The Lebanon Community School Board has to make a series of important decisions...
First do they bring up someone from within the organization to take over for the interim...
or do they throw the dice and hope to find a person that they can trust from the outside?
Let's look at some possible outcomes...
1. They do an expensive OSBA managed search and hire a stranger, he or she comes in and can immediately tell what has been going wrong and they have the vision and knowledge of staff to reallocate personnel and funds and right the wrongs that have been done and get this district back on track, all the while bringing everyone back into the fold and nurturing a sense of community and making all things right with the world... (okay, a little facetious, I know, but there are those who believe all that is possible....in my opinion, they are the same people who felt that the CARES group was right... or they are very nice people who are incredibly naive because they have no clue how deep the problems are here.)
2. They do an expensive OSBA managed search and hire a stranger, he or she comes in and can tell that there have been problems and so they begin to ask people how we do things and the people they ask are those who are currently continuing what was left by Mr. Robinson (he may be gone physically, but he still runs this district through Mr. Kelley and the others) and they are able to mislead the new person just as smoothly as they mislead this community for years and the new person, because they are new and so some would think that there is "no way they could be tainted", then turns around and works against the change this commuity is calling for without people realizing it until we have allowed the Robinson philosophy to fester for another couple of years and our students and teachers still suffer and there has to be another vote of no confidence or recall election to get back on track.
3. They consult OSBA about the procedures and legalities of interim leadership and then select someone from within who already knows what is going on, the mere mention of their appointment assures that the current administration has no doubts that things will change and we can make plans for next school year in a timely fashion and with the input of those in the trenches and get them ready for what is coming.
4. The Board can allow CARES infested committees to select the new interim (see above #2).
There are of course variations on a theme for each of those ideas, but I think you get my gist.
I just have a couple last thoughts on this...
- The board should not worry about how the new person will impact "the administrative team" because the fact of the matter is that the problem is the administrative team. Mr. Kelley and his friends on the CARES group should not be taken into consideration in this situation.
- Since you can't please all of the people, the board should try to please the majority, and that is the people who wanted Robinson gone and defeated the recall just so this board could get on the stick and DO SOMETHING fast, before our kids have to suffer anymore.
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7 comments:
Why couldn't a well trained outside administrator do what they are trained to do? One of the trainings for a superintendent is in gathering input from many sources to insure a diversity of opinion. A new superintendent should, if following training, hold meetings, not only with the current district administration, but with all school leaders and teachers, the school board, and the community. I think you are positing a scenario where the only choice is the one you want.
As a community member I do not want any of the people involved in our current problems as superintendent. That includes Mr. Kelley, Mr. Sansom, and Mr. Yates. I would prefer a superintendent that is recognized by the various superintendent associations as a highly respected member. Not one who does not want the job(Kelley), has already had bad reviews(Sansom, as Superintendent of Central Linn) or is unqualified(Yates). But I also do not want to pre-determine the outcome before the search. Even so, if the best that we can get to come to Lebanon is these three gentlemen, I feel sorry for our students. None of these three have shown enough compromise to bring our community together.
Just how much money do we have? What is the cost of the recall?
I agree with within.
I favor a superintendent from outside also. I think we need to move quickly to let teachers know that opinions against the status quo are welcome and encouraged. I imagine it will take some time before teachers realize it is safe to voice their opinions. It may because there are still administrators in the DO who did Robinson's dirty work, and it may be that we need a fresh administrative slate on board.
I heard that Robinson was in the district office last week shredding papers, and I wonder if this is true. If so, it seems like a potentially seriiously-illegal matter. Please tell me this rumor is untrue...sigh.
I have not worked in the school district for many years now, but have many friends do. They have told me that they feel very secure in the prospect of Mr. Sansom filling in as the Interim Superintendent.Should Mr. Sansom prove successful and applied for the permanent position the school board will have time to observe his performance and thus make an educated decision as to whether or not he might become the permanent Superintendent.
The same folks tell me that Mr. Yates would be most valuable at the High School, not at the District Office.
I feel bad for Bo because before school ever started a principle from one of the grade schools started a rumor by asking him in the opening Administrators meeting if he was going to be the next district superintendent. Bo reportedly stated, "I don't know what you are talking about". This question came before the public even heard that a negotiation to resign had begun with Mr. Robinson.
What professional leader, in any organization,would pose such a question? This type of behavior demonstates a total lack of respect for ones collegues,professional and personal integrity,and a total lack of leadership. Many readers will already know of this incident. I bring it up to point out the importance of getting change and getting it quickly so these types of incidents will be eliminated and people like this will no longer be teaching our children. It is my prayer that our school board will consider integrity, character, and moral values above people who are "Highly Classified" or have a "Doctorate Degree".
In closing I would like to say that many of us older citizens are very happy to have Bo back in Lebanon. We want all Lebanon graduates to come home if they choose to do so, including my own children.
It's important for those of you who have not been in Lebanon for very long to understand that when you pick on our children you are picking on the town people and evidentually we will fight back - 2 to 1 or 66% to 33%
Proof can you find out exactly how much it cost the district for the recall? Also, can the district request CARES to reimburse since it failed. We know exactly who the members are and therefore they should step up and pay back the money they took from the district. Where is a certain board member now who is usually crying over the money being taken from our kids. He should be leading the charge on this effort.
Linn County should know the cost of the recall election by the end of this coming week. I agree that if CARES paid for the election it would go a long way towards healing the rift in the community and show that maybe they did care about education.
There is a very impressive former superintendent in Albany - has anyone considered that prospect?
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