By Antonio D. French
Filed Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 9:47 AM
The school board will be meeting tonight for a special board meeting to approve a successful mentoring and monitoring program that the board voted against last week. The meeting will be followed by a work session where board members will hear about "proven principles of effective school board governance". Labels: Schools
Last week four board members voted against extending the SchoolWorks program, which administrators and board members agreed is working, because of the possible involvement of a former district employee — even after Superintendent Diana Bourisaw offered to amend the contract to expressly forbid any involvement in the project by the former employee.
The meetings will take place in the Foundation Room of the District Administrative Building, 801 N. 11th Street. The Special Board Meeting will begin with a motion to go into executive session at 5:30 p.m. The Executive Session is closed to the public. The meeting will resume in open session immediately following the executive session and is open to the public. The Work Session will begin at 6:00 p.m. and is open to the public.
Here are the agendas of the meetings:
EXECUTIVE SESSION AGENDA
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Motion to go into Closed Session
4. Human Resources Report
5. Adjournment
OPEN SESSION AGENDA
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Item No. 01-16-07-13
RESOLVED, That the Board of Education authorizes approval of a contract with SchoolWorks, LLC, to support the mentoring, monitoring, professional development and evaluation of the district’s 27 Title 1 schools with School Performance Teams in support of the effort to achieve adequate yearly progress in these schools as defined by the federal No Child Left Behind legislation and to build best practices for school improvement planning in an amount not to exceed $121,000.00 for the period beginning January 26, 2007 through September 30, 2007. (Dr. John Martin, Deputy Superintendent)
4. Adjournment
WORK SESSION
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Introduction of Guest Presenter, Dr. David Lineberry, MSBA
4. Intensive Assistance to Districts Work Session I
5. Research proven Principles of Effective School Board Governance
6. Adjournment
3 Comments:
Here is some info the public should know.
Joe Jacovino was hired by Craig Williams to be the Interim Accountability Officer while he was an officer with SchoolWorks. He remained in this position until December 2006. During this period of time, Joe Jacovino worked part-time for the district. The remainder of time he was out of town.
His first undertaking as interim accountability officer was to institute the School Performance Team process as an intervention strategy for the district’s “failing schools”. This program was identical to the one that was introduced by SchoolWorks in the Philadelphia school district. The results for this program were mixed since the reported gains were not sustained. Several of the schools made AYP one year and failed to make it the following year.
During his first year as the district’s interim accountability officer, Joe Jacovino contracted with SchoolWorks to (a) develop the handbook and other materials for the SPT process, (b) provide professional development workshops to support the SPT process, and (c) evaluate the effectiveness of the SPT process. These activities were funded with Title I funds.
From September 2006 until December 2006, Joe Jacovino in his capacity as interim accountability officer again contracted with SchoolWorks to (a) develop the handbook and other materials for the SPT process, (b) provide professional development workshops to support the SPT process, and (c) evaluate the effectiveness of the SPT process. These activities are currently funded with Title I monies that were taken from individual schools accounts without the principal’s input.
Now this is the interesting part. Joe Jacovino is back in the district as a consultant with SchoolWorks to (a) provide professional development workshops in support of the SPT process, and (b) evaluate the effectiveness of the SPT program.
The effectiveness of this program is questionable if one were to survey the principals and staff at these “failing schools”. So here are several questions:
1. Has the public seen, reviewed, and critiqued the evaluation report prepared by SchoolWorks on the effectiveness of the SPT process for 2005-06. How sound was the evaluation plan?
2. How effective was this program in increasing the number of “failing schools” that made AYP?
3. Do the principals of the “failing schools” perceive the program as being beneficial to their schools’ instructional program?
4. Is it appropriate or even ethical for Joe Jacovino to return as a consultant to evaluate a program that he was instrumental in introducing and implementing only several weeks ago?
5. Has anyone seen, reviewed, or critiqued the plan for the current evaluation?
1/23/2007 2:02 PM
I thought the idea was to approve this with the provision that he (Joe Jacovino) would be left out of the picture. Thought that was the reason the "board" did not want to approve?
1/23/2007 4:44 PM
STAR JONES said...
You can expect more shenanigans from Slay's minions on the school board (O'Brien, Jackson, Archibald) in their continuing attempt to weaken SLPS to garner state takeover!
1/23/2007 10:52 AM
Of course. It will be sabotage as usual. My State rep. says that legislators outside the St. Louis area are clueless about these "shenanigans" and so support Slay with a shrug.
1/24/2007 6:57 AM
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