The reason is clear now.
The teachers were used as a convenient backdrop as a local public relations firm hired by Board President Anne Sharp could shoot video to be used in her re-election campaign advertising.
Huff was the one who made it possible.
He announced the plan in a February 12 e-mail to teachers:
Dear faculty and staff,
I am looking forward to meeting with all of you on Feb. 20 at 2 p.m at JHS/FTC. This professional development session will last one hour. During this time I will briefly share with you the results of last year's culture survey and spend some time sharing our district vision moving forward. We've had a challenging and intense recent history, and I'm thankful (as I'm sure you are) that we are closing that chapter and moving forward.
It is important that you attend this event. I will be sharing our strategic focus and providing insight into the plans and expectations for the next few years. There is great work going on in our classrooms and buildings, and I have never been more excited and energized about our future. Together, we can write the next great chapter for Joplin Schools and make our district the pride of our students, parents, patrons, and staff. But, we can't do it without you and your heart for students, learning, and public education!
Following the session, you are invited to stay for refreshments and tour JHS/FTC.
Board members were in attendance as Huff indicated that the survey, which had been taken more than nine months earlier, contained important revelations.
It didn't.
Perhaps the closest to an important revelation is that only 40 percent of the faculty lack trust in Huff's administration. Of course, less than half of the employees had filled out the survey, which makes it even harder to believe that the unveiling of the results needed to be the centerpiece of a professional development session.
It was also during this session that Huff said that now that the rebuilding project is nearing its conclusion, he would be able to concentrate on school business again.
Apparently, the first business was making sure he continues to have a majority on the Board of Education.
Using the new gymnasium and the teachers, the "professional development" began with a presentation which included the non-certified employee of the year and Sharp leading teachers in the wave, which is included in the campaign video.
It was also during this session that Huff said that now that the rebuilding project is nearing its conclusion, he would be able to concentrate on school business again.
Apparently, the first business was making sure he continues to have a majority on the Board of Education.
Using the new gymnasium and the teachers, the "professional development" began with a presentation which included the non-certified employee of the year and Sharp leading teachers in the wave, which is included in the campaign video.
In addition to the survey, Huff announced that teachers would now be able to wear bluejeans every Friday, something he took credit for, despite the fact that it was done over the opposition of Huff and Sharp, who spoke against it at a recent board meeting.
In the long run, the only thing that appears to have been accomplished by a professional development session that Huff made sound like a momentous event about to happen was that once again teachers had been used to further the goals of C. J. Huff and Anne Sharp.
21 comments:
My name is Anne. Vote for me or else!
#worthless peasants
I just threw up in my mouth.
Any superintendent that is worth a damn should not even care who is on the BOA.
Hey Bartender!! Another round of Kool aid for everyone and put it on Anne's tab!!
Disgusting, SHAME ON HER, to take advantage of the school, the teachers and the kids. Does not seem fair to the others. vote no , NO NO NO TO ANNE SHARP, GOOD, AND CAMPBELL...
Really. Exploiting the district's staff again. I didn't sign a release for that. I wondered what that whole stupid deal was about. The survey was old and 100+ of the people who might have taken it had moved on. The pinwheel video was just stupid and cheesy and not worth taking up my time and more district resources to make, and the cooky was gross. So, now we know. We were all there for Anne to make a commercial in her expensive boots. It was staged. She was running around doing the wave so her expensive little PR group could make a commercial.
Please, people, don't let her use us this way. Send her greedy, egocentric butt down the road. Positively, of course.
I feel used every day I work for R8. And this is just one example why. Isn't it illegal to use district resources in order to perpetuate a personal campaign? How do we press charges? To whom do we make a formal complaint? These worthless people must be stopped.
You'll bend over and like it. Whenever I say so.
I know best.
#trustfundannie
I can't remember the last time I had a good PD experience in R8. Maybe back when Barbara Arnold was in charge of it. It's horrible. The TLCs are stupid people who couldn't hack it in the classroom and the person in charge of them is even worse. Ignorant and inept. And that afternoon was the worst of all PD moments. Watching my peers squeal over doing the wave was embarrassing enough, but knowing now that Anne had her team there, and we were forced to sit there through Huff's little homilies for this nonsense, makes me furious. Time that teachers could have spent doing desperately needed work was wasted, at taxpayers' expense, so Boss Hawg and his b*tch could make a video. I wouldn't vote for this woman for anything now. Unethical all the way. Typical for Huff/Sharp.
I used to think President Sharp had little taste and few brains, but at least she had morals. I see now that I was mistaken on that last one. She is like CJ Huff and will stoop to any level to get what she wants. She won't get my vote, though. Horrible misuse of the public's facilities and staff.
Her campaign website reads like CJ wrote it. It is mostly skewed information. These two are so connected that you have to wonder what he has on her that she would throw her reputation away like this. It must be something big.
4:00 pm.- Report it to your the union that you sorely need. You should not have to work/live in fear of speaking out.
7:11,
I believe you meant "you're."
The price is right on that wisdom.
I hope she didn't pay much for that video, because it's about the dumbest ad I've ever seen. Or heard. The music sounds like banjo picking at the beginning. She says nothing about the severe issues at hand. Just be positive. Ignorant. Steele and Huff must have helped with that nonsense.
Well now you know us here Joplin folks at none too bright. Why we is all pert neart tickled outta our britches to have a high falootin teacher like that there Huff feller to learn the youngens how to read and cipher and such. And he's a medical man to boot. He's a regular Einstein, and Schweitzer all in one perty lil package. And good ole Annie done took time outta her bizzy bizzy day to show us how even Joplin Kids can one day work in one of them big fancy Ho tells. You ins don't know what that means to we simple types. You always got our vote miss Anne. We love you now...ya here?
Honestly, using a much abused staff for the making of a commercial, without their knowledge or consent, is about as low as Sharp can get. This is the same staff for whom President Sharp and Dear Leader Huff would not have even provided a weekly "spirit day" or even a measly step on the pay scale. She does not care if the teachers are forced to leave in order to get more money elsewhere. All she cares about is being part of the "club" and parroting all that Huff says. I don't know what he has done to earn such dogged loyalty from her, but it is either something grandiose or covert. It surely isn't his job performance, and I've seen nothing grandiose from this poor leader.
I remember Suzanne talking after the tornado year that she was tired of the "school will start on time" drama and speech--that it would have started on time no matter what anyway. I wonder what has changed her mind since then, as she is way too attached at the hip to Huff. How did he get this blind loyalty, anyway? What fine print did they not read when they handed him the checkbook? Something is really fishy here.
One of the skewed facts about teachers that Sharp and Huff use in her website is the teacher retention rate. They once again compare the teacher loss rate to the state and national rates. This is one datum to use, but it is not the whole picture. The state and national rates include the teacher loss from temporary teachers. A more accurate assessment of Joplin's teacher retention rate would be to compare teacher loss before and after Huff's arrival.
As for that salary committee, it is like every other committee Huff puts together. It is led by an administrator that no one trusts (Tina Smith, in this case), so therefore no one is free to say what they really believe. Therefore, Huff's salary will continue to be bloated, and teacher salaries and staff wages wil continue to be stagnant.
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Napoleon Huff is the most indulged pig on the farm.
There was a time when Anne and Steele were for the teachers. I often wonder how they've been taken in. There are so many that have been tricked by Huff & Co.
Fool me once, shame on you...
Check out the .16 second point in Anne’s video. Does she have a signed parental consent to use the student’s image in her campaign video? This is a possible FERPA (Federal) violation. The picture looks like it was taken at a school library. Who took the picture and when? If it was taken during the school day by district personnel expressly for her video it would be a violation of Board Policy GBCB and possible FERPA violation. Randy, you may want to check this out.
Check out the .16 second point in Anne’s video. Does she have a signed parental consent to use the student’s image in her campaign video? This is a possible FERPA (Federal) violation. The picture looks like it was taken at a school library. If it was taken during the school day by district personnel expressly for her video it would be a violation of Board Policy GBCB and possible FERPA violation. Randy, you may want to look into this.
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