H-L calls for entire Kentucky Board of Education to resign

Education chief: Begin search by getting a new board

Gov. Ernie Fletcher overhauled the Kentucky Board of Education last year with a spate of new appointees, some of whom said they supported exposing students to alternatives to the theory of evolution, including intelligent design.

Instead, students and the public have been exposed to a search for a new education commissioner that has been both unintelligent and ill-designed.

Just last weekend, Leon Mooneyhan, a candidate for the job as interim commissioner, said he had "never been subjected to a more unprofessional set of circumstances," in his life.

"I don't see any Kentucky educator that would want to apply for the job," the retired Shelby County superintendent of schools said.

If Fletcher cares at all about education in Kentucky, he should ask the entire board to resign so he can appoint members who have the capacity and desire to improve public education in the state rather than obsess over irrelevant hot-button issues.

But since that would be a sign that the governor is able to learn from his mistakes, something he's been unable to do in the past, the board itself should at least put the commissioner search on hold until after the election.

A brief history: The board hired a well-regarded search firm in December to find and vet candidates after Commissioner Gene Wilhoit announced he was leaving.

In April, the board named Barbara Erwin as its first choice despite her very modest qualifications and stuck with her even as news reports uncovered discrepancies in her resume and painful controversies in past jobs. Erwin finally walked away from the $220,000 a year job just three days before starting work, predictably blaming her problems on aggressive media coverage.

The board, for its part, blames the search firm. Board observers say deep divisions within the group make it almost impossible to move forward.

Despite the rush to assess blame and analyze the board, this isn't a parlor game without serious consequences; it's about finding a great leader who can help Kentucky's children get a better shot at a good education.

And this botched search leaves serious questions about whether the current board can oversee a national search, much less convince an outstanding candidate to come here if the board ever found one.

Kentucky's students deserve better.

This from the Herald-Leader.

Board of education keeps discussion of "options and strategies" secret

The central purpose of the Open Meetings Law is to ensure that all meetings of public agencies where public business is discussed will be open to the public. Lately the board appears to be ignoring the law in favor of a higher priority - saving face.

But it's not working.

Still reeling from the recent flight of Barbara Erwin, their preferred candidate for Education Commissioner - one they defended to an unreasonable extent - the Kentucky Board of Education continues to spend extended time in closed session these days.

If the board actually did something, those actions taken in closed session might become reversable upon complaint. But the fact is, we don't know what the board is talking about, except for when they tell us. Yesterday they were discussing "options and strategies."

By refusing to discuss the selection process in public and by changing their minds on a month-to-month basis, citizens are left to wonder - Does the board really have a plan to move Kentucky forward?

Apparently the board is still trying to figure that out for themselves. Apparently they don't want the public to see their deliberations, or perhaps, their divisions.

Considering human nature, that's understandable.

But is it legal?

Two weeks ago the board voted to keep Kevin Noland as interim commissioner, but with the intention of hiring a new interim person quickly.

"We left that meeting thinking that was the best route to go but we came back today and, after discussing options and strategies, we decided to refocus," board Chairman Keith Travis told the Courier-Journal after yesterday's 2 1/2-hour closed-door meeting.

Discussing "options and strategies" is not listed among the legal exceptions to the Open Meetings Law.

On July 11th the board met in a closed session for about an hour to discuss its expectations of then commissioner-select Barbara Erwin, despite an objection from the Courier-Journal that the private discussion was in violation of the state's Open Meetings Law. "Your objection is noted," Keith Travis said. "There are some things we want to discuss that are personal in nature."

"Personal in nature" is not listed among the legal exceptions to the Open Meetings Law.

But the board chair shrugged it off.

The board of education also shrugged off Leon Mooneyhan. After his seduction and abandonment, some wonder if Travis lacked the board's backing when he entered into negotiations on behalf of the board? WHAS TV's Mark Hebert opined, "...it's clear board chairman Travis led Mooneyhan to believe he was getting the interim job. And Travis was either A) powerless to make it happen or B)politically and professionally inept in his dealings with Mooneyhan."

Mooneyhan, currently the chief executive officer of the Ohio Valley Education Cooperative, told the Courier-Journal he was "...concerned about the decision because the board has a tarnished reputation in terms of the feelings of the public," he said. "And I believe it could have acted in a more proactive way."

Mooneyhan told Hebert:

"I've never been subjected to a more unprofessional set of circumstances in all my life." Mooneyhan says the way the board muffed the hiring of Barbara Erwin and fumbled his candidacy "undermines my view of the board's ability to find a good commissioner for the children of Kentucky." And he agreed with a C-J editorial, Mooneyhan saying " the governor may need the board to resign. They are dysfunctional."

Travis said the decision to ask Noland to remain did not result from disagreement among board members about hiring Mooneyhan.

Board member Doug Hubbard told C-J, "What it really came down to is that because we're pressing forward in the search for a permanent commissioner … it might not be best to go to a new interim."

So, where are we now?

• Kevin Noland continues as interim.
• Applications are being accepted for the permanent position.
• There is no ending date to the search process on the KDE posting.
• Travis says the board will be aggressively pursuing a permanent Commissioner.
• The board plans to meet again on August 8.
• At that meeting, the election of new board leadership will be on the agenda.

What else?

• Is the board coasting until August?
• Is there a search committee?
• Is the board acting as a committee of the whole?
• Is there some process that board members understand?
• Is anyone advertising, reviewing applications, checking references and screening candidates for the board?
• Does the board expect so few applicants that they will now be choosing from among a handful of candidates rejected (and perhaps not even interviewed) during the search that produced Erwin?
• Does yesterday's change of direction indicate that the board already knows who they want "to apply?"
• Can this board walk and chew bubble gum at the same time?

The only clues came from Travis's comments to the press: "There's a Web site advertising (the post). And certainly we're going to explore the need to be advertising more heavily," he said. "But obviously … this search has been quite visible probably nationwide."

Unfortunately, the nationwide publicity Kentucky has received lately isn't likely to attract anyone. And because everything is being discussed behind closed doors - it's not clear who on the board, if anyone, is working on it. And Travis's description of what the board is doing is...well...something less than awe-inspiring.

This is no way to reclaim the public trust.

~

On another matter, Martin Cothran would like us to know that he does not always speak for the Family Foundation, and that the Family Foundation has not taken a position on the Penny Sanders nomination. I said as much, and was apparently confused by his vere loqui post: "Penney Sanders for State School Commissioner."

When he speaks for the Foundation, and when he doesn't is a little unclear, so he lets' me off the hook a bit saying, "Although I often post official press releases and other relevant things from The Family Foundation, my blog is not an official organ of the organization. It is my opinion only. I used to have a disclaimer on this blog somewhere, but I guess I have taken it off. Maybe I need to put it back up again."

More on today's KBE meeting, Mooneyhan questions board's process

"The way that I’ve been dealt with in this situation,

I don’t see any Kentucky educator

that would want to apply for the job."

--Leon Mooneyhan

This from the Herald-Leader:

The Kentucky Board of Education has decided to continue with Kevin Noland as interim commissioner of education so it can focus instead on finding a permanent commissioner.

The board made its decision after meeting for nearly three hours in closed session on Saturday.
Noland, a deputy commissioner and legal counsel for the state board, has been serving his third stint as interim state commissioner. He had stated in the past that he did not want to continue as interim and wasn’t interested in the permanent position.

”I told the board of education at its meeting two weeks ago that I would prefer not to continue,” Noland said. “One full time job is enough for me. But at the same time … I would do whatever they needed me to do to maintain stability as they pursue an aggressive search for the commissioner of education.” ...

...“We decided that there wasn’t a need for an interim” other than Noland, said board chairman Keith Travis. “We had dialogue with Mr. Mooneyhan. We appreciate his willingness to support us and to serve should the need be there.”

Mooneyhan said he wasn’t offended by the board’s decision but has questions about the commissioner search process.

“The way that I’ve been dealt with in this situation, I don’t see any Kentucky educator that would want to apply for the job,” Mooneyhan said. “We have a board that has had a failed search, and so they need to take some positive steps in how they are going forward, and I think their decision today doesn’t support that.”

Mooneyhan thought the board would have laid out a clear plan on the commissioner search, but it has yet to do that...

...“Every time Kevin has been the interim, I think he’s done an admirable and in some cases a remarkable job … it’s always been under very difficult circumstances,” said Wayne Young, executive director of the Kentucky Association of School Administrators. “Given the complete unsettled atmosphere, with there being some apparent internal conflict, it would strike me as sensible to go with a known quantity.“

There has been some talk about tension on the board as a result of the botched commissioner search. At the Aug. 8-9 meeting, the board will elect new officers. Some board members indicated there may be a movement to name a new chairman to replace Travis, who has held the post since 2004. The board has 11 members, six of whom were appointed by Gov. Ernie Fletcher in April 2006. Travis has said he would be interested in continuing to serve as chairman, if re-elected.

Despite these problems, the board is now committed to finding a permanent commissioner, Travis said.

“That’s where we’re going to focus our efforts,” he said. “We don’t have a firm time schedule as such, we are aggressively pursuing it.”

Good news: Interim education chief can't apply for full-time post

This from Antoinette Konz at the Courier-Journal: (My headings and ending)

Here's the good news

If the Kentucky Board of Education selects an interim commissioner tomorrow, that person won't be eligible to apply for the permanent post, the board chairman said yesterday.

Keith Travis said the board is looking for someone who can temporarily lead the state's education department while the search continues for a permanent commissioner.

"If you put an interim in and allow them to be a candidate for the permanent position, it may give them an unfair advantage for the permanent position, and it could discourage other applicants from applying," he said.

The board is expected to name an interim commissioner during a special board meeting tomorrow in Frankfort. Among those being considered is Leon Mooneyhan, a retired superintendent from Shelby County...

Here's the Not-so-good news

...Bonnie Lash Freeman, vice chairwoman of the board, said the board hopes that a large number of Kentucky applicants will apply for the position.

"We were a little disappointed that not too many (from Kentucky) applied last time around; we hope it will be different this time," said Freeman, who is from Louisville.

She said the board would like the interim person to serve "no more than two months."

"We want to get someone in the permanent position quickly, because we really need someone who can lead and help us move forward," she said.
~

Here's why that idea's not so hot

In the school business there is a hiring season - and this isn't it.

We don't need someone quickly - as much as we need someone excellent. The board is already unhappy with the results of its first national search. Nobody new is going to emerge in late July. Any superstars who were willing to move have already done so.

Select a solid interim and let that person get you through the gubernatorial election.

In the spring, political picture in Kentucky will be a settled issue and there will be a whole new crop of potential candidates. To the extent Kentucky's leaders commit to adequate funding for excellent schools, that crop will be improved.

Repeat the national search then.

Lots of Lobbying on School Chief Job - a clarification on Mooneyhan

This from Mark Hebert at WHAS TV.

Whew!!!! My head is spinning from the all of the lobbying for a couple of candidates for INTERIM, yes INTERIM state school commissioner job. Not the full time job, just the part time one until a governor is elected in November and the Kentucky Board of Education has regained its footing.

Here's what's going on. A number of conservative groups, including the Family Foundation are pushing Penny Sanders for the interim job. Sanders was the first head of the Office of Education Accountability when it was formed as part of KERA in 1991. Sanders stepped on plenty of toes, including some state lawmakers who were trying to protect their local school boards and superintendents who Sanders' crew caught misspending and making illegal hires...

...One of the conservatives who's apparently in Sanders' corner is state Sen. Gary Tapp (R) Shelbyville. Tapp has made at least one phone call, that I'm aware of, to a political insider, asking for help in torpedoing the board's move to hire former Shelby County School Superintendent for the interim state job. Tapp told me he hasn't lobbied any member of the state board of education to kill Mooneyhan's bid. He refused to say whether he'd called anyone else or what problems he might have with a possible Mooneyhan appointment...

~
In fairness to Leon Mooneyhan, I need to followup on my last post about his interim heir-apparency.

I inferred that Mooneyhan was responsible for the error given to the Kentucky Registry of Elections, associated with his contribution to David Williams's 2005 senate campaign. The contribution listed Mooneyhan as KSBA's Executive Director - a post he never held.

But Mark Hebert told me he has seen cases where errors of that nature were entered into the Kentucky Registry of Elections database by a campaign worker and therefore may not be the fault of the contributor.

Fair point.

The facts:
Mooneyhan contributed $500 to Williams in 2005.
KREF data indicates he was Executive Director of KSBA.
He has never served as KSBA Ex Dir.
It is unknown if that information was listed on his check.
The source of the error may, or may not have been, Mooneyhan.

Heir-apparent Mooneyhan was a contributor to David Williams

Rumors of a secret meeting between Senate President David Williams, Senate Majority Floor Leader Dan Kelly and a select group of Kentucky Board of Education members persist - but have also been denied.

Now it turns out that Leon Mooneyhan was a $500 contributor to David Williams 2005 campaign (11/11/2005), despite the fact that Williams and Mooneyhan live in different districts. This is not to suggest any impropriety. As senate president, Williams's reach is statewide. I'm sure he does lots of good for lots of folks.

The rumor is of a "secret meeting" before the board of education met on Saturday July 14, possibly involving David Webb, David Rhodes, Joe Brothers... All denied.

So...it's still just a rumor and shouldn't be believed. Right?

But immediately, Leon Mooneyhan's name surfaced as the choice for interim commissioner along with the rumor of the secret meeting. He says he was negotiating with Board Chair Keith Travis for the commissioner's job on Tuesday July 17.

On Thursday July 19, Doug Hubbard called for an emergency meeting to sign the deal. Some have suggested the hasty meeting may have been seen as desirable specifically because certain board members wouldn't be able to make it. All rumor, of course. But due to the notification requirements of the Open Meetings Act, that effort failed.

The board is now set to meet on Saturday at 10AM. The agenda calls for a closed session to consider both the interim and the permanent positions.

It is expected that Leon Mooneyhan will be named interim Commish. It is unclear if Mooneyhan will also be under consideration for the permanent post.

And think. Mooneyhan's name sprung to life from a meeting that never took place. I'm sure there's no story here. Just business as usual.

Speaking of business as usual, Mooneyhan indicated to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance that he was the Executive Director of KSBA at the time - a position he has never held. Brad Hughes, KSBA's Communications Director told Kentucky School News and Commentary that he "...has never been on the KSBA staff in any position..."

Wow! Another successful search. I wonder who will receive awards this time?

I wish I could say they were wrong ...but I can't

Mark Hebert can't wait to see "how the state school board is going to screw up the selection of an interim commissioner."

Martin Cothran (not a fan of Mooneyhan) doesn't think Mark has to wait.

Has anyone noticed that the posting for the open position and the call for applications was posted on the same day that Board Chairman Keith Travis began "negotiating" with Mooneyhan for the position--Tuesday, July 17?

Maybe we've struck on just why it is that the State School Board is starting to look like he Keystone Cops in the process of finding good talent to fill the post at the helm of Kentucky's schools.

Is it really a good idea to limit your options while you are looking for the right person? What does this do for the other well-qualified candidates we ought to be taking a look at out there who might otherwise consider the job now that they have found out that it was done deal from the get go? Do you think these people are going to go to the trouble of applying now that they know the Board has probably already made its pick? And if we knew who we were going to hire, then why did we make the posting in the first place?

If there is a process that is supposed to be followed in the hiring of the interim commissioner, why aren't we following it?

Good questions.

The [Erwin] fiasco happened because there were things about [Erwin] that Board members should have known, but didn't. Exactly how does moving more quickly in the hiring process help to solve that problem? Doesn't it, in fact, actually increase the chances of that kind of thing happening again?

I'm not sure Martin and I would share a vision of where the schools should be going. But we do agree that this board isn't getting us anywhere.

The story on Mooneyhan

Mark Hebert from WHAS TV reports:

Retired Shelby County school superintendent Leon Mooneyhan tells me he is "negotiating with the state school board to be the interim education commissioner."

Mooneyhan says he's been in talks with board chairman Keith Travis since tuesday. Mooneyhan is currently working for the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative based in Shelbyville. But he was the longtime head of Shelby County schools.

He would have the support of several education groups, but maybe not everyone in the Kentucky Department of Education if he takes the interim job.

Mooneyhan says he realizes that the state school board has been fractured by the Barbara Erwin hiring fiasco. He says his job as interim commissioner would be bringing the board back together and getting the Education Department staff in sync with the board's policies.

Mooneyhan says he expects the state board to have a special meeting and name an interim next week...

...The board is also searching for a new commissioner. Sources tell me that several high ranking state officials are talking to, or plan to talk to, Stu Silberman, the superintendent of Fayette County Schools. Silberman has said he doesn't want the job and will honor his commitment to Lexington students and parents. But sources say there is pressure on him to change his mind.

The only Kentuckian who made the final cut and interviewed in the board's first search was H.M. Snodgrass. Snodgrass worked in the Department of Education before retiring from as head of the old Harrodsburg Independent school district when it merged with Mercer County.

Snodgrass told me he won't reapply for the job but might consider it if the board calls him.

Kentucky Board of Education in negotiations with Leon Mooneyhan?

Sources in the Louisville area have told Kentucky School News and Commentary that WHAS TV in Louisville ran a story on their 5:30PM newscast that the Kentucky Board of Education is in negotiations with Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative Director and former Shelby County Superintendent Leon Mooneyhan for the Interim Commissioners job.

No confirmation or details at this time. WHAS has not yet posted their story online.