The Virginian-Pilot
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NORFOLK
The number of administrators directly overseeing middle and high schools will drop from two to one under a downsizing plan that could save the Norfolk division more than $100,000.
The division will consolidate the posts of executive director of middle schools and executive director of high schools to create the post of executive director of secondary schools.
"We saw it as one way to save some money downtown without directly taking away from instruction," School Board Chairman Stephen Tonelson said.
The division posted a job advertisement on its Web site this week for the new post.
Gene Jones, the current executive director of high schools, and Cathy Lassiter, the executive director of middle schools, have the option of applying for the new post.
Elementary schools will continue to be supervised by two executive directors who each oversee about 18 schools, Tonelson said.
Criticism that the division is top-heavy with administrators has come from parents, as well as Norfolk's vice mayor, Larry Gregory of the Norfolk Tea Party and Marian Flickinger of the Norfolk Federation of Teachers.
The board's budget proposal for next year eliminates more than 300 jobs, including teaching, security-guard and guidance-counselor slots. Tonelson has said attrition and retirements will limit the need for layoffs to 30 or fewer.
Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com
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State Efficiency Audit
If NPS is serious about reducing administrative costs in the central office, it should implement recommendations made several years ago as part of a state efficiency audit. State experts recommended over a dozen positions in central office be eliminated. The savings would be in the millions over a 5 year period. It is unclear from recent public discussions how many of these positions (non-teachers) were actually eliminated as part of past budget reductions. It would be useful for NPS to disclose which of the efficiency audit recommendations were actually implemented.
What a smokescreen!
Let Jones retire and Norfolk will not fire him.
Do away with one of two administrative positions and have both reapply. Is this also a way not to fire both that were at the very center of the SOL mess? What a smokescreen!
school systems
Perhaps Norfolk and Portsmouth should merge school systems. Seems like both are headed down the tubes with no relief in site.
Instead of English and Math, the kids are learning marksmanship, getting 60's on tests if they skip or just refuse to do the assignment. The whole damn bunch of leaders in both systems should be fired. A new leader should be brought on, the kids should be told one screw up and you are history, we are in the education business not baby sitters. The police department should be doubled because expelled students will end up being arrested because they cant stay out of trouble ( which is why they are not in school to begin with ). Get the PC situation out of education, someone have the kahunas to lead and not be afraid of Jesse Jackson coming to town to have a walk or a sit in.
Wake up Portsmouth/Norfolk, you are the laughing stock of the education system in Tidewater.