"2 cents" had some interesting thoughts on the LT blog: Thank you to the anonymous reader who asks for views here, and to the anonymous who recently asked where I am, and my apologies for disappearing again from the Lebanon educational blog scene due to life demands. Again, I'd encourage any rational folks concerned about the Lebanon Community School District to create blogs dedicated to the topic if they are better at making time for blogs than I seem to be.
I think Rick, Josh and Debi were elected as change agents by a community that was tired of the Robinson Rubber Stamp crew. I see LT now calls them the "Terrible Trio," so I guess I will lower myself to her level for a moment and dub Sherrie and Chris "The New Robinson Rubber Stampers."
It's interesting that the Rubber Stampers are in the minority now, with some of their supporters calling for a recall. Let's see.. Where have we seen this before in the district!?
Now I have "lowering-myself-to-LT's-level" out of my system, I will drop the new nickname: It probably is unfair as surely there have been times Chris and Sherrie voted against Robinson's wishes, though it does seem they are among his loudest cheerleaders. LT's blog is destructive and divisive, so I agree with 2-cents there, and I want to avoid falling into that role myself.
My knee-jerk reaction is that I don't think it makes sense for all board members to resign, as "2 cents" suggests. But maybe I should ponder that option more. It's unlikely to happen, for one, and then who would replace them? Would the people who were INDEED true rubber-stampers, who Rick and Josh replaced on the board, come back to do Robinson's bidding, and maybe even reinstate his contract extension after all?
I think a fresh start with power to heal is more likely to come from a fresh crew in the DO rather than a fresh crew of board members. I think a new superintendent with new administrators behind her/him is more likely to prompt healing and moving forward than new board members Robinson then works to control, which would send us back to the same old merry-go-round.
9 comments:
You have to be kidding. A new superintendent will not change a school board that does not even read a contract before voting to approve it. That is if they didn't illegally agree to vote for the contract beforehand. To not approve two administrators based on budget concerns while just approving an increase in spending for another school program is ridiculous. I would agree that all of them should resign or be recalled. Even if the two "Robinson rubber stampers" were to stay there is still lingering bad feelings that need to be removed.
I hope someone sues the school board over the contract fiasco and a recall of the offenders occurs quickly. Their bias against the district is apparent and should be grounds alone for the recall. Debi lied in her campaign in her intent to "listen to all sides". How is that true when she votes on a contract without reading it or getting advice from legal counsel?
I do not support Mr. Robinson but he is not the problem in the district. Specifically the board and all those parents who don't bother to be involved in their children's education are the biggest problems. I am tired of hearing from students that education doesn't matter and when talking to parents it is clear where that attitude comes from.
A recall will not solve the problem, it may make it worse, but at least there is a possibility that the new board members wouldn't blatantly violate the law. Now maybe tonight they will right the wrong done to the new administrator hires, but that only makes their previous actions even more ridiculous.
IE,
Can you outline a scenario in which a board does not rubber-stamp Robinson and yet acts ethically and within the law? At this point, that seems like a sort of idealized middle ground that, according to many anti-Robinson folks, either doesn't exist or isn't being utilized, and I'd like to see someone explain a bit about what that would look like.
What exactly has Robinson done wrong, besides Yates (and there are two sides to that story)? Besides that (some) teachers don't like him? I mean specific decisions or programs he made that turned out badly, and the criteria for them turning out bad.
If vague morale is the problem, I think morale went south with the mills in 1980: hardly Robinson's fault...
Wow anonymous at 1:36 am! Blaming the mills for the lack of morale is a new defense for the pro-Robinson crowd. Robinson has done plenty wrong, and it is more than a few teachers who do not like him. I hate to mention the vote of no confidence, even though it did occur a good 20 years after the mill closures. How about the high turnover amongst certified staff? A bogus signature school system? Multiple lawsuits? A failed insurance program? A failed small school system at the high school? A failed custodial contract? Failure to gain the trust and support of the school board and community? Do you need more?
And Dennis, I don't really think that a school board needs to vote against a superintendent's policies to keep from being considered a "rubber stamping" board. I think it has more to do with setting a tone for the district and holding the superintendent responsible for successfully implementing district policy. Hopefully the board would be bright enough to spot bad ideas, but that didn't appear to happen when we had a physician, lawyer and accountant on the board so maybe it really is a pipe dream.
I just can't help but think how much better Lebanon's school system would be without the tension between the board, district office and teachers. I don't think that Robinson has the skillset neccessary to right the ship.
This community is too heavily entrenched in an us vs. them battle to expect that things will turn around with either Robinson or the majority of the board remaining. We've been at this for far too long, it's time for us to move on.
First -- let me apologize for the crack about the mills.
"How about the high turnover amongst certified staff? A bogus signature school system? Multiple lawsuits? A failed insurance program? A failed small school system at the high school? A failed custodial contract? Failure to gain the trust and support of the school board and community? Do you need more?"
Where can I find the no confidence document?
I really don't have a dog in this fight. Could you or someone else point me in the direction of specific reports on these problems, like an article in a paper about higher than normal teacher turnover or the custodial contract, a grievance document, or something that details the insurance failure? Why is the signature school system "bogus" exactly? Is anything really worse for the academies -- if so, what (I think that usually changes in curriculum and school structure are a waste of time and money, myself)? How can we tell: grades, participation in something, dropout rates, college admits, unemployment of the students after grad, transfers?
How do you measure "the trust and support" -- seems to me R has the trust and support of 2 out of 3 board members, and probably about 35% of the community (a well off part of the community, I think, which is maybe part of the problem), but does anyone know more than a vague feeling? Do ALL the teachers hate him, or a vocal 20%, with 80% just trying to make a living and be good union teammates (a reasonable thing on their part)?
I definitely think there are issues, but I haven't heard them really laid out and I am new to the community; I am a little suspicious that groups that have pissed off (for possibly good reasons) at each other for generations (literally) are fighting over whatever comes up, and Robinson is the topic of the moment. People can develop snarky habits just as they can develop cooperative habits...
"And Dennis, I don't really think that a school board needs to vote against a superintendent's policies to keep from being considered a "rubber stamping" board. I think it has more to do with setting a tone for the district and holding the superintendent responsible for successfully implementing district policy. Hopefully the board would be bright enough to spot bad ideas, but that didn't appear to happen when we had a physician, lawyer and accountant on the board so maybe it really is a pipe dream."
There's a lot wrapped up in that statement. I was not around in the pre-Alexander days, so I really can't comment on the tone of the board. However, the comment also seems to suggest that some of Robinson's ideas were bad ones. If that's the case, Anonymous @ 10:51, I would like to know FROM YOU which of Robinson's policies you think were bad.
Dennis-
How about any of the ones listed in the first paragraph? Did you miss those? If you think Robinson has the skillset to turn things around then just say so and stop deflecting the argument. What has Robinson done to make you believe that he can get folks pulling in the same direction? Do you have specific examples? What specifically has he done to try to improve morale amongst teachers in an effort to curb turnover? Anything? Even though I'm pretty involved, perhaps I missed something along the way.
As a teacher in the district, I do not have a problem with Mr. Robinson. I do have a problem with the school board. They seem to feel that there is no middle ground to any position. And their latest ineptitude in the hiring of the administrators is what troubles me. They cause me to want to leave not Mr. Robinson. I can handle a predictable boss but I cannot handle a messed up school board that actually insists on running the day to day operations of the district. It is not their job and they certainly are not qualified.
As far as I have learned they do not have a background in education or management. But further they do not have the contact with the teachers and students to know what is happening in the district. How do they determine the needs if they don't pursue the access? What are they going to do without the access or experience? I fear them more than any boss that I can have daily access to. They all should be removed and a new superintendent hired. I doubt many superintendent candidates would want to apply given the latest moves by this school board.
"They all should be removed and a new superintendent hired."
Unfortunately, this is exactly what Lebanon needs. I thought that we were finally on our way, and then the board had to pull the PIE fiasco. I think that they had the communities backing for non-renewal, but after the PIE incident I am not sure that they will last long enough to see Robinson's exit (and open the door for a new board to reverse their decision).
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