WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS News & Commentary By John F. Bailey. January 22, 2007: Mr. and Mrs. And Ms. White Plains have just five days to complete the Looking to the Future Survey issued by the City School District that seeks WP residents’ views “about our past performance and our future challenges,” that will be “shared with the team developing our plan for the future.” The survey is available online at www.whiteplainspublicschools.org and your answers may be submitted on that website. The District also reports the members of the Core Strategic Planning Group have not as yet, been determined. Availabilities of candidates are now being sought by the district.
WPCNR has learned the survey was only made available online, and is not translated in Spanish on the website. The content is troubling.
The survey was developed by Transformation Systems, Ltd., a strategic planning consultant to the school district. TSL was commissioned to guide the district and help it develop a strategic plan development for the next 5 to 10 years at a cost of $70,000. (Approximately $35-$40,000 of that fee will be refunded to the district by BOCES. Transformation Systems handles strategic planning for school districts and countries all over the world.)
Distribition Limited.
The survey has been made available online only, and not mailed to residents of the city. It was not publicized in the December About Our Schools Newsletter about its availability on line. The only copy is available electronically on the www.whiteplainspublicschools.org website. But it is not translated into Spanish. Residents have until Friday of this week to online their answers.
Residents without a computer to voice their opinions, have to descend en masse to the White Plains High School Wednesday evening to make known issues they feel the district should deal with over the next ten years
However, in this reporter’s opinion, the survey will not expose problems, but earn a pat on the back from citizens for “a job well done.”
No Depth.
When I punched it up on the website, I plunged right in only to have my jaw drop on my keyboard when I discovered it was five statements long. This reporter can name 21 issues this school district needs to probe and mull and address off the top of my head.
It’s how the survey is designed that is disturbing.
There are five statements, phrased in the term of absolute statements. You’re asked to “Strongly Agree,” “Agree,” “Disagree,” “Strongly Disagree.” The statements highlight areas planners perhaps can ask questions about during the World Café meeting Wednesday.
I would hope so, because who in their right mind would “Strongly Disagree” with these statements:
- Classes are small and allow individual attention to students.
- School facilities are an asset.
- Our curriculum encourages critical thinking and provides a solid academic program.
- Our extra-curricular and athletic programs provide enrichment opportunities for students.
- Overall, White Plains Schools’ services and programs are high quality and well managed.
- For any statement with which you disagreed, please give specific reasons so we can work to improve.
The first five force the White Plains parent or resident to be negative to highlight a concern. Notice of the survey was telephoned to parents of school attendees in a tape-recorded telephone call last week via the school district call-out notification system. All residents of the city were not telephoned.
Looking for Positive Reinforcement
Who would not want to have small classes? Who would not agree that school facilities are an asset that our curriculum is solid, or say they are against extra-curricular activities and sports, that the services and programs are not high quality and well-managed? Who would know if you were not a parent?
Many will simply check agree and send in the survey with some comments. You have to be really in tune with what is going on in the district to not agree to these rosy scenario statements.
Now, suppose you do disagree. Well you are asked to write up your concern. It will be interesting to see how many comments are generated. However, what most likely will happen is the consultant will report something like this:
Endorsing the past as the future
“Of Over 500 persons responding to the survey, 80% of persons completing the survey strongly agreed that “facilities are an asset,” (obliquely justifying building new facilities) or “90% agreed that services and programs are well-managed,” (implying they do not have to be examined and we should add more) and “95% agreed that classes are small and allow individual attention to students,” (endorsing maintaining small classes instead of expanding class size to trim faculty and support staff)." (NOTE THIS IS AN EXAMPLE, NOT FACT)
The survey is programmed to return an endorsement of the status quo. It subtly justifies where present management has gotten the district and produces a “public community wide” endorsement for more of the same. It is up to the public to think this one out and come out and voice concerns Wednesday evening.
Limits Universe
Proselytizes
Most distributing, this survey was not sent to every resident of the district and it frames discussion in terms of outcomes the district wants and has now (in their opinion). The issue of what the true position of the school district is in the eyes of the public is not sought.
When I saw this survey I was shocked, considering what Dr. Steven Barone of Transformation Systems said in his address to the Board of Education this month about involving critics of the district and identifying negatives. The questions above in Dr. Barone’s company survey do not identify negatives.
It asks condescendingly, do you think small classes, buildings (instead of tents supposedly) to go to school in, challenging academics, extra-curricular acitivies, and programs are well managed are good??????
No Demographic Profile Asked
There is no effort on the website to get a demographic profile of the respondent, so the results are meaningless. You have to wonder the demographics of the persons taking the survey. Respondents might be 95% white and 95% well over the median income, an effort should be made to survey the minority and lower income segments of the population – with a section identifying your race, income level and what part of town you live.
21 Issues Facing the School District
In case Dr. Barone and his staff have been talking to the client instead of the people, here are just 21 odd issues any planner should take into account in devising a strategic plan for this district:
- Tax Base and Rising School Tax Sensitivity of the Populace—employed and retired.
- Administration cost oversight
- Projected budget growth of the district and tax impact over next 15 years.
- Demographics of the School Population, addressing bilingual issues.
- Neighborhood Schools—Eliminate busing or retain.
- Structure of the School Day – Longer Hours? Summer Program
- Future of the existing buildings: Build New, Repair?
- Selling of District property, Acquiring New Property.
- Partnering with local businesses on academic subjects.
- Closing Minority Achievement Gap; Succeeding or Not?
- District Maintenance: Outsource or Keep In House
- Testing Policies: Balanced, Remedially Effective?
- Advanced Placement Courses: Enough? Not enough?
- Security Facilities Policies: Adequate or In need of improvement
- Student Conduct, Supervision: Dealt With Fairly, Effective Discipline?
- Universal Pre-Kindergarten Programs for all.
- Expansion of class size
- Communication with residents, parents and non-parents.
- Representating district concerns to city, county, state government representatives (lobbying)
- Income generating opportunities for the School District through its facilities.
- Where should School District allocate its financial resources.
The homework that Transformation Systems has done, based on the survey they created, apparently has not acquainted them with these issues that the district should consider in forming any strategic plan.
Hopefully White Plains citizens will get out their old torches and descend on the high school at 7:30 P.M. Wednesday night and move from table to table and raise issues: talk about them, demand they be addressed.
The Runaway Freight
Otherwise, assuming a 9% annual budget increase plus 2.5% inflation a year, the district will continue on the inexorable budget track it is on now. We will see the school district budget reach $410 Million in 2015-2016, which I assure you will become more of an issue every year, unless the school district addresses it.
Here is the very rough “basic math.”
2007-2008 -- $175M
2008-2009 -- $191M
2009-2010-- $213M
2010-2011-- $238M
2011-2012 -- $265M
2012-2013-- $296M
2013-2014-- $330M
2014-2015 -- $368M
2015-2016-- $410M
WPCNR will be there Wednesday evening, 7:30 P.M. to see what Mr. and Mrs. And Ms. White Plains really think at the World Café Session at White Plains High School.
