5 out of 30 Indicators met

The amazing thing about this data is that you can -(and I have)- take this very same copy to Price, show him and bring to his attention that we are paying some very high property taxes in this city, to produce an inferior product (shown by the data) and he still will not admit that he and this district are in trouble. I have tried to talk to him about this several times, using the old factory comparison of high cost(mostly salaries) + low quality end product = failure/loss of customers/closed up factory. His comment- "Well, I just don't see it that way!" WHAT!!!! What other way could you see it unless you're in total denial. Why are we paying these people so much, when they perform like this? If Price was a CEO, this report would have the major stockholders wanting to fire him. Again, thanks Venturella and friends for giving this guy a contract extension. As long as he is running the ship, it will remain this way. Is that what you want? I think I can safely say, it's not what the people want. Wake up school board, get a backbone, and do something about this. Void the contract and replace the man.

"We feel really pretty good about being able to maintain that continuous improvement designation," Carter said. "Our teachers and our staff really fought hard, and our kids really worked hard to get to that point."

You guys are forgetting about the 'brain drain' that has been going on at Middletown schools. We are fighting an uphill battle here fellas. After all, if all your good employees quit, and all you had left were lesser productive, it would not matter what incentive you put in place, productivity will decline.

Mr.Haller--just will this new coke plant inspire young upwardly mobile families to move to the city? And what about the children of lower income who have no choice but to attend Amanda school? 1800ft(or less) from the actual burning facility!

Jonathan-"we are fighting an uphill battle"- we have seen the enemy and the enemy is us. This phrase in very appropriate here. This school system was one of the best around 30-40 years ago.Perhaps we've lowered our standards selecting quality people on the school boards, the superintendents and the teachers hired over the last 30-40 years. If "good employees" are leaving, as you claim, shouldn't there be an urgency to find out why (or won't we like the answer once we do find out?) Usually when one sees a mass exodus of good employees, the culprits are usually concentrated in one area and have a major impact on the employee group that is leaving. Case in point- at Neaton Auto, we had over 60% of the Quality Department leave in a 2 year period of time due to inept department management. Management offered no support for subordinates, offered no technical help and cowered down everytime Production sneezed.Who wants to work for a group of spineless goobers like that? Rather than get rid of the inept management, ownership was perfectly content to live with the major turnover of people. Perhaps that is happening here in the Middletown schools where the teachers don't receive any support or freedom to teach from Price and crew. If Price and crew are the problems, then get rid of them. Maybe the exodus will stop also. But we don't do that here in Middletown. We give potential problems contract extensions.

This is progress??? Historical look at Performance Index Score. Does Price think this is progress?

Amanda (Academic Emergency)
2007-2008      2006-2007           2005-2006
68.5                  72.5                        77.6

Creekview (Continuous Improvement--was Effective in 2005-2006)
2007-2008     2006-2007           2005-2006
80.8                  85.4                        86.8

Highview (Academic Watch)
2007-2008     2006-2007            2005-2006 (Separate Wilson and Roosevelt schools)
75.8                  75                            0

Mayfield (Continuous Improvement)
2007-2008      2006-2007            2005-2006
79.6                   85.8                        80.9

Miller Ridge (Middletown's only previously ranked Excellent Schools has slipped to Effective)
2007-2008       2006-2007          2005-2006
97.7                   100.5                     102

Rosa Parks (Academic Emergency)
2007-2008      2006-2007            2005-2006 (Separate Taft and McKinley Schools)
64.8                  67.7                         0

Wildwood (Academic Watch--In 2005-2006 the school was Effective)
2007-2008      2006-2007            2005-2006
79.1                  85.3                         92.4

Vail Middle School (Continuous Improvement)
2007-2008       2006-2007           2005-2006
80.9                   84.4                        83.5

Verity Middle School (Continuous Improvement)
2007-2008       2006-2007           2005-2006
77                      76.4                        81.3

Middletown High School (Continuous Improvement - In 2005-2006 the school was Effective)
2007-2008        2006-2007        2005-2006
87.7                    89.5                      92.4

Middletown School District 2007-2008 Report Card:

Beware of any minimal progress because what will follow then is a levy campaign to build a new high school.

Watch the meetings and you will see they are already talking about a new high school and the need for more money.
I’m sorry but I will not vote for another dime until the scores get better

wasteful- please explain why we need a new high school and to combine the middle schools? If the talk about building a new high school is to improve the performance, I will remind all of the 45 million spent for the new grade schools years ago and the fact the it hasn't made any significant improvement on the scores nor raised the indicators at all. Money wasted so far. Proves what some have been saying all along to no avail......the environment in which a student learns isn't as important as what is being taught and how it is being taught. Changing teaching methods and adjusting curriculum.......even adopting methods from more successful school districts would do more than changing environments (building new schools). The high school was built in 1970. It is 40 years old. I wouldn't consider that a tear down school yet, would you? As Vivian stated, not one more dollar to help this district until they show some improvement and are not stagnate in performance like they are now. We have passed levy after levy for them (without my help in the voting booth) and we are still getting the same results. Money isn't the solution. Doing things differently is, IMO. Why do the voters keep giving them money if they show no improvement? Not logical. No accountability needed if we keep rewarding them.

Another reason given at the time when the schools asked us voters to approve the 45 mil bond issue was that the elementary schools would be equipped with the latest and greatest communication gadgets including media centers. Has all of this "latest and greatest communication gadgets" helped with the end results? No.

We're talking about the possibility of building a new high school when the one we have is only 40 years old. Now, it we need a new high school after only 40 years, I suggest that we either start taking better care of our school buildings by setting aside money for a decent preventative maintenance program or we better start monitoring how the buildings are constructed as they are being built. A building should last, with proper care alot longer than 40 years without replacing the dam thing.

It took 45 million to demolish and rebuild the new elementary schools in this town. 45 million would have gone a long way in doing maintenance to the existing buildings and we would have had more substantial structures when we were done instead of new construction that isn't as sound as old school building practices.

You say "Besides, anyone with sense would see through the claim of better performance and write it off as bluster". Not sure about that from the Middletown voters. IMO, the voters astound me with their vote choice decisions on many issues in the city. I think alot of voters believed Prices claim of "new schools = better performance" hook, line and sinker. Some are incredibly naive and gullible. JMO

Cone on folks, wake up from your coma. Marcia Andrews states it will take some time for progress. The city school system was given 7 years to turn this around with Steve Price, who had a vision for EXCELLENt rating. No progress occurred. Now Ms. Andrews states in essenece, because we have a new superintendent, the ship has been "righted", the seas are rough, but the compass has been fixed, the mast repaired, and we are moving in the right direction. Who's selling Kool-aid in Middletown, Stegfano's, The Manchester, the Atrium food court?