Should Joplin use a superintendent search firm?

I have mixed feelings about hiring a search firm to find a superintendent for the Joplin R-8 School District.

Why should taxpayers have to spend up to $50,000 to hire an out-of-town (out-of-state, actually) firm to find a superintendent?

After all, the district used a search firm in 2008 and the best we could come up with was C. J. Huff. If that is not an argument against outside companies conducting our search, I don't know what it is.

That's like working all the way through the Crackerjack box to find out your prize could be used to fertilize your lawn.

What would be wrong with having seven intelligent people advertise in and out of state for superintendent candidates, choose five or six finalists, thoroughly research them and select a new leader for the school district?

Or we could have the Board of Education do it. (Sorry, I couldn't resist that one.)

One of the criticisms of these search firms is that we end up with the same type of recycled candidates, who will stay in a community a few years then use the same search firm to land their next position in another school district.

And then the search firms always tell us we have to increase the superintendent's salary in order to attract the best possible candidates. How else can you explain Joplin's decision to pay the inexperienced C. J. Huff, who only had four years as superintendent of the much smaller Eldon School District more money than Jim Simpson had been making? Simpson not only had more experience, but had led the district to being accredited with distinction.

But we had to pay the new guy more money or we wouldn't get anyone to apply for the job.

That does not make any sense.

MSBA also did not appear to do much of a background check on Huff. Many of the problems he had in Eldon surfaced again in Joplin and ended up costing us millions plus hundreds of teachers.

Thankfully, the R-8 Board did not select MSBA as one of the three finalist firms which will make presentations during the 6 p.m. Tuesday board meeting.

But still, is it necessary for us to hire a search firm? Did we need a search firm to find Norm Ridder to serve as interim superintendent?

Consider the case of the Fayetteville School District.

A few months ago, Fayetteville hired a new superintendent, a qualified candidate from Illinois, if I recall, and the board of education did it without a search firm.

It can be done.

Wait a minute! I just remembered something.

One of the finalists for the Fayetteville job was C. J. Huff.

Going without a search firm almost brought a disaster to Fayetteville.

It's never easy.

Turner Report apologizes for Tina Smith post

Over the years, there have been a number of times when Turner Report readers let me know that they think I have finally crossed the line.

These scoldings usually take place when I make an attempt at humor in my posts.

It appears that I really did cross the line Friday night with my post on former Joplin R-8 Chief Operations Officer Tina Smith.

In that post, I spent several paragraphs criticizing Smith for the damage she did to the school district with the cruel and vindictive way she handled her job. I wrote about her service as the attack dog for former Superintendent C. J. Huff and former Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer.

I wrote about her shortcomings as a member of the Huff

administrative team and her shortcomings as a human being.

And finally, I accompanied the post with a stock photo of actress Margaret Hamilton in her iconic role as the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. The idea was to give the impression that Tina Smith was a wicked witch.

With that, I finally crossed the line.

It occurred to me this morning that the late Margaret Hamilton, a well-respected actress who never did me (or anyone else, as far as I know) any harm did not deserve to be compared to Tina Smith.

It also occurred to me that I might also be unfairly criticizing the fictional Wicked Witch of the West by having anyone think that she had anything in common with Tina Smith.

I will be more respectful to Margaret Hamilton and the Wicked Witch of the West in the future.

I offer my sincere apologies.

Goodbye, Tina Smith- and good riddance

If there had been any justice, Tina Smith would have been escorted out of the Memorial Education Building by a police officer on her final day.

After all, she loved showing off her power by having it done to other people,including me,

No matter, she is gone, and that will have to be enough.

Smith climbed the ladder in the Joplin R-8 system, working her way up from human resources director to chief operations officer, not caring how many people's lives were damaged along the way.

My case was the most publicized, since it was the only one in which a public hearing was held, but the same tactics were used time after time. People were threatened to force them to resign. People who left, whether on their own or not, discovered bad things were being said about them to prospective employers.

People who followed the chain of command and reported problems with superiors in the school district found themselves out of jobs, while the ones who were causing the problems suffered no repercussions and often were rewarded.

Smith served as the administration's attack dog, gleefully disrupting the lives of anyone who crossed either former Superintendent C. J. Huff or former Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer.

Only a few remnants of the Huff Administration still remain in the Joplin R-8 School District. We will probably never know just how much damage these people have done with their excesses.

Ironically, C. J. Huff's tagline on all of his e-mail messages was "For the kids." Yet Huff assembled an administrative team whose callous disregard for human decency ensured that the kids were the ones who suffered most.

Goodbye, Tina Smith- and good riddance

Joplin R-8 spending thousands to send employees on PR junket

The recently-approved salary schedule for classified employees in the Joplin R-8 School District gave them raises, but barely enough to cover increases in their health care insurance costs.

Board members retained the option to increase the salaries if they can find another source of money.
If they are not able to do so, they might need to invest in improved public relations.

That's the only reasonable explanation for why the board is scheduled to approve travel and lodging costs for two employees, most likely Communications Director Kelli Price and her assistant, Whitney Warren, to attend the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) seminar in Chicago July 17-20.

While there, the R-8 representatives can choose from many sessions they can put to use when they return to Joplin, including the following:

-Nailing the Media Interview

-Steer the Ship: Leading Through Change with Great Communication

-When "It" Hits the Fan

-Simple Strategies for Branding Your School

-Can You Hear Me Now? Superintendents Are From Mars, Public Relations Professionals are from Venus

-Building Successful Twitter Engagement

If the local representatives arrive early enough, they can catch the pre-session workshop on July 16, given by former Superintendent C. J. Huff and Bright Futures USA Executive Director Kim Vann on "Leading Through Communication: Solutions For Challenging Times."  Reportedly, Huff will not speak about communicating with female board members during challenging times.

The board documentation for the Tuesday, 6 p.m. meeting shows a bill for $656.40 for airfare for two to the seminar.

The event's website shows that the cost for NSPRA members to attend the event is $765 per person. Those attending can also pay their membership dues at the same time for the bargain price of $1,040 (including the registration fee).

Other interesting bills on this month's list:

-$320 for an annual membership to the Joplin Rotary Club. No indication is given as to whose membership this is, or if it is for more than one person.

-$10,661.16 to the Storm Stanley firm for "adult program advertising

-$9.99 o Wert Music for "Harry Potter for Recorder." Nothing particularly noteworthy about this one, but when I first looked at it, I thought Harry Potter was running for political office.

-$456 to D&E Pizza for MAP celebrations

-$75 for Joplin Rotary Club Centennial Celebration

-$9,778 to Missouri School Boards Association for annual membership dues

-$331.59 to AT&T Mobility for Bus Wi-Fi

-$2.535/60 for airfare for three people to a "Cognitive Coaching" conference.

$3,138.41 to U. S. Bank (credit card) for "lodging." No other explanation is given.

-$480 ($120 apiece) for four people to provide security at the Joplin High School Graduation.

Dean of Joplin medical school to be introduced Monday

Paula M. Gregory, D. O., the new dean of Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences Joplin campus will be introduced during an informal meet-and-greet on the second floor of Joplin City Hall 9:30 a.m. Monday.

In an earlier news release, the university described Dr. Gregory's position.

Among her duties as dean, Dr. Gregory will lead faculty and students at the Joplin campus in academics and co-curricular activities. KCU has been a leader in new and innovative methods of medical education, and Dr. Gregory will be instrumental in delivering this pioneering work in Joplin. In addition, she will engage in ongoing outreach with the community and enhance relationships with local hospitals and physicians.

Dr. Gregory currently serves as assistant dean of clinical education for Georgia Campus-Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) in Stone Mountain, Ga. She brings a comprehensive background in medical education, family practice and rural medicine to the KCU – Joplin campus. Dr. Gregory has started and directed residency programs, overseen clinical simulation training, and actively taught in the classroom and the clinic.

Missouri Right to Life endorses Brunner for governor

(From the John Brunner campaign)

Missouri’s largest and most influential political organization dedicated to protecting the lives of the unborn, Missouri Right to Life PAC, has announced that it has endorsed John Brunner for Governor.

“I’m thrilled to have won Missouri Right to Life PAC’s endorsement,” Brunner said. “Whether it’s standing up to protect the lives of the unborn or working in mission fields across the world, Jan and I have always believed in putting our faith into action. Missouri needs a constitutional conservative outsider for Governor – not a liberal and not a career politician like Chris Koster.”

Missouri Right to Life Political Action Committee (MRL PAC) was established as the political action arm of Missouri Right to Life with the express directive to endorse candidates for political office who, according to MRL PAC bylaws and criteria, would be the best and most effective voice for the unborn.

Billy Long: It's election year and I'm thinking deep thoughts about serious matters

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

The recent influx of media reports covering the Zika virus and rush to learn more about it have a lot of Americans concerned. Here in Southwest Missouri, many of those concerned have talked to me or have sent questions to my office asking exactly how big a threat this outbreak is and how Congress is working to contain and defeat it.

In May of 2015, the Pan American Health Organization confirmed that Brazil had its first known confirmed infections of Zika, which had only ever occurred in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Now, the virus has spread in the Americas, triggering Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel warnings for around 40 different countries and territories in South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. This February, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika a “public health emergency of international concern.” By the 22nd of this month, there had already been over 800 travel-associated cases of Zika reported in the US this year, including 5 in Missouri, and more than 1,800 reports of locally acquired infections in U.S. territories.

Zika spreads mostly through Aedes mosquitos, but can also be sexually transmitted by an infected male or – based on experts’ educated theories – presumably blood transfusions. Most infected carriers show no or mild symptoms, but include fever, rashes, body aches, and headaches. But while there’s currently no cure for Zika, the vast majority of cases can be treated with rest, hydration, and pain relievers like acetaminophen.

The largest risk, however, is to women who contract the virus during pregnancy. Zika can cause brain, eye, ear, or other growth defects in their unborn babies. Additionally, there has been an increase in reports of Guillain-Barre syndrome due to Zika, which impairs the nervous system.

To prevent infection, the first line of defense is taking proper precautions to deter and block mosquito bites in the outdoors. Meanwhile, there are many tools available in Congress and federal agencies to protect the American public from Zika.

There are tests available for medical professionals to diagnose infection from the virus, but we need to make sure they’re widely distributed so that we can stay ahead of the outbreak. To control further spread, we must work with state and local leaders and health experts in each of the impacted areas to implement urgent mosquito control plans, and – most importantly – we must support the development of a vaccine at agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Since the beginning of 2015, other Members of Congress and I who serve on the House Energy & Commerce Committee have been examining America’s public health preparation and response to the Zika outbreak though hearings and meetings with experts and leaders across the Americas and here at home. Furthermore, we have taken several major legislative steps including the beginning of fast-track development for a Zika cure, removing regulatory barriers to killing mosquitoes carrying the virus with legislative action through the “Zika Vector Control Act,” and allocating more than $1 billion in funds to fight the virus.

Congress has been monitoring and planning for the Zika threat from the beginning of this outbreak. Our aim is to direct resources where they are most needed to stamp out this disease. Fighting this virus is a top priority of mine, and I will continue working closely with our health agencies and health experts to determine how best to stay out ahead of its spread until it’s stamped out for good.

Hartzler: Democrats used sit-in to advance their political agenda

(From Fourth District Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler)

You may have seen the political demonstrations by Democrats on the floor of the House this week where they staged a sit-in to force Congress to vote on gun control bills. These members were tweeting and posting on social media about their antics, sadly using the Orlando tragedy to advance a political agenda.They are also using this tragedy to fundraise. This is wrong. 

I was disappointed to see such a willful disregard for the House and the millions of Americans they silenced by not allowing the business of Congress to proceed. I was even more taken aback by the lack of attention these lawmakers have given to the real threat posed by this attack in Orlando: radical Islamic terrorism. What occurred was a terrorist attack by an individual who pledged allegiance to ISIL. This should be the focus of our attention, not efforts to deny law-abiding American's their Second and Fifth Amendment rights.

Further, these actions also thwarted significant pieces of legislation from making their way through the legislative process. As a result of this political maneuvering, the House was unable to debate or vote on two bills:

- The Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act of 2017—a bill which makes vital investments in our nation’s job creators, prioritizes law enforcement agencies and anti-drug initiatives, and improves spending accountability across a number of government functions.

- The Separation of Powers Restoration Act—a bill that restores Constitutional checks and balances by overturning two U.S. Supreme Court decisions. These decisions allow courts to defer to an agency’s interpretation of a law rather than ruling on it themselves. Executive agencies should not be allowed to carry out functions only intended for the courts or Congress to decide.

Cleaver: House sit-in sent message to America

(From Fifth District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver)

This week, my Democratic House colleagues and I held a sit-in on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly twenty-six hours, to demand action and a vote on preventing mass gun violence. Every time our nation witnesses one of these tragic mass shootings, moments of silence are held on the Floor. On Tuesday we came to the conclusion that we can no longer be silent. Moses, when taking the children of Israel to freedom, was told by God when he starts to pray at the Red Sea, this is not the time to pray. “This is the time,” God said to Moses, “to move forward.”

My uncle Emanuel Cleaver died two years ago, and as I was trying to clean up his house, I found seven guns. It would be hypocritical for me to say people need to have all their guns removed. That’s not what this sit-in was about. This is not gun control; this is terror control. We ought to be bold enough to say that if you are on the terror watch list, you cannot buy a gun. It’s that simple. We need to do everything we can to limit the opportunities for a potential terrorist to buy guns. But here in Congress, we are saying nothing. We are doing nothing!

Ninety percent of Americans are with us on this issue, believing that we ought to ensure that terrorists cannot buy guns. Everybody is for this, and we could not even get the microphones turned on or the cameras turned on in the House Chamber. I would expect the mics to be turned off in Moscow.

Let me just say that I don’t want anybody to give up. I don’t want the American public to give up. Don’t give up, give out, or give in, because we are going to make it happen. Hope is hope only if things look hopeless. Otherwise it’s just a nice little word. And things that look dim and dark as they do right now for the American people are where hope shines best. This is hope.

A man walks by a baseball game and asks a little boy who is sitting in a dugout, “What’s the score?” The little boy says, “18 to nothing.” The man says, “Boy, I sure hope you don’t get discouraged.” The boy responds, “Why should I be discouraged? This is the first inning; we haven’t come to bat yet.” The American public needs to know we are coming to bat. I don’t care how bad it looks now, we are coming to bat.

Joplin R-8 Board to discuss policy that warns about sexting between friends

The Joplin R-8 Board of Education will have the first reading of a new policy Tuesday night that revises the current sex education policies to reflect changes in state law.

The new policy requires the district to do the following:

-Teach students about the characteristics of and ways to identify sexual predators

-Teach students safe and responsible internet use, including the dangers of online sexual predators, when using electronic communication methods such as the internet, mobile phones, text messages, chat rooms, social media, e-mail, and instant messaging.

-Instill in students the importance of having open communication with responsible adults reporting any inappropriate situation, activity, or abuse to a responsible adult, and depending on intent and content, to local law enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's "Cyber Tipline"

-Explain the potential consequences, both personal and legal, of inappropriate text messaging and sexting, even among friends.

The new laws deal with the ever-increasing number of schools that have faced instances of sexting, or sending nude or sexual photos. That number, as Turner Report readers may recall, included Joplin High School

Problems with sexting at JHS became public in April 2015 when the existence of a Dropbox account containing nude photos of at least 60 high school girls was revealed.

The following passage is from the April 15, 2015, Turner Report:

It was a dirty little secret known to only a few Joplin High School students- a Dropbox server containing nude photos of JHS students, mostly girls, some as young as 14.

Only the few who knew the code could access that box and look at its contents, which sources tell the Turner Report contained in the neighborhood of 600 photos, of at least 60 individual students.

This morning, someone revealed that access code and the dirty little secret exploded across the Joplin High School campus in minutes.

Some found the link on their school laptops, others on their cell phones.

They quickly shared it in messages to their friends and in Facebook posts.

Helping to make the messages go viral was information that was soon be shared that many of those who were featured in the Dropbox file were students who were considered to be in the "popular" crowd.

By the end of the day, Joplin High School officials were telling parents that their children's photos had been posted online and had been shared with the entire school. The Joplin Police Department began questioning suspects. Some were unavailable for questioning because they were involved in a school activity in Springfield.

Sources tell the Turner Report that one sad consequence of today's revelations has been that the students whose photos were in the Dropbox server, the victims, are being blamed for causing problems for the ones who were arrested.

No arrests were ever reported and the matter was quietly dropped.

The 'teaching about human sexuality" policy is one of three policies that are being updated to reflect changes in state law or to follow recommendations from the Missouri School Boards Association. 

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. with presentations from the three superintendent search firm finalists.  A closed session is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. for personnel matters