John Ramos - Ex Super of Bridgeport CT choosen as new Super

h4daniel said:

What????? - " I am a man of faith....I believe this is a mission, not a job.....If and when it becomes apparent that God would have me move on, then that's what I'll do". This is what we get for having faith leaders be part of the focus groups on a Saturday ( I am being tongue in cheek). We have picked a preacher, not a superintendent.

So what. It isn't like he is going to push one religion or another in the schools.

My late uncle taught 5th grade in Groton. It's a difficult district to measure students, due to the transitory nature of the student body due to the large Navy a sub base. Some years he noted he had 50% turnover in his class.

I don't see how the Bridgeport experience is relevant to SOMa.

I would have like to see someone w a track record of proven fiscal leadership. That said, a huge percent of the budget is personnel (salaries & benefits), so there's not much that can be changes year to year.

as a homeowner in this district (with home values tightly coupled with school district performance in my opinion) i am deeply disappointed the board could not find a stellar candidate who would come into this district as coup vs a questionable decision that will surely create a flurry of "dialogue".

The super sets the culture and direction of a very significant piece of our community and financial spending and tactically effect our children.

Is this really the best they could find? In corporate america I do not think his resume would get past HR initial screening....

Comparing Bridgeport to So Orange/Maplewood is not exactly apples to apples. Norwalk would be a better comparison.

Sounds like a loser. If I were to guess, seems like another nail in the coffin of the SOMA school system. This was the best they could come up with? If we can do the standard internet searches and begin to paint a picture, did the board do so? Or did they rely on some search firm's spin on who they should select?

You pick someone who's lead a failing district rather than someone who's led a succeeding one? That's the first mistake.

I think that googling has created a bunch of instant experts. Realistically , given the salary cap we were looking at either new untested Supers looking to make their mark and using our district to build their resume , or a super with experience looking for a soft landing for their last job. I think we have had the resume builder and really needed to find someone with experience and a track record. Our BOE are not naive and I am sure they dug into the controversies surrounding his tenure at Bridgeprt, Bridgeport was and is a very troubled district. It looks like Ramos had his successes and his failures.

Thats what you get at the salary cap. An old guy who was fired from his last permanent job.

Despite my best intentions, I did not get to watch the relevant part of the BOE meeting yesterday. For those who were there, did the Board mention why they think Dr. Ramos is a good fit for our district? This would be good to know as our Google searches may not be comprehensive in terms of Dr. Ramos' strengths vs. issues.

scott_clark said:

Comparing Bridgeport to So Orange/Maplewood is not exactly apples to apples. Norwalk would be a better comparison.

I've not read nearly enough to have any opinion of Mr. Ramos, but this point is a good one to anyone not familiar with Bridgeport, a city with a lot of systemic problems beyond the schools.

If I can shorthand it for you:
*Maplewood median family income: $122,000 (south orange is higher)
*Irvington median family income: $50,798
*Bridgeport median family income: $39,571 (w/ 25% of those under 18 years of age living under the poverty line)

dg64 said:

Despite my best intentions, I did not get to watch the relevant part of the BOE meeting yesterday. For those who were there, did the Board mention why they think Dr. Ramos is a good fit for our district? This would be good to know as our Google searches may not be comprehensive in terms of Dr. Ramos' strengths vs. issues.

There was not a lot but at end of 2nd public speaks after comments by Elissa Malespina . Wayne Eadtman talked a bit about the decision,

I'll just say that having an extensive track record is both a blessing and a curse. It is quite a bit easier to withstand scrutiny as an up and comer.

Being fired is not necessarily the worst thing. See Steve Jobs.

Bridgeport is a rough place--not sure that it would be easy for any superintendent to succeed there.

My biggest issue is his age and more precisely his energy: Does he have the fire in his belly to make a difference?

BaseballMom said:

Speaking for myself, I'm over the vision thing. I'm looking for the management thing, and someone who will make changes based on real data rather than ideals and aspirations propped up by power points devoid of evidence.

This^^

Forget the NJ salary cap. Not a issue. The fact that Ramos considered taking this position at a lesser salary suggests that other districts without a cap didn't think he was worth hiring. His selection smacks of the "equity and excellence" mantra we have heard over the years. This guy seems to run some sort of business around this mantra. (Is he a businessman or an educator?) Nothing but politic speak. Its so tiresome. We need someone who knows how to provide the right education that benefits all the kids from the brightest to the slowest, without the whole emphasis on color, which is nothing but divisive.

Dr Ramos is approximately 62 or 63 years old. Will we be having the same discussion about getting a new Super in just a few years? I don't know what the candidate pool looked like but my preference would be for a younger up-and-coming candidate rather than someone at the tail end of their career.

The odd thing is that I thought we were getting by pretty well without an new super. Can somebody explain what wasn't happening while we were without a super?

tjohn said:

The odd thing is that I thought we were getting by pretty well without an new super. Can somebody explain what wasn't happening while we were without a super?

IB in the middle schools for one. There is a large and well respected group of teachers that are openly asking the District to kill IB. They said it's a waste of time and money.

mod said:

I think that googling has created a bunch of instant experts. Realistically , given the salary cap we were looking at either new untested Supers looking to make their mark and using our district to build their resume , or a super with experience looking for a soft landing for their last job. I think we have had the resume builder and really needed to find someone with experience and a track record. Our BOE are not naive and I am sure they dug into the controversies surrounding his tenure at Bridgeprt, Bridgeport was and is a very troubled district. It looks like Ramos had his successes and his failures.

mod said:

I'll just say that having an extensive track record is both a blessing and a curse. It is quite a bit easier to withstand scrutiny as an up and comer.

These comments are spot on. In an age of school "reform" and "accountability" and a demand for "results" any super who takes on tough assignments like Bridgeport is going to make some enemies and have mixed results. Any experienced supers who have avoided this fate almost certainly helm districts without the educational or political challenges of places like Bridgeport or SOMSD. We don't really need someone from a homogenous wealthy suburban district. We need someone with experience in the educational and political trenches. Ramos seems to fit the bill.

Oh please. Yeah, we are just like Bridgeport.

mod said:

dg64 said:

Despite my best intentions, I did not get to watch the relevant part of the BOE meeting yesterday. For those who were there, did the Board mention why they think Dr. Ramos is a good fit for our district? This would be good to know as our Google searches may not be comprehensive in terms of Dr. Ramos' strengths vs. issues.

There was not a lot but at end of 2nd public speaks after comments by Elissa Malespina . Wayne Eadtman talked a bit about the decision,

Thanks. Will check out the video.

jayjayp said:

Oh please. Yeah, we are just like Bridgeport.

Bridgeport is basically the equivalent of Newark in many ways.

Maplewood/South Orange is neither of these. Also, we are not a district way out in the burbs.
Our district requires a broad set of skills and we will see if Dr. Ramos can deliver.

So-called failed schools fail mostly because of poverty, which is out of the school district's control.

I'd be curious of the strides made by his replacement in Bridgeport. If someone else came and managed to turn everything around then you can compare apples to apples.

He looks pretty impressive to me, high school principle in Norwalk, then moved to assistant superintendent, He left Norwalk to become the superintendent in Coventry.  When he left Coventry he worked at the State Department of Ed before becoming superintendent for Bridgeport Public Schools.  Unfortunately, four years ago Bridgeport was taken over by the State and John was forced to leave. State Commissioner Pryor brought in a group from Chicago to take over the Bridgeport Schools and clean house.  Ironically, the Chicago group and Commissioner Pryor were asked to leave a year ago. His peers in Norwalk think highly of him. This info came from people that worked for him.

Well the pears think well of him, but what about the apples?

Thanks jj, autocorrect from a phone. It still doesn't change the info.

ace11 said:

Thanks jj, autocorrect from a phone. It still doesn't change the info.

It was a good post, so thanks.

jayjayp said:

You pick someone who's lead

A real heavyweight, then.

mjh said:

It was a good post, so thanks.

I was thinking the same thing. Thanks, ace11.

ram said:

Thats what you get at the salary cap. An old guy who was fired from his last permanent job.

So you disagree with your compatriots about the salary cap??

The bottom line to me is: what is his position on levels?