District 299 Chicago Schools Blog :: Fired From Central Office

Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Fired From Central Office Dear Alexander and Steve:

I chose both of you as recipients of this missive because you are proprietors of two compelling Chicagocentric blogs that I'm linking to here for the benefit of cc and bcc recipients who may not know of you, District 299 blog (http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/RUSSO/) and The Beachwood Reporter (http://www.beachwoodreporter.com/).

You need to know the classless, low-rent way in which layoffs are being handled at Central Office, in general, and specifically at Information & Technology Services (ITS) where I worked until being given my walking papers yesterday.

At the outset, I must make mention of some particulars:

My name may be used with redaction of my e-mail account information;
Please disregard/redact anybody else's e-mail account information;
Anybody being criticized here is in the cc box;
Interested other parties are in the bcc box;
I am not bitter about being let go; I'm definitely taking the summer off to write, and just be; and
Fortuitously, I hit a major slot machine jackpot this past weekend in Indiana this past weekend.

Yesterday, I got a call from the person who handles hiring/firing at ITS who directed me to a meeting in a conference room with Arshele Stevens, who is chief information officer at CPS and heads our team. I have copied her e-mail of June 10 to prove my point that she lied in that communication (I have redacted her direct line and related information). I was surprised and had to laugh when I found myself sitting across from me at a conference table reading from a pro forma script that she had to request from an HR person who was also in attendance. She barely made eye contact as she read from said script; you've failed as an organizational leader if you can't/don't/won't take interpersonal communication seriously. This was also the same individual who danced with me at a Christmas party in December. I had high hopes for her when she was named CIO but I'm afraid that she's in over her head.

I was laid off along with Stephanie Book yesterday. In the proverbial single fell swoop, they let go the most experienced, skilled and versatile writer and the only phot[o]grapher and graphic designer on the ITS communication team (Stephanie Book is one skilled photographer!).

As I said, I'm set financially and my beef now is with how this clusterfuck is being handled. For instance, the woman who legitimately should head the ITS customer relations team has been shunted off to be a technology coordinator in the schools (good for whatever school gains from Stacy Butler-Cross and her skills & experience but bad for Central Office customer relations efforts). I know that this move resulted from the relationship between Arshele Stevens and Veletta Bell (the current customer relations honcho at ITS).

Further, my immediate supervisor knew this past weekend that I would be gone Monday. Thom Goodwin and I worked on the communications team at ITS. He could have called me over the weekend to let me know, even taken me into confidence if necessary to save his job (a move I would have understood and even hailed). But his inaction (furthered by how he was prepared to return a book unread that I had loaned him) tells me that he can no longer lay claim to being a "professional communicator." How he slept over the weekend is between him and a god if he has one.

Finally, I must address the idea of Ron Huberman as CEO of CPS (I would have included him in the cc box but, unfortunately, he has despotic tendencies such as not listing himself in the CPS e-mail client Outlook address book). I am entering my twenty-second year as a corporate communications professional. I have seen organizations communicate poorly in a crisis or do so in mediocre fashion; however, I have never, ever, known an organization that DID NOT COMMUNICATE AT ALL during full-blown tumult (Arshele Stevens lied when she said "However, as soon as there is any information, it will be shared with you..." in the e-mail below because there was NO communication whatsover; in fact, CO employees heard about layoffs on June 10 from media reports and the next thing people being let go knew was the "meeting" such as I had yesterday with Arshele). Either Huberman's internal communications shop is filled with worthless people (I know this to be untrue given that I've worked with the gifted Anitra Schulte) but, more likely, nobody in power there has the testicular fortitude (please pardon use of the Blago coinage) to call Huberman on this communications fiasco.

As an inveterate copyeditor, I must also state that Thom Goodwin (who was involved in the drafting of Arshele's e-mail below) and others on my team had to be told by me that "prideful" in the e-mail below was a singularly unfortunate word choice. They will miss that expertise that I brought to the table, regardless of whether they admit it.

This exercise has been delightfully cathartic. I will continue to follow both your blogs with considerable interest.

Best regards,

Hari Chengalath

From: Information & Technology Services
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 6:55 PM
To: 12510 ESP - TechnologySvcs; 12510 TEACHER - TechnologySvcs
Subject: CPS Budget Update

ITS Team,

I know that many of you have concerns about the recent media coverage on the state of the CPS budget.

At this time, the details of how ITS will be affected by our budget are not available. However, as soon as there is any information, it will be shared with you.

Until that time, I ask that you continue to be diligent and prideful in your work.

Thank you,

Arshele Stevens

Information and Technology Services

Chicago Public Schools|www.cps.edu

125 S. Clark 3rd Floor|Chicago, IL 60603

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Comments

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 6:52 PMBy: only the little people first Fired From Central Office No big names! Not yet--though I feel for Hari.
It was a ghost town at the E Center yesterday--I heard over 40 positions closed there last Friday.

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 6:55 PMBy: I hope they learned about politics Fired From Central Office --those let go, and it usually is the lowest paid, remember this come Daley election day. Good thinkg you did not have to pay CTU dues--your leader would have just waved good-bye to you going: "Huh?"

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 7:05 PMBy: welcome to the club Fired From Central Office you really expected professionalism--and clear and truthful communication? how long have you been with CPS? Arne was good a lying right to your face over and over again--Daley looks for this strength in his czars--leaders.
Call any of the ladies this former employee mentions above--I bet they are really young. Will CPS counter-- now that stats show they have lost many black teachers, but look at all the many young black professionals we have at central office?? And shame on them loosing Stacy Butler-Cross--whoever made that mistake should be fired!

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 7:07 PMBy: Fired 2 Fired From Central Office Our manager didn't read from the script..."it didn't feel right." I'm betting the script mentioned a budget crisis etc. Our dept. is funded nearly 90% by grants. So the real reason a script wasn't used was that our jobs were closed then reopened -- more hours, less money, no union.

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 7:16 PMBy: what department Fired From Central Office fired 2--what office?

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 7:36 PMBy: Runcie's promotion had to be paid for Fired From Central Office did you not know that?

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 9:01 PMBy: who else is out? Fired From Central Office they are pigs

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 9:34 PMBy: That's the way they do it in corporateville Fired From Central Office I was on the giving-end of two re-orgs before I left the corporate world to help (??) the children. What happened at Central Office isn't dramatically different from what I was a part of 15 years ago: the scripts, the lack of information, the leaks and the attempted cover-ups.

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 10:44 PMBy: Kugler - Same Lame Fired From Central Office same message to me. my principal knew in march he was told to cut me. he could have told me and it would have been better that the last minute, i can not look in your eyes scam. they had the same talking points. My excuse was we can not justify your position." after they told me i was cut and i said alright, then i asked what would be done with the $100,000 in equipment, i had in my recycling inventory. the reply, "i do not know" "i can not think about that now." the only word i have for it is silly.

funny thing buy the end of the month(June 30) i will have at least 2000 pcs of equipment in stock this time far away from CPS. with plans for fixing 5 North Carolina STEM schools, a Cameroon school, a Philippines school, and a new contact to build and equip a CTE school for women in Nepal and starting a 21st Century classroom in an Alternative school in Chicago.

HiHo

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 10:49 PMBy: Mary Bad 'ol world out there is BEW leaving too?

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 10:51 PMBy: Diane Fired From Central Office Wow.

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 11:29 PMBy: Runcie should have been shown the door!!! Fired From Central Office If anyone should have been fired it should have been Runcie and his poor implementations of technology while spending big dollars on fat contracts for what! Common knowledge that that they have some dog web applications. He gets bumped up! Another Huberman boner!

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 2:27 AMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office Thanks for sharing this information.

Most of the reorganization is going to be dribbled in so that there is no way to focus on the vast changes Huberman is making, both through the ruthless purges (such as documented here) and through the completely inappropriate executive-level appointments (just about nobody in his top echelon will he any classroom experience).

The June 24 Board agenda lists the following for "Resolutions" honoring the retirements of...

Ascencion Juarez (Executive Officer, Human Resources)

Cynthia Kay Barron (Retired Area Instruction Officer, Area 25)

Anailia Chico (Retired Area Instruction Officer, Area 12)

Olga La Luz (Retired Area Instruction Officer, Area 4)

Norma Rodriguez (Retired Area Instruction Officer, Area 23)

Plus a large number of principals.

All of the Board Reports are boilerplate. Under Arne Duncan and Paul Vallas, they actually contained a summary of each person's career, beginning with first teaching work. Now they are generalizations.

Nobody else even gets honorable mention, and since they are lining people up for these bureaucratic firing squads every day at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Huberman were absent for some of the Board meeting. After all, he's one of those guys who likes to watch other people in pain.

Another example of Hubermanian efficiency.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 6:58 AMBy: Hari Chengalath Fired From Central Office As an editorial comment to my e-mail, I must state that I misunderstood the status of Stacy Butler-Cross and Donya Peterson. Rather than being reassigned to the schools as technology coordinators, these stalwart women were simply let go. Bad move!

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 7:29 AMBy: Retired Principal Fired From Central Office Alexander, this is the way it is done in the "wonderful world of CPS"! It's all true!

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 7:34 AMBy: Catbus Fired From Central Office Hari, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you this: Nobody misses copy editing when it's gone. Nobody.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 8:07 AMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office I miss copy editing. Every day when you open the Tribune you're seeing the result of the removal of that part of the news operation. Whether they outsourced it to India or just cut it out with a stab along the bottom line on an Excel spreadsheet, it results in a daily accretion of gunk to the record that goes into Google and thence into the "first rough draft of history." Jerry Crimmins of the Tribune used to call here regularly with very specific questions about CPS (e.g., was such and such a person a member of the Board of Education on such and such a date ten years ago). That was copy editing at its best.

Back in the day before such manic bottom lineiness, Tribune knew it had a responsibility to determine whether Foreman High School was "West Side" or "Northwest Side." Now it's look how far west a school is in some data base, and that's it. Every day new junk gets into the "news" stream, much of it fed via Power Point at the Editorial Board Briefings done by the rich and powerful. Advance Illinois is just a current example of the genre.

The same is true at CPS today. The High School Directory, to give one example, came out in January (too late to help people applying to the magnet schools, but convenient to the charters!) listing Aspira Mirta Ramirez (among its more droll mistakes) at 2435 N. Western, which is a rat infested abandoned warehousey building, while Mirta Ramirez has been over at Moos for two years! The old fuddy duddies (non visionary, non "entrepreneurial") who used to insist that 100 percent accuracy was a worthy objective were worth more than their weight in gold. Betty Shiras was the example at CPS for supervising data entry in payroll records, and her crew was exemplary for the entire country.

Now we've got Bob Runcie, Ron Huberman's crazy notions about worshipping nonsensical DATA, and the "Excuse of the Day" society.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 8:14 AMBy: Hari Chengalath Fired From Central Office I'm with George on copy editing. I don't give a F*** if people don't miss it, although I reserve the right to think badly of them if they don't.

One of my favorite exercises (that I'm indulging in this morning), is to get 4-5 newspapers and go to work on them with a red Sharpie.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 10:32 AMBy: Hari Chengalath Fired From Central Office I have contacts because I'm originally from that part of the world. Let me know.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 11:20 AMBy: Miss It Fired From Central Office I miss copy editing in formal or official communication. I could care less about it in blog comments.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 11:49 AMBy: apply as CAO Fired From Central Office Why do I always feel nauseated when I read this woman's (a mom and LSC member) blog: CPS Obsessed?

http://cpsobsessed.com/

(current entry on new CAO job)

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 1:33 PMBy: dearest Hari Fired From Central Office "One of my favorite exercises ... is to get 4-5 newspapers and go to work on them with a red Sharpie.
Good for you and you are needed. I am tired of reading news stories that do not make sense, since no one cares to write right correctly). Sometimes I wonder why CPS put so much weight on student writing, when it is all computers now.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 1:39 PMBy: Mairie Fired From Central Office George,

The High School Directories came out in October, 2008, not January, 2009 as you've stated. The Elementary Directories came out later, so perhaps this is what you were speaking of.

I respect and appreciate you, George, but there are times when you don't have your facts straight, and I wish you would make a better effort to do so.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 1:41 PMBy: Writing is more important than ever... Fired From Central Office You need to know how to write. Yes, the computer can perform a spell check but it can not substitute for poor writing skills. The ACT has a writing portion although I do not know if it is mandatory. One of the reasons the CPD has a two years of college requirement is that the writing skills of some of the officers were so poor (you can not write like you speak) court cases were getting thrown out...personally, I cringe whenever I receive evidence of poor writing skills via the many nebulous missives from CPS administration...it is embarrassing

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 1:47 PMBy: Mairie Fired From Central Office so quick to crit George--get your facts straight--the HS directories did NOT arrive to the elementary schools until November--with applications due in December. The Spanish version did not come until late December--
The elemtary did not come until January--AFTER the application process was due!
Now they just go in the garbage.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 2:29 PMBy: Mairie Fired From Central Office My facts WERE straight. If you read what I wrote-- I said that the HS Directories were NOT released in January, but in October, 2009, and that I believe that the Elementary ones were released in January!!

In other words, you agreed with what I said, but for some reason, you are defending George who wrote the wrong thing... Also, you could have made up a name instead of reusing mine...

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 2:31 PMBy: Mairie Fired From Central Office My apologies, I meant to state October, 2008...

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 2:34 PMBy: Mairie Fired From Central Office Well, we still use them as school directories, as they are the most updated version of schools in the system, with addresses, phone numbers, etc., so if you don't want yours since the application process deadlines have passed; you can send them to me, 'cause people are still asking for them for this reason.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 3:04 PMBy: Yep Directories The directories are all, all wrong. Central office can not even direct themselves. There is a school that was not even listed in this year's directory that was active, alive, open and doing well, but because 125 was so, so thirsty to sell that property to the White Sox. They did not even include the school in this year's directory at all. The doesn't officially close, until June 30, 2009, due to low enrollment. The Board does what it wants to do. They can make you or break you, depending upon what side of bed they wake up on in the mornings. You people had better be careful, because we here at central office truly realize that no one cares about us, and they don't even care about the students that are products of the CPS system. You would think that they would have a heart for those who grew up and went through the entire CPS system from child to adulthood. True graduates of CPS. People that would make any school system proud to say "he or she is product of our great school system". This doesn't even matter to the Board. What happen to loyalty? Is there anyone out there they wants to see loyalty in individuals.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 6:35 PMBy: Public Education Ravaged! Fired From Central Office Ron Huberman and his new leadership team are on a mission to ruin, despoil, plunder, pillage, and sack the Chicago Public Schools all in the name of privatization, Ren 2010, and the 2016 Olympic bid. Huberman is lead by an ego without a conscious and is using CPS as a step to his next career with full support from an elected Mayor.

Chicago student, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members have grown apathetic and no longer stand up for ensuring all students receive a world class education in safe neighborhood community schools.

It only takes one voice to create an awareness about the ways in which non-educators are creating barriers to teachers and administrators receiving the support and resouces they need to make sure students receive a high quality 21st century education to improve the quality of their lives. We all must do whatever it takes to put children first!

Numerous communications tools are available to express your concerns of non-educators running a major urban education system even though they were educated by educators to be in leadership roles today. Look at how global communications is spreading the word about what is going on in Dafur and Iran. The time is now to create an awareness campaign, demand transparency and involvement in the decision making process. This is exactly what PURE and other grasroots community organizations have been trying to do for years.

Our President needs to know privitazation is not the only answer for failing public schools it is the mindset of people in charge who are lead by their egos for power and control who have little or no understanding about what it takes to improve teaching and indivualized student learning. President Obama needs to come to Chicago Public Schools to conduct one of his "Town Hall Meetings" on creating 21st century world class community schools focused on college and workforce readiness.

It is time to let all the leadership of the Chicago Public Schools and City Hall who work for us know we will not settle for anything less than the best for our tax dollars by holding them accountable with stakeholder involvement!!!

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 7:08 PMBy: okay above post Fired From Central Office now what will you do about it? yes the words are great and true, but YOU must get involved and do something about it. Blogging is NOt enough.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 9:29 PMBy: Squidward Fired From Central Office Many of the fine folks that were effected by the premature layoffs (they weren't supposed to happen last week), were treated like they committed a felony while employed. Check this out...from the time they sat with the HR rep, to the time they returned to their desks to try and digest what had just happened, their CPS email account was disabled! No last minutes goodbyes, no saving their contacts, no archiving messages...LOCKED OUT!!!

CPS will fail miserably and I can't help but think this is all by design...two words to think about...Charter-Schools.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 9:30 PMBy: Squidward Fired From Central Office Many of the fine folks that were effected by the premature layoffs (they weren't supposed to happen last week), were treated like they committed a felony while employed. Check this out...from the time they sat with the HR rep, to the time they returned to their desks to try and digest what had just happened, their CPS email account was disabled! No last minutes goodbyes, no saving their contacts, no archiving messages...LOCKED OUT!!!

CPS will fail miserably and I can't help but think this is all by design...two words to think about...Charter-Schools.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 9:45 PMBy: well it was in person Fired From Central Office I got my letter in the mail and haad to call to see when i could pick up my things!

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 9:46 PMBy: Joe Fired From Central Office How is it that they are firing all these people but Ron is still hiring people? And from what I hear, they are each being given six figure salaries! If CPS is in such bad shape, where is this money coming from ? CPS is full of it as is Ron. We have money for what we want to spend it on. I too hope that Ron and all his staff fail miserably because of the way they are treating the people that really worked. All the fat cats that do nothing(Lach, Botano,AIOs) are still there. Nothing has changed. And at the end of the day, just as they lowered the standards for kids to graduate to save money, we will still have students not being educated and lagging behind the world.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 9:49 PMBy: Teacher cuts Fired From Central Office At the CBOE hearing today, a CVCA teacher described the process of her "reassignment" -- by e-mail on the last day of school. Not even the courtesy of a conversation initiated by the principal. Just prior to her testimony, Huberman denied that there were ANY teacher cuts.
WTF is going on? Education is a PEOPLE business. Well, at least it used to be.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 10:23 PMBy: Hari Chengalath Fired From Central Office I want to correct "Squidward" because I was given all the time I needed to get out which I did!

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 10:46 PMBy: Clinician Fired From Central Office Hari, I'm sorry to hear this. I had little contact with you, but in one email exchange you proved yourself to have excellent customer service skills, and to care about your job. CPS should have kept you, or at least shown you the same caring and respect at your departure that you showed the staff you helped. Thanks.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 10:49 PMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office Sorry about the directories, but you're wrong.

December 2008 was an interesting time. Where could you get information about the selective enrollment schools and the elusive applications?

I went to the fifth floor at Clark St. every day during the last week up until December 19, 2008. The directories were not out and available. "School and Community Relations" (that famous locked office that's supposed to be open to the public down the hall from the Board chambers) kept giving me a "Duh!" when I asked for the current one.

I marked each one I did pick up -- last year's.

They also weren't in the public libraries, and the aldermen didn't see them, if they did at all, until after the deadline (December 19). Whatever the schools had, well...

Like IMPACT and so many things, those oversights (actually, huge blunders) had no impact on careers at CPS. If anything, the people inside CPS who sabotaged such things as information (on the Web or in print) for parents to choose public schools (as opposed to these novelty thingies -- charters mostly -- that are more marketing department than reality) have been (again) given promotions. Or picked up by all the multi-million dollar corporate entities (Renaissance Schools Fund; the not-for-profits) pushing this massive privatization scam. If you've rehearsed your lines about markets and "choice" and have brushed up on your Atlas Shrugged (especially the lurid parts; the ones that turned on Ayn Rand and Alan Greenspan back in the day), you've got a future. Just ask John Galt and his "Solutions." This stuff is even too implausible for fiction.

We sure do need copy editors. And managers who are supposed to establish and meet deadlines, not subvert them in the interest of a higher cause (like "markets" and "choice").

I was tracking their distribution because of that deadline. And it was not met. Not in print. Not on line. Not anywhere where real parents would have to be to navigate the process.

Then what happened was ever more interesting.

The "New Schools Expo" (Soldier Field) offered thousands of kids the "choice" to get into the charters (since they had been manipulated into missing the deadline for the selective enrollment schools unless they really were savvy about navigating the system).

And there were directories by the truckload all over the Soldier Field site. And all the charter schools waiting to help out the families that had been unable to learn enough to get their kids lined up in time for the December 19 deadline.

Then, of course, the Arne Duncan Hit List (2009 edition) came out, and hundreds of parents and thousands of kids learned that their schools were being closed (phased out; turnarounded; reconstituted; closed; or "consolidated") four weeks too late to apply for any of the selective enrollment schools. By February 1, 2009, when the "hearings" (presided over by CPS attorneys in drag, most of them long-term contractors with strong CPS ties, as I reported) were in full swing, the parents were demanding to know why the Hit List had come out after the deadline for the selective enrollment schools.

Charter schools forced choice anyone?

The whole thing was scam and snake oil.

And then Arne Duncan could go around the USA talking about all those charter school waiting lists in Chicago as "proof" that Chicago's families chose charters (rather than being forced into them by Duncan's machintations). Duncan began prattling about those so-called "waiting lists" (along with Phyllis Lockett and all the other charter touts) a couple of years ago, while refusing to every release them, or to answer my ten times asked question to his face: "How big is the waiting list for Whitney Young?"

Sorry.

The whole thing in 2008-2009 was a structured manipulation of families, parents and children. And a big part of that manipulation was the unconscionable delays in the directories, their distribution, and every other form of precise accurate communication with the families of Chicago.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 10:58 PMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office One other thing.

Did I just hear yesterday, during the discussion with the last speaker at the Board, that all of the kindergarten kids from Carpenter were going to "the charter school"? Or was that all the pre-kindergarten kids?

After, of course, being massaged by David Pickens, Michael Scott, and Greg Minniefield (Scott's $100,000 a year coat holder who's sitting there while Ron Huberman prattles about how tough the budget choices are this year).

Right.

So tough that Huberman sat there three months ago with a straight face while CPS hired Minniefield back at more than $100,000 a year. And voted to pay "expenses" to the Board members of $24,000 per year -- with $36,000 per year going to Michael Scott, as President of the Board.

This stuff is nasty. The difference is that this year hundreds more people are tracking every lie in real time, and keeping close watch on every secret meeting Scott tries to hold behind the scenes to calm down some parents (like Carpenter) up in arms because his regime is screwing another schools and the thousand children in it.

The funniest thing about "Ogden High School" (the infection that's destroying Carpenter) is that the prissy parents of the Real Ogden are having second thoughts about sending their children across the Kennedy to go to school in THAT NEIGHBORHOOD with THEM. Didn't Michael tell them that the "new" Ogden was going to be a few blocks west of the Gold Coast? Can you imagine, Michael, what it would have been like if those families had been told they were going to have to send their children to Douglas Park with another brand of THEM?

Game's up. Interesting run. Just like Wall Street, the scams of CPS are now going to be weighed in the scales of history.

And every word will be "memorialized." You can count on that.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 11:00 PMBy: Danny Fired From Central Office On Thursday, June 11th (the TI day just before the end of school), two tenured teachers at my school were notified by e-mail from HR that their positions were being closed.

The principal knew nothing of it. He called HR immediately and found that the position numbers were closing because the funding source was changing. But instead of telling the teachers that they were being switched from one position number to another, HR just told them their positions were closed. No name or number to contact anyone.

HR needs communication skills? You bet.

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 11:17 PMBy: cuts Fired From Central Office So having worked in IT for about 15 years, I've seen my fair share of IT departments. I've never seen one with a full time copy editor. Not that you're not very good at your job, but seems like it was time to make that cut.

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 7:08 AMBy: Hari Chengalath Fired From Central Office Copy editing was not the focus of my e-mail to Mr. Russo; I am not even concerned about being let go because I have financial resources to fall back on.

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 7:30 AMBy: CAO Fired From Central Office I still can't believe the CAOs only need bachelor's degrees and don't need any experience in education, especially when the high end of the range is $169,000. Really. Really? Someone with a bachelor's should be making that in public education? Really?

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 7:43 AMBy: Hari Chengalath Fired From Central Office You would be amazed at salaries in Central Office. Thom Goodwin, my last immediate supervisor, is now calling himself "director" of change management. He probably got a raise, when he was making the ridiculously high figure of $79K plus. Check out the cps.edu Web site; Tracy Clark, who runs it, makes in excess of $90K. Waste of our taxpayer $$$!

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 7:47 AMBy: CAO Fired From Central Office CPS does pay well. That is true.

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 9:15 AMBy: Yep Fired From Central Office You are right. CPS pays extremely well, and it looks like they favor consultants, so I am going to go ahead and quit my job, show some people downtown my level of expertise, and make me some consultative dough! It's just the way to go now. No one has money to hire full or part-time individuals with salaries and benefit, when you can get a consultant for a third of the price. I am going to work at Starbucks for the health insurance and become a consultant. I'll check in the IT department first. Thanks for inspiring me to take the leap you guys.

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 11:00 AMBy: George's timeline Fired From Central Office That timeline of George's is really illuminating. Thanks for connecting the dots.

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 1:28 PMBy: I disagree Fired From Central Office CPS can pay very well, it does not always. There are huge descrepencies as well. There are several departments where three people do the EXACT same job and have the same title. One makes $50K one makes $70K one makes $100K.

Tell me that is fair. The ones that make a lot of money, tend to be the ones who do the least work, in my experience.

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 1:48 PMBy: To Hari Fired From Central Office Director of Change Management -- that's a hoot! There hasn't been an ounce of change management since the new CEO came on board.

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 10:05 PMBy: well done CORE Fired From Central Office You called Ronnie on his bait and switch. he is cutting teachers IN THE SCHOOLs to pay for his guys.
They are lying about appeals--appeals from principals were rejected months ago. BTW-were more black teachers laid off now?

Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 2:11 AMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office This entire process is a fine example of the moral, emotional, and even organizational duplicity and inefficiency of the newest of the newest models of this iteration of "School Reform Chicago Style." It's must more interesting at this point in history because every bankrupt piece of it is now being exported by the U.S. Secretary of Education behind a smokescreen of lies to the rest of the USA. With "stimulus II" billions provided by the Obama administration as the carrot, and lots of sticks.

According to the Secretary of CPS, the "Action" agenda (which includes all of the actions taken after discussion in executive session) won't be out until Monday. It is in the "Action" agenda that anyone can read the administrative appointments that have been made since January 1, 2009. And the position titles, such as they are.

According to the Secretary, there were 11 Board Reports appointing new people to top positions Wednesday. Who they, what their titles are, and how much each is to be paid will be part of the "Action" agenda in a few days.

Rather than blog this story in pieces, we expect to do a complete one (at least for the very "top") based on who is the new "In" and who was purged. As we've already reported, this is the biggest purge at the top in CPS history (that includes the 1979 and 1980 financial crisis purges) and the biggest increase in new executive positions into jobs that never existed before, but suddenly exist with enormous power.

Lastly...

The screwball way in which this was handled (basically, creating executive jobs for a chosen few outsiders, while purging experienced insiders, without any reorganization plan) is also major "news." On Tuesday, I went to CPS and asked for The Plan. By that I meant (and made clear) that I wanted the Reorganization Plan. They may have had the right to argue (although it was using a loophole) that they didn't have to reveal the names and positions they were creating on the June 24 Agenda, but they could not claim that a Reorganization Plan was exempt from the 48 hour rule under the Open Meetings Act.

So they just moved ahead and created the positions, and put people in them, without a Plan.

This is supposedly the Mayoral Control "Business Model" that is now being exported from Chicago to the rest of the USA. It's been fundamentally a dictatorship plan chunked full of patronage from the day CPS arrived on Clark St. The Clark St. deal was courtesy of that $100 million move from Pershing Road that was supposed to "streamline" things if Paul Vallas's babblings were to be taken serious by anyone except the Sun-Times and Tribune editorial boards. Of course, the Clark St. move had nothing to do with taking an obsolete building off the hands of Commonwealth Edison...

This stuff would be funny if it were done on the Main Stage at Second City or subject to The Daily Show. But the huge number of people being destroyed by it is not one bit funny. Having been through a couple of purges myself (fired by CPS in August 2000 by a public vote of the Board; treated to a Donald Trump imitation from Marilyn Stewart at CTU in August 2004), I have some opinions about how a true "Human Resources" approach does these things with people who have worked for the system.

The best negative example in town right now is how CPS has been doing these purges, both at the local school level (which everyone has now heard of, thanks to CORE and substancenews.net) and at the central office level (which is slowly beginning to come out thanks to District299 and a couple of courageous central office people).

Transparency is a joke in this context. The Chicago Board of Education has approved a huge number of additional executive level appointments at its February, March, April, May and June 2009 meetings with no public discussion. And these are supposedly the "business" geniuses who are going to lead the public schools of the USA into Arne's Brave New World of corporate "school reform."

The word hypocrite just doesn't do justice to the depth and breadth of their work. And that's without even talking about the teachers and other staffs who had their careers cremated at Johnson, Bethune, Fenger and the other "turnaround" schools during those dismal weeks leading up to June 12, 2009.

Those human beings are going to be heard from next, and for a long time to come. Count on it.

Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 5:44 PMBy: seeking employment Fired From Central Office I too was a victim of last Friday's lay off fiasco and agree that the experience was clumsily and callously executed by a classless individual.
I cannot help but wonder what criteria the brain trust of ITS used in determining who was given their walking papers. Hard work, ethics and devotion be damned. It is obvious that kissing rear was the determinant factor rather than that of performance. Or, was the theory of "relativity" used? ITS survivors include the good friends and relatives of the ITS elite few. Isn't nepotism against policy?
Great restructuring plan, ITS now has more managers than people to do the work. ITS will once again employ more overpriced consultants to fill in for those of us who produced the majority of the work. Hmmm, try and guess which companies will benefit. Is there a pattern here?
Subterfuge, lies, partial work days. Secretaries open office doors in the morning to give the illusion that the bosses are in. Great leadership by example.
Hari, wasn't the director of Change Management formerly known as the Knowledge Manager (or something to that effect)? Changing titles must be the primary focus of the director of Change Management. Along with each title change comes an increase in pay, so this guy gets paid to rename his own job title. Can I apply for the job? You see, due to unforeseen circumstances, I am currently seeking employment and that job sounds awesome.

Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 6:02 PMBy: anniesullivan Fired From Central Office Who received the vendor contract for our awful e-IEP? Only nepotism would explain why we have such a cumbersome, not teacher friendly, piece of crap. We could have adapted (add a save component and voila!) ISBE's online IEP for free.

Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 6:34 PMBy: Hari Chengalath Fired From Central Office Re: anniesullivan's comment above

Mr. Russo: Please keep tabs on whether the IMPACT Web site will be improved. It is worthless now with no robust search engine or a useful knowledge base. I have prior experience working to optimize Web sites for search but that offer to help clean it up was turned down not too long before all of this happened.

Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 8:52 PMBy: Comic Relief Fired From Central Office Those of you recently let go from ITS should all get together and watch "Office Space." It might resonate and, hopefully, make you laugh. You could even take a malfunctioning printer out to a field a beat the crap out of it.

Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 11:00 PMBy: to comic relief Fired From Central Office Not funny. People lost their jobs. I ache for them. I am a HS teacher and I know I need my job to pay my mortgage and take care of my kids. It's not funny - just mean spirited.

Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 11:19 PMBy: Out of Work/Out of Time Fired From Central Office The loss of one’s livelihood is hardly something to make light of especially in the current economy. Not only are those of us “let go” out of work and faced with starting over again, we have yet to see the “packet” of information designed to assist us at this most inopportune time and promised to us on our final day of employment at the central office. Calls to the HR representatives that assured us that they would respond go unanswered. It is unthinkable that this is the reward offered for years of diligent hard work and dedication.
Speaking of diligence, dedication, conscientiousness and an undisputed love for the job—there was not a finer example of such than Stacy Butler-Cross. This woman was dismissed literally months after being promoted and given a staff to be trained to carry out the job that she had performed single handedly prior to their arrival. It is my understanding that her partially trained former staff was retained. Yet another example of personal issues being allowed to outweigh exceptional performance.
Oh...but then it was stated during the extremely brief ‘layoff communication’, or lack thereof, that the layoffs had “nothing to do with job performance. But shouldn’t performance have been a factor? Is it acceptable that select friends, relatives and those that prefer the same color spectrum keep their jobs, irrespective of performance? Incredible!

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 7:46 AMBy: Bob Fired From Central Office Only the good die young

The cuts downtown demonstrate to me that clout rules.
In the old days clout came from inside the Board structure,
and was almost Neanderthal in practice.

From the gatekeepers at 228 N La Salle to the teacher counselors
behind the big mahogany doors at teacher personal it was a crap
shoot where you were assigned. Throw in a system that tried to
integrate teachers, not students and Black went North , White
went South, so to create an illusion of compliance to Brown.
I once had a freshman Alderman tell me even he had trouble
with teacher personal. That is not the case now.

A friend of mine lost their job in this round of cuts .I will
Not use this persons name ,out of respect. This person
Did most of the work for the entire department, I hope this person lands on
Their feet. It was a crime to let this person go.

Let us not forget some of the vanquished, like my friend, carried
entire programs on their backs. Who will pick up the slack?
Not the remaining Trolls with clout.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 8:08 AMBy: clout--may be, but Fired From Central Office it is pure mismanagement now. What a mess daley ceasar is making.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 9:15 AMBy: Danny Fired From Central Office Anon writes: Let us not forget some of the vanquished, like my friend, carried entire programs on their backs. Who will pick up the slack?

Well, in theory, the performance management system that Mr. Huberman is putting in place will identify those people who are doing their jobs well and those who are not. And those who are not will lose their jobs.

Whether or not he is successful in implementing the theory into practice seems to me a fair metric on which to judge Mr. Huberman's own job performance.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 9:33 AMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office METRIC!!?

Pray tell, what's a "Metric"? How is it different from an "Objective", an "Outcome," or a "Goal"?

Stop, before it's too late. When you use The Man's jargon, you fall into the trap of HUBERTHINK. "Metrics" have nothing to do with it. It's a pretentious term, "a tale told by an idiot... signifying nothing."

Principals will be tightened on the Metric rack if they go along with this nonsense, and then they will in turn pass down the paranoia. Or everyone can just go to the Board -- and across the city and the USA -- and proclaim that we've just escaped from the Mat Hatter's Tea Party, and we're still trying to evict the Queen of Hearts and his myrmidons from the Throne Room.

So here's an assignment for your assignation metricfreaks...

When the Agenda of Action comes out Monday with PO1 on it (that's the official version of the "Metrics" to evaluation schools -- which has already proved that 60 percent of the city's public high schools are "failing"), get a copy.

Read the whole thing.

Then ask the latest ITERATION of the Chicago CHIEF OFFICER FOR RESEARCH EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY (I think his/her/its name is Thor Thunder or something exotic like that, definitely one of those guys with an MBA and a post-modern head of hair) for the Power Point presentation he utilized while explaining all these METRICS to the august members of the BOARD (who proceeded to vote unanimously and without debate to approve its imposition on the schools for the coming year with a sort of straight face).

Then ask THOR for an explanation of what all that gibberish means. And, just to sweeten the questions, whether the College Board approves of a school district like CPS utilizing, say, AP data for high stakes. Just ask him. Then ask for the letter saying so, signed by an official of The College Board.

Same same with the ACT.

Actually (and this is really cool) same same with the ISAT and Prairie State.

Get back to us on that.

Of call the Daily Show and tell them Chicago's come up with another script that couldn't have been created by America's greatest satirists. And this time it's not some extemporaneous remarks from America's GREATEST MAYOR, but another round of STANDARDS AND ACCOUNTABILITY metrices from AMERCIA'S GREATEST CHARTER SCHOOL SYSTEM.

Whoops.

The Metric Racking is only done to the public schools.

Charters are out there in deregulation land. Like Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns were a couple of years ago.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 11:09 AMBy: Bob Fired From Central Office Danny it is a shame

My buddy has already lost the job. Part of the problem was this
Persons lack of self promotion. Always willing to help anyone it was knowledge that got the job. Passed over for promotion, then fired I hope the lesson was learned
In the board it is not enough to do your job. It is not enough to do your bosses job
Ether, or half the departments. What counts is image not substance.

I cannot wait for the whole department to crash as I am sure it will.
Because the shiny, slick, connected, clout heavy people that are still
There do not have a clue what to do, my friend always did everything
Quiet competency is not enough anymore.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 11:21 AMBy: Hari Chengalath Fired From Central Office George N. Schmidt:

You do know that Huberman now has some bloke in some position having to do with performance management technology, don't you? If that isn't gobbledygook, I don't know what is. And this guy came over from the CTA, I believe, and is now highly placed in Huberman's cabinet.

I also know a lot of people have been critical of Bob Runcie on this blog. However, having known him briefly, I think he would have handled this with a lot more class than Arshele Stevens at ITS.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 11:26 AMBy: Same As It Ever Was Fired From Central Office It is not enough to do your bosses job
Ether, or half the departments. What counts is image not substance.

This doesn't exactly warrant a newsflash.

It's true in vast swaths of the corporate world.
It's true in many non-profits.
It's certainly true in governmental industries.
It's true in my current school and at all previous schools I've worked.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 11:34 AMBy: That was not true at de la Cruz Fired From Central Office Our school was about substance, preparing young teens for a positive and productive future. Live with Dignity.
Then, CPS with alderman Soilis, closed it down.
This closure only brought a bad image to Solis and his father daley.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 11:52 AMBy: Out of Work/Out of Time Fired From Central Office Hari:

Let’s not forget that Arshele Stevens reports directly to Robert Wellington Runcie, the newly appointed Chief Administrative Officer with a salary running dangerously close to that of the CEO. Although there is no excuse for the “classless low-rent” way the layoffs were handled by Mrs. Stevens, I would be very surprised if Mr. Runcie was not fully aware of what was going on and the insulting approach that was used. Shame on all of them!

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 2:28 PMBy: Retired Principal Fired From Central Office More non-educators telling educators what to do about education! What's wrong with this picture? What's right with this picture? What's right. more non-educators making more money on the tax's payers in the city of Chicago and the State of Illinois! More data and testing companies making more money on the tax's payers in the city of Chicago and the State of Illinois! P.S.- New motto for the Chicago Public Schools, "Data First".

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 4:26 PMBy: bob Fired From Central Office Old Lady McCarthy

Dear Same As It Ever was

You are correct ,as far as you go. However, you forgot to mention
That corporations, non profits, and government industries usually have
A person I’ll call Ms McCarthy in the back someplace.

She is the one who actually knows what to do and how to do it.
She has a direct line to payroll, calls department heads by their first name.
Young professionals hate her because none of the self promoting skills
honed in college work on her. God help the sub who sits at her place in
the lunch room.

But the old goat defines the word competent. Everything going
Up the chain of command is perfect. And nobody, nobody messes with
her department or school or boss. She had a heart of gold and the hide of a rino.

We have always survived these purges because of the old rock solid
People filling critical but largely taken for granted positions.
The Peter Principal is very much alive.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 4:40 PMBy: helenkeller Fired From Central Office You are so right. Incompetence is usually rewarded at CPS-it is also called "the toilet bowl theory".
I was always taught that "self-praise is no praise" but I keep hearing strains of the newbie chant "if you do not blow your own horn no one else will...must have taken a self-promotion class instead of how to teach reading class...

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 4:43 PMBy: Danny Fired From Central Office Bob writes: My buddy has already lost the job. Part of the problem was this Persons lack of self promotion.

Let me try again as I may not have been clear the first time.

As someone else has pointed out, employees who promote themselves often get noticed above those who don't even when it's the latter doing the work and the self-promoter taking credit for it. Some people by their nature dislike "tooting their own horn," as it were, while others use every opportunity to tell you just how important they are.

Still, the "squeaky wheel gets the grease," as they say, and the self-promoters become the promoted (or retained) by their supervisors. This may happen because the supervisors honestly don't know who is doing the work and who isn't.

As I understand the performance management process that Mr. Huberman wants to implement, each employee's performance is measured and appraised against set objectives which put the quiet and unassuming worker on an equal playing field with the boisterous and self-promoting worker. It becomes more difficult for one to take credit for the work of another.

I say all this in response to your point that the reorganization at Central Office is all about who you know and office politics rather than quality and effectiveness of the work done.

Naturally, the rub is in translating the theory into practice.

And if Mr. Huberman can pull that off, then I think he should be judged as having done a good job managing the organization. It remains to be seen.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 4:57 PMBy: bob Fired From Central Office Friends

Thanks Danny I get your idea.

The jury is still very much out on Mr Huberman.I sincerely
wish him luck.

I would offer this advice; it’s an old cliché but very true.
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 5:08 PMBy: Hari Chengalath Fired From Central Office Huberman doesn't know squat about anything; he's an ass kisser just like everybody else at CO. We need to get rid of Daley to fix CPS. I will be keeping a close eye on Arshele Stevens and Bob Runcie to see where they go next. In this day and age, that will not be difficult.

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 8:55 PMBy: Does Runcie make donations to Fired From Central Office the Daley campaign? Who can answer this?

Sat Jun 27, 2009 at 10:15 PMBy: Hari Chengalath Fired From Central Office Political donations are and should be public record; I would start with the Better Government Association site, (bga.org, I believe).

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 7:05 AMBy: bob Fired From Central Office Web site

Dear DRMDT

Look up a web- site called” Follow the money”
It should give you all the info a layman
Can easily gather.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 4:53 PMBy: it's not over Fired From Central Office Anybody hear anything about High School Programs? Revamped or closed?

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 5:12 PMBy: head of HS programs out Fired From Central Office can anyone confirm this?

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 5:41 PMBy: Come on Retired Principal Fired From Central Office RP, George? Any truth to this?

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 5:56 PMBy: It would help Fired From Central Office with two grievances.

Same pattern of abuse of power. Fire teachers, then leave or get fired yourself. Systemic lack of consistency and continuity destabilizing schools, all preventable but allowed to continue under the authority of CPS central office administrators.

there are policies that punish this activity in the employee discipline code.

EDC 5-15 Engaging in any act or conduct prohibited by Board Rules, Municipal Code of the City of Chicago, the Illinois Compiled Statutes, applicable laws of other states, or federal statutes that may be deemed irremediable conduct.

EDC 5-17 Violating the School rules, or Board rules, policies or procedures which result in behaviors that grossly disrupt the orderly educational process in the classroom, in the school, and may occur on or off school grounds or assigned work location.

Fire, displace, cut, harass, intimidate teachers would that disrupt a school?

drk

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 6:01 PMBy: heck CPS violates this all the time Fired From Central Office just with the closing of schools--who is going to call CPS on this? The State Board? The State legislators? Even Obama allowed it whiel he was here supposedly working for the tax payer! CPS does what it wants when ever it wants. Rule, law or statute--does NOT matter.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 6:03 PMBy: It's Obama' fault! Fired From Central Office Obama took Arne. Arne was replaced with Ron who still swings the ax. Arne's picks are ALL gone. Obama's fault!

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 6:15 PMBy: obama saved arne Fired From Central Office all the studies were coming out against all that arne has implemented. So obama got him out of town and ronnie can just not take the blame since it was there before he got there.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 6:19 PMBy: Dear Retired principal Fired From Central Office all these AIOS and central admins they are letting go--will ALL get principal jobs (if they do not retire!) WATCH! The list was taken off for this reason-=-so why did they put 67 winners through hell to get on the list?! There should be a lawsuit here somewhere. And all that waste of $$$ in OPPD!
All these unwanted admins in central and in the areas do NOT have to be on the list--they will be asigned as interum principals--way ahead of everyone who deserves it more.
And IF the head and others in HS are booted out--I HOPE THEY GET probatins schools, not nice little HS, where they can really gt a taste of what they have done and allowed to HS teachers and leaders who do what they can to turn their HSs around.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 6:21 PMBy: Better yet Fired From Central Office these former administrators should have to go into a teaching position at a turnaround school! Donnie should be their boss! Oh what fun it would be to see....

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 7:14 PMBy: negotiate contract Fired From Central Office Any idea on what The CTU. Stewart administration is going to do when these former administrators replace Union members.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 7:16 PMBy: nothing Fired From Central Office she will do nothing==absolutely nothing.
These adminstrators have friends and it is time for their friends to pay up, so they have jobs and their tenure resotred.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 7:33 PMBy: replacement Fired From Central Office negotiate contract,

how will these administrator castoffs replace current working teachers? there is no system wide seniority...

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 7:41 PMBy: No need for seniority Fired From Central Office just have their princpal friends hire them in an open position or open a position...

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 7:44 PMBy: confused Fired From Central Office um...if one of these admin failures is hired into an open teaching position then how exactly is that individual replacing someone?

i mean, i suppose any teacher that's hired is replacing someone somewhere. but i don't think that's the point you're trying to make. enlighten us.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 7:46 PMBy: Retainment of teaching personnel Fired From Central Office There are 300 vacant special education positions-you know those rooms that no one stays in-16 students with 8 different disabilities-no on to one aides and a gang banger running the room-20 year old books and other cast off materials-room on the third floor so when you call security it is a twenty minute response time-do not forget the child who defecates on himself but is labeled LD...or the head banging child who is labeled you guessed it, LD-yes there are spots for these dedicated administrators with teaching certificates...

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 7:56 PMBy: lots of PATs let go, but positions open Fired From Central Office lots of teachers laid off for good, since they did not get a job, by May, so positions open and positions will open again since schools were forced to close positions--a number of these postion will have to 're'-open (again) come the 20th day, so hire the displaced administrators in the 'new' open positions. Are you enlightend?

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 7:58 PMBy: only tats for special ed Fired From Central Office No one wants these positions unless you do not know better or you will lose your house. As a special ed teacher, you get written up too much--no court (Corey H.) will help here!

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 8:16 PMBy: Consultants galore! Fired From Central Office Central office has tons of consultants! All ready long Retired people getting a great pension and health benefits, who work for $200 to $350 a day (yes per day—6 hours plus lunch!) Some have been consultants for years, even decades. These retirees TAKE AWAY jobs form people who need them, especially older teachers who only need a few more years or months in order to pension out. Money savings?—not really. CPS has to pay unemployment and 1 year for each tenured teacher and consultants don’t always go that extra mile—and add up the consultant fees—they start to cost MORE that 2 teachers would. Shame on these leeches and shame on CPS for hiring them.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 8:17 PMBy: Institutional Memory Fired From Central Office In the mid 1970’s --George remembers: It ended up being the start of Substance in a way. All these administrators from central office had to come back and get into schools to teach since they were all let go. They just showed up at the schools and the principals had to take them. And, they got the better programs even though they had been out of teaching for years. Watch this happen again.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 8:23 PMBy: you're right, I remember Fired From Central Office When they cut, these mysterious people showed up to teach "art" but they never saw kids.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 8:42 PMBy: CORE- addressed this to you since Fired From Central Office Marilyn wont get this: There are MANY uncertified people who are day to day subs--yes, lots of them worked last year and Nancy Slavin allowed this, though it was a violation of the contract. Insist that this does NOT happen in the fall. There will be enough CERTIFIED teachers without jobs come fall, but if they keep placing all these uncertified day to days, there will be no room for tenured teachers. (CPS saves big $ this way with daytodays.) You have got to assure that any uncertified or those who have been day to day for years are out so that the brothers and sisters who were full time in June and lost their jobs, have a way to earn income in September. Start now on this one, when you meet with Michael about the cuts. Don't let him tell you otherwise and get it in writing. Bless CORE!

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 8:56 PMBy: are you kidding Fired From Central Office there are uncertified staff in teaching positions and handling kids, getting teachers salaries and discretionary money. then there are certified staff doing psrp work and getting coffee for the boss.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 10:23 PMBy: BEW going south Fired From Central Office It's me again. She is going south. Way south. Not yet, but she's going. Katrinaland. Others will go with her, as have so many before. I told you - it's reliable.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 10:31 PMBy: this may solve that unemployment problem Fired From Central Office if she goes (by Vallas?) and she can take some people from central office with her--great, but will they go--hot, muggy and you have to work for vallas and hansen.
tic toc tic toc.

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 10:40 PMBy: and? Fired From Central Office Vallas is a prince in comparison to Hubie. He wasns't that bad. Hansen? I think he was the brains behind Vallas. He was the one that ran things (and still does).

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 11:45 PMBy: Danny Fired From Central Office Such silly speculation and unfounded rumors! Some of you have way too much time on your hands.

I haven't read a thing in this thread today that will come to pass.

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 2:22 AMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office "...In the mid 1970’s --George remembers: It ended up being the start of Substance in a way. All these administrators from central office had to come back and get into schools to teach since they were all let go. They just showed up at the schools and the principals had to take them..." (Institutional, earlier).

It was generally from 1979 - 1982, the years of the "School Finance Authority" layoffs. By 1981-82 school year, CPS had reduced the total number of employees from roughly 48,000 to about 40,000 after the contrived "financial crisis" that began with the lowering of the bond ratings in November 1979. The Board then was at 228 N. LaSalle St. A lot of those central people retired, but many did wind up in the schools.

By 1989, when the first Mayor Daley "reform" Board of Education (remember: James Compton, President of the Board; Bill Singer, Vice President and hatchet man; Mary Dempsey chief legal hatchet person) took over, the administrators could not "bump" cleanly back into schools. There was a separation of teacher seniority from administrator. If you wanted to be an administrator (including principal) you went off track from your teacher rights.

Right now, not one of the people being closed out in Central Office (or the "Areas") has the right to "bump" anyone anywhere, because "bumping" (system-wide seniority) no longer exists. The people who've been closed out in the areas and the various outposts of central officer (there are about six, the largest of which is at 125 S. Clark St., if you recall) currently have to get a principal to hire them if they want to become "teachers" again.

What is of equal importance is that Huberman is also making massive cuts in the schools. That's what CORE was beginning to articulate last Wednesday at the Board meeting, and what we've been reporting at substancenews.net. To take just two people who spoke at the Board meeting:

Kristine Mayle has been cut from a teaching position because the Board closed De La Cruz.

Blair Nayder was informed by e-mail that she had been closed out of her position at CVCA for reasons that were bizarre.

Both tenured teachers. There were others, not tenured, who were also going over what happened. The number of position closings is enormous, both in central office and in the schools. And the pretext for the closings is that lie about the $475 million "deficit" that Huberman and Scott went to the media with three months ago.

Yes...

It's a lie.

Next time you see one of them, ask them how they could have a $475 million "deficit" when the Board's (various) reserves are hovering at nearly $500 million. That's like having $100,000 in your checking account, but ignoring it and claiming you're broke.

The lies about the budget this year are the greatest I've ever heard, and that's going back 30 years. I first began paying attention to the budget back in 1979, when many of our careers were facing destruction because of the "School Financial Crisis."

Those "reserve" funds are so great at this point that every the rating agencies (which are always preaching the Board's Party Line) can't ignore them. Once they passed five percent of gross operations budget (which they did three years ago, under Arne and Michael Scott), there was no logical of fiscal basis for letting them grow.

But you can't fan a "crisis" unless you can lie about a "deficit." This year, the economic crisis just makes it easier for them to gull the general public (and the reporters for the corporate media) with the Big Lie.

I would bet that not one of the other media covering CPS even has a copy of the most recent CAFRs. Not just the last one, but, say, the last five of them. Heck. They probably don't even know what a CAFR is. Given the destruction being caused by these cuts (in Central and in the regular public schools), that's incredible. But it's one of the reasons why so much of Chicago (including many who pundit around here) is caught and mired so deeply in the generalized ignorance.

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 8:18 AMBy: Retired Principal Fired From Central Office 24 Chicago Public School principals retired June 30, 2009. There is no principal eligibility list on the CPS website and there may not be any vacant principal listings in the CPS job bulletins. When CPS post the Action Items for June, 2009, it will list the schools these principals are retiring from and those who are interested in becoming principals can apply.

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 1:57 PMBy: Where Is the Money? Fired From Central Office Ron Huberman went on FOX news and stated that all employees laid off would be given 6 weeks pay. Is anyone else aware of this? That statement differs greatly from what the HR representative stated during the brief and "classless" layoff discussion.

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 2:40 PMBy: Rod Estvan on CPS reserve fund Fired From Central Office Just a point of clarification to George's post. The CPS now has two seperate reserve funds one is for its bonds and the other is called the "stabilization fund" which is supposed to be 5% of the operating and debt service budget. I think this is the fund that George is concerned about is not the one required by holders of CPS debt. I don't think that was clear from the post.

The funds needed to back up bonds are very clear and CPS has a legal obligation to maintain those funds. The audits of these funds are done annually. However, the stabilization fund is much more abstract and when it is used or not used in relation to fiscal problems is not established by any Board rule. In fact the rules do not even require a formal vote of the Board for their utilization only that an informal "consensus" of Board members exist that it be used.

I think clear rules should be adopted about when the stabilization fund should be used.

Rod Estvan

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 3:25 PMBy: Rick Fired From Central Office Where Is The Money?, when did you hear that? I'm on FOX now and don't see the story and did not hear that. Anyone else?

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 4:22 PMBy: Jim Fired From Central Office My friend who was fired will receive checks until July 17 (basically 2 more checks) and benefits through August. I don't know where that 6 weeks stuff came from.

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 4:41 PMBy: Hari Chengalath Fired From Central Office I was told I'd get 3 more checks, July 3, 10 & 17, 2009; the HR person also said that I'd be covered for medical, etc., until August 31.

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 5:17 PMBy: Curious Fired From Central Office Why wouldn't you get paid until September? That is when extended pay ends for this school year. I thought everyone was on extended pay.

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 5:33 PMBy: To Curious Fired From Central Office Good question. I really wish I knew the answer; however, the information that Hari gave is the same that I was given the day that I was shown the door. It is rotten, rotten through and through!

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 6:25 PMBy: Cut Administrator Fired From Central Office I DEFINITELY heard Huberman say that those who were being cut would receive SIX WEEKS pay. However, when our department was shown the door last week, we were told that we'd receive pay through July 31.

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 7:10 PMBy: you assume that Fired From Central Office ronnie knows what he is talking about--or--only a select few will get this.

Wed Jul 1, 2009 at 9:12 PMBy: Jan Fired From Central Office Read the recent report by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. There has been no improvement of CPS education in recent years. Just more creative ways to hide the abysmal truth. Most of the administrative bean counters and bureaucrats on Clark St. are extremely overpaid. When the firings were announced, there were no cries of objection from the public or the editorialists. They understood. My only objection is that the thining of that taxpayer funded labyrinth of lethargical languishers does not go far enough!

Wed Jul 1, 2009 at 9:24 PMBy: jan-- I read the report Fired From Central Office the charters are not doing so well and yet this 'committee' demands more of them. Also, who has been in charge of the schools for over 10 years now--the MAYOR, so the blame falls on him. he wanted to be in charge of CPS and the State leg. gave it all to him. Actually, with this many years in charge, he has done WORSE than the former CPS superintendants of the past! Oops, did I say something wrong? Didn't know we could not talk about Daley's faliure and folly.

Wed Jul 1, 2009 at 9:32 PMBy: Kugler - one problem . In all the reports on schools and failures it is not mentioned that daley and duncan are the ones that have been in charge. one thing really bothers me, if they can keep saying what they say(daley and duncan), what is wrong with the general public, that do not question them?

Wed Jul 1, 2009 at 9:43 PMBy: dear Kugler Fired From Central Office I understand your question, but since this (daley/duncan) is a ponzie scheme, we have to wait until it implodes. Even with all the money that guy took from his investors--look how long it took for the bottom to fall out and how smart and good people continued to invest in unbelievable returns. Add that chicago is such a political town--I rub your back, you rub mine, what will you give me for a zoning chnge, etc. and no viable (honest) candidate to run against de mayor, well...

Wed Jul 1, 2009 at 9:45 PMBy: Out of Work/Out of Time Fired From Central Office Has anyone received the "PACKET"? Does it exist? I understand that we will need it to receive unemployment benefits.

Wed Jul 1, 2009 at 9:55 PMBy: yes, in June, teachers and staff Fired From Central Office were given a packet and it spelled out your benefits and COBRA. You also need to consider your pension. When you were (recently) let go, they should have had the packets right there for you. Since you asked this question, I guess you were let go they did not have the packet ready--and this is unprofessional. But then, they fired or pushed out people from HR too. (See, Ronnie does not really have a plan --or if you call cut now and ask question later a plan or load shoot aim...)

Wed Jul 1, 2009 at 10:27 PMBy: To Curious et al Fired From Central Office School staff (38 week employees) are on extended pay. Central and Regional Office employees who work 52 weeks a year are not. When teachers got the infamous 'supplemental' one week check in May, 52 week employees were invited to have their vacation/sick day bank raided in order to 'get' a supplemental check, since they have no deferred pay to tap.
Six weeks severence is more than in previous ousters. When our positions were closed, they didn't even pay us the 2 weeks they promised. Stupid payroll clerks in the department even 'docked' me for an upcoming sick day I was no longer around to take.

Wed Jul 1, 2009 at 11:01 PMBy: so sorry this happend, please note Fired From Central Office it is NOT the payroll clerks fault, it is the peoplesoft/kronos system that Arne/Runcie upgraded. Employees' pay has been wrong for months. so sorry --no class- no professioanlism

Thu Jul 2, 2009 at 1:31 AMBy: speaking of which Fired From Central Office Have any teachers logged on to the payroll view of cps@work? They weren't supposed to start cutting our deferred pay till July 17th, but my paycheck this coming Friday will be short....

Thu Jul 2, 2009 at 6:51 AMBy: Paycheck short Fired From Central Office Yes, my check will be short. Where did you hear of the deferred pay change? I called payroll and got a weird answer about some per diem formula that is being used to calculate our checks. Even if they use this formula (deferred pay total/# days left in summer), I don't understand why my check wouldn't be the same amount as usual. I don't remember anything about a change in deferred pay on that convoluted payroll memo from May.

Thu Jul 2, 2009 at 6:58 AMBy: short on Marilyn-where is she: Fired From Central Office In south Africa!--and they are not getting the paycheck right--I bet she misses ted now--he would be all over this--right at 125 standing there until they would get it right! He would make them care-both sides, yes he would. SHAME ON HER> I hope her paycheck is wrong, but then if it is she, with so many benefits, she probably would not notice if it was short!

Thu Jul 2, 2009 at 10:55 AMBy: deafening silence Fired From Central Office I can't believe the lack of information. Who is out? They say 500 people fired yesterday, and not a peep? That's weird. Did it even happen? I hope not.

Thu Jul 2, 2009 at 11:48 PMBy: To Deafening Silence Fired From Central Office Yes, there were layoffs yesterday. Some from the CO said there were many shedding tears after being let go. I understand many were from the 11th floor. It is so sad.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 12:03 AMBy: 11th floor Fired From Central Office What departments are on the 11th floor?

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 12:09 AMBy: To retired principal Fired From Central Office Posted Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 8:18 AM By: Retired Principal

How do you know if the 24 retired principals' positions are still available. I know one of them. I am a member of the LSC that replaced her because she was retiring, unfortunately. I wished she wanted her contract renewed. Probably most if not all of those openings have been filled by the LSCs!

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 1:13 AMBy: To Paycheck Short Fired From Central Office On the HR home page you will find links to all the tap-dancing memos on this boondoggle.
This document -
http://www.cps-humanresources.org/Sbs_TCH_Cal.pdf
calls the 1/2 paycheck on May 1 a 'supplemental' check. The reason you did not realize this was happening is because the memos did not mention where the 'supplemental' was coming from. Instead of paying people on May 1 for the two weeks preceding, that check was cobbled from money they took from your deferred pay, your summer pay. They nicked a day from each of the five paychecks you will receive this summer. effectively docking you one day's pay per pay period.
Ok, so let's just assume I accept that Payroll's need to 'align' paydays supercedes my need to pay the mortgage and Visa on time so I don't go into foreclosure and/or have my credit account go into the 30% interest bracket.
Except - if you consult the document in the link above, the shorted (9 day) paychecks are supposed to start on July 17, not July 3rd. Today's check is supposed to be for 10 days.
Please note, Alexander, that even though you assume I lack the vigor and zeal of the young, I managed to wade through the memo sh**storm, comprehend the bs it contained, and still pinpointed where the bs contradicts itself.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 5:06 AMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office Not everyone was let go. Ron Huberman was adding City Hall hacks and CTA cronies to the top ranks. You can read that part of the story at www.substancenews.net this morning. As I noted earlier, the reason the "Action Agenda" from the June 24 Board of Education meeting is not up yet is that the Hubermans and their Skippies and Buffies don't want anyone reading how many new jobs they created (starting at the very top in the $120,000 and up range) for their buddies.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 6:48 AMBy: where is the principals' list? Fired From Central Office "How do you know if the 24 retired principals' positions are still available. I am a member of the LSC that replaced her because she was retiring, unfortunately. I wished she wanted her contract renewed. Probably most if not all of those openings have been filled by the LSCs!"

I do not understand your point, but thre are 67 on the list looking for principal jobs--how many have gotten one, and have the LSCs really hired those from that list? Watch, all these layed off administrators will be GIVEN a principalship!

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 7:11 AMBy: Retired Principal Fired From Central Office 24 principals retired June 30, 2009 from CPS. Are these principal positions filled? Some are and some might not be. CPS is no longer posting the principal eligibility list on the CPS website and CPS may not be posting any open principal positions on the CPS job bulletins. My point is, people who want to become principals need to contact the schools where there are vacancies.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 8:43 AMBy: Payroll check Fired From Central Office The memo clearly stated that Teachers were having their money taken out of their deferred pay.

To: All Employees
From: Human Resources
Payroll Services
Date: January 20, 2009
Re: Changes to the Payroll Calendar
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
...
"The change will not result in the loss of pay to any employee. It will only affect how long after the end of the
payroll period you are paid. However, during the transition to the new Payroll Calendar, the change will
impact employee groups as follows:
For 38.6, 42.6, and 44.6 week Teachers (teachers on deferred pay):
• Teachers on deferred pay will not receive the Pay Period 9 pay check on May 1, 2009.
• Teachers on deferred pay will be paid 5-days pay from their deferred pay bank on May 1, 2009.
• Teachers on deferred pay will receive the Pay Period 9 paycheck on May 8, 2009 and shall be paid
every two weeks thereafter, 13 calendar days after the end of the payroll period in which they worked.
• Over the summer, Teachers on deferred pay will be paid the balance of their deferred pay at a rate of
9 days per pay period or other pro rata amount as appropriate to offset the 5 days paid from the
deferred bank on May 1st."
...
This memo in particular does not say when that would be taken out. But I have to ask, does it really matter? The whole point of getting your deferred pay in the beginning was to "ease the transition." you should be 5 days ahead in your bank account, not worried about "paying your mortgage on 9 days instead of 10."

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 8:43 AMBy: curious Fired From Central Office If the current principal vacancies are not posted, how do prospective principals know about the vacancies? Is the hiring process now based only on who you know or is there some equity? The same seems to be in place for teachers. Positions are not publicly posted, but selectively advertised by principals. What chance do teachers have that are not politically connected?

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 8:55 AMBy: can we get more than numbers? Fired From Central Office I've read the numbers about firings (1200, then 500, 500 more to come, many citywide, etc.) The numbers are so vague. Is anyone out there with specifics?

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 9:08 AMBy: to where's the principal list Fired From Central Office My point was in response to retired principal suggesting that there were 24 schools who needed principals. I just wanted everyone to know that it isn't necessarily true. We advertised our principal's vacancy back in March and selected the new principal by the end of May. In fact, two of the people we wanted to interview already had principal contracts by the time we called them for the interview. I'm pretty sure the retired principals informed their LSCs so that a principal could be in place by July 1st. Most schools would not want an interim selected by the AIO so I bet all 24 of those principals' positions have been filled. Also, The eligibility list that we used was the old one. We did not use the new one.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 9:47 AMBy: Why is Huberman not transparent with details? Incompetent Fired From Central Office A top manager who is on the top of things would have published with details the firings. The Daley clone keeps things under wraps and unclear. Bond should earn her money and have the "data"! Data is the word, right? Incompetents!

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 10:02 AMBy: PEP 2012 Fired From Central Office I would imagine that any principal who is retiring would take advantage of the PEP Program which gives monetary incentives via usage of sick days to increase salary to those employees who give notice of retirement before March 1st-this provision is in this contract until 2012-CPS would then know how many positions they need to fill for September. Some say there will be massive retirements due to PEP in 2012 which is the last year of this contract. Some of these teachers, especially those with certificates in a shortage area, will end up working in other systems.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 11:11 AMBy: TO: can we get more than numbers? Fired From Central Office No you cannot. No one knows what is happening at Central Office; it's like the Wild West. A reorganization is planned for right after these cuts, yet it still hasn't been finalized.Some higher ups are making power grabs for assets they think they will need in the new structure. Too bad they are doing this without consulting BEW or the assets themselves (since they can't actually use those people they way they want - Amen grant funding).

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 11:57 AMBy: thanks for the reply Fired From Central Office Wild Wild West. Well put. I just thought those slashed unmercifully would have no reason (no loyalty here) to fill us in on the carnage. I am safe in a school but I feel bad for them. They have bills, too. Starting over? In this economy? Man. So, were the cutees given and end date for a month or so, or told to just wait to see if they'll be kept, or shown the door? Lots of voicemails are "full".

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 11:59 AMBy: Danny Fired From Central Office The Personnel Bulletin released this week (July 1) lists no principal vacancies. Information for this bulleting had to be submitted by June 17th.

There are a few Assistant Principal vacancies.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 12:20 PMBy: this is terrible principal list Fired From Central Office so LSC do NOT have to use the list! Nuts--there should be a lawyer who can take this case since they made people apply, then have a list, then NOT use the list. ! Were there not enough minorities on the list so they pulled it off and OPPD is waiting to add more? LSCs ARE not using the list as stasted above! Did that principal get a contract? if so and they were not on the list and they are a new principal--it is time to sue!
As for PEP, there is a minimum age requierment to get retirement benefits. You can take PEP, but you MUST be 55 to get your pension. If you are not 55--YOU ARE SCREWED!

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 3:05 PMBy: to this is terrible Fired From Central Office The new list does not have to be used until September. The people on the old list did not have to jump through all of the hoops that the new list people jumped through. I suspect the people on the new list were already on the old list and they were just preparing to keep themselves viable for openings in the future. Many on the old list were desperate for jobs so they tried to get them under the old guidelines before it becomes to hard to make the new list.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 4:15 PMBy: not really the LIST Fired From Central Office ONLY IF YOU ARE currently a principal do you not have to be on the list--ONLY until September. ALL others were thrown OFF the list and had to get back on it. THERE are only 67 on it now. So, if this LSC hired a current principal from another school--then that person should be approved. If they hired a person who was on the old list, BUT was not a current principal, that person's contract should NOT be apporved by the BOard. If it is, the 67 on the list should sue!

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 4:17 PMBy: Teacher Benefits are Greatly Exagerrated Fired From Central Office To 12:20 You must have 33.9 years in order to get a full pension-yes you can retire earlier but it is reduced 6% for EVERY year you are under 60. If Ron had stayed on the police department he could have retired at age 50 with no age penalty. He could have received a master's with tuition reimbursement-we get nada. His family insurance would be about $670.00 per month whereas a teacher retiring with a family would pay $2,500 a month. Interesting discrepancy don't you think?

If Ron had stayed with the CTA he would have received a pension AND full social security-we are under the SS Windfall Rostenkowsi bill which reduces our SS benefits (some teachers work second jobs and pay into SS) to what amounts to a stipend-I hope this is explained to career changers who apply at CPS.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 5:15 PMBy: Excuse me - payroll shill.. Fired From Central Office Get it straight - we were supposed to get 3 full checks in May, on the 1st, the 15th and the 29th. PLEASE STOP trying to characterize this shell game (which is more of a function of Central Office's inability to meet a payroll on time with a one week delay that the symmetry of 'alignment') as some sort of gift. OK? Understand? Just stop. You are addressing grownups. The fact that these missives are more badly written than most of the student papers I grade is not a function of the readers' but of the writer's intelligence. If you had bothered to click on the link, you will realize that information was deliberately sprayed piecemeal into an endless stream of letters, charts and messages, none of which all stated what was in the pdf I linked to - the shorted checks were supposed to start on July 17th. Today is the 3rd. What part of that do you not understand?
You feel like post-nuclear tap-dancing ? Fine; explain the fax notices to schools telling them the teachers could ask to flip the half check/full check paydays if (ahem) they could not pay their mortgages and gave them till the end of that same day to do so, as if schoolteachers are standing around the office fax machine waiting to see what Central Office wants us to do by the end of the day in order to get paid(besides educate children). What does that tell you about how well planned the rollout was, that nobody thought of the repercussions, only of the problems it would solve for Arne & Co.?
Any time left over after that? Tell us how it was that hundreds of employees woke up yesterday to find they'd been locked out of the network, and their e-mail accounts suspended. IT claims they are not cuts, yet people who called IT were being told to call HR, leading people to believe they'd been fired.
You people are a stroke. But fine, don't speak up as they round up and exterminate your colleagues and the people you are supposed to be serve.
Just don't expect anyone to be around to speak up when they come for you.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 5:36 PMBy: Retired July 1 2008 Fired From Central Office It is amazing that teachers, assistant principals and principal whom retired on July 1,2008 are still receiving an estimated pension check because the data from payroll and People Soft cannot be generated in an acceptable format needed by the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund. Good luck to the 2009 retiress. Now that most of the HR people who could have assisted have been fired- it may take years to correct with no interest paid on your funds being held back.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 6:50 PMBy: to -Retired 2008 Fired From Central Office Unbelievable. I guess next we should expect an initiative called 'Pension Alignment', wherein you will be paid via a payday loan from your own pension funds, and each paycheck will be running 1 year behind the month it is due.
If people drop dead with the Board owing them a year's worth of pension payments - well, then that money can be confiscated and booked as loan interest against the horrific deficit created by the Board's ten year 'pension holiday', since they have not been paying into the teachers' pension fund for over a decade now. It's the landlord's security deposit at the mega scale...

Problem solved!

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 7:46 PMBy: Elizabeth SCRMA Is the SCRMA literacy program gone? Are Jodi @Co. out?

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 8:21 PMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office "No you cannot [get more than numbers]. No one knows what is happening at Central Office; it's like the Wild West. A reorganization is planned for right after these cuts, yet it still hasn't been finalized.Some higher ups are making power grabs for assets they think they will need in the new structure..." (earlier).

Huberman made cuts without a plan because he is there to destabilize the system -- top to 'bottom' -- and privatize as much as possible. I was actually shocked when I tried to get the June 24 Action Agenda on July 2 and was told it wasn't ready yet because Huberman was still working on it.

Actually, he was re-creating it. Since January, when he was appointed, he has been making executive appointments without them going through the Board agendas. He has continued through this week. He also created a new system reorganization plan without going through the Board.

The sheer audacity of it is unprecedented, but it's likely to be ignored because (a) my colleagues in the corporate media simply transcribe handouts, and (b) the people who are closest to the debacles (that's a deliberate plural) are not talking to those of us who would

put the pieces together and

write the truth

I had to wait around the 6th floor yesterday for a half hour to get the Personnel Actions that came out of executive session more than a week earlier! And everyone went home for the July 4 long weekend without an Action Agenda published, either in print or on line. Why? The new CEO is massaging everything, in violation of the law, to create things his wacky way ex post facto.

Just to give a few examples that are not yet made public (from the Action Agenda which I insisted on getting because it's been "law" since the Board voted "yes" on everything in mid-afternoon June 24).

Bob Runcie is now "Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer" (that's a new title, if I'm not mistaken) at grade 10, at a salary of $179,166.67.

Michael Shields ("New Employee") is now Director of Security (a grade 9) at an annual salary of $150,000 per year. That's more than 10 percent higher than Andres Durbak was being paid.

Monique Bond is "Communications Officer, Department of Communications" at a salary of $130,380 per year. That, too, is higher than anyone ever made in that department.

Meanwhile, the Skippies and Buffies (the young guys and gals who are coming in from Huberland by the truckload) generally are showing up with no educational training or experience, and often not even the "MBA" that seems to be the closest thing Huberland has to a Type 75. But some of them have no degrees at all.

Yesterday, I asked Michael Scott whether the Board was going to order the Freedom of Information Officer to release the curriculum vitaes, work histories, and resumes of all these new executives, since he was among those voting to approve their careers in public service, at salaries above $120,000 per person per year.

He said "Yes."

I'll let you know when I get these papers. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see the latest and most absurd iteration of complete clout in CPS since all this nonsense began with Mayoral Control 14 years ago.

As to the crew (posse? these are all really cool guys and gals right?) Ronnie brought over from the Chicago Transit Authority. Everyone knows that the best training to operate a school system in the USA today is experience running a screwed up public transit system.

Rumor also was that without Huberman to protect them, the Hubermaniacs at CTA couldn't walk around without a bodyguard. With those silly "data driven" meetings and all that prattle about "You're either on the bus with me or off the bus..." they had made a lot of enemies.

Some of whom will find them over at CPS eventually. I'll be there to cover that part of the story. We'll headline it "Justice."

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 9:18 PMBy: go george Fired From Central Office You're like Batman. Thanks.

Fri Jul 3, 2009 at 10:03 PMBy: Elizabeth A sin and a shame Yes, thanks George...and I thought AIG was bad.

Sat Jul 4, 2009 at 11:24 PMBy: Out of Work/Out of Time Fired From Central Office What is happening at the central office is at best obscene. People who were hard working professionals have lost their jobs and their livelihood. Those that are "friends" of those in higer positions are still swiping in everyday to do nothing more than online shopping. It is absolute craziness in it's purest form. Additonally, it is my understanding that morale is at the lowest point ever. Many are now floundering without any clear direction as to what they should do or what they should expect.
The worst part here is that the news media continues to report spurious information including "those let go from central office will receive a severance and money to look for new jobs". NONE of that is true. Hari stated it best in the original email that started this blog...this is a mass screwing of all those unfortunate enough to be caught up in this MADNESS!

Sun Jul 5, 2009 at 2:38 AMBy: Excuse me, Payroll Shill - NOW Can I Have Your Attention, Please? Fired From Central Office I'm the poster who commented on the kite tail of memos and payroll calendars that had been posted on the HR home page..
'Had' is the operative word. I posted about this on Thursday and went back to double check the shill's rhetoric ('can't you read, it was clearly yada yada yada') and copy the link to the 'side by side' comparison.
Today, I went back to the website and 'poof'! the memos and charts are gone.
In their place is the following statement and hot links to documents dated July 3rd-
Attention CPS Employees on Deferred Pay Plan
In an effort to improve the consistency of deferred pay during the summer, Payroll Services is pleased to announce an improved deferred pay summer calculation payout for 2009. For all ten month employees (excluding 60/20 employees) a new calculation method will be used to pay out deferred pay during the summer months.
Click on the links below for more information:
Summer Deferred Pay
Summer Deferred Pay Personal Calculator
Anyone noting what the 'improvement' is, feel free to post here.
Personally I think they need to work on their communication and timings skills.

Sun Jul 5, 2009 at 6:58 AMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office One of the reasons I've delayed posting more to substancenews.net about this purge is that the other side (the appointment of all the Skippies and Buffies to enormous titles, positions and salaries at the top of the Huberman pyramid) is being covered up, massaged, and deferred using some of the most screwball language since "Chainsaw" Al Dunlap was doing corporate "turnaround" at Sunbeam (if you don't know about those days of "turnaround", Google "Chainsaw Al") or AIG was explaining why it was such a genius with its "Credit Default Swaps" (not "insurance," mind you... blah blah blah).

Huberman is cooking the books at every level, and Michael Scott and the Board members are right there with him doing it. As I reported earlier, for the first time in history, the Action Agenda from the June 24 Board of Education meeting was not available immediately after the meeting. Usually, the printed Action Agenda is available either on Friday or Monday. As of the beginning of July, it was still not available. Why? Because the Board voted on stuff it hadn't really voted on because the "CEO" was adjusting what the Board was voting on -- ex post facto.

I finally waited around at CPS Thursday (July 2, 2009), surprised, demanding to read the personnel information that was voted on by the Chicago Board of Education on June 24, 2009. In other words, the actions had been taken eight days earlier, but the actions were not "public information" because the Actions were not really Actions until the Chief Executive Officer decided what they really were at the time the Actions became Actions.

Which is why you may not be able to read the Action Agenda at the new crazy CPS "public" Web site tomorrow (July 6, 2009), even though all these people appointed by Ron Huberman are drawing enormous salaries and (again, ex post factor) taking legal action in spending enormous sums of money in the name of the taxpayers of the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, and, of course, those of us in need of "stimulus" from the Obama/Duncan team in D.C.

But I digress.

Here is one of the Board Reports you will eventually get to read when the public is allowed to know what Ron Huberman and the Board are up to.

There are many of them.

June 24, 2009. BOARD REPORT 09-0624-EX10 — APPROVE APPOINTMENT OF CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER EFFECTIVE MAY 1, 2009, AND RATIFY ALL LAWFUL ACTIONS TAKEN AS CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER SINCE MAY 1, 2009 (ROBERT RUNCIE)... NAME, Robert Runcie. FROM: Functional Title: Executive Officer. External Title: Chief Information Officer. Position Number 242650. Pay Band 10. BASIC SALARY: $179,166.67.
To: Functional Title, Executive Officer. External Title: Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Position Number 262996. Pay Band: 10. Basic Salary: See Financial and Personnel Implications.
FINANCIAL: The expenditure contain in this report is contained in the FT 2009 Budget and will be contained in the FT 2010 Budget. Salary increases associated with this appointment, if any, will be determined in conjunction with the FY 2010 Budget. PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS: Any salary increase associated with this appointment will be determined in conjunction with the FT 2010 Budget and submitted for approval to the Board.

I thought Paul Vallas was a disaster, as history has made clear.

We wrote about all the ways Arne Duncan was an even larger mess, down to documenting hundreds of his lies.

Even I have been surprised at the churzpah of Ron Huberman and his merry team of mercenaries.

And the flaccid impotence of corporate Chicago -- and its media mavens -- in the face of what amounts to a coup d'etat that should even worry them.

Sun Jul 5, 2009 at 10:52 AMBy: Used to work for the Office of Literacy Fired From Central Office To Elizabeth...Yes, Jodi and company are out. She found out on Thursday this week and Adonia, Sandee, Tara, all the evaluators, and 3 administrative assistants found out on Friday.

Several were devistated. As of now, there will be new jobs being posted for positions with different titles on next weeks e-bulletin. Some of these people could reapply; however, many won't be asked back. The coordinators currently have their jobs because someone has to create the PD for the upcoming year; however, their jobs are being redeifined and they will have to work for a fraction of their salary. The two teams attached to grants, Reading First and Striving Readers are fine. Elizabeth Cardaneus-Lopez has been temporarily in charge of the Office of Lteracy until there is a new manager chosen.

As for the "team" now looking for jobs, some of them were excellent and some needed to go (just like at any job. Adonia and Sandee got what they deserved! I have never met two more unfriendly, incapable "managers" in my life! Many of the debocles that happened in the Office of Lteracy were due to them not knowing what the hell they were doing! Others, like a couple of evaluators and Tara were really great at what they did. I hope they have the opportunity to get a position back.

Jodi is another story. We have been telling her for years to go back and get her Type 75. She never did. So, now that she is out of the Office of Literacy (and she will most certainly be one of the people that they won't ask back) what will she do? She was making a HUGE salery and now...what? She can't even be an administrator within the system. She doesn't have the credentials. She is super smart and knows literacy; however, she certainly will no longer be making the same money as she was at OL. She will probably go to a university or turn to consulting, unless she finds a director position at a suburban district (at this time most of those types of positions will have been filled. On top of that, in the suburbs, many of these positions still require a Type 75.)

Soon, the entire country will be on the basal series. Lovely! That's what the mayor wants and he has the perfect person in Xavier Botana to help him accomplish this! Now, with Arne being Sec of Ed... the entire country will be on a basal series. The poor kids who are either above reading level or below reading level.

Sun Jul 5, 2009 at 11:23 AMBy: Albert J. Dunlap . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_J._Dunlap

Albert John Dunlap (born July 26, 1937) is a professional corporate downsizer popularly known as "Chainsaw Al" and "Rambo in Pinstripes". CNBC has named Dunlap as one of the "Worst American CEOs of All Time", and he is barred from serving as an officer or director of any public company as a result of his conduct at Sunbeam Corp.

By firing thousands of employees at once and closing plants and factories, he has drastically altered the economic status of such corporations as Scott Paper and Crown Zellerbach; however, when he attempted to use his methods to increase the share price of the Sunbeam-Oster Corporation, this backfired dramatically as despite Sunbeam's stock rising from $12 a share to $53 temporarily, it plummeted back down to $11 within four months.

Industry insiders revealed that Sunbeam's revenues had been padded because Dunlap had given large discounts to retailers who bought far more merchandise than they could handle; the excess merchandise was shipped to warehouses to be delivered later, but the sales revenue was booked immediately. With the stores hopelessly overstocked, unsold inventory piled up in Sunbeam's warehouses. Investors grew edgy, then panicky, and Dunlap himself was fired. He agreed to pay $15 million to settle a shareholder lawsuit.

Chainsaw Al defrauded investors by firing thousands of workers

Dunlap drove Sunbeam into the ground

Chainsaw Al’s Reputation Backfires

Dunlap handsomely rewarded loyalty

Sun Jul 5, 2009 at 1:19 PMBy: To Huberman: Botana is a Joke Fired From Central Office The fella never taught in a classroom!!! His PHD is worth?

Sun Jul 5, 2009 at 3:30 PMBy: he has no Ph.D. Fired From Central Office where do you get that botana has a phd? he is there because he was working for ISBE and they let him go, he was a guy and he is hispanic. Little talent, but this does not matter at CPS.

Sun Jul 5, 2009 at 7:44 PMBy: still asking Fired From Central Office thanks to those who posted with info about the firings. There must be many more stories. Anybody? I read in the paper that the "Reading" coaches were being let go, then, "redirected"? huh?
What about math & science coaches? (worthless scum - they are the only ones I am not sorry about. Walking through like nazis asking about word walls, and too much BS to even mention. Good riddance. the only problem is they'll be back in schools acting holier than thou.

Sun Jul 5, 2009 at 8:55 PMBy: I got it . everyone needs a nickname

Huber the Horrendous

Sun Jul 5, 2009 at 9:12 PMBy: more::: Fired From Central Office Ronnie the Reagan
Not as good as above, but a try.

Sun Jul 5, 2009 at 10:18 PMBy: I've got it! Fired From Central Office Simply....Hubris.
by name, by nature

(Danny, you'll have to look it up)

Mon Jul 6, 2009 at 7:27 AMBy: bob Fired From Central Office Not so fast

Please nicknames are serious business.

Mon Jul 6, 2009 at 8:03 AMBy: bob. lighten up Fired From Central Office Serious business? slaughter is serious business.

Mon Jul 6, 2009 at 9:14 AMBy: Explain more about Office of Literacy Fired From Central Office It seems that Striving readers is not working. CPS got about 22 million for the program. Up to now there has only been one evaluation that showed very little if any improvement for weak readers in the grant schools. Does the person who posted about that office know why this program seems to be not working?

Mon Jul 6, 2009 at 9:58 AMBy: To: 10:52 Fired From Central Office You are so right. We had one of the people/managers you mentioned and she was obviously incompetent. She worked in Region 5 as a "reading expert" about ten years ago. I was on a walk through with her and honestly a parent with no education background in reading or any other subject could have done a better job. Her comments, suggestions and overall attitude was negative. She obviously knew less about reading than our first year teachers. It was embarrassing. Instead of the AIO remediating her as you would with a poor teacher in a school she was promoted. CPS likes to speak about making teacher evaluations more stringent which is long overdue but who evaluates these highly paid teachers/managers/administrators?

Mon Jul 6, 2009 at 10:14 AMBy: joe Fired From Central Office So, although reading scores have improved, that department was wiped out? What about the Math and Science Department? The scores have been on a steady decline for years, not to mention all the money wasted on IDS. Is Lach and company out, or is he still there because he and Botana are such wonderful snitches?

Mon Jul 6, 2009 at 11:41 AMBy: Give the teachers credit Fired From Central Office Are you so naiive that you actually think reading scores went up due to any intervention coming out of central office? Duh! maybe it is the teachers...

Tue Jul 7, 2009 at 9:21 AMBy: Patronage Coaches Fired From Central Office I am so confused about a system that needs something called reading coaches. I thought teachers knew how to teach reading.

Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 7:10 PMBy: Discouraged Fired From Central Office The "packet" came. It does not contain much of anything of value. A cold form letter signed by the new Chief Adminstrative Officer; a list of "potential" vacancies with positions ranging from office clerk to teacher's assistant...but the instructions are clear that you should "call first" to verify that the positions are actually still available.
It's insulting and ridiculous! I feel like I'm reliving the initial classless and low-rent dismissal that I received courtesy of the new Chief Information Officer. Will it ever end?

Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 9:50 PMBy: Botana and Lach are GONE!!! Fired From Central Office I have some good news! I know that Xavier Botana and Mike Lach resigned!!!! Happy days. Apparently, neither guy got along with Huberman (imagine that!) Xavier Botana can't get along with anyone!

They let him "save face" by resigning instead of firing him. I heard he was going to Oregon. Good bye! Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out! He was horrible!!

I don't know much about Lach, other than to say that he has now resigned. Don't know where he is going or what the circumstances were surrounding his resignation.

Office of Math and Science (according to a manager there) are going to see the same type of cuts in August as what the Office of Literacy had in July. If this is the case, most of the management at CMSI will be out as well (however, they are posting new positions with different titles...their way of getting rid of anyone that they don't want back).

This continues to get crazier and crazier by the day!

Sat Jul 18, 2009 at 12:49 AMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office Having been fired by idiots and very bright people -- and laid off during purges that hit thousands -- the one thing I know is that it takes people a little while to stabilize. Just doing the paperwork is time consuming. When Marilyn Stewart fired me from CTU in August 2004, her minions (viz., the lawyers) also tried to prevent me from getting COBRA to sustain my Blue Cross. Since Josh Schmidt was about to be born (he was born at Northwestern Memorial Hospital September 30, 2004), the attack on my right to medical benefits was very serious. We had planned for a hospital birth at Prentiss -- not a home birth or something else. It took me a whole day on the phone just to begin to undo the damage done by the ruthless way in which Marilyn Stewart attacked that one simple and straightforward benefit (i.e., COBRA continuation of Blue Cross - Blue Shield family coverage).

Those are the kinds of things people have to deal with when they have been ruthlessly purged (like most of the people who've been Hubermanned) or forced to "resign" (like a few).

I have three bits of advice, in order.

First, straighten out your access to medical benefits and make sure you get all the necessary paperwork.

Second, apply for unemployment compensation immediately. Given the state of the economy, you may be getting this small benefit for as long as 12 months, and believe me, it can be a lifesaver (although it's clearly a disappointment after a CPS salary).

Third, sue the SOBs. Even if you have been told you are an "at will" employee, you'll have more leverage filing a complaint than if you simply try to make a few phone calls.

When you've covered yourself and your family as best you can, get in touch with us. As you know, we expanded our reporting staff to the largest in history over the past 12 months (during the same time we revamped our Web site).

Every news organization is only as good as its sources. Our sources have never been better, and they will soon be better still.

As everyone knows, if Substance agrees that you are "off the record," you are "off the record." In 34 years (soon to be 35) we have never burned a source. I'm assuming that the next 24 months will reveal some of the most incredible stuff, and we will be glad to double check every fact and then put it in print (in the monthly Substance) and on the Web (at www.substancenews.net).

There are very few people to whom I'd say "Good riddance" when they lose their jobs. So far, not one of those purged by the Daley Boys (and Girls) is on that list. We're easy to get in contact with.

Sat Jul 18, 2009 at 12:51 AMBy: George N Schmidt Fired From Central Office Please help me with a rumor.

Is it true that one department (Office of New Schools) has been expanding while everyone else is getting hammered in this Huberization of CPS? In other words, we need to expand privatization, but can destroy every other service.

And if it's not true, please let me know who is now gone. I have the position files to double check, as you know.