An excellent article by Larry Coonrod in this week's Lebanon newspaper notes some problems it appears Jay Jackson has meeting paperwork deadlines. The headline, however, makes it appear he's committed some horrendous crime by not having mailed in paperwork for his state "license" in a timely fashion. A followup article by Jennifer Moody today in the D-H sheds additional light, noting that Jackson says he has now mailed in that missing paperwork.
Now it certainly does appear Jackson could be better organized or make paperwork a higher priority, but those who want to attack anything Sand Ridge (due to the perception it is favored by Alexander and disfavored by Robinson) make him out to be a criminal. I am grateful that the final quote in Moody's story was not cut: There Jackson is quoted as saying,"I am just one of many people who, working together, accomplish the impossible at a charter school every day, with very little support or assistance from the very people who claim we don't do enough fast enough."
Now I don't know Jay Jackson, though I did hear him speak about Sand Ridge at the Town Hall meeting Rick Alexander hosted months ago at the American Legion. He struck me then as a thoughtful and reasonable man, and this quote resonates as something that may be part of the problem.
It seems to me Robinson has long-resented Sand Ridge being established, as it is outside the scope of his immediate control. It also implies that Lebanon Schools, under his leadership, have not met the needs of all students.
I don't imagine it is a small task to start a charter school. To motivate such an undertaking, there must have been enough Lebanon students with caring and dedicated parents who felt their children were seriously under served by our mainstream public schools: Not a flattering reflection on Lebanon schools.
The bloggers noted in today's D-H article, especially LT, seem to dig for anything they can find to discredit anyone who has conflicts with their beloved Jim Robinson. It's a shame these bloggers accuse others of rumor and divisiveness, yet dish up huge servings of these very things themselves.
I do think Sand Ridge and Jackson need to take a hard look at their organization and an apparent pattern of missed deadlines. It's not right, if it's true as reported, that a former Sand Ridge teacher was unable to obtain a teaching credential in another state due to lack of paperwork follow-through by Jackson.
But screaming "illegal" at Jackson over significant-sounding paperwork issues doesn't seem helpful. I think a better approach is to ask ourselves how the district and community can help Jackson meet deadlines, while he does the hard work of running an underfunded school with little help.
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7 comments:
Jackson is a paid administrator. If he can't handle his job they need to find someone who can. Their isn't a school administrator in the country who isn't overwhelemed yet most of them seem to get the necessary paper work turned into the right people on time.
eye in the sky -- I wonder how much administrative staff he has compared to other schools. I am guessing it is much less, but I am willing to stand corrected.
As an attorney he did the same thing. It is a pattern. It is like a con-artist once a con-artist always a con-artist. Take the blind folds off and smell the coffee.
Con artist might be a little too harsh.People at PIE care about kids education. Some people just aren't cut out to handle administrative jobs.
IE-I'll grant you Jackson has a smaller staff. But then again he also has significantly fewer students too. That and far fewer state regulations to comply with. Charter schools are exempt from all but a handful of laws that apply to other public schools.
And besides what are we talking about here? Dropping a piece of paper in an envelope and mailing. That takes three years?
I just talked to our neighbor who has a boy in SandRidge and he said after reading the papers today he has some questions and concerns he wants addressed.
eye in the sky -- I bet your neighbor does have questions now. If weall can keep a productive focus, I think it's good these issues will be discussed and addressed! The charter school and our district will be better for it.
You're right IE, the community will be better if it keeps a productive focus instead of name calling.
Also, people need to keep in mind what Jackson said in the Albany paper. He's not Sand Ridge. His short comings, whatever they might be should be kept separate from the charter school which is doing a fantastic job.
Our neighbor's son has improved like 500% since he started there last year.
ie -It's Queenie again. Why do you have a perception that Robinson does not want Sandridge? The STATE is the one that has threatened to withhold funds if the paperwork was not received. Robinson and the Lebanon school district has just notified PIE that they will not unfund other schools to cover PIE's easily fixed problems. If Sandridge is so underfunded, then PIE should be jumping through hoops to get the paperwork done. If I thought I would loose part of my paycheck because I needed a certain paper, I would make the time to get it done. Not spend time making excuses. Robinson (and the rest of his admin people) has said more than once that the problem is not Sandridge, but PIE. The offer has been made to handle some of the paperwork etc for PIE, but it was turned down. PIE did not want any additional involvement with the Lebanon School District. You can bet that won't change, no matter who is the Superintendant.
The Lebanon school district administration is just trying to protect themselves. They stand to loose funds and be "under the gun" for many other liabilities associated with PIE's bad administration policies. I as a tax payer and parent of a child in the Lebanon Schools believe that is what Robinson and his "crew" were hired to do.
PIE should spend their time running their school and doing their administrative duties. Not protecting Sandridge from a perceived threat which does not exist.
P.S. I happen to know that Sandridge is also loosing students to other High Schools. In fact if you check you may find that enrollment has dropped, percentage wize, as much or more than LHS! What's that all about?
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