Severe thunderstorm watch issued for Joplin area

(From the National Weather Service)

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 402 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

.    MISSOURI COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

BARTON               BENTON              CAMDEN
CEDAR                CHRISTIAN           DADE
DALLAS               DENT                DOUGLAS
GREENE               HICKORY             HOWELL
JASPER               LACLEDE             LAWRENCE
MARIES               MILLER              MORGAN
OREGON               OZARK               PHELPS
POLK                 PULASKI             SHANNON
ST. CLAIR            STONE               TANEY
TEXAS                VERNON              WEBSTER
WRIGHT

DESE brags on NCTQ ratings

DESE spends the whole of this press release bragging about its NCTQ scores, but doing well with the NCTQ, which I will be writing about more in the next couple of days, is not a good thing.

(From the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)

Missouri is ahead of the national curve in developing high-quality future teachers. The state has developed new standards, quality indicators and a professional continuum for the preparation of educators in all certification areas. The standards include higher grade-point averages and specific requirements for improving field and clinical experiences including the use of Missouri Educator Evaluation System for the evaluation of student teachers and interns.

A report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) shows the need for improved standards. The NCTQ fully evaluated more than 40 teacher preparation programs across Missouri and found that 10 elementary and 10 secondary programs were strong enough for a national ranking. Another 22 Missouri programs did not have a numeric rank reported because their performance was in the bottom half of the national sample.

Miami News-Record, Grove Sun, become part of GateHouse Media

(From New Media Investment Group)

New Media Investment Group — parent company of GateHouse Media LLC — acquired the Miami (Okla.) News-Record, the Cherokee County (Kan.) News-Advocate, the Grove (Okla.) Sun and the Delaware County (Okla.) Journal and the Stephenville (Texas) Empire-Tribune as well as, nine weeklies and four shoppers from American Consolidated Media Southwest Group. ACM newspapers are based in small-market communities in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

Meantime, New Media purchased The Petersburg (Va.) Progress-Index, as well as weekly publication The Colonial Voice also located in Virginia.

The acquisitions were valued at $15.3 million.

“We are looking forward to being a part of GateHouse Media and taking advantage of the resources and expertise they have available for our newsrooms, our advertising projects and our employees,” said Cheryl Franklin, publisher of the Miami News-Record.

GateHouse Media also owns the Carthage Press, Neosho Daily News, Pittsburg Morning Sun, the Big Nickel, Greenfield Vedette, and Aurora Advertiser in this area.

Court documents: C. J. Huff and Wallace-Bajjali?

By the time October 2013 rolled around, construction on the new Joplin High School, East Middle School, Soaring Heights Elementary, and Irving Elementary were well underway, but apparently the C. J. Huff Administration was already talking new construction.

Documents filed in U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas indicate that the city of Joplin's master developer, David Wallace of Wallace-Bajjali, had been discussing projects with the Joplin R-8 School District.

The mention came in a document in which Wallace was explaining to a judge why he and Costa Bajjali would not be able to pay $450,000 in court-ordered reparations to investors who had been fleeced in a case, which also brought $120,000 in fines for Wallace and Bajjali. (The two men insist that they, too, were victims in the case.)

In the document, Wallace lists all of the proposed Joplin projects, saving the school district project for last under the category, "School Facilities."

The developer anticipates constructing all or a portion of one of more school facilities for the School District.

The document, which was filed with the court October 21, 2013, has no other mention of the Joplin School District.

(Click on the photo to make it bigger.)

Anson Burlingame; Turner wrong about Woolston because voters said he was

Blogger and frequent Joplin Globe guest columnist Anson Burlingame offered the following response to the Turner Report post on accusations made against Joplin City Councilman Mike Woolston in the Loraine investigation.

OK, I will waste my time rebutting this blog, for what it is worth.

First of all, I was on the fence in terms of Woolston's reelection for a while. I read the released Lorraine report and then the "missing pages" as well. Bottom line I saw no substantial evidence, evidence needed in a court case to show unethical or illegal behavior in Woolston's conduct.

Any idiot dealing in real estate could read the CART advice, look at a map showing the zone of destruction and make reasonable assumptions about what might be rebuilt and where. It took NO "insider knowledge" to make such decisions, decisions that could be "risky" from an investment standpoint.

There was zero evidence shown by Lorraine that Woolston in fact used "insider knowledge" from his job on council or contact with city staff as a council member to gain such information. It was all shown as concern by a few property owners about what Woolston might have been up to. Any proof that would stand up in court? None that I saw, and still don't see.

Then the voters spoke, with authority is seems to me. Now Turner blames uninformed voters for making the judgment made, in the voting booths. As well he blames the Globe for lack of making information available. Well I had all the information I needed and voted accordingly and with no help from the Joplin Progress Committee, either.

If you believe Woolston acted illegally or even unethically well the voters disagreed with you. Now your only option is a court of law or the Missouri Ethical Commission I suppose.

Oh, I failed to mention that even the Lorraine report showed Woolston seeking and receiving legal advice, informing council of what he was doing and why he was doing it, followed that legal advice and believed, then and now, that he acted within the law and any ethical requirements placed on him.
I like it when voters decide such matters, which they did in this case. But if you still disagree then put your money where your mouth is and take it to another court. You sure as hell cannot sue voters however.

Anson Burlingame

Reader: Mr. Turner, you are dividing this community

Earlier today, I posted the news that the Joplin R-8 School District is advertising for a special events coordinator. A reader and a couple of Facebook friends let me know this is not a new position.

While I do not understand why anyone thinks the position is necessary, especially at a time when the C. J. Huff Administration has seen fit to eliminate reading teachers, secretaries, bus drivers, cooks, and one of the two resource police officers for Joplin High School, I did receive the following comment that makes the case for the position:

This is not a new position. It was created in January. The employee who held position was worth way more than $32k. Thankfully she is moving on to bigger and better things. However a district the size of Joplin does need someone who can help execute projects district wide.

Whatever wrong decisions CJ Huff has made, you Mr Turner are doing just as many. Divided towns are hard to repair. You are either part of the solution or part of the problem. Why not look for ways to help instead of fueling the fire?

Perhaps I am mistaken and the writer of those two paragraphs is not connected to the C. J. Huff Administration, but I am deeply offended when someone drags out the old "You are either part of the solution or part of the problem" chestnut and attempts to sell it as the voice of reason.

That can almost always be translated to "you either agree with us or you are wrong."

I am also tired of this attempt to make it seem like I have created a divided community because I have written about so many of the things that the C. J. Huff Administration has done that have damaged this community.

When the Joplin City Council fired Mark Rohr, we had a divided community. The community is not divided about C. J. Huff. I have detected no groundswell of support for him, even though he, like Rohr, was one of those who were labeled heroes of the Joplin Tornado.

On the contrary, I get the sense of a community that has far more people who think it is time the Huff era in Joplin ended than who wish to continue a commitment to his brand of 21st Century Learning.

If there is a division in the community, I would have a tendency to blame it on a small group of privileged people, many of them unqualified to have the positions they hold, who have taken a perverse delight in making others suffer.

When it comes time to assess blame, I would look at those who have turned an institution of learning into a massive public relations operation that revolves around 'special events" instead of education.

The Huff Administration would like for people to believe that the community is divided and that I have created that division. That would mean that this is all the work of one disgruntled former employee.

Every time that someone has stepped forward to challenge C. J. Huff during this past year, he has quickly labeled that person as a puppet of Randy Turner. I have no puppets. Many people have come to despise C. J. Huff who have never even read the Turner Report. But it helps to have a scapegoat.

I have no sense of Joplin being a divided community when it comes to C. J. Huff and the PR team he has assembled at his bunker at 32nd and Duquesne.

We are just waiting until the Board of Education sees it the way the community does and puts an end to a dark chapter in this community's history.

Education Commissioner Nicastro offers monthly update

Nixon signs bill giving women more information about breast cancer

C. J. Huff: Come be my special events coordinator

I have had many sleepless nights over the past few months, with the same frustrating question repeating itself over and over in my mind.

"How can the Joplin R-8 School District have so many special events and not have a special event coordinator?"

The thought of C. J. Huff, Kim Vann, and God bless her, Tina Smith, having to take time from their valuable duties, whatever those may be, to plan a special event never brought tears to my eyes, but then again, I am not a superintendent so tears don't come quite as easily for me.

Thankfully, in a few weeks, thanks to the ad that was posted this morning, Joplin Schools will have a special events coordinator, who perhaps can start his or her duties by planning a farewell luncheon for all of the part-time reading instructors who weren't rehired due to budget cuts.

Or maybe a "Welcome State Auditors Festival" to show there are no hard feelings.

According to the advertisement on the district website, the special events coordinator will have to make do with $32,000 a year, which is going to make it hard to find somebody good, since no one wants to work for teacher pay.

Position:                      Special Projects Coordinator

Term:                          12 Month

Classification:             Classified/Exempt

Location:                     Administration

Qualifications:             Bachelor's Degree preferred;

                                    3-5 years related experience and/or training preferred

                                    Equivalent combination of education and experience

Skills/Behavioral Competencies

• Excellent communication skills; speaking, writing listening
• Superior organizational skills
• Strong analytical, detailed planning, and project management skills
• Ability to grasp concepts quickly, innovate, and think beyond traditional methods
• Curious and creative by nature
• Proactive, self-motivated, flexible and able to self-supervise/work independently
• Detail-oriented while maintaining sight of big picture
• Personal maturity and good judgment
• Strong work ethic
• Highest ethical and professional standards

Supervisory:               No

Reports to:                  Director of Communications & Community Development

Responsible for coordinating and executing a variety of project based administrative duties which require attention to detail, a proactive can-do attitude, and strong problem solving skills.

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 and state guidelines.

Essential Functions:

• Demonstrates an ability to coordinate activities between departments and individuals to produce a desired result.
• Manage calendars, coordinate and schedule meetings.
• Provide project updates and share relevant information.
• Provide administrative and logistic support for all district project-based assignments.
• Assist with special projects and reports as needed.
• Schedule travel arrangements.
• Research various topics; summarize findings in writing and verbally.
• Organize and manage special events and meetings.
• Prepare event budget and manage event finances including check requests, invoicing, and reporting.
• Negotiate event discounts/advantages on behalf of the school district; identify cost-savings.
• Propose ideas to improve the project/event planning and implementation process.
• Solicit and secure sponsorships for events as needed.
• Carry out all other duties as assigned

Physical Demands

Level:  Light

• Occasional Lifting up to 25 pounds
• The individual who holds this position is regularly required to walk, hear and speak and must have close moderate and distance vision ability.  
• The individual must be able to travel between district facilities. The position requires a moderate amount of travel.

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.

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.

Primary Location	ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
Salary Range	$32,000.00 / Per Year
Shift Type	Full-Time

C. J. Huff, Joplin Schools paid $175,000+ for unqualified administrators

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) records show that the Joplin R-8 School District was paying more than $175,000 to administrators who were not qualified for their positions at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.

According to DESE records, Lisa Orem, who now holds the newly-created title of Student Services Program Coordinator, pulled down a salary of $100,652 during the last school year, despite the fact that she let her administrative certification expire on September 1, 2011, and is currently only certified as an elementary teacher.

That lack of certification was one of the reasons why the Huff Administration had to add Mark Barlass, a former colleague of Lisa Orem's as her assistant two years ago. Barlass now holds the newly-created title of Executive Director of Student Services and is paid $101,281. Barlass is certified in special education, which is one reason they had to hire him, since Orem had no certification in that area (or any other administrative area) and the job at that time was called Director of Special Services.

Orem and Barlass made a combined $201,933 last year to do a job that was previously done by one person, Valerie Earl, who made approximately $99,000.

The Huff Administration also hired a new principal for McKinley Elementary for the 2013-2014 school year, who had no certification as a principal.

Despite the fact that McKinley had a young and almost completely new faculty, the inexperienced Terri Hart, who had been working in central administration was hired. DESE records show she was finally certified as a principal on December 18, 2013, more than four months after she began her job.

The pay scale for a principal with no certificate- Terri Hart received $75,511, according to DESE records.

The story of how Hart was selected when there are many people who are actually certified to be principals who were ready and willing to do the job was explained in the November 18, 2013, Turner Report:

Things were not going well at Joplin's McKinley Elementary School during the 2012-2013 school year.

Younger teachers were having a hard time dealing with Principal Jennifer Doshier's somewhat mercurial demands. They talked with a veteran teacher, who agreed they had reason to be concerned. The things she was hearing were serious enough that the veteran teacher called Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer, who suggested that the veteran teacher bring the younger teachers over to the administration building at 32nd and Duquesne to discuss the problems.

After the meeting started, the veteran teacher reassured Dr. Besendorfer that the teachers were not blowing the situation out of proportion.

Dr. Besendorfer offered a sympathetic ear, nodding as the teachers spoke, every once in a while commenting, "This is unbelievable," or "this should not be happening."

As the meeting closed, Dr. Besendorfer told the teachers not to worry. "I will take care of this."

As the veteran teacher and the younger ones left Dr. Besendorfer's office, for the first time in a long time they had a feeling that their jobs might just become a little more bearable.

Dr. Besendorfer, true to her word, took care of the situation. By the time her solution had been implemented, the younger teachers, none of whom had tenure, did not have their contracts renewed, and the veteran teacher, a woman well respected in the community, was escorted out of McKinley Elementary and placed on a paid leave of absence. Later, she was transferred to another job in the district. Probably the only thing that saved her position was that she had tenure and the district was already in the process of being embarrassed as it made efforts to fire another tenured teacher.

By the time, the year ended, nearly every teacher in McKinley Elementary had either been non-renewed or had resigned.

Angie Besendorfer did not forget about Principal Jennifer Doshier. Ms. Doshier was promoted to upper administration, in the recently created post of director of elementary education.

Meanwhile, Ms. Doshier's replacement, the principal who would have to deal with a completely new, highly inexperienced young faculty- is Terri Hart, who was moved from an upper administration ;position as curriculum coordinator...and who, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website, does not have a principal's certificate.

Parents of McKinley Elementary students should not worry about having such an inexperienced principal at the helm- she won't be here for long. She has told some people that her plan is to get a job at Pittsburg State University and others that she hopes to become a superintendent at a small school.

The one thing she makes sure everyone knows- McKinley Elementary is just a steppingstone.

It should be noted that Jennifer Doshier, who was promoted to the position of director of elementary education, now holds the title Executive Director of Elementary Education.