In the late ‘60s psychologist Dr. Laurence J. Peter advanced what became known as the Peter Principle which said, in effect, that “In a hierarchically-structured administration, people tend to be promoted up to their level of incompetence.”
Put another way: “The cream rises until it sours.”
A good case in point, of course, would be Michael Brown, the notoriously inept head of FEMA, as evidence by his botched effort at coordinating recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Brown had previously served admirably as commissioner of judges for the International Arabian Horse Association but that job hardly prepared him for handling a job of the magnitude of major hurricane recovery efforts.
The same may be said of John White, who despite his abysmal record as Louisiana Superintendent of Education, may soon be promoted to yet a new level of incompetence.
Rumors have persisted for several days now that White would be leaving his post at the end of the current legislative session, which must adjourn by June 6.
Those rumors reached a new pitch on Wednesday with word that White would be headed “for Duncanland” in June.
For those unfamiliar with the Obama cabinet, “Duncanland” would be Washington where Arne Duncan serves as Secretary of Education.
Before joining the Obama administration, Duncan served as chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools whence controversial former Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas came.
White succeeded Vallas as RSD superintendent before being elevated to his current post by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) at the behest of Gov. Bobby Jindal in January of 2012.
BESE President Chas Roemer, contacted about the report that White was headed for Washington, said he had not heard any such report.
In White’s case, the Peter Principle could be traced from White’s minimal classroom experience as a Teach for America alumnus as well as his having attended an academy to train school superintendents whose credentials are questionable at best. That academy, the Eli Broad Academy consists of all of six weekends of classes spread over 10 months.
In recent weeks, White’s tenure has been marred by repeated courtroom setbacks over the funding formula for school vouchers, public records litigation, rejection by the legislature of BESE’s Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) formula for funding public education, and most recently, word of apparent efforts by course providers to fraudulently enroll more than 1100 students in Course Choice online classes that were to be paid for by the state from MFP funds.
It was the use of the MFP funds for that purpose that was ruled unconstitutional by the Louisiana Supreme Court.
BESE member Lottie Beebe of Breaux Bridge, a vocal opponent of both White and Roemer, said she had not heard the latest report though she acknowledged previous rumors of White’s departure.
“He is building a home in Baton Rouge,” she said by email. “If this proves true, he is acknowledging defeat. He will bail before he is fired!”
An email to White went unanswered.
Increasingly, it would appear that the cream may have risen and has now soured.
But all the people you mention keep being promoted no matter how incompetent they are in their present position, So it looks like the Peter Principle needs updating to a Hyper-Peter—or Über-Peter—Principle.
Yeah!
Just as water seeks its own level – I guess S*** does too.
John White is the Paris Hilton of Public Education; famous, in spite of having never achieved anything of note on his own.
Great comment, Alan, and by this definition Bobby Jindal is the Paris Hilton of the United States and India.
Louisiana…….LOL
Paris Hilton? Does White have a video, too?
It just occurred to me that we could take a cue from all those emails in our spam filters and dub it the Peter Enlargement Principle …
Now, if only we could get a spam filter that would deal with all these over-inflated, er, egos.
While I certainly wouldn’t mourn JW’s passing on to “Duncanland,” I am concerned that the only thing worse than his being LA DOE not-so-super-intendent is that now he’s going to take charge of the nation’s education policy. God help us.
Retired, in the labyrinth that is the federal bureaucracy of any agency in D.C., I think little Johnnie will be down in the food chain. Hoping it would be something like “Deputy Assistant Secretary to the Assistant Secretary in charge of drink machine refunds” or something like that. 😉
In total agreement with you! Little fish in big pond gets eaten by sharks!
used to say that WHEN a Big Fish in A Small Pond moves to a Bigger Pond They Become Bait!
Maybe White will be eaten alive so fast he won’t have time to destroy anything!
I agree with Retired. I can’t wait to see White leave Louisiana, but how in the world could Obama or anyone in his administration consider White for any job related to education? The way things are going, White is only a few more failures away from being President. There’s something really depressing and discouraging about this story. White is not unpopular because he cared most about doing what was best for students—which clearly isn’t the case. White ticked off everyone in education, because he seemed to care only about privatizing LA’s public schools. Sometimes life really doesn’t seem fair. A guy teaches for two years, and then gets one great job after another, even though he has failed at every job he’s had. I just don’t get it.
Reference Bobby “failure” Jindal.
Heckuva job, Whitey!
Ha ha!
Is Senator Landrieu aware of this pending disaster?
Does that mean Jr. Roemer will get White’s position or does BESE pay more and receive more benefits than the Superintendent of Education? After all it’s all about the money, isn’t it???
You know…I would hope that Chas’ daddy is deeply disappointed in him.
Just like Louisiana, let People in and Mess up a Program already in Trouble then get the opportunity to move higher, we are and have been Ponds for too long.
Valas and Pasterak is having fun talking about Louisiana. Who monitors where the problems are happening? The Senators better Wake Up!
He’s been pinged and he’s been ponged, he’s quite ready to move along!
John is on his way to the great informational retrieval bureau in washington where talents like his abound!
Yea!!!!!!
I’m sure he will use this report to prove his near-magical skills:
http://businessreport.com/article/20130522/BUSINESSREPORT0112/130529900
I hope he is gone, but who will replace him? Someone equally as inept, I am sure. I have a novel idea: Why aren’t teachers asked to be more involved in the education policies that are implemented? Why don’t Administrators and School Boards actually take input from the people who are the “worker bees” of education…..and implement their ideas??????
I’m sure there is a superintendent of some abysmal school district out there who is a heartbeat away from indictment that Jindal has already promised the job to.
Reblogged this on Crazy Crawfish's Blog and commented:
I tried to ask him yesterday for his departure date so we could plan his going away party (for the next day) but he refused to reply to me as well. 🙂 First round is on me!
Tom – please send me a note – I’ve got a new PC but no address list – in the meantime, my favorite “Principle” – Parkinson’s Law No. _______:
Any bureaucracy will expand to spend its entire yearly budget and keep ALL employees occupied, whether with useful work or not. Eventually the bugdget resuest will expand.
And no ________:
If a bureaucracy fails, it will inevitably claim an employee shortage and ask for more money. equipment. “Failure is not failure, but success.”
[…] From failing schools to failing schools. A difference without a distinction. Choosing without a choice. And John White sees the writing on the wall. As the walls of Jindal’s Education reform sandcastle tumble down in the courts and legislature, White is out the door: […]
Don’t let the door hit you in your ass-essment personnel portfolio upon your departure. The only question remaining would be who will fill the vacancy? No doubt it would be someone affiliated with the same right-wing educational background, as in universities attended. The same charlatans seem to follow each other across the country. Do not look for someone within the present administration, but then you never know what evil lurks within. Awaiting the impending breaking news report from the lame stream media.
The only thing worse than White as Louisiana’s superintendent might be him as a successor to Duncan. Maybe we need to start now telling the president not do do that. He even got sucked into the evil intentions of Michelle Rhee. Maybe that is what the Bible means when it appeared to be talking about China marching down the Euphrates River and taking over the world before Jesus comes back.
I cannot imagine that there could be a Jindalclone worse than White in that position, but I am sure Jindal will find one if he leaves, maybe Chas Roemer himself as he tries to get his street creds in order for the next governorship (God help us)? As unqualified as White is, Roemer is even less so.
Louisiana really does need to elect its superintendent. This is one position that must come out of the governor’s hands.
When are we going to find a reason to impeach Jindal? He has got to be doing something grossly illegal.
Seems like the Peter Principle is more prevalent in education than other occupation that I have worked in. New LSU President F. King Alexander certainly fits this mold. Check out the vetting of his CV and yo will see he never even made it to tenured Professor before becoming a Presidient of a College http://thugthebook.blogspot.com
Jindal could take this chance to really reform education by allowing for a national search for Superintendant. Then appointing a conservative, educator, like Dr. Lottie Beebe. Oh I forgot, she has real Credintials. Won’t be done.
See Also — Post Turtle
[…] which these days are the only place in that corrupt state to read honest and probing discourse, are buzzing with rumors that their state commissioner John White will soon leave for a job with Arne […]
From this Louisiana Voice article:
“In White’s case, the Peter Principle could be traced from White’s minimal classroom experience as a Teach for America alumnus as well as his having attended an academy to train school superintendents whose credentials are questionable at best. That academy, the Eli Broad Academy consists of all of six weekends of classes spread over 10 months.”
Arne Duncan was on the Board of the Broad Foundation until he became Secretary of Education. The 2009/2010 Annual Report of the Broad Foundation said,
“The election of President Barack Obama and his appointment of Arne Duncan, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, as the U.S. secretary of education, marked the pinnacle of hope for our work in education reform. In many ways, we feel the stars have finally aligned.
With an agenda that echoes our decade of investments—charter schools, performance pay for teachers, accountability, expanded learning time and national standards—the Obama administration is poised to cultivate and bring to fruition the seeds we and other reformers have planted.”
http://tinyurl.com/6w5sps2 (Page 5; also see page 10)
It’s an in house operation!
For full details see “Who is Eli Broad and why is he trying to destroy public education”
http://www.defendpubliceducation.net/
The gov only nominates the state supe. His bought and paid for BESE flunkies have to approve. You know, those people WE elected (that’s a figurative we). Walter Lee, JIm Garvey, and Chas (is that really his name?) sold their souls even though they were incumbents – if they even had souls. GO LOTTIE and CAROLYN I wish we still had Jindal’s appointee Tammy McDaniel – who dared to vote against one of Little Paulie Pastorek’s proposal. Wasn’t there a Paulie in one of the Godfather movies? I think Bobby must have taken him fishing (PP).
if white does leave, chastity belt roemer will put that RSD guy Dobard in his place. another Jindal/White groupie with the same agenda
[…] John White is likely to be gone by the end of June but Louisiana will still have its work cut out cleaning up the messes he will leave behind. Some of those messes off the top of my head are: […]
It’s really a shame that Senator Kostelka’s elected superintendent bill didn’t pass. I bet those who voted against it will soon be kicking themselves. My vote (and likely Kostelka’s) is for Lottie Beebe.
A note to Crawfish. White’s Management style is known as SEAGULL managment. That is when you fly in and crap on everything, then fly out and let someone else clean up the mess.
Waste To The Top …