Wake County Schools Superintendent Del Burns said today he just couldn't stay on and implement the new school board majority's policies.
In an interview with the N&O today, Burns specifically cited concerns over the elimination of weekly Wednesday early dismissals and proposed elimination of the diversity policy.
“Once they [school board] set a direction, then it’s very important for the direction to be embraced, for folks to be passionate about it,” Burns said. “I have some other opinions and some other beliefs and to stay on as superintendent and implement policies I’m concerned about is wrong. It’s wrong for me.”
Burns acknowledged that the current assignment system can be improved, but he said he’s worried about what could be implemented in its place.
“If you were to abandon [the diversity policy] and have students going to their closest school, and I don’t know what that means, one of the concerns that I would have would be would you then be developing a system of rich schools and poor schools?” Burns said.
Burns said increasing the number of high-poverty schools would require significantly increasing the amount of money spent in those schools. But he questioned the ability to sustain academic progress at high-poverty schools, saying that the examples cited by critics of the diversity policy are the exception..
Burns said he was also unhappy that the board had dropped the weekly early dismissals that allowed teachers to hold one-hour planning sessions to focus on how to improve student achievement. Some parents have called the early dismissals “wacky Wednesdays.”
Despite the public airing of his differences, Burns said he feels he can
still effectively work with board members over the next four months.
Comments
This whole thing is so
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 19:32 — hd27540This whole thing is so ridiculous. If the man wants to step down, so what, let him go. Why does he need an entire "MEDIA DAY" to explain himself. He wants to go, good bye, see ya, have a great life, be well, be happy... we all move on now.
Let's move on and get this straightened out.
Well he did spend 33 years with Wake schools...
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 23:15 — festusWhich is many times more than the longest-serving board member. Did you watch his interview with WRAL? The man is a lifelong educator who has dedicated his life to Wake County children. He has a right to an opinion.
it's a cowardly move....if
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 19:11 — AngelaWit's a cowardly move....if he is truly for "all the children on WCPSS" then he should fight for them. if WCPSS is truly becoming the "sinking ship" as people fear, as the caption you don't abondon ship for payola, you go down with it, don't you? is it children or is it money? "philosophical differences" is a cheap cop-out.....
Ms Williams....
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 20:42 — truthBtoldyour boy Johnny T called the system the Titanic (not anyone who works for the system). So who is exactly calling what a sinking ship?
The new Board has done nothing but denigrate the system instead of accepting (and frankly appreciating, what is right with it) and improving what needs fixing.
Dr. Burns is not asking for a buy-out as so many of you and your friends here feared when the Reseg 5 took over. He is simply speaking to his personal convictions, and explaining his decision to leave the system.
Nothing he said today in the interviews that I saw online was disrespectful of the new Board. As a matter of fact, he reiterated what they have said about needing a superintendent that supports their mission. pssst (here is a clue sister)....THEY AGREE !!!
I am personally amazed that this community doesn't react more severely to political hatchet job these people are doing.
It is exactly about "philosophical differences" as you put it---now go and advocate for Leesville ES/Leesville MS to be converted back to traditional calendar or whatever gets your panties out of the wad they are in and move on.
Agree or disagree, this gentleman deserves the respect what he has given to this community.
go back under your rock.... please
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 22:57 — loriac'I am personally amazed that this community doesn't react more severely to political hatchet job these people are doing. '
Maybe because a hatchet job is exactly what is needed. Mr. Burns may have deserved respect before his early retirement announcement, but when he spends a workday talking to the media about how he can't carry out his duties due to philosophical differences, he gave it up. In my neck of the woods (that would be non-government work), it's called insubordination and results in instant termination.
As for the rest of your post, it was uncalled for.
Exactly!
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 09:44 — JanisTangoIf the CEO of my company announced he was retiring before notifying the Board of Directors, he would have been asked to leave immediately.
Wondering
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 18:44 — SDR256It just leaves me wondering if skeletons in the closet will be discovered post-exit. I think there is a chance that part of the reason for the exit (the papers filed were retirement papers, so how this can be called a resignation I don't know) is the fear of something yet to be uncovered. Remember, no matter how wacky this might sound now, my farfetched theories have been right twice before. As they say, three's a charm.
LOL
Sat, 02/20/2010 - 14:53 — willynillyYou may be on to something. The WCPSS fat cats seem to have been so brazen in these past few years that they will actually sign their name to things that can be proven to be a lie. This "theory" you have may be more correct than you know!
Uncalled for...
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 19:03 — supportwcpssSLanderous rumors. That seems to be your MO.
LOL!
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 12:59 — SDR256Oh, thank you for the chuckle. This is really funny coming from the camp that loves to label anyone who disagrees with them - favorite slanderous labels being 'resegregationist', 'ideologue'.
Didn't say it was true. Just sharing what I was wondering about. And I'll be REALLY interested to see if it plays out, given your 'touched a nerve' reaction.
Hey, you are making some
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 13:13 — carson79Hey, you are making some murkey rumor accusationa against del burns with absolutely no cause - right?
or do you know something you aren't saying? support was right to call you out.
either way I think you might want to reconsider your tone now that the blog knows who you are. It just doesn't look right...
Oh, another pot calling the kettle black.
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 15:47 — SDR256You're advising me on tone? That's rich.
Again you reference my identity which was not my choice to reveal. Will you change your tone when the blog finds out who you are Carson?
My original post was just my own musings, nothing more. Simply sharing my curiosity.
Of course he has never hid
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 23:57 — Duhhuh666Of course he has never hid anything...what SAS report humm SAS report what is that, Oh the SAS report I think Jimmy Hoffa has it...
And what exactly is your MO?
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 20:58 — g88ky07Call everybody out when they don't agree with YOU? Big boo hoo.
did you know
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 19:00 — Athey01that a broken watch has the correct time twice a day?
I was wondering the same
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 18:46 — loriacI was wondering the same thing... the held back SAS report, the questions about Title 1 funds... and that's just the stuff we know about.
Fresh wind
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 18:57 — SDR256I think all the talk of accountability and the two fresh new task forces being established - one for assignments and one to evaluate solutions for Economically Disadvantaged kids - have rattled some gilded cages. I suspect Dr. Burns is intelligent and self preserving enough to know he would likely get more than his eyebrows singed. Integrity....rrrrrriiiiiiiight.
The lid on the barrel of toxic waste is about to be pried open. Step back. It will likely be stinky for awhile.
This is an honest suggestion
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 13:16 — carson79This is an honest suggestion - you are making some pretty agreesive insinuations about a man personally here and since you are no longer anonymous, I would think about creating another name for these type of attack type posts or something.
Thank you for your sincere
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 15:49 — SDR256Thank you for your sincere concern about my wellbeing Carson. I'm touched.
See the entry begins with "I think..."
Burns actually cited the
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 18:21 — woodstockBurns actually cited the reversal of Wacky Wednesdays as a reason for quitting? That is ridiculous and suggests just out of touch he is...was.
"Despite the public airing of his differences, Burns said he feels he can still effectively work with board members over the next four months."
I am pretty sure that will not be left for him to decide.
Remember PLC helped teacher
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 22:29 — user12345Remember PLC helped teacher do a better job ... parents only care about their day care and ... so Wednesdays were parent convenience winning over education .. that is a clear sign what a community values ... self and convenience over education and teaching ...
I have nothing agaisnt PLTs,
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 15:43 — woodstockI have nothing against PLTs, and neither do the new BoE members btw. However, as implmented, on Wednesday afternoon is completely ridiculous. All the students who participate in band or sports must clear campus after classes only to return later to practice...and then be picked up after practice. Does that actually sound like a reasonable situation to you?
How does that work when the
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 16:38 — jenmanHow does that work when the bus ride takes an hour? My neighbors attend our base middle school and it takes an hour for their daughter to get home on the bus. I guess that on Wednesdays they pretty much have to pick her up from school because there's no way they could get her back up there in time for practice if she came home on the bus.
How does it work? It
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 16:50 — woodstockHow does it work? It doesn't. I guess you pick your child up after classes and find something to do until it is time to go back for practice.
The situation is so ridiculous I cannot beleive it was ever put in place...or that some actually still support it.
Pfft...
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 22:57 — Bob_SconceThe Jury's still out on that. Some teachers say it's helped them do a better job. Some don't. I know that I went to my kid's school one Wednesday afternoon during early early release and the teacher's parking lot was practically empty. It didn't seem to do much on that day.
At the end, you have a cost/benefit analysis. The cost is a weekly inconvenience to every family in Wake County and, correspondingly, some financial cost to some of them. The benefit is a chance that some education will be improved.
If PLTs are so darned effective, why aren't they commonplace at every school district in the country? Aren't they really just experimental and Burns wants to be on the bleeding-edge of research from the Academy?
"I know that I went to my
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 09:53 — user12345"I know that I went to my kid's school one Wednesday afternoon during early early release and the teacher's parking lot was practically empty."
Bob, maybe the leadership at your school and the commitment of the teachers is the reason your school has fallen so far in the rankings not YR.
Well...
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 11:18 — Bob_SconceI don't recall blaming WES' fall on the year-round conversion, although I don't think the calendar has helped. When WES converted, a number of excellent teachers left to go to other schools. There are still some who remain (we are particularly happy with this year's teachers), but there are some simply awful ones too.
In addition, as a parent noted last night at the HHS CEM, parental participation has fallen off since the conversion -- it's hard to get parents together when 1/3 of the kids aren't in school. The school used to do 'Field Day' every May, a fantastic event for bringing the parents and community together. Scores of parents would come help out. That ended with the year-round calendar.
I think the root cause of the school's decline is abuse by the district. The unnecessary YR conversion was part of it, messing around with the school's base assignment area was another, putting in a principal who is really not the equal of her predecessor is a third. Nobody knows how to create a great school, so when you get one, LEAVE IT ALONE. Unfortunately, this district has not learned that lesson.
Bob
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 12:52 — Voice_of_Reason_I think the budgetary issues with the conversion eliminating the TAs in the classrooms was a big issue. Also the busing in of a disproportionate amount of special needs and ESL students to back-fill the school from the kids that left to Forest Pines was another. All related to the unnecessary conversion.
I don't recall blaming WES'
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 12:20 — user12345I don't recall blaming WES' fall on the year-round conversion, although I don't think the calendar has helped.
Maybe it was VOR ...
When WES converted, a number of excellent teachers left to go to other schools.
Why did they leave? Was it the new principal or the calendar? Many time good teachers follow good principals around.
I think the root cause of the school's decline is abuse by the district. The unnecessary YR conversion was part of it, messing around with the school's base assignment area was another, putting in a principal who is really not the equal of her predecessor is a third. Nobody knows how to create a great school, so when you get one, LEAVE IT ALONE. Unfortunately, this district has not learned that lesson
I agree ... I think if we can take a breath from growth, we can rebuild that community .. though it sounds like you are going to get a number of new schools out your way that could cause more disruptions ....
It was numerous things
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 12:48 — Voice_of_Reason_The YR Conversion is a big one. Bob is right about the principal issues right before the conversion, that was a factor and so was the re-assignments. The fact is the school has never been the same since the conversion and fallout from it. The bottom line is the conversion was unnecessary.
So...
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 12:27 — Bob_SconceThe Principal retired -- she had breast cancer. I can't claim to know why all of the teachers left, but do know that a few left to go to a traditional calendar school -- Forest Pines ES was the beneficiary of a few of those, IIRC.
Bob--I think that lady was
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 12:15 — jenmanBob--I think that lady was actually a teacher as well. Not sure where she teaches, but I remember her saying she was a teacher.
I think so too
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 12:29 — Bob_SconceI glanced at Del Burns while she was speaking. He was clearly not happy about it.
Some Not All
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 22:36 — JanisTangoSome not all of the teachers may have liked the Wednesday early release. My friend who is a 5th grade teacher said her and her fellow 5th grade teachers cheered when they heard it was going to be cancelled. She said the amount of paper they had to fill out was ridiculous. It took time away from truly planning for her class. I'm sure there are some teachers that did like it. The response is mixed from my kids teachers. One said weekly was overkill.
" She said the amount of
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 22:48 — user12345" She said the amount of paper they had to fill out was ridiculous"
Interesting ... my wife said it is the only time they get to learn about all the resources they can use ... apparently, there are all kids of compter programs and program from the State that can help teachers but they don't know how to use them because no one has taken the time to teach them .. she says, in the meeting, they work on stradegies for each student swapping what works for each them ... I think most people who sit at a desk all day and have time to explore the tools their company gives them, has a local geek who provides some training or can talk to coworker on how to solve a problem during the day don't appreciate a teacher sitting alone with not help, no support, day in and day out ... I think that is what Del and the Teacher Union were trying to address ... sounds like the program's success is dependant on the leadership at each school ...
THis was not a fly by night
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 23:19 — shank56THis was not a fly by night thing. From my school improvement team meetings at El, MS and HS (more MS and HS), one of the top teacher concerns was TIME for planning and collaboration embedded DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. PLT's were introduced in various forms at the school level prior to this year. For teachers to able to meet during school hours was huge and it help massage a culture where this was not normal .
BTW, I do not want any of my kids in a classroom with at teacher who complains about his/her meetings and who sneaks out/ and /or signs in and leaves from training opportunities. Oh yes, it happens.
Well I guess you need to
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 23:41 — aquaman4life68Well I guess you need to hold your breath then Shank, that you don't get "one of those teachers". Whether they like it or not...has nothing to do with the quality of the teacher. It has everything to do with the HUGE amount of paperwork, duplication of work, FORCED meetings. There just isn't a need for something like this every week. The hour taken out...can not and will not equate with the "10 minutes" added to the beginning or end of the day. If you are so concerned...that is what I am the most disturbed by is that, to "help" you are forcing teachers to do something, taking away a complete hour from the week, throwing schedules up into an uproar, etc. So there was the "KILL" of PLC's for most of the teachers. I love how Burns says how teachers overwhelming were positive about PLC's. but according to my sister, and other teacher friends...the questions did not ask for their opinion of PLC's, no matter what the answer you chose it was still in a "positive light". So that overwhelming support is a lie, yes there are those that like it..but there are plenty of those that DO NOT and would rather get back to normal schedule, meet at their own time, without all the agendas, and minutes, and documentation, and duplication of paperwork and forms, and spreadsheets adn then having to post all the crap for the PUBLIC to see is insane. As for the "sneaking in and out" I guess you are one of those...as my sister and friend say..."nosey parents" and YES IT HAPPENS...There are parents out there that do it.
having to post all the crap
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 08:19 — shank56having to post all the crap for the PUBLIC to see is insane.
Accounting for your time on the public dime is tough , huh? Sorry you feel that way. Interesting.
PS: Get involved in a school- listen to good teachers talk about those who skip meetings, have others sign them in , who sign in on a workday and leave for the day, who go to the grocery store during their planning block of time. Sure , some were upset by having to account for their time and have minutes documentwho was there. Do you think is too much to ask of a professional?
But I think that the Wacky
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 23:25 — jenmanBut I think that the Wacky Wednesdays was sprung on everybody. That time committee decided to do it but from what I understand, the principals and teachers found out about it when the rest of the public did--on the news or in the paper.
I think Fridays would have been a much better option.
For some reason I thought
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 23:05 — jenmanFor some reason I thought your wife taught in Durham. I thought you said she taught at an extremely high poverty school?
She teaches in Wake in a
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 09:43 — user12345She teaches in Wake in a high poverty school ... the basic classes ... not extremely high poverty since the present policy has prevented that from happing so far ... so, I often discuss the ideas espoused here to see if they have any merit ... I think, what I have discovered is that if PACs, BOE, Taskforces, just asked the teachers what worked they could actually get results ... it seems much of the dysfunction is self induced by State and Federal rules...
Well that did it
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 22:32 — g88ky07that skewed view will keep you from being eligible for the Super's job now. And you were so close!