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Thursday, February 9, 1989 Courier-Journal Local News Educational experience is commissioners' mark By Rob Cullivan Since November, 1988, the Commission on Reorganization of Catholic Schools has been meeting biweekly to discuss the planned conso- •• lidation and restructuring of the diocesan school. system. Appointed by Bishop Matthew H. Clark, the commission members were charged with re- viewing the findings and proposals of nine groups working to reorganize the diocesan school system — four quadrant planning boards in Monroe County, three.cluster groups outside Monroe County, an informal group repre- senting Monroe County's six Catholic high schools, and the Implementation Committee for Catholic Elementary School Planning for the city of Rochester and Monroe County. The commission will soon release' the results of a day-long conference on Thursday, Feb. 9, during which it was scheduled to review the Northeast Quadrant Planning Board's proposal to close six Catholic schools in northeastern Monroe County and establish a junior high pro- gram on the premises of Bishop Kearney High School. But who are these nine commissioners whose recommendations will affect the lives of thousands of students, teachers and school em- ployees throughout the diocese? How do they perceive their roles, and what do they have to offer the commission? • William Pickett, chairman — Pickett has been president of St. John Fisher College in Ro- chester since 1986. Before coming to Fisher, he served as vice president for. university relations at the University of San Diego. He has served on the board of trustees at Aquinas Institute, from which he resigned following his appoint- ment to head the commission. Pickett has also taught English, speech and religion at the uni- versity and high school levels. As a college president, Pickett said he has a vested interest in the diocesan school system, an interest that makes him well-suited to the role of commission chairman. \It's the kind of thing that a president of a college is appropriate for. I'm concerned about th$ quality of students sent to us,\ Pickett said, noting that as an outsider to the Rochester area, he will be an unbiased ob- server. \ I don't have any personal or family in- volvement in the various schools. If this were in Kansas City, where I grew Up, it would be different.\ Pickett's colleagues on the commission have been universal in their praise of his leadership. \William Pickett has been extremely good about keeping us-on track,\ Peter Spinelli said. \He has a difficult task and an enormous charge,\ observed John Crowe. \(He's) doing a great job.\ The chairman said his goal is to keep the commission working on the various proposals, from the perspective of creating a diocesan edu- cational system, rather than focusing on a speci- fic quadrant's educational makeup to the exclu- sion of the rest of the diocese. • John Crowe, vice chairman — Crowe is a partner in the Rochester law firm of Mousaw, Vigdor, Reeves, Heilbronner & Croll. He was a member of the Diocesan Oversight Task Force, a group appointed by the bishop in September, 1987, to respond to recommendations put forth by the Five-Year Financial Planning Task Force, of which Crowe was also a member. Crowe worked on the Oversight Task Force's education subcommittee, which studied the Five-Year Planning Task Force's recom- mendation that the diocese develop a five-year plan to consolidate its schools. Among other things, the subcommittee called for the bishop to establish the Commission on Reorganization of Catholic Schools. Crowe said his experience with' the edu- cation subcommittee will be valuable to Pick- ett's commission. \The education subcommit- tee gave me the opportunity to talk first-hand with governing boards of high schools, and get an appraisal of their particular problems and their particular programs.'' • .Timothy Leahy — Senior vice president at Chase Lincoln First Bank, Leahy served as chairman of the Oversight Task Force's edu- cation subcommittee, and has extensive experi- ence in the diocesan educational system. Leahy served as deputy superintendent of Catholic schools from 1976-78, and superinten- dent from 1978-1979. Prior to his appointment as deputy superintendent, Leahy was a teacher, and then principal, at Our Lady of Lourdes School. He said he and Crowe will serve as a link be- tween the Oversight Task Force and Pickett's commission. Since he and Crowe are \the most knowledgeable\ members of the commission regarding the issue of consolidation, their pre- sence would keep the commission \from re- inventing the wheel,\ he said. • Brother David Andrews,: CSC — Brother' Andrews is in his fourth year as national direc- tor of educatioikfor the eastern province of the Holy Cross Order. His duties include oversee- ing governing boards of each of the seven high schools in the\ province, including Cardinal Mooney in Rochester, and reviewing adminis- trative performance. He recently completed working with a Washington, D.C., task force charged with a mission similar to that of the Pickett commission. During the last 18 months, he has also met with trustee groups of the six Catholic high schools in, Monroe County. Brother Andrews emphasized the need for the diocese to manage information regarding the consolidation with a great deal of care. \I'm very concerned that we take a look at the system as a system and try to avoid reacting to events as they occur in a piecemeal approach,\ he said. He said that through research, he has found that three phenomena often accompany Catholic school consolidations throughout the United States: rumors lead to a breakdown in informa tion flow; schools undergoing change experi- ence a higher than normal level of illness among staff and students; and consolidations are ac- companied by great tension. To avoid such symptoms, a diocese moving' to consolidate its school system has to be \as up front and truthful about the situation as possi- ble,\ he remarked, noting, however, that the Diocese of Rochester already may have pro- vided too much information too soon. \I'm not sure whether the (Northeast Quadrant Planning Board's proposal) should have been released to the parishes without first being seen by the commission,\ he said. So far, he said, he could not judge whether information regarding conso- lidation in the quadrant \had been managed well.\ • Sister Barbara Hanun, RSM — Sister Hamm is principal of St. John the Evangelist School on' Humboldt St., Rochester, and chair- woman of the City Catholic School Administra- tors Association. On Monday, Feb. 6, she was named principal of Our Lady of Mercy High School. Sister Hamm has worked for the New York State Education Department as an evaluator of elementary schools in Brooklyn and Rockville Center, and is a past principal of St. Louis School in Pittsford. She is also a member of the Sisters of Mercy Education Network. Sister Hamm said she will bring to the Pickett commission the perspective of a woman, a reli- gious sister and an expert in Catholic elemen- tary education. • Father Michael Conboy — The pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church in Irondequoit, Father Conboy chaired a subcommittee on schools outside Monroe County for the Over- sight Task Force's education subcommittee. He has also served as secretary to Bishop Joseph L. Hogan, who headed the diocese from 1969 to 1978. His experience as a pastor and in chancery work qualified him for Pickett's commission, Father Conboy said. \They wanted a pastors' quality education. • Constance Mitchell — Mitchell is pro- gram director of the Program for Rochester to Interest Students in Science and Mathematics, an educational project financed by local busi- nesses which encourages students in grades eight through 12 to develop an interest in engi- neering and science-related careers. She is also a member of the New York State Business Council Education Committee, which informs the council's member businesses concerning education legislation. In 1961, Mitchell became the first black woman to be elected to the Monroe County Leg- islature. Since then, she has worked steadily on a variety of community issues, devoting much of the last decade to involving businesses in the educational system. Mitchell, whose daughter was educated in the diocesan school system, said her major concern is that all students get a quality education. • Irene Rivera de Royston — A counselor at Monroe Community College, de Royston as- sists students with career and personal con- cerns. She has three children in diocesan schools, and was appointed to represent the dio- . cesan Hispanic community, according to thef statement released by the diocese Novem- • Peter Spinelli —Chairman of the diocesan Board of Education, Spinelli also heads the board's personnel committee. One of four managing partners of Harris Beach Wilcox Ru- bin & Levy, Spinelli said the law firm, which represents 45 public school districts in New York state, deals with\ a large number of cases involving education. Spinelli has also served as vice chairman of the Board of Education, of which he has been a member for the last eight years. He was also a member of the Oversight Task Force's edu- cation subcommittee. cationai system, rather than tocusing on a speci- scnooi consonaations tnrougnout me united iy/8. member ot the oversight task rorce s » fie quadrant's educational makeup to the exclu- States: rumors lead to a breakdown in informa- His experience as a pastor and in chancery cation subcommittee. Teacher evaluations give principals chance to assess praiseworthy qualities By Rob Cullivan Sister Gilmary's office at the diocesan Pastoral cher who! garners a Needs Improvement rating A favorable and unambiguous review is sul Sister Joseph Gilmary is preparing for an ava- Center in Gates. might show \insufficient effort\ to \encourage cient for Sister Gilmarv. who files each revi By Rob Cullivan Sister Joseph Gilmary is preparing for an ava- lanche. -/ Friday, Feb. 10, is thejQeadline to send in teacher evaluations to the office of personnel for the diocesan Division of Education. As assistant superintendent for personnel, Sister Gilmary has the job of reading through the hundreds of biannual reviews of teacher performance from each of the diocese's elementary schools. Sister Gilmary's office distributes evaluation forms to schools throughout the year. The eva- luation consists of the principal sitting in on a teacher's class, noting observations on the evaluation form, and then discussing the review with the teacher. Following completion of die evaluation, the principal will send the review to Sister Gilmary's office at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Gates. The four-page evaluation forms list seven areas in which a teacher ? s performance is to be assessed: teaching effectiveness, classroom management, cooperation (interpersonal re- lations), Christian personal identity, responsibi- lity, attendance and professional growth. Each area has three rating categories: Out- standing, Good and Needs Improvement. A tea- cher who rates Outstanding in the area of teach- ing effectiveness, for example, \consistently exceeds the expected level of work in planning lessons,\ by \encouraging students to be self- motivated, and providing for individual differences.\ A Good rating means an \ade- quate\ performance in those areas, while a tea- cher who! garners a Needs Improvement rating might show \insufficient effort\ to \encourage students to be self-motivated.'' John O'Mara, principal of St. Mary's School in Dansville, said he would give an Outstanding rating to a teacher who uses a personal touch with her students. \If the teacher were teachimg writing, I would see if she were going around the room and working on each area with indivi- dual students,\ he said. Anomer important category is professional growth, O'Mara noted. Teachers should take one to two courses a year to update their knowl- edge of their subject, he said. \If they didn't have a master's (degree), and they were work- ing towards one, I'd consider that sufficient,\ he said. Advocate forms coalition to help low-income tenants A housing advocate in Rochester has formed a coalition to aid tenants in state and federally subsidized projects who face losing their regu- lated rents and other tenant protections. According to Sally McCoy, director of the Rochester office of the New York State Tenant and Neighborhood Coalition, the Rochester An- ti-Displacement Coalition will work with ten- ants \who find their rent doubled overnight. \If people think there is a homeless problem now, just wait until subsidized housing begins to disappear,\ said McCoy, who hopes that the Rochester group will eventually become part of an upstate coalition for displaced tenants. McCoy said that the federal government in- sured many mortgages for rental and coop- erative housing for low- and moderate-income families between 1965 and 1970. Private de- velopers agreed to keep rents at a certain affor- dable level and to operate the project according to regulations set up by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Most mortgages were for 40 years; however, after 20 years, HUD regulations allowed them stabilized apartments. ' 'This is a nationwide problem ... private de- velopers can do whatever they want with the property once they are no longer under contract to provide low-income housing,\ said McCoy, who added that there are 28 such subsidized housing complexes in and around Rochester. to be' 'prepaid.'' Thus, die owner could pay off Although she added that no one individual or the remaining amount on the mortgage and be government office is to blame for the problem free of all obligations to HUD. ^Jhjreatening tenants who live in subsidized hous- McCoy said her group is in the process of ing, McCoy said that funds for most varieties of gathering information on Rochester-area hous- subsidized housing have suffered from severe ing projects where - this will occur. She also federal cutbacks during former President Ron- hopes to develop another coalition to inform aid Reagan's administration, tenants who face the risk of losing their rent- , —RichardA. Kiley A favorable and unambiguous review is suffi- cient for Sister Gilmary, who files each review and makes no further comment unless she feels the review is unclear. \I might follow through\ on two or three teachers,\ she said, noting that an evaluation citing negative ratings in teaching effectiveness, classroom management and co- operation might warrant a phone call to the principal. \Usually if there is a very serious problem, the principal contacts me, and we try to work it out.\ Working it out might ultimately mean a con- ference between Sister Gilmary, the principal and the teacher. But few evaluations come to such a juncture. \Every case is different,\ Sis- ter Gilmary said. \Often all it takes a phone call to die principal. The principal discusses it with the teacher and that often resolves the problem.\ Sister Gilmary emphasized that die vast majority of teachers receive favorable evalua- tions each year. Rewarding them with praise, though, is not part of her duties. \It would be wonderful to call people and commend them, but that's really die principal's role,\ she said. One principal, Sister Diane Dennie of St. Lawrence School in Rochester, enjoys playing that role. \(The evaluation) gives me an oppor- tunity in a formal way to recognize die good qualities in a teacher.'' Good qualities are usually the mark of a school's tenured teachers, whom Sister Gilmary suggests be evaluated once a year. Non-tenured teachers should be evaluated twice a year, she said.
