Callahan’s Cleveland Diary

So the Mayor finally got his five School Board picks. And it turns out the only seat he felt required a new occupant was… John Moss’s.

Funny how that worked out.

Well, he’s the Mayor and it’s his call. Personally I’m looking forward to hearing more from Mr. Moss about his East Sixth Street experiences. John Moss Meets The Bloggers, anyone?

Meanwhile, let’s check in on some modest steps toward School Board transparency that I’ve suggested in the last couple of years (specifically here and here). Hmmmm. Still not available on the CMSD website:

• The District’s audited financial statements
• Copies of any outside audits of District finances and practices (though we do get this handy summary — see more below)
• Minutes of School Board meetings
• Email addresses or phone numbers for the Board members (or top staffers).

The continued absence of real financial documents and audits from the District’s website is particularly unfortunate in light of this, from the Center for Community Solutions summary mentioned above:

I. Major Findings

Based on a review of the available audits, reports, and investigations, along with the District’s updated strategic plan, four major issues stand out.

First, the information on hand does not allow for a thorough and objective assessment of academic progress in CMSD… Measurable expectations and timelines for improvement are critical to an objective evaluation process and would form the basis for establishing genuine accountability for results.

Second, CMSD has apparently initiated several promising reforms in recent years, including the Cleveland Literacy System and a “district-wide” math program. However, there is little data about the degree and quality of implementation or the impact on student achievement…

Third, CMSD received generally favorable reviews of its financial management practices. However, the reported weakness of the operational culture of CMSD and inefficiencies and/or ineffectiveness in key systems — e.g., Information and Technology and Human Resources — raise serious concerns about whether the District is in fact maximizing existing resources…

Fourth, despite claims that CMSD is effectively engaging the community and building confidence in and support for the schools, parents, students, and other community members seem not to have been consulted in the various audits, reports, and investigations. The available documents rely almost exclusively on conversations with District personnel. In addition, the conclusions seem to ignore clear evidence of community disaffection — e.g., the recently failed levy and declining student enrollment.

That was submitted in December 2006. At that point three of the four Board members reappointed today by Jackson — Davis, Dempsey and Abdulhaqq — had been legally responsible for overseeing the District’s operations for three, six and six years respectively. (Gomez was new in ‘06.)

Think about that while you watch the Mayor’s interview.

Update, from the email this morning:

Hi Bill,

The PD story pretty much has it right. I wanted to move the board in a more transparent and relevant role. My colleagues felt everything was just fine. The main disagreement involved Board structure. I wanted to move to a committee structure like pretty much every school board in the state of Ohio, and the majority did not!

Ousted School Board Member, John Moss

This entry was posted on Monday, July 2nd, 2007 at 7:33 pm and is filed under The schools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.