Superintendent Meets with PFT Building Representatives

By Kathy Ramos, Member, PFT Executive Board

     At the Building Representatives’ meeting on Saturday, May 6, 2006, at the PFT Building, PFT leaders enjoyed a meaningful opportunity to listen to and interact with Mark Roosevelt, Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent.

     Mr. Roosevelt’s message was straightforward and conveyed the difficult tasks we face together, as well as hope and confidence in our future. Mr. Roosevelt kept his own comments brief in order to allow ample time to answer members’ questions. He stressed that it’s critical for the administration, the Board, and teachers not to be seen as adversaries in the public eye. “We must change the nature of our public and private conversations so that the public’s collective impression of us will change and grow positively,” he said. He commented that we are competing more than ever before with charter schools. “It’s a new day,” he stated, “People have many choices regarding where to educate their children.” He was emphatic that we must outperform those who are competing against us, that we must communicate our own achievements effectively, and that we must work collectively to reverse our declining student enrollment. Our present enrollment of 32,000 students (from 78,000 20 years ago) is anticipated to drop to 29,000—leaving us in danger of not even being considered a small-size urban district.

     Unexpectedly but quite sincerely, Mr. Roosevelt apologized to PFT members if he had created the impression that he was unconcerned about teachers’ thoughts, feelings, and ideas. “It’s not an excuse but an explanation,” he said while explaining that both the monumental tasks of completing the right-sizing plan and conducting negotiations with the PFT limited his direct communications with us during the past several months. He assured us that he certainly wants to know what we think about how to improve student achievement. He plans to set up a formal structure for this interaction to occur. “I feel,” he said, “that the district leadership has let you down far more than you’ve ever let them down.”

     He also outlined the success he has had in obtaining funds from non-general funding sources, even from sources that have never previously contributed money to PPS as well as his plans for using grant/foundation money to fund his initiatives. He articulated his commitment to developing a system for evaluating principals. “I never again want to be in the position of placing principals without data and a method for evaluation of their performance,” he said. This will take some time, but he promised to have a cohesive plan for principal professional development and performance evaluation. He ended his remarks by reiterating that all of our interests are mutual interests. Clearly, he envisions a real partnership between PFT leaders and members and administrative personnel as crucial to building a successful future through raising student achievement and narrowing the racial achievement gap.

     During a lengthy question and answer session in which no stone was left unturned, Mr. Roosevelt listened closely to members’ concerns on a wide variety of issues. Several members directly stated our concerns about ineffective administrations, and to unsafe, chaotic environments which prohibit effective learning from occurring. Without real improvement in these arenas, members assured him, efforts to raise achievement will be hindered. He listened as teachers stated their case that arts education, vocational programming, and access to school libraries staffed by fulltime librarians are vital components of a full, well-rounded educational experience for students. He agreed to investigate the problem of errors on the Standards-Based Assessments (SBAs) given in elementary schools. He reaffirmed his commitment to Head Start programs, which have been expanded. He offered to meet personally with a select group of teachers to listen to and discuss their concerns regarding same-sex domestic partner benefits. In addition, he answered questions about his plans for high school reform. He wants to directly involve teachers in the challenge to creatively redesign our high schools. “We should not only think outside of the box, but make a new box,” he remarked.

     In summary, it was a productive morning in which Mr. Roosevelt did an excellent job delivering his message that we are all part of one team, a team in which every member must work in sync, trust one another, and take the future into his/her own hands by striving to seize every opportunity to make our district better than ever for our students, ourselves, and all stakeholders. At the same time, teachers conveyed to Mr. Roosevelt that we are working hard every day, that we are always prepared to move forward, and that we desire to teach in safe, effectively-run schools in which students can grow and succeed. Mr. Roosevelt thanked us for inviting him—it is our hope that he’ll return soon. We want him to continue to build positive relationships with us by visiting our schools and creating consistent opportunities for teachers to be involved in the improvements our district is undertaking to build achievement, enrollment, and success upon the solid foundation which we’ve already proudly established.

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