Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Things I'm Thinking About, January 29

A few things that have been on my mind:

Say It Ain't So- I am hearing that the Joplin R-8 Board of Education, despite letting Angie Besendorfer out of her contract before the end of the year, has okayed paying her full salary, citing vacation days and unused sick leave. Surely, that cannot be the case and I am certain that those vacation days did not include the ones she used during the notorious fact finding furniture fiasco in Germany. I find it hard to believe that they would let someone out of a contract to take a better job. It certainly wouldn't happen if the person who wanted to break the contract was a classroom teacher.

Four Days Before the Super Bowl- I am so tired of people who won't say Super Bowl because they are scared to death of being sued by the NFL. Today, on KSN's 4 p.m. Living Well program they were doing a news story and called it the Big Game. It is the Super Bowl. So NFL, if you want to sue me, my address is in the book.

Lance Berkman retires- This new is probably coming two years too late, but Lance Berkman, who played for the Texas Rangers last year, has announced his retirement. St. Louis Cardinals fans will always remember him for the single that tied the sixth game of the 2011 World Series and set the stage for David Freeze's game-winning home run in the 11th inning.

Jennifer Penate- I don't know if Jennifer Penate, formerly a KSN reporter, lately anchoring the news on KODE, is going to continue in that position, or if the station is still looking for a permanent replacement for Tiffany Alaniz, but she has done well the last few weeks.

12 comments:

Julie said...

I think Jennifer is permanent. She made a facebook post about it.

Anonymous said...

Penate needs to go, so does Carla Pesono, she's flipping horrible. Jessica Shaer was/is darn good. They had a good all-woman team of Shaer, Godwin and Garvilla until they broke that trio up on KODE and moved two of them to KSNF. That place is a mess, they need to clean house and start all over, perhaps build around Shaer, the young talent.

Anonymous said...

If it is true that they have paid the woman who destroyed this district for her unused sick days, then I also will expect to be paid for mine, or I will sue for them. That would be setting a precedence. I will also encourage my friends who are stuck there to go ahead and quit before their contracts are up and expect to be paid for sick days. It would make a delightful class action suit, because there are thousands of people who left R8 and were not compensated for their accumulated sick days.

The Board is surely not that stupid, are they? Oh wait...they also thought she did a good job.

Anonymous said...

The Board must have been desperate to find a way to get rid of her. She basically was paid to go. If only they were as considerate to the rest of us they fired, but most have to fight for what is legally theirs to have.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to work for R8. Apparently, you can completely screw up your job, as in falling test scores every year, running off over 200 staff members in two years, illegally attempting to blackball employees that you have unjustly fired, and wasting millions of dollars on unnecessary trips, employees, and programs and still get a bonus when you illegally break your contract. Shoot, who wouldn't want a deal like that?

Anonymous said...

I've kind of wondered what was up at KSN/KODE for them to lose all of the established people and turn into a Kidz Klub. I'm sure the young people are paid less, but what else? It's like intern day every day (which isn't to say some of them aren't decent, but so were the people who all left within the space of a year).

Anonymous said...

I agree that the folks running the R8 neex to go. Indoor not understand the power that Bessendorfer has/had over everyone. Why are they all scared of her? I guarantee if I were in the position some.of the people work for that tyrant I would make my voice heard very loudly. And then wait for the excuse to remove me from my job. Seems even the mainstream media are afraid to report her wrongdoings. Grow a pair Joplin Globe and tv markets and report what is really going on at the Taj Mahal aka Administration building of the R8. By the way, I never received my gift from their trip to Germany.

Anonymous said...

The Besendorfer situation is just quite clearly appalling. No teacher would get away with what she has done to people, much less be allowed to not honor her contract, and then receive additional pay and sick leave pay. I say this is the time for Joplin's staff, past and present, to pull togethe and protest. And I would say the same goes for the taxpayers. It is outrageous.

Please vote against Flowers, Steele, Banwart, and McGrew. These actions must cease, and they will not under the perpetual 7-0 rubber stamp club in place now.

Anonymous said...

12:22--

Besendorfer caused fear because she had absolute power over her employees. Have you seen the Board ever vote against the wishes of Besendorfer and Huff? Never. Not once. It is very easy to get fired in Joplin, but how many people have you seen defeat them? None. So don't talk big about what you would do and talk down those who work for them. You have no idea what it is like. The people who do have the power to control them eat out of their hands like lap dogs. It's disgusting.

Anonymous said...

I wonder how many millions of tax dollars the board threw away last night. Has anyone tallied the damage for this month? I expect it was staggering. It usually is.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps there are some lawyers out there who can weigh in on this conversation. Feel free to stay anonymous, as most of you are as afraid of R8 as its employees. Maybe one from another town will help us out. Is it possible for former or current employees to demand the same treatment accorded Dr. Besendorfer last night? Can we break our contracts and receive compensation for the remaining time, based upon our remaining sick leave and vacation days? Or, can taxpayers insist on this nonsensical expenditure being retrieved and returned to the district? That might satisfy people since it would be fair to all. This cannot stand.

Anonymous said...

How can it be legal to pay Besendorfer money not agreed to as a part of the contract?

I don't understand how the SD can essentially gift this money. Not an expert, just don't see how this can be legally done.