QuoteThe Duval County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to extend Superintendent Nikolai Vitti's employment contract for three years.
The deal means that Vitti continues to lead the 125,000-student district until the end of 2019. His current contract would have expired June 2016.
The vote comes a few weeks after the board gave Vitti a mixed review on his annual evaluation after protracted discussion at the board meeting.
Initially three board members said they preferred to wait for more board and community discussion about superintendent goals and for the board and the superintendent to agree on future academic targets for the district.
Some board members said the motion was rushed onto the agenda.
"This agenda item tonight was hurriedly brought forward," said Constance Hall.
Becki Couch said she had asked for additional data that she didn't receive before being forced to decide on the contract. For more than an hour in discussion, it looked as if the board was divided.
Couch said in the end she voted in favor to prove her loyalty, but she didn't like her concerns being dismissed by the rest of the board.
"The way this was handled was very inappropriate," said Couch. "This cannot occur on the board, where we box out people when they share that they have concerns. It looks bad to the public, like we couldn't get our act together."
Some board members said they wanted a plan of action first because the district in the past year has gone from 24 schools graded D or F to 52 schools with those grades.
Couch added that the board has not officially completed the superintendent's evaluation statement.
"Maybe he deserves an increase in pay," she said. "We haven't had that opportunity to discuss that and vet it thoroughly."
The extension keeps Vitti's pay at $275,000 a year.
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-03-03/story/duval-school-board-votes-renew-vittis-contract
Seems like typical Jacksonville politics. From 24 D and F schools to 52 so let's make sure we keep the same leadership in charge that allowed that to happen no matter what. Why extend his contract today when there is still a year before you would have to when perhaps he is not doing such a bang up job and worse is still going to come out. Can't wait to see how many more schools are going to be added to that list.
Well more schools to the list should,not be a surprise. They had already advised there will be many more with the change in testing and how evaluated.
I've worked for 3 superintendents during my time at DCPS, and I've never seen morale as low as it is since Vitti came. However, in fairness, he also happened to come in at a time when schools were being required to change their curriculum to common core, change their evaluation system, change the state tests, and change the pay structure, so he is not completely to blame for that.
I would give him a mixed review, but my main qualms with his regime are:
- failure to provide teachers with adequate curriculum materials - there are gaps everywhere and the lesson sequence often does not make sense
- the Schultz Center and the old delivery model for professional development were gutted and the replacement has been lackluster
- the decision making seems to be fly-by-night at times and there is constant change as they backpedal from mistakes in implementing policies and programs
As someone in the trenches, I feel like the higher ups are making a tough job harder rather than giving me the tools I need to help students. I think that the board should have waited a few more months before giving him an extension and made it a shorter extension just to see if the current trajectory is just a hiccup or if the ship is truly sinking as it appears to be.
Quote from: strider on March 04, 2015, 08:23:39 AM
Seems like typical Jacksonville politics. From 24 D and F schools to 52 so let's make sure we keep the same leadership in charge that allowed that to happen no matter what. Why extend his contract today when there is still a year before you would have to when perhaps he is not doing such a bang up job and worse is still going to come out. Can't wait to see how many more schools are going to be added to that list.
perhaps you should run for School Board
Quote from: tufsu1 on March 04, 2015, 10:58:54 PM
Quote from: strider on March 04, 2015, 08:23:39 AM
Seems like typical Jacksonville politics. From 24 D and F schools to 52 so let's make sure we keep the same leadership in charge that allowed that to happen no matter what. Why extend his contract today when there is still a year before you would have to when perhaps he is not doing such a bang up job and worse is still going to come out. Can't wait to see how many more schools are going to be added to that list.
perhaps you should run for School Board
Why? When your views are boxed out and you walk into board meetings with surprise agenda items?
Every teacher I have talked with brings up his issues before I even ask. Teacher frustration with Common Core is prevalent.
Board rush jobs, especially these kind reflect other issues in governance.
Quote from: tufsu1 on March 04, 2015, 10:58:54 PM
Quote from: strider on March 04, 2015, 08:23:39 AM
Seems like typical Jacksonville politics. From 24 D and F schools to 52 so let's make sure we keep the same leadership in charge that allowed that to happen no matter what. Why extend his contract today when there is still a year before you would have to when perhaps he is not doing such a bang up job and worse is still going to come out. Can't wait to see how many more schools are going to be added to that list.
perhaps you should run for School Board
I actually know enough to realize that I am not qualified to be on the school board. Unfortunately, Vitti and board members like Paula Wright don't seem all that much better qualified. If for no other reason than they seem buy-able.
Quote from: Fallen Buckeye on March 04, 2015, 09:57:54 PM
I've worked for 3 superintendents during my time at DCPS, and I've never seen morale as low as it is since Vitti came. However, in fairness, he also happened to come in at a time when schools were being required to change their curriculum to common core, change their evaluation system, change the state tests, and change the pay structure, so he is not completely to blame for that.
I would give him a mixed review, but my main qualms with his regime are:
- failure to provide teachers with adequate curriculum materials - there are gaps everywhere and the lesson sequence often does not make sense
- the Schultz Center and the old delivery model for professional development were gutted and the replacement has been lackluster
- the decision making seems to be fly-by-night at times and there is constant change as they backpedal from mistakes in implementing policies and programs
As someone in the trenches, I feel like the higher ups are making a tough job harder rather than giving me the tools I need to help students. I think that the board should have waited a few more months before giving him an extension and made it a shorter extension just to see if the current trajectory is just a hiccup or if the ship is truly sinking as it appears to be.
Isn't a sign of good, solid leadership the ability to facilitate change in positive ways? With more schools receiving failing grades, that does not appear to be the case. The comments from a teacher in the system indicates it is not the case. Yes, I know that some of that must fall on those at the individual school levels, including the teachers themselves, but when we were getting letters from the teachers at my grandson's school that had spelling mistakes worse than the students, when in an attempt to fix the grade for the school turned into not teaching but eliminating every student they perceive to be more difficult to teach, the issue is obviously starting from the top. With Vitti and the school board. Seeing that to be true isn't being overly smart, it is basic common sense.