Shame on us -- Pontiac and administrative pay -- and the utter comic hypocrisy of the MDE

Here is a nice write up by Diana Dillaber Murray who  really does actual reporting for The Oakland Press -- at least in the sense that she covers school board meetings and doesn't simply reprint missives from The Mackinac Center (more or less what the paper's editor does -- a fact I was reminded of yesterday when the publication was trying to sell "free" electronic copies to my kid's school -- a school that is part of a system The Oakland Press wants "reformed" [read: shut down]).
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/social-affairs/20131025/board-oks-promotion-15000-salary-bump-for-pon...

What Dillaber Murray describes here is the Pontiac School Board's deliberations and their decision to give the current superintendent, Kelley Williams, a 15,000 pay raise to 135,000 for running the troubled district that was dubbed "too big to fail" by Lansing this summer, including many Oakland County politicians.

As oft noted here, Pontiac was set to be dissolved like Inkster and Saginaw Buena Vista but Oakland County politicians stepped in and 1) raised the limit on how big a district could be -- anything over 2500 like Pontiac was too big to close and then 2) negotiated a "consent" agreement with the state that would stave off the appointment of an Emergency Manager.

If Pontiac closed, that would cause a great deal of chaos for other Oakland County Districts -- including BHSD. For example, we would probably get at least 1/4 of their students and 1/4 or more of their buildings, a financial challenge that is currently swamping Taylor following its absorption of Inkster.

Fortunately, we (for the moment) have more political muscle than Taylor -- and perhaps less shame.

As part of that behind the scenes deal making that kept Pontiac open to benefit ALL Oakland County, the state appointed Donald Weatherspoon for 750k over two years to "consult" with the District. Mr. Weatherspoon's chief claim to educational fame is that he took over Muskegon Heights and Highland Park long enough to turn those Districts over to charters.

Good work if you can get it.

His brother, Greg, now oversees Highland Park and Muskegon Heights -- which are run by charters.

Also good work if you can get it.

Somebody, however, still actually has to teach and run Districts with real people. Talk to students, talk to teachers, boards, parents -- the whole nine yards of accountability and transparency. These people, in turn, need to pay a mortgage, drive to work, buy groceries -- all that stuff. Talk to students, talk to teachers, boards, parents -- the whole nine yards of accountability and transparency.

In the case of Pontiac, one of those "people" is the superintendent whose salary is way below  Districts of comparable size and complexity.

Did I mention she was a she?

At any rate, here is the comic hypocrisy which should make all of us feel shame: the ACTUAL superintendent is being publicly villified for taking a 15k pay raise which puts her still more than 100k below the state appointed "consultant" who has to ok this expenditure to make sure it doesn't hurt the district.

In other words, the person doing the work should sacrifice. But the political appointee ....or, let's look at it this way: Pontiac is supposed to 'save' money by not paying its administrators a competitive wage but live happily with 3/4 million going to the fellas at the MDE as part of the deal.

Huh?

Shame on us.

But kudos to the Pontiac School Board members who voted and voted yay to give the raise. No situation better illustrates the utter hypocrisy of Lansing's school reform than the case right next door. This is about extracting money from those who teach and work directly with education to those that stand on the periphery as parasites, indulging in their own ideological fantasies.

Want to help educate? Teach. Run an actual school. Work in the office. Sweep a floor. Drive a bus. Lead a band. Coach a team.

Otherwise, hush and give the money back to those who work.