JCPS board OKs revised student-assignment plan

This from the Courier-Journal:

About 2,000 more elementary students in Jefferson County Public Schools will be allowed to attend schools closer to their homes this fall, as the school board voted unanimously Monday night to adopt a number of changes to its controversial student-assignment plan.

Under the proposal, the district will still have six clusters of elementary schools from which parents can choose — rather than doubling them to 12 as a previous plan proposed — yet give schools more credit for diversity within their enrollment areas.

Limited-English students also will be added in the diversity index for the first time, and kindergartners will not have to reapply to their same school for first grade — a previous requirement that upset many parents.

Though not as sweeping as earlier proposals, the changes will maintain integrated schools while reducing bus-ride times for some students and avoiding disruptions to school choice, district officials said...

Audit calls for overhaul of JCPS central office

Outside experts' report assails favoritism, 

biased hiring, unqualified personnel

This from the The Courier-Journal:

Jefferson County Public Schools’ administration is riddled with favoritism, biased hiring and unqualified personnel and should be overhauled, according to a disparaging report released Tuesday by two outside experts hired to examine the district’s central office.

The 70-page report — the result of an organizational review ordered by the school board this summer — also states that in some cases, administrators are overpaid based on the current marketplace and when compared to other school districts.

“We see this report as a start of a conversation that the superintendent will need to have with the school board and the community in Jefferson County about the future of the central-office staffing,” said the report’s co-author, Fenwick English, a professor of educational leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The bottom line, English said, is that JCPS must realign its central office — retooling 31 positions to establish better support to its 155 schools and eliminating five other positions that the auditors say are unnecessary...

Thousands of JCPS students' test scores go to wrong addresses

This from the Courier-Journal:

Test scores for thousands of Jefferson County Public Schools students were delivered to the wrong addresses and the district is urging parents who received an incorrect report in the mail to return it to the sender or destroy it.

The error involved the eighth-grade EXPLORE test, which was administered this fall to all of the district’s eighth graders, said Lauren Roberts, a JCPS spokeswoman.

The district learned about the error late Wednesday, when parents began calling the district to say they had received test scores for a child other than their own.

Roberts said 6,500 to 7,000 student scores may have been involved. “We regret the inconvenience this has caused to parents,” she said.

Turning the Tide at Shawnee

This from the Full Frame photo blog @ Education Week:

During the 2010-11 school year, Education Week chronicled Principal Keith Look and his staff at the Academy @ Shawnee in Louisville, Ky., while they worked to transform the long-troubled campus as part of a $3.5 billion federal push to turn around thousands of low-performing schools. Pat McDonogh’s multimedia piece documents a school in transition.

Turning the Tide at Shawnee from EdWeekPhoto on Vimeo.

During the 2010-11 school year, Education Week chronicled Principal Keith Look and his staff at the Academy @ Shawnee in Louisville, Ky., while they worked to transform the long-troubled campus as part of a $3.5 billion federal push to turn around thousands of low-performing schools. Pat McDonogh’s multimedia piece documents a school in transition.

Ky. Turnaround School Reaps Double-Digit Gains
A Louisville, Ky., high school boasts big gains in reading and math a year into the federal School Improvement Grant program.
October 3, 2011 - Education Week

Turnaround School Passes One-Year Milestone
A Kentucky high school takes stock after the first phase of its efforts under a federal School Improvement Grant.
June 6, 2011 - Education Week

Students at Turnaround School Reflect on Changes
Seniors at a Kentucky high school that received a federal School Improvement Grant say they’ve sensed greater energy and teacher involvement.
June 3, 2011 - Education Week

Turnaround High School Ratchets Up Improvement
The challenge for a Louisville, Ky., school is to sustain momentum gained through a federally funded school improvement program.
February 22, 2011 - Education Week

State Specialists' Team Offers Aid in Turnaround
A Kentucky school undergoing turnaround efforts is getting used to the idea of having three officials from the state education department stationed right in their school.
February 22, 2011 - Education Week

Educators Step Up Academics at Ky. Turnaround School
Students are adjusting to higher expectations this year as a struggling West Louisville high school works to change course.
October 25, 2010 - Education Week

Turnaround Team Scrambles at Ky. High School
Shawnee High's revamped staff must make high-stakes improvements this fall or face the consequences.
August 4, 2010 | Updated: August 24, 2010 - Education Week

Kentucky High School Launches Turnaround Journey
Principal Keith Look's job is on the line as he steers Louisville's Shawnee High School through an aggressive, federally-mandated effort to reverse years of academic decline.

Auditors say JCPS should reorganize jumbled central office

This from the Courier-Journal:

A team of 27 auditors examining Jefferson County Public Schools say the district’s central office must be radically restructured because it is so poorly organized that some employees have no apparent supervisor.

Auditors with Phi Delta Kappa International — who have been hired by the school board to conduct a comprehensive review of how the district operates — say the central office has a multitude of problems, from inadequate job descriptions for employees to supervisors who oversee too many people.



“It’s a typical bureaucracy of a large organization that has not self-monitored or self-corrected over a long period of time — this is something that could go back as far as a couple of decades,” said John Murdoch, an educator and auditor with Phi Delta Kappa International who is leading the audit in Jefferson County...

JCPS asks Kentucky high court to review student assignment ruling

This from the Courier-Journal:

Nearly a month after a Kentucky Appeals Court struck down Jefferson County Public Schools student assignment plan, the district on Thursday asked the state Supreme Court to take up the case.

Making good on its vow to appeal, the district argued in a motion for review that the appeals court’s ruling was flawed. Its appeal asks the high court to decide a “critically important question that will determine the assignment of students to every public school in the Commonwealth.”
On Sept. 30, a three-judge panel of the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to strike down Jefferson County's new assignment plan. The judges ruled that state law guarantees students the right to attend their nearest school, and they ordered the district to redesign its plan for the 2012-13 school year.

The high court could take six months to a year to decide whether to take the case, said Byron Leet, one of the district’s lawyers. Leet had argued that such a guarantee is a misreading of state law and threatens to increase school segregation...

Teddy Gordon tells JCPS: End litigation now

This from C-J:

Having twice beaten Jefferson County Public Schools in a court of law, Louisville lawyer Teddy Gordon is calling on the district to accept a new challenge — stop the litigation so children can attend their neighborhoods schools.


“This has been a 13-year battle,” Gordon said Monday, sitting in his law office, its walls covered with framed newspaper clippings detailing his long legal fight against a policy whose aim is to keep schools diverse, but which requires longer bus rides for some.

“It’s time … for the litigation to end,” he said.

Gordon’s remarks came three days after the Kentucky Court of Appeals on a 2-1 vote struck down the Jefferson County’s new assignment plan, finding that state law guarantees students the right to attend their nearest school.

Flanked by Chris Fell, one of the parents who sued Jefferson County because their children were denied admittance into their closest school, Gordon on Monday also called on the district to scrap its current consideration of an overhaul to the new assignment plan that would reduce bus-ride times, saying it would fall far short of the appeals courts ruling.

But JCPS school board Chairman Steve Imhoff said Monday the board has no intention of dropping its proposed overhaul — neither will it abandon its appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court of a policy he said is in students’ best interests...

Judicial Activism

Ky. judge pushes for neighborhood schools

This from the Houston Chronicle:

A Kentucky appeals court judge called Wednesday for the state's largest school district to end the "social experiment" of busing students for desegregation purposes and revert to neighborhood schools, stepping into what has become a high-profile political issue.

Judge Kelly Thompson said Jefferson County Public Schools should "get out of the courtroom" and abandon any plans that include having students ride school buses across the county.

"I'd like to ask that you concentrate on neighborhood schools and get out of the courtroom," Thompson said at the end of two hours of oral arguments over how the Louisville-based school district assigns students to schools. "You've got more litigation than any school district in the country."

Although Thompson made his opinion clear, the court did not rule Wednesday.

The hearing was an appeal of a 2010 decision by Jefferson Circuit Judge Irv Maze, who dismissed a lawsuit brought by parents who contend the school district must allow their children to attend the school nearest their home. Maze said state law clearly reserves for school boards the right to "determine what schools the students within the district attend."

The appeals court arguments are the latest volley in a long-running battle over how students in Louisville are assigned to schools. The school district voluntarily continued busing students to maintain diversity in the classroom after a judge lifted a mandatory busing order in 2000 after 25 years.

The court case and Thompson's comments also touch on a current political issue. State Senate President David Williams, a Republican running for governor against incumbent Democratic incumbent Steve Beshear, has pushed legislation to allow Louisville public school students attend the school closest to their homes. Williams has said the bill would empower parents frustrated by school assignment plans.

Opponents say the measure would erode local control of schools and would relegate many poor and minority students to underperforming schools.

The central legal issue is whether Kentucky's law, which says parents may "enroll" a student at the school closest to their home, also entitles that student to attend the same school.

Sheila Hiestand, one of three attorneys for the parents challenging the student assignment plan, told the judges that there's no practical difference between "enroll" and "attend" when it comes to the law.

"What we need to do is use our common sense and allow our children to grow in their communities," Hiestand said.

During arguments, there was little question which way Thompson and Judge Thomas Caperton were leaning. Judge Sara Combs, the widow of former Gov. Bert T. Combs, did not reveal her own opinion, but did not object when Thompson told Teddy Gordon, another of the attorneys for the parents, he could take the rare step and skip a rebuttal argument.

Thompson and Caperton repeatedly grilled the attorney for the school board, Byron Leet, about the necessity of putting students on buses for 90 minutes or more each day. Thompson noted that the U.S. Supreme Court, in 2007, struck down Jefferson County's student assignment plan because it called for each school to have between 15 and 50 percent minority students.

Since then, the board has adopted a plan aimed at diversity that keeps the 15 to 50 percent requirement, but no longer bases it strictly on the race of the students. It now also looks at factors such as economics and academic achievement.

"I'm concerned about an attitude ... of a school board that gives lip service to the courts," Thompson said. "You keep coming back with a 50 percent plan of quotas."

Leet told the judges that the high court decision dealt with placing students primarily on the basis of race, something the school board no longer does.

"No individual students are being treated differently based on their race under this plan," Leet said.

Caperton questioned the wisdom of taking students from areas of the city noted for low academic achievement and sending them across town to go to school.

"Rather than hire a teacher ... it's better to put them on a bus and ride them around for a few hours," Caperton said.

"Merely pouring money into a school will not achieve the desired result," Leet said.

After the hearing, Leet was hesitant to call the case a loss.

"I've been at this a little while," said Leet. "I think it's perilous business to predict what a judge will do in a particular case."

Gordon said he saw the judges' comments as good for his side.

"It was exactly what I've been saying for the last 11 years," Gordon said.

PR Firm Recommends No PR on Busing Issue

This from Toni at C-J:

PR firm advises JCPS board to keep quiet on student-assignment proposal

Let chairman do the talking, PR firm says

Some Members Uncomfortable "being muzzled"

Board could pay as much as $20k for bad advice

A Louisville public-relations firm recently hired by the Jefferson County Board of Education is advising board members to let the board chairman do all the talking on certain issues, including a controversial recent student-assignment proposal.

 

After The Courier-Journal revealed last week that the board had shelved a student-assignment plan that would have bused up to 38 percent fewer elementary students this fall for integration purposes, Dan Hartlage, a partner with Louisville-based Guthrie Mayes Public Relations, sent board members an email Thursday recommending they stop talking to the media about the proposal.

 

Last spring, the board chose not to discuss the proposal publicly, instead deciding to await recommendations from a national expert on school integration whom they had hired as a consultant. District officials initially refused to turn over the plan until several board members urged them to reconsider.

 

“We should … do what we can to allow this story to pass,” Hartlage wrote in an email to board members and district staff. “That said, should any of you receive media requests to further discuss this issue, I recommend that you decline. For all the reasons previously discussed, there is no productive reason to further discuss the issue in the media. If a media outlet pushes hard for an interview, I recommend that you suggest they talk to the board chair.”

 

The board hired Guthrie Mayes in July, one month after it hired Donna Hargens to replace outgoing Superintendent Sheldon Berman...

This advice comes on the heels of a Courier-Journal scathing rebuke of the board's ongoing resistance to full transparency in an Editorial last week.

Those who remain unconvinced that the Jefferson County Board of Education is a dysfunctional unit need only look at the latest example of the members' flailing and failing leadership.

Staff writer Antoinette Konz reported in last Thursday's Courier-Journal that a proposal to alter the district's student assignment plan, the one at the heart of so much volatile community debate and disagreement, was quietly set aside by school board members earlier this year and shielded from any sort of public discussion until other recommendations, still being awaited, arrive. Meanwhile, the new school year starts in one week.

The jury is out on how much the proposal, put together by former Superintendent Sheldon Berman and 20 other top-level administrators, might have reduced the number of students who needed to be bused to keep elementary schools integrated. The proposal said the reduction could have been up to 38 percent, while others dispute that.

Given the uproar over the student assignment plan's perceived shortcomings and the political hot potato its diversity goals have become among some voters, one would think the board would do whatever it could to keep the public informed, clued in and up-to-date on what is happening on this front — even if it's just a proposal and even if others are expected to be part of a more comprehensive discussion.

Not this board. They may talk transparency, but they walk a much different walk. Keeping this proposal from the public is just the most current reminder of that. Other examples:

The members perform part of the superintendent's evaluation out of the public eye; they even worked to change state law in order to ensure that lack of sunshine. After they fired Superintendent Sheldon Berman last fall with zero public discussion, their proceedings to replace him were secretive, the names of serious contenders weren't released, and they never really told the public what they were looking for in the way of his replacement.

When The Courier-Journal filed an open records request for the panel's proposal to amend the student assignment plan, the district initially refused to release it because the board had not yet taken action on it. A heavily redacted version of the plan, with all detail blacked out, was turned over to the newspaper. More recently three board members — chairman Stephen Imhoff, Linda Duncan and Debbie Wesslund — insisted the district release the unredacted proposal in the name of transparency. Hence, Ms. Konz' report on a plan that was forwarded to the school board in February.

Still, not all members were on board with Mr. Imhoff's, Ms. Duncan's and Ms. Wesslund's commitment to belated transparency. Member Carol Haddad distinguished herself, and not in a good way, when she said to Ms. Konz, “I didn't want all these ideas floating around — it confuses people.”

Actually, it confuses people when ideas are not floating around and when public servants do the business of the public out of the public eye, a concept that continues to elude this school board.

It also apparently eluded Superintendent Berman, who told Ms. Konz that he had planned to put the proposed plan on a board meeting agenda, but did not do so at the request of board members, who wanted to wait on other recommendations. He should have gone public with an issue that was — and is — the public's business.

No one was served with this secrecy.

New JCPS superintendent has not signed contract yet

When I was asked by a long-time KSN&C friend (and a JCPS board member) to vet the finalists for the superintendency, I didn't have time to do it justice. I dug back a few years, but could not do the work I felt was necessary to make any definitive statements about the finalists.

Neither candidate presented major blemishes. Both seemed undistinguished in tough positions, but capable enough. They were given the OK by their state associations.

The passed over candidate had a Sally Kellerman-in-M*A*S*H kind of vibe, but had held the top post in her district and suffered the slings and arrows of a long series of Draconian budget cuts, courtesy of the Michigan legislature - or should I say Wall Street?

Donna Hargens, the successful candidate, seemed to lack leadership. She did not seem to lack the ability to do whatever the board of education told her to do, including the provision of special treatment for board members and their children.

About the time I suggested the JCPS board might want to pass on Hargens, they hired her. Or, at least, they're trying to hire her. Now, comments from the board chair have renewed my concerns. 

Did the JCPS board really want a leader, or a follower?

This from WDRB:

New JCPS superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens has yet to sign a contract with the district. School Board President Steve Imhoff sat down for an interview with WDRB in the Morning Tuesday, and said her contract is still being worked out.

Hargens will move to Louisville from North Carolina in just a few days. Her first day of work is August 1st, just two weeks before the first day of school.

Hargens has already faced criticism for avoiding questions about the student assignment plan, but Imhoff says what happens to the plan is up to the board: "She as our new superintendent will advise us as to her thoughts, but it is the board that ultimately makes decisions about what the plan is and what changes we will make."

By law, the district has to name an interim superintendent. Dr. Freda Merriweather will take over for Sheldon Berman July 1st.

C-J's Q & A with Donna Hargens

The Courier-Journal reported this weekend that as a student growing up in Milwaukee, the high expectations that Donna Hargens' teachers set for her inspired her to become an educator herself.


Now, after working 30 years to raise student achievement in the Wake County, N.C., Public School System, the new superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools says she wants to pass on those same high expectations to the 99,000 students attending the district's 155 schools.

The Courier-Journal - whose editorial Board was sufficiently critical of the JCPS superintendent finalists that they called for a new search - asked Hargens to discuss the key issues that will now confront her when she takes the helm in Louisville.

These excerpts from the interview by Toni Konz at C-J:

QUESTION: First of all, congratulations on being named the next superintendent of JCPS. When we talked Tuesday night, you told me that it was important for you to start Aug. 1, so that you would be in Louisville in time for the start of the new school year. Why is that so important to you?

ANSWER: I am honored to be the next superintendent of JCPS. My husband and I are thrilled to become members of your community.

The start of a new year is an exciting time for staff, students, parents, the Board of Education and the community. A great start sets the tone for the year... I will also review the plans for the first day of school and will be knowledgeable about the plan. I want to be there before the opening and to be in the schools on Day 1 to kick-off the new school year.

Q: What drew you to a career in education? Did you always know you would be an educator?

A: I remember the moments when teachers inspired me through their expectations of me...
Q: Where would you rather be — analyzing test scores in your office or speaking to a room full of teachers?

A: I would rather be in a room speaking with teachers...

Q: How visible do you plan on being in Jefferson County's schools? Do you plan on visiting each school within a certain period of time? What is your plan for doing that?

A: I hope that you will hold me accountable for being visible not only in the schools but in the community as well...

Q: How does Jefferson County Public Schools' academic achievement stack up against other comparable school districts around the country?

A: This is a school system and a community that is not satisfied and should not be satisfied with the current level of achievement. Helping students to grow academically is the reason that a school system exists. It is the core mission...
Q: What's the best way to improve academic performance at Jefferson County's lowest-performance schools, and how long do you think it will take to substantially improve them?


A: Improvement takes discipline and a focused effort over time. The keys are being able to effectively answer three questions: What is it that students are expected to know? How do we know if they know it? What do we do if they do know it or don't know it? ...

Q: What role should the teachers'union play in setting the course for improving Jefferson County schools?

A: It is imperative that the teachers' union and the administration work collaboratively with a focus on what's best for students. ...Teachers are the variable that can make the most difference...

Q: Should JCPS be trying more than one option for fixing the district's persistently low-achieving schools? So far, the remedy has been to restaff the schools and move out the principal.

A: I think that it is fair to say that all four turnaround options (restaffing, closing the school, turning it over to outside management or tying teacher evaluations to student performance) are worthy of consideration. … and deserve that. I need to take time to do my homework on this issue...
Q: Have you had the chance to review the programs and initiatives Dr. Berman has brought to JCPS? Which ones do you plan to keep, and which will you end? How will you review those programs?


A: I read a lot about JCPS before arriving in Louisville...I look forward to learning more, to looking at the data and to listening to the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, parents, the school board, the business community and other stakeholders.

Q: Do you support using merit pay or incentives to reward good teachers? Why or why not?

A: It is important to understand what teachers consider to be an incentive and to understand what it takes to retain high-quality teachers and to provide consistent high-quality instruction...I need to learn about the history of merit pay and incentives in Jefferson County and in Kentucky.

Q: In The Courier-Journal's earlier profile of you, a principal in Wake County described you as “data-driven.” Are you an advocate for using test scores and other data to evaluate teachers and schools? Why or why not?

A: I am data-driven. In order to improve, you have to know where you are starting from. When doing any kind of an evaluation, it is important to look at multiple measures and data points.

Q: Some have criticized Wake County's disciplinary policies as discriminatory against African American students. The same criticism has been made of Jefferson County. Why do you think African Americans are so often disciplined out of proportion to their actual numbers not only those school districts, but in many school districts nationwide? How do you think school districts should handle discipline?

A: When you look at the data and you see trends that are disturbing...Both looking at the policies and the implementation of those policies are keys to improvement...

Q: Can you envision there ever being a situation where you would publicly take a stand against a position taken by a majority of the school board? If so, what would that situation be? If not, why not?

A: I cannot speculate on a particular situation where I might take such a stand...

Q: Republican gubernatorial candidate David Williams has proposed legislation that would mandate that school districts allow parents to send their children to neighborhood schools — those closest to their home. What is your position on that idea?

A: Local school boards are entrusted with the responsibility to make decisions regarding student assignment. Decisions are best made by the officials who are closest to the situation. A student-assignment plan should not take the district back to a time when all students did not have the same educational experiences and opportunities.

Q: What is your timeline for reaching a decision on whether you support the current student assignment plan?

A: There is a student assignment plan in place for 2011-12. The staff is committed to a successful implementation of that plan. Dr. Gary Orfield (a leading desegregation expert hired as a school board consultant) will be making recommendations for any modifications to the plan for the 2012-13 school year...

Q: Should the superintendent's annual performance review be public? The public still doesn't know precisely why your predecessor was let go because it was done behind closed doors.

A: Personnel issues are confidential and should be treated as such...

Q: Were you surprised by the negative reaction you received from some groups and organizations in Louisville? Have you experienced that before?

A: I respect people's opinions and respect their right to express them. What this demonstrated to me was that this is a community that passionately cares about the education of JCPS students...

Q: How will you reach out to those who appear to have doubts about whether you are the right person to lead JCPS?

A: I look forward to meeting with them and to listening to them...

Q: What would the community here be surprised to know about you? What are your talents and hobbies? If you had a weekend where you could do anything you wanted to do, what would you do?

A: I ran a 3K in May in Washington, D.C., this past May with my son, my daughter and my daughter's boyfriend. My goal now is to run a 5K.

I love to attend community and school-sponsored events on weekends. I can't imagine a Sunday morning without attending a service...

Donna Hargens Named JCPS Superintendent

This from the Courier-Journal:

She was the temporary leader of a North Carolina school district in the midst of a rebellion over student assignment, now Donna Hargens will take charge of the Jefferson County Public Schools as the district struggles with its own controversial desegregation plan.

Hargens, the chief academic officer for Wake County, N.C., Public Schools, was named Tuesday afternoon as the superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools.

The Jefferson County Board of Education made the unexpected announcement after meeting in private for more than four hours. Board members had originally said they wouldn't make a choice before next week.


“We believe Dr. Hargens is the ideal fit for this job,” said Steve Imhoff, chairman of the school board. “Her experience in raising student achievement, her overall leadership approach and her commitment to diversity and student assignment make her the best choice to lead our district.”

Hargens, 53, has been responsible for improving teaching and learning for Wake County's 143,000 students. She also served as interim superintendent for 10 months during a time of political turmoil over that district's assignment plan.

“I am thrilled about being named the next superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools,” Hargens said in a phone interview with The Courier-Journal Tuesday evening. “I'm really looking forward to coming to town, meeting with staff members and getting ready for the start of the 2011-12 school year.”

Hargens will start Aug. 1. Imhoff said the school board must still negotiate a contract with her. She makes $148,965 in her current position in Wake County, while outgoing JCPS superintendent Sheldon Berman makes $260,000...

The school board chose Hargens over the objections of the NAACP and others who had asked the school board to reopen its search because of doubts about her and Johns' commitment to desegregation and their ability to lead the Jefferson County Public Schools.

Raoul Cunningham, the president of the Louisville branch of the NAACP, criticized the board for lacking transparency by selecting Hargens during a closed meeting that the board had said was only being held to consider the candidates and set a timeline for a decision.

But Cunningham said he would not begin Hargens' tenure “with a hostile attitude.”

“I'm disappointed and didn't expect them to make a decision today, but they did and it's over,” he said. “… We need to all move forward and now that we have a superintendent, we will do everything we can to work with her.”...

Decision Time in the Ville

For lunch today, the Jefferson County Board of Education is chewing over what to do with their two finalists for superintendent. Both candidates have come under fire for their vague stances on Jefferson County's student assignment plan and at least three groups, including the Courier-Journal have called for a new search.

KSN&C did not do a complete review of the candidates, but did spend about 4 hours poking around the public record on the candidates. Both Christine Johns, superintendent in Utica, Michigan and Donna Hargens, chief academic officer for Wake County, N.C. appear to be competent administrators who can do the hard word of the superintendency. Both come from tough circumstances.

A board of education source tells KSN&C that CCSSO Executive Director Gene Wilhoit reached out to education leaders in Michigan and North Carolina and was told that both women were solid.

Christine Johns has served in Michigan where the recession has hit hard and politicians have taken it out on the schools. In March 2010 she closed four schools to balance a $33 million budget shortfall. But that was only the most recent in a depressing string of reductions over the prior seven years that caused Utica to cut $47 million, laying off 400 employees, slashing administrative salaries and implementing employee furloughs.John's moved to privatize custodial services in an effort to save about $4 million per year. Lamenting the cuts, in March 2009 Johns told the legislature, "if we want high-quality schools, we have to pay for them."

The daughter of a repeatedly laid off steelworker, Johns said she learned a critical lesson about the value of education. With a Bachelors from Pitt and a reputation for championing the underdog, Johns has been seen as hard-driving, ambitious and trailblazing. She was at Harvard GSE before it's sold out to Wall Street, but still seems to maintain the Broad/Gates/Bush/Obama free marketish, school turnaround game plan.

Often the bridesmaid, in April 2003 Johns was a finalist in Seminole County Florida. In June 2005 she was a finalist in St. Mary's County Maryland. In April 2005 John's was a finalist in Evergreen Washington. In July 2005 she was a finalist for the Pittsburgh job. The Plain Dealer cited her Harvard doctorate and said she "created a buzz in education circles." August 2005 the Cleveland Plain Dealer identified John's as one of seven people qualified to lead Cleveland schools.

Johns was trained in the high profile management program for urban superintendents funded by the Broad Center for Management of School Systems, which emphasizes innovation and competition in school management. A big improving-student-achievement-through-school reform focus.

July 2007 Johns paid her own way on a tour of schools in China.

In August 2008 health care and wages were still being negotiated with the Utica Education Association and teachers started school without a contract. Those issues were apparently resolved without job actions.

Johns told the Courier-Journal she supports diversity as a concept. And she says she has views on Meredith v Jefferson County…but her vagueness prevents me from telling you what they are.

Donna Hargens, while Chief Academic Officer in Wake County North Carolina,  ran a zero tolerance disciplinary program that was objected to by the NAACP for its suspension of more than 1000 students - disproportionately minority. Most districts nationally abandoned zero tolerance programs much earlier. Wake County abandoned their program last month.

In May, Hargens approved a transfer for a board member's daughter. That met with objections, followed by a new board policy requiring full board approval of such actions. Apparently of 143,000 Wake County students, only 15 transfers were approved under a "best interest" policy which required no paperwork. The affair was suspicious for favoritism.

News stories out of Wake County make it sound like a snake pit. The board of education appears to be quite dysfunctional politically right now. It is the kind of place where, following election to nonpartisan races, the elected thank political parties for their support. On a rare unanimous vote, Hargens served as interim superintendent, following the protest resignation of the former superintendent when the Wake County board abandoned its diversity plan.

North Carolina has non-partisan school board elections (but not really) for 9 seats. Wake County has lots of 5-4 votes. The county's conservative majority school board, which famously dismantled the districts' economically-based student assignment policy in favor of a neighborhood plan, selected Fox News commentator and former Brig General Anthony Tata as superintendent on a 4-2 vote. The Democratic board members voting against Tata, praised Hargens. Secrecy surrounded the search. It was unclear from the public record that Hargens was a candidate, but she tells the JCPS Board that she was not. The public reportedly wanted a superintendent from outside Wake County. After his selection, Tata kept Hargens on as Chief Academic Officer, but one gets the sense that she began seeking greener pastures. The Vice Chair of the Wake Board called Hargens "a true professional" saying she doesn't know what Hargens views are on the districts diversity assignment policy. It would seem Hargens was chosen because the board thought she would do as told.

Hargens recommended the use of RTTT funds for recruitment bonuses, merit pay, additional technology.

Hargens had been an unsuccessful candidate for superintendent in New Hanover County in August 2010.  A Star News editorial called Hargens a “competent administrator” but says New Hanover board should choose a leader.

The News and Observer reported that Hargens dodged the issue of whether neighborhood schools will lead to resegregation. Hargens seemed to argue, as she has in Jefferson County, that she will do whatever the board says, calling it a "governance issue." New Hanover board chair said, "we know she's an excellent administrator… She sees the position of superintendent is to carry out the will of the school board. Right now that will of the board is neighborhood schools."

There is no substitute for strong leadership. JCPS should pass on Hargens.

This from the Courier-Journal:

JCPS board could make decision

next week on new superintendent

They interviewed with the school board, shook hands with parents and held private meetings with community leaders.

Now, the fate of the two finalists vying to lead the Kentucky's largest school system is in the hands of the Jefferson County Board of Education — who will meet Tuesday to evaluate the search, the candidates, consider community input and set a timeline for a decision.

The board may make a hire within a week, board Chairman Steve Imhoff said.

The finalists are Christine Johns, superintendent of Utica, Mich., Community Schools; and Donna Hargens, chief academic officer for Wake County, N.C., Public Schools.

Though praised for their professional accomplishments and academic experience, Johns and Hargens were criticized by the NAACP for refusing to take clear stands on Jefferson County's student-assignment plan and asked the board to reopen its search.

The Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission issued a similar call, arguing the hiring process was rushed.

But Imhoff, who has long supported efforts to keep schools integrated, said he's satisfied that both candidates sufficiently value diverse schools. As of Monday, he said he isn't inclined to ask the board to reopen the search...

C-J Jumps on Board.

Calls for New Search

Rejects Finalist's "rehearsed naiveté"

This one has all the fixin's.

I did a little digging into the public record of the finalists for superintendent in Jefferson County this afternoon. Getting caught up a little. Vetting-lite.  

In the meantime, another group has joined the NAACP in calling for a fresh search. And this group is actually an arm of city government, somehow.

Then comes the Courier.

The Courier-Journal opposed Berman's non-renewal from the start. (KSN&C - not so much. ...still ticked off by some misinformation we got from him one day.)

If I get this right, C-J thinks the finalists' ideas on the student assignment plan are insufficient following Sheldon Berman whose plan was "imperfect...well-intentioned and was firmly committed to diversity." ...which is pretty much what one might say about the finalists. Faint praise for Berman? In any case, the record casts some doubt.

I like C-J's strong commitment to a diverse school system. And C-J is correct to be concerned that there are folks who would like to resegregate along some line or another. Public school ought to be a place where all kids get to play.

With regard to the Meredith case, it has seemed pretty clear that the JCPS Board would be held to a high level of scrutiny in C-J's court of public opinion. So when Superman did not appear among the finalists, well....

This from the Courier-Journal

Editorial: Board fails to find sound candidate;

search must resume

The debacle that began one chilly night last November, when the Jefferson County Board of Education narrowly voted not to renew Superintendent Sheldon Berman's contract, has come to a crisis point with the selection of two woefully inadequate finalists to replace him.

This outcome should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched this dysfunctional, divided board at work. But the possible consequence — appointment of a candidate who cannot even comment effectively about the most significant issue facing our schools, the student assignment plan — is unacceptable. Selecting a superintendent at this moment in history — when the JCPS assignment plan is under assault and when some of its schools have been labeled “failures” by the state — is the biggest choice to face Louisville in a long time. To get this wrong could mean that our children, and all the rest of us, will pay a terrible price.

Stakes are high

Why are the stakes so high? To begin with, the desegregation of local schools has been perhaps the most difficult and important challenge this community has faced in the past 60 years. Some people literally bled to effect change; opponents of desegregation rioted in the streets, but, in time, the student assignment plan became accepted, even popular, with most local parents and pupils.

Indeed, surveys have consistently shown that the public schools here — which attract an amazing 80 percent of eligible families — are highly regarded in part because people understand the critical importance of diversity to create high achievers and to make our children competitive in a global economy. And the assignment plan is vital in a city like Louisville, which has one of the most segregated housing patterns in the nation and a sordid history of racial discrimination and inequity.

A few years ago, Justice Stephen Breyer characterized the case that overturned Louisville's race-based assignment plan (written by the conservative point man Chief Justice John Roberts) as the worst thing he had seen come through the Court in his tenure. Sadly, this is now the law of the land, and ways must be found to continue to achieve the goals without using race as the basis for assignment.

Dr. Berman's plan, while imperfect, was well-intentioned and was firmly committed to diversity. A national expert in school integration is on contract with the district to propose ways to make the assignment plan more effective.

Plan in jeopardy

But make no mistake about it: There are forces at work that want to jettison the plan entirely and revert to a neighborhood-school assignment scheme. In a city like Louisville, the result would be an unacceptable pattern of re-segregated schools. Anyone who argues otherwise, or denies it, is dishonest and cruel.

After Dr. Berman was fired last fall, the board went to work on finding a replacement, and immediately began stubbing its toe. The proceedings were secretive from the start; the names of serious candidates weren't released, and the board never effectively communicated to the people of this community what it was looking for in a new leader.

Even the search firm hired to screen candidates seemed unaware of some of the deep divisions and problems that existed in the system and between the board and the superintendent.

The two finalists ultimately chosen — Christine Johns, who heads a 30,000-student district in a mostly white suburb of Detroit, and Donna Hargens, deputy and former acting chief of the schools in Raleigh, N.C. — came to town last week and met with the public, the school board and other community representatives.

The finalists demonstrated a kind of rehearsed naiveté about the district and the issues it faces. In meetings with this newspaper's editorial board (which you can watch at courier-journal.com/opinion), they proved to be either ignorant or deceitful about their knowledge of the student assignment plan that they would be expected to implement. There was a Stepford quality about their responses to questions about what they thought a plan should contain.

Dr. Hargens, in particular, tap-danced around such critical topics as commitment to desegregation, neighborhood schools and the history of the district. No person in a position to take on such an important job could honestly come to town as a finalist and have so few opinions. Or have so little concrete to say.

However, both candidates showed a remarkable lack of commitment to lead rather than to merely implement the policies of this dysfunctional school board. This district needs a visionary and dynamic leader, not a disingenuous yes-person.

Reopen the search

The board does not have a good choice to make between the two, and the search should be reopened, but this time in a much more transparent, straightforward manner.

It's time for the community to stand together to deliver this message. In earlier years, when challenges faced our public schools' assignment plans, strong and vigorous support from the business community was vital. But where are business leaders now? The silence is deafening. And where are religious and civic leaders of good conscience? Mayor Fischer needs to take a stronger stand in the interest of the entire city. The NAACP has been speaking out vigorously, and has taken principled stands throughout the Berman debacle and again last week. But what of other civil rights leaders?

Where are their voices? Where are yours?

On Tuesday, the school board is going to make its plans for the next step in the selection process. This crisis has reached a boiling point, and those who remain silent will share the blame for what could result from a disastrous decision about JCPS leadership.

Call your elected board member, or send him or her an email. Show up Tuesday at the school board to protest its continued secrecy and lack of responsiveness.

Now's the time. It may not come again for a long while.

NAACP calls on school board to reopen search for JCPS superintendent

This from C-J:

Louisville's NAACP branch is calling on the Jefferson County Board of Education to reopen its search for a new superintendent, the board's two finalists “very weak” and lacking experience with desegregation.

“We were expecting much better candidates,” said Raoul Cunningham, president of the local NAACP. “We are very worried about what will happen if either one of them is named the next superintendent, which is why we are formally going to ask the school board to start this entire process over.”

The NAACP was joined by unlikely supporter Thursday, when attorney Louisville attorney Ted Gordon, who helped overturn the district's old desegregation policy, said he agreed that the search should be reopened.

“I don't think these are the best candidates out there,” he said.

But school board Chairman Steve Imhoff said he has no plans to reopen the district's search, saying he is “still happy with both candidates.”

The school board is scheduled to meet at noon Tuesday to discuss a timeline for making their final decision, he said.

Louisville residents and officials have given mixed reviews to finalists Christine Johns, superintendent of the Utica, Mich., Community Schools, and Donna Hargens, chief academic officer for Wake County, N.C., Public Schools.

While some praised their professional accomplishments and academic experience, others, including the NAACP, criticized them for refusing to take clear stands on Jefferson County's student-assignment plan...

Ed board interview: Christine Johns - JCPS superintendent candidate: JCPS superintendent candidate finalist Christine Johns is interviewed by The Courier-Journal editorial board on June 7, 2011. This is the complete interview.


JCPS superintendent candidate Donna Hargens: JCPS superintendent candidate Donna Hargens is interviewed by The Courier-Journal editorial board on June 9, 2011.

Meanwhile in Jefferson County...

This from the Courier-Journal:

JCPS superintendent finalists must show where they stand on key issues

C-J did a nice job on this comparison of JCPS
with the finalists home districts.  Go see.

When Jefferson County's school board began looking for a new superintendent earlier this year, parents, politicians and community leaders said they wanted a leader who could turn around low-performing schools, raise student achievement and tackle ongoing complaints about student assignment and busing.

And now that the two finalists for the district's top job are known, those same people and others say they are eager to see where both candidates stand on those critical issues...

  This from C-J:

Profile: Christine Johns | 'Visible' administrator worked up career ladder



JCPS Superintendent Candidate Christine Johns-Haines speaks at forum: Superintendent candidate Christine Johns-Haines answers questions during a public forum on Monday, June 6, 2011.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — When Christine Johns arrived as superintendent of Utica Community Schools in July 2006, her mission was to make the well-regarded, high-performing school district in a working-class suburb of Detroit even better.

It was the first superintendent job for Johns, who had started her career as an elementary school teacher in Prince George's County, Md., then worked her way up the career ladder as a curriculum specialist, principal, assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent in school districts in Maryland and California.

“We were a good district, but I think you could say that we were comfortable with where we were,” said Bob McBroom, the building administrator at Utica's Instructional Resource Center. “When she came in, she told us right off the bat that good wasn't good enough, and that we needed to do better.”

With 30,000 students, Utica is the second-largest district in Michigan. Ninety percent of its students are white, and less than one-quarter are eligible for subsidized lunches because they come from low-income families.

It's a marked difference from Jefferson County Public Schools, where slightly more than half the roughly 99,800 students are white and 62 percent are eligible for subsidized lunches.

But Jefferson County's diversity and size are what make it attractive, Johns said, adding that she's up to the task....

And this from C-J:

JCPS finalist Donna Hargens touts experience in big district



JCPS Superintendent Candidate Donna Hargens speaks...: Superintendent candidate Donna Hargens answers questions during a public forum on Thursday, June 8, 2011.
The second finalist for Jefferson County school superintendent said during a public forum Wednesday night that her experience in the large North Carolina district she now serves would make her a good fit for the Louisville job.

Donna Hargens, 53, is the chief academic officer for the Wake County Public Schools, a district with 143,000 students in Raleigh, N.C.

The other finalist, Christine Johns, superintendent of the Utica (Mich.) Community Schools, met with the public Monday night.

Hargens served as interim superintendent in the Wake County district — North Carolina’s largest — for 10 months. And she told a crowd of more than 100 at the Durrett Auditorium on the Louisville Male High School campus that it provides an ideal background for the Louisville job.

“I believe leading a large school district is my assignment,” she said. “It’s what all my experience has led me to do.”

Hargens described herself as “data-driven” and said reviewing data would help her raise student achievement and improve failing schools.

In Wake County, she said, data collection showed a pattern at struggling schools, where teachers lacked useful tools such as interactive projectors. It also showed the value of alternative programs, now being expanded, in helping poor-performing students.

“Everybody might need something different, and people might need a second chance,” she said...

Monday Musings

By Penney Sanders

I cannot remember a time when both Fayette and Jefferson County School Districts had superintendent openings at the same time. It portends a unique opportunity for Kentucky.

Let’s start with Louisville/JCPS. Could the situation have become more ludicrous - and more importantly, is it salvageable????

A bit of history. When Dr. Berman was hired 4 years ago, he was the “last man” standing candidate. The other two finalists dropped out and rather than reopen the search, for whatever reason, the JCPS Board chose to hire Berman.

Furthermore, Berman came from a small district in New England. He had no experience with the immense infrastructure that constitutes JCPS and was a novice at Kentucky hardball school politics. He was behind before he began. (So, how/ why did the headhunters put him on the list for Louisville??)

In a part of organizational analysis called, succession theory, Berman was an outside-outsider. Furthermore, his predecessor (Daeschner) had been in the position for 14 years. Succession theory and common sense indicate that Berman was not destined to stay long in the position: too many accumulated problems and too many people in place who could not be removed or motivated to change.

Couple the bussing morass with the announcement that JCPS had 12 high schools on the state’s lowest performing list (6 per yr. for 2 years =12), it should come as no surprise that Berman’s contract was not renewed. Based on the performance of the schools and the lack of overall progress in the district, the Board took appropriate action to not renew.

Urban superintendents have a short life-span under the best of circumstances. In this case, the circumstances were full of conflict. Berman had been selected by default and his Board flipped on him. It was a bad fit that only got worse. The only logical outcome was don’t renew and move on - It is happening all over the country.

Therefore, I do not understand why there has been such weeping and wailing from the Courier Journal about Berman’s departure. A 5-2 vote to not renew is compelling. Even if the Board had changed its vote in public, in private, Berman would have lacked the support and confidence of the Board. That, as we all know, is a killer for a superintendent.

Now, the Board has an opportunity to get it right. They must conduct a search that will yield them a strong group of candidates. Additionally, they should not rush to hire someone. In fact, an interim superintendent may be a good idea for the district at this time.

An interim, no doubt someone from within, could, with the full support of the Board, do much of the necessary program and personnel adjustments - i.e. clean house and continue instituting the changes necessary to get the poor performing high schools back on track.

This is a strategy that is often employed in the private sector-the transitional person does the dirty work and the new person arrives with the opportunity to install his/her personnel and programs. The messy stuff is over and done with.

Regardless, the JCPS Board must be committed to improved schools for ALL students. This continued whining that because students are poor or from disengaged families simply cannot be allowed to continue as the excuses for poor school performance. There are too many urban districts in this country that are demonstrating positive student achievement to allow JCPS to continue this category of caterwauling.

Finally, the Board must realize that it is the assessment of student performance which is the basis for the way we judge schools in Kentucky and in the US. The presentations at the recent League of Women Voters Forum that sought to deemphasize assessment were at best disingenuous if not delusional.

Kentucky was first on board to adopt the Common Core Standards and will, I assume, quickly adopt the assessments that will accompany those standards. The result will be higher standards and much more rigorous measurements/assessments. Competition will be more intense and the stakes for Kentucky students will be higher. JCPS must be ready.

This is a critical juncture in the history of JCPS. With 12 high schools on the state’s low performing list and concerns about student performance overall, the Board must select and SUPPORT a strong, instructionally-focused candidate who has a history of turning schools around and who will be committed to the tough work of transforming low performing, low expectation schools into schools of excellence based on successful student outcomes. Think: Michelle Rhee or Arne Duncan.

The Board must share with the candidates the problems the district faces. NOTHING can be sugar-coated; all the uglies out in the open. A new superintendent must understand the issues related to the failure to intervene in low performing schools until they were hemorrhaging, the frustration with bussing and the need to adopt a “no more excuses” approach to instruction.
It will be a difficult position but there are men and women in schools and districts throughout the country who could lead a JCPS turnaround. The trick will be to identify them; these types of “in the trenches” leaders are not often in the stable of the hired headhunters. The Board may have to do some serious searching on their own. In fact, to do less and not hire the best, subjects the Louisville community to more failing schools. That is not an option.

Holliday Warns JCPS that Staffing Overhauls may Fall Short

This from Toni Konz at the Courier-Journal, Photo by Sam Upshaw:

Kentucky's education chief has warned Jefferson County Public Schools it could lose millions of dollars in federal funding — or lose control entirely of the overhaul process — if the district doesn't make a more determined effort to turn around its lowest performing schools.

Education Commissioner Terry Holliday said the district's staffing changes may not be meeting state and federal requirements at several of the 12 Jefferson County schools targeted for overhauls because their reading and math scores are some of the worst in Kentucky.

Less than one-third of the 70 teachers being replaced at three of those schools — Doss, Fairdale and Seneca high schools — teach reading and math, the two subjects that led the state to demand major overhauls at the schools because of their poor test scores, according to data obtained by The Courier-Journal in an open-records request.

“The reason why these schools are persistently low achieving is due to their graduation rate and reading and math scores,” Holliday said in an interview. “If we are not looking to replace reading and math teachers, how can we expect to improve reading and math scores?”

Holliday has put the school board on notice that he could take over decisions about how the district overhauls its most-troubled schools if the Kentucky Education Department determines the district isn't taking the reform effort seriously...

JCPS Superintendent Sheldon Berman says it's time to 'move on'

Board wisely avoids Ray & Associates

This from Toni Konz at the Courier-Journal:

Superintendent Sheldon Berman’s contract to head Jefferson County schools won’t be extended.

Shortly before the school board was scheduled to discuss a potential extension Monday night, Berman asked it to drop the discussion from its agenda. Board chairman Steve Imhoff complied, and the board voted 7-0 later in the meeting to hire a Nebraska executive search firm to help it find a successor to the embattled superintendent.

“At this point, I think it’s time for all of us to move on,” Berman told the board.

Afterward, he told reporters that “working with either a divided board or a board that has some concerns – it may be better to move on and let them select a new superintendent.” ...

After setting aside the Berman issue, board members voted to hire McPherson and Jacobson of Omaha, Neb., to help them find a new superintendent. The board has not yet approved a contract, but according to a proposal the firm submitted to the board last week the search is expected to cost the district $36,500 plus travel, office and advertising expenses.

Imhoff said he will negotiate an agreement and should have a contract ready for approval by the end of the month.

Two other search firms – Greenwood/Asher & Associates of Miramar Beach, Fla., and Ray and Associates of Cedar Rapids, Iowa – had interviewed before the board last week, along with the Omaha firm...

JCPS to Consider Three Firms for Superintendent Search

Ray & Associates on Short List !?

This from Toni Konz at C-J:

Despite pleas for the Jefferson County Board of Education to reverse its decision to fire Superintendent Sheldon Berman, the board is moving forward with plans to replace him and will interview three executive search firms next week to aid them in their quest for a new leader.

One of the three firms the board will interview during a special meeting Wednesday is Ray and Associates of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which helped the Kentucky Board of Education choose Illinois educator Barbara Erwin as the state’s new education commissioner in 2007, only to have her resign three days before she was to start work following revelations about her background, including that parts of her resume were inaccurate...

Kentucky's experience with Ray & Associates was disappointing to say the least. The state board's decision to conduct a secret search prompted alarm from Mark Hebert and caught the interest of bloggers at KSN&C and the Bluegrass Institute. Vetting by the bloggers revealed a series of resume errors and exaggerations. By contrast, the search firm's confidential files, obtained by KSN&C, revealed a process that was more promotional than critical. Much of the firm's effort involved selling candidates to the board. It didn't turn out well. Following a contentious period of suit and counter suit, KDE settled with Ray & Associates for $25,500, about half of the amount the company was demanding. Kentucky was not the only place things with the search firm went wrong.

Once a firm is selected, Imhoff said it will immediately begin working to develop a process for selecting a superintendent, including recruiting candidates, checking their backgrounds and negotiating a contract.

The three firms being considered are well-known across the country, and two have prior connections to Kentucky.

Ray and Associates was hired by the Kentucky Board of Education in 2007, but after Erwin resigned, state board members criticized Ray and Associates for not vetting her more closely and not informing them of them of her troubled reputation in previous school districts, including allegations that she had run roughshod over teachers and administrators when she was a superintendent in Texas, Arizona and Illinois. Ray and Associates countered that the firm did its job, saying they checked everything they were asked to check.

Greenwood/Asher & Associates also has prior experience in Kentucky. The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education hired the firm in 2008 to help search for its new president, which resulted in the hiring of Robert King.

Greenwood showed weaknesses similar to those of Ray & Associates when it failed to discover to creationist writings of Commissioner finalist Dennis Cheek. The revelations made public by KSN&C about Dennis Cheek should never have been news to the board, or the Greenwood, but they were. Fortunately, by that time, the board of education was listening and Cheek was not selected.

The Kentucky Board of Education also hired the firm in 2009 to search for an education commissioner, which resulted in the hiring of Terry Holliday. And the University of Kentucky recently hired the firm to help find a replacement for president Lee Todd, who is leaving when his contract expires in June.

Imhoff said he’s not sure how much hiring a search firm will cost the district.

“We don’t have a budget on how much to spend,” he said. “Whether we hire a firm will depend on whether we feel they are a good fit and whether their cost is reasonable.”

Thomas Jacobson, the owner and chief executive officer of McPherson and Jacobson, said his firm has aided in more than 400 superintendent and executive searches in the past 20 years, for both small and large school districts.

“There are two things that distinguish us from other firms,” he said. “The first thing is that we believe in a very transparent search process with a high involvement of stakeholders. The other thing is that everyone who works for us has been or is involved with public education.”

Jacobson said his firm prides itself of properly vetting all candidates — both those who are recruited and those who apply for the job independently.

“We have an extensive process of vetting candidates,” he said. “It’s a very important part of the process.”

Calls made Friday to Gary Ray, president of Ray and Associates, and Jan Greenwood, president and chief executive officer of Greenwood/Asher, were not returned.

The lesson from all of this is that search firms can not be trusted to thoroughly vet candidates. Boards may need a firm to handle screening and making arrangements for interviews, etc., but in the end, the board must vet the candidates on their own. The Board can not outsource its responsibility to the public.