By

Ray Pinney 

In every sports competition there are winners and losers.  There are not only winners and losers, but there are fans on the losing side who second guess the players and coaches.  It is very American after a loss, especially a close loss, to blame someone for the defeat.  It is so ingrained in our culture that every city has a sports talk radio station that depends on these “Monday morning quarterbacks” for their ratings.

Besides sports, politics is the next American venue in which the blame game is played and in politics it is practiced not just by the fans, but by the players (in this case, the players are the elected officials themselves). In fact, assigning blame to others and deflecting blame from yourself is a necessary survival skill in politics.  I would go so far as to say one’s talent in this area often decides election results.

Nothing brings out the blame as much as a close loss, because in a close loss even the littlest mistake can mean the difference between victory and defeat. In the Race To The Top contest, New Jersey was very close to winning. (more…)

By

Ray Pinney 

Last spring I was speaking before a group of board members and I told them that their biggest challenge was not putting together a budget or negotiating a collective bargaining agreement. Their biggest challenge was motivating their staff to achieve. I believed it back then and I believe it even more now. One of the unintended consequences of wage freezes, capping salaries, reducing staff, and generally forcing change on any work staff is that employees feel devalued. 

I believe this may apply this year to the majority of school district employees – from part-time aides to the district superintendent.  Even if they are not feeling devalued, at a minimum they are probably a bit distracted from the job at hand, which is to educate our students.

Many school administrators and teachers may be distracted from their duties right now because of the negative rhetoric that has been swirling around the discussion of public education.  (more…)

By

Ray Pinney 

When Gov. Christie announced his plan to cap superintendent salaries, I thought of two  different conversations I had which reflect the divergent views that the public and those in the education community hold on school leadership.

One happened a few years ago when I saw a teacher I knew as I was walking around my neighborhood.  We were talking and she made a comment that startled me. “Why do we need superintendents,” she asked. “Teachers can run a school by themselves.” I went on to explain the need for school administrators to her. It  was a tough sell, mostly because  her mind was already made up and I was trying to reverse her position. I know that I didn’t change her mind that day.   

Compare this to a conversation I had with a board member which must have taken place about nine or ten years ago. (more…)