DISD superintendent finalist Mike Miles responds to concerns | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com:
by Tawnell Hobbs/Reporter
A story in today's DMN addresses concerns from community members concerning Mike Miles, the lone finalist for DISD's superintendent job. Miles and DISD board President Lew Blackburn responded to the concerns. They centered on Miles' support for tying teacher pay to student performance, his consulting business and lack of experience running a large school district. Miles is currently leading the Harrison School District 2 in Colorado Springs, Colo. He is expected to begin in DISD on July 2, pending contract negotiations. Here is a bit of what Miles said during a Tuesday interview:
Pay-for-performance: Miles said it's too early to tell whether he will recommend a teacher pay-for-performance system in DISD as he did in Harrison. He noted that DISD is revising its teacher evaluation system, and he wants to learn more before making recommendations. "Every system is different; every district is different," he said. "I don't want to move too fast."
Consultant work: Miles serves as an educational consultant and motivational speaker for school districts and other public organizations around Colorado. He said that he does the work through a for-profit company, Focal Point, where he is a partner. He said he won't have as much time to do consulting work but would like to do an occasional presentation or give a keynote address if the board approves. He said he wants to remain a partner at Focal Point. "The short answer is I plan to not leave the company, but I won't be doing the consultant work that I did before," he said. (Trustee Bruce Parrott is staunchly against Miles doing any consultant work).
District size: Miles' school district in Colorado has 11,000 students; DISD has 157,000 students. He said that he is qualified to lead a district the size of DISD. "Sometimes people look at size and complexity," he said. "I look at systems and leverage points." To read the complete story, click
here.
A story in today's DMN addresses concerns from community members concerning Mike Miles, the lone finalist for DISD's superintendent job. Miles and DISD board President Lew Blackburn responded to the concerns. They centered on Miles' support for tying teacher pay to student performance, his consulting business and lack of experience running a large school district. Miles is currently leading the Harrison School District 2 in Colorado Springs, Colo. He is expected to begin in DISD on July 2, pending contract negotiations. Here is a bit of what Miles said during a Tuesday interview: Pay-for-performance: Miles said it's too early to tell whether he will recommend a teacher pay-for-performance system in DISD as he did in Harrison. He noted that DISD is revising its teacher evaluation system, and he wants to learn more before making recommendations. "Every system is different; every district is different," he said. "I don't want to move too fast." Consultant work: Miles serves as an educational consultant and motivational speaker for school districts and other public organizations around Colorado. He said that he does the work through a for-profit company, Focal Point, where he is a partner. He said he won't have as much time to do consulting work but would like to do an occasional presentation or give a keynote address if the board approves. He said he wants to remain a partner at Focal Point. "The short answer is I plan to not leave the company, but I won't be doing the consultant work that I did before," he said. (Trustee Bruce Parrott is staunchly against Miles doing any consultant work). District size: Miles' school district in Colorado has 11,000 students; DISD has 157,000 students. He said that he is qualified to lead a district the size of DISD. "Sometimes people look at size and complexity," he said. "I look at systems and leverage points." To read the complete story, click here.