Connie Calloway and DPS

**DPSFan** · November-12-12, 09:01 PM

Hi. The topic of the Detroit Public Schools really interests me. Who better is there to discuss it with than you guys? :P

Was Connie Calloway really that bad? Does anyone know what happened to her after she was fired as DPS's superintendent after just 18 months on the job? From what it seems, she couldn't have been as bad as that crazy John Telford they hired recently...

What do you think DPS would be like today if she hadn't been fired and remained Superintendent until her contract was up?

**Gary** · November-13-12, 10:24 AM

Re: Calloway's whereabouts after being fired as DPS Superintendent, she was hired as the superintendent of one of the worst-performing charter school agencies in the state where she promptly managed to make things even worse.

After about a year in that job, she was met at the door as she came to work one morning and was informed that her services were no longer required. I don't know what she is up to these days.

**DPSFan** · November-13-12, 11:05 PM

Wow, that sounds pretty bad..

What Calloway did at DPS didn't seem that bad to me. Didn't she step up and start doing audits and big reports of the District that should have been done years before her time?

I wish DetroitTeacher or that other DPS teacher would post in here..Do they still post here??

I'm sorry if I'm a little too interested in this stuff, but I find it so fascinating!

**Wesley Mouch** · November-14-12, 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by DPSFan

Wow, that sounds pretty bad..

What Calloway did at DPS didn't seem that bad to me. Didn't she step up and start doing audits and big reports of the District that should have been done years before her time?

I wish DetroitTeacher or that other DPS teacher would post in here..Do they still post here??

I'm sorry if I'm a little too interested in this stuff, but I find it so fascinating!

DPSFan -- I'd take Gary's comments with a grain of salt. On this topic, you'll find lots of strong opinions, often driven by political positions pro or con reform. Its an odd inversion. The left wing here are against reform in almost any form. The right wing sees the need for new ways of doing things.

Gary -- your comments on Calloway could bear documentation before consideration.

**Gary** · November-14-12, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

DPSFan -- I'd take Gary's comments with a grain of salt. On this topic, you'll find lots of strong opinions, often driven by political positions pro or con reform. Its an odd inversion. The left wing here are against reform in almost any form. The right wing sees the need for new ways of doing things.

Gary -- your comments on Calloway could bear documentation before consideration.

I have no agenda, political or otherwise, I am merely stating the facts. Calloway was my superior during her tenure at the charter agency. Take that with all the grains of salt all you want.

**Wesley Mouch** · November-14-12, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by Gary

I have no agenda, political or otherwise, I am merely stating the facts. Calloway was my superior during her tenure at the charter agency. Take that with all the grains of salt all you want.

Great. Stating negative facts about someone should usually be accompanied by sources -- personal or media. Your email had strong implications that Ms. Calloway has been performing at a substandard level.

I think we owe people due care. The statement that she was escorted from the building by security is no indication of anything. This is standard procedure in most larger companies these days. I've had very competent, good friends escorted out the door when they left to go to a competitor to work. It said nothing about them. It does say something about the company.

Glad you have no agenda -- its a rare trait these days. I like to think I'm impartial as well. Some would disagree. Clearly we all want to do the best we can for all students. They represent the future.

**DetroitTeacher** · November-18-12, 08:29 AM

I'm still here, although not as often as I'd like. I am putting in overtime at work [[I've been volun-told to do many things that keep me there late). As far as Calloway goes...I don't think she was at DPS long enough for me to really form an opinion of her. I don't think anyone gave her a chance to do anything...she was continuously being overruled. I really am of the opinion that she did nothing. I've seen so many CEOs, Supers, CFOs, etc. that it's all just meaningless dribble to me anymore. I go to work, do my job [[and then some) and hope that I have a paycheck on payday. I can do nothing about the top dogs so I basically ignore their coming and going. It's just one huge revolving door at DPS, with admin and "programs" [[reform initiatives, reading programs, etc) that they purchase that go out with them. I don't really pay too much mind to any of it. Each CEO brings in his/her own way of doing things but they don't stick around long enough for us to see if those programs work [[and when they leave, so do those programs they brought with them).

Originally Posted by DPSFan

Wow, that sounds pretty bad..

What Calloway did at DPS didn't seem that bad to me. Didn't she step up and start doing audits and big reports of the District that should have been done years before her time?

I wish DetroitTeacher or that other DPS teacher would post in here..Do they still post here??

I'm sorry if I'm a little too interested in this stuff, but I find it so fascinating!

**corktownyuppie** · November-18-12, 09:08 AM

I don't think anyone gave her a chance to do anything...she was continuously being overruled.

And in this short sentence you have distilled all reform efforts in Detroit and DPS into one statement.

Our system of government was not designed for reformation. It was designed for slow, plodding change with checks and balances. What we need to do is elect a representative government, and then have them elect someone to a 4-year term where they have almost absolute power to restructure the entire thing without the ability to be overruled.

For the city government, perhaps that means that we elect a city council and a Mayor. The Mayor appoints an emergency matter that needs to be approved by council. But once that person is approved, they have singular authority to totally tear down the system and re-build it.

The Mayor and City Council, of course, will have their voices heard and input given. But at the end of the day, the kinds of reforms we need will -- by definition -- be unpopular. Therefore the only way to get it done is for the people effecting that change to be sheltered from political fallout and due process.

In other words, one way or the other things whole things is coming to an end...with both DPS and the city. We can either have someone with emergency power appointed Lansing, appointed by the Federal Judiciary [[via bankruptcy), or we could choose to appoint one ourselves.

But once we hit that wall, it's gonna get ugly.

**Wesley Mouch** · November-18-12, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by corktownyuppie

And in this short sentence you have distilled all reform efforts in Detroit and DPS into one statement.

Our system of government was not designed for reformation. It was designed for slow, plodding change with checks and balances. What we need to do is elect a representative government, and then have them elect someone to a 4-year term where they have almost absolute power to restructure the entire thing without the ability to be overruled.

...snip...

You've hit on a fascinating, crucial comment.

We've made a lot of individual choices as we've plodded along that make it hard for government reform itself. I recall that a major reason for the new city charter in 1974 was to make government more nimble. Coleman wasn't only the first mayor of color. He was also the first 'strong mayor' under the charter.

This experiment seems to have failed. And not just here, but across the country. There seems to be a real need for a reset button.