Here's more on the story of the hapless school superintendent who failed to pass a literacy test that was required for teachers - Massachusett's education leaders are "lining up" to support him. Sheesh.
Governor Mitt Romney and state education leaders lined up yesterday to defend the Lawrence school superintendent, who is leading one of the state's most troubled school systems despite having failed a state-mandated writing test for educators three times...Romney said it is more important for teachers to pass an English fluency test required under the state's new English immersion law than for superintendents to pass the five-year-old licensing test Laboy failed.
Unbelievable. It's not as important for a school superintendent to be as skilled in English as the teachers. Isn't he in a position of authority over these teachers? And didn't he suspend teachers who didn't pass their literacy test? Just because he doesn't come in direct contact with kids doesn't mean he deserves to earn a six-figure salary with less English proficiency than the teachers in question...
Romney's remarks drew angry responses from leaders of the state's two teachers unions, who blasted him for what they called a double standard. They said it was unfair for state officials to espouse tough accountability rules for teachers to speak English and for students to pass the MCAS exam, but not for Laboy.
''So classroom teachers should have higher standards than the superintendent?'' said Kathleen A. Kelley, president of the Massachusetts Federation of Teachers. ''I think it's totally inconsistent with what the governor has said in the past and somewhat ludicrous to say the chief operating officer of the school system should have less of a standard than classroom teachers.''
Damn straight, Kathleen. I don't often agree with teacher's union representatives, but I certainly do here. The state, and the governor, are wrong to back this horse.
Laboy isn't doing much to help his case, either...
Laboy did not return telephone calls yesterday. In an interview with The Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence, which first reported Laboy's problems with the exam, he called the test ''stupid'' and said it is irrelevant to his work. He told the newspaper that he passed the reading section of the communications test the second time, but has failed the writing part three times. The next tests are Sept. 13 and Nov. 22, according to the Department of Education website.
Good to know a school superintendent in the United States considers English literacy to be irrelevant to his work. I suggest moving him to a job where English is truly irrelevant. Anyone got a good suggestion?
Posted by kswygert at August 6, 2003 10:58 AM