Saturday, August 23, 2014

C. J. Huff: There is no $150,000 chandelier; I have not applied for other jobs

In his latest real or rumor blog posted Friday, Joplin R-8 Superintendent C. J. Huff addresses some of the things that are being said about the new high school and about him:

  • Today's topic: Random rumors and the first day of school

    Posted by Dr. CJ Huff at 8/22/2014 2:00:00 PM
    Today's topic: Random rumors and the first day of school

    Today I want to tackle a few of the random and persistent rumors I've been hearing for the last few weeks. I'll start with my favorite:

    • The chandelier.  I am happy to report that there is NO $150,000 elephant tusk Italian chandelier in the new high school or any of our other district schools or buildings for that matter. We invite you to tour the new high school to see for yourself. JHS/FTC students and their parents are invited to attend an open house at the school from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, August 28. We plan to host a community grand opening on Friday, October 3. Please watch for details regarding that event.
     
    Here are a couple more rumors/questions that have popped up in social media:
    • Will students have to wear hard hats to the new school?  No, students will not have to wear hard hats on their first day of school at JHS/FTC. Hard hats are no longer required in areas where we have received temporary certificates of occupancy (TCO). The only area at the moment that does require a hard hat is the gym area. That area is closed off to everyone but construction and school personnel. We expect to receive the TCO for the gym area within the next several days, prior to the start of school on September 2.
    • Have you applied for other jobs? I have been approached with job opportunities over the last couple of years. However, I have not applied for any jobs. My focus has been and will continue to be on Joplin Schools.

    Now that we have cleared these up, I want to share a few thoughts about the first day of school on Monday for our elementary and middle school students.

    The first day of school is my favorite day of the year. Our educators are ready to have our children walk through our doors on Monday...we can't wait! Just a few reminders you might want to keep in mind on the first days of school. First of all, please keep out a watchful eye for our kids as they ride their bikes and walk to school. Please be patient with our bus drivers. The first few days of school are always a little hectic in the transportation department. The main thing is that we deliver our kids to and from school safely. This may take longer than normal as drivers get used to their routes and take time to cover bus rules with riders. Additionally, expect traffic and parking challenges as parents walk their children into school on their first day.

    Thank you in advance for you patience and support as we get ready to kick off another great school year!

    CJ

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is an $80,000 chandelier. Too expensive along with a $50,000 party planner who spends hundreds of $$ planning parties we can't afford.

Anonymous said...

CJ- if we buy you a chandelier, will you start applying for other jobs?

Anonymous said...

Will cj tell us why the bleachers and hand rails in our Gym are blue? Does cj or the person who approved the colors in our gym know what JHS colors are? (hint: not blue)

Anonymous said...

Oh boy, Fact or Crap again. Hmm. A chandelier made of elephant tusk, no, but he doesn't say there is no chandelier. Just not that variety. A simple way to remedy this would be to show the checks paid for the light fixtures. Problem solved. Has to be in the Board records.

Anonymous said...

You haven't applied for jobs in other communities? Really? Are you sure? So, a neighboring district's teacher organization didn't contact ours to see what they thought? Gosh, I wonder if those communications are still available...

Anonymous said...

Now, 2:53, our little event planner just ran her little feet off on opening day getting the long-winded speakers, the band, and the cheerleaders in. Of course, we have always had long-winded speakers, the band, and the cheerleaders, long before the event planner was even in school. So, once again, that job is superfluous. Maybe we could give them credit for having the most long-winded, insulting, and arrogant speaker of all time this year. I wonder what Dr. Alabama cost us?