better hope that new principal's "flexibility" doesn't alienate the whole staff.