AS 2P dallasnews.com PUBLISHED The Dallas Morning News IN Established October 1, 1885

Publishers James M. Moroney III Publisher and Chief Executive Officer George Bannerman Dealey 1885-1940 Robert W. Mong Jr. E.M. (Ted) Dealey 1940-1960 Editor Joe M. Dealey 1960-1980 George Rodrigue James M. Moroney Jr. 1980-1985 Vice President, Managing Editor

John A. Rector Jr. 1985-1986 Keven Ann Willey Vice President, Editorial Page Editor Burl Osborne 1986-2001

Sunday, February 5, 2012

EDITORIAL

TACTICS FOR A TURNAROUND The Business of Managing Lee Judge/Kansas City Star LETTERS Efficient central office essential to DISD success Does football have a future? Lawsuit winner is vindictive t’s tempting to dismiss the knee-jerk plati- Re: “Dorsett derides NFL on injuries — Re: “Car owner wins suit on mileage,” tude that every big-spending, seemingly Cowboys great among 300 ex-players suing Thursday Business story. I wasteful government entity could be fixed over health problems,” Friday news story. Something about this story strikes me as if we would just “run it like a business.” I was recently visiting with friends about very strange. Heather Peters (a former law- People campaigning for offices in those enti- the significant changes to our lives that law- yer) is granted $9,867 for Honda’s failing to ties say it all the time. So do the taxpayers fund- suits and their threat have made. The con- meet mileage standards. Fine, public claims ing them. City hall, school district, county versation started over their effect on the should be held accountable. courthouse, state or national capitol — it’s the practice of medicine. Our focus turned to all However, Peters exults in the hope to “in- same refrain that largely misses the point. the recent head injuries being reported in spire a flood of lawsuits by the other The primary function of a business is to turn football. 200,000 owners” costing Honda $2 billion. a profit. The ones that don’t, fail. Government The prediction was made that the sport of What is the source of this anti-business way doesn’t. It has a broader mandate. “There’s dif- football will eventually cease to exist in the of thinking? ferent rules, a different mission, and the out- form that millions of Americans know and This penalty simply does not seem to fit come is not clear,” says Mike Morath, a first- The project at a glance practically live for. the crime. Perhaps in a lawyer’s mind, cor- term Dallas Independent School District trust- Prophetically we agreed that when the porations simply exist as treasure houses to Our goal: To advocate for hiring a strong change ee. “Each one of our products takes 12 years to helmet manufacturers start getting sued, be looted. Better still, she could understand roll off the line.” agent and for instituting reform strategies with records of success. they will increase the cost out of the reach of business is extremely competitive and diffi- Career educators often bristle at talk of effi- school kids and then be forced to quit com- cult and self-serving acts such as hers pro- ciency and productivity, and this is why. Such Our work so far: Since September, we’ve published pletely, reducing tackle-ball to flag-ball or vide only obstacles to success. Such success thinking, they argue, reveals an unhealthy fas- exclusive commentaries by national education electronic tagging to appease today’s in- benefits thousands of workers and their experts on DISD’s future on our Viewpoints and cination with a business mindset, a bottom-line creasing cadre of gamers. jobs. Points pages. mentality that fails to recognize that their jobs Sound preposterous? When did you last Surely this country could learn some- are as much art as science. This is a schism as Now: We’re also publishing a six-part editorial see a high diving board or a jungle gym? Rid- thing from the Japanese who see their in- old as schooling (and business, for that matter). series outlining recommendations for DISD and its dell is a defendant in Dorsett’s all-volunteer, dustries as national treasures, which allows While those educators have a point, that new superintendent: overpaid plaintiffs’ suit. Here we go! them all to prosper. Surely Peters could find Footholds: Good DISD stories to build on doesn’t mean business-oriented best practices Allen Myers, Dallas something more substantive to do with her Hiring: Priceless teachers and principals have no value in a public school district. better than average mind. Innovation: Shakeups that work In fact, they are essential. William Asbury, Dallas TODAY: Ross Avenue: Inject top business standards AMR workers show dignity Any educator who has struggled with a bro- Poverty: Break the cycle — or else ken administration should appreciate that — Wish list: Our dream candidate I was a passenger on American Airlines Red tape kills business especially in DISD, which is searching for a su- on Nov. 29, the day the bankruptcy was an- perintendent to lead Texas’ second-largest READ the Tactics for a Turnaround series so far. nounced, and again Wednesday, the day the Re: “Killing business? Any examples?” by school district and where public trust has too dallasnews.com/turnaround massive job and benefit loss was announced. Pat Patterson, Tuesday Letters. often been betrayed. Today’s takeaway On both occasions, every employee I en- So you want “one example” of job-killing Where must DISD’s next superintendent start? countered held their head up and continued regulations. Ever since President Barack to run the airline smoothly and professional- Obama signed the “Dodd-Frank (foolish) Malfeasance, management blunders I Clean up substandard management practices throughout headquarters. ly. From the curb to the cabin, everyone per- Act,” thousands of appraisers, processors, Despite slow but occasionally encouraging I Overhaul HR, the epicenter of DISD’s central formed their duties impeccably and with loan officers, receptionist, underwriters and progress in educating a challenging student office problems. dignity. others have lost their jobs. population, DISD routinely finds itself in the I Improve hiring standards for senior As my plane pushed back from the gate in An extreme example of this government’s headlines for disasters that have little to do with administrators. Chicago, I saw some of the ground workers onslaught with regulations is that over the reading and writing and far more with malfea- I Rebuild public trust by proving to be a reliable looking down at their feet, and I know they 2011 year, an average of 22 new regulations sance or management blunders. A failed hu- steward of tax dollars. were wondering how they were going to go has hit the mortgage industry every month. man resources department. A technology fund home and tell their families that their lives An example of a regulation is to require scandal still being felt today in DISD’s inability Is it reasonable to expect DISD to find in a were forever altered and their careers were condo buyers to carry additional insurance, to qualify for needed federal funding. Millions single superintendent that educational savant, over through no fault of their own. even though the HOA already has it cov- vanished in misused district credit card pur- a true reformer to push classroom achievement In the face of corporate greed, the em- ered; on top of that, the government won’t chases, created almost solely by lax oversight. forward, but one who also has the managerial ployees of American Airlines stood tall and tell you how much insurance you are to car- Car allowances run amok. skills to fix what’s broken at Ross Avenue? continued to honor the tradition of profes- ry. If the coverage is not enough, they deny DISD needs reform at every level, from its “It’s possible, but it’s difficult,” Morath says. sionalism and safety that has been the hall- the insurance coverage, and you need to up individual campuses to its headquarters on “We’re not trying to find a messiah. We’re trying mark of their airline. the insurance until they accept it, which Ross Avenue. How to define “reform”? Too to find someone good.” I salute each and every one and pray each could take multiple tries. many education advocates believe that a laser DISD’s needs are such that it might profit will be able someday to bring that profes- Besides the job killing these regulations focus on curriculum and instruction is the way, from a “1-and-1A” situation. If it leans toward an sionalism and dignity to a company who will did, they have also increased the cost of shunting aside the less glamorous but critical educational reformer as its superintendent, embrace and appreciate it. mortgages to the consumer by 20 percent meat-and-potatoes improvements needed in that person’s top deputy almost certainly should Gwen Dunivent, Garland and the interest rate by .25 percent, based budgeting, record keeping, technology support be someone with the financial background and on a study backed by Harvard. and especially human resources. organizational skills to make the infrastructure From where did bullets fly? For other examples, look at the new Stronger principals with the authority to do work effectively. home building industry. what must be done? Yes. A higher quality of This sort of arrangement might have helped Re: “Sense of safety shot — After bullets Mike Neville, Flower Mound teacher? Absolutely. Smarter and better-align- the district’s most recent superintendent, Mi- hit homes, city challenges law protecting ed curriculum? Agreed. These are the appeal- chael Hinojosa, whose heart was in the class- gun ranges,” Wednesday news story. Jeffress is on a roll ing building blocks of a districtwide reform room but whose greatest failings in six years I have been shooting at the Garland Pub- program. were in managing headquarters. Many within lic Shooting Range for years. It has basic fa- Robert Jeffress has been pastor of First Building blocks that cannot rise, one upon the district say he never recovered credibility cilities, but the toughest range masters I’ve Baptist Dallas for almost four years. He re- the other, without the support of an efficient, from the “surprise” $64 million budget shortfall seen. They run a tight ship with safety fore- cently led the 10,000-member church to productive central office. “It is a seductive fic- in 2008 that led to massive teacher layoffs. His most. It is a family place, and in all my years, pledge $123 million ($91 million has already tion that massive, troubled school systems can commitment to educational outcomes was I have never seen a shooter do anything but been given) to build a “Spiritual Oasis” in be transformed without revamping infrastruc- strong, but his ability to hire the right lieuten- shoot at the targets. the arts district of downtown Dallas. It will ture and organization,” says Frederick Hess, an ants — the people he would rely on — was At my last visit, the police were called out be completed by Easter 2013. education expert at the American Enterprise proved suspect. to the range to investigate someone shooting At a time when many companies are go- Institute. Interim Superintendent Alan King has won off site. ing out of business or are bankrupt, thou- In other words, you don’t want those stron- praise for cleaning up some of the past messes While the range was cold (guns down and sands have sacrificed to build this church. ger principals and higher-quality teachers and bringing a semblance of order to Ross Ave- safed, no shooting, while targets were re- The old, dilapidated building on the campus wasting time banging their heads against the nue. He has said he’s not a candidate for the per- placed), several gunshots were heard appar- needed to come down. The implosion was wall because they can’t get textbooks delivered manent job, but he has shown many of the orga- ently coming from the river bottoms to the televised for all to see. The historic sanctu- on time or vacancies filled quickly and with nizational qualities a district like Dallas should south of the range. ary built in 1897 will remain and be used on qualified, trained people. value. By many accounts, he has improved rela- Before Rowlett shuts down a long-estab- special occasions. tions between the administration and school lished site used safely by thousands of shoot- Dr. Jeffress is often called on to appear or board — another frequent source of painful ers, maybe some additional ballistic studies comment on current news events by Fox Best starting point: HR headlines in the past — and built a welcome de- need to be done. News, CNN, MSNBC and others. He was in- The next superintendent need look no fur- gree of trust. I suppose it is possible for someone to in- vited to what turned out to be a friendly in- ther than DISD’s human resources department tentionally shoot over the backstop, and for terview on the Bill Maher show and fea- as a starting point. A recent report to the school that bullet to negotiate hundreds of yards of tured as the cover story in the January issue board from the Star Employee Commission re- Removing obstacles for reform thick tree branches beyond the backstop, of D magazine. He is a compassionate pas- veals significant, long-standing problems in Unquestionably, DISD must improve its and then hit a house, but the simpler expla- tor as well as one of God’s movers and shak- HR. The report cites substandard expertise, teaching corps and promote or recruit more of nation is that people shooting from other, ers. communication, training, development, work- the principals who can make a difference, cam- closer locations are more likely the culprits. I wish to give “honor to whom honor is flow logic, general organization, technology pus by campus, year after year. What you don’t Scott Harmon, Dallas due” with thanks and appreciation for Rob- and orientation. want — what no student, parent or district tax- ert Jeffress and his supportive family. These are the sorts of structural flaws that af- payer should want — is for those exceptional ed- Anne Johnson, Dallas/Lake Highlands fect the work of every district employee — espe- ucators’ efforts to be canceled out by an ineffec- cially front-line educators — and must be cor- tive headquarters. Mishandling taxpayer mon- rected if the district is to have any hope of im- ey costs a school district over and over in time, provement. Such problems make it more diffi- energy, talent and, most important, public LETTERS & VIEWPOINTS POLICY cult to retain an organization’s best employees, trust. We value reader submissions. We receive far more than we can print and MAIL ONLINE and they hinder the recruitment of more of That doesn’t mean running it “like a busi- publish a representative sample. Letters should not exceed 200 words. Letters From Readers www.dallasnews.com/ Viewpoints columns, which may be submitted through viewpoints@dallas- The Dallas Morning News sendletters them. It’s also worth noting that roughly 80 ness.” That means applying the best business news.com, should not exceed 600 words. Letters and columns are edited for Box 655237 percent of DISD’s $1.4 billion annual budget practices and letting them clear a path to your length and clarity. Include your name, address with ZIP code and daytime Dallas, Texas 75265 goes to personnel costs. greater goal. phone number. Submissions become property of The News.

Page 7 P2 02-05-2012 Set: 17:10:45 Sent by: [email protected] Opinion CYANMYBELLOWLACKAGENTA