Is it time for Williams to go?

   James A. Williams has been controversial since he became Buffalo school superintendent three years ago.

   He gets widespread credit for launching initiatives to end social promotion, lengthen the school day and school year, expand Advanced Placement courses and improve the district's athletic program.

   But he tussled with Buffalo Teachers Federation President Philip Rumore right from the start, calling him a "snake in the grass" and talked about taking Rumore out in the alley to kick his rear end. More substantively, Williams has failed to hammer out new contracts with eight of the nine district unions.

   For several months, he has been embroiled in controversy over allegations of wrongdoing or heavy-handedness at McKinley High School, Discovery School 67 and City Honors School.

   On Wednesday, it was learned that Williams is one of five finalists for an opening as school superintendent in Memphis, Tenn.

   Is it right for Williams to seek a new job with three years left on his contract here and so much unfinished business? Should he stay and pursue his agenda in Buffalo, or has he burned his bridges here? What are James Williams' report card grades after three years on the job?

   
   -- Peter Simon

Comments

[Sheila]

I believe the question was: "Is it time for (Superintendent) Williams to go?"

The answer? (Super) yes! And hopefully he'll take Crystal Barton (and her ilk) with him when he leaves.

Posted by: Christian N. Proudofit | May 13, 2008 at 09:42 AM

Amen Christian!
I live far, far away from Buffalo and have been following Mr. Williams career in your city and I too think it is time for him to go.
The kindest thing he could do for the citizens of Buffalo would be to follow up on the head hunters suggestion to apply for the job in Memphis. But...God, please help those fine folks in Tennesee!

[citizen kane]

Oh by the way, the exxon exec got a $400 million dollar BONUS speaking of ex=whore-bitant monies red!

[citizen kane]

Victoria, Hernandez is trying to hold the Idiot slime superintendent accountable, so that makes him a whiner? Sounds like you need a wake up call Williams was talking bout.

[citizen kane]

So, Nichols school will just "take in" all the kids from the following gangs: Downtown, 31, FEV, Laurel, MOB, NUMONEY, Fruit Belt, OBlock, EBG, and let me see, that's just at one high school. You just don;t know enough but have good ideas. It's public education so it's equal, in theory. Private is just that. Schools will be all black, all white, all hispanic, all Blood, all Crip, all gay, all redneck, all Goth, all or nothing.

[Victoria M]

Hernandez for Super. oh my goodness! That whinning little temper tantrum, my way or no way, sneaky, spineless, snake in the grass coward would make Williams look like a day at the beach. And I suppose you'd like to see Panipento as his assistant.

[red]

Kane, I don't think our argument is going to get anywhere because I am not convinced that MNCs will take over education if schools are privatized. Sure, they might have the financial capital to throw some dollars around, but they don't have the human capital. In my opinion, the void left by public schools would be filled by businesses that already have the people and knowledge to run schools successfully without government assistance--the private schools already here. Private schools in the area would expand, takeover public school building, and provide administrators and teachers from their own ranks as well as through hiring of quality former public school teachers. Eventually, some of these new schools would probably break off and become independent. If you don't believe me, check out the "Catholic" high schools in WNY. The vast majority of them have no affiliation with the diocese at all, having broken off decades ago. As far as having no control over how private schools act, I also disagree. Parents tend to be much more involved in school-life at private schools through the use of boards and other bodies. And if parents don't like Canisius, they can go to St. Joe's instead, right? If you hate your private school, just like if you hate your doctor, your grocery store, or your barber, you go to a different one. It's the public school system that bases the quality of a child's education solely on their address.

[citizen kane]

Multinational companies will control education if you privatize...Nike, Verizon, M&T, take your pick, they will all have their hands in the pot. Except the public will have no say as to how it's run, no say at all, even less than now. Red, you are on the verge of making a sound argument, but lack the experience of knowing what's at stake here...Are you serious about Haliburton? Watch "Iraq For sale", a documentary, then make yur argument what a great co. Haliburton is...

[buffalo]

Haliburton? Right? Idiot.

[red]

Kane, I'm not seeing where multinational corporations have a hand in private education. Does Halliburton run Nichols? Does Exxon run Park? Of course not. And even if these corporations did, for some bizarre reason, decide to step in to fill the void left by public schools, what would the difference be from the government running them? You said yourself that public officials like Williams and Bush are not accountable to the public. By that logic, we would just be replacing a tryant (Willliams) paid an exorbitant salary at taxpayer expense with a private one paid at market price. And Dayton's schools were not fully privatised, hence the continued existence of a "district." The whole point of privatization is the elimination of such an oversized, costly, and unproductive bureaucracy. Finally, Halliburton is a highly profitable multi-billion dollar corporation. Why not run our schools like them? They're certainly doing something right.

[citizen kane]

Ah, this is where the complexity comes in: A little crash course for you: Bob Wilmers hires Williams M&T bank runs the district...Bush an election and we sit by and think the private sector that these 2 bend over for? You think it would be better to have the public schools run like Enron and Haliburton? Or like Dayton where 44 "private" schools were created, the district now in shambles. There is no such thing a public/private, the private controls the public. Get it?

[Jack B.]

Chancellor,
It was a mistake. I misread the author of the comment I was responding to. I apologize for the mistake, but I might suggest a switch to decaf. Personal attacks about my education are not necessary...I actually have a Masters degree...also, as I wrote in an earlier message (that you clearly comprehended poorly) I am not a teacher, nor am I in any way affiliated with any Buffalo teachers.

Deep breaths big guy...in through the nose out through the mouth.

[red]

Kane, did you read anything I wrote? No! They don't get fired because they're public employees. That's the whole problem.

[annie]

You must be kidding about blaming the teachers? Right, is that a joke?

[annie]

Williams and his clan need to go. No regard for the law, no regard for the kids, no regard for the teachers. He's a racist LOSER with a fat paycheck from us suckers. Good bye Idiot!

[citizen kane]

Oh , I get it, if you "suck" you get fired...Hmmm, like Williams, George Bush and any other loud mouth Republican racist?

[red]

Kane, I stand by what I said. Blame Williams all you want, but the biggest problem in the Buffalo schools is that elephant in the room no one wants to to talk about--the teachers union. Exorbitant, pay, benefits, and tenure have created a giant monster that everyone is afraid to deal with or place blame on for fear of being labeled as someone who hates education, children, freedom, America, kittens, etc. Well, I hate to break it to you, but the only reason for the union is to ensure ridiculous pay and benefits while refusing to take up any legal or professional responsibility for the performance of their duties. In the private world, if you suck at your job, you get fired. Wake up.

[Chancellor Carlyle Roberts, II]

Jack B. wrote: "Obviously, I am using some hyperbole to make my point, but Chancellor, to be fair, you are dealing with a group of teacher's who have already had a contract not honored, yet, you expect them, 'in good faith' to consider further concessions and additional duties to forge a solution to a problem that the School Board has in large part created.

Would you make the same sacrifices for an employer who has already screwed you over and continues to blame you for their mistakes?"

Go back to elementary school and learn how to read, Jack, because I didn't say a thing about Buffalo teachers.

Since you apparently have poor reading comprehension skills, let me walk you through what I wrote.

"So, the guy should be run out of town for what?" This is a question. You can tell it's a question by the question mark at the end of it. What is the question asking? It's asking why the guy (Williams) should be run out of town.

"For daring to stand against the Buffalo Teachers' Union?" This, too, is a question. You can tell it's a question by the question mark at the end of it. What is the question asking? It's asking whether Williams' standing against the teachers union is the reason he should be run out of town.

"If he must go, can we send the board members with him?" This is also a question. You can tell it's a question by the question mark at the end of it. What is the question asking? It's asking whether, assuming Williams must go, we can send the school board members with him.

But to answer your question, Jack, yes I do expect you "'in good faith' to consider further concessions and additional duties to forge a solution to a problem that the School Board has in large part created." I expect you to take the moral high ground and be better than the school board. If you can't do that then maybe it's time for you to go find another job.

[Christian N. Proudofit]

I believe the question was: "Is it time for (Superintendent) Williams to go?"

The answer? (Super) yes! And hopefully he'll take Crystal Barton (and her ilk) with him when he leaves.

[Joe Smith]

I don't understand how the Buffalo Board of Ed hired James Williams in the first place. You folks need to vote out the fools who hired him. I live in Dayton, OH. I know Williams personally. I am glad he left town. Do yourself a favor and fire him now before he ruins your district like he did in Dayton.

[citizen kane]

Private schools are called private for reason. No complexity there, just tuition.

[citizen kane]

No, no complex problems for you Mr. Red. The truth is people who think they have these great ideas about how to fix the problems have no clue. Like you. Stick to the private sector, sounds like you are better at self service.

[red]

buffalo, you're right. I'm not in public education. I'm in private. And the "complex problems" you're whining about don't exist there. The truths hurts doesn't it?

[buffalo]

Any one think if it's all about the darling "children" (gangsters), then we all better be ALL ABOUT THE TEACHERS. This town needs a wake up call is right, it's not about private vs public, black vs white or if the superintendent should stay or go. He deserves to be FIRED and sent on his way to lay blame and dodge questions like the coward that he is. Profiteer Pirate. Get ready for the bill left behind Buffalo!

[buffalo]

Hey red, sounds like you have no idea what you are talking about. Let me guess, you ARE NOT in public education and have no clue how complex the problems are. If you think privatizing education is the answer then you are a republican moron

[red]

BPS, I don't buy the religious argument for the simple fact that no one forces the students to actually believe what they're being taught. I think religion classes are good for any child because at the very least, they teach ethics and morals, in addition to providing a cultural experience, just like any social studies class or racial/cultural sensitivity course like those mandated in public schools. And on top of all that, the Church is so strapped for money right now that they are closing schools, not opening them. Non-affiliated shools would be far more likely to step up to fill the void from public schools.

As far as the tuition rates go, I believe a government tax voucher program could step in to cover the costs when families meet financial requirements. Will families have to make sacrifices in order to provide their children with a quality education? Yes, but what are those sacrifices going to be? Fewer video games? Fewer trips to Darien Lake? Those should only serve to enhance education further. And don't get me wrong, I'm still an advocate of government certification of teachers. It's not as though students in lower-cost schools would be getting taught by anyone off the street.

Finally, I don't see anything wrong with small class sizes either. Look at the best colleges in the country, and almost every one puts a cap on the number of students that can be in class (although the cap is much closer to 20 than 8).

[The Relocated]

It is our responsibility to provide our children with an opportunity to have an education. Private schools are just fine and dandy for those who can afford them. I'd even support a moderate tax break for those who pay for thier childrens education.
That being said not everyone can afford the benefits of a private education.

Like it or not all people are not created equal but what we should have is equal opportunity. It's what we do with that opportunity that matters. When it comes to making the entities of the schools themselves private I shudder to think what would happed to the marginal kids. They sure as hell would not make a private district look like a quality educational program. There would be little incentive to accept them.

Our obligation is to the kids, not the teachers, the union or the superintendent. Unfortunately the union and district are so polarized in thier realtionship with one another the kids are suffering. William's beras the greatest responsibility. Buffalo hired him to be a leader and that is not what they got. The Teachers too bear some responsibility as they have an ethical obligation to the kids and they're not meeting it but I understand the duress they're under and why they have ample reason to not trust the district.

[BPS Teacher]

Maybe not, although Canisius is a religious school, and kids have to attend religion classes.

Anyway, Park School backs up my other point. It costs 16,750 for a 10th grade student to attend that school. Where does Joe Lower Middle Class get that kind of money to send his kid to school? If that person has two children? Three? Also, if you look at their website (and I applaud them for this), their student teacher ratio is 8-1. Eight students per one teacher. Eight. Are you kidding me? I've had classes as large as 38 students.

Furthermore, I notice Canisius and Nichols have entrance exams, etc. That is certainly within their rights, but is that policy applicable to a system where education is privatized? If a corporation has the choice whether or not to spend resources on extra support for a kid with an I.E.P, will it? Or will this corporation be biased against poor children with learning disabilities?

[red]

BPS, do you see any of the problems you listed in private schools today? Look around WNY. Is Canisius, or Nichols, or Park School brainwashing anyone?

[BPS Teacher]

Seems like a plan fraught with problems that will ultimately widen the chasm between the haves and have nots. What happens to kids whose parents do not have the money to send their children to the schools who have attracted the best and brightest.

What will privatized schools do with special ed students or students who otherwise put too great a strain on the bottom line. Are politely asked to leave? What happens when Pepsi High School determines that 42 kids in a class creates pays the dividends that their stockholders have come to expect.

Will these corporate entities be benevolent fatherly types (like Apple & the Gates Foundation), or will they be run by pseudo insurance companies who actively seek to violate and penetrate every American to drive up profit margins?

Will privatized schools have religious or commercial agendas meant to brainwash the minds of students towards their corporate gains? Will my students come home to study "Math - Sponsored by Fucillo Chevrolet! Where Algebra is HUGE!"

Who do the corporations answer to? Also, if the entire community pays for educating young people today and my school taxes are so high, what would be the yearly bill if only parents were paying.

Problems aside, seems this country became great by offering free access to K-12 education.

[retired teacher]

Everyone should know that Williams was shooting his mouth off at the Buffalo Club, about a month ago saying that recent superintendents only lasted a little over 2 years - and although his TIME IS COMING TO AN END, he has surpassed that!

The major problem - a School Board that really knows NOTHING about education but has other agenda's...Jacobs is laying the foundation for a political run, others want to promote racial issues, some, just for self-aggrandizement. But what about their educational background? Nada! How many even have a college degree? And this is the group that decides the course of our schools and chooses its leader! Is it any surprise why we have had such poor superintendents - i.e.Harris, Hargrave and worst of all, Williams! The only one with an honest claim to the position was Marion Canedo.

Let's hold the door open and say "Out, Out damned spot!" and rid ourselves of the unsuccessful, poorly educated, divisive, and not respected Williams...listen to the WBEN poll!!!

[red]

BPS, I'd be glad to elaborate. I see three major benefits of privatizing the entire education system.
1. Privatization would create competition between schools, as parents would have the option of sending their children to the schools they believe can provide the best education. This would cause schools to seek out, hire, and train the best teachers possible. As a result, the "bad" teachers in the market would be weeded out, and the most qualified and hardest-working employed at a market-determined salary (could be more, could be less than salaries are now--the only way to find out would be to do it).
2. Forcing parents to invest their own money into the education of their children would give them an incentive to work to ensure their children's success in school, providing a type of support that every teacher on this blog believes is lacking under the current system.
3. A private education system means a smaller government. A smaller government means lower taxes. Lower taxes mean more money for consumer consumption and investment. More consumption and investment mean more economic growth.

[taxed1]

Getting kids in check has been around since the beginning of man. I takes grit, knowlege, patience, kindness and perserverance. Even lions can be tamed and snakes hypnotized. People have not changed that much but what has changed is the amount of time people want to invest. It can be a win/win if you ignore the mob mentality and do the right thing. Some rules are ridiculous these days and NOT politically correct people are sick of it. Society needs to realize that two committed parents raising kids beats one and as long as we pick up the tax tab for these one parent families, it will continue. Otherwise if we can't teach them in the school we can teach them in a smaller class at the Holding Center, my dear.

[BPS Teacher]

Times have changed, my friend.

[taxed1]

What's your point?

[BPS Teacher]

Taxed...and those kids would go and work in the factories, so rows of desks and bells and for our society. That is not the case today. I could lecture 48 kids a period all day.

As far as the staying after school bit, let me pose the new scenario to you. Kids doesn't do an assignment you tell him to stay after school. Kid doesn't report. You call home. No one cares. He doesn't show up after school the next day. You write the kid a discipline notice. There are no repercussions...maybe a 24 minute detention with all of the kids friends. Detention goes any longer kid misses city bus...administrators have to deal with transfers, pain in the butt, so detention stays short. Kid doesn't do homework the next day. Pattern repeated. Nothing changes. Teacher ends up getting in trouble for writing too many discipline notices.

[taxed1]

BPS Teacher
Why the heck do we need teachers in a prison system which is just a holding place until trial or prison placement teaching prisoners how to get jobs when they get out or even ANY subjects for that matter?

Of course they are dedicated students. There is nothing to do in prison. They should be concentrating on what they did wrong to get there and how to get out with trial prep. if they didn't do wrong.

Of course the teachers are dedicated too. Why not with such an easy assignment? The population is so small and since most prisoners either do not know how long they have to be there the curriculum has to be extremely varied or tiny if any. I am not sure how many teachers are actually assigned there but even one is excessive.

Welcome to NYS where the prisoners have better class sizes than children.

[citizen kane]

Ps the extended day means hundreds of kids sitting in cafeterias for study hall at the end of the day. And what about protecting the student who has 2 credits and has rows of 50's on his report card who attacked a teacher and was allowed back in by the adminsitration downtown until the judge found out? What about Formal suspensions for assaults and weapons only few days? What about the system protecting the kids who beat that kid and were walked back into school by King James? Is this the same system you are talking about that protects teachers and administrators Sam? Have you ever been in a school?

[BPS Teacher]

Jay - The truth is the truth, my friend. Just because someone brings something up first doesn't take the truth away from it. What is the difference between a random kid in Amherst and a random kid in Buffalo? Socioeconomic status. If you find a study that states that, when viewed over a large cross section, socioeconomic status has little bearing on academic success, I will eat my shorts at the top of City Hall.

I think Lydia has a couple of good points, especially about testing and class sizes. I would throw in that we've got to have a comprehensive sensible technology program that makes sense, with adequate training and support.

Taxed - I have the greatest respect for those who teach in the prison system. And I'll tell you, from what I've heard, there are mostly dedicated learners in prison. Big question is, do prison teachers have to teach 150 kids a day? 36 kids at once?

Red - Great sound byte, but maybe you can elaborate.

[citizen kane]

Sam, you make such passionate and angry arguments about issues you obviously have no idea about. You are angry at the world. Teachers and administrators are the key. Leadership is the key. Blame and running out the door, cash in hand is not a good example for this community, anyone's. Why don't you put more energy into yelling at the kids hanging on every corner or street in the fruit belt in the white T's (which by the way means they sell crack) if you didn't know. By the way, why aren't you yelling at the fathers of these boys? Or do you just do that when the camera is off?

[taxed1]

You go Red.

Back in the day we had 48 little kids in our classroom and if any of us stepped out of line or didn't do our work or failed a test we had to stay after school and redo, rethink or restudy til we got it right. At home Mom and Dad also gave us a can of "What for?" if the teacher had to put any of us back on track. See if you can find a teacher who will teach a class of over 40 kids today and mind the teacher to boot. Better yet find a teacher today that will stay after school to make sure the kid will get the attention they need. Not going to happen. Rodney Dangerfield is a hero.

[red]

Privatize the education system. Problem solved.

[Lydia Bezou-Hojnacki]

"...what could the BPS teachers do differently to help fix the problem?" Jay, that is a very good question. The real problem is that it can't be answered by the teachers; it needs to be answered by the bullies who "lead" the teachers and dictate to them what "programs" the district has purchased for their use.

One good idea that would never work, so long as there is a bloated administrative payroll:

1.) Lower class size to 12-15 in every grade and every core subject.

2.)Require administrators to BACK their teachers. Anyone who undermines a teacher's authority should be fired. Get real teachers to work as administrators.

3.) Demand that teachers be creative, use collaborative learning, and stay off their butts, except when at a table with a group of students.

4.) Introduce ungraded programs at every school, and rely on anecdotal, authentic portfolios to ascertain achievement levels. One test per year is all the kids need. Everything else is formative, progressive, and reteachable as necessary.

Of course, all of this is a pipe dream, because no one ever asks real teachers what they need to do their jobs effectively, as the administration looks upon teachers as being in "entry level jobs." They are given no respect by the administrators, so why should the public, the children, or the parents respect them?

Then, again, who am I, an educator with both teacher and administrator experience, to speak for thousands of others. I don't. And that's why I saw the light and retired. Amen!

[taxed1]

$36 AN HOUR/ $27 AN HOUR to teach prisoners. Teaching students should be a cake walk at those rates.

[Jay]

Another BPS teacher who just doesn't get it. Several people post saying the teachers take no responsibility and propose no solutions and instead just blame the parents for all the problems. Then BPS Teacher comes along and does exactly that.

BPS Teacher, we all understand that you have it tougher than they do in Amherst, etc. But please answer, what could the BPS teachers do differently to help fix the problem?

[BPS Teacher]

By the way, there are a few bad teachers, a few bad students, and a lot of parents who unintentionally pass the patterns of generational poverty to their children.

[BPS Teacher]

Yeah, those Buffalo teachers stink. They're ridiculous and they can't teach. Well, except those City Honor and Hutch Tech teachers. They're great. We should go and get some of those other good teachers who produce test scores. You know, the teachers from Amherst, Williamsville, Orchard Park, Lancaster, etc. They're awesome, and that's why they top out at a markedly larger salary in half the years as Buffalo teachers.

* * * *

I swear, John Q. Antiteacher Public is severely lacking in the ability to critically analyze. Come do my job for a day.

* * * *

Williams needs to go. His one size fits all, direct instruction philosophy belongs back in the mid 20th century world he comes from. Times have changed, global markets have changed, and his philosophy doesn't work.

[Hatemetoo]

Since we're dishing out a few quotes, I thought I'd serve this one. "Those that can do, those that can't teach."

[Jack B.]

I think too many people have fallen victim to the allure of Hollywood depictions of the classromm setting...
Give the teacher's one or two shots to be "To Sir, With Love" then ditch them...because clearly, they can't "reach the kids".
BPS would lose money installing revolving doors on all of the schools.
The Buffalo Public schools are a problem with tons and tons of blame to be generously sprinkled about, yet everyone's first solution is to have the teachers make all the sacrifices and assume all the risks.

Obviously, I am using some hyperbole to make my point, but Chancellor, to be fair, you are dealing with a group of teacher's who have already had a contract not honored, yet, you expect them, "in good faith" to consider further concessions and additional duties to forge a solution to a problem that the School Board has in large part created.

Would you make the same sacrifices for an employer who has already screwed you over and continues to blame you for their mistakes?

[hate me now]

"There are no bad students, just bad teachers" get the quote right. I assume you are a teacher sammy, so here is a lesson for you, learn how to copy and paste.

I work for a very large company who abides by performance based pay, and it is not a fantasy, it actually works very well. Are we forgetting that teachers get the amazing benefit of the summer off?

The excuse of disrespectful students and bad parenting is such a cop-out. teachers deal with that in every socio economic environment, not just in Buffalo. Maybe if some teachers, and I do not say all because there are very many more good than bad, took the time to command respect, and motivate their students, instead of coming up with numerous excuses, they would help provide a solution to the problem.

My solution is provide results consistently and you have a job, do not provide these results and you will be out the door. Obviosuly there may be a bad class or two, and my reccomendation would not be a one and done scenario, but two and done would suffice. Where is the incentive to be a good teacher? Pride? Obviously teachers like sammy are ok with their students failing, because they have numerous excuses to fall back on. Sammy your part of the problem, become the solution. Serve as a headlight for these children, dont let them fall back on their excuses and you wont have to fall back on yours. We need leaders in the school system, from top to bottom! not the sammys of the world.

[Chancellor Carlyle Roberts, II]

So, the guy should be run out of town for what? For daring to stand against the Buffalo Teachers' Union?

If he must go, can we send the board members with him?

[Jay]

Jack, try to tone down the bombast a bit and really think about what Troy is telling you. You are making a case against yourself. Your argument as to why BPS schools do a bad job of educating kids: poorly motivated kids and parents who don't value education. There is indeed plenty of research that supports these as strong predictors of low academic achievement. Few would argue that teachers have it easy under such circumstances. Your suggested remedy: Nothing about the teachers needs to be changed, just keep paying them well, make sure it isn't based on performance, and give them our sympathy.

Are you starting to see the problem? While few think the teachers are the sole cause of the problems, it is also clear that they are doing nothing to be part of the solution. You mention doctors "using established, well-researched, and professionally-accepted means." The BPS is *not* using such means. Even a cursory look at the research and exemplary districts who have turned themselves around indicates that a major overhaul of the school year, school day and teacher practices is necessary. If the Buffalo teachers were working to implement such things, people would rally behind them. Instead, they are *actively blocking* such changes. Are you starting to understand why they are seen as part of the problem?

[Mrs. Davis]

Mr. Williams, I am proud to have you as the Superintendent of the schools in Buffalo. It is so very easy for others to sit back and blame others, when they are on the outside looking in. This is just a perfect example of what our community has to deal with on a daily basis. I hope that you stay and stand. May God CONTINUE to Bless You!

[Jack B.]

In the fantasy world of performance-based pay, where do you draw the line?
Physicians who fail to cure all of their patients despite using established, well-researched, and professionally-accepted means do not face intense criticism, scrutiny, or the risk losing their positions because, generally, it is accepted that some illness and death is inevitable.

However, when challenges are presented to teachers such as a profound and long-standing lack of student interest or motivation, lack of parental/family support, resistance from the allure of gangs, drugs, and the ever-present safety net of public assistance in the student's lives, you suggest that teachers should magically overcome decades of apathy, or face termination and replacement by an inexpensive new grad also doomed to fail.

No field is perfect or without it's "bad apples" But the idea of performance based job security and pay for teachers and teachers alone in a system so rife with failure is a misguided and painfully myopic recipe for further disaster.

[Troy Cumbo]

"to imply that failure of students and the poor performance of the school system is due to teacher incompetence shows remarkable ignorance."

It's systemic. Teachers are a part of this failure, and so long as the intransigent union that speaks for them scoffs at elevating standards or holding teachers accountable for their actions, what support should they expect? Workers certainly have the right to unionize, but it nonetheless creates a rather antagonistic environment. If you're going to act like a labor monopoly when going after non-discretionary public funds, there will be no shortage of hard feelings and you'll have no one to blame but yourself.

Teachers are not asked to do any extraordinarily difficult job. It's emotionally taxing, sure. But it's neither overly cerebral nor physically demanding. Given its ample vacation time it has an easy schedule when compared to a number of other professions.

I think part of their failure is that they spread themselves too thin, trying to be things they are not and never needed to be. Like society, they've gone soft and wary of such un-progressive things like control and intimidation, so it's harder for them to connect with students. They want to be progressive social engineers (Google a story called, "Why We Banned Legos") and create "good" little collectivists, but they have no plan at all to address the sagging math and science achievement in our nation's students. Parents take them less seriously because teachers are increasingly not oriented to the proper goals.

[D]

Its time for him to leave this city - he is making the school system worse than it already was. Well leaving here he is 3 for 3 in screwing up the school district, maybe in Mephis he will go 4 for 4 - Get out Williams - you have already been here too long.

[taxed1]

$36FT, $27PT to teach prisoners in Erie Co by several BOE teachers is darned good pay. Even our prisoners deserve to learn.

[Jack B.]

I am not a teacher, I actually work in the medical field, but to imply that failure of students and the poor performance of the school system is due to teacher incompetence shows remarkable ignorance. Without doubt there are poor teachers, just as their are poor doctors, lawyers, police and firemen...but blaming Buffalo teachers for a pandemic of school failures is lazy and fails to painfully look at the hard-to-accept truth. Teaching has now become a position unique in the working world...the expectation is that teachers must be educator, mentor, counselor, guide, sounding board, target, idol, and babysitter to a society that feels parenting stops when the school bus picks the kids up. Teachers get minimal support from the home, kids are given little to no motivation to give a damn about school...I challenge the critics of the teachers to find another job where the expectations and demands are so high, but the support is non-existant, and even at times contrary to the goals. Stop targeting your rage at the people who pick up your parenting slack and continuing to expect the public's tax dollars to feed the 3rd and 4th generation welfare-collecting families that fill the schools.

[sammy]

I am not the person who determines what professions should get what perks and benefits. However, I do realize that having a Master's degree and working in corporate America has big perks and benefits if you work for the right companies ie. google, GM etc. Since teachers have the educational credentials and the low salaries they should at least get good medical. Did you know that the teachers in Buffalo do not even have a dental plan through the school district. Do you realize that they need a C.O.L.A. just like everyone who works expects a yearly salary increase. I think people have negative attitudes about educators and it is ridiculous because without teachers where would we be? I am sure you want a yearly salary increase and so do teachers. Matter of fact, they deserve a yearly signing bonus for staying in some of the most harsh working conditions. Do you go to your job and have to deal with disrespectful teens or do you have to take extra money so that a hungry child can buy lunch? When is the last time you had to take money from your household to buy supplies for students who come unprepared? I am sure you and I could appreciate a slice of humble pie after spending a few days in the life of a teacher.

[Ralph]

Samuel, the only ones failing the children are most of the parents. If you ask for a meeting with a parent, and they are unable to attend, most of the time it is they are lazy, not work. I bet if you stop a group of 100 people, and ask where their child attends school, what % couldnt answer. more or less then 50%...I say less.

[chris]

Mr. Williams has been a terrible leader of the BPS. He has cursed out people who disagree with him. He has tried to "out" a volunteer to slander her name. He has passed the buck when it came down to mistakes that HE made. Basically he's like a big teenager in a man's body...CAN him now, get someone who will try to bridge gaps within the board and unions and really stop talking about the kids and listen to what they need...Why do I see him getting an extension and a raise out of this...oh because the board are also a bunch of morons too...It's like the blind leading the blind. Let's hope that the Memphis folks don't read this...:)

[Troy Cumbo]

"Are you being stressed out in your job everyday by people who do not want to be there? Maybe they need to get their faces lifted after realizing the depressing students they have."

So should we lavish prison guards with extravagant compensation packages so that they don't get too depressed, given how those under their watch don't want to be there?

I know of very little in documented history that shows students by and large were ever overly excited about being in school, anywhere. If the teacher cannot operate under those conditions, they should not work as a teacher.

[Troy Cumbo]

"By the way, do not be jealous that you do not have the same medical plan as teachers."

It's not so much jealousy as it is wondering where the return on the investment is. That medical plan is taxpayer funded, and teachers unions have historically -- for four decades now -- demanded more and more compensation while returning progressively lower quality results and blaming everyone but themselves for it.

The reality is, the people of Buffalo *employ* plenty of slackers, from Williams and his inept board to teachers too incompetent to survive in the private sector. As the employer, they have every right and duty to take those slackers to task.

Williams can carry his track record of failure on to Memphis, but while I'd like to say the city would be better for it, I suspect the replacement will be straight out of Buffalo's "Friends and Family Plan" for public employment.

[sammy]

I do believe that I read a post stating that there are no "Bad children, only bad teachers". Apparently you have not been living in the real world at all if you are foolish enough to think that to be a true statement. To be politically correct is the reason why society blames teachers for students who fail. Do you know the number of discipline reports written on students everyday? And have you ever heard the number of students who do not do their home work and for no real reason? Wake up! The reality is that we have plenty of slackers in our schools, homes, and businesses. Slackers exist in every age group, every gender, and every ethnic group. Buffalo is full of slackers just like other cities. And yes, we need to change plenty of things with the BPS system and starting with the superintendent. If the people who work for you do not respect you, you cannot possible think they will support you. By the way, do not be jealous that you do not have the same medical plan as teachers. Are you being stressed out in your job everyday by people who do not want to be there? Maybe they need to get their faces lifted after realizing the depressing students they have.

[Lloyd Marshall, Jr.]

I like what someone who called Sandy Beach's show yesterday said... "I'll gladly set up his GPS on his car and point him to his new home in Memphis."

At first, Dr. Williams showed himself to take a strong stand for the taxpayers of the community.

However, he started going off the deep end by personally escorting those thugs back to school, who truly belonged in jail, after their beating up of a student and a teacher.

Then, his mishandling of the McKinley basketball situation and the PS 67 child abuse matter really put him over the edge.

I say: get rid of him, and hire someone who knows how to make excellence and accountability the rule. And Carl Palladino should be commended for what he said: it's time to stop putting minority faces in the supt office just because, and instead hire people who are competent and talented---NO MATTER their race, ethnicity, etc. COMPETENCE FIRST!

[Samuel Radford, MMM BLAC]

CAN WE PLEASE HAVE A REAL DISCUSSION !!!!!!!!!

Dr. Williams staying or going is distraction. It is clearly a question for the uninformed. Anyone who knows anything about what is going on with the Buffalo Public Schools Knows that the problems are bigger than an individual, be it a Superintendent or a Board member. The System of Education in Buffalo is BROKEN!!! It does not work and has not ever worked. It has less than a 50% graduation rate. We spend 850 Million dollars a year (that is almost a BILLION dollars) every year for a defective product. The bulk of the money goes to TEACHERS and ADMINSTRATORS who have no interest in being held accountable. They have no problem being paid to FAIL. They want JOB SECURITY at the expense of tax payers and students. The culture of the District is to protect ADULTS at the expense of children. This will be true no matter who the SUPERINTENDENT is. This Superintendent surely has done more to address the issues of children and Student Achievement than his predecessors. Which is probably the REAL reason why people want him gone. The Unions and uninformed citizens want to go back to the status quo and will attack anyone dares to actually confront the real problem - THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN, IT ONLY WORKS FOR TEACHERS AND ADMINSTRATORS - NOT STUDENTS. SOLVING THE TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR PROBLEM IS WHAT WE REALLY SHOULD BE DISCUSSING !!!

[John]

Williams is currently being evaluated by the board. His raise last year-$15,000. He may or may not be planning on leaving. One thing is for sure. ..A 40,000 potential raise as being a member of the short list in Memphis sure helps his chances in scoring a raise from a board that favors the man. Word has it that his evaluations have been favorable.

Lets see how this one plays out. I forecast Memphis taking a pass, and the good man Williams getting a healthy raise????

[yadayadayada]

Another thought on this Williams guy. Isn't he the one who insulted some of the principals a few years back and uses obscene language against those who don't do what he wants? He shouts at people, or stuff like that? Why wasn't he fired when he publicly belittled some of his staff?

[Youcanthandlethetruth]

Whenever a black person is criticized in Buffalo it seems it's considered "racist."
Everywhere else it's called "just not liking."
Labeling is a cheap hit and dignifying racial accusations with rebuttals only causes disbelief for such an insult to those that aren't.

[yadayadayada]

Funny how people in "high" places tend not to stay on the job very long. A lame duck board grants him several more years, and now the guy wants to leave.
It's a good thing teachers stay on the job far longer than superintendents do. No school system can survive the revolving door. That's it, in a nutshell. It would be hilarious if Memphis decided not to hire him after this guy leaves Buffalo.

Why does he deserve severance pay for voluntarily leaving?

[Nothing But The Truth]

Williams is too good for a racist place like Buffalo. The white old boys club dug a ditch so deep over the last 50 years that it would take a Marshall Plan to fix this dump. Williams is getting looked at by Memphis, a superior city by any measure. Buffalo gets what it deserves again. Go ahead and turn the job over to a political appointee as usual Buffalo. You will be worst off and deserve it. People, get smart and move to a normal place and let the thugs who run this town sink further!

[Karen]

Don't let the door hit you in the dupa on the way out.

[The Relocated]

Jay
Imagine this scenario, you negotiate a contract with your employer. A contract which you expect him to honor. When he does not honor the contract you take him to court. When things don't go your employers way he starts spinning you as selfish

[Jay]

Relocated, your response is a good example of why people view BTF so negatively. When people discuss that there are major problems with the schools, the BTF responds, "It's not us, it's Williams and don't hold us responsible for our contract, the district approved it," etc. Do you wonder why they are perceived as whiny people who won't change? If BTF ever sat down and said, "how can we be part of the solution?" (and backed it up) it would change perception overnight.

What have similar cities who have made successful changes to their schools done? They've changed the school year, changed the school day, started rewarding meritorious teaching and getting rid of poor teaching. As long as BTF says they will never consider such things, they are a big part of the problem. They see themselves as victims, but the public's ire is well earned.

[The Relocated]

Yeah, he needs to go. The district is in no better shape now than it was prior to his arrival. There is just another set of problems. We've gone from grossly incompetent leadership to belligerent and tacitly corrupt leadership. I'll accept the fact that he meant well but his tactics only serve to alienate the people he's supposed to be working with.

The hatred of the BTF is really ridiculous. The BTF didn't set the standards in the disctrict, the superintendent did. While many balk at the unions contract it was a negotiated deal which the district approved. The most ridiculous thing is to repeat the same mistakes that cost the taxpayers money in the first place. When a court of law has judged that the district did not bargain in good faith you don't demand concessions from the aggrieved party. Teacher's don't have the right to strike under the Taylor Law. If they do take a job action the penalty for it is 2 days pay and if the judge is involved they might be held in contempt. (As if the community doesn't do that allready). You want a reason why nothing gets done look no further than Williams. Contracts that have not been honored, threats of violence against union members,and grand standing with the health care coverage to elicit a negative public response; would you want to work for this man?

[hate me now]

How about we hire a new leader that just says forget the teacher's union. Do we need one? NO! These people just make it harder to do business in an efficient way. Teachers should not remain because of tenure. They should have to make sure that they perform, year in, and year out. "There are no bad students, just bad teachers" Let's hold them to this standard. We should not have to negotiate the single healthcare idea. The company I work for has one. If you don't like it, don't take it.

That being said, if the teacher's union does not like it, go ahead and strike. Better yet we should just dissolve their contract. I know plenty of teachers that are trying to get into the Buffalo School System, or have moved because the jobs just aren't there. The cureent teachers would have the option, leave behind the union and keep your job, or stick with the union and lose it. There would be plenty of teachers lining up. Obviously there would be litigation, but if the contract would be allowed to expire, no contract would mean no guarantee of employment.

We need a new leader. Someone that will lead, and run the school system like a business, where excellence is the standard, and employment is a right, not a priveledge.

[Jay]

I actually believe Phil Rumore when he sounds regretful over Williams leaving. Williams is the first person in a long time who made Phil look halfway reasonable.

It really is a shame the Buffalo teachers still don't get it. They could be viewed as heroic people who are valiantly trying to help our children and our city. Instead, they keep voting for a nimrod union president who all can see is obstructing any meaningful reform in our city school system. No one believes the teachers care about the kids because their union actively hurts the kids. Do all the smart teachers keep leaving for the suburbs?

[Ralph]

pst, give back your welfare check, then lets talk.
Willie Boy needs to go. He hides behind his POSSE, and does not have a backbone. I almost agree with the post who says,give the Unions a voice, on how to deal with problems,.But as a Bully,who picks on women and children, the unions will just show him a Finger. He was a failure at his last district, in Columbus, hes a failure here, and will be in Memphis, and LIFE. He respects no one.
Bye Doc Willie Boy, and dont look back, or you might see some fingers waving you G'BYE

[pst 22]

"I say that this is a hint and a half that he is not truly invested with the students and community of Buffalo".

And the Teachers are? Maybe instead of getting free cosmetic surgery, they could put that $$$ towards the kids? But no, it most be "negoitated" out along with a single health care provider. So the teachers will sign up for single health care and no cosmetic surgery as long as they get 10k in raises?

A job that averages 50k or more in salary with great benefits and a pension are few in far between in this area. You don't like the job and the pay? It's real simple. Quit. Go find another job in another district or profession.

[pst 22]

Williams has made his mistakes, but he has done an above average job in a terrible time in Buffalo Schools history.

It would be shame if we went.

But if he does go, make sure he takes the true "bozo" Phil Rumore and his "hot air and noise" with him.

Phil Rumore and the BTF give unions everywhere a bad name.

[Troy Cumbo]

In a word, yes.

Hasn't Buffalo embarrassed itself enough with its Special Ed politics?

Fighting the growing reach of unions, especially teachers' unions, is an admirable goal but ultimately futile, because you're fighting a labor monopoly that can engage in monopolistic behavior without the fear of a glamorous lawsuit from a philandering would-be governor.

Buffalo does not need a superintendent who bows and scrapes before the teacher's union, and his tack with them was commendable, but neither does it profit from one who lets the board waste time ( = taxpayer money) on political intrigue and coverups, and whining about who gets what time in front of the august body.

The unions however are not blameless in this fiasco, and for you folks hoping for a figurehead who bows and scrapes to their every capricious demand, just remember the story of Cary Hershkowitz, for whom the union scored a mere suspension after he openly admitted in writing to having tried to seduce and court a 16-year old student with explicit references to oral and group sex. These unions you praise are concerned with power and survival, not your children's education. They're no better than Williams, and if he's got to go, have the decency to pick a replacement with a spinal column.

[Bob]

Since he is under contract until 2011 IIRC, as long as hey makes good on any ramifications for cancelling that contract with city I'm happy to see him go. What are the stipulation(s) of him leaving his contract? I hope there are monetary penalties, reimbursements of any bonuses, ...?

[Ray]

“I feel like I was punched in the stomach,” Jacobs said. This quote was found in this morning's news article. The Buffalo teachers have felt this "punch" when we watched the first closed circuit video of this guy three years ago and it has been that way ever since. Dr. Williams is a snake-oil salesman without a covered wagon. Some members on the Buffalo Board of Education have no clue what it takes to lead a city school system. I know, I've taught there for 33 years. The schools need a leader who supports the teachers. So when you interview for a new superintendent ask them, "how do you plan on supporting our teachers?" If they hesitate for a split second or sound like a snake-oil salesman, then please this time move on to another candidate. The teachers will thank you.

[Barton Keyes]

Superintendent Williams was the instrument not the cause for the internal warfare on the School Board and between the administration and the unions. The majority of the Board selected Williams because they agreed that school reform required two basic tactics: new programs and brow beating the union into submission. Hence, the new initiatives as well as endless contract disputes.
The result has been sporadic and inconsistent progress and expensive litigation over contract issues that eventually ended with predictable losses before abritrators.
And that situation will not change if the majority of the Board chooses a Williams' clone to carry out the Board's aggressive, scorched earth agenda.
There are two fundamental realities the Board has to come to terms with: 1) There are no simple, quick solutions; 2) State law and the arbitrtation process makes battling school unions a probably futile process.
What is needed is a strategy that makes the union buy into the solution and take responsibility for its implementation. And that may require giving them the power to help design the solution as well as assume part of the liability for its success or failure.
And everyone also needs to be honest with the public. We will NOT be able to turn the schools around in two or three years. What we can due in that time is to put the schools on the road to recovery. And if that won't happen unless the Board starts to soend more time on doing what is needed instead of bashing each other in front of microphones and cameras.

[notsolonelyattop]

Hope he takes Crystal and Daye and anyone else who needs to be promoted to their highest level of incompetence with him. Godspeed.

[Ralph]

All his Posse on the Board will now, ram through another extention for him..with big pay raise...Does that sound about right...
Mary R Kupsiak, please keep your comments to yourself, you sound as lost as Doc Willie.
RALPH HERNANDEZ for Superintendant

[Matt]

Let him go and tell him "Don't let the door hit you in the --- on the way out." The people who are running Buffalo -- government, schools, infrastructure -- have been failing its citizens for decades now. This joker is just the latest manifestation. No responsible superintendent would allow the "wrong-doing or heavy-handedness" that's been going on in the district to continue. But it's obvious he wants to let district employees keep or build their own little fiefdoms ... no point rubbing any employees the wrong way when you are planning to blow town ASAP anyway.

[Margaret Mary Moll]

Dr. Williams -- here's your hat -- hope you hurry out of Bflo! And Please do let the door hit your tush on the way out!

[sammy]

I say that this is a hint and a half that he is not truly invested with the students and community of Buffalo. The Board of Education should release this so called "leader" from his position. He has been here for 3 years and it is evident that he is not rational enough to negotiate contracts with the various unions. Let the loose canon go before more trouble ensues.

[Tom]

This guy is all hot air and noise. He has a history of taking off when the going gets tough. Real leaders don't jump ship when everything around them needs their attention. Williams always jumps.

[harry]

Let's hope the fools in Memphis hire this guy. Should never have hired this bozo in this first place, especially considering the mess he left in Dayton.