Busy Week in NIS

[Put up or Shut up]

Monday 6pm Central Office - Brandt review in an open meeting (public allowed to attend) Be there and hold our board accountable.

Tuesday 7pm High School - Facility Planning Committee Public Forum -- discuss what you want to see done with the district. Looking to close both or one (MD or 4th st)

Wed Regular Board meeting 7pm central office -

Come and support what you believe

[Q and A]

As stated by Put up or Shut up. Some concernced citizens have questions that you may be interested in the answers as well. Each is relevant to how the district intends to spend funds that does not support teaching & learning at NIS. These questions needs resolutions before plans are made to close schools. Please plan to attend Tuesday's meeting at 7 at NIS library.
1. Why does our middle school have so many highly paid admin: principal, assist principal, attendance officer, full time counselor, along with 3 secretaries for a 380 student population?
2. Why is the middle school counselor (a close friend of Mr. Brandt's) paid almost $90,000/yr? Way more than the other counselors and more than some principals.
3. Why does the superintendent along with three board members continue to say that our middle school is doing so well when it's among the lowest performing middle schools in the state?
4. Why does the district pay for expensive consultants, Rosa Weaver, J. Cottingham, S. Gum & D. Hatfield when we have school administrators to do these jobs in the middle school & high school?
5. Why does the high school principal keep getting more money added to his salary when the high school is failing? Is the district leadership going to step in to change the leadership at the high school?
6. Why is there somuch trouble w/balancing the financial books in Npt? Why are we spending money on consultants to fix out books when we have at least five ee's working on them daily?
7. Why is K. Kosterman paid almost $80,000 ($65,000 reg,$13,000 for minutes at board mtgs - unless she can't be there!) for a job that paid $30,000 five years ago?
8. Why are central office clerical workers paid $50,000 for positions that paid $25,000 five years ago?
9. Why do we have a Welcome Center that costs over $100,000 to operate each year when we are cutting teachers and raising student class sizes across the district?
10. Why are we cutting art & music to half time in our elementary schools before cutting back on CO staff, salaries, etc?
11. Why is our school district performance in the bottom 4% of the state when we have one of the highest paid superintendents in the state?
12. Why are the people of Newport paying the superintendent a salary, over $50,000 more than the next highest paid superintendent in Northern Kentucky, when Npt is one of the lowest performing school districts in the state?$217,000.
13. Why do we have J. Gum, J. Sowinsky, & P. Rye, along with a full time superintendent to run a 190 student district?
14. Why does the school board not require Mr. Brandt not work a full day, each day of his contract? How is it that he is not required to be in the district working when all other ee's are required to do so?
15. How much is being spent on legal fees to defend the superintendent from following the Ky state law requiring all superintendents to live in the state?($40,000)
Also, please try to attend Brandt's public review. Let's see what kind of review he can possibly get with questions like this.

[Newport Chatter]

Good questions. If true it does sound like a lot of the salaries are disproportionate.
Although I dont understand a lot of the qualifiers in your questions. Most the salaries in question are not performance based (maybe they should be?) and what a job paid in the past is not indicative of what it pays today (maybe they was unable to fill the positions with properly qualified people at the lower salaries).
These are very valid questions though and should be addressed.

[same old song and dance]

I think it's hysterical the super gets blamed for poor school performance...that's a good one!! WTF!! Who's in the freaking classrooms!!? If he IS to blame it's because he can't or won't fire lazy a$$ teachers!!! "school district performance...bottom 4% of the state"...we could put cardboard cut-outs of teachers in the classrooms and school performance WOULD BE THE SAME(and save TONS of money)!! IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO THE SUPER IS if the staff can't or won't do their freaking jobs!!

Be disgusted about questionable salaries...FINE! But place the blame of school performance squarely where it belongs...on lazy teachers and deadbeat parents!!!

[god]

Do you think the current gene pool at NHS may have been the result of the ever changing demographics in Newport? As a person with first hand experience with the residents of Newport it has progressively gotten worse over the last 25 years. Quit blaming the adm. and teachers they can only work with what I have given them. You could clean house however that will not raise the IQ levels or impact the crack head uneducated low life parents that have the most significant impact on the children. The percentage of my smart, caring, respectful creations is very low in todays transient, poverty stricken, broken home version of Newport. I have witnessed the decline as a lifetime resident. I feel sorry for the small percentage of really bright kids that still reside there. The Levee and Mansion Hill Renovations are only facades for a town similar in demographics to other low performing areas like Covington or Silver Grove. It is time to accept these places for what in reality they truly are as much as that might hurt the good people that also reside in these districts!! I did not make all people perfect.

[Coach]

god wrote:

Do you think the current gene pool at NHS may have been the result of the ever changing demographics in Newport? As a person with first hand experience with the residents of Newport it has progressively gotten worse over the last 25 years. Quit blaming the adm. and teachers they can only work with what I have given them. You could clean house however that will not raise the IQ levels or impact the crack head uneducated low life parents that have the most significant impact on the children. The percentage of my smart, caring, respectful creations is very low in todays transient, poverty stricken, broken home version of Newport. I have witnessed the decline as a lifetime resident. I feel sorry for the small percentage of really bright kids that still reside there. The Levee and Mansion Hill Renovations are only facades for a town similar in demographics to other low performing areas like Covington or Silver Grove. It is time to accept these places for what in reality they truly are as much as that might hurt the good people that also reside in these districts!! I did not make all people perfect.

Based upon your words, it is obvious that you are not the "God" you think you are. Nor, ever the "God" you wish you could be. As a parent and having a connection to both Newport (hometown) and Silver Grove (currently), let me assure you of one thing. While things may have changed over the years, what should have changed with the times - only changed with greed stamped on their desks. Want to educate a child, give him/her a book. Want to teach a child about life, educate him/her in life. Want to teach a child to learn, give him/her a place to learn. However, a provider must be in place - who or where is yours?

[same old song and dance]

god wrote:

Do you think the current gene pool at NHS may have been the result of the ever changing demographics in Newport? As a person with first hand experience with the residents of Newport it has progressively gotten worse over the last 25 years. Quit blaming the adm. and teachers they can only work with what I have given them. You could clean house however that will not raise the IQ levels or impact the crack head uneducated low life parents that have the most significant impact on the children. The percentage of my smart, caring, respectful creations is very low in todays transient, poverty stricken, broken home version of Newport. I have witnessed the decline as a lifetime resident. I feel sorry for the small percentage of really bright kids that still reside there. The Levee and Mansion Hill Renovations are only facades for a town similar in demographics to other low performing areas like Covington or Silver Grove. It is time to accept these places for what in reality they truly are as much as that might hurt the good people that also reside in these districts!! I did not make all people perfect.

You are an ignorant bigot.

[Rodent Queen]

[QUOTE\]
4. Why does the district pay for expensive consultants, Rosa Weaver, J. Cottingham, S. Gum & D. Hatfield when we have school administrators to do these jobs in the middle school & high school?
[/QUOTE]
Newport is fortunate that Rosa Weaver and Jennifer Cottingham are willing to spend their time working with the district. They are both highly skilled and are responsible for the creation of one of the most successful programs at NKU.

[god]

Reality sucks! I will defend the bright kids at Newport and rank them up there with the best in other districts however they have over the years become a dwindling percentage. Obviously you missed my point. I feel sorry for the really bright kids that get a bad rap due to their coexistence with a large percentage of unfortunate children. This is the reality of the situation(I apologize for my sense of truth but for the real story to be told it overrides my need for political correctness. Sorry to hurt your feelings. Unfortunately, an extremely large percentage are a product of the the failures of our society. A very high percentage of students fall under the following: live in dire conditions(financial and psychological), have an IEP, require psychological counseling, are from broken homes, are under state assistance, are wards of the courts, are released from detention centers, are habitually transient, etc...do you think there is a correlation between these demographical characteristics and test scores or do you all still blame the adm. and teachers??

[curious]

god wrote:

have an IEP,

Be careful.

Having an IEP doesn't equate to lower intellect or a bad home.
My son has an IEP because he has a speech disorder.
He's the brightest in his class. He's been able to add double digits IN HIS HEAD since he was 3.
His IEP is for speech.

You need to be careful with your venom and make sure you know what you are talking about before your spew it out.

[same old song and dance]

Didn't hurt MY feeling--I only speak the truth as I see it. You are an ignorant bigot.

The administrators and teachers, you so obviously defend, are highly educated to deal with these 'problems' you indicate. You are simply espousing the ever popular (in Newport) poverty excuse. I don't buy it and I didn't miss your point. If they cannot do the job they are hired to do then they should RESIGN. Period.

[god]

curious wrote:

<quoted text>
Be careful.
Having an IEP doesn't equate to lower intellect or a bad home.
My son has an IEP because he has a speech disorder.
He's the brightest in his class. He's been able to add double digits IN HIS HEAD since he was 3.
His IEP is for speech.
You need to be careful with your venom and make sure you know what you are talking about before your spew it out.

I apologize for IEP inclusion I agreed with you

[god]

same old song and dance wrote:

Didn't hurt MY feeling--I only speak the truth as I see it. You are an ignorant bigot.
The administrators and teachers, you so obviously defend, are highly educated to deal with these 'problems' you indicate. You are simply espousing the ever popular (in Newport) poverty excuse. I don't buy it and I didn't miss your point. If they cannot do the job they are hired to do then they should RESIGN. Period.

Oh the reason the high performing schools are doing so well is strictly the educators doing what they are paid to do? Get a grip on reality!

[Coach]

god wrote:

Reality sucks! I will defend the bright kids at Newport and rank them up there with the best in other districts however they have over the years become a dwindling percentage. Obviously you missed my point. I feel sorry for the really bright kids that get a bad rap due to their coexistence with a large percentage of unfortunate children. This is the reality of the situation(I apologize for my sense of truth but for the real story to be told it overrides my need for political correctness. Sorry to hurt your feelings. Unfortunately, an extremely large percentage are a product of the the failures of our society. A very high percentage of students fall under the following: live in dire conditions(financial and psychological), have an IEP, require psychological counseling, are from broken homes, are under state assistance, are wards of the courts, are released from detention centers, are habitually transient, etc...do you think there is a correlation between these demographical characteristics and test scores or do you all still blame the adm. and teachers??

Reread your own print. To those that you declare as "a failure of our society," then the answer is yes - in re:educational direction. The administration is certainly aware that these condition (aka family statistics) are true. Thus, counsel for these students "should" be provided. However, when administration gives "suggestions" to the school board to cut, demote, transfer/outsource, etc. then these "high percentages" suffer more. Why? Because where it is hard enough to maintain the status q' for the parent - taking these programs away only make it harder to "restart" the child into another program or one that is a greater distance away. I agree, to "pat the achievers on the back," but, does that mean we smile at them and frown at the others. NO! Here's where the anger comes in. Economy is beyond the description of "low." Which causes "budget cuts." However, when the adm. continues to take "trips" (also called seminars, educational training or administration learning) at the cost of the tax payers, drops NEEDED programs without lowering the highest paid salaries (super')- It only demonstrates the selfishness of the administration and their mixed priorities...."my money first - kids' education second."

[god]

Coach wrote:

<quoted text>
Reread your own print. To those that you declare as "a failure of our society," then the answer is yes - in re:educational direction. The administration is certainly aware that these condition (aka family statistics) are true. Thus, counsel for these students "should" be provided. However, when administration gives "suggestions" to the school board to cut, demote, transfer/outsource, etc. then these "high percentages" suffer more. Why? Because where it is hard enough to maintain the status q' for the parent - taking these programs away only make it harder to "restart" the child into another program or one that is a greater distance away. I agree, to "pat the achievers on the back," but, does that mean we smile at them and frown at the others. NO! Here's where the anger comes in. Economy is beyond the description of "low." Which causes "budget cuts." However, when the adm. continues to take "trips" (also called seminars, educational training or administration learning) at the cost of the tax payers, drops NEEDED programs without lowering the highest paid salaries (super')- It only demonstrates the selfishness of the administration and their mixed priorities...."my money first - kids' education second."

Im not providing input to direct blame Iam only trying to provide info that paints the real picture

[same old song and dance]

god wrote:

<quoted text>Oh the reason the high performing schools are doing so well is strictly the educators doing what they are paid to do? Get a grip on reality!

Yes!! Quit making excuses for the failures of "educators" in Newport. YOU need a grip on reality, you ignorant bigot. If your statements accurately reflect the attitudes of these "educators", would you expect to see schools performing well?! Not me. Schools that perform well have educators who have high expectations of their students and in the case of Ft. Thomas (who has a high population of Newport transplants) the parents have high expectations of their educators. The crap Newport parents tolerate would NEVER fly in Ft. Thomas. Your logic is flawed, if you give it serious thought.

[nptwildcat mom]

There is no doubt that some children in Newport Schools need extra help. Coming from a broken home, being wards of the state, etc do not equate to lower intelligence. It takes a special teacher to handle a lot of the issues with children that go on outside of the classroom that affect their ability to learn. Newport has always had teachers that adapted very well to this. It is the newer administrators (hs principal) that just doesn't seem to get it. Coach is right, if you want a child to read, give him/her a book. If you want them to learn, give them a classroom to learn in. I believe that every child wants to succeed, they just need a little boost along the way and if that comes from a teacher instead of a parent - so be it. The bar needs to be raised and "we" (parents/teachers/taxpayers) need to see to it that the children go well above that bar anyway we can.

[Newport Chatter]

same old song and dance wrote:

<quoted text>
Yes!! Quit making excuses for the failures of "educators" in Newport. YOU need a grip on reality, you ignorant bigot. If your statements accurately reflect the attitudes of these "educators", would you expect to see schools performing well?! Not me. Schools that perform well have educators who have high expectations of their students and in the case of Ft. Thomas (who has a high population of Newport transplants) the parents have high expectations of their educators. The crap Newport parents tolerate would NEVER fly in Ft. Thomas. Your logic is flawed, if you give it serious thought.

Whats up with the name calling? You cant have a civil discussion?
You say Ft.Thomas has a high number of Newport Transplants, whats the number?
what percentage of Ft.Thomas residents are originally from Newport? Where do you get your numbers?
What crap are you referring to that Newport parents put up with that wouldn't fly in Ft.Thomas?
Once again give me some percentages and numbers so I can judge for myself if it fits the facts or not.
I assume you have numbers to back up your statements and not just making this up from the limited personal experience you have had.

[eff off]

Go to your own forum then...a-hole. You act like the freaking forum police.

[Newport Chatter]

eff off wrote:

Go to your own forum then...a-hole. You act like the freaking forum police.

ahhh, more name calling.
I take that to mean you was just making broad statements without having any ideal if they was true or not.