Some ideas on professional development for teachers

Nine days from now, the Joplin R-8 Board of Education will decide whether to spend $69,000 (plus $76,800 for substitute teachers), on the latest initiative that upper administrators claim teachers are begging for- Cognitive Coaching.

I have been critical of this initiative, as I was of its predecessor, Core Collaborative, because the best professional development, as Interim Superintendent Norm Ridder has said (even while pushing Cognitive Coaching) comes from the teachers.

That does not mean that outside consultants cannot be used occasionally, but in Joplin, as in many other area school districts, we have become used to administrators who hop on board for every educational fad that comes along.

And let's face it- it is much easier to pay $100,000 to a Core Collaborative or $69,000 to the L. B. Williams company for Cognitive Coaching, than it is to put in the time and create professional development that will truly benefit teachers and students.

Educational consulting firms have always been around, but the number exploded after the passage of No Child Left Behind and the requirements of Race to the Top that professional development be included in order for states and school districts to get federal dollars.

Those who created consulting firms came to a realization early in the game. With so many consulting firms competing with each other for a finite number of schools, the only way to consistently make money is to land long-term contracts.

In order to do that, they created programs that lasted multiple years. Instead of administrators and/or teachers attending a seminar and learning from the firms, they attended the seminars, had to bring the firms back to their school districts, and then signed up for frequent visits and training updates that would keep the cash flow going.

The training had to be different than what has gone before, so these companies latched on to  the latest fad or strung together ideas that had been used successfully in classrooms for decades, put a shiny new coat on them, came up with a catchy name and headed to the bank.

Sometimes, it goes as far as materials being copyrighted that cannot be used if the district decides to drop a consulting company. It is much easier to keep writing the checks than to change your professional development, which in most cases would be finding another consulting firm.

When I wrote about Cognitive Coaching earlier this week, a reader was critical to the point of being hateful:

Every school district, Joplin included, is given DESIGNATED federal dollars that can ONLY be used for professional development. If you don't spend it, you have to give it back. Not one penny comes out of general revenues or takes away from other programs, salaries, etc. this is motivated 100% by agenda, not at ALL about money. It's unbelievably stupid, as this is an INCREDIBLE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY for our teachers and staff to improve relationships and communications - the two issues that our researchers identified as the biggest problems impeding education in Joplin. So sit back and throw your ignorant stones, but it's truly ridiculous!

Contrary to what this reader believes, I have no problem with spending money on professional development. I have no problem with spending every penny that we receive for professional development, but once again, we are looking for simple solutions to a problem that is not so simple.

The best professional development is not what R-8 administrators have kept foisting upon a weary faculty- consulting firms that push the idea of cookie-cutter teachers, all using the same methods and teaching the same subjects in the same way.

That would certainly make it easier on administrators when they evaluate teachers. If the teachers don't toe the line and stray from the script, administrators can give them poor evaluations. It takes thinking out of the process.

When I think about the teachers who had the biggest impact on my life, I cannot think of any two in taught in the same style. They had two things in common- they cared about the students and they cared about the subjects they were teaching.

Some used more group projects; others had a strict, businesslike atmosphere in their classrooms. Contrary to the educational experts who are trying to push it out of the classroom, I had teachers who lectured and were spellbinding.

When you allow teachers to use their strengths, they flourish. When you crank them out an on assembly line, you hasten their departure from the profession and you do incalculable damage to the students.

A few months ago, just before a board meeting in which Ridder said, "Let's ask the teachers what they need," I corresponded with someone in the education field about a Denver Post article which had featured the sentiment that most professional development for educators was a waste of time.

I offered these thoughts in my response:

I have noticed quite a few articles on this topic lately and I am almost completely in agreement with the critics of the types of workshops and training that teachers receive. After No Child Left Behind was passed during the Bush Administration, hundreds of fly-by-night operators realized there was a killing to be made from this type of professional training. You have people like Bloomberg at Core Collaborative who take others' ideas, repackage them, and then present them as some sort of cure all for everything that ails education. For the most part, the ideas were not that good in the first place.

You also have the indoctrination meetings and that there are specifically to collect and work with data. There is nothing wrong with using data to improve education, but much of the data that is being reviewed at these meetings is meaningless.

As an example, I recall a few years ago that the teachers at North Middle School, threw themselves completely into the Acuity tests, to the point of designing all of their teaching around these tests. All remediation was based on Acuity. When the Acuity tests were given that year, North had the highest scores. That did not turn out to be an indicator of potential success on MAP. North was at the bottom that year. Meaningful data in this instance would have been the poverty levels in North. Poverty levels have always been more indicative of how students will fare on standardized tests.

Instead of spending hundreds of thousands on professional development that appears to be designed to make all teachers the same no matter what their strengths and weaknesses are, workshops and seminars should be devoted to things that would make it easier for teachers to succeed in the classrooms.

Rather than spending countless hours going over data, why not have workshops that help younger teachers deal with discipline in the classroom. Cutting down on the time spent trying to corral unruly students would do more to increase the level of learning at classrooms than any pre-packaged system.

Instead of talking about the need for classes to be relevant, why don't we have workshops designed to help teachers with ideas of bringing current issues into the classroom?

Why not have workshops to help teachers on methods to connect with parents. We spend so much of our professional development time working on pie-in-the-sky programs that we neglect areas that could do much more to improve students' learning and make classroom teachers more effective.

Why is it necessary to spend so much money on outsourced professional development. Even with the number of experienced teachers who have left the district over the past few years, there are still many veteran teachers in our district who could provide meaningful professional development without having to send people all over the United States and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. Why not offer stipends to these veteran teachers and see how much more relevant the professional development time would be for the teachers?

Why not work out exchanges with area school districts where we save money by having their experienced educators who have knowledge in some specific area come to Joplin, while we send ours to talk to them? This type of exchange would benefit Joplin and area schools since it would provide the required professional development at a savings. Or how about the possibility of using today's technology to hold professional development via Skype. A few years ago, someone in the district had the bright idea of having the middle school teachers in each area have the 7:15 meetings together at one school. While it did offer the opportunity for the teachers to get together, it created havoc for those who had to get back to their schools by the time classes started. I suggested Skype at that time, but it was never seriously considered and we had problems with those meetings all year.

Another thing that localizing the professional development and making it more relevant to the teachers would do would be to increase teacher buy-in.

Useless professional development and requirements to supply more and more data of the useless variety are among the reasons that excellent teachers have been checking out of Joplin and checking into other school districts.

I would also suggest making much greater use of the Southwest Center in Webb City and Greenbush in southeast Kansas, centers that were established to enable school districts to combine their resources and bring in the type of professional development that individual school districts cannot afford on their own.

Doing all of these things would require far more work than hiring another consulting firm, but they would not only build morale among faculty, they would also improve the quality of education that is being offered to our students.

Spend every last dime of the professional development money, but do it such in a way that the teachers will be able to invest in their own futures and become the best teachers they can be.

Core Collaborative: The miracle we worked in Joplin Schools

History belongs to those who write it.

For teachers in the Joplin R-8 School District, who were not thrilled with Core Collaborative, the expensive consulting firm brought in by former curriculum director Sarah Stevens, the 4-3 vote that booted the group was welcomed enthusiastically.

The Collaborative and its pied piper, Paul Bloomberg, repackaged theories that have been around for years, including some that had been discredited, and passed them off as a miracle cure for an administration that had few people who could tell the difference between professional development that worked and professional development that was a disaster.

As the R-8 Board of Education is considering yet another consulting firm to turn out a group of Stepford teachers, the original one is putting its spin on its time here, cashing in on Joplin with the release of a self-serving case study of its one year in the district, titled One School's Journey- The Story of Joplin Schools: An Impact Teams Case Study.

The study begins with a bleak assessment of the teaching that was taking place in Joplin:

 Totally absent was an aligned, engaging curriculum that was standards-based. In addition, high-quality, standards based formative assessments to measure student progress were not evident in most classrooms.

The study details what Core Collaborative did in Joplin and takes credit for improvements in MAP scores, though there is no evidence to indicate the consulting firm had anything to do with those improvements in the little time it was here.

Remarkably, the case study ends on a positive note talking about the new direction Joplin is moving in ... but failing to mention that the R-8 Board kicked Core Collaborative out, just one year into a three-year program:

I n 2015, the Joplin School district being guided by a new superintendent, Dr. Norm Ridder, went through a human-centered design plan to gather stakeholder voice and create a five-year strategic plan complete with a new mission and vision. 

With the help of community members, administration, teachers, parents, and students the vision of Joplin Schools is to engage a community of learners through integrity, empowerment, and opportunity. 

The plan has three main goals: Goal 1: Joplin Schools will prepare every learner to be physically, socially, and intellectually ready to take on the challenges in the next level of learning. Goal 2: Joplin Schools will be a team of empowered adults who are student-focused through their actions, resources, and continuous improvement cycles. Goal 3: Joplin Schools will be a customer-focused culture that demonstrates responsible management in a purposeful manner to add value to the system for the benefit of students, staff, and patrons of the district. In order to achieve these goals, Joplin Schools will build a high performing community of learners engaged in their future through a culture of continuous improvement. 

The next step is to continue to build capacity within the system by developing models of success and providing feedback through the Impact Team process. Taking the classroom model approach, a repeatable seven-week plan to support schools has been created in continuing to roll out student-centered learning one team at a time.

Of course, the study fails to mention that Ridder's plan began and was created after Core Collaborative was history in Joplin.

The study also includes glowing recommendations from two current upper administration members who pushed hard for the retention of Core Collaborative.

Executive Director of Student Services Mark Barlass offered the following testimonial:

I’ve been working for 17 years in special education and special programs, and in doing so I know what it’s like to be a segmented part of the educational process. 

Working with The Core Collaborative with a focus on the Impact Team Model has finally given our district a central focus. 

The work done by The Core Collaborative consultants has had a profound effect on all aspects of our district. For the first time in 17 years, I see all departments speaking a common language, from our special education programs, our English Language Learner programs, even our juvenile detention programs, everyone is speaking the same language. 

Positive things are happening in the way teachers are approaching their instruction, pedagogy is changing, and more best practice instructional strategies are being utilized. 

It used to be the only place you could get high quality instruction was in the general education setting, with implementation of The Impact Team Model, standards based instruction is taking place in the hallways, in the special education department, it’s happening all over our district and it’s something I’ve never seen before. Teacher team, school teams and teacher teams all working together towards a common goal is what anchors this work.

Jennifer Doshier, the current Executive Director of  Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, was also effusive in her praise:

Our leadership and administrative team have gained a much deeper understanding of teacher clarity and the formative process through leadership training on classroom walk throughs and specific feedback to students. 

With a strong focus on teacher clarity, self-regulated learning and specific feedback in communication arts from Dr. Bloomberg, we saw large percentile gains in our proficient and advanced students on state testing. 

Impact Teams were developed at one of our elementary schools and we saw gains in this already high performing school. We are looking forward to taking Impact Teams and the formative process to our other schools. Paul’s support was instrumental in this process and the success we have seen thus far. We look forward to the student achievement results in the future.

Surprisingly, one person whose testimonial was not included in the case study was the former Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (executive apparently was added for Doshier when she was moved to the job to justify her much higher salary) Sarah Stevens.

Stevens was removed from her position after aggressively pushing Core Collaborative, to the point of trying to have teachers get student video testimonials about its effectiveness and trying to convince area school districts that they should hire the firm.

Stevens submitted her resignation and is now listed as Director of Professional Learning for Core Collaborative.

Joplin Globe follows KOAM lead on Blasters story

Using an approach it has taken in the past, the Joplin Globe is once again taking a story that was broken by another news outlet, waited several days, then published it prominently, with little new information, making it appear that the Globe did the investigative work.

Several times in the past, that approach has been taken when original reporting was done by the Turner Report, then several days later appeared on page one of the Globe with only a few new facts or quotes added.

This time, and it is not the first time for this to happen, the Globe's story came as a result of investigative reporting by KOAM's Jordan Aubey.

In an article that was published online two hours ago, the Globe details the growing problems between the City of Joplin and the Joplin Blasters.

The e-mails used by the Globe are the same ones obtained by Aubey through a Sunshine Law request and cover such areas as the rumors that the Blasters are going to skip town and problems with the maintenance of Joe Becker Stadium.

The article does contains some minor points that were not made during Aubey's report.

I should mention that in no way am I saying that Globe reporters have committed plagiarism. That is not the case. Facts can't be copyrighted, but in these cases the Globe is taking important stories from other news sources, and without adding information that breaks new ground, packaging it as its page one story.

Of course, that is not the only approach the Globe has used with stories from other news outlets. Many times major stories have been slanted to provide a version that is more favorable to Globe officials' friends.

C. J. Huff: How Bright Futures would prevent school shootings

Former Joplin R-8 Superintendent C. J. Huff offered a prescription for dealing with school shootings and natural disasters during his keynote speech at the National School Safety Conference and Exposition in Orlando, Florida, Friday and it sounds suspiciously like Bright Futures.

During his nationwide "We Will Start School on Time" tour, Huff has continually pushed the notion that nearly all of the good things that happened in the city during the tornado recovery time happened because he had established the Bright Futures framework and brought the community together.

That formula applies to more than dealing with natural disasters.

“First of all, parents send their kids to school every day through our door with an expectation of safety,” former Joplin, Missouri Schools Superintendent C.J. Huff said during the last day of the National School Safety Conference at Omni Championsgate Resort in Osceola County

“Whether you talking about bullying or active shooters, or in my particular case, dealing with natural disasters, it .takes everybody pulling together to make sure that the resources are in place, that everybody is working together toward the same goal of having safe and secure learning environments where teachers can teach and kids can learn,” Huff said.

Huff's presentation, according to the program, was titled A Look Back at the Tornado Disaster in Joplin, Missouri. During each of his speeches on the tornado, Huff has cited the creation of Bright Futures as the key to being able to start school on time in August 2011.

Huff gave the closing keynote speech for the event, which also featured keynote speeches from William Modzeleski, former deputy undersecretary of the U. S. Department of Education, A. J. DeAndrea, SWAT commander and active shooter expert, and Don Alves, lead instructor for the National Tactical Officers Association.

Watch Democratic National Convention live

Text provided for Claire McCaskill speech at Democratic National Convention

(Sen. Claire McCaskill and other women senators just finished making short speeches for nominee Hillary Clinton moments ago. Following is the text of McCaskill's speech.)

We all know that Hillary is the most knowledgeable, most experienced, most capable leader to run for president in a long time. But here's something you may not know: Earlier this year, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, Hillary called me to check in not once, but several times. She asked me how my treatments were going, she told me to keep up the fight. Her words gave me strength during one of the toughest tests of my life. She didn't do it because I was a senator. There are thousands of people across this country who could tell the exact same story.

That's Hillary. She has the intelligence. She has the work ethic. But most importantly, she has heart to lead this country.

Text provided for Rep. Cleaver's speech at Democratic Convention

(The following speech was presented by Fifth District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver today at the Democratic National Convention.)

Let me begin by issuing a heartfelt invitation to our Republican friends: If your party is no longer becoming to you, then you should be coming to us. I have known Hillary Clinton for 25 years. And let me tell you, she's never let me down. And she won't let you down either.

In spite of what you heard last week, it is not midnight in America. Midnights can be cold and crippling. In reality, the sun has barely risen over the vastness of these United States. It is dawn in America and we are in the process of becoming. Yes, we are not yet what we shall become.

At a time when the citizens of this amazing country are jittery over a multitude of fears and heartaches, we need a leader who will become a trafficker in optimism and a peace peddler. Hillary will build a future we can all be part of and proud of.

There's an old story about Andrew Jackson. As a child, he looked like anything but a future general or president. In fact, one of his boyhood friends said Jim Brown who lived in the same area, could throw Andrew to the ground three times out of four in wrestling matches. Years later, a writer asked, "Why was there four matches? Jim should have won since in wrestling, if a person is thrown three times, it's all over. So what happened?" "Well, Jim would throw ole Andy BUT he'd get right up. Jim could never win because Andy wouldn't stay throwed – he wouldn't stay throwed!"

Here is a warning to those who might be tempted to spend the next four years trying to knock Hillary Clinton down: You'd better get ready for a woman who won't stay throwed.

They threw her down as the First Lady of the United States, but she wouldn't stay throwed.

They threw her down as a U.S. Senator, but she wouldn't stay throwed.

They threw her down as Secretary of State, but she wouldn't stay throwed.

They threw her down in this very presidential campaign, but she wouldn't stay throwed.

No, she ain't throwed yet!

So you want to be a Joplin High School assistant principal

With the promotion of Matt Harding to North Middle School principal, an assistant principal position at Joplin High School opened.

The following advertisement for the position was placed on the district website:

Position:                    JHS Assistant Principal

                                                               

Term:                        11 Months

Classification:             Certified/Exempt

Location:                     Joplin High School

Qualifications:             Valid Missouri certification in School Administration, grades 9

   12, required

   Master’s degree or higher in Educational Administration,    required

                                   

Supervisory:                Yes

Reports to:                  Principal

Joplin Schools is looking for a JHS Assistant Principal.  The ideal candidate should demonstrate a high level of professional leadership to administer, supervise and organize, to help increase academic achievement.  Candidate should have a strong background in teaching for academic achievement, experience in the development of curriculum, and demonstrated leadership for instructional excellence. 

General Expectations:

• Supports the mission of Joplin Schools.
• Supports the value of education.
• Complies with the privacy rights of students.
• Safeguards confidential and/or sensitive information.
• Communicates effectively with all the members of the school district and community.
• Provides excellence in customer service both internally and externally.
• Reacts to change productively.
• Keeps abreast of new information, innovative ideas and techniques.
• Maintains accurate records and filing systems for accountability and audit purposes.
• Ensures that all activities conform to district, state, or federal guidelines.

Essential Functions:

• Observe, mentor and evaluate teachers
• Lead professional collaboration with teams of teachers
• Serve as a curriculum specialist in the building
• Assist with the creation of the professional development plan for the building
• Monitor curriculum development
• Supervise students
• Implement and enforce the district’s student discipline policy
• Coordinate and oversee student organizations and activities
• Perform the duties of the principal in the absence of the principal
• Attend student activities and events outside of the academic day
• Supervise hallways and cafeteria
• Assist the principal in creating and maintaining handbooks
• Carry out all other duties as assigned.

Skills/Abilities:

An individual who holds this position must have the ability to:

Language:

• Present information to staff members
• Respond to common questions and complaints
• Interview students and staff
• Read, analyze and interpret professional journals, Board policy, administrative procedures, government memos and statutes
• Write staff memos and ordinary business correspondence
• Keep information confidential when required by law, policy or a particular situation

Computation:

• Compute ratios, percentages and create and interpret graphs and figures

Reasoning:

• Define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions

Technology:

• Basic computer word processing, spreadsheet and research skills
• Ability to access and create reports using the district’s student information software

Physical Demands

An individual who holds this position is frequently required to move in and around buildings and grounds to visit classrooms, attend meetings, sit for up to an hour at a time and supervise bus loading and unloading areas.

Hearing:

The employee must be able to hear a conversation in a noisy environment.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions

                                                                                                                     

Attendance

Regular and consistent attendance is an essential function of this position. 

The work conditions and environment described here are representative of those that an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Conditions and Environment

The work environment is consistent with a typical office environment; however the individual who holds this position will regularly be required to be outside in temperatures below freezing and above 100 degrees.

An individual who holds this position is frequently required to work irregular or extended hours.

Note:  The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees, and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.  Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.

KOAM report: Eagle Picher lays off 135 full-time workers

KOAM is reporting Eagle Picher laid off 135 workers today, using imported security to escort more recent hires and long-time employees alike off the property.

This marks the second time in two months that Eagle Picher has laid off a sizable number of workers. In late May, approximately 90 employees who were eliminated, bringing the two-month total to somewhere around 225 employees or one-quarter of the company's Joplin workforce.

One of those who was laid off, Tony Grimm, provided his thoughts on why the layoffs occurred:

Grimm says the terminations aren't because of decrease in demand for manufactured products. Rather, he believes Eagle Picher is getting ready to be bought-out.

"It's going to look really good for the new company that they're not going to have all this payout," says Grimm.

Between now and that possible buy-out, though, reality is still sinking-in.

Grimm said at the end of our interview, "I'm probably done. I got to go. I'm just tired now. I think it's just hitting me hard, all of a sudden."

Attorney: Mercy McCune-Brooks administrator will fight DWI charge

Joplin attorney Judd McPherson tells the Carthage Press that his client, Mercy McCune-Brooks Administrator Scott Watson will fight DWI charges if they are filed in Joplin Municipal Court. A decision on that will likely not be made before an administrative hearing 1:30 p.m. September 16 in Jasper County Circuit Court:

The Joplin Police arrested Watson, the longtime Newton County prosecuting attorney, 1:15 a.m. Saturday, July 2, at Mile Marker 9 on eastbound I-44. Watson refused to take a breathalyzer test.

“There's two aspects to a DWI, criminal and administrative,” McPherson said. “I don't talk about specifics about a case while it's pending, but I will tell you generally, every case where there is a DWI and a refusal, the burden is on the state to show that there was probable cause to ever request a test. That is an issue that we're addressing, whether there were indicators to establish probable cause to even request a test.”

McPherson said the state will have to prove that the stop was justified in this administrative hearing. If that can't be proven, the state likely has no probable cause for a criminal case, he said.

Matt Harding named North Middle School principal

(From Joplin Schools)

Joplin Schools announced today that Matt Harding has been named principal of North Middle School. He will begin the position August 1. He replaces Dr. Brandon Eggleston, who was recently named principal for Joplin High School.

Mr. Harding has served as an assistant principal at Joplin High School since 2010. He helped manage the operations of the temporary JHS 9/10 Campus from 2011 to 2014 following the tornado.

“Mr. Harding is a great fit for this important leadership role,” said Dr. Norm Ridder, interim superintendent for Joplin Schools. “His experience in the classroom and years as a high school assistant principal will ensure a continued positive focus on improvement and excellence for students and staff at North Middle School.”

Mr. Harding began his teaching career at Joplin High School in 1999. He has served the district for 17 years. He received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Missouri Southern State University, Joplin. He earned a master’s degree in education administration from William Woods University and a specialist degree in education leadership from Southwest Baptist University. Mr. Harding was also named Assistant Principal of the Year by the Southwest Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals.

Eagle-Picher calls in police, extra security as it makes second big layoff in two months

Following the same practice used when the company laid off 90 employees in late May, Eagle Picher in Joplin has hired extra security and has Joplin Police at the plant as it executes what appears to be an even bigger layoff today.

Company officials told KZRG they would release more information later today.

A Facebook posts from one laid off worker who worked at EP for six years indicates the worker received only two weeks of severance pay, while a 30-year veteran received seven weeks of severance pay.

One thing the workers had in common was being escorted out of the building by security.

State audit: Vernon County lack of cybersecurity puts citizen information at risk

(From State Auditor Nicole Galloway)

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released her audit of Vernon County operations, finding weaknesses in the county's cybersecurity and billing practices.

"Our team found a number of issues that impact efficiencies in county offices and, in some cases, put citizen information at risk," Auditor Galloway said. "We've made recommendations to improve county operations, and I am pleased by the commitment county officials have shown to making changes that will better serve residents."

Auditors found multiple county offices had inadequate password security, and some employee passwords were not kept confidential. In one office, backup data was not tested periodically or stored offsite, increasing the risk of loss in the event of a disaster, data breach or other incident.

The report also identified issues with outstanding bills in the sheriff's office. When necessary, the county houses prisoners for other local governments, such as cities or neighboring counties, and bills those entities for the cost. Auditors found the office was not taking appropriate steps to collect on the outstanding bills, which totaled more than $30,000, including one bill for nearly $25,000 owed by a nearby county. Similarly, the office does not track outstanding bills for civil process fees for duties such as serving subpoenas.

Auditors also found incomplete records for property seized in the sheriff's office and the office has not conducted a physical inventory of all seized property, and raised concerns about transfers of administrative service fees from the county's Special Road and Bridge Fund to its General Revenue Fund. Although state law allows for transfers in certain circumstances, auditors found that county transfers exceeded the allowable amount by more than $50,000 due to budgeted construction projects that were not completed. County officials have said they will work to repay the excess amount.

The full report for Vernon County, which received an overall performance rating of "good," can be found here.

Taxpayer: District cannot afford Cognitive Coaching, new initiatives

(A reader submitted the following comment concerning a Wednesday night post about the Joplni R-8 Board of Education delaying a decision on paying $69,000 (plus more than that to hire substitutes when the training takes place) for a consulting firm to come to Joplin.)

Thanks, Dr. Fort and other board members for asking the questions that should and must be asked. 

The district CANNOT AFFORD to sink any more money into these initiatives at this time. Joplin is still talking as if there is a bottomless pit of money. There is NOT! Let these things go for now and keep teachers in the classroom. 

And the idea that those who are at the top salary levels keep harping on - If you don't give us the highest wage possible, we'll go somewhere else and you'll be sorry. - has become disgusting to me. 

That argument sure doesn't work for the majority of the working public who must work harder and harder for less and less. We just got rid of a superintendent who was one of the highest paid in the state and he still very nearly destroyed our school system. 

The $180,000 (plus God knows how much in benefits) is more than fair and the public must demand results for that salary just as we demand performance from our teaching staff. 

The BOE needs to concentrate on supporting and paying the most important members of the district - our teachers. And, no, I do not work for the school district. I'm just a taxpayer. 

So BOE and Dr. Ridder, come clean to the public, get your financial house in order, concentrate on quality teaching and stop the ridiculous idea of adding more and more unproven programs.

State audit identifies problems found in municipal courts

(From State Auditor Nicole Galloway)

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released a compilation report on concerning practices her office has identified in municipal courts around the state. The report outlines five of the most high-risk areas identified when examining court practices and financial activity. From collecting improper fees to keeping incomplete court records, recent audits have uncovered a range of practices that impede court efficiencies and, in some cases, violate state law.

"Municipal courts are charged with ensuring citizens follow the law, and they must be held to the same standard," Auditor Galloway said. "Today's report reveals that the problems we've seen in municipal courts are not limited to one part of the state or to one or two bad policies. We've seen repeated challenges that prevent Missourians from having the municipal courts they deserve. Courts should operate efficiently, effectively and fairly, and these audits shine a light on problems and make recommendations, so that work can begin toward regaining citizen trust."

The high-risk areas identified are:

1) Missing funds - In two municipal courts, auditors identified a total of nearly $80,000 in missing funds, with an additional $31,000 likely missing.

2) Lack of oversight - In 16 courts, auditors found weaknesses over court financial practices, increasing the risk of theft or misuse of funds. In some courts, one employee was responsible for nearly all financial transactions, with little or no supervisory review. In other courts, employees failed to ensure money was received and deposited properly or prepare accurate monthly reports for city or state officials. A number of municipal divisions failed to adequately monitor costs owed to the court because of fines, incarceration costs or court-ordered restitution.

3) Improper fees and poor record-keeping - Municipal courts around Missouri failed to monitor the statuses of cases, and auditors identified missing records, data entry errors and poor review procedures. Auditors also found numerous courts charged improper failure-to-appear and warrant fees, and some courts charged other problematic fees for different reasons, such as bond fees or booking fees. In total, auditors identified at least $316,000 in fees collected that appeared improper or were assessed for the wrong amounts. Records also showed that, in a number of courts, prosecuting attorneys and municipal judges did not personally sign critical documents, entrusting clerks to make certain decisions or rely on a signature stamp for approval.

4) Inadequate documentation for vehicle stop reporting - A number of police departments failed to maintain documentation to support the vehicle stop data they were required to submit to the Attorney General's Office, preventing auditors from verifying any of the information reported.

5) Funds owed for excess revenue from traffic violations - Across the state, cities miscalculated the amounts owed to the state for excess revenue generated by traffic violations. In some cases, a city's general operating revenue and the revenue generated by fines and court costs for traffic violations were both inaccurate. Five audits identified a total of $765,000 in excess revenues owed to the state, although the total number is likely even higher, as some cities failed to keep accurate records of traffic ticket revenue.

The summary report compiled information from 18 municipal court audits issued between July 2014 and June 2016. The complete Municipal Court Summary report is available online here.

Reader: It's time for the Blasters to go away

(A reader left the following comment on a recent post about the problems between the City of Joplin and the Joplin Blasters.)

A long list of names are responsible for this mess.

It started with Mark Rohr who ordered the parks and recreation director Chris Cotten to find an anchor tenant to Becker. Cotten went so far as to say either he had to find a tenant or the second option was the bulldozer.

Cotten sold a bill of goods to council going so far as comparing independent league baseball as equivalent to AA. He later admitted knowing nothing about baseball, just doing was he was told to do by his boss Rohr.

The debacle that is the 2016 Blasters is a combination of bad decisions made by the city finance director (who conspired behind the scenes to push through a bad agreement), the city attorney (who provided bad counsel to the city council) and the Mayor who wanted to push through an agreement and get the team back regardless. Only Bill Scearce had the backbone to stand up and oppose a new lease for 2016. The city manager and current parks director did not recommend to renew the agreement, but council would not consider their recommendations. Someone needs to do an open records request between Suarez, city finance and city attorney and see what those conversations yield. Perhaps emails from the mayor too.

The Blasters are to blame also. With them, it has been one poor excuse after another. From failing to pay players, failing to properly take care of its stadium, failing to honor commitments to vendors and partner organizations. The Suarez family has proven to be a failure at baseball ownership and it has been a bad deal for the entire city and region. They need to go away and I truly hope professional baseball does not return to Joplin because of them.

Joplin R-8 Board delays decision on latest miracle consulting firm

You couldn't blame those who were serving on the Joplin R-8 Board of Education last year if they thought they were caught in some kind of time loop.

It was only a year ago that the board members listened to a breathless Director of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction Sarah Stevens as she spoke on (and on and on) about the wonders of the $100,000 a year consulting firm Core Collaborative.

The principals wanted it. The teachers wanted it. The students wanted it.

All God's children wanted Core Collaborative.

The only problem is none of it was true.

Sure, Stevens produced some administrators and teachers who talked about how Core Collaborative had improved their classrooms, lifted the students' spirits and completely eliminated unsightly acne, but those were carefully selected proponents.

Teachers at all levels told the Turner Report, Core Collaborative, like many of the outside consulting firms that were formed to cash in after the passage of No Child Left Behind, took basic ideas that were already being employed in the classrooms of veteran teachers, added a few educational buzzwords and then the district started pulling dozens of teachers out of classes for training several days during the year.

When newly elected board members Jeff Koch and Jennifer Martucci, holdover Debbie Fort and Jasper County Commission appointee Gary Nodler voted not to renew the district's contract with Core Collaborative, Sarah Stevens stamped her foot and left the board room in a huff.

(Former Superintendent C. J.) Huff wasn't too happy about it either.

Stevens was later removed from her position and resigned from the district...and moved seamlessly to a job with Core Collaborative.

Though Core Collaborative is gone, there is always another patent medicine consulting firm ready to step into the breach.

The first inkling that history was repeating itself came when Interim Superintendent Norm Ridder said, "We're going to have Sarah come up here and discuss with you where we're at. We have a very excited staff who want it immediately. Sarah can explain what is going on." Ridder was referring to the female administrator who was going to present information on the consulting firm, L. B. Williams, which has been working with district officials and teachers spreading the joys of "Cognitive Coaching."

Only it wasn't Sarah Stevens who stepped up to the board table.

The administrator who gave the rapturous sales pitch for Cognitive Coaching was Assistant Director of Special Services Sandra Cantwell (pictured with Executive Director of Student Services Mark Barlass)Ridder later apologized to Cantwell for calling her by the wrong name.

At that point, however, Cantwell simply began praising the district's latest initiative.

Instead of telling teachers what to do, Cantwell said, with Cognitive Coaching "you take them to a deeper level of thinking."

It not only takes teachers to a deeper level of thinking, she added, but "you coach the teachers on their thinking."

In the old days, Cantwell said, principals "went in and observed (teachers) and we wrote down everything that we saw.. We told them what they did well and what they need to improve on, which is really a judgmental statement. Cognitive Coaching takes the focus off of those judgmental statements."

With Cognitive Coaching, principals won't have to worry about doing any of that.

And it also focuses on the student, Cantwell said, making the teacher think about "what would success look like for this little guy in your school, rather than I think you need to do this, this, and this?'

"It's powerful," she said. "I even tried it on my husband."  She did not mention if she was teaching him how to think.

Cognitive Coaching helps teachers become "reflective practitioners," Cantwell said, sprinkling some educational jargon in for the seasoning.

"You're not telling them what to do; you're teaching them how to think."

No one questioned that Orwellian concept.

The biggest difference between Core Collaborative and Cognitive Coaching- Ridder is the one pushing the latest miracle cure. But don't worry, he said. "It's basically going to those who want it."

Judging from Ridder's endorsement of Cognitive Coaching, everyone wants it. When he made his rounds at the schools, "People were saying, 'I want this!' "

See what I mean.

The cost for Cognitive Coaching is $69,000, which would bring in trainers to handle three cohorts, with 40 teachers in each cohort.

The best thing about the program, Executive Director of Student Services Mark Barlass said, is that the money comes from federal Title 2A funds.

"It's no cost to the district, except for the substitutes."

Perhaps it's no cost to the district, but every taxpayer in the district (and elsewhere in the United States) will pay for it.

And substitute teachers make $80 per day, meaning that each day just one training day for the three cohorts costs $9,600.

Each cohort will have eight days, which adds up to $76,800 for substitute teachers, or a total of $145,800 for the training.

Board member Debbie Fort, who has always been critical of pulling teachers out of the classroom, questioned the need for that. "That's taking 120 teachers out of the classroom. Can't we do summer training?" She also suggested training on district professional development days or on weekends.

Without addressing the professional development days or weekends, Ridder said, "The real issue is they have to be with kids to practice," indicating that if the teachers were trained in the summer, it would be completely forgotten by the beginning of school. "That's why it's during the year."

Fort persisted, continuing to note the time that teachers would be away from students.

"This is responding to the demand from teachers," Ridder said. "Teachers want this. For us to slow down, it's kind of smacking them in the face and saying, 'Hey, you're not that important. I'm concerned about that a little bit.' "

"How do you know teachers want this?" Musser asked.

"Oh, my!" Ridder exclaimed. "Just walk in the building and ask them,"

Board member Lori Musser questioned why the training could not be done locally at the Southwest Center in Webb City, where 67 R-8 teachers and administrators trained last year. Fort noted that the district pays a fee to belong to the Southwest Center.

"Southwest Center was having people in, but they weren't having people in," Ridder said.

Thanks for clarifying that.

Ridder also noted that if it would help the board, "We can bring teachers here to testify." Hmm, that sounds familiar.

Fort indicated she wanted evidence that the teachers actually want the training and evidence that the training that has already taken place has been effective.

"Do we have 120 teachers who are interested in this training?" Fort asked.

No one seemed to know.

The board postponed approval until the August 9 meeting.

(The discussion on Cognitive Coaching begins at the two hour and 10 minute mark of the accompanying video.)

You couldn't blame those who were serving on the Joplin R-8 Board of Education last year if they thought they were caught in some kind of time loop.

It was only a year ago that the board members listened to a breathless Director of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction Sarah Stevens as she spoke on (and on and on) about the wonders of the $100,000 a year consulting firm Core Collaborative.

The principals wanted it. The teachers wanted it. The students wanted it.

All God's children wanted Core Collaborative.

The only problem is none of it was true.

Sure, Stevens produced some administrators and teachers who talked about how Core Collaborative had improved their classrooms, lifted the students' spirits and completely eliminated unsightly acne, but those were carefully selected proponents.

Teachers at all levels told the Turner Report, Core Collaborative, like many of the outside consulting firms that were formed to cash in after the passage of No Child Left Behind, took basic ideas that were already being employed in the classrooms of veteran teachers, added a few educational buzzwords and then the district started pulling dozens of teachers out of classes for training several days during the year.

When newly elected board members Jeff Koch and Jennifer Martucci, holdover Debbie Fort and Jasper County Commission appointee Gary Nodler voted not to renew the district's contract with Core Collaborative, Sarah Stevens stamped her foot and left the board room in a huff.

(Former Superintendent C. J.) Huff wasn't too happy about it either.

Stevens was later removed from her position and resigned from the district...and moved seamlessly to a job with Core Collaborative.

Though Core Collaborative is gone, there is always another patent medicine consulting firm ready to step into the breach.

The first inkling that history was repeating itself came when Interim Superintendent Norm Ridder said, "We're going to have Sarah come up here and discuss with you where we're at. We have a very excited staff who want it immediately. Sarah can explain what is going on." Ridder was referring to the female administrator who was going to present information on the consulting firm, L. B. Williams, which has been working with district officials and teachers spreading the joys of "Cognitive Coaching."

Only it wasn't Sarah Stevens who stepped up to the board table.

The administrator who gave the rapturous sales pitch for Cognitive Coaching was Assistant Director of Special Services Sandra Cantwell (pictured with Executive Director of Student Services Mark Barlass)Ridder later apologized to Cantwell for calling her by the wrong name.

At that point, however, Cantwell simply began praising the district's latest initiative.

Instead of telling teachers what to do, Cantwell said, with Cognitive Coaching "you take them to a deeper level of thinking."

It not only takes teachers to a deeper level of thinking, she added, but "you coach the teachers on their thinking."

In the old days, Cantwell said, principals "went in and observed (teachers) and we wrote down everything that we saw.. We told them what they did well and what they need to improve on, which is really a judgmental statement. Cognitive Coaching takes the focus off of those judgmental statements."

With Cognitive Coaching, principals won't have to worry about doing any of that.

And it also focuses on the student, Cantwell said, making the teacher think about "what would success look like for this little guy in your school, rather than I think you need to do this, this, and this?'

"It's powerful," she said. "I even tried it on my husband."  She did not mention if she was teaching him how to think.

Cognitive Coaching helps teachers become "reflective practitioners," Cantwell said, sprinkling some educational jargon in for the seasoning.

"You're not telling them what to do; you're teaching them how to think."

No one questioned that Orwellian concept.

The biggest difference between Core Collaborative and Cognitive Coaching- Ridder is the one pushing the latest miracle cure. But don't worry, he said. "It's basically going to those who want it."

Judging from Ridder's endorsement of Cognitive Coaching, everyone wants it. When he made his rounds at the schools, "People were saying, 'I want this!' "

See what I mean.

The cost for Cognitive Coaching is $69,000, which would bring in trainers to handle three cohorts, with 40 teachers in each cohort.

The best thing about the program, Executive Director of Student Services Mark Barlass said, is that the money comes from federal Title 2A funds.

"It's no cost to the district, except for the substitutes."

Perhaps it's no cost to the district, but every taxpayer in the district (and elsewhere in the United States) will pay for it.

And substitute teachers make $80 per day, meaning that each day just one training day for the three cohorts costs $9,600.

Each cohort will have eight days, which adds up to $76,800 for substitute teachers, or a total of $145,800 for the training.

Board member Debbie Fort, who has always been critical of pulling teachers out of the classroom, questioned the need for that. "That's taking 120 teachers out of the classroom. Can't we do summer training?" She also suggested training on district professional development days or on weekends.

Without addressing the professional development days or weekends, Ridder said, "The real issue is they have to be with kids to practice," indicating that if the teachers were trained in the summer, it would be completely forgotten by the beginning of school. "That's why it's during the year."

Fort persisted, continuing to note the time that teachers would be away from students.

"This is responding to the demand from teachers," Ridder said. "Teachers want this. For us to slow down, it's kind of smacking them in the face and saying, 'Hey, you're not that important. I'm concerned about that a little bit.' "

"How do you know teachers want this?" Musser asked.

"Oh, my!" Ridder exclaimed. "Just walk in the building and ask them,"

Board member Lori Musser questioned why the training could not be done locally at the Southwest Center in Webb City, where 67 R-8 teachers and administrators trained last year. Fort noted that the district pays a fee to belong to the Southwest Center.

"Southwest Center was having people in, but they weren't having people in," Ridder said.

Thanks for clarifying that.

Ridder also noted that if it would help the board, "We can bring teachers here to testify." Hmm, that sounds familiar.

Fort indicated she wanted evidence that the teachers actually want the training and evidence that the training that has already taken place has been effective.

"Do we have 120 teachers who are interested in this training?" Fort asked.

No one seemed to know.

The board postponed approval until the August 9 meeting.

(The discussion on Cognitive Coaching begins at the two hour and 10 minute mark of the accompanying video.)

FEMA rejects Joplin R-8 requests for reimbursement, millions at stake

FEMA has rejected the Joplin R-8 School District's requests for reimbursement for work done on the East Middle School building twice and has rejected the request for millions in money for "errors and omissions" once.

Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting was the first time district officials have acknowledged publicly that the federal agency is not seeing eye to eye with them on what expenses taxpayers should be expected to reimburse.

CFO Paul Barr said the district filed "a second appeal" to FEMA on the East project and in response to a question from board member Debbie Fort said the initial request for reimbursement on millions of dollars in "errors and omissions" had also been turned down.

The district's budget and its balances have been based on the money Barr has indicated month after month would be headed this way.

"Errors and omissions" is a phrase that includes items that were not originally in the plans district officials submitted to FEMA, including what Barr termed in a 2014 board meeting as "might-as-well spending," which he defined as spending that takes place because the district wanted to do it at some point and it "might as well" do it now.

Barr's reference was to items that had been added at Joplin High School, including extra tennis courts, artificial turf and lighting for all fields and practice fields, and a track at the high school, all items that had not been included in the original plans.

The documentation provided to the board Tuesday night did not include any information about exactly how much money the district is hoping to receive, but documentation provided for the March meeting indicated that the district had received $11.4 million at that time with an additional $17.1 million that has still not been paid. That amount included $207,708 for the East Middle School'Soaring Heights grounds.The documentation made no mention of which of the remaining $16.9 million falls into the "errors and omissions" category.

Woman suing Joplin police officer arrested for assaulting cops in 2014

The woman suing a Joplin Police Department officer for allegedly punching her, kicking her, and fondling her breasts, was charged with two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer April 7, 2014, according to documents on file with the Cleveland County, Oklahoma District Court.

The charges were apparently dropped or pleaded out since they do not appear in Greene County's online court records, but she was charged as a "fugitive from justice," a felony in Cleveland County. That charge was later dropped, according to court records.

Tritthart, 33, Miami, Oklahoma, filed her lawsuit against Officer Seth Lugenbell and the City of Joplin June 29 in Newton County Circuit Court. It was transferred to federal court Monday. In a motion filed Tuesday, the lawyers who filed the case, Andrew B. Protzman and Christopher M. Sorenson of the Protzman Law Firm of Kansas City, asked to be allowed to withdraw from the lawsuit, citing disagreements with Trittheart.

Celine Dion to sing at Billy Long's Weekend in Vegas fundraiser

For those of you who haven't made up your minds about participating in Seventh District Congressman Billy Long's Weekend in Vegas fundraiser, the organizers have added another enticement that makes it a can't miss event.

Singer Celine Dion will perform during the event with a concert October 1 according to an invitation, which accompanies this post.

The event is scheduled September 30-October 3 at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel.

Any high rollers who want to contribute $2,500 to Long's campaign account can do so by sending their RSVP to Ali Schultz of White Birch Strategies, a recently-formed LLC that specializes in fundraising, event planning, and political finances..

 

Lawyers for woman suing Joplin Police officer want nothing to do with lawsuit

The lawyers for a woman who is suing Joplin Police officer Seth Lugenbell and the City of Joplin want to get as far away from the lawsuit as they can.

In a motion filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, lawyers Andrew B. Protzman and Christopher M. Sorenson of the Protzman Law Firm of Kansas City, asked to be allowed to withdraw from the lawsuit, which was originally filed in Newton County Circuit June 29 and was transferred to federal court today.

Protzman said he and his client, Cassie Tritthart, Miami, Oklahoma, "have divergent views about the disposition of the underlying case. Plaintiff insists upon taking action that counsel have a fundamental disagreement with. Counsel can no longer effectively represent Plaintiff due to the divergent views of Plaintiff and counsel, and Plaintiff’s insistence upon taking action that counsel have a fundamental disagreement with."

Tritthart and Protzman had a telephone conversation about the case and could not agree, according to the motion.

In the lawsuit, Tritthart claimed that Joplin Police officer Seth Lugenbell punched her, kicked her, and fondled her breasts while arresting her at Mercy Hospital January 31.

More information about the case can be found at this link.

Joplin school district seeking $180,000 superintendent

Board member Lynda Banwart (pictured) and the search firm hired to find a new superintendent were ready to crack the $200,000 barrier in annual salary for the next person hired to lead the Joplin R-8 School District.

"I'm not advocating spending more money," Banwart said, just before she advocated for spending more money.

So did Ryan Ray and Dr .William Newman of Ray and Associates, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, based search firm.

"We don't want you to be a training ground," Ray said. "The average stay for a superintendent is three years. If they come in at $160,000, they may come in and jump." Ray added the board should "make (the pay) good enough where the person would want to stay here a couple of years."

Both Ray and Newman recommended paying $200,000 for the new superintendent. "For your district and the shape and issues you've got to have $200,000," Newman said.

The board discussed the kinds of candidates that could be attracted if the salary was lower than $200,000, including administrators from smaller school districts. Surprisingly, no one mentioned that the district went that route in 2007 when it hired a new superintendent from the smaller Eldon district, C. J. Huff, for $160,000.

A discussion was also held on what type of superintendent the district needs. Banwart said she was looking for someone with business experience, while Board President Jeff Koch opted for someone with more of an educational presence.

It was noted that the five-year plan that the board approved recently would provide the new superintendent with a basic structure for education and Ridder will also be concentrating on classroom and curriculum during his final year. That framework would enable the incoming superintendent to concentrate more on finances.

But he or she will also face other problems. Board member Debbie Fort said, "We need someone who can rebuild the trust," a reference to the problems the district had during the era when it was guided by Huff and Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer.

The $200,000 annual salary was too much for board member Lori Musser, who noted she did not want to be at Wal-Mart and have to explain to a teacher why the district was paying $200,000 for a superintendent when its teachers are being paid below those in neighboring districts.

Board member Chris Sloan said he also had problems with paying that much.

The board rejected a motion to set the salary at $190,000, then approved, by a 6-1 margin, an $180,000 salary, with Banwart, who wanted to pay more, casting the dissenting vote.

Joplin R-8 Board on target to hire superintendent by early November

The Joplin R-8 Board of Education approved a timeline for its search for a new superintendent moments ago.

The search process will begin and end with community involvement. Open forums will be held, likely on August 10 and 11. Early meetings will also be scheduled with stakeholder groups, including faculty, support workers, the business community, and students.

The deadline for input into what the district should be seeking in a superitendent will be August 12.

Ray and Associates, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, firm that is conducting the search, will have the profile for superintendent applicants prepared by August 23, with that information being placed in advertisements.

The deadline for applications will be September 23. Ray and Associates will screen the applications and trim the list to 10 to 12 from September 23 to October 11.

After October 11, the board will meet with the search firm and further reduce the candidates to five or six.

Those candidates will be interviewed the week of October 25. At that point, the number of candidates will likely be cut to two and those candidates will not only interview with the board again, but will also meet with the community.

If the timeline is followed, a new superintendent for the Joplin R-8 School District will be selected the week of November 1.

(Photos- Above Ray and Associates officials pass out information to Joplin R-8 Board members. Bottom photo- Dr. William Newman and Ryan Ray of Ray and Associates.)

Watch the Joplin R-8 Board Meeting live at 6 p.m.

Joplin city manager provides weekly update

(City Manager Sam Anselm sent the following update to the Joplin City Council Friday.)

Good afternoon, everyone. Please see below for this week’s update.

Key Meetings

-Monday and Tuesday were spent meeting with departments to go over their budgets for FY 2016-17. Staff is finalizing the draft budget document for your review, as well as a list of capital items that were cut during the budget process, personnel adjustments, etc. I will send out a more detailed budget memo when the draft budget is ready for distribution, but per Councilman Stinnett’s request, we will be happy to accommodate council’s request for additional budget meetings.

-On Thursday, I met with Head Start representatives from Economic Security Corporation to discuss an early childhood grant they are applying for. They are seeking support from several organizations, and wanted to find out whether the city had any facilities that could be used as a center to leverage the grant application. Staff has begun exploring various options, but no commitments have been made to this point. The agency did ask for a letter of support for the grant application, and they provided me with some information that I will get to you. But we do know there is a need for more infant/toddler care in our community, as highlighted through the discussions with the school district on their early childhood center.

-Later that afternoon, Director Bolander and I met with a developer who is interested in applying for Low Income Housing Tax Credits to build additional multi-family housing in Joplin. To date, we know of three developers who will be applying for these tax credits through the state, and they have all requested a letter of support or resolution from the city that supports their applications. But, for the benefit of those who are new to council, we no longer provide letters of support for these projects. However, we do provide letters of acknowledgement that their projects fit within our comprehensive plan, zoning regulations, etc., which is all the state requires from communities where these projects take place. From what I understand, the process of providing resolutions or letters of support got fairly political in years past, so it was decided by a past council that we would no longer provide them, which is a decision I support, but if you have any questions about this, or would to explore the idea of going back to the old way, staff can certainly be prepared to have that discussion.

Miscellaneous 

-During recent council meetings, questions have come up regarding the Qualifications Based Selection process used to select architects, engineers, and other professional services for city-funded projects. Director Heatherly is working on a memo to provide you more information about this process, and I will forward it to you when it becomes available.

-Earlier this week I spoke with Mayor Seibert about having a regularly-scheduled work session each month to discuss upcoming projects, staff items, and any items or questions you may have. If you are in favor of this idea, please let me know, but as we head into budget meeting season, I think a regularly-scheduled meeting to discuss other topics may be beneficial.

-I’d like to congratulate the sewer maintenance, wastewater treatment plant, sign shop and garage crews, who have all gone 112 days without an accident, while our street maintenance crew has gone 72 days without an accident. I’d like to commend the employees in each of these departments not just for the work they do, but for doing it in a safe manner. Our risk management division has been placing a greater emphasis on employee safety over the past year or more, and we’re seeing the positive results of that endeavor.

-Finally, as you are aware, today was Assistant to the City Manager Brian Kelly’s last day with the city. I have put a deadline of next Friday to accept applications for his replacement, but we have received several applications for the position, and many of them look promising. Brian’s departure may result in a slight delay on implementing the next phase of priority-based budgeting, but I’ll be working next week with the Center for Priority Based Budgeting to keep things moving