The Super Speaks
From an interview with 97.3 KIRO FM:
While people are buzzing about the superintendent, she says they're not talking to directly to her.
"Did they talk to their principal, did they talk to the executive director, have they emailed me? I would be very curious about how they have posed a question that they feel like hasn't been listened to," she says.As a matter of fact, YES I DID and several times. She has never answered one e-mail or even acknowledged them. I asked her a question while she was sitting with other staff at one of the budget meetings. I asked her why she told staff there they didn't have to listen in at the table discussions (all the Board members present did). (I had asked Holly Ferguson this question and her answer was, "The Superintendent said we didn't have to.")
The Superintendent tossed her head and said, "No, Melissa, I didn't say that."
I said, "Well, are you going to ask them to?"
She just shrugged and went back to her discussion.
So seriously? Everyone here who has sent an e-mail or tried to talk to her, please state it. Because I'd like to let the Board know that she is putting out disinformation.
The article also said,
Goodloe-Johnson does hear her critics. This fall she'll get feedback from a group of high school students and will begin holding meetings with parents. She'll use the "coffee chats" to respond to parents' concerns and questions in person.
So now, after nearly 3 years, it dawns on her to talk to students and parents. That's some slow learning curve especially after all her evaluations called out her lack of engagement skills. Won't this be interesting.
I find this very off-putting and she must think we are all pretty dumb. If this is her charm offensive, good luck with that.
Comments
No Melissa - no, its not her charm offensive;
Its the usual immature passive aggressive strategy/defence - ignore people when they are asking you questions you dont like or you dont feel confident/powerful enough to stand behind your position and then, when you are called out publicly, complain that people didnt come to you with their problems... poor me, victim, I'm so misunderstood crap...
And who are the selected students she is going to engage with/get their feedback from? How are they going to be selected? Will she go to every school and have open meetings/assemblies where kids can anonymously put questions on paper and she answers them all on the spot?
I don't know but I'll get back to you.
I know of hundreds - if not thousands of e-mails submitted to her directly with zero or form letter response.
I know directly of parents that attended 'coffee' meetings last year that asked direct questions that were met with spin or zero response.
I witnessed firsthand parents giving testimony in front of the Board or Directors where she rolled her eyes, or just texted away on her Blackberry and ignored the parent completely.
If only she spent as much time or true caring for student learning - improving class size - simple school infrastructure - as she does on spin.
I truly hope local media will recognize the Pulitzer within their grasp and investigate and report the actual substance of our Superintendent.
No response back, of course.
"Did they talk to their principal, did they talk to the executive director, have they emailed me? I would be very curious about how they have posed a question that they feel like hasn't been listened to..."
She didn't say people didn't email her, or talk to their principal, or whatever, she just asked whether they had.
So it's not a lie, see. (My sister's a lawyer - a judge, actually, but not in WA state - and so I'm used to parsing out the jesuitical nature of the weasely argument. Heck, 6-year-olds do the same thing!)
From Ron English, who was asked to provide responses.....
With respect to your other questions, they are currently the subject of litigation, and contact should be made to the District's outside counsel.
I did not ask the questions to Ron English but he is the designated answer guy. Apparently MG-J and Michael DeBell are unable to contact the District's outside legal counsel to get answers to my questions.
The usual response from MG-J is an Auto-Response....generated immediately upon receipt of an email and that is all I ever get from her.
Talk about an achievement Gap ... what she claims and what she actually delivers, now that is a GAP for sure.
"I'm being held accountable by the board, the system has to be held accountable, we have to be held accountable. I expect for all kids that the teachers hold themselves accountable for growth," she says.
(1) She is NOT held responsible by the Board
(2) She is planning with her Performance Management to hold teacher's accountable with her version of accountability.
(3) What this lady says she expects and what happens are often miles apart.
(4) If you haven't read #8 and #14 here please do so. It explains a lot about how little accountability her Majesty planned for herself.
The public is "Mad as Hell and many of us DO NOT plan to take this any more."
Recall the Seattle "5".
I did get an awesome form email back one time--Reading between the lines a little, it said "I get a lot of email, so don't expect an answer. If you want an answer, email one of these people instead or go to the website."
Eric
However, when MGJ has only a right royal stuff up to show for her very expensive efforts, then the arrogance and dismissiveness is even more galling...
But I respect people who stuff up, own it, apologise for it and then go on to do what they can to correct....
On the other hand - she's working to an agenda that is not the same as ours, so maybe she feels no need to apologise for anything, she feels she's not at fault and we are in truth, to her, a bunch of nagging, annoying mosquitos, buzzing around her...
And to date, I don't see it.
Dear Directors,
Tonight I listened to several Directors (Director DeBell, Director Carr, Director Martin-Morris, and Director Sundquist if memory serves me well), as well as, Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson mention that the District has the right strategic plan in place. That we have the right leadership. That it will take 5 to 6 years to see the results. And, for those reasons we need to extend Dr Goodloe-Johnson's contract into 2013.
When Dr Goodloe-Johnson addressed the Board for the first time at a public meeting as Superintendent, in 2007, she stated that it would take at least 4-5 years to see the results of a new administration's efforts. After listening to her speech I was curious how long she had been Superintendent of Charleston, SC School District-- 3 1/2 years.
It begs the question, "If Dr Goodloe-Johnson's tenure as Superintendent in Charleston wasn't long enough to establish a 'track record', less than 4 years, how could the Board consider her qualified to lead Seattle Schools?"
Also, several Directors and the Superintendent mentioned that systemic changes, like the Strategic Plan, can be difficult for some to adjust to. I would respectfully disagree. I have been with Seattle Schools for 10+ years. I can assure you there has been plenty of changes, good and bad, and these same staff members, parents, and others have been anxious and openly advocating for systemic changes for many years.
What has created a growing push back to implementation of the current Strategic Plan is Dr Goodloe-Johnson's apparent disregard for the need to engage and collaborate with the most important stakeholders. Parents. Children. Teachers. 3 1/2 years ago I sent Dr Goodloe-Johnson an email welcoming her to Seattle Schools, wishing her success, and hoping that she would stay many years. Also, I said that in order to be successful with any strategic changes she needed to win "the hearts and minds of the 'troops' in the classroom"; otherwise, those attempted changes would fail.
That is what the Board is facing today. No matter how well intentioned the plan, no matter the data to back it up--the "achievement gap" will not go away without gaining the hearts and minds of the teachers in the classrooms. That should have taken 3 1/2 months, not 3 1/2 years, and counting.
Invited to be part of a team people feel empowered to look ahead. Being hit from behind by a yellow bus people will then spend their time looking through the rearview mirror.
I got responses from 4 board members:
Maier: Thanks for your message. I see that you have a different point of view, but I hope that we will be able to maintain a conversation. The needs of SPS students are too important to have battle lines drawn.
Sundquist: Ken: thank you for your feedback and continuing engagement. I appreciate seeing you at the meeting last evening, and look forward to having another conversation with you in one of my community meetings next fall.
Carr: Thank you for your feedback. I concur with your thoughts that increased engagement with parents and teachers will be vital going forward.
Smith-Blum: Thank you Ken, your perspective is a sound one. ksb
ken berry
Oh my...did he not read your email. What a ninny.
Even if this is NOT the critical issue -- mismanagement and failure to perform would be the critical ones -- nothing will stop District management from these sorts of responses if no one ever calls them on them.
So, though we may be speaking IS ANYBODY REALLY LISTENING?!