Thursday, January 22, 2015

R-8 Board rewards C. J. Huff for job well done, extends contract through 2018

The Joplin R-8 Board of Education rewarded C. J. Huff for a job well done following his annual evaluation during a special closed session Wednesday night, extending his contract an additional year by a 5-2 vote.

Administration sources told the Turner Report that Board President Anne Sharp vehemently rejected patrons' requests that the evaluation wait another six days until the board meets with state auditors and learns the results of the state audit, which could very well prove embarrassing for Huff and the Board.

Huff has repeatedly told board members that the audit is going to be a good one and they have nothing to worry about.

Though the board did not have to extend Huff's contract (his current contract extends through the 2016-2017 school year), the administration sources say Sharp pushed for the extension and noted that Huff deserved it for the remarkable job he has done in guiding the school district through its darkest hours and into brand-new state-of-the-art 21st Century buildings.

Some board members have indicated that Huff is being courted for other jobs, including his recent finalist status for Missouri Education Commmissioner and if they didn't sew him up for another year, he might seek greener pastures.

The Huff lovefest, for the first time, was not unanimous.

Though the board members have not confirmed the votes, the administration sources indicated that, not surprisingly, the "no" votes were cast by Debbie Fort and Jim Kimbrough. Huff was relieved, though not surprised, at the results, but he was irritated that anyone would vote against him and has indicated he has a difficult time understanding how anyone could disagree with his vision for the school district.

Those voting to extend Huff's contract, in addition to Sharp, were Mike Landis, Randy Steele, Shawn McGrew, and Lynda Banwart.


25 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a bunch of spineless cowards! Seriously how could anyone want to renew his contract unless they were on there knees to him with their mouths full! I am so sick and tired of people who don't know right from wrong! Anne sharp you are next to leave!

Anonymous said...

To Ms. Sharp....

Bye bye miss thumb in the pie..
Begged for another tax levy
But the taxpayers are dry...

Your good ole boys keep pushing the lie

April will be your time to go fly.....

Anonymous said...

This political process of the BOE shows how difficult it would be to get rid of a good superintendent, and how frustrating and lengthy the process of removing an abysmal failure.

Remember, we absolutely must replace the defective BOE members before this cruel joke is sent packing.

Anonymous said...

I strongly hope that the next school board election goes a long way in fixing this mess. Was it the district's low test scores or the unquestionably low morale and high turnover of the staff that convinced these people that he deserved to have his contract renewed? Maybe it was his excessive spending and outright lies that touched them. This is exactly why people lose faith in politics.

Anonymous said...

What a travesty. Rewarding him for constructing state of the art 21st Century buildings. What does that have to do with student achievement? I send my kids to school to learn! Districts with similar poverty levels, less technology, and old buildings are out achieving Joplin. Several of the school board own or work for businesses that we support. I think it's time that we vote with our wallets and quit supporting these businesses. Maybe then they'll start to listen to the patrons.

Anonymous said...

Huff's pet Schultz will be named the new football coach. Nobody will want to tell Schultz no. What a joke.

Anonymous said...

It is vitally important that everyone vote in the next BOE election. Although I believe Annie Sharp once cared about the students, now it seems more a case of what she perceives as her divine right to govern the school district and back "her boy" under all circumstances. She's been there way too long and needs to go.

Anonymous said...

DO NOT vote for Anne Sharp in re-election.
Get rid of this ridiculous clown- she has no business heading a school board.

Anonymous said...

Very disappointing news. Too bad the public can't vote

Anonymous said...

Does anyone remember the superintendent that the board finally got rid of in the late 1980s? If I remember correctly, the district had to pay him for the years on his contract that he would have worked when they got rid of him.

Anonymous said...

2:10, That was Jack Israel. Cost a load of money and the district was in financial straits. There were cuts and wages were frozen. I hear he visited the new school fairly recently.

Anonymous said...

Teachers leaving.
District almost bankrupt.
New buildings that are already falling apart.
Students not learning.
Extra administrators and fewer teachers.
Backstabbers being rewarded.
That's what they want to keep having?

Anonymous said...

Under Missouri statute you cannot recall a school board member. They tried to pass a statue in 2001 but couldn't get out of committee for a vote.

Anonymous said...

This is no longer a board of education. This is a political machine.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous says: Has anyone checked to see how many teachers, are now working second jobs or looking for second jobs? I know of several. I'm pretty sure that cj and anne are not among those poor DEDICATED, UNDERPAYED PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE REALLY THERE FOR THE CHILDREN instead of the big book fools in charge.

Anonymous said...

I recall visiting a man last year who said he was voting for Randy Steele because he was giving him the benefit of the doubt. I wonder if that poor man is kicking himself in the behind now. Same for Lynda Banwart. I listened to all her speeches, perfectly peppered with educational key phrases- how she was for the teachers. Wow. What a big disappointment. And an embarrassment to our community.

Anonymous said...

Does the contract for this overpaid and selfish grandstander,automatically include a provision for an increase in his salary at some point in time? My bet:...yes.

Anonymous said...

Is there a penalty if C.J. voluntarily leaves before his contract is up?

Hopefully, after the April election, C.J. will be stuck with a new batch of BOE members who don't follow lockstep behind him and will make him accountable for all the bad decisions he and his cronies have been making.

Anonymous said...

This whole saga makes me all the more thankful my children are in private school. Critics say what you will but their scores are way above Joplin schools and while we do not have all the technology we have something better....books and teachers that know how to teach and have the freedom to do it well. My children are well rounded and every time we have a conversation I am impressed with their knowledge on a range of topics. You do not need matching seats or iPads for 8th graders for that!

Anonymous said...

VANTAS VANITATUM OMNIA VANITAS

Isn't it difficult to admit we're wrong, that we've been duped, and that the truth is out? That is the problem here. Suzanne Sharp and her peers have been duped by Sir Huffalot and have possibly been in collusion with him in his exploits. Rather than take responsibility for their ineptness, and consequently his, they just continue to go forward and blame the messenger for the hard truths coming their way.

Anonymous said...

@ 7:38

It would appear that we have done much more than "bitch," as you so eloquently put it. Have you seen Jeff Flowers or Dawn Sticklen lately? Did McGrew run again? Has anyone seen Miss Angie around lately? It is through discourse that we make change happen, and it has. We will continue to have this discourse, as that is what democracy depends upon--involved, informed, and proactive citizens. Do not foolishly assume that our conversations here are our only actions. They simply compel action.

Anonymous said...

If Huff is fired for gross mismanagement after the audit is released, then his dearest benefactress, Anne Sharp, has ensured that he will get an extra $177,000+ when he goes. If he is fired for moral turpitude, as he should be, then he should receive nothing, unless it is a prison sentence.

Anonymous said...

Next conversation between Suzanne "Sergeant Schultz" and her little boy toy Huff "Commandant Klink""
"A good friend will come and bail you out of jail, but a best friend will be sitting next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun!', but we aren't that close, chump. You're on your own and I know nothing, nothing at all."

Anonymous said...

Here is a question to ponder...
Since Anne's seat is up AND she is the one who pushed so vehemently to get that extra year for Huff, do you suppose....
That there is an underhanded, back alley deal in the works, that should the audit produce criminal activity on Huff's behalf, she will protect him, and thereby he will guarantee her seat on this board, or the coveted MSSU seat she is after, by any means necessary?
Funny thing about Anne, she is a terrible liar. When cornered, she gets blotchy red spots on her face and the "deer in the headlight" look. She begins to stutter somewhat like CJ, but not as bad, she just stumbled over her words. Ask her a question sometime about something she knows nothing about, watch her reaction. It will amaze and entertain you! If that is Huff's plan, they're both screwed! Lol

Anonymous said...

BOE to CJ:

That'll do pig...that'll do.