What Really Happened To Ronn Gibbs At Harper?

Just a year ago, Arne Duncan and Rev. Jackson were hanging out with recently-fired Harper High principal Ronn Gibbs at the new pool celebrating all the renovations.  But apparently test scores continued to fall and, on Friday, Gibbs was let go.  But that can't be the whole story, I don't think, or much of an explanation for the timing.  Neither the Tribune (Poor performance cited in principal's dismissal) nor the Sun Times (Harper principal shown the door) have much by way of details, though everyone notes that Gibbs was assigned, not picked by an LSC.  Anyone know the skinny?

Comments

[sickin&ofthecity]

It's just another move in the CPS principal shell game. I'm not sure though why anyone would have thought Gibbs could "turn around" anything other than his car. He has never distinguished himself anywhere, never had any noticable success anywhere. He's a closer. He moves in when it's time to move a school towards closing time, tie up the loose ends, make sure nothing tragic happens. Why he was at Harper for so long as the interim is just as an intriguing question. Usually closers are older, semi-retired ex-principals who know what they have to do and just do it. Gibbs, a closer at 49? Hmmmm, unusual?

Maybe he never got a locker in Don Pittman's "Good Old Guys Club". Having that locker assures you of being able to advance without merit, to get some the highest paying positions, and make all kinds of other "things" happen that the general public would have a hard time swallowing. Now that "Dr." Pittman has retired and been feted for $75.00 a ticket, what happens to all his "guys" and what happens to what has become business as usual at CPS. It is horribly morally and spiritually wrong that many of the people who make these school, neighborhood, and possibly life changing decisions for the young people in our city are so unconcerned with the educational and life outcomes of the children of Chicago. The money always comes first. Taking care of "your guys" always comes before the education of the children.

All I can say is that a system without Gibbs isn't losing much, and a system without that self absorbed basketball playing has-been can only (hopefully) get better.

[George Schmidt]

It used to be said that the most dangerous place on earth was between Don Pittman and a dollar bill. It's still true. At the Board of Education meeting he reminded Arne that if Arne wanted his services now that he was retired (and at a pension that will be above $100,000 a year), the Board will pay.

And will the new guy at OHSP be another Pittman?

Bash Gibbs, Pittman what about the $170,000 30 banker recently hired. What can he bring to the system?

Not much more, but please do not make Duncan and Co.'s mistake of lumping ex-gym teachers with Nova diplomas with actual career educators.

[sickin&ofthecity]

Amen to all comments so far.

I sometimes actually feel a little bad for Arne because I think he gets pushed around, or at least gets "influenced" to act in a different way than he really thinks. If he grew some balls and put hard working people in positions of power and promoted people based, at least once in a while, on merit, the system might have a better chance.

On a related note, has anyone heard when the statue of "Dr." Pittman is going up outside 125 S. Clark? What are they going to do with all those giant pictures of Don that litter the walls on "his" floor? Watch for him to try to become a superintentdant somewhere, probably south suburban. He's garbage.

Be very afraid if the Corliss principal becomes the new head of high schools. I can't see them keeping the interim, Gilligan from the Ag. School. That would make too much sense. They just haven't found the next inexperienced ex-gym coach narcissist yet.

[Merit Man]

What's up with these "degrees" CPS employees get from "Nova" and that new educational outfit noted in an earlier blog entry? Although I saw what to me seem like legitimate education-related degrees from places like Harvard and Stanford (not saying the degree makes the man/woman) in the CPS hiring announcements recently, what are these doctorates or other degrees coming from outfits like Nova. I'm not a CPS insider, so I don't have a clue. Does real study and learning go into a Nova degree? What are the degree requirements?

There was a big story about, oh, 20 years ago about CPS employees who were "buying" doctoral degrees from Nova , an online degree mill, formerly degrees by mail.

Nova Southeastern University does have real campuses in Florida, but that's not where they get their real money.

Does that sound right? It's been a while since I remember reading this. (Well, 20 years)

[1.04]

Class

It isn’t often I take the side of a principal, but this time I’ll make an exception.
Dr Gibbs, who I know, was handed a suicide mission when he went to Harper.
That school is beyond repair. Anyone who wants to try his or her hand at total chaos
Get a job at that place.
Dr Gibbs, the Pope, Arnie, J.J. senior or junior could not run Harper for a week.
Only the realization that a school of last resort must exist someplace keeps it open.

So, why does a principal assigned a suicide mission get fired? Just wondering. CPS could keep the principal there indefinately, no?

[1.04]

Why

Since the Board refuses to do anything to change Harper Dr.Gibbs had to go in
Order to maintain the illusion that the board is trying to improve the school.

[George Schmidt]

"...There was a big story about, oh, 20 years ago about CPS employees who were "buying" doctoral degrees from Nova , an online degree mill, formerly degrees by mail.

"...Nova Southeastern University does have real campuses in Florida, but that's not where they get their real money..."

Actually, there were several articles, and some satiric moments as well. I wrote many of them.

Maribeth Vander Weele of the Chicago Sun-Times borrowed my Nova files to write her piece on Nova, but didn't return all of them before she went to work for Paul Vallas.

That Nova.

Those articles.

Of all the stuff that appeared in print about Nova, my favorite, though, was the poem that began:

"I are a Nova doctorate..."

Nova's clout in Chicago in the 1970s and 1980s came from the fact that its "cluster coordinator" in Chicago was "Dr" James Moffat.

As deputy schools superintendent (management services) he ran much of the system (into the ground) prior to the financial mess of 1979. Moffat was buddies with Mayor Richard J. Daley, which insulated him from many problems, given (see below) his other proclivities.

After the system's 1979 financial "collapse" (actually, a kind of murder, but that's another version of history from the official Tribune one most people here believe), those who have kept track will remember, James Moffat became principal of Kelvyn Park High School.

He worked at Kelvyn Park until he was indicted for raping students in his office there. Convicted in 1987 of more than two dozen counts of crimes against five different victims (four boys; one girl), he did prison time, several years in fact.

But he left behind a group of Novas (some called them Novitiates back then) to make sure his legacy was respected.

It took CPS another several years to clean up all the Moffat messes. One of his victims ultimately got a quiet settlement of more than a half million dollars (big money back then) because CPS had put Moffat in charge of her high school so he could rape her in the main office after her boyfriend brought her in.

Oh, and one of Moffat's other legacies to Chicago has to do with the Catholic Church's sex scandals.

Anne Burke learned a lot of what she knew about sex crimes by serving as one of Moffat's defense lawyers during the criminal trial (where, as was common in those days, his lawyers tried to put the victims' histories on trial).

Yes, that Anne Burke. Wife of Alderman Eddie.

The one who headed up the clean up committee for the Catholic Church.

And is now a judge on the Illinois Supreme Court.

I saw her in action. I covered the trial. In fact, we've just re-issued that stuff in book form, since Chicago needs to be able to learn more of its history. Including Nova...

Anyway, enough of the tentacles. Back to Moffat himself.

After his release from prison, Moffat was on the Illinois Sex Offenders website for a while, then disappeared -- as I reported in June.

The Novas were required to go to Nova's Fort Lauderdale campus at least one time during the summer while they were doing their Nova thing. During the parties, Moffat made movies and photographs which were later referred to as his "insurance policy."

That Nova?

From what I knew of Don Pittman, Pittman had all of the requisite credentials for the jobs he was doing.

Puns intended.

And I share with some people here the belief that Arne was (and still is) clueless about all these things. After all, Pittman kept himself in shape until late in life so he could play night ball with Arne. What other qualifications did "Dr." Pittman need to head the high schools?

There are a number of big wigs at CPS, although many retired who got their Ed.D from Nova.

And still getting them now. Nova hires other CPS Nova graduates to teach CPS employees getting Nova degrees.

Unfortunately, people decide to bash Don Pittman. Now granted he may not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer but to accuse him of staying in shape just so he could play basketball is ludicrous. Arne plays basketball in a league at the Broadway Armory and at Clide Park. Neither of which Don Pittman has ever attended or played. It is just sad that any person of color or athletic looking man is considered in Arne's crew and have ties to basketball. This is really smelling like a racist comment!

It's so weird to me that an educational institution (CPS) could support or condone (and reward?) employees with degrees from a diploma mill type outfit. It's just too ironic. Does the CPS office that encourages CPS students to go on to college encourage them to seek Nova degrees (maybe Nova only offers post-baccalauteate degrees)?

Nova is actually a Birth through College school in Davie, Fl.

They were Nova University for a long time and got in trouble with their accredidation so they paired a deal with Southeastern and became Nova South Eastern University.

In Florida, I believe many of the students do their student teaching all at the Pre-K - 12 school. They also have a dental school and a doctor school etc.

I'm not sure when they got into the online shebang going on. Florida has a lot of little colleges here and there (Especially in Davie, Fl) and I'm not sure of their reputation among those, but it it is sure no University of Florida.

http://www.nova.edu/ The college website.

http://uschool.nova.edu/ The PK-12 school. They had the cheesy open classroom for awhile. (Still May).

They were known locally for awhile when their Deaf Oral School took in a lot of children with Autism. Even Dan Marino's kid. I think with the wave of mainstreaming this part of the school has since closed and they now only serve Pre-K children with Autism as part of their Birth - 5 school.

[JD/MD]

So CPS will accept degrees from Nova but not medical degrees and law degrees. CPS will not even give masters' credit. Does anyone know why we do not compensate medical doctors and attorneys? Wouldn't they be awesome as science teachers
(shortage area) and social studies teachers?

Why would that be? - most aren't awesome as doctors.

Yep, Nova's degrees are crap. However, they are graduate degrees, not required for teaching.

I am multiply degreed in education and ed leadership - can you guess what the reaction would be if I answered a personnel bulletin for an attorney in the law department, or even an accountant in Finance?

I have worked with both of those departments, and was pretty awesome with both, but while I respected business people's and attorneys' credentials, they used my expertise, never acknowledged it, and passed off my work as their own.

Didn't realize career changers couldn't get lane placement credit for schooling that has :::nothing to do with K-12 education:::

Good.

[Principal has no clout.]

This principal should of been smart like the Curie principal.

Curie's scores were not good either, and they call her the superstar.

And all the LSC at Curie did was vote.

3:18 Do not misunderstand-they are certified teachers with additional degrees. No one is saying that they do not have a teaching certificate.

A few years ago, an amazingly skilled ob/gyn, a top doc in this city, planned to leave her practice to become a CPS grade school science teacher. I hope if she made this switch, CPS is recognizing her credentials (MD). The irony is, however --- what if her students grow up and want to become ob/gyns in IL? Such docs can't make the financials work anymore and wind up with negative-income, what with insane malpractice insurance rates for ob/gyns in IL, etc. But, that's a topic for some other blog.

[Alexander]

What in the hell are you people babbling about?? Now we are going to look over-analyze where people went to school. I got one for you. They should get the next principal from a mental institution because you would have to be crazy to take over there. All of you people who love to talk from your ivory tower take a walk into Harper or better yet stand outside at dismissal time. Tell me what it's like and then talk to me about the credentials of the Principal.

Maybe good schools and bad schools are the same? I don't think so. Whether you're talking about kindergartens or doctoral programs. How can "quality" count in CPS, but not in higher ed? Can't have a double-standard, George.