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Seattle Times Calls for Goodloe-Johnson's Resignation
Interesting, even in this they still parise her for things that are laughable. They praised her for closing schools and never mention they she had to re-open more at an large cost to the district.
Yes, I believe that she is caring for her sick mother. Many many people including some regulars here have been in that tough situation of caring for an aging parent. It is not easy. But it is not an excuse for anything about her past job performance.
What I am hearing from teacher friends is some bitterness about the fact she might get some sympathy around that when there are a number of cases where teachers with illnesses or sick family members have been forced out of work.
Also, I believe there is a story going around about Ms Superintendent visiting a classroom and having the teacher's supervisor get on the teacher's case because the room was too messy. So if she can get herself worked up at that level of micromanagement, then surely she should have paid attention to the Sutor Report. Surely she should hold herself accountable for a project with dubious record and a million dollar budget. Surely.
Well, this story keeps changing because the Superintendent's office told me she was "on vacation." I said oh, I thought maybe she was at a conference and again, no, she's on vacation.
Now maybe that is a euphemism for taking care of your mother but I find it odd that I wouldn't be told that but the tv stations would be.
I honestly sympathize because I, too, have been dealing with an elderly parent now for 2 years (long-distance). I can understand that responsibility. But why say one thing to me and another to the reporters?
Hmm, that's odd. I thought her mother lived with her in Seward Park and takes care of her young daughter (while MGJ is at the John Stanford Center taking care of everything else.....)
"Goodloe-Johnson and her husband, Bruce, rent a house in Seward Park. Retired from UPS, he’s now enrolled in a master’s in divinity program at Seattle University (“something he has always wanted to do,” she says). Jewell Goodloe lives with them and looks after Maya, who was named for the poet Maya Angelou. “For Maya to be at home and have that relationship with her grandmother is great,” says the superintendent. “When I was a child we had the same situation.” Maya and her grandmother enjoy working puzzles and cooking together; ox tails, stuffed meatloaf and chocolate-chip cookies are family favorites."
She's already used: "death in the family" (2009 annual Supe review meeting, which was consequently canceled), "recovering from knee surgery" (Seattle Channel Education Forum, which she ditched) and now this.
My source specifically said her mother was in the hospital. Now I do not know if my source knows that for sure or got that second hand and therefore the details are suspicious. I have known my source for close to 10 years and do consider this person reliable. But of course no one is infallible.
Anonymous said…
I do not care why she is unavailable. She has a track record of being unavailable for every damn thing. Perhaps she should retire and tend her family/knee/vacation plans. If it is all so overwhelming. I have cared for and buried all of my grandparents and both of my parents. I was a dedicated and tireless caregiver. And I had a job and my own children. I did it. Just like thousands of other Americans do every day. No more excuses Maria. Everyone Accountable. -SLP
MGJ Time to GO MGJ Time to GO MGJ Time to GO MGJ Time to GO MGJ Time to GO MGJ Time to GO MGJ Time to GO MGJ Time to GO MGJ Time to GO MGJ Time to GO MGJ Time to GO
Michael H said…
I thought the editorial was well written.
Anonymous said…
We all have our responsibilities but honestly, I buried both of my parents and was still able to care for my child as a single mother and keep up with my responsibilities as a professional. I had to because I had only my own income to rely on.
The only good excuse is no excuse. That was what taught to me.
GJ always seems to disappear when there is difficulty to deal with. Remember her disappearance at the school board meeting when she suddenly reappeared after public testimony? And the knee surgery thing? She does not want to be shown as part of any controversy. She is adverse to, as adverted to it as Eli Broad is. That is part of her training. Just remember her "roots".
I keep thinking that if she had personally treated people a little more kindly these last few years, she might now be getting little more slack and sympathy.
What goes around comes around.
Anonymous said…
"What you need to know about me is that I don't lose sleep," Goodloe-Johnson, June 2009.
South End Teacher said…
It's karma. I tell my students--every good deed will come back to you some day and that goes for bad deeds, too. Finally, she gets what she has given. What must she be thinking right now this very moment. Can you imagine the embarrassment and shame? And she actually told the principal of my school that she would be moving up into the Obama administration soon. Oops.
Anonymous said…
South End Teacher wrote:
And she actually told the principal of my school that she would be moving up into the Obama administration soon. Oops.
2/25/11 11:05 PM
Why not??? Worked for Stephens, who is now under the direction of Gary Locke at the Dept. of Commerce.
Paul said…
Not really sure where to post this (so I am doing it twice) but I was struck today by a paragraph in a Bob Herbert piece in the New York Times ("Absorbing the pain"):
“Among the many heartening things about the workers fighting back in Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere is the spotlight being thrown on the contemptuous attitude of the corporate elite and their handmaidens in government toward ordinary working Americans: police officers and firefighters, teachers, truck drivers, janitors, health care aides, and so on. These are the people who do the daily grunt work of America. How dare we treat them with contempt”
It struck me that if you added "parents" and "taxpayers" to that list, we see a similar culture at SPS.
Now MGJ (wherever she is) might roll her eyes and call the comparison "tacky" but the dots connected immediately.
How much are we ordinary folks gonna have to pay to cover for her now and how much will come right off the backs of the regular grunt workers who lose their jobs to protect the pet projects she has protected in the budget?
And while we are at it, can Ms. Butler-Wall please explain what the idea was behind EVEN BRINGING MGJ HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Just another "program" that went bad huh? Tsk-tsk.
Wait, that was knee surgery that kept her from the televised forum? Wouldn't you just schedule knee surgery for a different time? I mean it's not like her appendix burst or anything.
My suspicion has always been that the Superintendent brought Don Kennedy with her to SPS primarily because she wanted someone loyal to her.
But if she had had to hire someone less personally loyal, she probably would have been better served. She might have been compelled to deal honestly with the Potter situation, and she might still have her job.
Bird, of course she brought Don Kennedy here for his loyalty. Of the two of them, he is the one I will be most happy to see walk away. I have seen him in action way too many times, he is slippery. He never has a straight answer to financial questions. Every presentation he has made has vague numbers and when a board member asks the answer is Always "I'll get back to you on that." And he Never Does. He's incredibly gifted at keeping the board and public in the dark. This past budget cycle, with the budget gap and everything else (no confidence, 2010 audits, supplemental levy opposition getting publicity) board members have tried to grow some backbone and dig deeper and Kennedy has shown his true colors so that even the most optimistic board member sees the obfuscation. None of them will be sorry to see him leave.
Not only did Maria limit passing bad news to the board, she relied on Kennedy not passing bad news to her. He did that by not paying attention to obvious bad news.
And remember, that's just the most obviously corrupt program that Kennedy paid no attention to in budgeting and approving personal service contracts. He doesn't care about the nuts and bolts of the budget at the level of a million dollars a year. Yet he is quick to put elementary school counselors on the chopping block, approximately the same amount of money, and claims that nothing nowhere else can be cut because they are already cut and lean.
We all need to lose our naivety and get some street smarts here...
You need to know that MGJ did not come here to MANAGE the district...
She came here to REFORM the district, and that she has done...
And with Broad Foundation backing, she probably will go onto a job in the federal government, probably the DOE, which is already stacked with Broad and Gates people...
She's not losing sleep over this... the departure might be a little premature and a little less savoury than she'd like, but her arse is covered...
And as for the Board... the fact that they're even dithering about whether to fire her or to buy her out speaks volumes...
Remember this article from the time schools were closing? (And we know now also the time of the Sutor Report) ------------------ Asked how much sleep she's lost over it, Goodloe-Johnson replies, "What you need to know about me is that I don't lose sleep."
She just doesn't worry much, she later says. "Worrying is not a strategy," she says. "It just makes you sick, stresses you out." --------------------
Maybeth said…
Through all this I can't forget hearing Peter Maier talking all about the "new District" that I guess began in July of 2007.
Yeah Peter, but it looks a lot worse than the "old" district.
Raj has been doing quite well as Superintendent down south and he looks a lot better from this vantage point.
In the interest of fairness, I didn't realize the story is that Supt. G-J is here in Seattle but unavailable (caring for her sick mother in hospital). I thought the story was that she was out of town and unavailable, which is why I found it odd that her mother who lives with her would suddenly be in some other city. If her mother is sick, I empathize. From what I've read about Jewell Goodloe, she was the true educator in the family.
Having said that, I still don't get why Supt. G-J is completely unavailable to manage this crisis. After all, isn't she supposed to be in charge? Isn't that why she is paid the big salary?
I wonder if she will be available to attend Wednesday's School Board Meeting? It could be quite lively, depending on how things play out.
Btw -- Yes, knee surgery allegedly kept MG-J away from the Seattle Speaks event at Town Hall. At the last minute.
Comments
They also praise her for the new student assignment plan that was essentially written by the previous Board.
That said, I'm glad they didn't wait a day longer.
- SLP
Funny how the Times supports someone 100%, right up until they don't!
Because that would admitting they were wrong the whole time.
-SLP
What I am hearing from teacher friends is some bitterness about the fact she might get some sympathy around that when there are a number of cases where teachers with illnesses or sick family members have been forced out of work.
Also, I believe there is a story going around about Ms Superintendent visiting a classroom and having the teacher's supervisor get on the teacher's case because the room was too messy. So if she can get herself worked up at that level of micromanagement, then surely she should have paid attention to the Sutor Report. Surely she should hold herself accountable for a project with dubious record and a million dollar budget. Surely.
Dead on.
You might give Harium a call too.
-Skeptical-
Now maybe that is a euphemism for taking care of your mother but I find it odd that I wouldn't be told that but the tv stations would be.
I honestly sympathize because I, too, have been dealing with an elderly parent now for 2 years (long-distance). I can understand that responsibility. But why say one thing to me and another to the reporters?
"Goodloe-Johnson and her husband, Bruce, rent a house in Seward Park. Retired from UPS, he’s now enrolled in a master’s in divinity program at Seattle University (“something he has always wanted to do,” she says). Jewell Goodloe lives with them and looks after Maya, who was named for the poet Maya Angelou. “For Maya to be at home and have that relationship with her grandmother is great,” says the superintendent. “When I was a child we had the same situation.” Maya and her grandmother enjoy working puzzles and cooking together; ox tails, stuffed meatloaf and chocolate-chip cookies are family favorites."
SEATTLE WOMAN MAGAZINE 2009
I think she is running out of excuses.
She's already used: "death in the family" (2009 annual Supe review meeting, which was consequently canceled), "recovering from knee surgery" (Seattle Channel Education Forum, which she ditched) and now this.
"Everyone accountable."
-SLP
Time to GO
MGJ
Time to GO
MGJ
Time to GO
MGJ
Time to GO
MGJ
Time to GO
MGJ
Time to GO
MGJ
Time to GO
MGJ
Time to GO
MGJ
Time to GO
MGJ
Time to GO
MGJ
Time to GO
The only good excuse is no excuse. That was what taught to me.
GJ always seems to disappear when there is difficulty to deal with. Remember her disappearance at the school board meeting when she suddenly reappeared after public testimony? And the knee surgery thing? She does not want to be shown as part of any controversy. She is adverse to, as adverted to it as Eli Broad is. That is part of her training. Just remember her "roots".
What goes around comes around.
And she actually told the principal of my school that she would be moving up into the Obama administration soon. Oops.
2/25/11 11:05 PM
Why not??? Worked for Stephens, who is now under the direction of Gary Locke at the Dept. of Commerce.
“Among the many heartening things about the workers fighting back in Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere is the spotlight being thrown on the contemptuous attitude of the corporate elite and their handmaidens in government toward ordinary working Americans: police officers and firefighters, teachers, truck drivers, janitors, health care aides, and so on. These are the people who do the daily grunt work of America. How dare we treat them with contempt”
It struck me that if you added "parents" and "taxpayers" to that list, we see a similar culture at SPS.
Now MGJ (wherever she is) might roll her eyes and call the comparison "tacky" but the dots connected immediately.
How much are we ordinary folks gonna have to pay to cover for her now and how much will come right off the backs of the regular grunt workers who lose their jobs to protect the pet projects she has protected in the budget?
And while we are at it, can Ms. Butler-Wall please explain what the idea was behind EVEN BRINGING MGJ HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Just another "program" that went bad huh? Tsk-tsk.
Wait, that was knee surgery that kept her from the televised forum? Wouldn't you just schedule knee surgery for a different time? I mean it's not like her appendix burst or anything.
My suspicion has always been that the Superintendent brought Don Kennedy with her to SPS primarily because she wanted someone loyal to her.
But if she had had to hire someone less personally loyal, she probably would have been better served. She might have been compelled to deal honestly with the Potter situation, and she might still have her job.
Karma indeed.
Not only did Maria limit passing bad news to the board, she relied on Kennedy not passing bad news to her. He did that by not paying attention to obvious bad news.
And remember, that's just the most obviously corrupt program that Kennedy paid no attention to in budgeting and approving personal service contracts. He doesn't care about the nuts and bolts of the budget at the level of a million dollars a year. Yet he is quick to put elementary school counselors on the chopping block, approximately the same amount of money, and claims that nothing nowhere else can be cut because they are already cut and lean.
You need to know that MGJ did not come here to MANAGE the district...
She came here to REFORM the district, and that she has done...
And with Broad Foundation backing, she probably will go onto a job in the federal government, probably the DOE, which is already stacked with Broad and Gates people...
She's not losing sleep over this... the departure might be a little premature and a little less savoury than she'd like, but her arse is covered...
And as for the Board... the fact that they're even dithering about whether to fire her or to buy her out speaks volumes...
Idiots....
Remember this article from the time schools were closing? (And we know now also the time of the Sutor Report)
------------------
Asked how much sleep she's lost over it, Goodloe-Johnson replies, "What you need to know about me is that I don't lose sleep."
She just doesn't worry much, she later says. "Worrying is not a strategy," she says. "It just makes you sick, stresses you out."
--------------------
Yeah Peter, but it looks a lot worse than the "old" district.
Raj has been doing quite well as Superintendent down south and he looks a lot better from this vantage point.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/41633832/No-Worries
http://www.wix.com/slogle/rsbdp2/page-1
Having said that, I still don't get why Supt. G-J is completely unavailable to manage this crisis. After all, isn't she supposed to be in charge? Isn't that why she is paid the big salary?
I wonder if she will be available to attend Wednesday's School Board Meeting? It could be quite lively, depending on how things play out.
Btw -- Yes, knee surgery allegedly kept MG-J away from the Seattle Speaks event at Town Hall. At the last minute.
It may be in the Sunday edition, which would be BRILLIANT, but the Times may be trying to bury it.
https://www.seattleschools.org/area/news/0607/Goodloe_Johnson_Appointed_Superintendent.pdf
Public School Parent
oops! Public School Parent
The Wild Final Days of Dr. MGJ
Yeah, yeah, pretty silly, but sometimes we need a little levity. (but be forewarned for strong language too).
And WV says "mycom" as in maybe this is just my sort of comedy...