Index of SPPS Budget Discussion http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/spps-posts.html _________________________________________
It means never argue with the referee because you can't win a fight against the person who sets the rules.
I'm sorry that Mary feels this way. I certainly hope that anyone with any complaints or concerns about the management of this list will take the time to contact me offline (email or telephone). I certainly welcome and appreciate any feedback that I can get.
Yes, I have opinions about issues that come up in the forum and I think I made them pretty clear on this particular issue. I certainly hope, that I've also demonstrated by my behavior in the forum, that I don't see how this has anything to do with winning or loosing. I'm eager to hear and better understand perspectives that differ from my own. I don't expect to change other participants minds (those who have already decided), but I do hope to challenge them to do a better job of communicating those ideas or concerns - maybe even take some new factors into consideration.
It is my firm conviction, that whatever ones positions are in regards to area superintendents, that our discussion in the forum (so far) has been relatively superficial.
Government and the school district are often criticized for being less productive or efficient than private business or industry. I'm sincerely confused by those in the community who believe that we can increase the responsiveness and quality of our school district, by reducing the top level of administrators to levels (that in my opinion) fall far below those of anything that we would expect to see anywhere else in the private or public sector.
It's not that I simply oppose this idea, but I completely fail to understand how it makes any sense. In the interest of a good discussion on this important public policy issue, I've tried to challenge those who are promoting this to explain how its going to work and to provide some analogies of other comparably large organizations that work with such a LEAN administrative structure.
I've tried to raise these questions in as open and a respectful manner as possible and am eager to hear the responses. If anyone feels that I've failed in this regard, I look forward to hearing from them (preferably in private where a more constructive exchange can take place).
Best wishes,
Tim Erickson Citizen & List Manager Hamline Midway [EMAIL PROTECTED] 651-643-0722
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Tim Erickson http://www.politalk.com St. Paul, MN - USA 651-643-0722
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