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Friday, May 27, 2016

Superintendent Vitti should be let go over Picturegate

Some people think he should be let go because teacher morale has plummeted, communication is terrible, discipline is out of control and our district performance have all gotten worse under Vitti.

A few people might mention his wife stalking a sitting school board member as a reason for being let go as well.

I think it is picture gate that should be the final nail in his coffin.

If you missed it, many of our poorer schools went without school pictures this year, the reason being that the picture taking companies didn't feel as if they were making enough money doing so. The districts response, sure, that's okay with us.

That's right the district shrugged its shoulders and said, its not us making the call so its okay.

from Action News Jax which has been absolutely killing it recently.

Students in many of Jacksonville’s impoverished neighborhoods are getting excluded from a school tradition – picture day.
A parent reached out to Action News Jax about the issue, and our investigation revealed 26 public schools in the Duval school district do not offer picture day for students.
Sandra Taylor’s son goes to John Love Elementary, one of the schools that doesn’t offer school pictures.
She said she is angry but more than that she's disappointed.
"These are memories that you can't get back,” said Taylor.
She said she was hurt when she got pictures of her grandson in Nassau County and found out there wouldn’t be any of her son.
Action News Jax asked the Duval County school district for a list of public schools that offer picture days.
It took 3 weeks to compile all the information. When the information was placed on a map, it showed almost all of the schools that don’t offer pictures are in Jacksonville’s urban core.
Action News Jax asked the district why students in Jacksonville's low income neighborhoods are getting excluded from picture day and was told it's not the district’s decision.
Individual photography companies decide who they serve, according to DCPS.
Officials said: 

While the majority of our schools are able to secure a vendor for school picture day, several experience difficulty attracting interest from a photographer because of the size of the school and/or the low percentage of parents ordering pictures. This unfortunately has been a concern over the years for many public schools throughout the country.
The school district said if schools can’t find a vendor it encourages stakeholders in the community, such as businesses, photography clubs, parent associations and the media, to help fill the gap.
Duval County Public Schools released another statement:

We understand many parents and caregivers look forward to school picture day to capture a historical snapshot of their child. When a school principal experiences difficulty in securing a photography vendor, we certainly encourage community stakeholders to partner and collaborate with school leadership to identify vendor alternatives. Alternative sources to provide picture day services may include yearbook and newspaper sponsors/staff, community and school photography clubs, parent-teacher associations, and local media outlets offering in-kind support
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/no-school-pictures-for-families-in-jacksonvilles-urban-core/302967659

Vitti passes the buck like my Italian grandmother passed the meatballs and that is often. You see its not his fault its the schools faults for being poor. Sucks to be them, there is nothing the district can do, oy vey. Some leadership there right? But its an example how he leads all the time, throw an idea against the wall like paint to see if it sticks and if something goes wrong blame his subordinates, teachers, the state or in this case our poorest children .

I for one am tired of it and believe it is time for a change. Our teachers, children and schools can no longer afford this ineffective leadership.

3 comments:

  1. This is unacceptable. Duval county should use the same contractor and negotiate a fair price for ALL school pictures. This would offset the lack of orders in poverty schools. Schools shouldn't be forced to locate a vendor, one should be provided. It's time we had fair prices for school photos, the ability to purchase one picture instead of having to buy a package, and senior pictures that don't exclude a majority of our population with prices that gouge the consumer. In a city as vast as Jacksonville and a school system as large as Duval, it is surprising we can't do better. This is the district's problem and it was handled very poorly.

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  2. As a parent at a title 1 school.
    We make picture day happen. We reach out to resources and other schools, we find companies that will support the low picture buying participation but support our interest in putting together a nice yearbook for the elementary kids.
    We have some of the lowest participation in our SAC AND PTA but we make it work because the individuals that care and want to make an investment of time in the school (and I work full time) make it happen.
    If those 26 schools exhausted every effort and business partnership and got no where... Then I will drag out my cone of shame for the district.
    I highly doubt that's the case.

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  3. It isn't really about who did what. It is about the unequal treatment of certain groups of children. Good for those who advocate for children, but all children do not have that luxury. so we as educators, Dr Vitti, should be advocating for them even on an issue like getting a school picture. After all it is called a "school" picture for a reason. Every child, at every school... Right???

    ReplyDelete