Why is ACPS so sensitive to any constructive criticism?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| It’s easy to criticize from the cheap seats when you have no clue what really goes into making the changes you want. |
Anonymous
I was only pointing out the use of the term “democrat party” which is a type of dog whistle as noted above. On your general point, I do agree with you that: (1) school board elections are supposed to be non-partisan, (2) the focus of the school members should be what is best for the school system and not promoting any political party’s agenda, and (3) to the extent school board members / candidates have the connection with the Democratic Party (and related organizations that you note above), I share a concern that certain members may be more focused on improving their status in the Democratic Party rather than do what is best for Alexandria’s children. The problem is it is hard for consensus to develop among those opposed to the status quo. For me, for example, I think equity is an important goal. I just do not think Hutchings has any idea what that term really means and that it starts with taking steps of improving instructional approaches in the system to address systematic discrepancies that put certain groups of students behind. |
Anonymous
|
There are some relatively simple things that would go along way. For example, communication with parents. In ES, ACPS could implement a communication standard for teachers i.e. a calendar of tests, an regular email about what is generally happening in the classroom. A standard for grades would be helpful too. the 1-4 system doesn't work because every one of our teachers has had a different standard. An expectation that graded school work, tests go home at the end of the week. All very simple things to get moving that would make a huge difference.
But it would be very difficult to shift the general ACPS attitude of harshly quieting dissent. The superintendent would need to lead the way. But stories from central office staff/principals have been circulating about his activities in that regard. |
Anonymous
Ms. Green touts her role in the "young democrats," and this is why criticism and voices to improve get lost in the cross-talk. The point is, touting ones work with a political party - either Democratic or Republican - in an official bio for a non-partisan position is off-putting, albeit transparent. |
Anonymous
There have actually been MANY productive, creative, equitable, thought-provoking suggestions to improve the schools from parents who actually have kids in the schools (cheap seats…wtf?), but this school board, this superintendent, and ACPS staff aren’t there to hear them. I have never in my life heard so much hedging, avoiding blame, making excuses, and explaining why we can’t do something other school districts do as I heard, firsthand, from Hutchings, Mozingo and Terry Werner, especially during “Virtual +”. We have never, ever considered ourselves to be private school material, but we are sitting here on the West End in our modest middle class home, looking at how we are going to manage private school for two once they hit middle school (and we would do elementary if we could afford it). |
Anonymous
OK, so how is that different from you using "GOP/FoxNews types"? Didn't you use that intentionally? |
Anonymous
You have no arguments from me questioning Ms. Greene. I do think her priorities are either: (1) promoting her standing in the Democratic Party or (2) looking after some small subset of students she views as “her students” including ACHS athletes. |
Anonymous
| WRT pandemic recovery funds, WSJ reported in May that 93% of funds nationally had not yet been spent. So may be unfair to ding ACPS alone on that. |
Anonymous
Is she still on her church speaking tour with Alderton and Hutchings? Hmmm...maybe she can get a cut of Hutchings book profits since that's what they are out promoting. |
Anonymous
|
Anonymous
|
Returning to the original question of this thread...ACPS was sensitive to constructive criticism before Hutchings. Some parents liked to pretend that things were great when they weren't. But one didn't fear for their reputation if they questioned the status quo on even benign issues.
But there was a shift when Hutchings returned to ACPS. PTAC and their followers got increasingly vicious as did the school board (Cindy Anderson the former chair was really awful to parents who spoke out or just asked polite questions). Here's a snapshot of Greg's time in Shaker Heights from a WaPo article: Educators supported the goal, but some were put off by Hutchings. “It was clear to the staff that he was blaming us for the gaps,” said Sarah Davis, a white social studies teacher at the high school who started a summer program called Bridges to help black kids prepare to take AP classes. She said what Hutchings billed as a listening tour with staff felt more like a “lecture tour.” One teacher who complained about Hutchings’s leadership was Podl, the AP English teacher. They clashed over his decision to push out the high school principal, and she says he once called her into his office because her “body language” at a community meeting was “inappropriate.” After Hutchings chose a new principal over the candidate Podl and many faculty members preferred, she was at a tense meeting between Hutchings and teachers. Podl said she must have reacted to something someone said because Hutchings “screamed, ‘Don’t you roll your eyes at me! That’s disrespectful.’ ” “I was a little bit of a marked person” after that, she said. “For Greg, he just wanted people to agree with him, and if you didn’t agree with him, you weren’t on his side.” and this is how he closed out his time in Shaker Heights: "At his final school board meeting last year, Hutchings took a swipe at his critics, urging the board and others to ignore parents who complain. "Most of my time is spent dealing with the ignorance that comes from adults," he said. |
Anonymous
| Now Emperor Hutchings is trying to take further action to silence individual board members and avoid oversight: https://www.alxnow.com/2022/06/08/behind-closed-doors-alexandria-school-board-proposes-peer-pressure-procedure-when-talking-to-media/ |
Anonymous
| We need more board members like Elnoubi and Booz - at least members who are willing to hold the board to account and voice their own opinions. |
Anonymous
+1. I'm embarrassed by my district board members. |
Anonymous
Elnoubi sure. Booz is the blind squirrel who finds a nut every now and again. She's deeply engrained in the establishment and while she may not agree with this particular edict by Hutchings she's with him on everything else. I can't believe she got elected again. She did nothing when she was on the board before and actively worked to keep schools closed. Wasn't she particularly popular with the Open ACPS crowd? And remember every single one of these board members were silent when it was revealed the previous board covered up the Minnie Howard rape. |