Towards the end of the Pratt Dannals era as superintendent, discipline was bad, teacher morale was poor, the super would hire people based on personal loyalty to him not being able to do the job, we were testing way to much and teachers were slammed with ridiculous mandates from the state and we had something like 12 charter schools.
Fast forward to today as superintendent Vitti finishes his third year, discipline is worse, teacher morale is even poorer, the superintendent hires people based on personal loyalty to him rather than the ability to do the job, we are testing way to much and where teachers are not slammed with as many ridiculous mandates, the amount of charter schools has more than trippled.
For all Pratt Dannals flaws he never routinely beat up teachers nor did he disparage the district. Vitti on the other hand routinely disparages teachers and he recently said the district was dying on the vine.
Pratt-Dannals embraced the ridiculousness of the state, who remembers those complicated board configurations we had to make or all the other BS we had to put up. Teachers spent a ton of time on things other than teaching and students. Pratt-Dannals administration spent millions on consultants and turn around specialists that made more work for teachers and would often tell them what they already new.
Vitti on the other hand has had an obsession with technology, he wants the latest shiny toy or program in the classroom and it doesn't matter if teachers are trained on them or if they are effective or not. Vitti has also embraced the city's elite, many of who have charter school interests or would privatize our schools given the chance, using their ideas and even outsourcing a lot of things to them through their pet group the Jacksonville Public Education Fund.
Pratt-Dannals didn't really seem to have any ideas, where Vitti has tons of them, some he implements half heatedly others he just throws out there half heatedly to see if they will stick.
Under Pratt-Dannals the state said we were a B district and under Vitti we have been straight Cs.
At the end of the day I don't believe for one second that we are dying on the vine but I wouldn't want a return of Pratt-Dannals either. Sadly quality leadership is something we have been lacking for going on a decade now and it definitely shows.
Fast forward to today as superintendent Vitti finishes his third year, discipline is worse, teacher morale is even poorer, the superintendent hires people based on personal loyalty to him rather than the ability to do the job, we are testing way to much and where teachers are not slammed with as many ridiculous mandates, the amount of charter schools has more than trippled.
For all Pratt Dannals flaws he never routinely beat up teachers nor did he disparage the district. Vitti on the other hand routinely disparages teachers and he recently said the district was dying on the vine.
Pratt-Dannals embraced the ridiculousness of the state, who remembers those complicated board configurations we had to make or all the other BS we had to put up. Teachers spent a ton of time on things other than teaching and students. Pratt-Dannals administration spent millions on consultants and turn around specialists that made more work for teachers and would often tell them what they already new.
Vitti on the other hand has had an obsession with technology, he wants the latest shiny toy or program in the classroom and it doesn't matter if teachers are trained on them or if they are effective or not. Vitti has also embraced the city's elite, many of who have charter school interests or would privatize our schools given the chance, using their ideas and even outsourcing a lot of things to them through their pet group the Jacksonville Public Education Fund.
Pratt-Dannals didn't really seem to have any ideas, where Vitti has tons of them, some he implements half heatedly others he just throws out there half heatedly to see if they will stick.
Under Pratt-Dannals the state said we were a B district and under Vitti we have been straight Cs.
At the end of the day I don't believe for one second that we are dying on the vine but I wouldn't want a return of Pratt-Dannals either. Sadly quality leadership is something we have been lacking for going on a decade now and it definitely shows.
I was told DCPS and DTU are in "talks" about having us do common board configuration again. What a waste of teacher's time. This Union gives in to whatever Vitti wants. Ridiculous. I won't give them a penny because of it.
ReplyDelete