Both told reporters this morning after they were appointed and sworn in during a special session of the Jasper County Commission that they would prefer to appoint an interim superintendent and allow the complete board to make the decision on the new superintendent once four posts are filled in the April 2016 election.
Nodler and Beard indicated they do not intend to run for office next April. The third member who was appointed, Ron Gatz, said that he might.
That's only wise, in that it's probably impossible to get a good permanent superintendent given how the board's governance could completely change when the current 4 one year interim seats come up for election (Martucci and whomever eventually fills the vacant seats); that person could easily get fired if the controlling faction shifts. And we might not even know for a while what that faction will be, and it could change, there will be a lot of new players on the board one way or another.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure our host is all over this, but the other one who's open to continuing on the board appears to be currently the treasurer of the Joplin Schools Foundation.
I saw that about Gatz. Isn't that a conflict of interest?
DeleteThis isn't over. The appointees are not going to hold up to legal maneuvers. Whatever they vote on will have to be thrown out. Newton county will be heard.
ReplyDelete10:11 AM: It's a conflict of interest for Gatz if something comes before the school board pertaining to the foundation, but I don't see it as being a big deal, he can make that clear during discussion and recuse himself from any votes pertaining to it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I strongly suspect anything having to do with the foundation is very low on the priority list for the school board over the next year or three, cleaning up the mess Huff and company made will take a long time. Might be at a crisis stage if the district's stiffing of the shelter contractors is due to being low on cash instead of incompetence.
If the board is wanting to hire a quality superintendent, the search and employment of a superintendent cannot wait until after the April 2016 board election. Too many of the qualified superintendents will already be committed for the 2016-17 school year. You will be looking at extending the interim for two years.
ReplyDeleteIf Kimbrough cares about the district, he or his supporters need to drop the lawsuit and let this group take office. Enough bickering!
They need to hire Kerry Sachetta as interim superintendent - if he proves his mettle, hire him as a permanent replacement. If not, open it up.
Gatz said, "I've not made that decision but probably not."
ReplyDeleteThat is different than he might.
11:58 AM: It doesn't matter when the school board starts its search, it matter when good candidates can decide it's safe enough to take the position, when they can start the job without too much danger the school board after the next election will change enough that they'll be eased out or fired.
ReplyDeleteIf that delays the hiring of a permanent superintendent another year, then so be it. A rush to hire someone, anyone, will likely prove to be another disaster, given how thin the talent pool is since there are so many school districts in the country, and how grave the problems with the district are.
Why not just allow the voice of the PEOPLE to be heard, seat Kimbrough and get on with the business of the school district...not the business of the Counties of Jasper or Newton. Enough already...you think it is expedient to allow the big business bloc to run the schools too? Good grief...whatever happened to justice? And what do the Commissioners really think the Sunshine Law is for? For everyone else but them? Butt out now!!!
ReplyDelete11:58 you are crazy if you think Joplin should hire someone like Sachetta with no superintendent experience we are going to be in big trouble financially over the next several years and need someone with some knowledge to get us out of this mess. There is a big difference in running one building and running an entire school district.
ReplyDeleteNow we have a board member who yelled at and berated a bunch of disabled children in a public movie theater before the show started. Nice move, Commissioner.
ReplyDeleteThere will be a 2 year interim, he/she will be paid more than Huff (nobody worth anything would come to this mess for less than $225,000), be a retired super from a larger district (nobody with a future career would agree to risk career suicide) (Joplin needs someone with experience cleaning up disasters), and be smart enough to get the termination agreement in writing before agreeing to sign on in the event that the 4 new elected members are crazy. Joplin isn't finished paying for this disaster. After the interim cleans things up and takes some major heat from the public, they will find a permanent replacement who will come in and "save" us from the interim who is bound to anger many. It's going to be so dramatic.
ReplyDeleteIf Joplin wants a person who can dig the district out of the huge hole CJ put us in we need Dr Page. He is a genius when it comes to school finances. Joplin may be to far gone for much help be he can sure help the situation.
ReplyDeletePopcorn...☑ soda...☑ front row seat...☑
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what happens next!
2:16 Now that is funny, you can't make this crap up!
ReplyDeleteNo, No, No, No not Richard Page. He was nothing but bad news for Neosho. Why do you think he left for little Gravette, Ark.? Blaine Henningson, recently retired from Carthage, would be a wonderful choice.
ReplyDeleteThere really isn't any way to go but up for any interim superintendent. Just stop digging deeper the hole CJ and the old BoE put us in would be an improvement.
ReplyDeleteIf you Google Missouri Senate Bill 389, you will see that Gary Nodler was the bill's sponsor. Bill 389, passed in 2007, set in motion unfunded mandates that are now costing education dearly. And now he's on our BOE.
ReplyDeleteBut Nodler is a "proven leader".
DeleteNow you all see that Dr. Huff was the best man for the job. He kept the BOE, staff, and the district in line. The power vacuum left by this unappreciated genius will be impossible to fill. Enjoy your beautiful buildings, and good luck trying to find someone to lead!
ReplyDeleteJust kidding (;
I laughed when someone suggested Blaine Henningsen as interim superintendent for Joplin, who I think did a marvelous job at Carthage. Why would he retire from a district with a great board with a supportive community and come to work at Joplin considering the current state of affairs? An earlier post on Facebook thought a superintendent from a smaller area district (such as Carl Junction or Webb City) could be brought in - LOL - good look interesting them in coming in to this.
ReplyDeleteAlso a note - retired educators are permitted to work a maximum of 550 hours per school year (about 1/3 time for superintendents) without losing the retirement benefits for that year. So that would eliminate a retired person from being a full-time interim unless they wanted to freeze their benefits. Of course before the board can move forward with this selection, they need to get their own house in order and work through the lawsuits and other questions.
I doubt Speck is real busy these days--new superintendent, anyone? LOL
ReplyDelete