At Spain Elementary/Middle School, Detroit Public Schools Superintendent Connie Calloway waits alone Monday night for results of the board's vote on her ouster. The vote was 7-4 in favor of firing her.
Money troubles doom DPS leader Calloway
Board votes to oust DPS head, blaming her for the district's financial problems
BY CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY • FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER • December 16, 2008
Connie Calloway's time at the top of Detroit Public Schools came to an abrupt end Monday night, as the school board voted to fire her after less than 18 months on the job.
Her dismissal came down to matters of money -- specifically the mistakes that were outlined in a scathing letter from the state superintendent last week explaining why the state would appoint an emergency financial manager to take over the district's $1.1-billion budget.
"We're holding her accountable," said Tyrone Winfrey, one of the seven board members who voted to dump Calloway during a meeting at Spain Elementary/Middle School.
Calloway countered that she was being made a scapegoat for problems that began long before she arrived in July 2007.
"I came here knowing that hard decisions had to be made, but I was told that I had the support and I have the option of making them," Calloway said, calling her firing unjust.
She was technically placed on paid administrative leave and has 15 days to request a public hearing on her termination. Calloway's five-year contract was to run through June 2012, and paid her a base salary of $280,000 annually.
The vote to oust Calloway came despite top officials of 10 community groups and school unions asking the board earlier in the day to keep her. They included leaders from New Detroit Inc., United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Skillman Foundation, Detroit Urban League, Detroit Parent Network, Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA), City Year Detroit and the unions that represent engineers and secretarial employees.
Kevin Magin, interim deputy superintendent for Wayne RESA, said that consistency is absolutely essential for DPS. He said he would make the same case to the financial manager who the state plans to appoint in the coming weeks.
"Dr. Calloway is a strong instructional leader," he said. "This is not a time to make a change on the instructional side of the house because you're being forced to make a change on the financial side," he said.
Calloway also released an e-mailed statement to the public and employees before Monday's meeting that listed some successes and gave thanks for serving the district.
Among the accomplishments she cited were: plans to restructure some high schools into smaller learning communities, encouraging data-driven decisions regarding achievement, collaborating with the regional school district to train principals and teachers in underperforming schools and working with superintendents in the tri-county area to support appropriate funding for all children.
Just before the vote, board President Carla Scott said she "wholeheartedly" disagreed with the resolution to fire Calloway, adding that in a district as broken as DPS it's easy to "go on a witch hunt."
"This reminds me of the Salem witch trials," Scott said, then read the letter signed by community leaders.
Those voting to fire Calloway were Winfrey, Joyce Hayes-Giles, Reverend David Murray, Ida Short, Marie Thornton, Jimmy Womack and Annie Carter.
Voting no were Scott, Otis Mathis, Terry Catchings and Marvis Cofield.
The board appointed district general counsel Teresa Gueyser interim superintendent. It was not immediately clear how long she would be in that role, but Winfrey said the board was vetting other candidates for the role.
Thornton interrupted Calloway as she listed a litany of problems that she said were not her fault. "This is going a little bit too far," Thornton said.
Hecklers also interrupted Calloway's speech, followed by dozens of supporters who stood to applaud after she spoke.
"My heart grieves for the children of Detroit," Calloway said. While talking to media with her attorney in tow, she appeared on the verge of tears.
Kimberly Bishop, a parent from Henry Ford High, criticized the board.
"You don't care about our children, you don't care about our community," she said. Bishop said the board "got rid of her because she opened up too many doors" that board members "wanted to keep shut."
"It's some other people who need to be held accountable right along with her," Brenda Nimocks, a substitute teacher for DPS, said. "The State of Michigan needs to be held accountable."
Tia Shepherd, Detroit Parent Advisory Council cochair, said the state, parents and local school officials are responsible for the failures during the Calloway administration.
"I've never heard anyone say which direction we're going," she said.
"We need a school improvement plan ... that's No. 1."
Contact CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY at 313-223-4537 or cpratt@freepress.com.
Calloway e-mail: Thank you for the opportunity to serve Detroit Public Schools
BY CHASTITY PRATT DAWSEY • FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER • December 15, 2008
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The embattled superintendent for Detroit Public Schools sent an e-mail to employees and the media today that gives thanks and lists accomplishments during her 18 months on the job.
The school board is expected to oust Calloway at tonight’s special board meeting. The vote comes a week after State Superintendent Mike Flanagan determined that an emergency financial manager must be appointed to take over DPS’s $1.1-billion budget.
Ten community and union leaders sent a letter today in support of Calloway that asks board president Carla Scott to cancel the meeting.
Among Calloway’s accomplishments according to her letter and supporters: plans to restructure some high schools into smaller learning communities, encouraging data-driven decision-making regarding achievement, collaborating with the regional school district to train principals and teachers in underperforming schools and working with superintendents in the tri-county area to support appropriate funding for all children.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Spain Elementary/Middle School, 3700 Beaubien.
Text of Calloway's e-mail
Thank you so very much for the opportunity to serve as your superintendent for the past 18 months. Much has been accomplished in that time. We experienced the lowest enrollment decline in the past five years.
The data analysis system known as COGNOS which brings you current academic information on schools, classrooms and students is available at the click of a mouse. Every administrator in the district has been given multiple opportunities to train on COGNOS.
The principal and assistant principal academies have continued to be implemented at a fraction of the cost originally established yet maintaining quality results. An Exemplary Teacher Cadre was established. Twenty teachers in Michigan were accepted into The National Board Certified Teacher program this year—all twenty are DPS teachers. We look forward to the prospect that another DPS teacher will join the list of Detroit educators who have received Milken National Educator Awards.
A textbook purchasing process has been developed and is in place. There is an interview process in place in Human Relations that is fair and impartial. DPS is in compliance with the FBI fingerprinting law; we processed approximately 14,000 employees in a six month time frame.
Vacant buildings have been boarded, secured and a real estate agent hired to market the properties.
A collaborative and respectful relationship was established with all of our labor organizations and meetings were held regularly to discuss and share information.
The level of engagement of our parents has increased, as we have focused on demonstrating teaching strategies to work with their children at home.
We have made progress on moving the state to accept 60,000 students as the First Class School District benchmark.
We have developed the DPS radio station WRCJ 90.9 FM which airs district information daily.
We have a quarterly newsletter.
We, like our President-elect Barack Obama, more effectively utilize technology to communicate; Superintendent’s Greetings is an example.
A Student Services Department has been established to centralize concerns for the welfare of our school children.
We presented a budget based on MDE’s enrollment projections and made efforts to align district operations to actual enrollment.
We have embarked on a high school restructuring program to explore new ideas to help our 22 high schools which did not make AYP.
We have maintained fiscal transparency, acknowledging that the district does have a deficit budget, due to the fact that actual expenditures have exceeded revenues for seven of the past eight years by approximately $10 million dollars per year.
We have called for fiscal accountability and transparency in every area.
The fabulous cabinet staff have been working as a unified team to address the many challenges the district currently faces. The entire DPS staff has continuously demonstrated a commitment to serving students; maintaining the quality of services they provide, despite budget reductions and concessions.
We have reached out to education organizations such as Wayne RESA, MASA, Tri-County Alliance; Foundations—Skillman, One D, United Way; Universities—Wayne State, Marygrove, Michigan State; and the business community—Compuware, DMC, Henry Ford –to name a few, to establish strong partnerships.
We have excelled in our school programs, such as Hanstein Elementary students writing, producing and performing an opera at the Detroit Opera House and the King band playing for the Olympics in China.
Let me close by simply saying again “Thank you” for the opportunity to serve the Detroit Public Schools as General Superintendent for one and a half years.
Have a blessed Christmas, , my wish is that DPS will thrive for the sake of the 95,000 wonderful children that we serve.
Respectfully,Your Superintendent,
Connie Calloway
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