Thu, Oct 20, 2005   

School culture said to bring down students, teachers 

Results from an audit on Greece's school climate say some good work is being done, but there are "missed opportunities for greatness." 

By COLLEEN M. FARRELL / cfarrell@mpnewspapers.com 

Greece Central needs to "walk the talk" and fix the negative school culture that's holding it back from greatness. 

That's the finding from the chair of the district's recently completed "school climate" audit. 

An independent firm, hired by the Greece Board of Education, evaluated the way teacher performance is assessed and gathered staff members' perceptions of "school climate." Results were made public Monday night to about 50 community members at Apollo Middle School. 

Some findings show significant success, said Kathleen Fitzpatrick, chairwoman of the audit. But the schools have "overwhelming negative perceptions," both within and outside district walls, she said. 

In March, then-board member Bob Mueller suggested the idea of an audit. The motion, approved in a unanimous vote, came on the heels of employee morale concerns brought up in board meetings by then-Greece Teachers Association President Bill Walzer. 

William Dadey, former superintendent of the Gates-Chili schools and Fitzpatrick, director of the Leadership for Learning Alliance, studied the district for the last few months, talking to parents, school board members, staff and students. 

Students, for the most part, are meeting or exceeding state testing standards, according to the newly released results: Graduates earning Regents diplomas increased 19 percent over the past year, while the passing rate for students with disabilities jumped 61 percent. 

But there's little pride in the accomplishments, Fitzpatrick said. 

"To be candid with you, in most districts with that record [of student achievement] the flags would be waving," she said. 

There's too much disconnect between district staff and administrators, Fitzpatrick said, and many don't feel a part of the decision-making. 

"It's a matter of walk the talk," she said. 

There are "significant missed opportunities for greatness" because of the negative culture, she said. 

And that negativity comes partly from the board, said Dadey, who interviewed members for the audit. 

The "dysfunctional unit" is played out in televised board meetings, which cause negative perceptions of the district and ultimately hurts students' education, he said. Board members often trade barbs and bicker. 

"I've served on a lot of boards and this is the only board where I've encountered that pervasive animosity," Dadey said. "It's unfortunate that the individuals involved with the board do not make a great effort to pull together as a team." 

While the board has questions about the audit's conclusions, said Greece school board President Ken Walsh - and others have criticized what they consider its lack of depth due in part to inadequate sampling - it's "a good road map to fix what is broken in Greece." 


Background 

Another independent investigation is now under way in Greece, in light of recent federal rulings that backed five teachers' claims of age and/or disability discrimination. Superintendent Meg Keller-Cogan is on paid leave until its completion next month.