(The latest post from our anonymous Joplin R-8 Administration source. The first half was originally left off because I read my comments from the most recent backward.)
The first half of this post did not make it's way onto this blog post it seems. It said:
Perhaps Dr. Huff doesn't address Mr. Turner because it is widely known that Mr. Turner isn't interested in the truth. Rather, he is interested in a headline that results in a paycheck for him. I can't speak for Dr. Huff, but that would be my guess.
But to address your questions, I would say that I did discuss the DESE scores in a previous post. Nobody is blindly unaware that there is growth to be had. Someone ought to interview the curriculum department to see what has been done to address those issues. Does anyone know? Or are we just being critical? Because I know that Read 180 has brought TREMENDOUS results with elementary and middle school kids. I know that the Reading Matters initiative is designed to educate parents about the importance of early literacy from birth to age 5 (when 90% of brain connections form) is critical to long term success in school. The hope is that if kids come to school ready (which over half do not), we won't have to spend the first several years of elementary school playing catch up. I know that the TLC's that Mr. Turner likes to bash are designed to help teachers implement peer reviewed, proven educational best practices to improve instruction (and thus scores) in our district. They work one on one with teachers - something that no administrator can possibly take time to do each day. They are NOT spies, and in fact no teacher has ever been reported to Dr. Huff by a TLC for not conforming. The role of the TLCs is to come alongside teachers, supporting, encouraging, investing in and helping develop educators. They're not administrators - they're excellent teachers who are highly trained to support other teachers. Or what about the near doubling of the mentoring programs in the district this last year, increasing community involvement in helping kids with reading by utilizing volunteers? Nobody's ignoring the reading issue.
And do you know, sir, that the issues that prevented Joplin from receiving the Race to the Top grant are NOT being addressed? Because they are (another issue the TLCs are addressing).
I do understand the point that was being made regarding the social media employee, etc. IE: if we spend money on "extra" people, we don't spend money on educators. But what if the educational problems are not all instructional in nature? Much of the problem is that parents and the community have been checked out and/or feel ill-informed and thus can't duly support their kids' education. Quality consistent communication coming out of the district helps with that. If we help solve those problems, it will in turn improve educational outcomes.
I also know that the district went through an extensive process involving the community to develop the Standards of Excellence that are being rolled out over a 5 year period (they're on the district website) - improving not only educational arenas, but communication, facilities, employee morale, parent experiences, community partnerships, etc. The district is well ahead of schedule on most of the benchmarks - but there is work to do.
I know that HR just sent out an employee survey administered by a third party agency so as to ensure the confidentiality of employees so that they can be completely forthright without fear of consequence (ie. attempting to fully listen to hear the concerns of employees). The results will enable them to identify problems and work with teams to develop strategies to improve them. Prior to a couple of years ago, there wasn't an HR department. Morale was low because nobody was specifically tasked with working to keep it up (aside from the already over-worked principals). That is changing. It's not perfect, but they're working.
Morale has been low for YEARS. And our district has experienced a GREAT amount of trauma…people are tired. Everyone realizes there's much work to do, but the district is on it. Again…big ships turn around slowly.
This commenter is not here to selectively rebuke, but perhaps to shed some light on what has been an incredibly dark place that has caused unbelievable division in our community. What if we came together around the school district in support? Ask the questions - it is truly your right and responsibility as a citizen of this community. But to defame and destroy hard working people who love kids and are doing everything in their power to make Joplin Schools better than they have ever been is just flat wrong. And today was apparently the day that I decided to say something.
15 comments:
It seems a strange coincidence that the district used Patron Insight to create their survey in order to know how employees feel, and they did so in the same week that they hired a certain finance company to manage their borrowing process since they burned through all of the moeny already. It was those same two companies, survey and finance, that put together the bond issue after "listening" to concerns. In fact, Patron Insight's biggest brag is that they help districts fundraise through tax increases. I predict another bond issue based on the "dire" circumstances from the survey.
The first half of this post did not make it's way onto this blog post it seems. It said:
Perhaps Dr. Huff doesn't address Mr. Turner because it is widely known that Mr. Turner isn't interested in the truth. Rather, he is interested in a headline that results in a paycheck for him. I can't speak for Dr. Huff, but that would be my guess.
But to address your questions, I would say that I did discuss the DESE scores in a previous post. Nobody is blindly unaware that there is growth to be had. Someone ought to interview the curriculum department to see what has been done to address those issues. Does anyone know? Or are we just being critical? Because I know that Read 180 has brought TREMENDOUS results with elementary and middle school kids. I know that the Reading Matters initiative is designed to educate parents about the importance of early literacy from birth to age 5 (when 90% of brain connections form) is critical to long term success in school. The hope is that if kids come to school ready (which over half do not), we won't have to spend the first several years of elementary school playing catch up. I know that the TLC's that Mr. Turner likes to bash are designed to help teachers implement peer reviewed, proven educational best practices to improve instruction (and thus scores) in our district. They work one on one with teachers - something that no administrator can possibly take time to do each day. They are NOT spies, and in fact no teacher has ever been reported to Dr. Huff by a TLC for not conforming. The role of the TLCs is to come alongside teachers, supporting, encouraging, investing in and helping develop educators. They're not administrators - they're excellent teachers who are highly trained to support other teachers. Or what about the near doubling of the mentoring programs in the district this last year, increasing community involvement in helping kids with reading by utilizing volunteers? Nobody's ignoring the reading issue.
And do you know, sir, that the issues that prevented Joplin from receiving the Race to the Top grant are NOT being addressed? Because they are (another issue the TLCs are addressing).
You're right. Morale has been down for YEARS. About SIX OR SEVEN years. Before that we were successful and were earning competitive wages and had what we needed to work with. Please don't tell us in your condescending fashion that we really don't know how we feel or what is really happening around us. Go back in your hole in the admin building and accept that this district is crumbling rapidly. We really can see it, no matter how much propaganda you spew.
The only direction the poor ship r8 is turning is straight down to the bottom. Way to go, Cap'n Huff!
Excellent comments about a tough situation. If only more people, especially Turner, could have a better understanding that the problems are more complex than just "Huff's a bad guy because he fired me".
As one of the earlier commenters that she is responding to, I actually think this is a better response - at least a step in the right direction. I think there are nuanced points here that should be expanded on - perhaps in blogs of your own - and that over time the tone of anger is lessening and becoming more productive and informative. This is the kind of dialogue that should be happening. I appreciate the responses and I defer to them as good ones that seem fair. It is understandable that you would come here feeling defensive, but at least you came and are responding. Not doing that historically has allowed the situation to fester.
If you (by which I mean administration) are addressing these problems, then by all means you should be talking about it and drawing attention to it! Grant problems, etc. You are single-handedly in the comment section of this blog doing more to address this stuff head-on than I feel like I have heard publicly in years, though we could hear more detail. Not responding has done very little to de-legitimize Turner, in fact the perceived attempts to control the message feed into the negative public perception. When you combine the morale with PR that seldom appears to address issues of concern with any depth, it has fed into the negativity.
I firmly believe that the more transparent you all can be about the fine details of running this district, the better position you all will be in. Turner alone is not responsible for the feelings, rather he became the focal point due to his unique situation. A very similar example existed in MSSU with Speck. You all may argue that it is not practical when there is a district to run, but where has that gotten us? Just as demonizing Huff keeps the wedge in place, so too will demonizing Turner. And I'm sorry, but the way you all got rid of Turner with the innuendo of grooming behaviors was absolutely despicable, and it just looks even more ridiculous as the years go by and we see that you completely overlooked actual sex offenders in your midst.
I would encourage you to continue on the path you have started and to keep responding to issues and expand on them with as much detail as possible. That is the way to neutralize this. There are going to be people who respond negatively and bitterly, but that's the situation we're in at this point. Considering that you are here and talking frankly, I would already say that Turner has been more effective than the Globe and other town media, including the schools' official channels.
I have never been more pleased to admit that I was wrong. When Mr. Turner was fired, I expected that was the end of the ballgame. Nr, Turner not only had CJ Huff and his business partners lined up against him, but he also was fighting the Joplin Globe. Now that I have read this pitiful attempt to salvage CJ Huff's job, I realize that this game is over. David has beaten Goliath. When the tide turned against Mark Rohr, there were hundreds, maybe thousands who stood up for Rohr. In all of these months since Mr. Turner started reporting on what is going on in the Joplin school district, this is the first time I can recall seeing someone supporting CJ Huff, and naturally, it is someone who owes his job to CJ Huff. Mr. Turner had some help. No denying it. As he buries CJ Huff under a mountain of documents and Huff's own words, it is becoming obvious that CJ didn't just leave a trail of bread crumbs to follow, but entire loaves.I have seen Mr. Turner accused of smearing people and if telling the truth about people is smearing them, then he is certainly good at it. It is ironic that the people defending CJ Huff accuse Mr. Turner of not being interested in the truth. Where were these defenders of the truth when CJ Huff and his team lied over and over so Mr. Turner would lose his job. Someone should make a movie about this. In less than one year, the hero of the Joplin Tornado has been exposed as a narcissistic liar and an incompetent administrator. Thank you, Mr. Turner!
A little off topic, but I find it interesting that administration worked so hard to get rid of Randy, using inuendo and insinuation about sexual issues, and since he's been gone from the district, one person has been arrested and recently sentence, I believe, for pornography involving students. Another was arrested yesterday. Maybe the district should put more effort into policing the real problems instead of making up stuff about a good teacher trying to do his job.
Also, you administrators need to acknowledge that Turner isn't exactly raking in the big bucks over here. Man is basically supplementing a pension or something. This isn't TMZ. Gets a few donations here and there for a blog which is basically free, sells a few books here and there (which he also frequently offers discounted). You guys are the big fish in this pond. The other comment's David and Goliath analogy is apt.
The HR survey is a joke. Staff members have absolutely no trust in you and rightly so. They do not trust the anonymity of the survey regardless of who is administering it. The results will not be valid. Many people in the community do not trust administration either. There is absolutely zero transparency. Most issues are not exposed to the public, let alone addressed. Information presented to the board is so vague it's ridiculous. Thank God someone is finally asking questions. Do not assume that everyone is just sitting back, watching from the sidelines, blindly accepting what is reported in this blog. I have been asking questions and have attended BOE meetings. I'm more concerned about what's going on in this district than ever before. I can't even address the board publicly because you make it impossible to do so. No one is allowed to address the board without formally requesting to do so and they are only allowed to comment on items included on the agenda. Administration maintains strict control over the flow of information coming in and going out. The damage that has been done will take years to repair.
The HR survey is a joke. Staff members have absolutely no trust in you and rightly so. They do not trust the anonymity of the survey regardless of who is administering it. The results will not be valid. Many people in the community do not trust administration either. There is absolutely zero transparency. Most issues are not exposed to the public, let alone addressed. Information presented to the board is so vague it's ridiculous. Thank God someone is finally asking questions. Do not assume that everyone is just sitting back, watching from the sidelines, blindly accepting what is reported in this blog. I have been asking questions and have attended BOE meetings. I'm more concerned about what's going on in this district than ever before. I can't even address the board publicly because you make it impossible to do so. No one is allowed to address the board without formally requesting to do so and they are only allowed to comment on items included on the agenda. Administration maintains strict control over the flow of information coming in and going out. The damage that has been done will take years to repair.
Reading the anonymous administration insider comments about how Turner just doesn't get it and so on, now I have a question.
Does Billy Long have any smarter cousins? Because these arguments seem like just the kind of arguments Billy Long would make about Benghazi and Obamacare if he were able to. Which he isn't. His smarter cousin might be a different thing.
The last time that I took a survey for the Joplin School District, then TLC Sarah "I've got a beard" Stevens, took the results to a meeting, told the other teachers in the meeting that the survey was "too negative" and THREW THEM AWAY. They were "anonymous" surveys wanting to know the "happiness" of the building. The other teachers in the meeting were APPALLED. Well, in a strange turn of events, Sarah "I've got a beard" Stevens, a former TLC, was PROMOTED to CURRICULUM director. This is the same person who used district time to drop her child off at 830, leave any meeting/classroom at 1030 to pick the child up, regardless of what was going on. The other TLC that was witness spent 90% of the time at that school on the computer in their office or brown nosing with the principal of that building, or eating donuts. Neither one of those people were in the classroom willing to help other teachers. They did come in with their iPADS and OBSERVE teachers and gave them "ratings" and would PUBLICLY discuss them at PLC meetings. Anyone else find something wrong with that? TLC's are a WASTE of the taxpayer money. In fact, one is going back to the classroom because they have been turned down multiple times for promotion and openly stated "I really thought I would spend MORE time in the classroom". Hmmmmmmmmmmm......So if one is saying, the others are keeping their mouth shut so that they can continue to "do whatever they want". So, like all Joplin Admin, business as usual?? YEP, YOU BET!
I do not trust that the survey is anonymous, and I am sure that most of the teachers choosing not submit it feel the same way. The results will not be accurate, because only those with positive or neutral comments will be completing them. Perhaps Mr. Turner can post an open forum for teachers and building staff to discuss how they truly feel about the district and the ways in which it could be improved. You know admin will see it. They keep tabs on what goes on here. Just make sure everyone posts anonymously and does not use a district network when commenting.
I think that the anonymous administrator has some things confused. If this is a genuine attempt to explain things, then some real honesty needs to be happening. HUFF is the one who wants headlines, not Turner.
Read 180/System 44 is an intervention. A VERY expensive intervention. Is this where all the money that should be going for Title 1 teachers going?
Your Reading Matters initiative sounds nice. ARE the parents sending the kids to school and ready to learn? Are they reading with their kids every day? Are they talking with them? Are they making sure they are fed and have appropriate clothing? Are they making sure they aren’t being victimized? Are the parents making sure they aren’t exposed to drugs? Are they making sure that their kids are at school on time every day? I notice that you use the phrase “The hope…” So, this is one of those things that you try and just hope it works?
TLC’s are supposed to help the teachers in the classroom but mostly they go to meetings to tell the other TLC’s and whoever their supervisor at the time is what an awful job the teachers and principals are doing. And yes, that has been told to Huff (used to be Bess got the information first). They are supposed to help the teachers, but they don’t get to do much of that because they are busy writing curriculum and running reports. How many of those TLC’s AND the 21st Century coaches have left? We know a bunch of them are principals and directors and such now, but how many have gone back to the classroom or left the district? There are at least 4.
The mentoring program is great. I do believe it’s better than the TREK program that is pretty much just a show for the chamber of commerce. I am sure that the volunteers have their hearts in the right place, but the students would be better with an extended school day and trained teachers. And that is going to be hard to do with all the meetings they have to attend on top of the fact that they’re just tired.
Morale is low when there is no support, no transparency, no communication and edicts that are handed down from above. That trust piece that has been preached for PLC’s/buildings/teams to work and be effective is missing.
It certainly would be great for everyone to rally around the schools. That’s not going to happen when the people in our community and in the district don’t trust the administration at any level. It’s not defamation when it’s true. And isn’t it interesting that when someone says something about the administrators or TLC’s, it’s defamation but not when they say anything?
Nice try, but it really does sound like you’re one of those administrators or TLC’s or career path people. If not, you’ve certainly been drinking their Kool-Aid.
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