No magic, just time on task

This is a big week for everyone interested in the future of St. Paul. The St. Paul School Board is to conduct public interviews with finalists for the job of superintendent, with hopes of selecting the new person next week.

[Not so hopeful now]

The finalist state is just plain depressing. Why oh why does this board keep choosing people with so little superintendency experience?

First Carstarphen, then the Kelly debacle, now this slate of finalists.

Bezak sure looked to be the best of the bunch, with significant superintendent experience, all in Minnesota, and experience pulling together a demoralized district (Elk River) in the face of a daunting leadership & management mess he inherited when he walked in the door.

Which is what the next SPPS supt will also face. The district insiders (Hinton & Silva) are part of the problem, and Hopson has no experience leading beyond the small African American community in Portland, and no superintendency experience.

Of the three finalist, Hinton is probably the best choice. But word among those in the know was the board decided months ago to give the job to Silva, so this expensive process is nothing more than tarting up the fact Elona made her mind up months ago to give the job to Silva. And what Elona wants, the SPPS gets~it really is that simple.

[Saint Paul taxpayer]

If anyone is wondering why interviews are being held today, Monday, then skipping Tuesday, then Wed. and Thurs., it's because "Papa George" Latimer is having a fundraiser at his house Tuesday night for the next "new, fresh face" which Latimer has latched on to, Ramsey County attorney wannabe, Dave Pinto. And guess who is one of the sponsors of the event?
Anne Carroll.
I guess we know what's more important.
Picking a new supt. definitely takes 2nd place to a fundraiser for a fellow DFL'er.

[Bonsai]

Saint Paul taxpayer wrote:

If anyone is wondering why interviews are being held today, Monday, then skipping Tuesday, then Wed. and Thurs., it's because "Papa George" Latimer is having a fundraiser at his house Tuesday night for the next "new, fresh face" which Latimer has latched on to, Ramsey County attorney wannabe, Dave Pinto. And guess who is one of the sponsors of the event?
Anne Carroll.
I guess we know what's more important.
Picking a new supt. definitely takes 2nd place to a fundraiser for a fellow DFL'er.

What you say could very well be true.

OR

There is a regularly scheduled monthly board of education meeting on Tuesday.

[America the Great]

With all due respect to the posters above me, none of the people on the school board or on this list of superintendents are going to help us or our students. School Board newbie Varro was chosen because of our large Hmong population, while the other two candidates were selected to cut the school district's costs. Not one of them, however, was selected to improve upon the problem we truly face, and that's students with below average reading, speaking, and math skills. We may see another bevy of social assistance and after school programs, but you will not see more homework for the kids to do, or a longer school day, or mandatory math classes, like algebra, geometry, or trig. Come this time three years from now, we will have the same problems because in order to close the achievement gap, you have to give students the key resource to do that which in this country is a thorough understanding of how to read and write, and what words mean. Without a superior grasp of the English Language, which most students of color do not have, you can not begin to understand the questions asked on any standardized test. None of your school leaders will acknowledge this.