So, the stumble causes the fall, that causes the fracture, that causes the visit to hospital.
And while it is not always clear that causation can be derived from linear chains of discrete events, maybe it can be if the facts are verifiable.
So, KSN&C asked FCPS spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall:
Is [Fayette County Superintendent] Stu [Silberman] concerned about how the timing of this [outsourcing study] looks in the wake of his request for [Brenda] Allen to produce a report on Petrilli, and KDE's recent exoneration?
Deffendall told KSN&C, "There is no link between these issues. The study was initiated in response to questions by the board chair. Apparently, when the board was looking at revamping the attorney evaluation process, she began calling other districts and found that very few school districts in Kentucky have in-house legal services. Then at the KSBA conference, KSBA was making a presentation about how they’re changing their legal services department at a cost savings and she began asking if the district’s existing model was the most cost effective. It was unrelated to the Petrilli situation.
Still, a rudimentary timeline might cause some to wonder if the public got the full story.
Jan 22-24: KSBA Conference in Louisville.
Feb 1: The latest date that Silberman would have learned that FCPS had lost the KDE review of Brenda Allen's report on Peggy Petrilli. It is unknown if he learned of the outcome earlier, but FCPS did participate in the KDE process and it seems very unlikely they would not have known well before the rest of us did.
??? : At some point Silberman (not the Board) selects Hanna Resource Group to submit a proposal to study outsourcing legal services for Fayette County. They did - and presented it to Silberman by Feb 24.
Mid to late February: FCPS Board members become aware of Becky Sagan's request for a study. Silberman hurries the Hanna study, reportedly without board consent. Amanda Ferguson objects to the study. Silberman presses ahead.
Why the hurry?
The only reason I can think of for a hurry-up study is if Silberman intended to fire the legal staff, an act that would require notification by April 15th. Is there direct evidence that Silberman wanted the study to be a secret? ...or done quickly? ...or to have a particular outcome? Did Silberman know beofre the study was done what it was going to say?
We already know that Silberman the primary source of information for the study.
Hanna did not solicit information from his clients (the board members) or the parties most closely involved (the legal staff) an apparent effort to keep the study a secret.
Silberman planned for a March 15th BOE mtg.
Friday March 12 at 10:30PM - Brenda Allen was blindsided when Silberman informs her of the existence of the Hanna Report, which it appears the board had in its possession for a week or more.
March 15: BOE meets. A biased Hanna Resource Group feeds the Board a bunch of unsubstantiated opinion, which the board swallows whole. Surprise, surprise; Hanna recommends outsourcing all legal services.
March 15: Brenda Allen responds to Hanna Report. Points out flaws and says it was "conducted in secret" and that some of Hanna's recommendations could not be accomplished legally .
March 18: Allen updates her response based on a request from board member Amanda Ferguson.
March 18: KSN&C breaks news that Peggy Petrilli was cleared of testing allegations due to insufficient evidence by KDE.
Asked if the dismissal of charges for lack of evidence lent support to Peggy Petrilli's argument - that the charges were trumped up by FCPS to begin with - KDE spokeswoman Lisa Gross declined to speculate. "It would be inappropriate for me to speculate on the veracity of the charges," she said.
April 6 - Allen on medical leave of absence
June 30: Last day of Allen's contract with FCPS
8 comments:
Thank you for printing this. I am an educator in FCPS and feel that Mrs. Allen's dismissal was inaprropriate.
I continue to believe our superintendent's ego supercedes all else.
One question for you: is there still a pending lawsuit against Silberman and Ernst by the Jesse Clark guidance counselor or has this been dismissed?
As far as I know (and that's not very far in this case) the suit is still pending.
I'll post a recap.
Treating all employees as if they can be replaced at any time is Stu's way. It is interesting who does his bidding (Jack Hayes), who does not (Brenda Allen), and who was willing play the "It's about Kids" game while sending inappropriate emails and thinking he was above the law (Michael Ernst).
As for me, I do not rejoice in the misfortunes of those at Central Office. It actually saddens me. It saddens me more that there is absoltely no coverage to this case by the H-L. It reminds me of the way Fred Wachs used to control what went to the readers and what did not. This was /is a newsworthy story, but the H-L chose to ignore it.
Did KDE spokeswoman Lisa Gross once work for FCPS? I know Lisa Defendahl used to work for the H-L. My how interesting all this is.....
You conspiracy theorists kill me. Take off your aluminum foil hats and come in out of the sun. If this were about Allen’s performance in the Petrilli case don’t you think it would be cheaper and easier and far less public just to not renew her contract for next year. Maybe this really is just about spending too much on legal services where there are free options available for the district. Sounds to me like Sagan is on top of things and Ferguson wants a bloated Central Office.
As for all the Stu bashing, give it a rest. I’m happy that Stu is getting rid of all the dead wood in the district. My school is night and day better since my old Principal moved on. I’m seriously considering going back to work full-time next year now that someone is leading my school that really cares about the children and not just themselves. If Stu had anything to do with that then he deserves a raise and not all the unfounded hate and innuendo he is getting here.
April 19, 2010 9:32 PM: I agree that any misfortune in FCPS is nothing to celebrate. And, I have no idea what H-L has or has not done. Perhaps they looked into it and found nothing to report. I don't know.
I have made a request for information that I hope will resolve the issue.
For myself, at present, this is speculation based on first-hand opinions from sources close to the situation, a loose set of facts, and one very poor report. I believe the evidence supports the conclusion that the board should not have made any decisions based on the deeply flawed and highly biased Hanna Report. The fact that it was hurried up and unilaterally directed by Silberman is bad form and bothers me, but doesn't prove anything. A better level of scholarship would have gone a long way toward making this issue go away.
April 19, 2010 10:49 PM: I don't recall Lisa Gross ever working for FCPS and I would likely have known if she was ever in central office. If she taught in the district, I could certainly have missed that. As for Lisa Deffendall, yes, she did work for H-L and very well in my opinion. At least since the mid-80s, she was the best Ed reporter H-L ever produced. She built up a lot of trust points with me over the years. I also think she does a good job for FCPS.
Both Lisa's have a job to do - but have been great to work with.
April 20, 2010 9:22 AM: Ha ! "Aluminum foil hats" that's a good one.
No. I think Silberman found the cheapest, easist and least public way to handle it. It's pretty savvy if you think about it. The board went along. If it weren't for speculations here I suppose it would not be discussed anywhere at all.
It is still OK to discuss and question the goings-on of our school district, isn't it? Must we always agree?
I assume that if Stu had cause, that is to say if Allen had been doing a demonstrably bad job, he would not have hesitated to pull the trigger.
As for Stu bashing - folks can pretty much say what they want. I will continue to look at both sides of issues that come up and call them as I see them.
Some readers were upset with me when I suggested that Stu would likely be remembered as Lexington's second or third best superintendent in history (at least, so far). I don't base that opinion on nothing. It's because I think he deserves it. But if and when it appears that he may have messed up, I'll say that too.
Thanks for the comments.
To "Anonymous" who claims that the "conspiracy theorists" are wearing foil hats for surmising that there is something more behind Brenda Allen's dismissal than a cost savings. There is an old saying "you get what you pay for." That's what I have to say about these free legal services that you mention. What's the incentive for the "free lawyer" who works for someone else to do a good job for us? What's the consequence if he isn't thorough in giving that piece of advice or is just plain wrong? Will that attorney represent the district and stand by his advice when the lawsuit is filed? Pu-leeeze! I have personally heard Stu say that bringing Brenda Allen to the district was the best decision that he made and now she is the only casualty of a sudden need to be cost efficient? There's definitely more to this story. Whether it is related to Petrilli or not, I don't know but please keep digging Mr. Day, your coverage is much needed and welcomed by lots of Fayette County administrators in Central office and out. Many of whom feel that Stu and Becky Sagan have left them hanging out to dry with a cheap alternative for the best attorney who has set foot in Central office. The saying continues as it has for years...IAKSS doesn't stand for It's About Kids Support Services. It stands for "It's About King Stu Silberman!"
I agree with the above reader...We have a dictator here. It is not, never has been, never will be about kids. It's about Stu. The best thing that could be done is for an internal climate survey to be conducted. The answers would be amazing....
Brenda Allen was dismissed for one reason only, and Jim Warren won't tell you that. Nor will anyone from the newspaper.
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