Leaving are the following:
Jennifer Fuller, fourth grade, West Central
Kelsie Nguyen, fourth grade Eastmorland
Christopher August, special education, Beacon
Stephanie Bohall, social studies, Joplin High School
Terra Davis, fifth grade, Cecil Floyd
Jacoby Martin, third grade, Jefferson
Emily Runion, first grade, Kelsey Norman
Charity Rydberg, special education, Joplin High School
Sarah Sebastion, first grade, Cecil Floyd
Chelsea Sneed, third grade, Cecil Floyd
The board gave no reason for the resignations of Fuller and Nguyen since they are tenured teachers whose resignations did not have to be approved. Nguyen had been with the district six years and Fuller five. Three of the teachers will be teaching in Kansas next year, August and Martin in Riverton and David in Columbus.
Runion will teach at Lamar and Sebastain in Potosi, while the documentation indicates that Sneed will teach in a non-public school in Carl Junction.
Health or family reasons (which is not specified) were given as the reasons for Bohall and Rydberg leaving.
The board approved the hiring of the following administrators:
Joshua Flora, Joplin High School assistant principal
Chris Mitchell, principal, Jefferson Elementary
Brian Olivera, assistant principal Irving Elementary
Teachers who were hired include the following:
Ian Derrickson, band director, North Middle School
Charles Jenkins, agricultural instructor, Franklin Tech
Julian Pock, kindergarten, Jefferson
Shelby Sullivan, first grade, Columbia
Nicole Thorn, kindergarten, Jefferson
Ed Trumbull, science, North Middle School
The district has posted six openings in the past three days:
Fifth grade, Jefferson Elementary
Kindergarten, McKinley Elementary
Second grade, Soaring Heights Elementary
Night HVAC instructor, Franklin Tech
Physical education, Kelsey Norman Elementary
Title 1 teacher, Columbia Elementary
These positions were posted last week:
Fifth grade, McKinley Elementary
Fourth grade, Eastmorland Elementary
Technology, South Middle School
If Lynda Banwart and her accomplice at the commissioners office have their way, we will all have to leave. There are more than this who have left. It goes on and on. Maybe they think the flight isn't as noticeable if they spread out the resignations that way. In the mean time, the best candidates have joined our departing teachers in other districts where the pay is much better and the conditions much more tolerable. The openings would get posted faster if Tina wasn't prescreening applicants and leaving administrators out of that conversation. I hate to think what qualities she is asking for, but she is asking college graduates for their ACT scores. Obviously, they were high enough.
ReplyDeleteThanks, R8, for once again filling our children's schools with more new faces... It's always a circus with these people.
ReplyDeleteWhat no Brandy Landis?
ReplyDeleteJacoby Martin will be teaching 1st grade at Galena Kansas not Riverton, his Aunt is a teacher there and his Uncle is the high school principal.
ReplyDeleteI subbed three days at McKinley Elementary with Kindergarteners last school year toward the end of the school year. If you can live with oversized classrooms and five year olds shouting multisyllabic curse words at you, good luck. Not surprised that position is vacant.
ReplyDeleteI worked for the district for 14 years, then moved to KC for six. When I returned last spring, I reapplied to the district but no principal ever saw my application. Tina made sure of that. My guess is that I am too expensive to hire. My experience and Golden Apple win means nothing to a district that only wants teachers straight out of college.
ReplyDeleteWhy does Joplin want ACT scores? No other school district that I know of asks for this. And what seasoned teacher even knows what his or her score is? Dr. Huff may be gone, but Tina isn't, so this revolving door of teachers in, teachers out will continue.
Tina Smith has known she was in over her head from the beginning. Fortunately, R8 does not require acumen or even rudimentary skill for top echelon positions. CJ knew he was bottom drawer and therefore surrounded himself with morons like Smith and Johnson. People who not only have no clue as to what they are doing, but as an added bonus, express their fear of being discovered by truculent behavior toward those inside and outside Joplin schools. Like little kids in a candy store, they take advantage at every turn, knowing that ultimately the Huff BOE will shield them. Poor Coleman thought he was one of the group until they threw him under the bus, What he did was wrong, and he knew it, However, there is no price (in lawsuits) too high for his boss Mike Johnson. This guy couldn't put two Legos together, and would piss off Mother Theresa. It makes a taxpayer wonder what kind of slash and burn tactics they will use in their ousting. Their daddy Huff stuck us for millions and left a district in tatters.
ReplyDeleteHouse cleaning. Tina Smith, Mike Johnson, Jason Cravens, Jennufer Dozier and all the Huff following principals.
ReplyDeleteI don't know these folks, but dealt with cravens before huff. At that time he was more than fair. How much is true character or desperation to save their jobs? The same was seen with rohr at the city level. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteWhy were routine resignations handled in closed session? The Open Meetings Act allows for bodies to handle hiring, firing, promotion and disciplinary action, NOT, repeat NOT, "personnel." What part of hiring, firing, etc., is accepting a resignation. Since slavery was outlawed more than a century ago, the board doesn't need to act, and most assuredly not in closed session. the person is quitting. Sure, they may need to be apprised of the situation, but not in closed session.
ReplyDeleteWhere the hell is the Globe on this?
And Anson B.
Advised by rouse? Open his position to others. Being handed the job by the "retired" side to go along, iis not worth $26,000 a year. Advice that commissioners would need to choose way informed without prior knowledge.
DeleteI'd say that was a banwart, landis, steele, huff, legal advise scheme. Stae audit reports these folks didn't see fit to obey sunshine laws....read it and weep globe, anson, etc. It's how they have been doing business .
ReplyDeleteWhat a bitter group of people. Someone doesn't get hired, they call out someone by name on this blog. People resign the board, others try to skirt the rules by not accepting their resignations. The situation is getting so bad that one has to wonder when the state will step in. Trust me, no one is going to let three people hold an entire district hostage for very much longer.
ReplyDeleteReally? We let one hold it hostage for seven years!
Delete@12:29....EXACTLY! !
Delete6:23: I agree with you EXCEPT for Jason Cravens. He is an excellent professional and cares about the kids and the district. I guarantee you he regrets leaving the High School to go to Administration. Losing him would NOT be a win for the district.
ReplyDelete12:07 If you have noticed, it is ONE member attempting to hold the other three Board members hostage. When is Lynda Banwart going to come down to the reality that her desire to have other than the elected Board members make decisions for the schools and thereby the children of Joplin is not in the best interests of the community? And, another thing, why did she take her contact information off of the School District webpage? Is she feeling some heat??? She needs to be held accountable. The other three members are acting honorably!!
ReplyDeleteOh get real. They aren't holding the district hostage, they are dealing with debris removal. They didn't create this. The resignations will be accepted. New members will be installed. Trust this, the boards hostage days are over. Why does everyone assume the "3" want control? They want a vote. The 3 know that everything should not go one way. That's why they ran and were elected. They wanted Jim kimbrough for his experience not to control his vote. They are not so pompous as others that it's their way or no way. We need the best way.
ReplyDeleteIs it true what these people say goes on in r8? Can't please everyone sure, but there are more than a few with similar situations. It should be addressed.
The presentation for $100,000 professional development phase 2 with a 3rd planned for how much showed you're to vote yes ask no questions. If it was so successful why didn't huff or landis speak up? No facts or examples to prove its worth. Not for everyone but only 60 people from 600? They left the presenter to spin with no wind to back it up. The vote wasn't against, just against an unproven process.
ReplyDeleteThere are more and more teachers still leaving by the day.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lynda, Randy, and Mike for continuing to ruin my children's education to prove who's important. I've got news for you. It isn't your accomplices on the JPC. We will all remember this for some time to come. Please go away.
Randy, do you know anything about the situation with Jennifer Dozier retaliating against teachers and moving them to other schools (they have tenure so they can't be fired). Any thoughts? Trying to find some info on that. Word has it, some teachers had some info on Jennifer when she was principal at McKinley and she didn't like that. I'm a Joplin parent and we have some concerns about the transfer of one of our best teachers. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard anything, but I will see what I can find out.
ReplyDelete