The Continuing Farce

How convenient of interim City school Superintendent William Cala to propose sweeping reforms for the city schools, on his way out the door. It’s a bold plan that takes to task the city school district and the education establishment, but Cala won’t be there to implement it. So let’s not give him too much credit for his 48-page report, since Cala can now sit comfortably at home and say, “You deal with the problems.” Grand designs are easier to propose than carry out.

Cala was being paid $1000 a day as interim Super. (Nice work if you can get it.) Maybe we’d feel better about that if he attempted some of his own reforms while still in office. Now, it’s for someone else to roll up their sleeves and try to fix the City’s broken education system. Again, how convenient.

Despite this criticism, let’s applaud Cala for his bold recommendations, made without regard to whom they may embarrass or upset. Maybe that’s why they had to be offered on the way out the door. After all, his report claims the highly paid administrative staff of the school district is bloated and needs to be reduced. (In the schools establishment, this is a startling revelation.)

It’s disturbing that the leadership of the City School Board is asleep at the switch. In response to Cala’s report, School Board President (and Democrat and Chronicle teacher’s pet) Malik Evans said, “It wasn’t anything that I wasn’t aware of and nothing that hasn’t already been discussed with the new Superintendent.”

Well, where have you been, Mr. Evans? President of the School Board and aware of 48 pages worth of problems – and now you’re getting around to discussing them with the new Superintendent? Maybe the problem starts with the School Board itself!

A 39% graduation rate and, of course, the highest per-capita school spending in Monroe County (and one of the highest statewide). I once read a restaurant review that said, “The food’s bad, but expensive.” Maybe the chef was Malik Evans.