Organizational restructuring at HISD
I was critical of HISD as the superintendent "search" was conducted, but not because Abe Saavedra wasn't qualified -- he certainly seems to have what it takes to run a large urban district. Rather, I didn't think the search process was tough enough, for the job that needed filling, and the local media glossed over his reason for leaving Corpus Christi.
Now, though, it's over and done. Time to move on, and Saavedra's first move, to shakeup district leadership, is an excellent start:
Saavedra said big changes are likely in an administrative system that divides responsibility for overseeing HISD's 300-plus schools among 12 geographic districts, plus a 13th district for alternative schools. Some jobs will likely be consolidated or eliminated outright when a new organizational structure is in place next fall, he said.
"It's possible it may not even resemble what we have today," said Saavedra, who signed a three-year contract to lead the state's largest school district last week.
While the changes are likely to cut the district's payroll — nearly 60 HISD employees earn six-figure salaries — Saavedra said the main force driving the reorganization is improved efficiency. The Dallas school district, which has about 50,000 fewer students than Houston's 209,000, has more than 70 employees making more than $100,000.
[snip]
School board trustees say they'll give Saavedra leeway to make the changes he sees fit and grade his performance based on the outcome. In addition to his $270,000 base salary, Saavedra has up to $60,000 in bonus money riding on the district's performance.
"You need to give him the freedom that he needs to implement the changes that he thinks will bring about more efficient and better results," Trustee Dianne Johnson said.
One of the biggest problems large urban school districts have is the unending number of administrators needed to maintain a large district. The layers of bureaucracy -- oh dear! Pretty soon, the mission of teachers teaching kids is completely lost when the focus on bureacracy takes center stage.
This is a good move on Saavedra's part and a hopeful start to his time as superintendent.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/16/04 11:23 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Sphere | Comments (1)
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