Ypsi/Willow Run School Board Thinks They Thread the Needle, But They Don't

I went to the Ypsilanti Community Schools Board Meeting tonight where they were deciding about the new Superintendent. I've mostly just pasted in my tweets here, along with some additional commentary. 

First of all, when I got there, there were about fifty people out front. Only one of them had a sign, but it expressed the opinions of the others: 

Georgina Hickey's sign

Eventually, we filed into the auditorium. The meeting started a few minutes late.

The Board's First Turn

Ruth Kraut ‏@schoolsmuse

They added board comments before public comments. A little odd but apparently meant to be soothing. #ypsiwrboard

The board comments were mostly about how they really had listened to what people had said. How they needed involvement. 

Ruth Kraut ‏@schoolsmuse

It is a very big auditorium (quite nice too) and about half full.#ypsiwrboard

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Also, About 3/4 of the audience was white, 1/4 black; about 3/4 of the audience was women, 1/4 men.

Ruth Kraut ‏@schoolsmuse

Why does every bd member feel the need to comment "we hear you, we value you." The proof will be in the pudding. #ypsiwrboard

Public Commentary

Ruth Kraut ‏@schoolsmuse

30 minutes for public comment; 13 people signed up. #ypsiwrboard

I think in the end there were more than 13. The first speaker was also the one whose sign is pictured up above.

Ruth Kraut ‏@schoolsmuse

First speaker asks for new leadership, id'd as a need at the summer retreats. Should have considered external candidates.#ypsiwrboard

Ruth Kraut ‏@schoolsmuse

Second speaker wants two current superintendents to stay in place through establishment of new district. #ypsiwrboard

Third speaker wants one superintendent and supports Dedrick Martin #ypsiwrboard

Ruth Kraut ‏@schoolsmuse

Next speaker Ruth Ann Jamnick. Kind of a rah rah speech.#ypsiwrboard

Next speaker "main concern is the children." Voted for consolidation. Pick someONE who can lead. Need an expert.#ypsiwrboard

Next, a speaker discussed how when he was young and was supposed to help out during a big storm (with a ham radio, I think), and he couldn't, because, he said, "I was a novice." That set the stage for this graphic comment:

Ruth Kraut ‏@schoolsmuse

Graphic! "We need an expert. Do not leave our kids under the pecan tree with a rope around the neck." #ypsiwrboard

[To which someone tweeted back to me: Yikes!]

Nancy Harvey speaking on behalf of about 20 people supporting Sharon Irvine. Make a real change; need NEW leadership.#ypsiwrboard

Nancy Harvey got a LOT of applause. Next up Kara Berman. Supports 1 superintendent, doesn't support electing two popes either. #ypsiwrboard

Kara Berman was on the Ypsilanti school board. [At least two other school board members spoke as well: Floyd Brumfield and Andy Fanta.]

Maria Cotera started out by talking about how this issue brought up the same feelings she had during the Chappelle closing. Then she talked about how much time she had spent on the consolidation process and why she supported it. 

Ruth Kraut ‏@schoolsmuse

Maria Cotera: "If we're committing all this time to making all this change, we need to commit top to bottom." #ypsiwrboard

Ruth Kraut ‏@schoolsmuse

Andy Fanta questions the idea that you can get different results with the same leadership. Supports Sharon Irvine or external.#ypsiwrboard

Next: Support our teachers with one superintendent. Creative, collaborative, new, decisive leadership. #ypsiwrboard

Next: Critiques the idea that people in the community are "nuisances," something said by a board member last week.#ypsiwrboard

Why aren't supers' contracts being terminated like contracts? Why did we pay 12K for a super. search we're not using? #ypsiwrboard

The last speaker was a student at Estabrook who said she supported Sharon Irvine because we need change.

The Board's Turn

Now the board reviews where we are at. #ypsiwrboard

The man from the Michigan Leadership Institute gave a little bit of background. Shortly before the due date for applications they had none. He then went and called the people whose names had come up earlier in the year--namely, the two current superintendents and Sharon Irvine--and encouraged them to apply. They all did. At the time of the due date they also had three external applicants--two were in-state, and had no superintendent experience; one was from out of state. The board decided to simply interview the internal candidates first.

My comments: I guess what this shows is that this job is not so highly-sought-after. As my aunt would say, "It's not so hotsy-totsy and it's not so I-Yai-Yai."

The man from the MLI also said that they haven't been paid a penny yet. [I guess this was in response to the $12,000 comment.]

The man from MLI continued that after they had the interviews the board asked him to look at co-superintendent alternatives. That's not allowed according to the Michigan School Code. But what is allowed is to have a contract with an intermediate school district, and the ISD then would designate someone to act as superintendent.

Thus they came up with the idea of contracting with the ISD, and specifically designating the WISD Superintendent, as the Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent, Scott Menzel, and then appointing the two current superintendents as associate superintendents.

Committee proposes that the ISD hold the superintendency w/ the current supers as assoc. supers. Through 12/2014 or 6/2015.#ypsiwrboard

The Committee was trying to make the case that the date (timed to coincide with the current appointed board transitioning off) would make this a "transition plan" with the idea that eventually there would be one new superintendent.

Some comments that I got on twitter: 

@schoolsmuse #ypsiwrboard I've been on search committees for high ranking academic positions. This headhunters logic is baffling me.

@schoolsmuse #ypsiwrboard isn't the fact that they have to bend the law a good sign that maybe it's not a good idea?

The committee discussed asking for, not just anybody, but the person they've been working with, Scott Menzel. 

@schoolsmuse: Request Scott Menzel as the designee. Not designer. #ypsiwrboard

Board believes they will need to pay the contracts of the current supers no matter what. Still responsible for several years.#ypsiwrboard

So there is this "not so minor" point that the current superintendent contracts don't end when every other employee's contract in the district ends. Nope. Dedrick Martin's has, if I understood correctly three more years; Laura Lisiscki's has one more year. The board has sent them non-renewal letters. Who negotiated these contracts, anyway? There was some discussion of why their contracts are different but a) I'm not a lawyer and b) even if I was one, I haven't looked at the details. Anyway I think this is where the board thought they were being smart by saying there would be "one" superintendent and yet saving money by paying the current superintendents to actually do work.  My personal feeling is that this is a penny-wise and pound foolish plan. 

 I didn't quite understand but they are a different type of contract. Civil, I think? #ypsiwrboard

yes. It is a bad idea. Maybe Menzel could be designee and Irvine could be associate. #ypsiwrboard

Martin has three years left and Lisiscki one.#ypsiwrboard

@schoolsmuse it boggles my mind too. Is not the end if a district just cause to fire without paying off his deal?

 I don't understand that either. #ypsiwrboard

1. People are not happy. 2. Decision would need to go to the WISD board. 3. Decision tonight would not be binding. #ypsiwrboard

Comment #1 was my observation of how people in the building were feeling. Comments #2 and #3 came from (I believe) the president of the school board explaining how things would proceed. Scott Menzel was asked how he felt and he said the WISD Board would need to decide. 

Celeste Hawkins calls the situation "unique." Really it is not. Others have consolidated & districts hire supers all the time. #ypsiwrboard

MLI says not a dollar has been paid them yet. #ypsiwrboard

Booing starts as the motion is read. Rowdy! #ypsiwrboard

A person opines if the current supers respected the districts they would both offer resignations. #ypsiwrboard

When I said, "a person opines," that is something that someone yelled from the audience and got a lot of applause. 

I am sitting too far back to know who is who on stage mostly. Current speaker "we have the best team we could have." Really??#ypsiwrboard

Grant from the state includes money for superintendent services (transitional). #ypsiwrboard

Bates clarifies this is not finalized. I am wondering how much time Scott Menzel has in a day. Will he be super in name only#ypsiwrboard

Vote passes unananimously. #ypsiwrboard

The board members did not spend a lot of time on discussion. It was clear they had already all made up their minds. 

Adjourned. #ypsiwrboard

@schoolsmuse They are contracting with Menzel as Superintendent with M and L as "associates" at full pay? #ypsiwrboard

I really like Scott Menzel. I think he is responsive to people and staff seem to like him. But--and it's a big but--he already has a full-time job as WISD Superintendent, and in my opinion that is a pretty full job. So, does he not do his job as WISD Superintendent? Or does he do his job as WISD Superintendent, and essentially delegate nearly all the work to the two current superintendents? In which case, we have the same situation we have now. 

Which leaves me to my next question: why didn't the board ask to contract with the WISD and Scott Menzel and then ask him to hire the appropriate associate superintendents? There are likely more candidates for associate superintendent than for superintendent.

And that's the news. . . If you don't like this plan (actually, if you do like this plan, too), you can approach the WISD Board: WISDBoard@wash.k12.mi.us