FAMU-DRS Superintendent Ronald Holmes has developed a three-year plan to improve the school’s academic performance.
The Florida Department of Education gave DRS a "D" grade for 2008-2009. That's down from a "C" grade last year.
“We will employ appropriate personnel and develop interventions to improve significantly our academic performance,” Holmes said.
One of Holmes’ interventions is to establish a Special Education Program, which has been approved for the 2009 fall semester.
Other goals in the three-year plan include the following: improve the curriculum by providing a rigorous curriculum with focus on science, mathematics, technology and foreign languages; establish a comprehensive reading program; expand dual enrollment at the university beginning at the freshman level; offer test-taking skills program through Kaplan Testing Service; and offer honors AP and IB courses utilizing highly qualified teachers.
FAMU recently began advertising 21 positions available at DRS. The available positions include 11 university school assistant professors and 10 university school instructors.
According to Holmes, this step expedites the process to secure more “regular” contracts for DRS faculty, which could lead to permanent contracts. Based on the current collective bargaining agreement, visiting teachers do not earn credit toward permanent status whereas regular teachers earn such credit. At the completion of three years in a credit earning status, teachers may be granted permanent contracts.
So we pay someone over $100,000 dollars a year to go from a "C" to a "D." Maybe if we give him a raise he'll get us to an "F." Wow, I wish my family was on the board or in the administration......its the new get rich scheme!!!! Plus, I wouldn't have to do anything all day!
ReplyDeleteWhile the school is advertising, it should advertise for a new administrator, too. How does a school -- one that's affiliated with a university -- go from a "C," which is still pretty bad, to a danggone "D"? I ain' feeling these grades right about now. And I sure ain' feeling this inept "leadership." I know we can do better: grade-wise, leadship-wise, and scholarship-wise.
ReplyDeleteThe man got a three year contract. Expect that you will suffer a little in the beginning to gain in the long run. He deserves the full benefit of a chance to make the necessary changes he needs to. Not the knee jerk reactions that are now appearing.
ReplyDeleteSuperintendents and principals must redesign their schools, implement research-based curricula, ensure that teachers are trained in research-based instructional methods, and provide core reading knowledge to elementary teachers. Superintendents and principals who increase their school's effectiveness must prepare for sudden increases in student population and the diversity in skills of their students. In other words, administrators themselves must be “highly qualified.” Therefore, a person, who was an assistant principal in Georgia for years without obtaining the position of principal is not superintendent material no matter who his brother is. Two people, who are not sufficiently trained to be principals and do not have solid teaching in the k-12 environment, can not walk into the doors and be principals without proper training. In the future, let’s err on the side of our children and not prior relationships.
ReplyDelete9:15am
ReplyDeleteSo I guess, in your view, it is quite alright to pay a person the most money allotted ever in a particular position and embrace their failure. I guess, in your view, hiring the least qualified and last placed applicant for a position, see them take a school LOWER than where they were before an advocate for them to get another chance.
Well, in my opinion, when someone says they are going to turn around things, that's exactly what they are required to do. When we hire the least qualified applicants and the lowest scoring individuals on an employment interview, this type of failure is what we not only expect, but plan for. You cannot say that we are striving for the best and utilize slighted hiring practices such as this. So congrats leadership........mission almost accomplished. Maybe this year he'll get you that F rating you all are obviously dying for, LOL!!!!! This is ridiculous!
My point was simple. If it is a three year plan, lets evaluate at the end of three years. Just as those who praised the last year's result thought that he was the Messiah, it is the same thing. The question is, what support is he getting to follow through.
ReplyDeleteReply to 4:09 p.m.
ReplyDeleteLet's year's result were not his, they belonged to the prior administration. Therefore, anyone who thought he was the "Messiah" were as misguided as he is.
4:09pm
ReplyDeleteIf he was hired with a three year contract......can you explain why he didn't have a three year plan that started LAST year?????? He got paid over 100K and what plan did he have???
And you are delusional if you think he is a messiah for DRS......LOL......you must be the Holmes' cousin or something. Let me guess, you need a job too? This is hilarious
We all know why and how he got the job. Ammons better wake up and small the coffee!
ReplyDeleteRemember he got his $7,000.00 before the grade was disclosed. So he has no worries on either front. Giving him the benefit of the doubt only hurst the children. He didn't get the job right and he will not keep it past his contract because he is not going to get the support of the community. We do not live under a rock. All things eventually are revealed.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he can become a deacon or the associate pastor at B B.
What 7,000
ReplyDeleteThe Adminstrators should Resign. All of them, they changed everything and the grade went down, not that a C was great but now the school's grade is a D. The teachers were the same from last year.
ReplyDeleteAmmons it is time for you to take action. FAMU DRS is the only lab school that has not made an A. You brought this idiot in as a favor to his brother, now it is time for you to return his dumb behind back to Georgia, and send those other two he calls principals back to DOE. And please don't send us anymore rejects.
ReplyDeletewhy the man gotta be an idiot?
ReplyDeleteHave you ever talked to him? If you have then you would know why he's an idiot?
ReplyDeleteIf FAMU DRS Stop hiring political friends and relatives to head its school things may change for the better. For years the school have been hiring Principals based on politics, what you can do for me, friends and relatives. Now the school needs to think about hiring someone with exprience and no ties to the school nor the university...
ReplyDeleteI wonder if we'll get a statement from the president on this one????? Probably not, it seems of late, he only likes talking to us about the things HE wants to talk about........ definitely not the concerns coming from the school. I'll remember that next time he asks me for a donation though.
ReplyDeleteI say that we will see what happens this fall as parents make the decision to allow their students to return and if new ones are recruited. Where is the College of Education Dean in all of this?
ReplyDeleteSame students from the year before when they earned a "C". Only exception would be the new students that enrolled last fall( 90% of them had already passed the FCAT in their respected grades prior to entering DRS) Can someone explain to me how they could have come to this? Could it be the teachers? Could it be there's no school spirit? Or, could it be the leadership. I regret not stepping up and protesting on my child's behalf in regards to the number of unqualified administrators that were selected to lead this school. THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!!!
ReplyDelete