News Roundup (and some Irony)

The stories are flying fast and furious. The Seattle Times has a story about the coming ouster of the Superintendent and COO. A couple of choice quotes:

"It's a sad situation," DeBell said after the meeting. "Maria is a good person. Don Kennedy is a good person.

"But when they have that much responsibility, they have to be held accountable."

Asked if she let him down, as one of the School Board members who had hired her, DeBell said that "lax management and lax oversight let the city down."

So wait, does that mean he believes the Board was lax?

Again, this isn't about likability or if someone is good. It's about skills, ethics and vision. I believe MGJ has the skills to be a good superintendent but not the ethics or vision. She made bad choices in the name of her vision and was trying to marginalize the Board and consolidate power since the day she got here.

Maybe for legal reasons DeBell couldn't say outright - "Yes she let us all down." But I can. She let us all down but most of all the children of this district who were victims of her own ambition and hubris.

I look forward to someday telling her this to her face or via mail. You'd think for the amount she is getting to leave that the Board would require her to be at one more Board meeting if only to have to face the public one more time. Maybe we should tell them that.

The Times also had a story on the down and out Urban League. Not even worth discussing.

Danny Westneat weighs in again and says a very funny thing: the Board is forced to depend on the honesty of the Superintendent and staff. Really? I think as adults with their own brains who got elected to use those brains, it is on THEM to ask questions and follow-up and follow-thru. The Board was absolutely left in the dark and misled on many occasions but it wasn't like anyone wasn't sending up flares warning them.

He also quotes this readers:

"Why is this immediately a story about whether the public servant with arguably the hardest, most thankless job in Seattle, Maria Goodloe-Johnson, should lose her job?" one reader wondered.

Teachers don't have harder jobs? Police? She got paid an incredible amount of money for that job. Give me a break.

As for other education folk. It's all quiet on the western front for the Alliance.

Ditto for LEV who has yet to admit anything is going on. And guess what's today? Their 10th anniversary breakfast (I'd lay odds nothing gets said there either) AND hey, look who's in town? It's Wendy Kopp. I'm thinking there are people who would rather hit that Board meeting than see Wendy tell us about her happy, shiny people.

The Board meeting. I note that not all the speakers' topics are on the current crisis. But those of you signed up - go for it. I also note that the spot usually given to a high school student is going to be covered by students from TOPS. That's great but TOPS parents, you might want to hustle those kids out of the room quickly after they are done unless, of course, you want them to see democracy in action.

So what's the irony? I won't be there.

Planned a trip a long time ago and now I'm going to miss a huge event in SPS history. But I will be there in spirit. I am keeping up with events very closely via my computer. I did Tivo the meeting.

Once again the work starts on rebuilding this district.

Comments

Eric B said…
My topic was a bit odd, because I had to extemporize when I left the phone message. The current agenda, with the specific item for the firings, was not posted when I looked on Monday morning. I understand why that was, since they hadn't decided what the action should be. It would have been nice to have a placeholder item, but it's not a big deal.

The vote is (of course) a big deal.
Anonymous said…
I would love to see some type of campaign to get the Urban League, Charles Rolland, Tony Orange, Elaine Ko and the others repay the money they received from the school district via Silas Potter. No, I don't think they'll really pay the money back - but I would love to see these organizations and individuals have to face some sort of accountability for their role in this mess. Jane
NW Mom said…
I am not happy with the pay package for the interim superintendent (or replacement super in 2012). I read an article about pay and Seattle's super make more than LA, Chicago and NY! Are you kidding? The board needs to reduce the pay package. It's insane.
Maureen said…
TOPS parents, you might want to hustle those kids out of the room quickly after they are done unless, of course, you want them to see democracy in action.


They're eighth graders. They are there to talk about their three day immersion with agencies that help the homeless. They have seen first hand the needs that exist in our city and the responsibility we have to spend our public resources carefully. I hope they stay and learn from the experience. Teenagers' outrage can be a powerful force for change.
I agree that the School Board has been way too willing to allow themselves to be "guided" by the information provided them, rather than information they sought out by their own initiative.

The irony is that the same "we didn't know" excuse used by the board is the same rationale being used to fire MGJ in the end.

Clearly she has to go but I think the public is entitled to a full hearing on the issues, with MGJ present, and everyone with egg on their face needs to be held to account.
Northender said…
I keep reading here and in other comments how the Board has been unwilling to truly listen to input from outside sources and/or constiuents. Given some of the stories I've heard from SPS employees about other troubling behavior, I find that deeply disturbing.

Melissa and others - I'd really really like to know how you think can we can change the Board's "hear no evil" attitudes? It would seem that nothing will change without a radical change in oversight, without a willingness to ask the tough questions and challenge the "packaged" information they get from SPS staff. Ideas anyone?
dan dempsey said…
Wait a minute on that rebuilding ....

Enfield as Interim "Supe" ???

Well, that sure explains why not a single board member responded to my request at the last board meeting to file a forgery complaint with the SPS Fraud unit.

I sent the Directors all the information one week ago. Again not a single response.

So I contacted Sgt. Charles of the SPD fraud investigation unit with THIS.

Aren't the School Directors to Supervise the Superintendent?
My letter to the Seattle School Board


RCW 28A 645.020 requires a certified correct transcript of evidence. It appears that MGJ and Enfield were involved in forgery and did not submit the original document they pretended to reference but rather the "other" version. Enfield did not "certify" the evidence was correct ... good thing as it was NOT correct.

Naturally the Board has a 24hr. intro/action emergency and plans to make Enfield interim "Supe".

It does not need to make any sense as we are watching the Board of Directors in action.
dan dempsey said…
NW Mom,

You can find out what NY Gov. Cuomo has to say about School Superintendent's pay right HERE.

-- Dan
Sarah said…
I never believed the superintendent was qualified.

MGJ had the ability to set up ed. reform measures, but lacked ability to manage day to day operations of the district- primarily fiscal responsibility. Her ability to project future costs are abysmal. Our children will pay the price.

MGJ was arrogant, too self assured and believed she was above the law. Remember her upping her credit card limits without board approval?

MGJ wanted political fame. The board was sometimes an obstacle. MGJ was willing to lie, decieve, babble and withhold information to push her agenda.

Pushing political fame and ed. reform, MGJ put our children at risk through proposing elimination of elementary school counselors, teacher support etc.

Not sorry to see her back go through the doors of the John Stanford Center.

Debell is a wonderful man- just niave. At times he was more paternal towards MGJ...remember he made her write apology letters! Now, despite her deception he still calls her a good person.
Lori said…
I stumbled across a really weird item in the SI's contract that perhaps explains the Board's alleged reticence in listening to the public's criticisms:

"The Board, individually and collectively, agrees that it shall promptly refer to the Superintendent, orally or in writing where practicable, for her study and recommendation, all criticism, complaints, suggestions, communications or comments regarding the Superintendent's performance of her duties."

What in the world is the purpose of that clause? If someone says something mean about the Supe to a Board member, the Board member must immediately tattle? Legal minds out there, please tell us more about this type of clause. Is this typical in these sorts of contracts?

If the Board were to try to abide by this clause, they'd have no time for other school business. It would be a full-time job just forwarding complaints about the SI to the SI! This is seriously weird to me.
Julie said…
I'm curious about the UL vendor evaluation that the City did, linked from the Times story. Is that routine, or was that prompted by something? Does the SSD have anything similar in place (I'm guessing not).
Anonymous said…
I think a comment left on the Times story this morning sums it up best:

"This was a good deal for Charleston SC. You got Goodloe-Johnson and we got Boeing."


Po3
Anonymous said…
Charleston has picked up on the story...


http://www.abcnews4.com/Global/story.asp?S=14167161


Po3
ArchStanton said…
I know we aren't rolling in piles of money right now, but could it be time that we finally admit that we need real, paid, full-time board members? Is it time to acknowledge that this district is too much to manage for a handful of well-meaning (possibly unqualified), volunteers that have other jobs and distractions in their lives. Could we get a better pool of candidates if we paid them a salary such that they could afford to work full time cleaning up this mess? Just asking...
Northender said…
Silas speaks!!!!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014375410_potter03.html
ArchStanton said…
That is awesome! I hope we get to hear more from Mr. Silas Potter. (Hopefully he won't come to an untimely end before he gets the chance.)
Sandy Blight said…
GROSS PAY - $125,000
Superintendent MGJ relied on Holly Ferguson to write and revise all Board Policies.
Small Business Works was a stale board policy that Holly Ferguson needed to revise.
Holly Ferguson did not do her job.

GROSS PAY - $110,000
Second: Superintendent MGJ relied on Roy (Ronic) Lirio to clean up financial records. Ronic failed in his job and he was rewarded with a new job that whose title was obscure at best - Strategic Management Manager. Ronic should have reviewed the role of the Small Works, but did not. Ronic did not do his job.

GROSS PAY $130,000
John Harman Duggan was expected to provide reliable financial statements. To this day, Seattle Schools does not have a set of reliable financial statements. John Harman Duggan did not do his job.

(These numbers are close estimates and maybe more if you includeded benefits. )
Northender said…
@Arch - that has to be one of the funniest articles I've read in a lonnnnggg time - I'm sure there's more than one someone out there who'd have prefered Silas stayed silent (oooh say that 3 times quickly ;o)

But somehow I had a feeling, even if he's exaggerating, that he wasn't alone in this little adventure. Interesting how Mr. English keeps turning up on various fronts... hmmmm...
ArchStanton said…
When I read "I've been thrown under the bus," Potter said..., I couldn't help but think that I'd like to throw the lot of them under the bus. Maybe Potter will pull them under for us? I can hope.
Unknown said…
We are witnessing "Michael", "Danny" and the other apologists doing a text- book case of Cognitive Dissonance.

Admitting this administration was
as bad as it was(and as so many of us told them it was) would require these folks having to admit that they were: negligent and/or pathetically naive and/or more concerned with being in the politically "in crowd" (Gates, Alliance, etc.) than being ethical
and so on.

It is much easier to do the psychological game they are doing than to admit the obvious. Sadly,
the public has to hear their internal dialogues being played out.

Let's avoid doing the same. Please no more prefaces like: I like Michael DeBell but...
He is a big boy who made his choices. A therapeutic voice and
a handful of no-brainer decisions
(math adoption) do not exonorate
how he and the others let down their constituents and readers.
Bird said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Observer said…
The Silas Potter article probably deserves its own thread, but it should be noted that he specifically calls out both Stephens and English as determining who got the contracts (and therefore who got the money). For what that's worth, since who knows what actually happened with all the fingerpointing going on right now.

However, both had strong connections to the MLK sale to First AME. It was Stephen's department managing the sale of the property as well as his own church and there are indications he helped with their bid. Ron English was instrumental in determining the rules for bidding (via the SUAC), he reviewed all the bids, and he made the recommendation of First AME to the board.

I know, I know, I keep harping on it, but that connection has been bugging me since the day this story broke.
Bird said…
Great!

It sounds like Silas is willing to help take Stephens and English down as well.

Looking forward to it.
Observer said…
And just to be perfectly clear - I have zero connection to any of the groups who bid on MLK in the first place. It was just one of those stories that seemed very stinky to me at the time, and I have wondered what really went down ever since. I think we are beginning to get the picture, finally.

And speaking of getting the big picture, the other groups that had money funneled to them also deserve some scrutiny. The Tabor Group, CAMP (Tony Orange's group), Port of Seattle (Elaine Ko), Eddie Rye, and Grace of Mercy/All States Surveillance come to mind (David Johnson). I think the Urban League is being well covered today.
Anonymous said…
MLK Advisory Meetings

http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/mi/suac/mlk/mlk

Public School Parent
Sarah said…
Observer- Stay on it. I think you are onto something!
Chris S. said…
Observer, I agree. I wasn't even paying attention and I could tell it went to neither the highest bidder (Bush) nor the most organized (community.)
ArchStanton said…
Detailed account of the Urban League presser from Sable Verity:

http://www.sableverity.com/seattles-urban-league-crisis-not-averted/

...I’ve said this before on the SV; there is plenty of concern, going back years, about how the UL conducts itself, and broader, how the “old guard” in the Black community conducts itself. They feel this has set the entire community back.

All in all, I heard a lot of contradictions and half-truths from the man who by all accounts, will be the next President and CEO of the Seattle Urban League.
ArchStanton said…
More: Let me set the stage: the conference room at the UL was standing room only, full of staff, supporters, board members, people who do not support the UL, and reporters. It says something when the most respected newsies attend this kind of press conference, like Robert Mak from KING5 news. Every station sent their most respected, their most diligent reporters to this press conference. National news outlets were there too. That in itself is telling.

Which signals to me that this whole thing isn't going to be swept under the rug just 'cuz MGJ leaves town.
Anonymous said…
off subject, from huffington post
The Los Angeles Board of Education voted on March 1 to close down six charter schools all run by Crescendo Schools, the Los Angeles Times reports.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/02/crescendo-charter-schools-cheating_n_830415.html

jpr
Anonymous said…
Along the lines of cheating...earlier this year, Michelle Rhee was called out on her misrepresentation of student gains. On her resume to be DC chancellor, she had claimed test scores went from 13% to 90% in her classes.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/10/AR2011021007240.html


Watchful parent
Charlie Mas said…
You know what would be really, really weird? If the Board didn't act on this tonight and Dr. Goodloe-Johnson had to come back and serve as superintendent for the next two weeks until March 16 meeting.

Of course, if she didn't come back then they could fire her for cause because she abandoned the job.
Anonymous said…
Charlie ( may I call you Charlie?) I will be surprised if she comes back at all. So far she has shown herself to be a coward and a liar when it comes to any sort of confrontation. The sick mother is just another convenient excuse for her to shirk her responsibilities. I have very little sympathy for her, sick mother or not. She has never shown the slightest bit of interest in the well being of her district. I am just returning the favor.
-SLP
Patrick said…
Charlie, the Board can't assume she's lying about taking care of her very sick mother, or deny MGJ leave to do so if they would grant it to someone else who wasn't under a cloud. You think the Board should hire a detective to follow her around N.C. and see if she really has a sick mother? What could possibly go wrong with that?

Sorry if I'm missing the wishful thinking tags in your post...
I would LOVE if the Board required her to come back for one more Board meeting where she HAD to be present. She should have to sit through 20 people telling her whatever is on their minds and then sit through an entire meeting's business. We're paying her enough - one more time, Maria.

What was that song from The Sound of Music? Right, how do you solve a problem like Maria?
Anonymous said…
It might be time for the Broad Academy to update their home page.

http://www.broadacademy.org/
seattle citizen said…
That's funny,Anon. 4:33: You are right, the Broad Academy SHOULD update its homepage

It's got a big ol' picture, right at the top, of the superintendent's head with text superimposed on the picture saying:
"Wanted:
The nation's most talented executives to run the business of urban education."

(hmm, not that anything the Broad Academy does surprises me anymore, but why are they saying "urban education"? Why is that their focus? Don't they care about students in other settings? Or maybe the large urban populations of minorities and poor people are easier to exploit in their charge to contract out education? Hmm again: Charters....merit pay...privatization....CONTRACTS...why do I sense that Pottergate is representative of a larger scam, the contracting out of our children's education on a national level?
wseadawg said…
I am more pleased at the vindication of many who have advocated against this SI's policies and methods than I am at seeing the downfall of MGJ.

That a scandal should bring her down is not surprising, but I won't say I'm gleeful about it.

What I really want to know is, what have we learned from this? IMHO there's a ton to be reflected upon over the last 3 years, many wrong turns, many misrepresentations, and way too much deference, supposedly all in the best interests of the kids. Now that the fable ends, will the emperor scream: What the hell! I'm naked? Will the Board?

Can we see why Don McAdams and board retreats where they are taught to step back and let SI's do their jobs are wrong? That we need true oversight and accountability enforcement, sometimes every step of the way? I hope.
Maggie Hooks said…
slightly off topic, but many things are related to MGJ's professional demise -- wonder how Wendy Kopp's visit to Seattle went today? She visited the WA Women's Foundation this afternoon and I was hoping to ask her, among other things, if she was worried about how things would go for TFA without MGJ.
Observer said…
Did English get paid for that teaching gig out of RSBDP monies? He is already on SPS payroll, and I can't imagine that would be kosher.
dan dempsey said…
Let me make one thing perfectly clear......

This 22 hr. last minute intro/action item emergency is a cover up to conceal the incredible inadequacies of the Board of Directors.

#1 P. Meier & S. Sundquist morphed into campaign speeches tonight. {Looks like Harium will not be running again}

#2 The Buy Out need focused on lack of evidence of wrong doing in this $1.8 million scam ... BUT .. carefully neglected all the other wrong doing the Superintendent has been involved in....... most of that wrong doing is tied to Director incompetence.

#3 The State auditor's initial report in the Summer led to the Board extending MGJ's contract with only KSB and PATU against. (The day after the horrible audit ... the action of 5 directors to extend ... brings the word Morons into play)

#4 The MGJ .-. Kennedy buy out (???) instead of waiting to fire with cause .... was $400,000 of hush money ... to keep the Board in the clear ... especially the four up for re-election this year..... That would be the members of Class of 2007 that spent $480,000 winning their seats. Campaign donation limits for School Board ... like Mayor or State Senator might be a good idea ... ya think.
dan dempsey said…
The following is "Spot On" almost but not quite 100% accurate:

Sandy Blight said...
GROSS PAY - $125,000
Superintendent MGJ relied on Holly Ferguson to write and revise all Board Policies.
Small Business Works was a stale board policy that Holly Ferguson needed to revise.
Holly Ferguson did not do her job.

-----
I've seen the Board revise policy. Today we will revise policy XYZ .....

Holly presents a template for the Board to work from ... the template is distributed and after 20 minutes of BS discussion and word-smithing it becomes the new policy XYZ ..... which for all intent and purposes was exactly what Holly Ferguson handed the Board to start with.

Do NOT fault HOLLY FERGUSON ... she is doing exactly what her superintendent wanted ... the Board is just as appreciative of her services.

For that is how the game is played ... in the SPS.

So did anyone ask Ms. Ferguson to revise the policy in question? It is the Board's job to deal with policy ... ya can't fault Holly for another Board policy disaster....

As Charlie has so often pointed out ... When has the Board ever been concerned with following policy?
dan dempsey said…
Hey WAIT a minute.....

I think MGJ must be present to win the $300,000 BUY OUT ... is not that in the contest rules?
Jan said…
Well, Dan. I don't know. Maybe.

WAS there Director incompetence? I think many would say yes -- but that is what the next election is for (and we should be glad if they are running again -- because it will improve their performance AND give challengers some pretty clear targets in terms of how they do or do not make decisions, who they see as their "constituents," etc.)

I disagree that this vote should have been put off. This District was, for all intents and purposes, paralyzed until this decision was made. They needed to either get in line to back MGJ as the person to oversee the housecleaning, or end this NOW and move on.

I certainly hope that turning over rocks does not stop here. Mr. English's involvement is now a matter of dispute as between his version, Mr. Stephens's version and Mr. Potter's version of the events. THAT needs to be resolved.

How some of this got past/through HR needs to be investigated and resolved (and probably a lot of turnover there needs to happen).

Comments made to the effect that people were encouraged to apply for construction contracts where they would not have to do anything need to be investigated. DID people get paid from the capital budget for doing nothing?

I think the sale of MLK needs to be investigated, because it appears there could have been a thumb on the scale in favor of the least attractive offer, possibly in violation of public bidding laws.

And who knows what else we don't know. But nothing was going to happen with MGJ out of town with a sick mother and this hanging over everyone's head.

Frankly, the more of this tied to Director incompetence, the less culpable MGJ appears to have been (if she was acting with their approval, then they, not she, are to blame).

So -- I guess I think it is better to start the next chapter. I just hope that the turning over of rocks continues, and that some serious housecleaning starts.

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