Tonight @6:30 in the Kiva room @ PVRS. Bacon will be discussing the budget and Teachers and new programs they will be implementing. 5/17/2017
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Monday, May 15, 2017
PVRS Now the Teachers are speaking .Parents we need to as well .
Will somebody PLEASE tell me why this damn School Committee is walking around with there heads up there asses!! They did NOT listen to the committee who stated NOT to hire Miller , they did not listen to past administrators, they are not listening to teachers or students, why are they even in these position's? This school is going to hell fast and they are just watching it die. PRICELESS!
We warned you, we crowded your meetings, the past staff warned you of verbal abuse by Miller and you did nothing! Than you ALLOW the hiring of a Principal who with no experience or personality to come in and do more harm. Also, do we really need to pay an ASST. Superintendent? With the low enrollment , I don't think this position is needed and will save the school budget 100,000.00 That could better be used elsewhere. This position needs to go.
You took away a man who not only was the HEART of PVRS but supported the teachers and students, You refused to believe what he told you about verbal abuse and unreasonable demands and we lost alot. Now, Cathy Hawkins-Harrison , what the hell is wrong with you!
Here is yet another warning, keep this cycle going and this school will close in 2 to 3 years or the state will come in .
Maybe its time we all need to contact the state and voice our frustrations and have them investigate.
Springfield, MA 01103
Phone: (413) 788-8401
Fax: (413) 784-1227
Bacon states she has developed four strategies in hopes of improving the school atmosphere. Please! Number one, none of you are PVRS material and you NEVER will be. You have done nothing but destroy the atompshire of this school. Your incompetent, PERIOD!
The kids spoke loud and clear how they felt, and wanted the man who from the day they walked into the school knew he had their backs, and believed in them and taught them they could achieve anything they put their minds to.
The school also spoke when they dedicated a scholarship in Cathy Hawkins-Harrison name. Yes, she could be tough on you, but in a way that she earned the respect and admiration of all who knew her and the kids depended on her. Big surprise, they would take her away too. NOT.
Listen up Pat and the rest of your school committee, people are fed up and are looking to new areas for their kids education. Parents its time you head to the May 25 meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. in Pearl Rhodes Elementary School.Where The School Committee is set to review Miller’s second end-of-cycle evaluation. It time to get involved.
We want a new Superintendent, Mike Duprey back and Kathy to stay. Or you will hear us loud and clear when you lose yet more enrollments. YOUR CALL.
Thank you Gina for taking a stand.
NORTHFIELD — A survey distributed to Pioneer Valley Regional School’s faculty shows most feel disrespected by administrators, that communication is lacking and that they have little involvement in affecting changes.
With approval from Pioneer Principal Jean Bacon, Athletic Director Gina Johnson asked faculty to share their concerns, distributing the anonymous survey via email on March 12 to all 88 staff members at Pioneer. She received 41 responses, primarily from the 45 classroom teachers.
The goal, Johnson said, was to make sure “that we’re heard as faculty and staff, and (that) the administration is heard.”
“It had to be done,” Johnson said. “I felt like we were losing who we are.”
To Johnson, Pioneer is about everyone working together to support each and every student. She said the perception of the staff is that that concept has been dismantled by administrators, creating an “us against them” mentality.
The survey included nine questions concerning whether faculty
felt supported or respected by administrators, supported by their
coworkers, and informed of changes and the process behind them. Other
questions considered changes that are benefiting or not benefiting
students, and how administration could be improved.
Transparency A lack of communication was one of the large themes, with faculty commenting on a “lack of transparency” and the feeling of being “left in the dark to play catch-up.”
“Decisions (are) made for (the) entire faculty with little or no discussion,” one faculty member commented.
“Teachers need to feel they have a real say,” said another.
Multiple respondents felt they didn’t have the opportunity to get to know Bacon or Assistant Principal Jennifer Albert Perry, and that the two were inaccessible.
Though Johnson said faculty communicated to her having one-on-one conversations with Bacon, it wasn’t an effective method to ensure the same messages were communicated school wide.
“For the bigger group, it didn’t work well,” Johnson said.
Furthermore, Johnson said department heads were once the go-between, relaying information from administrators to faculty and vice versa. However, Bacon said she’s “working with the teachers’ union to develop an alternative teacher leadership structure that makes more sense, given the downsizing” of staff.
“We don’t need as many head teachers as we currently have,” she said. According to Bacon, Pioneer has 10 head teachers.
Through the survey, faculty advised administrators to communicate big or small changes in advance, leaving time for questions, clarification and comments.
Respect Five faculty members felt respected by administrators. Others said they felt “disposable,” as if their opinions were “easily dismissed.”
“(The) human condition at Pioneer is so sad,” one faculty member said.
“I go home every day and wake up every morning dreading coming to a place I used to love,” said another.
Morale, respondents said, is “at its lowest ebb,” feeling that administrators have “no desire to recognize when things (have) gone well.”
The survey illustrates the pain felt by many staff members.
“This is a rough place to work right now,” Johnson said. “Teachers are trying to be positive and do what’s right for kids … There’s a lot of hurt and a lot of pain.”
In response, Bacon said she is “very saddened and concerned that some people are feeling that (administrators’) respect or support for teachers has been lacking.”
“That is certainly not what is in our hearts or intentions,” she said. “We have a very talented staff who have built tremendous relationships with our students and with each other.”
Changes While some faculty recognized staff cuts as “a necessary evil,” others said the proposed staff reductions are not in the best interest of students. In particular, many said losing Dean of Students Cathy Hawkins-Harrison would be to the school’s detriment.
Increasing class sizes, transitioning to online learning and offering more advanced placement (AP) classes were also lamented, believing AP classes undermine heterogeneity. However, others believed online learning could have its value at Pioneer, and appreciated an emphasis on college and career readiness.
Faculty hoped to “be told ahead of time what positions might be cut” and that administrators would “work with staff being cut to find new jobs.”
Staff support Still, the majority of respondents said they felt supported by their coworkers, building “amazing relationships” and “finding strength in one another.”
“It’s because of my colleagues I have been able to get through the most challenging year of my career,” one faculty member said.
Moving forward Having reviewed the responses, Johnson said she feels faculty “felt like they got to be heard.”
“Some even commented it was very therapeutic for them,” she said. “I think we can all learn something from it, and we will.”
In particular, by working with Albert Perry, Johnson and three other faculty members, Bacon has developed four strategies in hopes of improving the school atmosphere.
Four strategiesBacon said she and Albert Perry plan to: conduct short, informal visits to classes to get to know the teachers better; be more proactive and timely about sharing information via emails and faculty’s Panther Gram newsletter; develop alternative methods for gathering faculty input such as discussion boards and surveys; and continue to hold collaborative faculty working groups.
We warned you, we crowded your meetings, the past staff warned you of verbal abuse by Miller and you did nothing! Than you ALLOW the hiring of a Principal who with no experience or personality to come in and do more harm. Also, do we really need to pay an ASST. Superintendent? With the low enrollment , I don't think this position is needed and will save the school budget 100,000.00 That could better be used elsewhere. This position needs to go.
- Superintendent: The school committee has the power to select and terminate the superintendent, and to establish his or her compensation. (G.L. c. 71, [[section]] 37)
- Assistant or associate superintendents: On the recommendation of the superintendent, the committee may establish the positions of and appoint assistant or associate superintendents, who shall report to the superintendent. The superintendent recommends to the school committee candidates for appointment to the position of assistant or associate superintendent. The committee shall approve or disapprove the appointment, but shall not unreasonably withhold its approval. If the superintendent requests, the committee shall explain its disapproval of a recommended candidate. The committee sets the compensation of the superintendent and the assistant or associate superintendents. (G.L. c. 71, [[section]] 59)
You took away a man who not only was the HEART of PVRS but supported the teachers and students, You refused to believe what he told you about verbal abuse and unreasonable demands and we lost alot. Now, Cathy Hawkins-Harrison , what the hell is wrong with you!
Here is yet another warning, keep this cycle going and this school will close in 2 to 3 years or the state will come in .
Maybe its time we all need to contact the state and voice our frustrations and have them investigate.
Regional Offices
Western MA
1441 Main Street, Suite 0Springfield, MA 01103
Phone: (413) 788-8401
Fax: (413) 784-1227
Bacon states she has developed four strategies in hopes of improving the school atmosphere. Please! Number one, none of you are PVRS material and you NEVER will be. You have done nothing but destroy the atompshire of this school. Your incompetent, PERIOD!
The kids spoke loud and clear how they felt, and wanted the man who from the day they walked into the school knew he had their backs, and believed in them and taught them they could achieve anything they put their minds to.
The school also spoke when they dedicated a scholarship in Cathy Hawkins-Harrison name. Yes, she could be tough on you, but in a way that she earned the respect and admiration of all who knew her and the kids depended on her. Big surprise, they would take her away too. NOT.
Listen up Pat and the rest of your school committee, people are fed up and are looking to new areas for their kids education. Parents its time you head to the May 25 meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. in Pearl Rhodes Elementary School.Where The School Committee is set to review Miller’s second end-of-cycle evaluation. It time to get involved.
We want a new Superintendent, Mike Duprey back and Kathy to stay. Or you will hear us loud and clear when you lose yet more enrollments. YOUR CALL.
Thank you Gina for taking a stand.
NORTHFIELD — A survey distributed to Pioneer Valley Regional School’s faculty shows most feel disrespected by administrators, that communication is lacking and that they have little involvement in affecting changes.
With approval from Pioneer Principal Jean Bacon, Athletic Director Gina Johnson asked faculty to share their concerns, distributing the anonymous survey via email on March 12 to all 88 staff members at Pioneer. She received 41 responses, primarily from the 45 classroom teachers.
The goal, Johnson said, was to make sure “that we’re heard as faculty and staff, and (that) the administration is heard.”
“It had to be done,” Johnson said. “I felt like we were losing who we are.”
To Johnson, Pioneer is about everyone working together to support each and every student. She said the perception of the staff is that that concept has been dismantled by administrators, creating an “us against them” mentality.
Transparency A lack of communication was one of the large themes, with faculty commenting on a “lack of transparency” and the feeling of being “left in the dark to play catch-up.”
“Decisions (are) made for (the) entire faculty with little or no discussion,” one faculty member commented.
“Teachers need to feel they have a real say,” said another.
Multiple respondents felt they didn’t have the opportunity to get to know Bacon or Assistant Principal Jennifer Albert Perry, and that the two were inaccessible.
Though Johnson said faculty communicated to her having one-on-one conversations with Bacon, it wasn’t an effective method to ensure the same messages were communicated school wide.
“For the bigger group, it didn’t work well,” Johnson said.
Furthermore, Johnson said department heads were once the go-between, relaying information from administrators to faculty and vice versa. However, Bacon said she’s “working with the teachers’ union to develop an alternative teacher leadership structure that makes more sense, given the downsizing” of staff.
“We don’t need as many head teachers as we currently have,” she said. According to Bacon, Pioneer has 10 head teachers.
Through the survey, faculty advised administrators to communicate big or small changes in advance, leaving time for questions, clarification and comments.
Respect Five faculty members felt respected by administrators. Others said they felt “disposable,” as if their opinions were “easily dismissed.”
“(The) human condition at Pioneer is so sad,” one faculty member said.
“I go home every day and wake up every morning dreading coming to a place I used to love,” said another.
Morale, respondents said, is “at its lowest ebb,” feeling that administrators have “no desire to recognize when things (have) gone well.”
The survey illustrates the pain felt by many staff members.
“This is a rough place to work right now,” Johnson said. “Teachers are trying to be positive and do what’s right for kids … There’s a lot of hurt and a lot of pain.”
In response, Bacon said she is “very saddened and concerned that some people are feeling that (administrators’) respect or support for teachers has been lacking.”
“That is certainly not what is in our hearts or intentions,” she said. “We have a very talented staff who have built tremendous relationships with our students and with each other.”
Changes While some faculty recognized staff cuts as “a necessary evil,” others said the proposed staff reductions are not in the best interest of students. In particular, many said losing Dean of Students Cathy Hawkins-Harrison would be to the school’s detriment.
Increasing class sizes, transitioning to online learning and offering more advanced placement (AP) classes were also lamented, believing AP classes undermine heterogeneity. However, others believed online learning could have its value at Pioneer, and appreciated an emphasis on college and career readiness.
Faculty hoped to “be told ahead of time what positions might be cut” and that administrators would “work with staff being cut to find new jobs.”
Staff support Still, the majority of respondents said they felt supported by their coworkers, building “amazing relationships” and “finding strength in one another.”
“It’s because of my colleagues I have been able to get through the most challenging year of my career,” one faculty member said.
Moving forward Having reviewed the responses, Johnson said she feels faculty “felt like they got to be heard.”
“Some even commented it was very therapeutic for them,” she said. “I think we can all learn something from it, and we will.”
In particular, by working with Albert Perry, Johnson and three other faculty members, Bacon has developed four strategies in hopes of improving the school atmosphere.
Four strategiesBacon said she and Albert Perry plan to: conduct short, informal visits to classes to get to know the teachers better; be more proactive and timely about sharing information via emails and faculty’s Panther Gram newsletter; develop alternative methods for gathering faculty input such as discussion boards and surveys; and continue to hold collaborative faculty working groups.
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