The best predictor of future performance is past performance.

Let me start with an apology. This is the longest post...EVER, I hope.

I’ve been studying the exhaustive public record regarding Barbara Erwin’s past performances – 800+ articles. Unfortunately, I could not complete all I had hoped to do in the amount of time I had for this little project.

The following is a selection of articles, in chronological order, that help fill in the gaps from my earlier post.

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Allen schools using dogs to search for drugs, guns
The Dallas Morning News
November 4, 1994
“...dogs are used to conduct unannounced searches of students' lockers and cars at high schools and middle schools twice a month.


Allen schools, businesses form computer links
The Dallas Morning News
January 3, 1995
“The 6,800 students in Allen will be able to use the Internet through computers in their classrooms and school media centers.”


Allen schools set vote on bonds for Oct. 28
The Dallas Morning News
August 24, 1995
The $75.8 million package would finance construction of two elementary schools, a 2,500-student high school and $8 million in renovations and upgraded technology to existing schools. The board unanimously approved the proposal Monday.


Order to vote a `misunderstanding'
The Dallas Morning News
October 21, 1995
"All staff who live in Allen MUST VOTE in the bond election." The statement, included in a calendar distributed to 48 food service employees, was not meant to pressure workers, but was a flawed attempt to "help get people out to vote," district spokesman Tim Carroll said.


Allen voters to decide on school building plan$75.8 million in bonds on ballot Saturday
The Dallas Morning News
October 26, 1995
The school district is asking voters to authorize the sale of bonds to pay for two new elementary schools, a new high school and renovations at seven schools in the growing district.

Allen school bonds pass easily
The Dallas Morning News
October 29, 1995
Ms. Erwin said backers worked hard for the victory, but she was not overly confident before Saturday's vote. "Every election is a surprise - this one was a pleasant one," she said.


Applications accepted for Head Start
The Dallas Morning NewsFebruary 16, 1996
Barbara Erwin, Allen Independent School District superintendent, is the winner of the 15th Annual Leadership for Learning Award/suburban category given by the American Association of School Administrators. She received the award for her contributions to student academic achievement since she joined the district in April 1994. The award will be presented March 9 in San Diego.


GETTING KIDS WIREDAllen High `cafe'serves up Internet
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 6, 1997
The new lab has 28 computers, each equipped with CD-ROM capability and headphones, along with scanners and printers.


More campuses earn top marks in state rankings
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 5, 1997
"The exemplary rating and TAAS scores demonstrate how much can be accomplished when we set goals and work together as a school district and community," Superintendent Barbara Erwin said in a prepared statement.


Allen superintendent honored as state's best High standards, planning for growth cited in award
The Dallas Morning NewsOctober 8, 1997
The award was announced at a recent joint convention of the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Association of School Administrators. "Status quo is definitely not Barbara's middle name," said Georgie Green, who has served on advisory committees and done other volunteer work.



Sounding success Allen High band to get taste of Big Apple before playing in Macy's parade
The Dallas Morning NewsNovember 25, 1997


Allen schools give volunteer cold shoulder
The Dallas Morning NewsDecember 21, 1997
I got a taste of Carolyn's treatment when I called school Superintendent Barbara Erwin. Associate Superintendent Betty Donaldson returned my call instead. I tried to be polite, but she curtly referred me to the school attorney. Then hung up on me in midsentence.


Student laptops weighed at school computer summit
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 15, 1998
Superintendent Barbara Erwin of the Allen district in Collin County said technology is important for teaching youngsters who have been raised on computer games and MTV."These are sound-bite kids," she said. "We can no longer put them in our classrooms and tell them to turn to page 112 and do the odd-numbered problems."


Allen schools to test students for drug use at parents request
The Dallas Morning NewsJuly 23, 1998
Middle and high school students in Allen, whose parents request it, will be randomly tested for drugs under a new program administered by the school district.


Bill outlines proposal for school drug testsVoluntary screening based on Allen system
The Dallas Morning NewsFebruary 12, 1999
Among others who spoke for the bills was Allen schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin, who said drug testing gives a student a reason to say no when offered drugs by classmates.


Lawmakers spell out package to fight drug use among teens
San Antonio Express-NewsFebruary 12, 1999
"Let me tell you about young people. They're more afraid of their parents than they are of death," [Erwin] said.


Bomb threats disrupt Allen schoolsOfficials try to calm community fears
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 14, 1999
In the last 10 days, four schools in the 9,425-student district have been plagued by eight bomb threats that pranksters have either called in or left in notes. Two schools were affected Thursday. Metal detectors are being installed at the north and south entrances to the high school. And students are being asked not to bring backpacks or book bags to school, officials said.


Classes to resume in Allen schoolsCampuses closed last week over bomb scares
Fort Worth Star-TelegramMay 17, 1999
School officials in the Allen school district did an about-face yesterday on a decision announced last week to suspend classes for the rest of the year because of a flurry of bomb scares. Parents angry about any early end to the school year gathered last night to plan for an appearance today before the school board. But Allen Superintendent Barbara Erwin said it was never the board's intention to call off the rest of this year's classes.



School's not over in Allen after all
Austin American-Statesman (TX)May 17, 1999
But Allen Superintendent Barbara Erwin said it was never the board's intention to actually call off the remainder of this year's classes. She said the board carefully worded its announcement to confuse those who were behind the bomb threats.



Allen schools detail shortened scheduleDistrict never intended to let threats end school year entirely, officials say
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 18, 1999
During the last 10 days of school, elementary students will go for two days, middle school students for one, and high school students for whatever their various teachers say is needed, according to a plan presented to the school board Monday at its regular meeting.





Allen school district denies it meant to end year earlyStaggered schedules designed to ease evacuations
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 18, 1999
The district announced on Friday that the school board had voted to cancel the rest of the school year and that an announcement would be made Monday about bringing students in to return books, retrieve personal belongings, and in some cases take final exams. But on Sunday, Ms. Erwin said that was not the decision made.


Allen schools reopening today despite bomb threats
San Antonio Express-NewsMay 18, 1999
The superintendent of Allen schools made an emotional defense Monday of the decision to close schools last week because of bomb threats, and she announced that schools will reopen for limited activities beginning today. Some parents in this Dallas suburb of 26,000 said the decision - first described by district officials as a cancellation of the last two weeks of school - amounted to caving in to those making the threats.


SCHOOL DECISION BRINGS CRITICISM
Post-Tribune (IN)May 18, 1999
After the school board canceled the rest of classes on Friday, parents in the suburb of 26,000 complained to Superintendent Barbara Erwin that she had caved in to the people who were making the threats. At a news conference Monday, Ms. Erwin said officials had to take the threats seriously in light of the Colorado high school killings.


RETURN TO SCHOOL ANGERS PARENTS>SUPERINTENDENT HAD CANCELED REST OF YEAR BECAUSE OF BOMB THREATS
Journal Star (Peoria, IL)May 18, 1999
Erwin told The Dallas Morning News on Sunday the cancellation announcement was just a ruse to throw off the pranksters. But she did not address that issue Monday.


School official defends decision to halt classes because of threats
Houston ChronicleMay 18, 1999The superintendent of Allen schools made an emotional defense Monday of the decision to close schools last week because of bomb threats, and she announced that schools will reopen for limited activities beginning today.



Allen schools officials cite misunderstanding
Fort Worth Star-TelegramMay 18, 1999
School district officials said yesterday that they were misunderstood and that "confused information" was released when they announced last week that classes would be canceled for the rest of the school year because of a series of bomb scares. Joseph Bellino criticized the board for not coming forward on Friday to correct "misinformation" released to the public.


Plan to `close' schools flawed
Fort Worth Star-TelegramMay 19, 1999
Regardless of why Allen school officials announced last week that the district was suspending classes for the rest of the year, it was a terribly flawed decision - one that should not have been made, and one that was made worse by this week's embarrassing announcement of "Oops, never mind." After a storm of nationwide publicity and an outcry from parents, leaders of the suburban district north of Dallas backtracked, saying they never intended to shut down school two weeks early.


School year resumes in Allen district
Fort Worth Star-TelegramMay 19, 1999
For some students, returning to school yesterday meant spending the morning in a sunny schoolyard playing kickball instead of cracking the books. School officials, who had announced a cancellation of classes last week, said schools reopened on a staggered schedule yesterday. But most parents of elementary school students said they don't expect their children to do much work. "I think it's just a fun time," Sandra James said.


ACLU backs student suspended for armband
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 21, 1999
A 17-year-old student has turned to the American Civil Liberties Union for help, contending that her constitutional rights were violated when she was suspended from school last month for wearing a black armband. Jennifer Boccia, a honors student who serves as a peer tutor for special-education students, said she was one of about 10 students who donned black armbands to protest school policies instituted after the recent Columbine High School shootings in Colorado and to show respect for the victims. Those policies set new rules for speech and dress and provided for random searches. Some students protested, saying the changes would create a hostile environment at school.School officials, who declined to comment Thursday, ordered the students to remove the armbands and threatened to suspend them if they did not.
Jennifer said that she and two other students continued to wear the armbands, and she and another student spent one day in in-school suspension. The third was sent home from school early April 30. Jennifer said, "When they were suspending me, they said I was just doing it to get out of class." "I felt that they weren't taking us seriously and that bothered me," she said. Following her suspension, Jennifer said, she continued to wear the armband without interference from school officials. Regular classes in the Allen school district have been canceled in the wake of a dozen bomb threats.School Superintendent Barbara Erwin declined to comment on the student suspensions. The district released a statement summarizing its dress code and saying, "The district does not comment on individual student disciplinary actions." Jennifer and her father filed a letter appealing the suspension May 2, and as yet haven't heard from the school district. Two lawyers have volunteered to take up Jennifer's case and the documents have been prepared, said Diana Philip, regional director of the ACLU of Texas, Northern Region. "We are ready to act. We are just watching to see what the school officials do. We've been watching the district for a month now," Ms. Philip said.The Supreme Court, in Tinker vs. Des Moines School District, held that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the school house gate." The court also said the wearing of armbands as a silent form of expressing opinion was akin to free speech. "State operated schools may not be enclaves of totalitarianism" and "students may not be regarded as closed-circuit recipients of only that which the state chooses to communicate," the court said."I'm hoping not to sue," Jennifer said. "I want the suspension taken off my record and assurances that this won't happen to other students and that they do recognize the Constitution." "This is really interesting that 30 years after Tinker v. Des Moines we have a school district that thinks the First Amendment doesn't apply to them," said Ms. Philip of the ACLU.


Allen student seeks ACLU's helpHigh school suspended her for wearing black armband in protest
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 21, 1999
Jennifer, who had been studying the right to protest in her government class, said she offered a copy of a 1969 Supreme Court decision upholding the right of students to wear black armbands to protest the war in Vietnam. According to Jennifer, assistant principal Carolyn Thompson was shown a copy of the ruling, turned and calmly put it through a paper shredder in front of her and two other students. "We just sat there, stunned," Jennifer said. "She told us that she was willing to ignore the Constitution to protect students, that we could write it down and she would sign it." School district spokeswoman Stacey Cheatham said that Ms. Thompson was not available for comment and that the district would not comment. Jennifer said that when she appealed to the school's principal, Ira Sparks, she was told, "We will not play this protest game." "At one point, he said he was above the Constitution," Jennifer said.


FW schools boost security at graduationDogs, metal detectors will be used at events
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 26, 1999
Allen High School's graduation is Monday at the University of North Texas. Superintendent Barbara Erwin said she did not know whether metal detectors would be used there. The district suspended regular classes for the last two weeks of the school year because of a series of bomb threats.


Allen schools: Time for an examination?
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 4, 1999
Author: Steve Blow
I kept a stiff upper lip through an earlier controversy there. But after all these facial contortions, maybe it's time we had a little talk. Is everything OK, Allen? I'm a little worried about the state of school affairs there. What finally prompts me to discuss this is the latest flap over the high school student and her black armband. We could have a good discussion pro and con about that little protest. But here's the part that got me: When honor student Jennifer Boccia met with an administrator and presented a copy of the court case upholding her right to wear the armband, the administrator simply turned and dropped the sheet into a paper shredder.Sweet, huh?And that's exactly the sort of high-handed attitude that runs through the Allen school administration, according to reports I hear. "Arrogance," some call it.Band tripMy introduction to the weirdness in Allen came when I wrote about the plight of Carolyn McBryde, an Allen band parent. After years of volunteering, she was suddenly booted from a band trip to New York because of Allen's new policy on criminal background checks. During a time of financial strain years before, Carolyn ended up with a few bad checks on her record. Well, Allen had a zero-tolerance policy at the time. But instead of doing the common-sense thing and allowing Carolyn to go on the trip as simply a parent, not an official chaperon, the district's administration basically bullied and intimidated her. Carolyn went to New York but was not allowed to even eat meals with her son, husband and rest of the band.Again: Sweet, huh?I got my own glimpse of the Allen attitude when an administrator hung up on me in midsentence as I tried - very politely - to ask about Carolyn's case.
The hot button in all this seems to be Allen's superintendent of five years, Barbara Erwin.
For weeks after that first column, I got whispered calls with all sorts of gripes against Ms. Erwin. But I also got really irate calls from die-hard supporters accusing me of having a vendetta against her. Please. I don't even know the woman. I'd never talked to her - and still haven't. I requested an interview for this column and got no reply. Longtime Allen resident Al Burke said he shrugged off the complaints he heard about Ms. Erwin, figuring it was the usual grumbling over a new leader. But after his first direct dealing with her on a school policy matter, he came away as an outspoken critic. "I believe Barbara Erwin and her staff were not truthful with me," he said.

Hard to gaugeIt's hard to gauge the unrest. For the last two years, challengers have defeated administration-friendly incumbents on the school board. But in the strange politics of Allen schools, even those new board members won't talk openly about their concerns.Newest board member Cindy Wilson was very nice, but she said policy requires her to refer all questions to board President Worley Stein. After a couple of calls to Mr. Stein, I got a message saying he chose to "respectfully decline" an interview.School spokesman Tim Carroll did talk to me. And he assured me that Allen schools are in great shape. He said parents are well-educated and sometimes vocal, but polls show they are overwhelmingly happy with the school district.
To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of the situation in Allen. During all that bomb-threat chaos at the end of school, administrators said at one point that the cancellation confusion was on purpose - to outwit suspects. So maybe all this other hush-hush turmoil is on purpose, too. It sure outwits me.


3 school districts reassessing security in shootings' wake Allen, Frisco, Wylie improving safety
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 23, 1999
The board…authoriz[ed] Superintendent Barbara Erwin to hire a districtwide security director and a security staff. The board asked Dr. Erwin to report on how much the recommended changes would cost and how quickly they can be put in place.


Parents worried about future of Allen High band Departure of longtime teachers leave program without direction, they say
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 25, 1999
During the tenures of the teachers who quit, Allen High bands were rated superior nearly every year in state competitions. The band was one of a handful selected from hundreds to play in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, in 1994. It marched through Manhattan in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1997. And it was invited to perform at both of Gov. George W. Bush's inaugural ceremonies. "Those are years and years of positives for Allen that you can't go out and buy," Mr. Logan said.
The three teachers said they were forced out by the school district administration for questioning changes in the program. They said changes made behind their backs demoted them, in effect. They said that in previous years, they had been involved in determining what modifications would be made to the band program. District officials said that the teachers were not forced out, that they quit on their own and that they are simply disgruntled former employees.


Allen beefs up security in schoolsMental detectors, guards draw mixed reactions
The Dallas Morning NewsJuly 28, 1999
Metal detectors will be used at the district's four secondary campuses. More than 25 security workers will be hired to monitor all 12 campuses, and backpacks will be subject to searches. Administrators also will react differently to bomb threats. The measures will cost the district about $1 million a year.

Allen trustees OK plans for safer schools Metal detectors, security force approved; some parents say district is overreacting
The Dallas Morning NewsJuly 28, 1999
But many of the parents who addressed trustees Monday night said the district is overreacting and treating students like suspected criminals. "It's like a military state. We don't want that in public education," said parent Tito Karlson.


Allen unveils rigorous security planMeasures in response to bomb threats that plagued school district
Fort Worth Star-TelegramJuly 28, 1999
After a rash of bomb threats prompted the school district to suspend classes before the end of the school year, the Allen school board has adopted a security plan that will make the district "second to none" in terms of safety, Superintendent Barbara Erwin said yesterday. The plan will include a new district security director and security officers at all schools, metal detectors at all secondary schools, Caller ID on school district phones, rekeyed buildings and no lockers for high school students to hide weapons or drugs in, Erwin said. Clear or mesh backpacks are recommended but not required, and all backpacks will be subject to searches, she said. Students will also be required to make up any days of instruction lost to threats of violence, just as they would a bad-weather day, Erwin said.


Allen schools unveil strict security plan
Fort Worth Star-TelegramJuly 28, 1999
But an official with the American Civil Liberties Union said the district's security plan has gone too far. She questions whether the district has the right to implement some measures, such as searching backpacks without cause. "Instead of trying to build a positive environment, what Allen ISD has succeeded in doing is creating an environment where students are suspected and expected to be involved in criminal behavior," said Diana Philip, director of the North Texas region of the ACLU. "I don't think that's the environment they want to have at the schools."


Allen schools hire Dallas PR experts
The Dallas Morning NewsJuly 29, 1999
The Allen school district has hired a prominent public-relations firm to help guide its dealings with the news media as the new school year begins. Superintendent Barbara Erwin said Wednesday that she hired The LeMaster Group last week at a cost of $13,000. The Dallas firm's contract ends shortly after school begins Aug. 5. The hiring is aimed at avoiding what Dr. Erwin described as "miscommunication" problems that occurred at the end of last school year. "I took full responsibility for that," she said. "We don't want to repeat the same mistakes. We don't."


Allen schools hire PR firm in wake of spring turmoil
The Dallas Morning NewsJuly 29, 1999
Dr. Erwin said she hired the firm after residents, media representatives and consultants indicated that the district needed to improve its communications. Cindy Arledge, a parent of two students in Allen schools, agreed that the district needs to improve how it communicates with the public. But she said she's unhappy that administrators are spending public tax dollars to hire a private company to solve its problems. School board President Worley Stein said board approval was not required for the contract because services below $25,000 do not have to go through the bidding process. Without offering further details, he described the decision as a joint effort between the board and Dr. Erwin.


Allen schools chief discusses safety plan
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 4, 1999
Dr. Erwin called the news conference to discuss the new campus and to answer questions about the new security measures, which the school board adopted last week. The measures will cost $1.56 million this year. That's money well spent, Dr. Erwin said, because it will allow students and staff to operate in an environment free of fear.


Allen High boasts extensive securityA costly program in response to problems the previous school year seems excessive to some.
Fort Worth Star-TelegramAugust 4, 1999
"My overall reaction is it's too much and it's too harsh against the students and you run the risk of backlash," he said. "What you have is a bunch of adults reacting against kids in a general, massive guilt by association."


Allen schools begin year with searchesDistrict campus security
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 6, 1999
"Notice. Welcome to Allen High School. Upon Entering These Premises All Carry-In Items are Subject (to) Search."


Rising turnover of Allen teachers raises concernsParent group worried about rate; superintendent defends leadership
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 14, 1999
Superintendent Barbara Erwin presides over the largest school district in the state with an exemplary rating. But over the last four years, the teacher turnover rate is up nearly 80 percent. The turnover has some parents and former teachers questioning the district's leadership. But Dr. Erwin's defenders say the criticism is sour grapes from people who could not, or would not, adapt to changes that come with new leadership and rapid growth. Between the 1993-94 school year and 1997-98, the last year for which Texas Education Agency records are available, the Allen district's teacher turnover rate grew from 12 percent to 21.5 percent. Dr. Erwin, who was hired as superintendent in 1994, said that her mission was to jump-start the district and that she did just that. "Cutting-edge is bleeding-edge in any business," she said, "and Allen has chosen to be cutting-edge."



Letters to the editor
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 16, 1999
Could someone please tell me when it is that Allen school administrators will wake up and smell the coffee? Allen Independent School District Superintendent Barbara Erwin has spent a fortune (tax dollars) to implement security measures that are not only scary for our children, but are draining the school's accounts. Don't tell me that $1.6 million has been spent to make our children safer, when we've just been told that my kindergartner will have to cross a high-traffic street because there's not enough money in the budget to pick him up three houses away. I object to the administration spending $70,000 so that a public relations firm could be hired to alert the media and hold dynamic press conferences. What you won't hear is that we have lost so many wonderful teachers over this. You won't hear that we cannot afford raises for our teachers. Barbara Erwin said, "Shame on schools that don't go to the lengths that Allen has (in terms of security)." Well, I say shame on her; she's frightened our children and wasted our tax dollars. BROOKE GILLIAM, Allen


School ratings releasedMost districts retain exemplary campuses
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 17, 1999
Allen district officials said they were pleased with the increase in exemplary schools but plan to examine what caused the loss of the district's exemplary status. "Whatever the issue, it must be addressed and fixed," Superintendent Barbara Erwin said.


Suburban districts show improvement19 of 39 have more exemplary campuses
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 17, 1999
Two suburban districts - Allen and Sunnyvale - lost the coveted exemplary rating. Both were rated recognized.


Letters to the Editor
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 18, 1999
(Re: "Allen ISD woes," Letters, Aug. 16)I am very concerned to continue to see erroneous information about the Allen Independent School District in the letters to the editor. It is time the AISD respond with facts. The latest writer claims the school district has not been able to afford teacher pay raises when in fact the school board has approved a teacher pay raise that equaled the state-mandated minimum of $3,000 and did so in March. In addition, teachers will receive one-time adjustments based on teaching experience and education level. Newly hired teachers received a one-time $2,000 signing incentive. The writer wrongly states she was told her kindergartner would have to cross a high traffic street because we would not pick him up three houses from the scheduled bus stop. AISD added a stop to pick up the child to eliminate what we felt was an unsafe condition. The writer claims the district spent $70,000 for a public relations firm to help thedistrict with media interest in the opening of school, when in fact the amount was for $13,000. Recent tragedies underscore the importance of student safety. The AISD board of trustees adopted a plan that provides a balance between security for our buildings and counseling programs for our students. I simply implemented the board's direction. BARBARA ERWIN, Superintendent, Allen Independent School District, Allen


Allen district stands to lose revenueLaws won't let schools take tuition and state funds for outside students
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 24, 1999
The Allen school district is facing an $894,000 revenue shortfall this year because of a new state law limiting how much money it receives for educating students from a neighboring district.


5 FINALISTS NAMED FOR TOP SCHOOLS JOB
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 5, 2000
Barbara Erwin, 48, the superintendent since 1994 of the Allen, Texas, Independent School District in suburban Dallas, says she is ''honored'' to even be invited to a Scottsdale interview.


METRO REPORT
The Dallas Morning NewsJanuary 12, 2000
Allen school Superintendent Barbara Erwin is in the running for the top jobs in school districts in Arizona and Texas. Dr. Erwin is one of four finalists for the superintendent's job with the Abilene Independent School District.


Erwin up for top jobs in 2 school districtsSuperintendent in Allen wants bigger challenge
The Dallas Morning NewsJanuary 12, 2000Allen schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin is in the running for the top job in school districts in Arizona and Texas. Dr. Erwin is one of four finalists for the superintendent's job with the Abilene Independent School District. She also is among five remaining candidates to lead the Scottsdale Unified School District in Arizona. In Allen, her work has drawn statewide recognition for raising test scores and upgrading technology. But her leadership has also been criticized by some inside the district who say her management style has contributed to a high teacher-turnover rate.


Allen school chief drops bid for top Abilene post Erwin to focus on vying for job in Arizona
The Dallas Morning NewsJanuary 19, 2000
Allen school Superintendent Barbara Erwin has removed herself from the running for the top job in another Texas district but is still vying for a job with a district in Arizona.


Trustees may boost benefitsAllen schools to study pay, retirement plans
The Dallas Morning NewsJanuary 20, 2000The Allen school district will consider paying employees more, offering them retirement investment accounts and providing their children with day care as ways to help keep staff and faculty jobs filled, according to an administration proposal.
The plan, presented by Superintendent Barbara Erwin at Tuesday night's board meeting, includes 25 specific recommendations for improving employees' work environment and keeping them on the payroll. It comes in response to findings that the district suffers from high teacher turnover in part because of poor faculty morale and internal communications.


2ND SUPERINTENDENT FINALIST ENDS SCOTTSDALE QUEST
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 25, 2000
The list of finalists for Scottsdale school superintendent dropped to three Monday after a candidate many considered the favorite became the second to bow out.


SCOTTSDALE CHOOSES HEAD FOR SCHOOLS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 26, 2000The Scottsdale School Board wants a veteran Texas administrator to take over its embattled district and turn it into the country's best education center.


Allen school chief to head Arizona districtSupertendent since '94 earned praise from school boards, peers
The Dallas Morning NewsJanuary 27, 2000
Allen school Superintendent Barbara Erwin has been selected to lead a school district in the suburbs of Phoenix, officials with both districts said Wednesday.


SCHOOLS CHIEF LOOKS FORWARD NEW HIRE TO FOCUS ON KIDS, NOT SCANDAL
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 28, 2000
Your schools, your kids, your money. That's the philosophy behind Barbara Erwin, who, contract negotiations still pending, will take the helm of Scottsdale schools. Erwin, 48, was unanimously picked by the school board this week in what came as a surprise to many. The board had three finalists after two dropped off the list, one taking a superintendent job in Peoria and the other opting to stay put.


Dateline Texas
Houston ChronicleJanuary 30, 2000
Erwin is known for running her school district with a bold flair. Her aggressive leadership has angered some students, parents and teachers. At a meeting with Scottsdale residents recently, Erwin said, "If you are looking for a `status quo' superintendent, don't hire me. My ladder has no top rung."


NEW SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS CHIEF LIKES TO TAKE CHARGE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 6, 2000
Tipton [Indiana] hasn't forgotten her. ''She got us right out of financial dire straits,'' said Dick Timm, former president of the Tipton school board, which chose Erwin, then a principal, over more experienced outside candidates vying for the job. Some say Erwin's leadership style can quickly shift from aggressive to abrasive. ''Don't cross her, or she'll cut your throat. People that disagreed with her got run over like a freight train,'' said Mike Dollens, a 27-year teacher in Tipton who saw Erwin rise from teacher to superintendent.


Allen schools chief announces resignationArizona district approves her contract
The Dallas Morning NewsFebruary 10, 2000
Allen school Superintendent Barbara Erwin made it official Wednesday, formally announcing that she's resigning to lead a suburban school district in Arizona. The announcement came after trustees of the Scottsdale Unified School District approved a three-year contract for Dr. Erwin on Tuesday night. Dr. Erwin, 49 , is scheduled to start work as superintendent of their 27,000-student district on March 13.


CODE WORDS TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 11, 2000
''I am absolutely thrilled to be their unanimous choice, absolutely thrilled.'' - Barbara Erwin, Scottsdale's latest superintendent. Translation: I am absolutely thrilled that their first choice, Marjorie Kaplan, bolted after just one meeting with Scottsdale's school board.


Allen seeking interim chief to lead schoolsTrustee want outside adminstrator to fill in during superintendent hunt
The Dallas Morning NewsFebruary 23, 2000
At Monday's meeting, trustees completed Dr. Erwin's annual evaluation, but they were deadlocked early Tuesday on a motion to award her a performance bonus of 5 percent of her salary. Her contract allows for a performance bonus of up to 20 percent of her salary. She received a 10 percent bonus last year.


SCOTTSDALE GIVES SCHOOLS CHIEF TOP PAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 23, 2000
Barbara Erwin will have more than just Scottsdale closely watching to see how she performs as the city's new schools leader. Many other communities will be interested to see whether Erwin's highly attractive salary proves fruitful. Erwin may become the highest-paid school administrator in the state. Some Scottsdale parents wonder whether all the money the district will shell out for Erwin will be worth it. ''It's astronomical. I'm shocked and appalled. It just seems disparaging, compared to what teachers earn,'' said Vicki Rider, mother of an Arcadia High freshman and former English teacher. ''This board gave Erwin too much for something that's still an unknown,'' said Dot Stadler, a leader of a movement that failed last year to recall the school board. ''It's a risk of taxpayer dollars. She's just a real wheeler-and-dealer, and the board gave in to her demands.''


ERWIN IN LINE FOR BONUS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 28, 2000
Barbara Erwin, soon to be Arizona's highest-paid school administrator, is in line for a hefty bonus from the district she's leaving for Scottsdale.


SUPER SALARY COMMANDED TO RUN SCHOOLS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 3, 2000
These days, it seems as if Scottsdale's school district changes superintendents like the rest of us change socks. As soon as they start to smell, they're gone. This time, though, the district is passing over the usual argyles and warm woolies. This time, our leaders have reached into the old sock drawer and come up with an entirely new look: Silk stockings. Considering base pay, bonuses, annuities, Texas retirement contribution and car fare -- and not counting her $2,000 physical exam -- Erwin could pull down $197,430 during her first year in Scottsdale.


SUPERINTENDENT'S TENURE STARTS WITH WHIRLWIND DAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 18, 2000
On her first day as Scottsdale's new school superintendent, Barbara Erwin barely had time to breathe as she rushed between staff meetings and school visits.


Election key to future of once-small townsAllen school turmoil draws 7 into race for trustee posts
The Dallas Morning NewsMarch 25, 2000
"There's been so much controversy in the past year. It's sparked a number of people to stand up and get involved," said Kelly Crawford, a co-founder of Parents for Better Judgement, a parents' group formed to monitor the school board. The group also disseminates information on a Web site and works to improve communications between parents and the district.


DISTRICT BUDGETS FUNDS FOR AIMS TEST TUTORING
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 15, 2000
Students who fail the AIMS test will get tutors under a $300,000 plan in a preliminary budget being considered by the Scottsdale Unified School District board.


Allen trustee candidates discuss financial planningContenders in 3 school board races field questions at forum
The Dallas Morning NewsApril 20, 2000
One major concern was a projected $4.6 million revenue shortfall in next year's proposed school budget.



NEW SCHOOLS CHIEF STRIVES TO GET TO KNOW COMMUNITY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 21, 2000
Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin, who has been on the job a month, says she's going to do regular television broadcasts on the district's educational channel to reach parents directly.



SCHOOLS NO. 2 SPOT GOING TO TEXAN
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 9, 2000
Scottsdale schools superintendent Barbara Erwin is hiring her right hand from Texas.


WEB SITE LETS PARENTS LOG IN ON SCHOOL LINES
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 10, 2000The Scottsdale School District plans to use a high-tech approach to solving the problems associated with the emotional subject of school boundaries.


SCHOOL CHIEF WANTS TEXAS EX-ASSOCIATE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 13, 2000
Scottsdale's new associate school superintendent was passed over this spring for the interim superintendent's job in the same district where Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin once worked.


TECH TEACHERS GET ERWIN'S PRIORITY SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS GETTING WIRED
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 24, 2000The Scottsdale School District is poised to pump big bucks into its technology programs.
A preliminary budget under consideration by the school board would spend $369,836 for 11 technology ''teachers on assignment'' at middle and high schools next year.


BIBLE CAMP SUES OVER FLIER SUPPRESSION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 9, 2000A Scottsdale man who says he wasn't allowed to distribute his summer camp flier at schools because of its religious overtones is suing the Scottsdale School District.


SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT PLAYS MUSICAL CHAIRS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 21, 2000The nameplates of top administrators continue to change in the Scottsdale School District. The district, the state's fifth largest, is on its third superintendent and third round of assistant superintendent changes in as many years. The top level of eight administrators has become a virtual musical chair affair because of two superintendents' taking buyouts, changes in the power balance on the School Board and a $15 million bid-rigging lawsuit filed against the district by the Arizona attorney general in 1998. Erwin won't talk about the administrative changes.



'VISION' SOUGHT FOR DISTRICT COMMUNITY SUMMIT PLANNED BY NEW SUPERINTENDENT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 23, 2000Saying the Scottsdale schools seem to lack a coordinated view of the future, Superintendent Barbara Erwin plans a ''vision summit'' in August with parents, citizens and school staff.


Trustees take look at policy
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 24, 2000
Some board members expressed concern about current procedures mandating that board members talk to the superintendent within 24 hours of being contacted by a resident, district employee or member of the media about school district matters. They also questioned a procedure stating that board members wanting district information from the superintendent must make their request through the board president. Interim Superintendent Joe Tisane said he welcomed changes to the procedures, even if they mean a reduction in the amount of control his office wields over district communication with the community. The procedures were adopted during Barbara Erwin's six-year tenure as superintendent. Ms. Erwin left the district earlier this year to lead a suburban school district in Arizona. "I think this board is trying to exhibit that they are very open to communication with the community," Mr. Tisane said. "They are eager to be an outstanding board."



SCHOOL BUDGET READY FOR APPROVAL HEARING SCHEDULED JULY 6
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 24, 2000The Scottsdale Unified School District board is set to sign off on a $121 million operations budget that gives teachers a raise, beefs up administrative staff and puts money toward AIMS tutors and technology specialists.


MORE TEXANS JOIN SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 7, 2000
The new Scottsdale schools superintendent continues to surround herself with people from her old school district. Two principals from Superintendent Barbara Erwin's suburban Dallas district start work today in administrative jobs in Scottsdale. Kim Cumby will become head of human resources. John Biera will be executive director of risk management.


ERWIN REVAMPS TOP STAFF ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGET UP 16.6%
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 14, 2000Scottsdale school administrative costs are expected to rise by more than a half-million dollars this year. The district's central administration budget is expected to increase by $626,080 to a total of $4.4 million, partly due to a $200,000 allocation to allow Superintendent Barbara Erwin to reorganize her top staff. Erwin already has hired some new staff members at higher salaries than their predecessors were making. John Biera, a principal from Erwin's last school district in Texas, has been hired for $90,000 to direct risk management services. His predecessor earned $64,089 annually. Board member Tom Carey said he's concerned about the 16.6 percent increase going to central administration. ''I wanted to be in a position where we were doing everything we could possibly do to funnel everything into teaching and learning,'' he said.


NEW DISTRICT HIRE GETS TOP PAY SCOTTSDALE OFFICIAL IN RISK JOB FOR 1ST TIME
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 14, 2000A middle-school principal who has never held a risk-management job now has that post in Scottsdale schools at a salary that tops what the four other big Arizona districts pay for the same job. John Biera, one of three former Texas employees of Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin who hold top jobs in the district, is making $90,000. That is nearly $20,000 more than he earned as a principal, a rank he held for just one year in Allen, Texas. Mesa schools pay the second-highest salary of the big five districts: $70,000 for their risk management position. ''It sounds like the superintendent was given a blank check by the School Board to bring in whomever she wanted,'' said Don Smith of Scottsdale, a retired personnel director and board watchdog.



GRAVY TRAIN ON FAST TRACK TO SCOTTSDALE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 21, 2000Author: Laurie Roberts, The Arizona Republic
WANTED: a job in risk management for a major Valley school district. EXPERIENCE: two decades as a newspaper hack. QUALIFICATIONS: Once was present in my son's classroom for a fire drill. Hazy knowledge that risk management has something to do with school safety and insurance liability. Once drove through Texas. I figure I'm a shoo-in. If not in risk management, surely I could fill any number of high-powered posts. You see, in Scottsdale, the gravy train has arrived.
Since Barbara Erwin rode the rails in from Texas to become Arizona's highest paid superintendent, she has set out to raise the bar. And she has succeeded. This year, the cost of the school district's central administration is rising 16.6 percent. That's a jump of $626,080. That's enough to hire 21.6 new teachers. Since Erwin arrived, she has set out to prove that people should aim high, that they can become whatever they aspire to be. And once again, she has succeeded. How else could two of the Scottsdale district's top jobs be filled by people whose sole experience appears to be an address in Allen, Texas?
Kim Cumby has been hired to head Scottsdale's human resources operation. Her qualification? She was the principal of a school for high school freshmen.Her actual qualification? She was the principal of a school for high school freshmen in the internationally acclaimed Allen Independent School District the very depot where Erwin and her top aide, Betty Donaldson, caught the express train to Scottsdale.As human resources director, Cumby will oversee the always expensive and often volatile employment issues in a district that has roughly 2,700 employees. She will be paid $90,000, a slight lift over the $65,000 she left in Allen, where her only human relations experience appears to have been with high school freshmen who, some might argue, are barely human. But I digress. Cumby looks like an h-r whiz when compared to Scottsdale's new director of risk/insurance services. John Bierra is now the highest paid school risk management director in Arizona's five largest districts. His $90,000 draw is $20,000 higher than the second-highest paid risk manager and $26,000 higher than the guy he replaced. Heck, it's a full $20,000 more than the top pay advertised for the job.
''I think we paid based on the skills he brought to the table,'' Erwin aide Donaldson told The Republic's Anne Ryman. According to the posting, the job calls for five years' experience in the management, investigation and processing of insurance claims.His qualification? A year as a middle school principal. His actual qualification? A year as a middle school principal in the internationally acclaimed Allen Independent School District. In his application, Bierra uses all the usual buzzwords: ''commitment to excellence ... willing to take on new challenges... take ownership of the district's mission.'' All the usual adminispeak that has absolutely nothing to do with analyzing risks, administering insurance contracts and processing claims and everything to do with getting a hot job in Scottsdale. I wonder if he needs an assistant.


SCHOOLS' VISION SUMMIT IS INVITATION-ONLY EVENT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 29, 2000The Scottsdale Unified School District is planning a goal summit next week to determine where the district wants to go. The invitation-only session takes place Friday at Desert Mountain High School. The district invited 120 administrators, teachers, staff members, parents, business leaders and citizens to the six-hour brainstorming session that includes lunch. Superintendent Barbara Erwin and Associate Superintendent Betty Donaldson referred telephone calls seeking comment to Judith Parker, the district's newly hired assistant superintendent for school and community information services. Parker doesn't officially start until next week.

UGLY TRUTH ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 2, 2000Author: Craig J. Cantoni, Special for The Republic
Some readers have asked how I got fired from my last job. All I did was ask my boss one simple question: 'Boss, I know that sales are flat and I didn't make my goals, but I need an increase of 16.6 percent in my administrative budget.' OK, I made that up. But the truth is that I would have been fired for asking something as dumb as that. Barbara Erwin, the new Scottsdale superintendent of schools, did not meet the same fate when she asked for a 16.6 percent increase, or $626,080, in her administrative budget of $3.8 million. The school board approved her request instead of firing her.

HELLO, TAXPAYERS, DO ANY OF YOU CARE?

Sorry for yelling, but whenever I write about taxes and government spending, no one seems to care. Now that I have that out of my system, let me return to the subject at hand.A portion of the $626,080 will go to such educational essentials as a new public relations person, whose pay of $95,000 will be more than twice that of her predecessor, and a new risk director, whose pay of $90,000 will be 40 percent higher than that of his predecessor.The PR person was hired from the Tacoma district in Washington state, and the risk director is from Erwin's former Texas district, where he was a principal before his reincarnation into an expert on risk management.
Apparently, none of Scottsdale's principals are promotable, nor are there any qualified public relations professionals or risk experts in the Phoenix area who could have been hired without incurring relocation costs.Interestingly, the risk director is a former principal, although the job description for the position does not list education experience as a qualification. It does list risk management experience, however. Imagine that.It also is interesting that the two new staffers will be earning significantly more than district principals, whose salary range caps out at $80,982. In other words, administrators who have little impact on education results will be paid more than principals who have a great impact on education results.
Further, the number of students in the district essentially has remained flat over the past year, increasing just 1 percent. The year before, the number of students actually decreased. Nevertheless, the administrative budget has increased 16.6 percent.The increase in overhead is not surprising. As an author of a book on bureaucracy, I have studied various species of bureaucrats for 25 years. My major finding is that bureaucrats beget bureaucrats. They are good at propagating their own kind and then feeding money to their offspring at the expense of those on the firing line, who do the real work of the organization.
The primary difference between the public and private sectors is that bureaucrats in the private sector eventually get their comeuppance if they keep adding administrative overhead without regard to the financial performance of the business. Apparently, Superintendent Erwin does not stay up at night worrying about that.
And there you have it, taxpayers, the ugly truth about public education. Erwin has done you a favor in her brazen disregard for your money and the feelings of her principals. She has revealed why the system will never be reformed by the insiders who run it. Nor will it be reformed by the school boards that oversee it. Sleep tight, Superintendent Erwin.



SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS CRAFT NEW MOTTO
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 9, 2000Scottsdale's 30 schools open next week with a new vision to guide teachers, staff and the school community. The new motto encourages students to be passionate learners who fulfill their dreams.



BOARD BACKS SUPERINTENDENT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 12, 2000Author: Anne Ryman, The Arizona Republic
Faced with criticism over recent administrative hires, the Scottsdale School Board has made a public statement declaring its unity and support for Superintendent Barbara Erwin. ''The proof is in the pudding,'' board member Barbara Newby said. ''Let's see where we are two to three years from now.''



SCHOOLS PAYING TEXAS CONSULTANT $950 A DAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 19, 2000The Scottsdale School District is finding it expensive to replace Assistant Superintendent Randy Blecha. Blecha, who oversaw the district's building and maintenance services, left in June to become superintendent of the Fowler Elementary School District in Phoenix.A $950-a-day consultant is overseeing bond construction, building maintenance and operations until the district can hire a permanent replacement. Blecha earned $91,100 a year.


ARIZONA'S CHARTER SCHOOLS EVOLVING INTO MAINSTREAM SCOTTSDALE PUBLIC SCHOOLS VOWING TO LURE KIDS BACK
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 20, 2000Scottsdale's school superintendent told business leaders Friday that she intends to go after students who've been lured away to charter schools. Ron Caya, executive dean of the New School for the Arts in Scottsdale, was clearly appalled when told of Erwin's comment. ''That is the most stupid remark I've ever heard in my entire life,'' he said, adding that charter schools offer specialized education public schools can't.


CHARTER COMPETITION WORKS WONDERS SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS FIGHT FOR KIDS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 24, 2000
With Erwin doing her best to regain students, and Caya doing what he can to pry still more away, Scottsdale students cannot lose.


DISTRICT'S GENEROSITY HAS NO LIMIT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 25, 2000Author: Laurie Roberts, The Arizona Republic
It's amazing how your perspective can change so quickly. Last spring, I thought the Scottsdale school district was paying an outrageous salary to its new superintendent, Barbara Erwin.
Last month, I thought Erwin was awfully generous in the salaries she offered several of her new assistants. They seem practically underpaid now. Now that I know about the $950-a-day man. Scottsdale is paying a guy $950 a day to oversee the school district's buildings and maintenance. I am not making this up.
One school board member was, to put it politely, taken aback at the fee, especially when told he and his fellow board members approved it. ''Are you sure, are you absolutely positive?'' Tom Carey asked. ''I mean, I just find that hard to believe, because we've got a guy that we've hired in the area of risk management and we've got a guy that we've hired some time ago for the building services division. I just can't imagine that, Laurie. I mean, honest to god, I can't imagine. I would be stunned to know that. Honest to god, I really, truly would.'' Consider yourself stunned. And stung.
Until June, Scottsdale paid an assistant superintendent $91,000 to oversee buildings and maintenance. But he left to take another job, leaving Scottsdale with no one, apparently, who could oversee the extensive remodeling and building projects taking place this summer at Scottsdale's schools. So the district put out the call for a consultant to step in until it could hire a replacement. Only one guy responded. He is an eminently qualified guy who, among his many qualifications, has been a consultant to the internationally acclaimed Allen Independent School District - the very place that brought us Erwin and three of her top lieutenants.
Earlier this month, Scottsdale's school board approved a contract with Paul Trautman, agreeing to spend up to $75,000 for his services as a facilities management consultant.The contract calls for him to be paid $950 a day or $97.50 an hour, ''whichever is less.'' Not a bad day's pay for a full day's work when you consider that Erwin, the state's highest-paid school boss, earns only $577 a day. Or that Gov. Jane Hull earns only $346 a day. Or that the chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court earns $463 a day. Or that ASU's football coach earns $2,080 a day. (Well, but, of course, that's football.) Or that the average teacher in Scottsdale earns $212 a day. Or that a long-term substitute teacher - a consultant of sorts - earns $85 a day.
Defenders of the $950-a-day guy's contract, including Carey, will point out that this guy is probably worth it, given the enormous responsibility that goes with overseeing the school construction projects. The district's assistant superintendent for business services told The Republic's Anne Ryman that the guy is a virtual bargain. ''It's cheap,'' said Charlotte Borcher, adding that she used to charge $125 an hour as a financial consultant to school districts. Swell.


AGING SCHOOLS NEED MORE REPAIRS, CONSULTANT SAYS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 26, 2000The Scottsdale School District is spending $63 million to repair and remodel aging buildings, but it may need to shell out even more on basic repairs, a building consultant says.


HIGH ANXIETY OVER SCHOOL BOUNDARIES ENROLLMENT STUDY FUELS RUMOR MILL
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 13, 2000
Anxiety reigns as the Scottsdale Unified School District sets out to make a growth-and-enrollment study aimed at solving overcrowding at northern schools and underuse at southern schools.


NOT QUITE THE GOOD OL' BOYS TRADITION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 15, 2000
Erwin said the majority of her role models have been men and she hasn't experienced sexism in three decades as a teacher, principal and superintendent. ''Everybody asks me that,'' she said. ''I've been lots of places, and some of my best mentors have been men.''



PLENTY OF OPTIONS TO HANDLE SCHOOL GROWTH, ERWIN SAYS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 29, 2000A citizens committee examining growth in the Scottsdale School District has plenty of options besides changing school boundaries, the district's superintendent said Monday.


PARENTS: NO CHANGES TO SCHOOL BOUNDARIES
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 9, 2000


PARENT GROUPS GAINING POWER INFLUENCE GROWING IN VALLEY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 11, 2000


SCOTTSDALE TO PRESS PROGRESS ON AIMS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 20, 2000
Superintendent Barbara Erwin said schools will analyze each student's scores to find where help is needed. "We've got to become somewhat statisticians at the school level," she said.


SCHOOLS' LIMITS AT ISSUE SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT WEIGHS ATTENDANCE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 19, 2000Scottsdale School District, still recovering from a bid-rigging scandal and frequent leadership changes, now faces a crisis that threatens to pit neighborhoods against each other. Parents are in an uproar over a growth study that is suggesting everything from changing school attendance boundaries to splitting the district in half as ways to solve crowding in the north.



SCHOOLS' LIMITS AT ISSUE SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT WEIGHS ATTENDANCE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 19, 2000
Hundreds of people turn out for community meetings sponsored by the citizens committee that resemble pep rallies with cheers, claps, standing ovations and boos. Absent from the meetings are the five-member School Board and Superintendent Barbara Erwin, who purposely have distanced themselves from the process. "This decision is yours," Erwin recently told a group of Scottsdale parents. "It's my job to implement it."


SCOTTSDALE WANTS RELIEF: NEW SCHOOL
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 27, 2000Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin is questioning why her district can't get excluded from state laws that determine when a district gets funding for school construction.


KEEGAN TO ALLOW BILINGUAL TEACHING
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 10, 2001State education chief Lisa Graham Keegan said Tuesday that she will allow Arizona schools to continue bilingual education, as long as students are learning English and making academic progress. "Bilingual programs are successful when kids are speaking two languages, and their academics are on par. Do what you want and make it work, and nobody is going to go ballistic,"
Keegan's comments Tuesday about bilingual education seemed to confuse Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin and parents who turned out to hear the speech. Erwin said she interpreted Keegan's statements to mean that successful bilingual programs could continue. "I'm going to have to get clarification," Erwin told parents during a question-and-answer session after Keegan had left.


BOARD RULES ON NEW FACILITY COPPER RIDGE WON'T INCLUDE 8TH-GRADERS YET
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 31, 2001The Scottsdale School Board decided Tuesday to limit enrollment in the fall at Copper Ridge Middle School to sixth- and seventh-graders and add eighth-graders the following year. Superintendent Barbara Erwin said it's common for new middle schools to open with just the sixth and seventh grades and add eighth grade the following year.



BACK-TO-BASICS BACKERS TRADITIONAL SCHOOLS GAIN FAVOR WITH PARENTS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 2, 2001Supporters of Cheyenne Traditional School, the Scottsdale Unified School District's only back-to-basics school, are pushing to expand back-to-basics education to middle schools.
Their efforts seem to have the support of several Scottsdale School Board members and Superintendent Barbara Erwin.




SCHOOLS GIVE TOP MARKS TO CHIEF
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 24, 2001The Scottsdale School Board gave Superintendent Barbara Erwin the highest rating possible during her first annual evaluation. "When she came to us last year, she had this saying, which she frequently uses, that she works from dawn till done, and that's absolutely the case," board President Tom Carey said. "She has so much doggoned energy she makes me tired."


CORONADO MAY GET MAGNET PROGRAM
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 24, 2001
Erwin said magnet programs can work, provided the district invests the money and gives people what they want.


MAGNET SCHOOL SPECIALIZED ACADEMICS SOLID IDEA FOR CORONADO
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 9, 2001
The school board has asked Superintendent Barbara Erwin to explore the idea of setting up some sort of specialized program at Coronado, Scottsdale's southernmost high school. She is scheduled to present a preliminary plan to the board next month.


ERWIN: FIX SCHOOLS WITH BONDS PROPOSAL ALSO CALLS FOR 1 NEW FACILITY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 17, 2001Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin wants to use funds from a proposed Nov. 6 bond election to fix up old middle schools and build a new high school.


ERWIN ADDS NEW RUNG TO LADDER
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 30, 2001"If you are looking for a status quo superintendent, don't hire me," Barbara Erwin told parents during her interview with the Scottsdale school district last year. "My ladder has no top rung." She wasn't kidding. The woman who came to Scottsdale last spring and was briefly the state's highest-paid superintendent is once again headed skyward. Last week, the school board tacked yet another rung onto the top of her ladder. Her bonus alone will bring her nearly as much as a beginning teacher in Scottsdale earns in a year.
Under her new deal, Erwin will pull down $165,000, plus $9,000 in carfare, a $12,000 annuity and a bonus of up to $24,750. Grand total: $210,750.That's $70,000 more than her counterpart in Paradise Valley makes. That's $62,000 more than her counterpart in Mesa, a district nearly triple Scottsdale's size, makes. That's $115,750 more than the governor makes. Heck, it's almost as much as the president makes, and he has to run a country.



SCHOOL OFFICIAL WITH NO DUTIES STILL DRAWS PAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 30, 2001Assistant Superintendent Judy Parker's office is cleaned out and she has no official duties, but the Scottsdale Unified School District is paying her salary for the next three months. A separation agreement signed March 20 by Parker and school board member Sandra Zapien-Ferrero prohibits either side from discussing details. The school board approved Parker's resignation March 20 without comment. The agreement states that no evaluation will be placed in her personnel file, and Superintendent Barbara Erwin will provide Parker with a letter of recommendation.



SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT MOVES TOWARD NOV. 6 BOND VOTE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 11, 2001The Scottsdale School District is preparing to launch a bond election this fall despite Gov. Jane Hull's urging of school districts to let the state's school construction program work.


SUIT ASKS SERVICES FOR 2 BLIND HOME-TAUGHT KIDS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 27, 2001A Scottsdale couple is suing the Scottsdale Unified School District for refusing to provide special education services to their two home-schooled blind children.
Superintendent Barbara Erwin is also named in the lawsuit, accused of upholding an unconstitutional policy.


BONDS FOR DECAYING SCHOOLS SCOTTSDALE BOARD STUDIES PROJECT LIST
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 19, 2001The Scottsdale Unified School District board is studying a bond plan that would renovate or rebuild every older middle and high school.


$80 MILLION FOR TECHNOLOGY PLAN GOES TO SCOTTSDALE BOARD
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 2, 2001The Scottsdale School District has unveiled a five-year, $80 million plan to bring more technology into classrooms. All it needs is the school board's approval. Technology Director Scott Kovacs said the 1,245-page proposal will add new educational technology to classrooms, new infrastructure to schools and provide additional technical support."The key is for us to give him the resources, both financially and staff, to make that happen," Superintendent Barbara Erwin said. "This will put Scottsdale Unified School District on the map in the area of instructional technology."



District dents its teacher turnover rateBetter communication a focal point
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 9, 2001Allen school officials believe they have turned a corner in their teacher turnover rate, cutting the number of teachers who leave the district by nine percentage points in the last two school years.



BOARD CALLS FOR VOTE ON BOND ISSUE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 9, 2001Scottsdale high schools could see major improvements if voters pass a Nov. 6 bond.
The Scottsdale School Board on Tuesday voted to put a $156 million bond package before voters this fall that would build a new high school in northern Scottsdale and renovate or replace parts of Coronado.


OLD VS. NEW ISSUES BESET CITY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 20, 2001Scottsdale is facing a midlife crisis in its 50th year. The younger sections of the city are booming with affluent growth, while older neighborhoods face decline.


CHEYENNE ACCUSED OF REVEALING KIDS' PRIVATE INFORMATION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 27, 2001 A Cheyenne Traditional School parent has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education alleging that the school allowed parents access to confidential student-registration forms. Superintendent Barbara Erwin has moved a member of her top management team, John Biera, to Cheyenne in hopes of quelling rumors and bringing the school back together. Biera will be acting principal until a new leader is hired. Contrary to rumors, Biera said, teachers are not leaving the school in droves. As of last week, he had six positions to fill for the 2001-2002 school year, although he acknowledged that the number could change. He said he is concerned that only 32 students have signed up for the seventh grade this fall.


ERWIN NAMES TEXAN AS TOP ASSISTANT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 6, 2001Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin has hired another Texan for a top administrative position. Erwin has named Donald Jefferies, superintendent of the 3,700-student West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District, as her right-hand associate superintendent of the 27,346-student Scottsdale Unified School District.


TEACHER RAISES, ALGEBRA AID IN $128 MIL SCHOOLS BUDGET
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 7, 2001The Scottsdale School District is preparing to approve a $128 million operations budget that gives teachers a hefty raise and puts more money toward algebra instruction.


SCHOOL BUDGET WITH PAY HIKES OK'D
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 13, 2001The Scottsdale School Board approved a $128 million operations budget Monday that gives teachers a hefty raise and puts more money toward algebra and reading instruction.
The 2001-02 budget is $7 million more than last year's with no cuts in programs or services. The bulk of the increase goes to salaries, Bob Flach, assistant superintendent, said.


DESERT MOUNTAIN BLOCK SCHEDULING TO CONTINUE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 18, 2001Desert Mountain High School will offer block scheduling this fall despite an earlier decision by school officials to eliminate it for the semester. Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin said the district has hired three more employees to ensure block scheduling is in place for the 2001-02 school year. The district also is forming a committee to look at the future of block scheduling at the 6-year-old school.


OLD SCHOOL IS EYESORE, SCOTTSDALE PARENTS SAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 23, 2001Angry parents are threatening legal action if the Scottsdale Unified School District doesn't tear down a former school they call an eyesore. Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin said the district is looking at using the old buildings for its teacher training center and curriculum and instruction department, which now are housed at three locations. Erwin said the district wants to be a good neighbor, but she doesn't believe the district needs a zoning change.


2 MEETINGS PLANNED ON SCHOOL BOND VOTE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 5, 2001
Supporters say the bond would provide money to prevent overcrowding and fix aging high schools. Critics say the district should make do with state funding for new schools rather than taxing residents twice.


SCHOOL BOND ISSUE FACING OPPOSITION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 22, 2001Scottsdale voters have approved four school bonds in the last 15 years, but the latest bond election Nov. 6 may face obstacles, parents say. The $155 million Scottsdale school bond election is facing some opposition. Parent Christine Schild, an outspoken critic of the bond, said the school board needs to study future building needs further before asking voters for more money. The board has hired a consultant to study the issue this fall, but it won't be completed until after the election.


SCOTTDALE SCHOOL PROBE EXTENDED FOR 45 DAYS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 13, 2001Potential problems have led the Arizona Attorney General's Office to extend its three-year scrutiny of the Scottsdale Unified School District for another 45 days.



SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT IN LIMBO AFTER BOND DEFEAT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 8, 2001The stunning defeat of a $155 million school bond left Scottsdale parents wondering Wednesday where their kids will go to school next year and the district pondering staff reductions and pay cuts. Late Wednesday, the district's largest parent group, the Scottsdale Parent Council, issued a press release saying the bond's defeat was tantamount to a "no confidence" vote in the board and Superintendent Barbara Erwin. Attempts to reach Erwin for comment were unsuccessful.



FUTURE OF SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS FACE BUDGET CUTS, MAKE LONG-TERM PLAN
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 14, 2001
Trust, obviously, remains an issue… There also are a significant number of people who don't see the need to build a $54.8 million high school in DC Ranch when space is available in the district's southern high schools…Other than threats of massive boundary changes, the district's citizen bond committee, Voters for Educational Excellence, did little to educate voters about the needs or to justify asking taxpayers for $225 million.


SERVICES TO STUDENTS LAST TO BE CUT SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT FACES BUDGET CRISIS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 17, 2001Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin said she will try to maintain education programs even though the district must cut $3.3 million from next year's budget.

TEACHERS TAKE ISSUE WITH CUTS IN SCOTTSDALE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 27, 2001Scottsdale teachers are expected to show up en masse tonight at a district meeting to protest budget cuts that could lead to larger classes and dumping the district's educational TV station.



SCOTTSDALE VIOLATED SCHOOL LAW CHARTER NO LONGER WILL RECEIVE FREE SPACE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 30, 2001
The state's sixth-largest school district failed to charge the charter school $101,378 in rental fees, violated procurement law and exposed the district to "unnecessary financial risk" by giving the charter school free space, according to a yearlong investigation by the attorney general and Arizona Auditor General's Office.



FAST BUSES, SLOW ACTION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)December 8, 2001
What has happened to the Scottsdale School District?



CHECKING FACTS TOO HARD FOR EX-JOURNALIST?
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)December 22, 2001
An opinion piece you recently printed from a local retired newspaper publisher regarding public notice of Scottsdale Unified School District meetings was inaccurate...This is a district dedicated to following the law. For a former publisher to call on the attorney general to press charges without even first checking the facts is irresponsible.
Barbara F. Erwin, Ed.D Superintendent



ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS EVERYWHERE, BUT NOT A ONE TO SHRINK
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)December 26, 2001
This…is the school district that has a superintendent whose bonus and annuity payments alone rival the pay of a teacher. Who apparently spends so much time traveling from school to school that she merits a $750-a-month car allowance. This is the district that has seven administrators who make $94,950 a year or more. This is the district that last year spent $9,000 on lapel pins and refrigerator magnets and $950 a day on a consultant to oversee buildings. The district that is now paying another consultant $288,000 to study building needs when many districts do the work themselves. Members cut $2.4 million, went to one of their oft-used slush funds for $813,000 -- thus avoiding the further cuts mandated by last month's vote -- and talked about asking voters to restore the override ASAP.



SCHOOLS MUST MAKE PAINFUL CUTS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 9, 2002
If even half the allegations she makes are true, this illustrates the extreme arrogance of the Scottsdale school board, Superintendent Barbara Erwin and all of the school principals who were party to the memo saying that "the need for current levels of administration is paramount."



ERWIN CITES SUCCESSES, OVERRIDE NEED
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 30, 2002Scottsdale Unified School District Superintendent Barbara Erwin said the district is committed to moving forward despite a failed budget override last fall that means $3.3 million in cuts for the coming school year…. In November, the attorney general and the school board agreed to extend the state's three-year scrutiny of the district another nine months until August after the state said the district mismanaged school property by giving rent-free space to a charter school. The district was ordered to end its rent-free agreement with Scottsdale Educational Enrichment School… Erwin urged people to stop dwelling on the past and start dwelling on the students. "We have the talent, we have the dedicated staff in this district to become the very best public schools in the nation," she said. "Please let me make it clear, I am not minimizing past mistakes, but I am asking you to give us a chance."


ERWIN TO HOST TALK SHOW
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 2, 2002Now Barbara Erwin is about to add talk-show host to her list of credits.


ERWIN OFFER RIGHT FUNDING CUTS SHOULD START AT TOP
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 3, 2002
In these financially troubled times, it seems like a no-brainer. Nevertheless, we offer a thumbs up to Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin for offering to forgo her $24,750 bonus this year and for agreeing to accept no raise in her salary next year.


SCOTTSDALE TEACHERS MAY GET WAGE VOTE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 24, 2002A rally by 400 teachers Tuesday to protest the Scottsdale School Board's decision to end salary negotiations for next school year may have paid off.


BOARD STUDIES BIGGER CLASSES
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 11, 2002Faced with cutting $4.1 million from its budget for the 2003-04 school year, the Scottsdale Unified School District is considering raising class sizes and eliminating 50 to 60 jobs… Raising class sizes has the biggest potential impact on students and teachers. Classes would increase an average of one student. The new student-teacher ratios would be 27 to 1 for kindergarten through sixth grade, 29 to 1 for middle school and 29 to 1 for high school. The district expects to save $1.1 million by raising class sizes because larger classes means it will need 29 fewer teachers… The cuts may not be necessary if the school board puts the override back on the ballot and voters approve it. The board has not decided whether to do this, but board members Tom Carey and David Goldstaub said during a meeting Tuesday that they support putting the issue before voters again.



SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS FOR 2003-04 WHY THE BUDGET RUSH?
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 15, 2002
Superintendent Barbara Erwin explained that making the proposed cuts now gives the community a clear understanding of what's at stake if the district's maintenance and operations budget override is not restored. "I think it would be valuable for them to know what they would be missing if the override did not pass in the event you decide to put it on the ballot," she said.


AGING SCHOOL'S PLUSES TOUTED CORONADO LOOKS TO MAGNET PLAN
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 7, 2002
Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin said she believes the magnet plan will increase enrollment over the next five years because it provides unbelievable opportunities in a small environment.

SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS EYE TURNING OFF TV COVERAGE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 12, 2002The Scottsdale Unified School District may end its televised coverage of school board meetings because of budget constraints. District officials are proposing to cut the television station's $14,500 supply budget for the 2002-03 school year. That would mean curtains for the twice-weekly broadcasts of school board meetings, Scottsdale Parent Council meetings and Superintendent Barbara Erwin's Chalkboard Conversations.

SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS BUDGET BETWEEN ROCK, HARD PLACE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 19, 2002
At the risk of being impolite, we'd offer the suggestion that attorney fees could be trimmed, especially if the board manages to operate without running afoul of state laws on procurement and contracts, conflicts of interest and open meetings. Those difficulties appear to be in the past, so let's push on with considering the cuts.


NAPOLITANO DENIES SCHOOL DISTRICT'S REQUEST
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 26, 2002Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano has denied the Scottsdale Unified School District's request to release the district early from increased state scrutiny.
The state's sixth-largest school district was sued in 1998 for rigging bids and misspending $11.7 million in public funds. Since then, the district has been under a settlement that orders it to follow the law or face a $150,000 fine for each offense if it breaks the law again. The settlement is set to end Aug. 9. Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin, in a letter to the attorney general, said the district deserved "time off for good behavior."


DROPPING OF E-MAIL ANGERS PARENTSSUPERINTENDENT GIVES UP ACCOUNT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 1, 2002Scottsdale Schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin, who bills herself as a great communicator, has given up her district e-mail address and donated her computer to a teacher technology program. Some parents are angry they no longer have a direct link with the superintendent. "I think it's a terrible maneuver," said parent Sue Braga, 52, who has two children in Scottsdale schools.Braga recently sent an e-mail to Erwin that was kicked back. She wanted to give her opinion on school boundary changes proposed by Scottsdale Unified School District officials. Erwin did not return calls Wednesday.


SUPERINTENDENT HAS E-MAIL, NO ACCESS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 9, 2002After being criticized by parents, Scottsdale School Superintendent Barbara Erwin has reinstated her e-mail. Sort of.


SCRUTINY IS ENDED OF SCHOOL DISTRICTSCOTTSDALE FUND USE WAS REVIEWED
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 10, 2002The Arizona Attorney General's Office on Friday ended nearly four years of intense scrutiny of the Scottsdale School District.


SCHOOLS TRY TO PUT AG PROBE IN PASTSCOTTSDALE SCRUTINY ENDS AFTER 46 MONTHS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 16, 2002
"There's no question the reputation of the Scottsdale School District suffered, and properly suffered, for the wrongdoing of the past," he said. "And we -- the school district, superintendent, her leadership team and the school board -- have the ongoing challenge of convincing people we are doing things the right way."


IS DISTRICT LISTENING?
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 31, 2002
I do agree there are other effective ways of communication to the parents and community other than e-mail. Unfortunately, as a parent and active volunteer, I have not seen any implemented by this administration, even though they have been asked numerous times. When Barbara Erwin became superintendent, I was the president of the Scottsdale Parent Council. At a taped Parent Council meeting in March 2000, we publicly asked her to write a monthly column in each school newsletter. (Every school has one, from elementary to high school, which makes this cost effective.) Statistics also show this is the most effective way to reach parents. The Parent Council also requested a hotline where parents could find out information, get questions answered and get information on current legislative issues affecting our children's education. In May 2000, the Parent Council once again requested this information at our monthly meeting. In September 2000, we gave the superintendent a written request for our suggestion. In January 2001, the Parent Council executive board sent her another letter with our formal request. She told us the hotline was not technologically possible, even though we were told she had one for the school board members.


SCHOOLS MAY LOOK TO VOTERS FOR BUDGET BOOST
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 14, 2002
"Until this state loves its children more than it hates taxes, you will remain at the bottom of the country," Erwin told the parent council. Erwin said she has never complained to the Legislature about the money she has been given during her three decades in education, and she has always made do by prioritizing. But this is the first time she has worked in a state that has been last in education funding. Erwin worked in Indiana and Texas before coming to Scottsdale in March 2000.



SCHOOL CHIEF LASHES OUT AT STATE LEADERSSAYS FUNDING IS 'LEGISLATIVE CHILD ABUSE'
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 9, 2002Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin blasted the state Legislature and Gov. Jane Hull at a parent meeting Tuesday, calling the amount of funding that Arizona schools get from the state "legislative child abuse." "Until the state of Arizona believes in children, you might as well post signs at the border saying, 'Welcome to Arizona, no kids allowed,' " she said. "I am tired of hearing a governor, a former educator, saying we can deal with 15-year-old textbooks," Erwin said.Hull called Erwin's remarks "mean-spirited," adding that the administration has increased K-12 spending by $1.9 billion. Proposition 301, an education sales tax, will send $313 million into K-12 classrooms this year and $56 million to universities.


BUDGET OVERRIDE TO GO TO SCOTTSDALE VOTERS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 23, 2002Residents will get a chance to vote March 11 on a budget override for the Scottsdale Unified School District, and board members warn that they may have to cut teaching jobs and boost class sizes if it doesn't pass.


SEX CHARGES PROMPT REVIEWDISTRICT INVESTIGATES PRINCIPAL'S RESPONSE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 17, 2003Scottsdale Unified School District officials are conducting an internal investigation after one of their teachers was charged this week on allegations of child molestation.


PARENTS WANT TEACHER DETAILSSAY DISTRICT MUM ON MOLESTATION CASE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 25, 2003
At a press conference last week, Superintendent Barbara Erwin said the district is committed to "finding all the facts, doing what is right and taking every step necessary to ensure safety and security" of the children who attend Scottsdale schools.


Lobbying brigade
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 12, 2003Concerned about possible cuts to funding, 13 employees from the Scottsdale Unified School District have registered as lobbyists.


7 DISTRICTS WIN OVERRIDES FOR SCHOOLS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 12, 2003Election results showed budget overrides worth a total of $33 million passing as votes from seven Maricopa County school districts were counted Tuesday night… "We're thrilled," Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin said. "Our parents in this community have worked very hard. They came together in a time of crisis, and it seems to have worked."



EDUCATORS LOBBY BETTER THAN TEACH
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 19, 2003It is fitting that Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin and other district employees recently registered as lobbyists. It is fitting because the public education establishment is more concerned with influencing legislators than educating children.


OVERRIDE VOTE AIMING TO SAVE TEACHERS WON'T
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 20, 2003Nine days ago, voters went to the polls and overwhelmingly agreed to open their wallets and allow the Scottsdale school district to exceed the state's spending limit by 10 percent.
A whopping 72 percent of those who voted agreed to pay more in property taxes to give our schools an extra $10 million a year. It was the only way, we were told, to avoid cutting 179 teachers and inflating class sizes. Just one week later, school administrators are forging ahead with plans to eliminate 175 teachers and inflate class sizes. If you feel had, guess what? You have been. After enlisting a legion of parents and community leaders to plead with taxpayers to pony up more money to save teachers, school administrators are now preparing to dump their considerable budget woes onto the backs of -- you guessed it -- teachers. Apparently, we cannot possibly afford to do without a single administrator…. Now, just one week after we agreed to give them more money, adminstrators suddenly know not only how much they'll need to cut, but they have a plan for how to cut it. By eliminating the precise reason that voters gave them the extra money: teachers.


SCHOOL DISTRICT LACKS CANDOR
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 9, 2003
Regarding Carol Hughes' My Turn of April 4: Like so many in the community, Laurie Roberts has tried to get factual information from the district, particularly in the early days of Superintendent Barbara Erwin's arrival, only to be rebuffed. When the community members of other districts comparable in size and population get pertinent information from their district's community relations people and it is done in the spirit of community building, you have to wonder what the Scottsdale district's staff doesn't get.


SCOTTSDALE'S SCHOOLS CHIEF GETS EVALUATION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 9, 2003The Scottsdale School Board met in closed session Thursday afternoon for its annual evaluation of school Superintendent Barbara Erwin but took no action.



ERWIN REJECTS PAY HIKE, WILL STAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 15, 2003For the second time in two years, Scottsdale School Superintendent Barbara Erwin is not asking for a pay raise or bonus because of school district budget constraints and the state's budget crisis.


FIRING TEACHER COST $44,000SCOTTSDALE SEX CASE TO CONCLUDE FRIDAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 4, 2003Firing a Cherokee Elementary School teacher who admitted sexually molesting children and investigating whether the school's principal properly supervised him was expensive for the Scottsdale Unified School District. Legal bills show the district spent $44,462 over three months to investigate the circumstances surrounding teacher David Michael Renaud… As many as six people from the law firm Lewis and Roca, which represents the school district, worked on parts of the Renaud matter. They put in at least 245 hours of work, according to legal bills obtained under a public records request by the Scottsdale Republic.


SOME TEACHING POSITIONS COULD BE REINSTATED
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 12, 2003The Scottsdale Unified School District's budget deficit may not be as bad as predicted for next school year and could result in as many as 40 teaching positions being reinstated.


SCHOOLS' LEGAL FEES DRAW FIREBOARD MEMBER ASKS FOR REVIEW BY BAR
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 20, 2003A Scottsdale School Board member is questioning a recent board decision to pay legal fees from 2001 and is asking the State Bar to review it. The School Board voted April 8 to pay $48,253 for legal services during November and December 2001 -- the equivalent of at least one teacher's salary. Board member Christine Schild, who voted to pay the bill along with the four other school board members, now said she has concerns about whether it was legal.


LAYING SCHOOLS' FINANCES ON LINE RIGHT THING TO DOOUR STAND: SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT'S 5-YEAR FORCAST WILL GIVE PUBLIC A VIEW OF FUTURE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 30, 2003
Scottsdale schools officials are taking a significant step toward making the public aware of the district's upcoming financial outlook.

SCOTTSDALE VOWS TO LEAD PUPIL PROGRESS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 20, 2003The Scottsdale School Board made the ambitious commitment Tuesday night to show academic progress for every student in the 27,000-student district. "We do not want to follow the standard," Superintendent Barbara Erwin said. "Scottsdale Unified School District will set the standard in Arizona."


SCHOOLS WATCHDOG REVIVEDCARE SET TO START MONTHLY MEETINGS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 21, 2003Concerned about issues in the Scottsdale Unified School District, a grass-roots citizens group that was instrumental in uncovering scandal within the district in 1998 is reforming. Citizens for Accountability, Responsibility and Education, known as CARE, has reorganized with some well-known faces and plans to start holding monthly meetings. The group's concerns include rising legal fees, lack of communication and larger class sizes, among other issues.


SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS SETTING BOLD GOALSEXCELLENCE QUEST NOT DISCOURAGED BY TIGHT BUDGET
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 21, 2003The Scottsdale School Board set the ambitious goal Tuesday of making sure every child shows academic progress and passes the AIMS test. Now comes the hard part: accomplishing those goals. On Tuesday, district officials outlined some of their plans for making sure the Scottsdale Unified School District provides children with a "world-class education."


WORLD-CLASS RAZZLE-DAZZLE IS BLINDING SCHOOL DISTRICT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 22, 2003It was with great interest that we perused the stories headlined in Wednesday's newspaper that the school district was pursuing a new plan of action. Sadly, hope faded as we read that the Scottsdale Unified School District "board and staff" came up with the "vision and strategy" in a "retreat with a corporate consultant." Even sadder was the comment that they, the board and staff, want (that phrase that dazzles) "world-class education." (To digress, Scottsdale gets too hung up on that world-class razzle-dazzle, smoke-and-mirrors phrase.)… What the heck happened? Communication stopped. Outreach really stopped after the fiasco known as the Total Community Process and the failed bond and override election of 2001. The district circled the wagons, and only those who did not question were allowed to breach the perimeter.


GOAL IS SUCCESS FOR ALL KIDS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 23, 2003
As educators, we must provide whatever it takes to make every student successful. No child has "a right to fail." Even with scores in the top tier, there's room for improvement, and that's where the Scottsdale school district's triple-A focus -- access, achievement, accountability -- will pay off.


FUNDING FOR PUPILS IS 'CRITICAL'PASSING OVERRIDES IS KEY, ERWIN SAYS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 25, 2003The best way for Scottsdale to provide world-class education for its children would be for voters to pass two overrides, Superintendent Barbara Erwin said.


PARENTS HEAR PLAN FOR BETTER SCHOOLSDISTRICT HOPES TO SET NEW STANDARD
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 10, 2003
The School Board has set the ambitious goal of making sure every child shows academic progress every year and passes the AIMS test. The board also wants all schools to be on track to receive an "excelling" rating, which is the highest label given to schools by the state. Arizona has only three "excelling" schools, none in the Scottsdale Unified School District. Most of the schools were labeled as "improving" or "maintaining."One way officials hope to accomplish this is by creating an individual learning plan for each child. The idea is that each child is evaluated and a learning plan crafted to help him or her make academic gains in the areas where improvement is needed. To accomplish the goals, Erwin said the district will need to find more money. State funding and voter-approved bonds and budget overrides will only "get you what everyone else has," she said. The district will need to explore more grants, business partnerships and donations.The district's new focus comes on the heels of a difficult year for the state's eighth-largest school district. Because of budget constraints, Scottsdale raised class sizes in elementary and high schools this year. Teachers have complained that students are getting less individual attention because they have more students. The district also lost more than 100 experienced teachers when the school board offered a buyout earlier this year in an effort to reduce payroll.
Parent Mary Kearl said she was curious how the district's new focus would impact teacher morale. Erwin said if the district accomplishes its new focus of academic progress, it will mean good teacher morale. The financial problems of the last year were "an anomaly that hopefully we won't have to repeat," she said.


ANOTHER PRINCIPAL RIDES THE ERWIN EXPRESS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)December 18, 2003Since Sept. 10, we've waited. Since that morning when Sequoya Elementary Principal Maureen Booth was abruptly escorted off campus as if she posed some sort of a threat, we've waited.Since Scottsdale's School Board president sent a letter to irate Sequoya parents in late September, asking them to have patience and let the process play itself out, we've waited.Since the School Board approved a statement of charges painting Booth as a liar and a cheat, we've waited to see the evidence that would prove the administration's case against one of the Scottsdale's most popular principals, a 28-year district employee."Ms. Booth caused the district to misuse state funds," attorney Mary Ellen Simonson said in unveiling the charges two months ago. "The district cannot tolerate and will not tolerate that misuse of state monies."Might it then be an equal misuse of state monies to spend tens of thousands of dollars to investigate, announce you've got the goods on the perp, then just let her walk away with full benefits?On Monday, the day we were finally going to find out the truth, all charges were dropped and Maureen Booth was allowed to retire. The board even gave her a $106,000 life insurance policy for the next 11 years, until she turns 65.The school district that spared no expense to investigate her withdrew the charges rather than coming through with the promised "overwhelming evidence" they've been talking about for lo these many months.Somehow, I have a feeling that yet another Scottsdale principal may have been treated to a ride on the Atcheson, Topeka and Barbara Erwin Express.Booth's troubles began last January when Sequoya's assistant principal notified administrators that she believed Booth had altered students' Stanford 9 test scores in order to win $600 bonuses for teachers. The administration put her on paid leave Sept. 10 and developed a series of charges, some of which sounded overblown and some of which sounded like business as usual in Scottsdale. The headline was the test score charge.I've always said that if Booth phonied up the test scores, she should be fired. The trouble is, now we'll never know the truth.It's not so surprising that Booth, who has always maintained she is innocent, would offer to settle. There aren't many of us who could shoulder the sort of legal bills that pile up when you're fighting a big bureaucracy.What is stunning is that the school district, with its seemingly bottomless money pit for legal battles, would agree to drop the charges on the precise day its lawyers were scheduled to prove their case.The district said it settled to save money. Attorney Simonson actually blamed Booth for forcing the district to run up a big legal bill."When confronted with her misconduct, she ... forced the district to spend its scarce resources on preparing a statement of charges and preparing a hearing -- only to resign in the eleventh hour," Simonson told Republic reporter Anne Ryman.Translation: How dare that Maureen Booth have the nerve to try to defend herself?But then, how dare the district drop the charges just as we were about to learn the truth? I don't know whether Booth forged those test scores or not. I don't know what proof the district had when it stiff-armed her out of Sequoya on Sept. 10.But I do know that Scottsdale has a rather hefty turnover rate these days when it comes to principals. Close to half of them have been chased out or forced out or have just plain fled since Barbara Erwin took over as superintendent nearly four years ago.The events of this week make me wonder: Was this just another of the rumored railroad jobs, or did Booth change those scores?If she did, she should have been fired. If it was someone else, that person should be fired.But if this whole thing was trumped up, if this administration spent all that money to get rid of someone without proof of wrongdoing, then this administration should get the stiff-arm routine.Sadly, we'll never know, because the School Board will never demand an answer. All you hear from that end is silence and, perhaps, the distant, mournful strains of a train whistle.


IT'S TIME FOR ERWIN TO TAKE 1-WAY TRIP ON HER 'EXPRESS'
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 1, 2004
Although Erwin can be inspiring and charismatic, overwhelming examples exist districtwide of her indifference toward our community, lack of support shown to colleagues, lack of openness and integrity, and never-ending public relations rhetoric and politics.


St. Charles chooses new superintendent; Midwest native to take over District 303 helm in July
Sun, The: St. Charles (IL)January 14, 2004
Throughout her career, Erwin has received many honors, Knipp said. Twice, she was named Superintendent of the Year in Texas, and she was nominated for National Superintendent of the Year in 1999.


Scottsdale Republic North
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 14, 2004Barbara Erwin's new school district is about a third the size of Scottsdale, and she'll get a pay raise. Her total package -- salary, annuity, car allowance and potential 10 percent performance bonus -- is worth $234,600. By comparison, her Scottsdale package is worth $210,750. The districts are similar in demographics and are suburbs of larger cities. The St. Charles district, 35 miles west of downtown Chicago, has 17 schools and 13,100 students compared with Scottsdale's 33 schools and 26,600 students.


SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS CHIEF LEAVING GOOD ROAD MAPOUR STAND: BARBARA ERWIN INHERITED A DISTRICT IN CHAOS AND CLEANED IT UP
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 14, 2004
Barbara Erwin is leaving the Scottsdale Unified School District in better condition than she found it. Even all but the most strident critics of the outgoing superintendent will have to give her that. And that's substantial. Erwin, who will leave Scottsdale this summer to take a higher-paying job in St. Charles, Ill., inherited a corrupt school district when she came here in March 2000. The Scottsdale school district was in chaos, reeling from the state attorney general's revelations of bid manipulation and Open Meeting Law violations. The board had bought out Erwin's two predecessors. Things were a mess, and public confidence was at the nadir.
…Her personal style rubbed some folks the wrong way. Some people felt that she should have been more open and straightforward with parents and school staff about certain controversies, such as the child molestation scandal at Cherokee Elementary School. She has been ripped by others who say she never took the time to figure out what makes the Northeast Valley tick, and looked at Scottsdale as little more than a temporary career stop. Her decision to leave after about four years probably will only solidify that image in some minds.


THINGS WRONG UNDER ERWIN
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 24, 2004
There are certainly conflicting views about the state of the Scottsdale Unified School District under the management of Barbara Erwin. Unfortunately, the things that were wrong with her administration greatly outnumber the things that were right. Here is a partial list of the things that should not have happened, did not need to happen and contributed to the overall downward spiral of employee morale and breakdown in communications:1. Failure of an override election -- the first one to fail in years.2. High-quality administrators, both at the district level and at the school sites, were made to feel unwelcome and left the district to take their talents elsewhere (Bobbie Sferra, Jane McGlothlin, John Kriekard, Jim Lee, Maureen Booth, to name a few).3. Communication between and among staff was greatly impeded with the introduction of a new e-mail system and new telephone system. With the e-mail, bulletin boards for communicating around the district were eliminated, and teachers can no longer send a message directly to their staff.The teachers organization lost the ability to communicate through e-mail as well and can send messages to only a few teachers at a time. Instead, the district implemented a "news" brief from the district office, which shared the district version of all happenings. The rumor mill replaced the open communication previously enjoyed by the teachers.4. More issues are being resolved by grievance than ever. Instead of the previous practice of discussing issues and working out mutually agreeable solutions, the current attitude is, "Let them (the teachers) grieve it."5. District/teacher committees are viewed simply as advisory groups. In the past, committee work was accomplished with the understanding that the committee decision or recommendation would be used.6. Negotiations have become traditional tit-for-tat bargaining rather than the cooperative, interest-based bargaining of the past. No, the past was not perfect, but it was a whole lot better than, "If we give you this, what will the teachers give back?"7. Teacher and staff morale is the lowest it has been in years. Lack of available funding for raises is, of course, part of the problem, but that could be understood if it were not for all the other items that damage teacher morale.




LOGICALLY, THIS SHOULD MAKE YOUR HEAD HURT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 9, 2004
This story began three years ago, during the Barbara Erwin era. In those dark days, handsomely paid consultants were predicting big gains in enrollment for Scottsdale and thus a pressing need to build the state's most expensive high school in the district's toniest neighborhood, D.C. Ranch. Fortunately, voters objected to spending $54 million on a high school that wasn't needed and stoned the bond request, which also killed plans to fix up older high schools because the funding requests were tied together on the ballot.Almost immediately after the bond's defeat in November 2001, Erwin admitted that a sixth high school wasn't really needed because enrollment was declining, and even had we built it, we wouldn't have had the money to staff it. Nice, huh?


Teen accused of bomb threats expelled
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)October 5, 2004A St. Charles East High School sophomore charged with phoning in two bomb threats to the school last month was expelled Monday. The 16-year-old boy, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, has been charged with two counts of transmitting a bomb threat, a felony. He is accused of calling in bomb threats to the school on Sept. 16 and 20. The student has been expelled for two school years, the maximum time allowed under the law. "This is a strong response and we recognize the significance of the decision that was made today," Superintendent Barbara Erwin said in a statement. "But it is very important that everyone in the District 303 community understand that behavior that detracts from teaching and learning, and which endangers our students and staff, is not acceptable."


The best predictor of future performance is past performance. So I’ve been studying the exhaustive public record regarding Barbara Erwin’s past performances – 800+ articles.

Unfortunately, I could not complete what I had hoped to do in the amount of time I had for this little project. The following is a selection that helps fill in the gaps from my earlier post.

~

Allen schools using dogs to search for drugs, guns
The Dallas Morning NewsNovember 4, 1994
“...dogs are used to conduct unannounced searches of students' lockers and cars at high schools and middle schools twice a month.


Allen schools, businesses form computer links
The Dallas Morning NewsJanuary 3, 1995
“The 6,800 students in Allen will be able to use the Internet through computers in their classrooms and school media centers.”


Allen schools set vote on bonds for Oct. 28
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 24, 1995
The $75.8 million package would finance construction of two elementary schools, a 2,500-student high school and $8 million in renovations and upgraded technology to existing schools. The board unanimously approved the proposal Monday.


Order to vote a `misunderstanding'
The Dallas Morning NewsOctober 21, 1995
"All staff who live in Allen MUST VOTE in the bond election." The statement, included in a calendar distributed to 48 food service employees, was not meant to pressure workers, but was a flawed attempt to "help get people out to vote," district spokesman Tim Carroll said.


Allen voters to decide on school building plan$75.8 million in bonds on ballot Saturday
The Dallas Morning NewsOctober 26, 1995
The school district is asking voters to authorize the sale of bonds to pay for two new elementary schools, a new high school and renovations at seven schools in the growing district.



Allen school bonds pass easily
The Dallas Morning NewsOctober 29, 1995
Ms. Erwin said backers worked hard for the victory, but she was not overly confident before Saturday's vote. "Every election is a surprise - this one was a pleasant one," she said.


Applications accepted for Head Start
The Dallas Morning NewsFebruary 16, 1996
Barbara Erwin, Allen Independent School District superintendent, is the winner of the 15th Annual Leadership for Learning Award/suburban category given by the American Association of School Administrators. She received the award for her contributions to student academic achievement since she joined the district in April 1994. The award will be presented March 9 in San Diego.


GETTING KIDS WIREDAllen High `cafe'serves up Internet
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 6, 1997
The new lab has 28 computers, each equipped with CD-ROM capability and headphones, along with scanners and printers.


More campuses earn top marks in state rankings
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 5, 1997
"The exemplary rating and TAAS scores demonstrate how much can be accomplished when we set goals and work together as a school district and community," Superintendent Barbara Erwin said in a prepared statement.


Allen superintendent honored as state's best High standards, planning for growth cited in award
The Dallas Morning NewsOctober 8, 1997
The award was announced at a recent joint convention of the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Association of School Administrators. "Status quo is definitely not Barbara's middle name," said Georgie Green, who has served on advisory committees and done other volunteer work.



Sounding success Allen High band to get taste of Big Apple before playing in Macy's parade
The Dallas Morning NewsNovember 25, 1997


Allen schools give volunteer cold shoulder
The Dallas Morning NewsDecember 21, 1997
I got a taste of Carolyn's treatment when I called school Superintendent Barbara Erwin. Associate Superintendent Betty Donaldson returned my call instead. I tried to be polite, but she curtly referred me to the school attorney. Then hung up on me in midsentence.


Student laptops weighed at school computer summit
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 15, 1998
Superintendent Barbara Erwin of the Allen district in Collin County said technology is important for teaching youngsters who have been raised on computer games and MTV."These are sound-bite kids," she said. "We can no longer put them in our classrooms and tell them to turn to page 112 and do the odd-numbered problems."


Allen schools to test students for drug use at parents request
The Dallas Morning NewsJuly 23, 1998
Middle and high school students in Allen, whose parents request it, will be randomly tested for drugs under a new program administered by the school district.


Bill outlines proposal for school drug testsVoluntary screening based on Allen system
The Dallas Morning NewsFebruary 12, 1999
Among others who spoke for the bills was Allen schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin, who said drug testing gives a student a reason to say no when offered drugs by classmates.


Lawmakers spell out package to fight drug use among teens
San Antonio Express-NewsFebruary 12, 1999
"Let me tell you about young people. They're more afraid of their parents than they are of death," [Erwin] said.


Bomb threats disrupt Allen schoolsOfficials try to calm community fears
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 14, 1999
In the last 10 days, four schools in the 9,425-student district have been plagued by eight bomb threats that pranksters have either called in or left in notes. Two schools were affected Thursday. Metal detectors are being installed at the north and south entrances to the high school. And students are being asked not to bring backpacks or book bags to school, officials said.


Classes to resume in Allen schoolsCampuses closed last week over bomb scares
Fort Worth Star-TelegramMay 17, 1999
School officials in the Allen school district did an about-face yesterday on a decision announced last week to suspend classes for the rest of the year because of a flurry of bomb scares. Parents angry about any early end to the school year gathered last night to plan for an appearance today before the school board. But Allen Superintendent Barbara Erwin said it was never the board's intention to call off the rest of this year's classes.



School's not over in Allen after all
Austin American-Statesman (TX)May 17, 1999
But Allen Superintendent Barbara Erwin said it was never the board's intention to actually call off the remainder of this year's classes. She said the board carefully worded its announcement to confuse those who were behind the bomb threats.



Allen schools detail shortened scheduleDistrict never intended to let threats end school year entirely, officials say
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 18, 1999
During the last 10 days of school, elementary students will go for two days, middle school students for one, and high school students for whatever their various teachers say is needed, according to a plan presented to the school board Monday at its regular meeting.





Allen school district denies it meant to end year earlyStaggered schedules designed to ease evacuations
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 18, 1999
The district announced on Friday that the school board had voted to cancel the rest of the school year and that an announcement would be made Monday about bringing students in to return books, retrieve personal belongings, and in some cases take final exams. But on Sunday, Ms. Erwin said that was not the decision made.


Allen schools reopening today despite bomb threats
San Antonio Express-NewsMay 18, 1999
The superintendent of Allen schools made an emotional defense Monday of the decision to close schools last week because of bomb threats, and she announced that schools will reopen for limited activities beginning today. Some parents in this Dallas suburb of 26,000 said the decision - first described by district officials as a cancellation of the last two weeks of school - amounted to caving in to those making the threats.


SCHOOL DECISION BRINGS CRITICISM
Post-Tribune (IN)May 18, 1999
After the school board canceled the rest of classes on Friday, parents in the suburb of 26,000 complained to Superintendent Barbara Erwin that she had caved in to the people who were making the threats. At a news conference Monday, Ms. Erwin said officials had to take the threats seriously in light of the Colorado high school killings.


RETURN TO SCHOOL ANGERS PARENTS>SUPERINTENDENT HAD CANCELED REST OF YEAR BECAUSE OF BOMB THREATS
Journal Star (Peoria, IL)May 18, 1999
Erwin told The Dallas Morning News on Sunday the cancellation announcement was just a ruse to throw off the pranksters. But she did not address that issue Monday.


School official defends decision to halt classes because of threats
Houston ChronicleMay 18, 1999The superintendent of Allen schools made an emotional defense Monday of the decision to close schools last week because of bomb threats, and she announced that schools will reopen for limited activities beginning today.



Allen schools officials cite misunderstanding
Fort Worth Star-TelegramMay 18, 1999
School district officials said yesterday that they were misunderstood and that "confused information" was released when they announced last week that classes would be canceled for the rest of the school year because of a series of bomb scares. Joseph Bellino criticized the board for not coming forward on Friday to correct "misinformation" released to the public.


Plan to `close' schools flawed
Fort Worth Star-TelegramMay 19, 1999
Regardless of why Allen school officials announced last week that the district was suspending classes for the rest of the year, it was a terribly flawed decision - one that should not have been made, and one that was made worse by this week's embarrassing announcement of "Oops, never mind." After a storm of nationwide publicity and an outcry from parents, leaders of the suburban district north of Dallas backtracked, saying they never intended to shut down school two weeks early.


School year resumes in Allen district
Fort Worth Star-TelegramMay 19, 1999
For some students, returning to school yesterday meant spending the morning in a sunny schoolyard playing kickball instead of cracking the books. School officials, who had announced a cancellation of classes last week, said schools reopened on a staggered schedule yesterday. But most parents of elementary school students said they don't expect their children to do much work. "I think it's just a fun time," Sandra James said.


ACLU backs student suspended for armband
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 21, 1999
A 17-year-old student has turned to the American Civil Liberties Union for help, contending that her constitutional rights were violated when she was suspended from school last month for wearing a black armband. Jennifer Boccia, a honors student who serves as a peer tutor for special-education students, said she was one of about 10 students who donned black armbands to protest school policies instituted after the recent Columbine High School shootings in Colorado and to show respect for the victims. Those policies set new rules for speech and dress and provided for random searches. Some students protested, saying the changes would create a hostile environment at school.School officials, who declined to comment Thursday, ordered the students to remove the armbands and threatened to suspend them if they did not.
Jennifer said that she and two other students continued to wear the armbands, and she and another student spent one day in in-school suspension. The third was sent home from school early April 30. Jennifer said, "When they were suspending me, they said I was just doing it to get out of class." "I felt that they weren't taking us seriously and that bothered me," she said. Following her suspension, Jennifer said, she continued to wear the armband without interference from school officials. Regular classes in the Allen school district have been canceled in the wake of a dozen bomb threats.School Superintendent Barbara Erwin declined to comment on the student suspensions. The district released a statement summarizing its dress code and saying, "The district does not comment on individual student disciplinary actions." Jennifer and her father filed a letter appealing the suspension May 2, and as yet haven't heard from the school district. Two lawyers have volunteered to take up Jennifer's case and the documents have been prepared, said Diana Philip, regional director of the ACLU of Texas, Northern Region. "We are ready to act. We are just watching to see what the school officials do. We've been watching the district for a month now," Ms. Philip said.The Supreme Court, in Tinker vs. Des Moines School District, held that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the school house gate." The court also said the wearing of armbands as a silent form of expressing opinion was akin to free speech. "State operated schools may not be enclaves of totalitarianism" and "students may not be regarded as closed-circuit recipients of only that which the state chooses to communicate," the court said."I'm hoping not to sue," Jennifer said. "I want the suspension taken off my record and assurances that this won't happen to other students and that they do recognize the Constitution." "This is really interesting that 30 years after Tinker v. Des Moines we have a school district that thinks the First Amendment doesn't apply to them," said Ms. Philip of the ACLU.


Allen student seeks ACLU's helpHigh school suspended her for wearing black armband in protest
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 21, 1999
Jennifer, who had been studying the right to protest in her government class, said she offered a copy of a 1969 Supreme Court decision upholding the right of students to wear black armbands to protest the war in Vietnam. According to Jennifer, assistant principal Carolyn Thompson was shown a copy of the ruling, turned and calmly put it through a paper shredder in front of her and two other students. "We just sat there, stunned," Jennifer said. "She told us that she was willing to ignore the Constitution to protect students, that we could write it down and she would sign it." School district spokeswoman Stacey Cheatham said that Ms. Thompson was not available for comment and that the district would not comment. Jennifer said that when she appealed to the school's principal, Ira Sparks, she was told, "We will not play this protest game." "At one point, he said he was above the Constitution," Jennifer said.


FW schools boost security at graduationDogs, metal detectors will be used at events
The Dallas Morning NewsMay 26, 1999
Allen High School's graduation is Monday at the University of North Texas. Superintendent Barbara Erwin said she did not know whether metal detectors would be used there. The district suspended regular classes for the last two weeks of the school year because of a series of bomb threats.


Allen schools: Time for an examination?
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 4, 1999
Author: Steve Blow
I kept a stiff upper lip through an earlier controversy there. But after all these facial contortions, maybe it's time we had a little talk. Is everything OK, Allen? I'm a little worried about the state of school affairs there. What finally prompts me to discuss this is the latest flap over the high school student and her black armband. We could have a good discussion pro and con about that little protest. But here's the part that got me: When honor student Jennifer Boccia met with an administrator and presented a copy of the court case upholding her right to wear the armband, the administrator simply turned and dropped the sheet into a paper shredder.Sweet, huh?And that's exactly the sort of high-handed attitude that runs through the Allen school administration, according to reports I hear. "Arrogance," some call it.Band tripMy introduction to the weirdness in Allen came when I wrote about the plight of Carolyn McBryde, an Allen band parent. After years of volunteering, she was suddenly booted from a band trip to New York because of Allen's new policy on criminal background checks. During a time of financial strain years before, Carolyn ended up with a few bad checks on her record. Well, Allen had a zero-tolerance policy at the time. But instead of doing the common-sense thing and allowing Carolyn to go on the trip as simply a parent, not an official chaperon, the district's administration basically bullied and intimidated her. Carolyn went to New York but was not allowed to even eat meals with her son, husband and rest of the band.Again: Sweet, huh?I got my own glimpse of the Allen attitude when an administrator hung up on me in midsentence as I tried - very politely - to ask about Carolyn's case.
The hot button in all this seems to be Allen's superintendent of five years, Barbara Erwin.
For weeks after that first column, I got whispered calls with all sorts of gripes against Ms. Erwin. But I also got really irate calls from die-hard supporters accusing me of having a vendetta against her. Please. I don't even know the woman. I'd never talked to her - and still haven't. I requested an interview for this column and got no reply. Longtime Allen resident Al Burke said he shrugged off the complaints he heard about Ms. Erwin, figuring it was the usual grumbling over a new leader. But after his first direct dealing with her on a school policy matter, he came away as an outspoken critic. "I believe Barbara Erwin and her staff were not truthful with me," he said.

Hard to gaugeIt's hard to gauge the unrest. For the last two years, challengers have defeated administration-friendly incumbents on the school board. But in the strange politics of Allen schools, even those new board members won't talk openly about their concerns.Newest board member Cindy Wilson was very nice, but she said policy requires her to refer all questions to board President Worley Stein. After a couple of calls to Mr. Stein, I got a message saying he chose to "respectfully decline" an interview.School spokesman Tim Carroll did talk to me. And he assured me that Allen schools are in great shape. He said parents are well-educated and sometimes vocal, but polls show they are overwhelmingly happy with the school district.
To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of the situation in Allen. During all that bomb-threat chaos at the end of school, administrators said at one point that the cancellation confusion was on purpose - to outwit suspects. So maybe all this other hush-hush turmoil is on purpose, too. It sure outwits me.


3 school districts reassessing security in shootings' wake Allen, Frisco, Wylie improving safety
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 23, 1999
The board…authoriz[ed] Superintendent Barbara Erwin to hire a districtwide security director and a security staff. The board asked Dr. Erwin to report on how much the recommended changes would cost and how quickly they can be put in place.


Parents worried about future of Allen High band Departure of longtime teachers leave program without direction, they say
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 25, 1999
During the tenures of the teachers who quit, Allen High bands were rated superior nearly every year in state competitions. The band was one of a handful selected from hundreds to play in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, in 1994. It marched through Manhattan in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1997. And it was invited to perform at both of Gov. George W. Bush's inaugural ceremonies. "Those are years and years of positives for Allen that you can't go out and buy," Mr. Logan said.
The three teachers said they were forced out by the school district administration for questioning changes in the program. They said changes made behind their backs demoted them, in effect. They said that in previous years, they had been involved in determining what modifications would be made to the band program. District officials said that the teachers were not forced out, that they quit on their own and that they are simply disgruntled former employees.


Allen beefs up security in schoolsMental detectors, guards draw mixed reactions
The Dallas Morning NewsJuly 28, 1999
Metal detectors will be used at the district's four secondary campuses. More than 25 security workers will be hired to monitor all 12 campuses, and backpacks will be subject to searches. Administrators also will react differently to bomb threats. The measures will cost the district about $1 million a year.

Allen trustees OK plans for safer schools Metal detectors, security force approved; some parents say district is overreacting
The Dallas Morning NewsJuly 28, 1999
But many of the parents who addressed trustees Monday night said the district is overreacting and treating students like suspected criminals. "It's like a military state. We don't want that in public education," said parent Tito Karlson.


Allen unveils rigorous security planMeasures in response to bomb threats that plagued school district
Fort Worth Star-TelegramJuly 28, 1999
After a rash of bomb threats prompted the school district to suspend classes before the end of the school year, the Allen school board has adopted a security plan that will make the district "second to none" in terms of safety, Superintendent Barbara Erwin said yesterday. The plan will include a new district security director and security officers at all schools, metal detectors at all secondary schools, Caller ID on school district phones, rekeyed buildings and no lockers for high school students to hide weapons or drugs in, Erwin said. Clear or mesh backpacks are recommended but not required, and all backpacks will be subject to searches, she said. Students will also be required to make up any days of instruction lost to threats of violence, just as they would a bad-weather day, Erwin said.


Allen schools unveil strict security plan
Fort Worth Star-TelegramJuly 28, 1999
But an official with the American Civil Liberties Union said the district's security plan has gone too far. She questions whether the district has the right to implement some measures, such as searching backpacks without cause. "Instead of trying to build a positive environment, what Allen ISD has succeeded in doing is creating an environment where students are suspected and expected to be involved in criminal behavior," said Diana Philip, director of the North Texas region of the ACLU. "I don't think that's the environment they want to have at the schools."


Allen schools hire Dallas PR experts
The Dallas Morning NewsJuly 29, 1999
The Allen school district has hired a prominent public-relations firm to help guide its dealings with the news media as the new school year begins. Superintendent Barbara Erwin said Wednesday that she hired The LeMaster Group last week at a cost of $13,000. The Dallas firm's contract ends shortly after school begins Aug. 5. The hiring is aimed at avoiding what Dr. Erwin described as "miscommunication" problems that occurred at the end of last school year. "I took full responsibility for that," she said. "We don't want to repeat the same mistakes. We don't."


Allen schools hire PR firm in wake of spring turmoil
The Dallas Morning NewsJuly 29, 1999
Dr. Erwin said she hired the firm after residents, media representatives and consultants indicated that the district needed to improve its communications. Cindy Arledge, a parent of two students in Allen schools, agreed that the district needs to improve how it communicates with the public. But she said she's unhappy that administrators are spending public tax dollars to hire a private company to solve its problems. School board President Worley Stein said board approval was not required for the contract because services below $25,000 do not have to go through the bidding process. Without offering further details, he described the decision as a joint effort between the board and Dr. Erwin.


Allen schools chief discusses safety plan
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 4, 1999
Dr. Erwin called the news conference to discuss the new campus and to answer questions about the new security measures, which the school board adopted last week. The measures will cost $1.56 million this year. That's money well spent, Dr. Erwin said, because it will allow students and staff to operate in an environment free of fear.


Allen High boasts extensive securityA costly program in response to problems the previous school year seems excessive to some.
Fort Worth Star-TelegramAugust 4, 1999
"My overall reaction is it's too much and it's too harsh against the students and you run the risk of backlash," he said. "What you have is a bunch of adults reacting against kids in a general, massive guilt by association."


Allen schools begin year with searchesDistrict campus security
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 6, 1999
"Notice. Welcome to Allen High School. Upon Entering These Premises All Carry-In Items are Subject (to) Search."


Rising turnover of Allen teachers raises concernsParent group worried about rate; superintendent defends leadership
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 14, 1999
Superintendent Barbara Erwin presides over the largest school district in the state with an exemplary rating. But over the last four years, the teacher turnover rate is up nearly 80 percent. The turnover has some parents and former teachers questioning the district's leadership. But Dr. Erwin's defenders say the criticism is sour grapes from people who could not, or would not, adapt to changes that come with new leadership and rapid growth. Between the 1993-94 school year and 1997-98, the last year for which Texas Education Agency records are available, the Allen district's teacher turnover rate grew from 12 percent to 21.5 percent. Dr. Erwin, who was hired as superintendent in 1994, said that her mission was to jump-start the district and that she did just that. "Cutting-edge is bleeding-edge in any business," she said, "and Allen has chosen to be cutting-edge."



Letters to the editor
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 16, 1999
Could someone please tell me when it is that Allen school administrators will wake up and smell the coffee? Allen Independent School District Superintendent Barbara Erwin has spent a fortune (tax dollars) to implement security measures that are not only scary for our children, but are draining the school's accounts. Don't tell me that $1.6 million has been spent to make our children safer, when we've just been told that my kindergartner will have to cross a high-traffic street because there's not enough money in the budget to pick him up three houses away. I object to the administration spending $70,000 so that a public relations firm could be hired to alert the media and hold dynamic press conferences. What you won't hear is that we have lost so many wonderful teachers over this. You won't hear that we cannot afford raises for our teachers. Barbara Erwin said, "Shame on schools that don't go to the lengths that Allen has (in terms of security)." Well, I say shame on her; she's frightened our children and wasted our tax dollars. BROOKE GILLIAM, Allen


School ratings releasedMost districts retain exemplary campuses
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 17, 1999
Allen district officials said they were pleased with the increase in exemplary schools but plan to examine what caused the loss of the district's exemplary status. "Whatever the issue, it must be addressed and fixed," Superintendent Barbara Erwin said.


Suburban districts show improvement19 of 39 have more exemplary campuses
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 17, 1999
Two suburban districts - Allen and Sunnyvale - lost the coveted exemplary rating. Both were rated recognized.


Letters to the Editor
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 18, 1999
(Re: "Allen ISD woes," Letters, Aug. 16)I am very concerned to continue to see erroneous information about the Allen Independent School District in the letters to the editor. It is time the AISD respond with facts. The latest writer claims the school district has not been able to afford teacher pay raises when in fact the school board has approved a teacher pay raise that equaled the state-mandated minimum of $3,000 and did so in March. In addition, teachers will receive one-time adjustments based on teaching experience and education level. Newly hired teachers received a one-time $2,000 signing incentive. The writer wrongly states she was told her kindergartner would have to cross a high traffic street because we would not pick him up three houses from the scheduled bus stop. AISD added a stop to pick up the child to eliminate what we felt was an unsafe condition. The writer claims the district spent $70,000 for a public relations firm to help thedistrict with media interest in the opening of school, when in fact the amount was for $13,000. Recent tragedies underscore the importance of student safety. The AISD board of trustees adopted a plan that provides a balance between security for our buildings and counseling programs for our students. I simply implemented the board's direction. BARBARA ERWIN, Superintendent, Allen Independent School District, Allen


Allen district stands to lose revenueLaws won't let schools take tuition and state funds for outside students
The Dallas Morning NewsAugust 24, 1999
The Allen school district is facing an $894,000 revenue shortfall this year because of a new state law limiting how much money it receives for educating students from a neighboring district.


5 FINALISTS NAMED FOR TOP SCHOOLS JOB
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 5, 2000
Barbara Erwin, 48, the superintendent since 1994 of the Allen, Texas, Independent School District in suburban Dallas, says she is ''honored'' to even be invited to a Scottsdale interview.


METRO REPORT
The Dallas Morning NewsJanuary 12, 2000
Allen school Superintendent Barbara Erwin is in the running for the top jobs in school districts in Arizona and Texas. Dr. Erwin is one of four finalists for the superintendent's job with the Abilene Independent School District.


Erwin up for top jobs in 2 school districtsSuperintendent in Allen wants bigger challenge
The Dallas Morning NewsJanuary 12, 2000Allen schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin is in the running for the top job in school districts in Arizona and Texas. Dr. Erwin is one of four finalists for the superintendent's job with the Abilene Independent School District. She also is among five remaining candidates to lead the Scottsdale Unified School District in Arizona. In Allen, her work has drawn statewide recognition for raising test scores and upgrading technology. But her leadership has also been criticized by some inside the district who say her management style has contributed to a high teacher-turnover rate.


Allen school chief drops bid for top Abilene post Erwin to focus on vying for job in Arizona
The Dallas Morning NewsJanuary 19, 2000
Allen school Superintendent Barbara Erwin has removed herself from the running for the top job in another Texas district but is still vying for a job with a district in Arizona.


Trustees may boost benefitsAllen schools to study pay, retirement plans
The Dallas Morning NewsJanuary 20, 2000The Allen school district will consider paying employees more, offering them retirement investment accounts and providing their children with day care as ways to help keep staff and faculty jobs filled, according to an administration proposal.
The plan, presented by Superintendent Barbara Erwin at Tuesday night's board meeting, includes 25 specific recommendations for improving employees' work environment and keeping them on the payroll. It comes in response to findings that the district suffers from high teacher turnover in part because of poor faculty morale and internal communications.


2ND SUPERINTENDENT FINALIST ENDS SCOTTSDALE QUEST
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 25, 2000
The list of finalists for Scottsdale school superintendent dropped to three Monday after a candidate many considered the favorite became the second to bow out.


SCOTTSDALE CHOOSES HEAD FOR SCHOOLS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 26, 2000The Scottsdale School Board wants a veteran Texas administrator to take over its embattled district and turn it into the country's best education center.


Allen school chief to head Arizona districtSupertendent since '94 earned praise from school boards, peers
The Dallas Morning NewsJanuary 27, 2000
Allen school Superintendent Barbara Erwin has been selected to lead a school district in the suburbs of Phoenix, officials with both districts said Wednesday.


SCHOOLS CHIEF LOOKS FORWARD NEW HIRE TO FOCUS ON KIDS, NOT SCANDAL
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 28, 2000
Your schools, your kids, your money. That's the philosophy behind Barbara Erwin, who, contract negotiations still pending, will take the helm of Scottsdale schools. Erwin, 48, was unanimously picked by the school board this week in what came as a surprise to many. The board had three finalists after two dropped off the list, one taking a superintendent job in Peoria and the other opting to stay put.


Dateline Texas
Houston ChronicleJanuary 30, 2000
Erwin is known for running her school district with a bold flair. Her aggressive leadership has angered some students, parents and teachers. At a meeting with Scottsdale residents recently, Erwin said, "If you are looking for a `status quo' superintendent, don't hire me. My ladder has no top rung."


NEW SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS CHIEF LIKES TO TAKE CHARGE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 6, 2000
Tipton [Indiana] hasn't forgotten her. ''She got us right out of financial dire straits,'' said Dick Timm, former president of the Tipton school board, which chose Erwin, then a principal, over more experienced outside candidates vying for the job. Some say Erwin's leadership style can quickly shift from aggressive to abrasive. ''Don't cross her, or she'll cut your throat. People that disagreed with her got run over like a freight train,'' said Mike Dollens, a 27-year teacher in Tipton who saw Erwin rise from teacher to superintendent.


Allen schools chief announces resignationArizona district approves her contract
The Dallas Morning NewsFebruary 10, 2000
Allen school Superintendent Barbara Erwin made it official Wednesday, formally announcing that she's resigning to lead a suburban school district in Arizona. The announcement came after trustees of the Scottsdale Unified School District approved a three-year contract for Dr. Erwin on Tuesday night. Dr. Erwin, 49 , is scheduled to start work as superintendent of their 27,000-student district on March 13.


CODE WORDS TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 11, 2000
''I am absolutely thrilled to be their unanimous choice, absolutely thrilled.'' - Barbara Erwin, Scottsdale's latest superintendent. Translation: I am absolutely thrilled that their first choice, Marjorie Kaplan, bolted after just one meeting with Scottsdale's school board.


Allen seeking interim chief to lead schoolsTrustee want outside adminstrator to fill in during superintendent hunt
The Dallas Morning NewsFebruary 23, 2000
At Monday's meeting, trustees completed Dr. Erwin's annual evaluation, but they were deadlocked early Tuesday on a motion to award her a performance bonus of 5 percent of her salary. Her contract allows for a performance bonus of up to 20 percent of her salary. She received a 10 percent bonus last year.


SCOTTSDALE GIVES SCHOOLS CHIEF TOP PAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 23, 2000
Barbara Erwin will have more than just Scottsdale closely watching to see how she performs as the city's new schools leader. Many other communities will be interested to see whether Erwin's highly attractive salary proves fruitful. Erwin may become the highest-paid school administrator in the state. Some Scottsdale parents wonder whether all the money the district will shell out for Erwin will be worth it. ''It's astronomical. I'm shocked and appalled. It just seems disparaging, compared to what teachers earn,'' said Vicki Rider, mother of an Arcadia High freshman and former English teacher. ''This board gave Erwin too much for something that's still an unknown,'' said Dot Stadler, a leader of a movement that failed last year to recall the school board. ''It's a risk of taxpayer dollars. She's just a real wheeler-and-dealer, and the board gave in to her demands.''


ERWIN IN LINE FOR BONUS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 28, 2000
Barbara Erwin, soon to be Arizona's highest-paid school administrator, is in line for a hefty bonus from the district she's leaving for Scottsdale.


SUPER SALARY COMMANDED TO RUN SCHOOLS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 3, 2000
These days, it seems as if Scottsdale's school district changes superintendents like the rest of us change socks. As soon as they start to smell, they're gone. This time, though, the district is passing over the usual argyles and warm woolies. This time, our leaders have reached into the old sock drawer and come up with an entirely new look: Silk stockings. Considering base pay, bonuses, annuities, Texas retirement contribution and car fare -- and not counting her $2,000 physical exam -- Erwin could pull down $197,430 during her first year in Scottsdale.


SUPERINTENDENT'S TENURE STARTS WITH WHIRLWIND DAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 18, 2000
On her first day as Scottsdale's new school superintendent, Barbara Erwin barely had time to breathe as she rushed between staff meetings and school visits.


Election key to future of once-small townsAllen school turmoil draws 7 into race for trustee posts
The Dallas Morning NewsMarch 25, 2000
"There's been so much controversy in the past year. It's sparked a number of people to stand up and get involved," said Kelly Crawford, a co-founder of Parents for Better Judgement, a parents' group formed to monitor the school board. The group also disseminates information on a Web site and works to improve communications between parents and the district.


DISTRICT BUDGETS FUNDS FOR AIMS TEST TUTORING
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 15, 2000
Students who fail the AIMS test will get tutors under a $300,000 plan in a preliminary budget being considered by the Scottsdale Unified School District board.


Allen trustee candidates discuss financial planningContenders in 3 school board races field questions at forum
The Dallas Morning NewsApril 20, 2000
One major concern was a projected $4.6 million revenue shortfall in next year's proposed school budget.



NEW SCHOOLS CHIEF STRIVES TO GET TO KNOW COMMUNITY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 21, 2000
Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin, who has been on the job a month, says she's going to do regular television broadcasts on the district's educational channel to reach parents directly.



SCHOOLS NO. 2 SPOT GOING TO TEXAN
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 9, 2000
Scottsdale schools superintendent Barbara Erwin is hiring her right hand from Texas.


WEB SITE LETS PARENTS LOG IN ON SCHOOL LINES
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 10, 2000The Scottsdale School District plans to use a high-tech approach to solving the problems associated with the emotional subject of school boundaries.


SCHOOL CHIEF WANTS TEXAS EX-ASSOCIATE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 13, 2000
Scottsdale's new associate school superintendent was passed over this spring for the interim superintendent's job in the same district where Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin once worked.


TECH TEACHERS GET ERWIN'S PRIORITY SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS GETTING WIRED
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 24, 2000The Scottsdale School District is poised to pump big bucks into its technology programs.
A preliminary budget under consideration by the school board would spend $369,836 for 11 technology ''teachers on assignment'' at middle and high schools next year.


BIBLE CAMP SUES OVER FLIER SUPPRESSION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 9, 2000A Scottsdale man who says he wasn't allowed to distribute his summer camp flier at schools because of its religious overtones is suing the Scottsdale School District.


SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT PLAYS MUSICAL CHAIRS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 21, 2000The nameplates of top administrators continue to change in the Scottsdale School District. The district, the state's fifth largest, is on its third superintendent and third round of assistant superintendent changes in as many years. The top level of eight administrators has become a virtual musical chair affair because of two superintendents' taking buyouts, changes in the power balance on the School Board and a $15 million bid-rigging lawsuit filed against the district by the Arizona attorney general in 1998. Erwin won't talk about the administrative changes.



'VISION' SOUGHT FOR DISTRICT COMMUNITY SUMMIT PLANNED BY NEW SUPERINTENDENT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 23, 2000Saying the Scottsdale schools seem to lack a coordinated view of the future, Superintendent Barbara Erwin plans a ''vision summit'' in August with parents, citizens and school staff.


Trustees take look at policy
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 24, 2000
Some board members expressed concern about current procedures mandating that board members talk to the superintendent within 24 hours of being contacted by a resident, district employee or member of the media about school district matters. They also questioned a procedure stating that board members wanting district information from the superintendent must make their request through the board president. Interim Superintendent Joe Tisane said he welcomed changes to the procedures, even if they mean a reduction in the amount of control his office wields over district communication with the community. The procedures were adopted during Barbara Erwin's six-year tenure as superintendent. Ms. Erwin left the district earlier this year to lead a suburban school district in Arizona. "I think this board is trying to exhibit that they are very open to communication with the community," Mr. Tisane said. "They are eager to be an outstanding board."



SCHOOL BUDGET READY FOR APPROVAL HEARING SCHEDULED JULY 6
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 24, 2000The Scottsdale Unified School District board is set to sign off on a $121 million operations budget that gives teachers a raise, beefs up administrative staff and puts money toward AIMS tutors and technology specialists.


MORE TEXANS JOIN SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 7, 2000
The new Scottsdale schools superintendent continues to surround herself with people from her old school district. Two principals from Superintendent Barbara Erwin's suburban Dallas district start work today in administrative jobs in Scottsdale. Kim Cumby will become head of human resources. John Biera will be executive director of risk management.


ERWIN REVAMPS TOP STAFF ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGET UP 16.6%
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 14, 2000Scottsdale school administrative costs are expected to rise by more than a half-million dollars this year. The district's central administration budget is expected to increase by $626,080 to a total of $4.4 million, partly due to a $200,000 allocation to allow Superintendent Barbara Erwin to reorganize her top staff. Erwin already has hired some new staff members at higher salaries than their predecessors were making. John Biera, a principal from Erwin's last school district in Texas, has been hired for $90,000 to direct risk management services. His predecessor earned $64,089 annually. Board member Tom Carey said he's concerned about the 16.6 percent increase going to central administration. ''I wanted to be in a position where we were doing everything we could possibly do to funnel everything into teaching and learning,'' he said.


NEW DISTRICT HIRE GETS TOP PAY SCOTTSDALE OFFICIAL IN RISK JOB FOR 1ST TIME
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 14, 2000A middle-school principal who has never held a risk-management job now has that post in Scottsdale schools at a salary that tops what the four other big Arizona districts pay for the same job. John Biera, one of three former Texas employees of Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin who hold top jobs in the district, is making $90,000. That is nearly $20,000 more than he earned as a principal, a rank he held for just one year in Allen, Texas. Mesa schools pay the second-highest salary of the big five districts: $70,000 for their risk management position. ''It sounds like the superintendent was given a blank check by the School Board to bring in whomever she wanted,'' said Don Smith of Scottsdale, a retired personnel director and board watchdog.



GRAVY TRAIN ON FAST TRACK TO SCOTTSDALE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 21, 2000Author: Laurie Roberts, The Arizona Republic
WANTED: a job in risk management for a major Valley school district. EXPERIENCE: two decades as a newspaper hack. QUALIFICATIONS: Once was present in my son's classroom for a fire drill. Hazy knowledge that risk management has something to do with school safety and insurance liability. Once drove through Texas. I figure I'm a shoo-in. If not in risk management, surely I could fill any number of high-powered posts. You see, in Scottsdale, the gravy train has arrived.
Since Barbara Erwin rode the rails in from Texas to become Arizona's highest paid superintendent, she has set out to raise the bar. And she has succeeded. This year, the cost of the school district's central administration is rising 16.6 percent. That's a jump of $626,080. That's enough to hire 21.6 new teachers. Since Erwin arrived, she has set out to prove that people should aim high, that they can become whatever they aspire to be. And once again, she has succeeded. How else could two of the Scottsdale district's top jobs be filled by people whose sole experience appears to be an address in Allen, Texas?
Kim Cumby has been hired to head Scottsdale's human resources operation. Her qualification? She was the principal of a school for high school freshmen.Her actual qualification? She was the principal of a school for high school freshmen in the internationally acclaimed Allen Independent School District the very depot where Erwin and her top aide, Betty Donaldson, caught the express train to Scottsdale.As human resources director, Cumby will oversee the always expensive and often volatile employment issues in a district that has roughly 2,700 employees. She will be paid $90,000, a slight lift over the $65,000 she left in Allen, where her only human relations experience appears to have been with high school freshmen who, some might argue, are barely human. But I digress. Cumby looks like an h-r whiz when compared to Scottsdale's new director of risk/insurance services. John Bierra is now the highest paid school risk management director in Arizona's five largest districts. His $90,000 draw is $20,000 higher than the second-highest paid risk manager and $26,000 higher than the guy he replaced. Heck, it's a full $20,000 more than the top pay advertised for the job.
''I think we paid based on the skills he brought to the table,'' Erwin aide Donaldson told The Republic's Anne Ryman. According to the posting, the job calls for five years' experience in the management, investigation and processing of insurance claims.His qualification? A year as a middle school principal. His actual qualification? A year as a middle school principal in the internationally acclaimed Allen Independent School District. In his application, Bierra uses all the usual buzzwords: ''commitment to excellence ... willing to take on new challenges... take ownership of the district's mission.'' All the usual adminispeak that has absolutely nothing to do with analyzing risks, administering insurance contracts and processing claims and everything to do with getting a hot job in Scottsdale. I wonder if he needs an assistant.


SCHOOLS' VISION SUMMIT IS INVITATION-ONLY EVENT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 29, 2000The Scottsdale Unified School District is planning a goal summit next week to determine where the district wants to go. The invitation-only session takes place Friday at Desert Mountain High School. The district invited 120 administrators, teachers, staff members, parents, business leaders and citizens to the six-hour brainstorming session that includes lunch. Superintendent Barbara Erwin and Associate Superintendent Betty Donaldson referred telephone calls seeking comment to Judith Parker, the district's newly hired assistant superintendent for school and community information services. Parker doesn't officially start until next week.

UGLY TRUTH ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 2, 2000Author: Craig J. Cantoni, Special for The Republic
Some readers have asked how I got fired from my last job. All I did was ask my boss one simple question: 'Boss, I know that sales are flat and I didn't make my goals, but I need an increase of 16.6 percent in my administrative budget.' OK, I made that up. But the truth is that I would have been fired for asking something as dumb as that. Barbara Erwin, the new Scottsdale superintendent of schools, did not meet the same fate when she asked for a 16.6 percent increase, or $626,080, in her administrative budget of $3.8 million. The school board approved her request instead of firing her.

HELLO, TAXPAYERS, DO ANY OF YOU CARE?

Sorry for yelling, but whenever I write about taxes and government spending, no one seems to care. Now that I have that out of my system, let me return to the subject at hand.A portion of the $626,080 will go to such educational essentials as a new public relations person, whose pay of $95,000 will be more than twice that of her predecessor, and a new risk director, whose pay of $90,000 will be 40 percent higher than that of his predecessor.The PR person was hired from the Tacoma district in Washington state, and the risk director is from Erwin's former Texas district, where he was a principal before his reincarnation into an expert on risk management.
Apparently, none of Scottsdale's principals are promotable, nor are there any qualified public relations professionals or risk experts in the Phoenix area who could have been hired without incurring relocation costs.Interestingly, the risk director is a former principal, although the job description for the position does not list education experience as a qualification. It does list risk management experience, however. Imagine that.It also is interesting that the two new staffers will be earning significantly more than district principals, whose salary range caps out at $80,982. In other words, administrators who have little impact on education results will be paid more than principals who have a great impact on education results.
Further, the number of students in the district essentially has remained flat over the past year, increasing just 1 percent. The year before, the number of students actually decreased. Nevertheless, the administrative budget has increased 16.6 percent.The increase in overhead is not surprising. As an author of a book on bureaucracy, I have studied various species of bureaucrats for 25 years. My major finding is that bureaucrats beget bureaucrats. They are good at propagating their own kind and then feeding money to their offspring at the expense of those on the firing line, who do the real work of the organization.
The primary difference between the public and private sectors is that bureaucrats in the private sector eventually get their comeuppance if they keep adding administrative overhead without regard to the financial performance of the business. Apparently, Superintendent Erwin does not stay up at night worrying about that.
And there you have it, taxpayers, the ugly truth about public education. Erwin has done you a favor in her brazen disregard for your money and the feelings of her principals. She has revealed why the system will never be reformed by the insiders who run it. Nor will it be reformed by the school boards that oversee it. Sleep tight, Superintendent Erwin.



SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS CRAFT NEW MOTTO
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 9, 2000Scottsdale's 30 schools open next week with a new vision to guide teachers, staff and the school community. The new motto encourages students to be passionate learners who fulfill their dreams.



BOARD BACKS SUPERINTENDENT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 12, 2000Author: Anne Ryman, The Arizona Republic
Faced with criticism over recent administrative hires, the Scottsdale School Board has made a public statement declaring its unity and support for Superintendent Barbara Erwin. ''The proof is in the pudding,'' board member Barbara Newby said. ''Let's see where we are two to three years from now.''



SCHOOLS PAYING TEXAS CONSULTANT $950 A DAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 19, 2000The Scottsdale School District is finding it expensive to replace Assistant Superintendent Randy Blecha. Blecha, who oversaw the district's building and maintenance services, left in June to become superintendent of the Fowler Elementary School District in Phoenix.A $950-a-day consultant is overseeing bond construction, building maintenance and operations until the district can hire a permanent replacement. Blecha earned $91,100 a year.


ARIZONA'S CHARTER SCHOOLS EVOLVING INTO MAINSTREAM SCOTTSDALE PUBLIC SCHOOLS VOWING TO LURE KIDS BACK
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 20, 2000Scottsdale's school superintendent told business leaders Friday that she intends to go after students who've been lured away to charter schools. Ron Caya, executive dean of the New School for the Arts in Scottsdale, was clearly appalled when told of Erwin's comment. ''That is the most stupid remark I've ever heard in my entire life,'' he said, adding that charter schools offer specialized education public schools can't.


CHARTER COMPETITION WORKS WONDERS SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS FIGHT FOR KIDS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 24, 2000
With Erwin doing her best to regain students, and Caya doing what he can to pry still more away, Scottsdale students cannot lose.


DISTRICT'S GENEROSITY HAS NO LIMIT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 25, 2000Author: Laurie Roberts, The Arizona Republic
It's amazing how your perspective can change so quickly. Last spring, I thought the Scottsdale school district was paying an outrageous salary to its new superintendent, Barbara Erwin.
Last month, I thought Erwin was awfully generous in the salaries she offered several of her new assistants. They seem practically underpaid now. Now that I know about the $950-a-day man. Scottsdale is paying a guy $950 a day to oversee the school district's buildings and maintenance. I am not making this up.
One school board member was, to put it politely, taken aback at the fee, especially when told he and his fellow board members approved it. ''Are you sure, are you absolutely positive?'' Tom Carey asked. ''I mean, I just find that hard to believe, because we've got a guy that we've hired in the area of risk management and we've got a guy that we've hired some time ago for the building services division. I just can't imagine that, Laurie. I mean, honest to god, I can't imagine. I would be stunned to know that. Honest to god, I really, truly would.'' Consider yourself stunned. And stung.
Until June, Scottsdale paid an assistant superintendent $91,000 to oversee buildings and maintenance. But he left to take another job, leaving Scottsdale with no one, apparently, who could oversee the extensive remodeling and building projects taking place this summer at Scottsdale's schools. So the district put out the call for a consultant to step in until it could hire a replacement. Only one guy responded. He is an eminently qualified guy who, among his many qualifications, has been a consultant to the internationally acclaimed Allen Independent School District - the very place that brought us Erwin and three of her top lieutenants.
Earlier this month, Scottsdale's school board approved a contract with Paul Trautman, agreeing to spend up to $75,000 for his services as a facilities management consultant.The contract calls for him to be paid $950 a day or $97.50 an hour, ''whichever is less.'' Not a bad day's pay for a full day's work when you consider that Erwin, the state's highest-paid school boss, earns only $577 a day. Or that Gov. Jane Hull earns only $346 a day. Or that the chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court earns $463 a day. Or that ASU's football coach earns $2,080 a day. (Well, but, of course, that's football.) Or that the average teacher in Scottsdale earns $212 a day. Or that a long-term substitute teacher - a consultant of sorts - earns $85 a day.
Defenders of the $950-a-day guy's contract, including Carey, will point out that this guy is probably worth it, given the enormous responsibility that goes with overseeing the school construction projects. The district's assistant superintendent for business services told The Republic's Anne Ryman that the guy is a virtual bargain. ''It's cheap,'' said Charlotte Borcher, adding that she used to charge $125 an hour as a financial consultant to school districts. Swell.


AGING SCHOOLS NEED MORE REPAIRS, CONSULTANT SAYS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 26, 2000The Scottsdale School District is spending $63 million to repair and remodel aging buildings, but it may need to shell out even more on basic repairs, a building consultant says.


HIGH ANXIETY OVER SCHOOL BOUNDARIES ENROLLMENT STUDY FUELS RUMOR MILL
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 13, 2000
Anxiety reigns as the Scottsdale Unified School District sets out to make a growth-and-enrollment study aimed at solving overcrowding at northern schools and underuse at southern schools.


NOT QUITE THE GOOD OL' BOYS TRADITION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 15, 2000
Erwin said the majority of her role models have been men and she hasn't experienced sexism in three decades as a teacher, principal and superintendent. ''Everybody asks me that,'' she said. ''I've been lots of places, and some of my best mentors have been men.''



PLENTY OF OPTIONS TO HANDLE SCHOOL GROWTH, ERWIN SAYS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 29, 2000A citizens committee examining growth in the Scottsdale School District has plenty of options besides changing school boundaries, the district's superintendent said Monday.


PARENTS: NO CHANGES TO SCHOOL BOUNDARIES
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 9, 2000


PARENT GROUPS GAINING POWER INFLUENCE GROWING IN VALLEY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 11, 2000


SCOTTSDALE TO PRESS PROGRESS ON AIMS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 20, 2000
Superintendent Barbara Erwin said schools will analyze each student's scores to find where help is needed. "We've got to become somewhat statisticians at the school level," she said.


SCHOOLS' LIMITS AT ISSUE SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT WEIGHS ATTENDANCE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 19, 2000Scottsdale School District, still recovering from a bid-rigging scandal and frequent leadership changes, now faces a crisis that threatens to pit neighborhoods against each other. Parents are in an uproar over a growth study that is suggesting everything from changing school attendance boundaries to splitting the district in half as ways to solve crowding in the north.



SCHOOLS' LIMITS AT ISSUE SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT WEIGHS ATTENDANCE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 19, 2000
Hundreds of people turn out for community meetings sponsored by the citizens committee that resemble pep rallies with cheers, claps, standing ovations and boos. Absent from the meetings are the five-member School Board and Superintendent Barbara Erwin, who purposely have distanced themselves from the process. "This decision is yours," Erwin recently told a group of Scottsdale parents. "It's my job to implement it."


SCOTTSDALE WANTS RELIEF: NEW SCHOOL
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 27, 2000Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin is questioning why her district can't get excluded from state laws that determine when a district gets funding for school construction.


KEEGAN TO ALLOW BILINGUAL TEACHING
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 10, 2001State education chief Lisa Graham Keegan said Tuesday that she will allow Arizona schools to continue bilingual education, as long as students are learning English and making academic progress. "Bilingual programs are successful when kids are speaking two languages, and their academics are on par. Do what you want and make it work, and nobody is going to go ballistic,"
Keegan's comments Tuesday about bilingual education seemed to confuse Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin and parents who turned out to hear the speech. Erwin said she interpreted Keegan's statements to mean that successful bilingual programs could continue. "I'm going to have to get clarification," Erwin told parents during a question-and-answer session after Keegan had left.


BOARD RULES ON NEW FACILITY COPPER RIDGE WON'T INCLUDE 8TH-GRADERS YET
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 31, 2001The Scottsdale School Board decided Tuesday to limit enrollment in the fall at Copper Ridge Middle School to sixth- and seventh-graders and add eighth-graders the following year. Superintendent Barbara Erwin said it's common for new middle schools to open with just the sixth and seventh grades and add eighth grade the following year.



BACK-TO-BASICS BACKERS TRADITIONAL SCHOOLS GAIN FAVOR WITH PARENTS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 2, 2001Supporters of Cheyenne Traditional School, the Scottsdale Unified School District's only back-to-basics school, are pushing to expand back-to-basics education to middle schools.
Their efforts seem to have the support of several Scottsdale School Board members and Superintendent Barbara Erwin.




SCHOOLS GIVE TOP MARKS TO CHIEF
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 24, 2001The Scottsdale School Board gave Superintendent Barbara Erwin the highest rating possible during her first annual evaluation. "When she came to us last year, she had this saying, which she frequently uses, that she works from dawn till done, and that's absolutely the case," board President Tom Carey said. "She has so much doggoned energy she makes me tired."


CORONADO MAY GET MAGNET PROGRAM
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 24, 2001
Erwin said magnet programs can work, provided the district invests the money and gives people what they want.


MAGNET SCHOOL SPECIALIZED ACADEMICS SOLID IDEA FOR CORONADO
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 9, 2001
The school board has asked Superintendent Barbara Erwin to explore the idea of setting up some sort of specialized program at Coronado, Scottsdale's southernmost high school. She is scheduled to present a preliminary plan to the board next month.


ERWIN: FIX SCHOOLS WITH BONDS PROPOSAL ALSO CALLS FOR 1 NEW FACILITY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 17, 2001Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin wants to use funds from a proposed Nov. 6 bond election to fix up old middle schools and build a new high school.


ERWIN ADDS NEW RUNG TO LADDER
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 30, 2001"If you are looking for a status quo superintendent, don't hire me," Barbara Erwin told parents during her interview with the Scottsdale school district last year. "My ladder has no top rung." She wasn't kidding. The woman who came to Scottsdale last spring and was briefly the state's highest-paid superintendent is once again headed skyward. Last week, the school board tacked yet another rung onto the top of her ladder. Her bonus alone will bring her nearly as much as a beginning teacher in Scottsdale earns in a year.
Under her new deal, Erwin will pull down $165,000, plus $9,000 in carfare, a $12,000 annuity and a bonus of up to $24,750. Grand total: $210,750.That's $70,000 more than her counterpart in Paradise Valley makes. That's $62,000 more than her counterpart in Mesa, a district nearly triple Scottsdale's size, makes. That's $115,750 more than the governor makes. Heck, it's almost as much as the president makes, and he has to run a country.



SCHOOL OFFICIAL WITH NO DUTIES STILL DRAWS PAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 30, 2001Assistant Superintendent Judy Parker's office is cleaned out and she has no official duties, but the Scottsdale Unified School District is paying her salary for the next three months. A separation agreement signed March 20 by Parker and school board member Sandra Zapien-Ferrero prohibits either side from discussing details. The school board approved Parker's resignation March 20 without comment. The agreement states that no evaluation will be placed in her personnel file, and Superintendent Barbara Erwin will provide Parker with a letter of recommendation.



SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT MOVES TOWARD NOV. 6 BOND VOTE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 11, 2001The Scottsdale School District is preparing to launch a bond election this fall despite Gov. Jane Hull's urging of school districts to let the state's school construction program work.


SUIT ASKS SERVICES FOR 2 BLIND HOME-TAUGHT KIDS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 27, 2001A Scottsdale couple is suing the Scottsdale Unified School District for refusing to provide special education services to their two home-schooled blind children.
Superintendent Barbara Erwin is also named in the lawsuit, accused of upholding an unconstitutional policy.


BONDS FOR DECAYING SCHOOLS SCOTTSDALE BOARD STUDIES PROJECT LIST
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 19, 2001The Scottsdale Unified School District board is studying a bond plan that would renovate or rebuild every older middle and high school.


$80 MILLION FOR TECHNOLOGY PLAN GOES TO SCOTTSDALE BOARD
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 2, 2001The Scottsdale School District has unveiled a five-year, $80 million plan to bring more technology into classrooms. All it needs is the school board's approval. Technology Director Scott Kovacs said the 1,245-page proposal will add new educational technology to classrooms, new infrastructure to schools and provide additional technical support."The key is for us to give him the resources, both financially and staff, to make that happen," Superintendent Barbara Erwin said. "This will put Scottsdale Unified School District on the map in the area of instructional technology."



District dents its teacher turnover rateBetter communication a focal point
The Dallas Morning NewsJune 9, 2001Allen school officials believe they have turned a corner in their teacher turnover rate, cutting the number of teachers who leave the district by nine percentage points in the last two school years.



BOARD CALLS FOR VOTE ON BOND ISSUE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 9, 2001Scottsdale high schools could see major improvements if voters pass a Nov. 6 bond.
The Scottsdale School Board on Tuesday voted to put a $156 million bond package before voters this fall that would build a new high school in northern Scottsdale and renovate or replace parts of Coronado.


OLD VS. NEW ISSUES BESET CITY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 20, 2001Scottsdale is facing a midlife crisis in its 50th year. The younger sections of the city are booming with affluent growth, while older neighborhoods face decline.


CHEYENNE ACCUSED OF REVEALING KIDS' PRIVATE INFORMATION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 27, 2001 A Cheyenne Traditional School parent has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education alleging that the school allowed parents access to confidential student-registration forms. Superintendent Barbara Erwin has moved a member of her top management team, John Biera, to Cheyenne in hopes of quelling rumors and bringing the school back together. Biera will be acting principal until a new leader is hired. Contrary to rumors, Biera said, teachers are not leaving the school in droves. As of last week, he had six positions to fill for the 2001-2002 school year, although he acknowledged that the number could change. He said he is concerned that only 32 students have signed up for the seventh grade this fall.


ERWIN NAMES TEXAN AS TOP ASSISTANT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 6, 2001Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin has hired another Texan for a top administrative position. Erwin has named Donald Jefferies, superintendent of the 3,700-student West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District, as her right-hand associate superintendent of the 27,346-student Scottsdale Unified School District.


TEACHER RAISES, ALGEBRA AID IN $128 MIL SCHOOLS BUDGET
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 7, 2001The Scottsdale School District is preparing to approve a $128 million operations budget that gives teachers a hefty raise and puts more money toward algebra instruction.


SCHOOL BUDGET WITH PAY HIKES OK'D
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 13, 2001The Scottsdale School Board approved a $128 million operations budget Monday that gives teachers a hefty raise and puts more money toward algebra and reading instruction.
The 2001-02 budget is $7 million more than last year's with no cuts in programs or services. The bulk of the increase goes to salaries, Bob Flach, assistant superintendent, said.


DESERT MOUNTAIN BLOCK SCHEDULING TO CONTINUE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 18, 2001Desert Mountain High School will offer block scheduling this fall despite an earlier decision by school officials to eliminate it for the semester. Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin said the district has hired three more employees to ensure block scheduling is in place for the 2001-02 school year. The district also is forming a committee to look at the future of block scheduling at the 6-year-old school.


OLD SCHOOL IS EYESORE, SCOTTSDALE PARENTS SAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 23, 2001Angry parents are threatening legal action if the Scottsdale Unified School District doesn't tear down a former school they call an eyesore. Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin said the district is looking at using the old buildings for its teacher training center and curriculum and instruction department, which now are housed at three locations. Erwin said the district wants to be a good neighbor, but she doesn't believe the district needs a zoning change.


2 MEETINGS PLANNED ON SCHOOL BOND VOTE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 5, 2001
Supporters say the bond would provide money to prevent overcrowding and fix aging high schools. Critics say the district should make do with state funding for new schools rather than taxing residents twice.


SCHOOL BOND ISSUE FACING OPPOSITION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 22, 2001Scottsdale voters have approved four school bonds in the last 15 years, but the latest bond election Nov. 6 may face obstacles, parents say. The $155 million Scottsdale school bond election is facing some opposition. Parent Christine Schild, an outspoken critic of the bond, said the school board needs to study future building needs further before asking voters for more money. The board has hired a consultant to study the issue this fall, but it won't be completed until after the election.


SCOTTDALE SCHOOL PROBE EXTENDED FOR 45 DAYS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 13, 2001Potential problems have led the Arizona Attorney General's Office to extend its three-year scrutiny of the Scottsdale Unified School District for another 45 days.



SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT IN LIMBO AFTER BOND DEFEAT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 8, 2001The stunning defeat of a $155 million school bond left Scottsdale parents wondering Wednesday where their kids will go to school next year and the district pondering staff reductions and pay cuts. Late Wednesday, the district's largest parent group, the Scottsdale Parent Council, issued a press release saying the bond's defeat was tantamount to a "no confidence" vote in the board and Superintendent Barbara Erwin. Attempts to reach Erwin for comment were unsuccessful.



FUTURE OF SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS FACE BUDGET CUTS, MAKE LONG-TERM PLAN
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 14, 2001
Trust, obviously, remains an issue… There also are a significant number of people who don't see the need to build a $54.8 million high school in DC Ranch when space is available in the district's southern high schools…Other than threats of massive boundary changes, the district's citizen bond committee, Voters for Educational Excellence, did little to educate voters about the needs or to justify asking taxpayers for $225 million.


SERVICES TO STUDENTS LAST TO BE CUT SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT FACES BUDGET CRISIS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 17, 2001Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin said she will try to maintain education programs even though the district must cut $3.3 million from next year's budget.

TEACHERS TAKE ISSUE WITH CUTS IN SCOTTSDALE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 27, 2001Scottsdale teachers are expected to show up en masse tonight at a district meeting to protest budget cuts that could lead to larger classes and dumping the district's educational TV station.



SCOTTSDALE VIOLATED SCHOOL LAW CHARTER NO LONGER WILL RECEIVE FREE SPACE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)November 30, 2001
The state's sixth-largest school district failed to charge the charter school $101,378 in rental fees, violated procurement law and exposed the district to "unnecessary financial risk" by giving the charter school free space, according to a yearlong investigation by the attorney general and Arizona Auditor General's Office.



FAST BUSES, SLOW ACTION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)December 8, 2001
What has happened to the Scottsdale School District?



CHECKING FACTS TOO HARD FOR EX-JOURNALIST?
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)December 22, 2001
An opinion piece you recently printed from a local retired newspaper publisher regarding public notice of Scottsdale Unified School District meetings was inaccurate...This is a district dedicated to following the law. For a former publisher to call on the attorney general to press charges without even first checking the facts is irresponsible.
Barbara F. Erwin, Ed.D Superintendent



ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS EVERYWHERE, BUT NOT A ONE TO SHRINK
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)December 26, 2001
This…is the school district that has a superintendent whose bonus and annuity payments alone rival the pay of a teacher. Who apparently spends so much time traveling from school to school that she merits a $750-a-month car allowance. This is the district that has seven administrators who make $94,950 a year or more. This is the district that last year spent $9,000 on lapel pins and refrigerator magnets and $950 a day on a consultant to oversee buildings. The district that is now paying another consultant $288,000 to study building needs when many districts do the work themselves. Members cut $2.4 million, went to one of their oft-used slush funds for $813,000 -- thus avoiding the further cuts mandated by last month's vote -- and talked about asking voters to restore the override ASAP.



SCHOOLS MUST MAKE PAINFUL CUTS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 9, 2002
If even half the allegations she makes are true, this illustrates the extreme arrogance of the Scottsdale school board, Superintendent Barbara Erwin and all of the school principals who were party to the memo saying that "the need for current levels of administration is paramount."



ERWIN CITES SUCCESSES, OVERRIDE NEED
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 30, 2002Scottsdale Unified School District Superintendent Barbara Erwin said the district is committed to moving forward despite a failed budget override last fall that means $3.3 million in cuts for the coming school year…. In November, the attorney general and the school board agreed to extend the state's three-year scrutiny of the district another nine months until August after the state said the district mismanaged school property by giving rent-free space to a charter school. The district was ordered to end its rent-free agreement with Scottsdale Educational Enrichment School… Erwin urged people to stop dwelling on the past and start dwelling on the students. "We have the talent, we have the dedicated staff in this district to become the very best public schools in the nation," she said. "Please let me make it clear, I am not minimizing past mistakes, but I am asking you to give us a chance."


ERWIN TO HOST TALK SHOW
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 2, 2002Now Barbara Erwin is about to add talk-show host to her list of credits.


ERWIN OFFER RIGHT FUNDING CUTS SHOULD START AT TOP
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 3, 2002
In these financially troubled times, it seems like a no-brainer. Nevertheless, we offer a thumbs up to Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin for offering to forgo her $24,750 bonus this year and for agreeing to accept no raise in her salary next year.


SCOTTSDALE TEACHERS MAY GET WAGE VOTE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 24, 2002A rally by 400 teachers Tuesday to protest the Scottsdale School Board's decision to end salary negotiations for next school year may have paid off.


BOARD STUDIES BIGGER CLASSES
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 11, 2002Faced with cutting $4.1 million from its budget for the 2003-04 school year, the Scottsdale Unified School District is considering raising class sizes and eliminating 50 to 60 jobs… Raising class sizes has the biggest potential impact on students and teachers. Classes would increase an average of one student. The new student-teacher ratios would be 27 to 1 for kindergarten through sixth grade, 29 to 1 for middle school and 29 to 1 for high school. The district expects to save $1.1 million by raising class sizes because larger classes means it will need 29 fewer teachers… The cuts may not be necessary if the school board puts the override back on the ballot and voters approve it. The board has not decided whether to do this, but board members Tom Carey and David Goldstaub said during a meeting Tuesday that they support putting the issue before voters again.



SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS FOR 2003-04 WHY THE BUDGET RUSH?
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 15, 2002
Superintendent Barbara Erwin explained that making the proposed cuts now gives the community a clear understanding of what's at stake if the district's maintenance and operations budget override is not restored. "I think it would be valuable for them to know what they would be missing if the override did not pass in the event you decide to put it on the ballot," she said.


AGING SCHOOL'S PLUSES TOUTED CORONADO LOOKS TO MAGNET PLAN
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 7, 2002
Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin said she believes the magnet plan will increase enrollment over the next five years because it provides unbelievable opportunities in a small environment.

SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS EYE TURNING OFF TV COVERAGE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 12, 2002The Scottsdale Unified School District may end its televised coverage of school board meetings because of budget constraints. District officials are proposing to cut the television station's $14,500 supply budget for the 2002-03 school year. That would mean curtains for the twice-weekly broadcasts of school board meetings, Scottsdale Parent Council meetings and Superintendent Barbara Erwin's Chalkboard Conversations.

SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS BUDGET BETWEEN ROCK, HARD PLACE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 19, 2002
At the risk of being impolite, we'd offer the suggestion that attorney fees could be trimmed, especially if the board manages to operate without running afoul of state laws on procurement and contracts, conflicts of interest and open meetings. Those difficulties appear to be in the past, so let's push on with considering the cuts.


NAPOLITANO DENIES SCHOOL DISTRICT'S REQUEST
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 26, 2002Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano has denied the Scottsdale Unified School District's request to release the district early from increased state scrutiny.
The state's sixth-largest school district was sued in 1998 for rigging bids and misspending $11.7 million in public funds. Since then, the district has been under a settlement that orders it to follow the law or face a $150,000 fine for each offense if it breaks the law again. The settlement is set to end Aug. 9. Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin, in a letter to the attorney general, said the district deserved "time off for good behavior."


DROPPING OF E-MAIL ANGERS PARENTSSUPERINTENDENT GIVES UP ACCOUNT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 1, 2002Scottsdale Schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin, who bills herself as a great communicator, has given up her district e-mail address and donated her computer to a teacher technology program. Some parents are angry they no longer have a direct link with the superintendent. "I think it's a terrible maneuver," said parent Sue Braga, 52, who has two children in Scottsdale schools.Braga recently sent an e-mail to Erwin that was kicked back. She wanted to give her opinion on school boundary changes proposed by Scottsdale Unified School District officials. Erwin did not return calls Wednesday.


SUPERINTENDENT HAS E-MAIL, NO ACCESS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 9, 2002After being criticized by parents, Scottsdale School Superintendent Barbara Erwin has reinstated her e-mail. Sort of.


SCRUTINY IS ENDED OF SCHOOL DISTRICTSCOTTSDALE FUND USE WAS REVIEWED
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 10, 2002The Arizona Attorney General's Office on Friday ended nearly four years of intense scrutiny of the Scottsdale School District.


SCHOOLS TRY TO PUT AG PROBE IN PASTSCOTTSDALE SCRUTINY ENDS AFTER 46 MONTHS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 16, 2002
"There's no question the reputation of the Scottsdale School District suffered, and properly suffered, for the wrongdoing of the past," he said. "And we -- the school district, superintendent, her leadership team and the school board -- have the ongoing challenge of convincing people we are doing things the right way."


IS DISTRICT LISTENING?
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 31, 2002
I do agree there are other effective ways of communication to the parents and community other than e-mail. Unfortunately, as a parent and active volunteer, I have not seen any implemented by this administration, even though they have been asked numerous times. When Barbara Erwin became superintendent, I was the president of the Scottsdale Parent Council. At a taped Parent Council meeting in March 2000, we publicly asked her to write a monthly column in each school newsletter. (Every school has one, from elementary to high school, which makes this cost effective.) Statistics also show this is the most effective way to reach parents. The Parent Council also requested a hotline where parents could find out information, get questions answered and get information on current legislative issues affecting our children's education. In May 2000, the Parent Council once again requested this information at our monthly meeting. In September 2000, we gave the superintendent a written request for our suggestion. In January 2001, the Parent Council executive board sent her another letter with our formal request. She told us the hotline was not technologically possible, even though we were told she had one for the school board members.


SCHOOLS MAY LOOK TO VOTERS FOR BUDGET BOOST
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 14, 2002
"Until this state loves its children more than it hates taxes, you will remain at the bottom of the country," Erwin told the parent council. Erwin said she has never complained to the Legislature about the money she has been given during her three decades in education, and she has always made do by prioritizing. But this is the first time she has worked in a state that has been last in education funding. Erwin worked in Indiana and Texas before coming to Scottsdale in March 2000.



SCHOOL CHIEF LASHES OUT AT STATE LEADERSSAYS FUNDING IS 'LEGISLATIVE CHILD ABUSE'
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 9, 2002Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin blasted the state Legislature and Gov. Jane Hull at a parent meeting Tuesday, calling the amount of funding that Arizona schools get from the state "legislative child abuse." "Until the state of Arizona believes in children, you might as well post signs at the border saying, 'Welcome to Arizona, no kids allowed,' " she said. "I am tired of hearing a governor, a former educator, saying we can deal with 15-year-old textbooks," Erwin said.Hull called Erwin's remarks "mean-spirited," adding that the administration has increased K-12 spending by $1.9 billion. Proposition 301, an education sales tax, will send $313 million into K-12 classrooms this year and $56 million to universities.


BUDGET OVERRIDE TO GO TO SCOTTSDALE VOTERS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)October 23, 2002Residents will get a chance to vote March 11 on a budget override for the Scottsdale Unified School District, and board members warn that they may have to cut teaching jobs and boost class sizes if it doesn't pass.


SEX CHARGES PROMPT REVIEWDISTRICT INVESTIGATES PRINCIPAL'S RESPONSE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 17, 2003Scottsdale Unified School District officials are conducting an internal investigation after one of their teachers was charged this week on allegations of child molestation.


PARENTS WANT TEACHER DETAILSSAY DISTRICT MUM ON MOLESTATION CASE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 25, 2003
At a press conference last week, Superintendent Barbara Erwin said the district is committed to "finding all the facts, doing what is right and taking every step necessary to ensure safety and security" of the children who attend Scottsdale schools.


Lobbying brigade
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)February 12, 2003Concerned about possible cuts to funding, 13 employees from the Scottsdale Unified School District have registered as lobbyists.


7 DISTRICTS WIN OVERRIDES FOR SCHOOLS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 12, 2003Election results showed budget overrides worth a total of $33 million passing as votes from seven Maricopa County school districts were counted Tuesday night… "We're thrilled," Scottsdale Superintendent Barbara Erwin said. "Our parents in this community have worked very hard. They came together in a time of crisis, and it seems to have worked."



EDUCATORS LOBBY BETTER THAN TEACH
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 19, 2003It is fitting that Scottsdale schools Superintendent Barbara Erwin and other district employees recently registered as lobbyists. It is fitting because the public education establishment is more concerned with influencing legislators than educating children.


OVERRIDE VOTE AIMING TO SAVE TEACHERS WON'T
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)March 20, 2003Nine days ago, voters went to the polls and overwhelmingly agreed to open their wallets and allow the Scottsdale school district to exceed the state's spending limit by 10 percent.
A whopping 72 percent of those who voted agreed to pay more in property taxes to give our schools an extra $10 million a year. It was the only way, we were told, to avoid cutting 179 teachers and inflating class sizes. Just one week later, school administrators are forging ahead with plans to eliminate 175 teachers and inflate class sizes. If you feel had, guess what? You have been. After enlisting a legion of parents and community leaders to plead with taxpayers to pony up more money to save teachers, school administrators are now preparing to dump their considerable budget woes onto the backs of -- you guessed it -- teachers. Apparently, we cannot possibly afford to do without a single administrator…. Now, just one week after we agreed to give them more money, adminstrators suddenly know not only how much they'll need to cut, but they have a plan for how to cut it. By eliminating the precise reason that voters gave them the extra money: teachers.


SCHOOL DISTRICT LACKS CANDOR
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)April 9, 2003
Regarding Carol Hughes' My Turn of April 4: Like so many in the community, Laurie Roberts has tried to get factual information from the district, particularly in the early days of Superintendent Barbara Erwin's arrival, only to be rebuffed. When the community members of other districts comparable in size and population get pertinent information from their district's community relations people and it is done in the spirit of community building, you have to wonder what the Scottsdale district's staff doesn't get.


SCOTTSDALE'S SCHOOLS CHIEF GETS EVALUATION
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 9, 2003The Scottsdale School Board met in closed session Thursday afternoon for its annual evaluation of school Superintendent Barbara Erwin but took no action.



ERWIN REJECTS PAY HIKE, WILL STAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)May 15, 2003For the second time in two years, Scottsdale School Superintendent Barbara Erwin is not asking for a pay raise or bonus because of school district budget constraints and the state's budget crisis.


FIRING TEACHER COST $44,000SCOTTSDALE SEX CASE TO CONCLUDE FRIDAY
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 4, 2003Firing a Cherokee Elementary School teacher who admitted sexually molesting children and investigating whether the school's principal properly supervised him was expensive for the Scottsdale Unified School District. Legal bills show the district spent $44,462 over three months to investigate the circumstances surrounding teacher David Michael Renaud… As many as six people from the law firm Lewis and Roca, which represents the school district, worked on parts of the Renaud matter. They put in at least 245 hours of work, according to legal bills obtained under a public records request by the Scottsdale Republic.


SOME TEACHING POSITIONS COULD BE REINSTATED
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 12, 2003The Scottsdale Unified School District's budget deficit may not be as bad as predicted for next school year and could result in as many as 40 teaching positions being reinstated.


SCHOOLS' LEGAL FEES DRAW FIREBOARD MEMBER ASKS FOR REVIEW BY BAR
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)June 20, 2003A Scottsdale School Board member is questioning a recent board decision to pay legal fees from 2001 and is asking the State Bar to review it. The School Board voted April 8 to pay $48,253 for legal services during November and December 2001 -- the equivalent of at least one teacher's salary. Board member Christine Schild, who voted to pay the bill along with the four other school board members, now said she has concerns about whether it was legal.


LAYING SCHOOLS' FINANCES ON LINE RIGHT THING TO DOOUR STAND: SCOTTSDALE DISTRICT'S 5-YEAR FORCAST WILL GIVE PUBLIC A VIEW OF FUTURE
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)July 30, 2003
Scottsdale schools officials are taking a significant step toward making the public aware of the district's upcoming financial outlook.

SCOTTSDALE VOWS TO LEAD PUPIL PROGRESS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 20, 2003The Scottsdale School Board made the ambitious commitment Tuesday night to show academic progress for every student in the 27,000-student district. "We do not want to follow the standard," Superintendent Barbara Erwin said. "Scottsdale Unified School District will set the standard in Arizona."


SCHOOLS WATCHDOG REVIVEDCARE SET TO START MONTHLY MEETINGS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 21, 2003Concerned about issues in the Scottsdale Unified School District, a grass-roots citizens group that was instrumental in uncovering scandal within the district in 1998 is reforming. Citizens for Accountability, Responsibility and Education, known as CARE, has reorganized with some well-known faces and plans to start holding monthly meetings. The group's concerns include rising legal fees, lack of communication and larger class sizes, among other issues.


SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS SETTING BOLD GOALSEXCELLENCE QUEST NOT DISCOURAGED BY TIGHT BUDGET
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 21, 2003The Scottsdale School Board set the ambitious goal Tuesday of making sure every child shows academic progress and passes the AIMS test. Now comes the hard part: accomplishing those goals. On Tuesday, district officials outlined some of their plans for making sure the Scottsdale Unified School District provides children with a "world-class education."


WORLD-CLASS RAZZLE-DAZZLE IS BLINDING SCHOOL DISTRICT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 22, 2003It was with great interest that we perused the stories headlined in Wednesday's newspaper that the school district was pursuing a new plan of action. Sadly, hope faded as we read that the Scottsdale Unified School District "board and staff" came up with the "vision and strategy" in a "retreat with a corporate consultant." Even sadder was the comment that they, the board and staff, want (that phrase that dazzles) "world-class education." (To digress, Scottsdale gets too hung up on that world-class razzle-dazzle, smoke-and-mirrors phrase.)… What the heck happened? Communication stopped. Outreach really stopped after the fiasco known as the Total Community Process and the failed bond and override election of 2001. The district circled the wagons, and only those who did not question were allowed to breach the perimeter.


GOAL IS SUCCESS FOR ALL KIDS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 23, 2003
As educators, we must provide whatever it takes to make every student successful. No child has "a right to fail." Even with scores in the top tier, there's room for improvement, and that's where the Scottsdale school district's triple-A focus -- access, achievement, accountability -- will pay off.


FUNDING FOR PUPILS IS 'CRITICAL'PASSING OVERRIDES IS KEY, ERWIN SAYS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)August 25, 2003The best way for Scottsdale to provide world-class education for its children would be for voters to pass two overrides, Superintendent Barbara Erwin said.


PARENTS HEAR PLAN FOR BETTER SCHOOLSDISTRICT HOPES TO SET NEW STANDARD
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 10, 2003
The School Board has set the ambitious goal of making sure every child shows academic progress every year and passes the AIMS test. The board also wants all schools to be on track to receive an "excelling" rating, which is the highest label given to schools by the state. Arizona has only three "excelling" schools, none in the Scottsdale Unified School District. Most of the schools were labeled as "improving" or "maintaining."One way officials hope to accomplish this is by creating an individual learning plan for each child. The idea is that each child is evaluated and a learning plan crafted to help him or her make academic gains in the areas where improvement is needed. To accomplish the goals, Erwin said the district will need to find more money. State funding and voter-approved bonds and budget overrides will only "get you what everyone else has," she said. The district will need to explore more grants, business partnerships and donations.The district's new focus comes on the heels of a difficult year for the state's eighth-largest school district. Because of budget constraints, Scottsdale raised class sizes in elementary and high schools this year. Teachers have complained that students are getting less individual attention because they have more students. The district also lost more than 100 experienced teachers when the school board offered a buyout earlier this year in an effort to reduce payroll.
Parent Mary Kearl said she was curious how the district's new focus would impact teacher morale. Erwin said if the district accomplishes its new focus of academic progress, it will mean good teacher morale. The financial problems of the last year were "an anomaly that hopefully we won't have to repeat," she said.


ANOTHER PRINCIPAL RIDES THE ERWIN EXPRESS
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)December 18, 2003Since Sept. 10, we've waited. Since that morning when Sequoya Elementary Principal Maureen Booth was abruptly escorted off campus as if she posed some sort of a threat, we've waited.Since Scottsdale's School Board president sent a letter to irate Sequoya parents in late September, asking them to have patience and let the process play itself out, we've waited.Since the School Board approved a statement of charges painting Booth as a liar and a cheat, we've waited to see the evidence that would prove the administration's case against one of the Scottsdale's most popular principals, a 28-year district employee."Ms. Booth caused the district to misuse state funds," attorney Mary Ellen Simonson said in unveiling the charges two months ago. "The district cannot tolerate and will not tolerate that misuse of state monies."Might it then be an equal misuse of state monies to spend tens of thousands of dollars to investigate, announce you've got the goods on the perp, then just let her walk away with full benefits?On Monday, the day we were finally going to find out the truth, all charges were dropped and Maureen Booth was allowed to retire. The board even gave her a $106,000 life insurance policy for the next 11 years, until she turns 65.The school district that spared no expense to investigate her withdrew the charges rather than coming through with the promised "overwhelming evidence" they've been talking about for lo these many months.Somehow, I have a feeling that yet another Scottsdale principal may have been treated to a ride on the Atcheson, Topeka and Barbara Erwin Express.Booth's troubles began last January when Sequoya's assistant principal notified administrators that she believed Booth had altered students' Stanford 9 test scores in order to win $600 bonuses for teachers. The administration put her on paid leave Sept. 10 and developed a series of charges, some of which sounded overblown and some of which sounded like business as usual in Scottsdale. The headline was the test score charge.I've always said that if Booth phonied up the test scores, she should be fired. The trouble is, now we'll never know the truth.It's not so surprising that Booth, who has always maintained she is innocent, would offer to settle. There aren't many of us who could shoulder the sort of legal bills that pile up when you're fighting a big bureaucracy.What is stunning is that the school district, with its seemingly bottomless money pit for legal battles, would agree to drop the charges on the precise day its lawyers were scheduled to prove their case.The district said it settled to save money. Attorney Simonson actually blamed Booth for forcing the district to run up a big legal bill."When confronted with her misconduct, she ... forced the district to spend its scarce resources on preparing a statement of charges and preparing a hearing -- only to resign in the eleventh hour," Simonson told Republic reporter Anne Ryman.Translation: How dare that Maureen Booth have the nerve to try to defend herself?But then, how dare the district drop the charges just as we were about to learn the truth? I don't know whether Booth forged those test scores or not. I don't know what proof the district had when it stiff-armed her out of Sequoya on Sept. 10.But I do know that Scottsdale has a rather hefty turnover rate these days when it comes to principals. Close to half of them have been chased out or forced out or have just plain fled since Barbara Erwin took over as superintendent nearly four years ago.The events of this week make me wonder: Was this just another of the rumored railroad jobs, or did Booth change those scores?If she did, she should have been fired. If it was someone else, that person should be fired.But if this whole thing was trumped up, if this administration spent all that money to get rid of someone without proof of wrongdoing, then this administration should get the stiff-arm routine.Sadly, we'll never know, because the School Board will never demand an answer. All you hear from that end is silence and, perhaps, the distant, mournful strains of a train whistle.


IT'S TIME FOR ERWIN TO TAKE 1-WAY TRIP ON HER 'EXPRESS'
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 1, 2004
Although Erwin can be inspiring and charismatic, overwhelming examples exist districtwide of her indifference toward our community, lack of support shown to colleagues, lack of openness and integrity, and never-ending public relations rhetoric and politics.


St. Charles chooses new superintendent; Midwest native to take over District 303 helm in July
Sun, The: St. Charles (IL)January 14, 2004
Throughout her career, Erwin has received many honors, Knipp said. Twice, she was named Superintendent of the Year in Texas, and she was nominated for National Superintendent of the Year in 1999.


Scottsdale Republic North
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 14, 2004Barbara Erwin's new school district is about a third the size of Scottsdale, and she'll get a pay raise. Her total package -- salary, annuity, car allowance and potential 10 percent performance bonus -- is worth $234,600. By comparison, her Scottsdale package is worth $210,750. The districts are similar in demographics and are suburbs of larger cities. The St. Charles district, 35 miles west of downtown Chicago, has 17 schools and 13,100 students compared with Scottsdale's 33 schools and 26,600 students.


SCOTTSDALE SCHOOLS CHIEF LEAVING GOOD ROAD MAPOUR STAND: BARBARA ERWIN INHERITED A DISTRICT IN CHAOS AND CLEANED IT UP
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 14, 2004
Barbara Erwin is leaving the Scottsdale Unified School District in better condition than she found it. Even all but the most strident critics of the outgoing superintendent will have to give her that. And that's substantial. Erwin, who will leave Scottsdale this summer to take a higher-paying job in St. Charles, Ill., inherited a corrupt school district when she came here in March 2000. The Scottsdale school district was in chaos, reeling from the state attorney general's revelations of bid manipulation and Open Meeting Law violations. The board had bought out Erwin's two predecessors. Things were a mess, and public confidence was at the nadir.
…Her personal style rubbed some folks the wrong way. Some people felt that she should have been more open and straightforward with parents and school staff about certain controversies, such as the child molestation scandal at Cherokee Elementary School. She has been ripped by others who say she never took the time to figure out what makes the Northeast Valley tick, and looked at Scottsdale as little more than a temporary career stop. Her decision to leave after about four years probably will only solidify that image in some minds.


THINGS WRONG UNDER ERWIN
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)January 24, 2004
There are certainly conflicting views about the state of the Scottsdale Unified School District under the management of Barbara Erwin. Unfortunately, the things that were wrong with her administration greatly outnumber the things that were right. Here is a partial list of the things that should not have happened, did not need to happen and contributed to the overall downward spiral of employee morale and breakdown in communications:1. Failure of an override election -- the first one to fail in years.2. High-quality administrators, both at the district level and at the school sites, were made to feel unwelcome and left the district to take their talents elsewhere (Bobbie Sferra, Jane McGlothlin, John Kriekard, Jim Lee, Maureen Booth, to name a few).3. Communication between and among staff was greatly impeded with the introduction of a new e-mail system and new telephone system. With the e-mail, bulletin boards for communicating around the district were eliminated, and teachers can no longer send a message directly to their staff.The teachers organization lost the ability to communicate through e-mail as well and can send messages to only a few teachers at a time. Instead, the district implemented a "news" brief from the district office, which shared the district version of all happenings. The rumor mill replaced the open communication previously enjoyed by the teachers.4. More issues are being resolved by grievance than ever. Instead of the previous practice of discussing issues and working out mutually agreeable solutions, the current attitude is, "Let them (the teachers) grieve it."5. District/teacher committees are viewed simply as advisory groups. In the past, committee work was accomplished with the understanding that the committee decision or recommendation would be used.6. Negotiations have become traditional tit-for-tat bargaining rather than the cooperative, interest-based bargaining of the past. No, the past was not perfect, but it was a whole lot better than, "If we give you this, what will the teachers give back?"7. Teacher and staff morale is the lowest it has been in years. Lack of available funding for raises is, of course, part of the problem, but that could be understood if it were not for all the other items that damage teacher morale.




LOGICALLY, THIS SHOULD MAKE YOUR HEAD HURT
Arizona Republic, The (Phoenix, AZ)September 9, 2004
This story began three years ago, during the Barbara Erwin era. In those dark days, handsomely paid consultants were predicting big gains in enrollment for Scottsdale and thus a pressing need to build the state's most expensive high school in the district's toniest neighborhood, D.C. Ranch. Fortunately, voters objected to spending $54 million on a high school that wasn't needed and stoned the bond request, which also killed plans to fix up older high schools because the funding requests were tied together on the ballot.Almost immediately after the bond's defeat in November 2001, Erwin admitted that a sixth high school wasn't really needed because enrollment was declining, and even had we built it, we wouldn't have had the money to staff it. Nice, huh?


Teen accused of bomb threats expelled
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)October 5, 2004A St. Charles East High School sophomore charged with phoning in two bomb threats to the school last month was expelled Monday. The 16-year-old boy, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, has been charged with two counts of transmitting a bomb threat, a felony. He is accused of calling in bomb threats to the school on Sept. 16 and 20. The student has been expelled for two school years, the maximum time allowed under the law. "This is a strong response and we recognize the significance of the decision that was made today," Superintendent Barbara Erwin said in a statement. "But it is very important that everyone in the District 303 community understand that behavior that detracts from teaching and learning, and which endangers our students and staff, is not acceptable."

She who lives by the sword... Erwin contract trouble in Illinois

A reader of Kentucky School News and Commentary passed along some breaking news from the Daily Herald in Chicagoland.

The St. Charles school board might have broken the law two years ago when it silently extended Superintendent Barbara Erwin's contract without a public vote.

A board consensus approved the five-year extension behind closed doors in the spring of 2005, current and former board members said.

While the decision didn't equate to a salary raise for Erwin, it did clear the way for additional sick days and time served toward her pension in Illinois, records show.

The revelation came about recently when outgoing school board President Bobbie Raehl sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the district asking for documentation of a public vote on the matter and no such document could be found.

Al Smith adds his doubt to the sum of doubt: Erwin should be reconsidered

Veteran reporter and host of KET's Comment on Kentucky Al Smith joins in calling for a pause - and reconsideration of Erwin's selection in today's Courier-Journal and the Herald-Leader. He not only gets the Erwin issue right, but also warns against selection of another finalist, Richard LaPlante, as being even worse.

I agree.

LaPlante was appointed by, and carried out the wishes of Governor George Allen (of "macaca" fame) when he was state superintendent in Virginia.The Richmond Times Dispatch noted, La Pointe a former education official in the Reagan and Bush administrations "has been criticized by some in the legislature as too ideological." La Pointe backed graduation standards that reduced focus on the arts, and he supported the controversial Family Life Education program.

When a more moderate Republican Governor (and now, candidate for the Republican nomination for president) James Gilmore succeeded Allen he chose not to reappoint La Pointe as Superintendent. Philosophical about his disappointment La Pointe said, "I've carried out what Governor Allen has asked me to do, and I'm terribly pleased with the opportunity I had."Newport News Daily Press lamented that "Richard La Pointe's management of the department created serious morale problems" and his replacement was moving the department "toward a moderate education policy and away from the perceived ideological bent."


Al Smith says,

"Erwin has had trouble with boards and teachers in three states. Now that her problems have come to light, why would our state board persist in giving her direction over 665,000 Kentucky school children anyway? If her history repeats itself a fourth time, the anguish will reflect forever not only on the judgment of our board members but of Fletcher, who met with them and the finalists before Erwin was named.

Despite citations for achievement, the narrative of Erwin's career in Texas, Arizona and Illinois is repeatedly indexed with controversy. Beyond the criticism that she has poor "people skills," there is no question that she has never managed the responsibility for a program as large as Kentucky's and that she deceived the Kentucky board with a fictitious award (which she now calls "a typo").

Although these problems were exposed by reporters, not the board's search firm, it's not too late to address them.

...A case for an extended pause is the obvious problem recruiters have had trying to entice more competent candidates to apply for education commissioner in a state so buffeted by the winds of politics. Who would want to risk leaving a secure position to lead Kentucky's schools in the current political climate? This also suggests that if the board sensibly changes its mind about Erwin, the very worst thing it could do would be to fall back on another of its three finalists -- the gentleman from Washington who was ousted from another job and accused of undermining school reforms in Virginia.

All that said, the press and other critics of the Erwin selection should soundly applaud, not mock, the board if it musters the courage to change its course."

State board must deal with Erwin flap

This from the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer (subscription) 5 May 2007:

The Kentucky board of education has a big problem, not entirely of its own making, but a big problem nevertheless. And it is a problem that must be resolved. Barbara Erwin, the woman selected by the board to be Kentucky's next commissioner of education, has been hit with harsh criticism by parents and board members in districts she has headed in the past 13 years.

Erwin, who now leads the 15,000-student Community Unit District 303 in St. Charles, Ill., previously served as superintendent of school systems in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Allen, Texas; and the Tipton Community School Corp. in Tipton, Ind.

A St. Charles parent accused Erwin of coming into districts, creating turmoil and leaving things in disarray. "You don't come in and explode the place and leave the place in rubble," Bill Page said. A former Scottsdale school board member said some of Erwin's moves deepened divisions within the district. Another former member of that board said morale in the district "went in the sewer" and called Erwin dictatorial.In Texas, according to newspaper reports, critics said teachers and staff members quit their jobs in the Allen district because the atmosphere was intimidating, with Erwin to blame.

This comes at the same time a mistake was found in the resume Erwin provided Kentucky officials. It stated she was named Texas Superintendent of the Year in consecutive years. It was true for the first year but not the second. She said it was simply a mistake by someone who typed her resume.

As for the criticisms hurled at her by parents and former board members, Erwin defended herself by saying she made difficult decisions that didn't please everyone.We don't know if Erwin is a strong, change-agent leader unafraid of making tough decisions for the betterment of student learning or a heavy-handed administrator who insists on having her way to the detriment of learning. We know she is credited for improved test scores and higher achievement in Illinois and Texas, and she's also noted for introducing innovative uses of technology.

We also wonder if gender bias is playing a part. Men are often hailed as strong leaders when they shake things up to get desired results. When women do the same thing, they sometimes hit a wall of resistance.

The state school board is correct to say that Erwin's accomplishments should not be overlooked amid criticisms. But we question the so-called thorough research into Erwin's background performed by the search firm the board hired. This information came as a surprise, and it should not have.

We couldn't agree more with Bob Sexton, director of the Prichard Committee on Education, who said Thursday that the poor job done by the search firm put the state board in a bad spot.It is now up to the school board to step back and evaluate everything that has happened and determine the truth, with Erwin given every opportunity to respond to the criticism. To simply rely on the previous report of the search firm will not suffice for a decision of this importance.

Child Missing from School for Hours and No Call to Parents

The Special Education Law blog reports:

School personnel always say to parents "why don't you trust us !" Well a prime example of why parents do not trust schools occurred in Baltimore, when a child with special needs eloped from school and went missing for days. The school did not even have the sense or the decency to call the parents. The parents had requested an aide to be with child because of prior elopement episodes, but were refused.

...The Garrison Middle School special-needs student missing since March 29, when he ran away from school, was located unharmed 3 a.m. Easter Sunday.

His parents are relieved, but remain disappointed and angry at the Baltimore City Public School System that they say failed to protect their child.

The parents still aren’t sure where their son, who has been diagnosed with emotional and attention deficit disorder issues, spent those 10 nights.

This from the Examiner.com.

Education Trust or bust?

Mike Petrilli writes in the Fordham foundation's Education Gadfly blog this week about the Education Trust, it's influence in Washington and it's recommendations for changes in NCLB.

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If history is a guide, there's every reason to believe that Congress will follow Ed Trust's lead. After all, its president (and recent Fordham excellence-in-education prizewinner), Kati Haycock, was voted the most influential individual in American education save for President Bush and Secretary Spellings (see here). She and her organization are respected by many Republicans and worshipped by lots of Democrats. Their pronouncements are taken seriously. But should this one be?

Let's start with the good part. Education Trust has finally admitted that "every child proficient in reading and math by 2014" is much better as a slogan and aspiration than as the operating principle for a serious accountability regime. It's the classic overreach, the epitome of excess. This pronouncement-cum-policy has encouraged states to play games: mucking around with "n-sizes" and "confidence intervals" to avoid the "every child" component, racing to the bottom with their definitions of "proficiency," and back-loading their timelines in the expectation of a miracle in the last year or two before the 2014 deadline.

Ed Trust appears to have gotten the picture. Regarding "every child," its proposal would allow states with high standards (those that indicate readiness for college and work) to aim for 80 percent of students in every subgroup achieving proficiency rather than 100 percent. (Ninety-five percent of students would have to achieve a "new basic" level, "indicating preparation for active citizenship, military service, and entry into postsecondary education or formal employment training.") Furthermore, it would differentiate between those schools that miss their performance targets by a mile and those that fall short by a few inches.

Regarding "proficiency," it would provide incentives for states to boost their standards and require those with particularly weak-kneed definitions of "proficiency" to get at least 50 percent more of their kids to the "advanced" level. Plus, it would count as "proficient" those students who are "on a trajectory to meet proficiency in three years"--an acceptance of student growth as a cornerstone of any sensible accountability system.

As for the 2014 deadline, Ed Trust would allow high-standards states to reset NCLB's 12-year timeline, giving them until 2019 to achieve the law's goals.

Lieberman: More education funding needed

According to Lieberamn, For 100 percent of the nation's students to be proficient in reading and math as required by the No Child Left Behind law, the federal government has to cough up 100 percent of the funds it promised when it enacted the standards...Assessments tied to the law, he added, also have to start measuring student achievement by looking at how much students improve over time, rather than pitting the scores of one class against the one that came before.

This from the Connecticut Post.

Principal likely to re-apply

When Campbell County Schools posts the opening today for a high school principal to replace Ginger Webb, it is very likely to prompt an application from Webb herself.

Webb, who replaced Anthony Strong as Campbell County High principal four years ago, said Wednesday she is leaning toward re-applying after Strong, now the district's superintendent, declined to renew her contract last week.

If she does, her paperwork will eventually land on an important desk: Anthony Strong's.
Not enough twists?

Unless Strong rejects her application based on her qualifications to do the job - typically academic history or administrative certification - he will be required to forward it, as well as those of other qualified applicants, to the school's site-based decision-making council, which alone has authority to fill the position...

"She has that opportunity (to re-apply)," Strong said. And the high school's council has the right to reappoint her if it deems her the best candidate, he acknowledged.

"If they decide that, that's their prerogative," Strong said. " If she gets it, there's been other districts where this has happened. Certainly, if that happens, I'll work with her in a professional manner."

...The system for her reapplying is this: applications first go to the district's human resources department, which will submit a list to Strong. He can weed out any applicants who don't meet state standards.

But Strong is then required to submit that pool of qualified applicants to the council. He can make recommendations, but the decision on who replaces Webb, even if it's Webb herself, rests solely with the site-based council.

"I will try to get names to council as soon as possible," Strong said. "Somebody can start in that position July 1. Ginger is there through the end of June. There's three other assistants, so a lot of the (summer) work is done by a combination of the administrators."

Fayette County to break ground on two new schools

Fayette County Public Schools will host groundbreaking ceremonies for two of three new elementary schools on Tuesday, May 8.

Groundbreaking for Liberty Elementary School, which will replace Julia R. Ewan Elementary, will begin at 10 a.m. on 2585 Liberty Road across the road from Eastland Church of God. Parking will be available in the church parking lot.

Groundbreaking for Sandersville Elementary School, which will replace Linlee Elementary, will begin at 3:30 p.m. on 3025 Sandersville Road off of Spurr Road.

Both schools will open doors to students in the fall of 2008.

Fayette County Board of Education to consider new school start times for 2007-2008

In an effort to minimize long bus rides, late bus drop offs and early morning bus pick up times, the school board will consider adjusting start and dismissal times at every school in the district. The possible changes – 15 minutes or less for most schools in the county – are designed to improve bus service for kids and better utilize transportation resources.

Every day the more than 150 school bus drivers employed by the Fayette County Public Schools travel nearly 15,000 miles with the goal of providing our students with safe and efficient transportation from home to school and back. The mission of the transportation department is to provide on time delivery at school and home, with reasonable ride times and safe, comfortable loadings.

For the past several years, new housing developments, increased traffic congestion, expanded service demands and the local effects of a nationwide bus driver shortage have created an increasing problem with school bus transportation. Our current system of four start times with 30 minute intervals was developed more than eight years ago and simply does not provide enough time between sessions for our school bus drivers to run the 480 routes needed to transport students throughout the county.

As a result, bus pick up times have had to be moved earlier, bus routes have had to be extended, and buses are late dropping students off at school and taking them home in the afternoon far too often. To fix the situation, the school board is discussing a proposal to adjust school start and dismissal times at every school in the district. The board is expected to vote on the changes at its action meeting on May 21.

The recommendation was developed after more than two years of study and review, which included input from community, parents and staff. We tried to postpone making these adjustments as long as we could, but the situation has reached a critical point. Our goal was to find a solution that would improve bus service for students while avoiding disruption to families as much as possible. For 47 percent of students in the school district, the start and dismissal time change would be just 5 minutes. For 41 percent of the students in the district, the proposal is a 15 minute shift. For 11 percent of the district’s students, start and dismissal times will change by 25 minutes. And the biggest change affects less than 1 percent of the students in the district who attend a special program.

More information is available in the following documents:
Presentation about the start time proposal (Microsoft PowerPoint document)
List of proposed start times showing how the proposal would affect your child's school (Adobe Acrobat document)

Questions about the proposal can be directed to Mary Browning at 381-4165, your school principal, or Superintendent Stu Silberman at 381-4000.

Written questions will also be accepted via email.

Student suspended for essay can return to school

A high school senior arrested for writing a violent essay for an English class can return to school and will be allowed to graduate with his class, his attorney says.

Allen Lee wrote the essay April 23 at Cary-Grove High and was arrested the next day on two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct.

The teacher reportedly had told students: "Be creative; there will be no judgment and no censorship."

The decision to readmit Lee, an honors student with a 4.2 grade-point average, followed negotiations with school district officials, said attorney Dane Loizzo.

"We all reached the same conclusion, which is that he's not a threat and never was a threat and he should be treated as such," said Loizzo.

Loizzo contended the charges were a product of paranoia, born of the previous week's massacre of 32 students at Virginia Tech.

Lee's essay read, in part: "Blood, sex and booze. Drugs, drugs, drugs are fun. Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, s...t...a...b... puke. So I had this dream last night where I went into a building, pulled out two P90s and started shooting everyone, then had sex with the dead bodies. Well, not really, but it would be funny if I did."
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Funny?

Teacher denies student bathroom break during test

A sixth-grader who was denied permission to use the restroom while taking a state achievement test this week had an accident in class, and a school administrator blamed an overzealous teacher.

The shame brought to the student, who had to urinate, was an unfortunate outcome of efforts to prevent cheating, said Sandy Valley Local Schools (Ohio) Superintendent David Janofa. "There are no words we could say. We feel horrible about this happening," he said.

Bathroom breaks are permitted during the tests...The state recommends having an adult supervisor -- but not the teacher administering the test -- escort students to and from the bathroom to make sure they aren't looking at books or notes.

"We want to maintain the integrity and security of all tests, but not at the expense of a student having an accident in a classroom," Benton said. "Educators need to use common sense."

This from CNN.

Whistle-Blower on Student Aid Is Vindicated

Jon Oberg, a former Department of Education researcher, warned that

student loan companies were abusing a subsidy program

and collecting millions in federal payments to which they were not entitled.

Photo by Michael Temchine for The New York Times.

When Jon Oberg, a Department of Education researcher, warned in 2003 that student lending companies were improperly collecting hundreds of millions in federal subsidies and suggested how to correct the problem, his supervisor told him to work on something else.

For three more years, the vast overpayments continued. Education Secretary Rod Paige and his successor, Margaret Spellings, argued repeatedly that under existing law they were powerless to stop the payments and that it was Congress that needed to act. Then this past January, the department largely shut off the subsidies by sending a simple letter to lenders — the very measure Mr. Oberg had urged in 2003.

The story of Mr. Oberg’s effort to stop this hemorrhage of taxpayers’ money opens a window, lawmakers say, onto how the Bush administration repeatedly resisted calls to improve oversight of the $85 billion student loan industry. The department failed to halt the payments to lenders who had exploited loopholes to inflate their eligibility for subsidies on the student loans they issued.

Recent investigations by state attorneys general and Congress have highlighted how the department failed to clamp down on gifts and incentives that lenders offered to universities and their financial aid officers to get more student loans.

This from the New York Times.

Listen in: NPR has several programs following the student loan scandal.

Kentucky Education Commissioner: Flawed process undermines confidence

Commentary

We are told the search for a new state education commissioner to replace an excellent Gene Wilhoit has gone according to plan. If so - it must be a strange plan.

State board chairman Keith Travis told the Herald-Leader "When we started the search process the entire board agreed on an entire process to go through” because they wanted to get a large number of qualified applicants while ensuring their confidentiality. But when the state board met in executive session, narrowing its commissioner search down to three individuals they refused to release the names, telling WHAS reporter Mark Hebert that the board only planned to release the name of one finalist, the person the school board planned to hire.

All indications were that the state board was following the Barnhart plan. Everything was hush, hush. But the board of education was not reviewing the resumes of any Billy Ds or Billy Gs. Apparently, no sitting commissioners viewed Kentucky as a better place to go to advance their careers. As the herald-Leader reminds us, Kentucky's first Education Commissioner Thomas Boysen had led the 390,000-student San Diego schools made up of 43 districts. Wilmer Cody had been state superintendent in Louisiana and a local superintendent in Birmingham, Ala., and Montgomery County, Md. Gene Wilhoit had been head of the Arkansas schools and a deputy commissioner in Kentucky.

Perhaps this was to be expected. While there are many in the Commonwealth who continue to sense the energy of reform and work doggedly to build a strong system of schools, save last year, there hasn’t been a financial investment commensurate with Kentucky’s world-class rhetoric; Kentucky has failed to keep pace. Still, Standard & Poor’s reports that given the present level of investment, Kentucky is getting a fairly good return. It appears that Wilhoit left for greener pastures, not a greater challenge. All things considered, what caliber of replacement was Kentucky likely to attract?

Much to his credit, Governor Ernie Fletcher urged the board to name their three finalists publicly so that citizens, and particularly, state lawmakers could offer their opinions. "Public awareness of this important selection promotes dialogue and disclosure that otherwise would be lost, two critical components in assuring the selection of the best candidate," the governor said. Disclosure is particularly important. There have been enough cases, where failure to adhere to the best principles of due diligence have haunted other selection processes, that we should have known better. Public scrutiny can, and does help.

Following the governor’s plea, the board did announce their 3 finalists - claiming unconvincingly, that they planned to do so all along.

I did not know any of the candidates; but I did have some time that week. I researched the press clippings for all three, and using the state board’s input form, submitted a summary of my findings and a reference to Kentucky School News and Commentary, where more information could be found.

KDE Communication Director Lisa Gross confirmed that the board received and discussed all public input. What is less certain is whether the state board really wanted it.

As quickly as possible, the board returned to its original plan and named a single finalist. – Barbara Erwin. Some of Erwin’s "press" generated discussion and concern.

State board chairman Keith Travis told the Courier-Journal he didn't know anything about that history.

Then, in the wake of the MIT scandal, came the issue of whether Erwin had embellished her resume.

So here we are.

The state board is scheduled to finalize their decision this Wednesday in Bowling Green. Board member Doug Hubbard seems to be genuinely concerned and announced that he wanted Erwin to explain. He has since upped the ante, and called for her to withdraw. Others seem to be locked in on her positives while minimizing her negatives; like trying to sell a mansion that just got a bad inspection report. We need a decision based on what’s best for our children and Kentucky’s future economy. We need a commissioner who inspires confidence - not only in their abilities, but also in their judgment, integrity and ability to work harmoniously with others.

It doesn’t help when board members confuse the issue. It was disappointing when Rev. C. B. Akins chastened critics of the selection process last week telling WKYT, "If they know some perfect people who would be candidates for the job, we'd be interested in interviewing them, but until Jesus comes back, I doubt that we're going to find one."

But the issue isn't whether Erwin, or any candidate is perfect. None of the three finalists matched the board's pre-established criteria.

The issue is whether the state board of education outsourced its responsibilities for due diligence to its search firm, Ray & Associates, who seem to have advised secrecy, which resulted in the present situation. Confidentiality is important, but not more important than Kentucky's need to find genuine confidence in the new commissioner, whoever that may be.

This is one time they should have listened to Ernie. Had that occurred, the board would still be evaluating the input, and could approach Wednesday's meeting with confidence and solidarity.

Erwin apparently loves legal fees

Lawyers' fees eat into school districts' budgets

The Herald-Leader reports concerns over local district legal fees eating their way into the instructional budget. But they ain't seen nothing yet.

Clinton County, a tiny rural school district on the Tennessee line with fewer than 2,000 students, many of whom struggle academically, spent $141,000 on attorneys' fees over the past three years.

The reason: Three lawsuits were filed against former Superintendent Sam Gibson. That was well after the school board's internal investigation found that Gibson misused a district cell phone and forged a hotel receipt, allegedly to hide an affair with a district secretary. He was later indicted, and he resigned.

In an analysis of attorneys' fees spent by school districts throughout the state, the Herald-Leader found that many of the biggest spenders are a handful of districts that also suffer from academic underperformance. (Although Clinton County's test scores have improved in recent years, for example, they are still nearly 30 points away from the state goal of 100 by 2014.)

Many of the fees paid are to monitor and mediate adult spats that aren't covered by insurance. That means legal fees come out of districts' general fund, the same pot of money that pays for teachers, computers and programs for students. It's a pot that many educators see as getting smaller and smaller each year.

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If expansive legal fees are today's topic - then how might our new commish view such lavish spending on adult issues? ERWIN APPARENTLY LOVES LEGAL FEES!

A February 2, 2006 editorial in the Arizona Republic…touts the accomplishments of Erwin’s successor in Scottsdale saying, “The district has significantly improved during his short tenure.” “…[board members] insisted on receiving a monthly financial report. Before that, the board had no financial information except the annual budget forms.”

The new superintendent and others, “pushed the board to end the district's use of contracted legal services and hired and in-house attorney. The district's once exorbitant legal fees, which topped $650,000 in former Superintendent Barbara Erwin's last year, are now less than $200,000 annually.”

Board Member Hubbard want Erwin to Withdraw

The Courier-Journal reports:

A state board of education member is calling for the leading candidate for Kentucky's top education job to withdraw her name because of growing concerns about her background.

Doug Hubbard of Bardstown said he made a mistake in agreeing to name Barbara Erwin as the leading choice for Kentucky's education commissioner.

"I think she ought to withdraw as a candidate. I feel that there is an issue of credibility," Hubbard said. "The last nine days have been one revelation after another revelation, and I think there is a perception that she cannot overcome."

...Despite Hubbard's concern, school board chairman Keith Travis said yesterday that he still thinks Erwin is the best person for the job.

"I haven't seen any evidence that changes my mind," Travis said. "Every person is entitled to his or her opinion. I don't think any less of him (Hubbard) for voicing his opinion. As far as I know, he is the only one who feels it was a mistake."

"...We are in the process of getting ready to ratify her contract," said Janna Vice, a board member from Richmond. "I appreciate the information being gathered, but I just think it would be inappropriate to talk about it right now."

And from the Herald-Leader.

Hubbard said he has sent an e-mail to superintendents in his district apologizing for his initial support for the controversial candidate.

"Our constituencies are the children of Kentucky," he told a reporter yesterday. "I don't think it's best for the children of Kentucky to have a commissioner who has serious questions about her credibility."

This from the Cincinnati Post.

Happy Kentucky Derby Day

Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame, first inductions in January

Everybody can think of a teacher who positively influenced his or her life. Now is the chance to honor some of those instructors.

Nominations are being accepted for the first class of the Gov. Louie B. Nunn Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame.

The hall will be part of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Western Kentucky University. The first induction ceremony will be in January. It's being started with a $30,000 gift from Nunn, who served as governor in 1967-71. Nunn died in 2004 at age 79.

This from the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Bus crash victim to throw 1st pitch at tonight's Reds game

Cody Shively, the 12-year-old who was the last victim of a Grant County school bus crash to leave the hospital, will get to throw out the first pitch at Friday's Reds game.

Shively was in intensive care for a month after he and 16 other students were injured on U.S. 25 in Dry Ridge when their bus went off the road and splintered a telephone pole on Jan. 17. He left Children's Hospital Medical Center on April 13.

This from the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops

The students at Liverpool High have used their school-issued laptops to exchange answers on tests, download pornography and hack into local businesses. When the school tightened its network security, a 10th grader not only found a way around it but also posted step-by-step instructions on the Web for others to follow (which they did).

...So the Liverpool Central School District, just outside Syracuse, has decided to phase out laptops starting this fall, joining a handful of other schools around the country that adopted one-to-one computing programs and are now abandoning them as educationally empty — and worse.

“...After seven years, there was literally no evidence it had any impact on student achievement — none,” said Mark Lawson, the school board president here in Liverpool, one of the first districts in New York State to experiment with putting technology directly into students’ hands. “The teachers were telling us when there’s a one-to-one relationship between the student and the laptop, the box gets in the way. It’s a distraction to the educational process.”

This from the New York Times.

School News from around Kentucky

• Taylor County rejects "state recommended" facilities plan, Spencer County passes theirs as does Russellville. Faculty presents board with "factors to consider" in new addition to Webster County HS. New school means redistricting in Logan County.
• Commish: Frankfort/Franklin County officials trust the board, trust the search firm. Board member Hubbard wants Erwin to explain. Ashland Daily Independent reports on Fletcher's meeting with Erwin.
• Two teens arrested in $1,100 Anderson County High school "Cats Cash Bank" theft.
• In Franklin County cops lunch with kids.
• Fiscal Court helps schools afford resource officers in Jessamine County.
• Anderson News tests local folks on 20-item 5th grade CATS exam; Asst Supt scores 13. Take the test.
• Attny Gen says EKU does not have to provide documents in Model School investigation of inappropriate E-mails by teacher.
• Pistol packing Momma pleads not guilty in Fairview.
• Appalachian News-Express calls Pike County teacher layoffs necessary.
• "Everybody knows that smoking ain't allowed in school." Dixie Heights installs detectors.
• Covington's Sixth District Elementary School's centennial celebration May 7th.
• Thomas More College to offer a Master of Arts in Teaching program this fall.
• Newport's billboard fund-raiser nixed.
• Ex-Bengal's wife accused of sexual contact with Covington Catholic minor.
• Erlanger Prom Style 2007: High color & low-top sneakers.
• Still-suspended Bellevue teacher cleared by police.
• Governor Fletcher unhappy with American Idol characterization of Letcher County.
• Booneville school shut down after two juveniles charged with making threats.
• In Fayette County: The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme comes to Tates Creek High School, J R Ewan wins VSA arts grant, Southern Middle School Math wins add up, SCAPA Claims Tenth Straight Speech Title!
• And in TEXAS...Toddler at day care hands teacher bag of cocaine.
  

State Board not waiting for Jesus. Plan to go with Erwin.

I caught Marvin Bartlett on WDKY TVs 10PM newscast last night and wasn't sure I heard the story correctly.

State board of education member, Rev. C. B. Akins, was defending the board's choice of Barbara Erwin and was encouraging Kentuckians to "get in there and go to work with her."

And then, responding to critics of the process (moi?) I suppose, he said, "If they know some perfect people who would be candidates for the job, we'd be interested in interviewing them, but until Jesus comes back, I doubt that we're going to find one."

Huh? Did he just compare Erwin to Jesus Christ? Thankfully, in his comparison, Jesus won.

But the issue isn't whether Erwin is perfect. That's settled.

The issue isn't whether Erwin can withstand criticism. She's a veteran.

The issue is whether the state board of education outsourced their responsibilities for due diligence in considering candidates for this important position. And if they didn't, why was the chairman surprised to learn about it?

Marvin helped me locate the video on WKYT's site; they share news reporting with Fox. The 5AM WKTY TV newscast with Barbara Bailey and Bill Bryant reran the video. It runs a little over a minute and starts @ the 19:22 mark. (move the slide and watch the time stamp change)

And the hits just keep on comin' - Erwin claimed 2 Texas SOY Awards as a candidate in Illinois

A reader of Kentucky School News and Commentary just pointed out that Erwin pawned off her claim of two awards for Texas Superintendent of the Year on the good folks of St Charles, too.

(See the post earlier today: "More on the Commish mess from the Bluegrass Policy blog")

From the Chicago Tribune, 13 January 2004. I posted it (April 19th) before the resume indescretion issue arose and didn't think to check back. So, good work Anonymous! Give us your name next time - or not.

The Tribune wrote:
"St. Charles Community Unit District 303 announced Monday that Barbara Erwin of Scottsdale, Ariz., would be its next superintendent...Erwin has been chief administrator of the Scottsdale Unified School District...."Dr. Erwin has `been there, done that,' and more," said Mary Jo Knipp, president of the District 303 Board of Education. "She has been in the trenches and has really made a difference. "Erwin is a 33-year educator who was twice named superintendent of the year while working in Texas from 1994 to 2000, where she headed the Allen Independent School District in Allen."


The Sun, (St. Charles IL) January 14, 2004 also wrote on the topic and sure made it sound like there were 3 distinct claims on the resume. The Sun reported, "Throughout her career, Erwin has received many honors, Knipp said. Twice, she was named Superintendent of the Year in Texas, and she was nominated for National Superintendent of the Year in 1999."

More on the Commish mess from the Bluegrass Policy blog

The Bluegrass Institute followed up on the Commissioner search today. A post by Richard Innes on the Bluegrass Policy Blog nicely ties up the events, chronologically and logically. And, the Kentucky School News and Commentary blog appreciates the Shout out!

Schools say iPods becoming tool for cheaters

Schools across the country are targeting digital media players as a potential cheating device. Devices including iPods and Zunes can be hidden under clothing, with just an earbud and a wire snaking behind an ear and into a shirt collar to give them away, school officials say.

"It doesn't take long to get out of the loop with teenagers," said Mountain View High School Principal Aaron Maybon. "They come up with new and creative ways to cheat pretty fast."
Mountain View recently enacted a ban on digital media players after school officials realized some students were downloading formulas and other material onto the players.

This from CNN.

Teacher cleared of wrongdoing in urination incident - but this may not be over

School officials on Tuesday cleared a science teacher who was accused of forcing a 14-year-old boy to urinate into a bottle during class, saying the eighth grader acted on his own.

The district cited rules that instruct teachers not to let students out of class during the first and last 10 minutes of a period. Goethe Middle School teacher Peter Stanzler told the boy, Michael Patterson, to wait until the class had settled down before going to the bathroom, the district said in a statement.

"Less than five minutes into the class period, the student urinated into a bottle and discarded it in a trash can," the statement said. "Shocked at the student's actions, the teacher told the student to dispose of the bottle in the restroom and wash his hands."

HOWEVER

Principal Harriet Young on Monday suspended Michael until May 8 for disrupting school activities. The district has placed teacher Peter Stanzler on paid leave and transferred him to another school.

The boy's mother said she was not satisfied with the outcome. "If this case is so cut and dry, why is the teacher being disciplined?" said Kelly Jacko, adding that other students have confirmed her son's story. "There are so many loopholes."

This from CNN.

Thomas More College gets new image

Thomas More College unveiled its new "Saints" logo today, which features a portrait of the college's namesake, Thomas More.

In a statement, Athletics Director Terry Connor said the logo is "a bolder identity that the entire campus and College community will embrace."

Dean of Students Matt Webster said the design of the new logo was a collaborative process that included the entire TMC community.

The college has also changed its school colors back to royal blue and white, from dark blue and white.

NKU sets policy on protests

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports:

No longer will campus demonstrations be limited to a small, confined area outside the University Center; parades and marches will be permitted; and chalking will be allowed to continue.

“The act of caging free speech wasn’t just a physical act, but a mental act,” said junior Alex Kindell. “A university is supposed to be where speech is expressed freely.”

Kindell, president of NKU’s Students for Choice, was a leader in getting the policy changed. Under the old policy, students who wanted to protest or rally could do it only in that segregated area next to the University Center.

Georgia schools cautious on Bible classes

Georgia's public schools walk a delicate line as they decide whether to offer the nation's first state-funded Bible classes -- measuring the difference between preaching and teaching with the likelihood of costly lawsuits looming for those that miss the mark.

The state school board approved curriculum in March for teaching the Bible in Georgia's high schools, but there hasn't been a rush of schools to start up the classes. Only a handful of the state's 180 school districts have agreed to offer the elective classes so far.

This from the Boston Globe.

And this from Texas and the Star-Telegram.

Texas school districts would have to develop guidelines for students to make public expressions of religion under a hotly debated bill that won preliminary approval Monday in the state House.

The measure, House Bill 3678 by Sugar Land Republican Charlie Howard, will face a final vote in the chamber before being sent to the Senate for consideration. It calls for school districts to establish guidelines for students to voluntarily express religious views in “limited public forums.”

Fort Bend principal resigns in Bachelor backlash

She approved teacher's taking time off

to appear on the TV show

The principal disciplined after one of her teachers appeared on the television show The Bachelor has resigned her position.

Tammie Carpenter sent a letter of resignation to Fort Bend Independent School District officials saying she was stepping down effective June 29.

Two parents expressed displeasure two weeks ago about Alchalabi's absence, especially since it happened while students were preparing for the state-mandated TAKS tests.

Fort Bend Independent School District spokeswoman Mary Ann Simpson said district officials reviewed the matter involving the principal and took appropriate disciplinary action. Simpson said the district cannot reveal what type of action was taken. However, Carpenter had publicly said she was being reassigned to another campus, parents said.

The decision had angered many parents who support Carpenter, saying she did nothing wrong in allowing Alchalabi to tape the show. School officials said 10 of the missed days were unpaid.

No action has been taken against Alchalabi, 23, a fourth-grade teacher at Colony Bend Elementary School, who has done well on the show.

This from the Houston Chronicle.

Texas Hold'em

Secretary Spellings – the ace in Bush's hand

Illustration by Samuel whitehead.

This from Education Next, a blog of the Hoover Institute @ Stanford

It’s the final round for President Bush. He’s a lame duck president with diluted power; Democrats control the U.S. House and Senate; and he’s burned up much of his political capital with lawmakers wrangling over the war in Iraq. But his education agenda is still very much in play.

Although prominent members of both political parties have taken a dislike to the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), Bush still hopes to reauthorize the law before he leaves office.

Bush has one ace in his hand when it comes to NCLB: his secretary of education, Margaret Spellings.

Is Kentucky's "new" test EASIER?

The Kentucky Core Content Test has been revamped to comply with federal guidelines under NCLB, and I'm afraid that in the process, Kentucky may have followed the lead of other states and taken this opportunity to make the exams easier.

I have no direct proof of this.

But I am concerned by what I'm hearing from teachers and administrators who have given the new test for the first time over the past two weeks. The opinion seems fairly uniform - it's easier. The number of Open Response items has gone down. The number of multiple choice items have gone up.

The state has touted Norman Webb's scheme called Depth of Knowledge (a Benjamin Bloom "inspired" Taxonomy of Educational Objectives converted into complexity of content) that promises to provide a better match between content and achievement standards. Part of the problem is that it's not possible to write a multiple choice question at the deepest levels of knowledge. Another problem is that the new test takes Kentucky further away from a performance-based assessment, as required by law.

One teacher explained that, in the past, questions might require a correct response PLUS an explanation of the circumstances. The teacher said now, that same kind of item would be broken into two questions, both requiring a lower level of thinking.

If this is true, then we can predict with some confidence that scores all over the state are going to rise.

But this will be difficult to demonstrate without a side-by-side comparison of the old test and the new test, and that information isn't likely to be made available due to issues of test security. Also, since the new test is substantially different from the old test, scores will not be technically comparable. Statisticians are in a position to perform magical deeds of student achievement denied even to the most gifted teachers.

Kent State Tape Is Said to Reveal Orders

The New York Times reports:

An audio recording of the shootings 37 years ago at Kent State University includes the voices of Ohio National Guard leaders ordering troops to fire into a crowd of students, according to a man wounded in the shootings, who obtained a copy of the recording.

If confirmed as authentic, the recording could solve the central mystery of the shootings on May 4, 1970, which became a defining moment in the protests against the Vietnam War.

Alan Canfora, who was shot in the right wrist, played a copy of the recording at a news conference here on Tuesday.

Through grainy static and the high-pitched calls of protesters, it was possible to faintly hear someone shout “Point!” Mr. Canfora said the full command is recorded on the tape, with multiple voices shouting “Right here!” “Get Set!” Point!” and “Fire!”

The President’s Commission on Campus Unrest, which published its final report on the shootings in September 1970, never addressed whether commanders ordered troops to fire, saying only that the events immediately before the shooting “are in bitter dispute.” Based on the newly available recording, Mr. Canfora said he would call on Congress, the Justice Department and Ohio’s attorney general, Marc Dann, to open new investigations into the shootings.

M.I.T. Dean Who Resigned Has a Degree After All

In an odd twist to an already strange story, Marilee Jones, the former admissions dean at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who resigned last week after admitting that she had lied about her academic credentials, turns out to have a bachelor’s degree, but not from the institutions she had named on her résumé.

Instead, M.I.T. officials said, Ms. Jones earned a B.A. in biology at the College of Saint Rose, an independent college in Albany, where she grew up. Officials at the College of Saint Rose confirmed that they had awarded a bachelor’s degree to a Marilee Jones in 1973, when Ms. Jones would have been 21.

This from the New York Times.

The state board will meet May 9-10 in Bowling Green to vote on Erwin, who could start July 1 and earn a base salary of $220,000

From the Courier-Journal:

Award on resume wasn't earned

Education candidate acknowledges 'typo'

Erwin's resume indicates she was named Texas superintendent of the year two consecutive years — in 1998, and in 1997 by the Texas Association of School Boards.

Erwin said that the 1998 listing was a mistake and that she has been named superintendent of the year once, not twice.

"There must have been a typo from two different sets of resumes," she said. "I have had several people type my resume, and that has to be what the issue is."

Erwin said in a phone interview today that there was "no intention" on her part to make it look like as if she was a two-time superintendent of the year. "Heavens, no," she said.

And this from the Courier-Journal:

Award on Erwin's resume wasn't earned

She received her bachelor's and doctoral degrees from Indiana University and her master's degree from Purdue University, all three of which The Courier-Journal confirmed yesterday.

Regarding the alleged typo, a C-J reader asks, "Why is it that these inadvertent errors/mistakes/typos appearing on a resume always reflect something positive about the candidate? You guess if the typo had been something negative about her it would have gotten by her review? These sort of "typos" always seem to exaggerate someone's accomplishments, not diminish them. What a coincidence."

(Plus - according to a well-placed KDE source - The actual resume indicates three distinct items:

• 1997 TASB Supt of the Year
• 1998 TASA Supt of the Year, and
• 1999 nominee for AASA Supt of the Year

If this is true, then I don't understand the typo explanation. A typo that mistakes an 8 for a 9 (one keystroke), OK. I can see that. (Of course that does nothing to explain why the error was not caught on review, but that's another matter.) But an error including a new line of text, a new year and a new organization which supposedly made the award? That's one heck of a typo.)

This from the Herald-Leader:

Nominee for top post is criticized
Management style called 'dictatorial'

Critics of the woman tapped to become the next Kentucky education commissioner say they are surprised she was considered for the post because she has a turbulent history with districts she's led in the past 13 years.

"You don't come in and explode the place and leave the place in rubble," said Bill Page, a St. Charles parent who has been critical of Erwin in columns he wrote for the Kane County Chronicle. "If you look at her history, she comes into a district, she turns it on its ear, causes a lot of turmoil, and then she's gone."

This from the Herald-Leader.

Board stands by its choice for state schools chief despite complaints

Kentucky Board of Education members said they will move forward with hiring Barbara Erwin as the state’s education commissioner despite negative reports of her conduct in former school districts.

“The board has identified her as a candidate and has no reason to not proceed on that as a plan,” said board chairman Keith Travis. “It almost seems like all the positive things that Dr. Erwin has done has been negated by a small group of people.”

More from the Herald-Leader:

Commissioner hiring will move forward
LIKELY STATE SCHOOLS CHIEF CRITICIZED FOR WORK ELSEWHERE

She accepted the position in Kentucky last week. The board must ratify her contract at its May 9-10 retreat. Erwin is expected to start July 1 with a base salary of $220,000.

"When a leader has to make difficult decisions, 100 percent of the people are not going to be happy," said Erwin, who is still eager to become commissioner. "The people that are the unhappiest tend to speak the loudest."

The resume blunder and reports about Erwin's past performance have led some to question the work of the search firm hired to find a new commissioner. Ray and Associates Inc., based in Iowa, worked with a search committee of board members to find the successor for Gene Wilhoit, who left the commissioner post in November to become executive director of an education advocacy group in Washington, D.C.

"Clearly the search firm has let the board down," said Bob Sexton, executive director for the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. "They put (the board) in a very bad spot. There will be people that are negative and positive (about candidates). But it's the search firm's job to sort that out and find out the truth."

The school board has a contract with the firm for up to $50,000. This includes the firm's base fee of $32,000, plus about $1,000 for preparation of the informational flier and application form, an estimated $8,000 for applicant interviews, about $4,300 for the firm's travel expenses, and other fees. The firm has not yet been paid.

(The spouse of a school board member in St Charles tells me that Ray & Associates was also retained to find Erwin's replacement in Illinois.)

This from the Courier-Journal:

A flawed selection

Kentucky has staked too much on developing a more ambitious and effective state school system to accept a second-rate choice as the new commissioner of education.
Whether that's what Barbara Erwin is remains to be seen. But enough has now come out about her record to dictate a rethinking of the state school board's obviously flawed selection process.

The board should be unhappy with the work product of the search firm it hired. Chairman Keith Travis and his fellow board members should not have been surprised by important and disturbing background information dug up by newspaper reporters (and I feel certain they meant to include bloggers. Probably just forgot) in Louisville and Lexington. A proper search avoids unexpected whammies.

And finally, this from the Herald-Leader:

Look again
Finalist doesn't seem to fit education job

Maybe her critics are off base. Change agents do step on toes and make enemies, and local school politics can be a snake pit.

Still, the state board should pay attention when a former school board member from a district where Erwin was superintendent says that "she divided this community and made it very difficult for people to even work together. Divide and conquer, that was the mentality."

Or, when a parent from the district that Erwin is leaving says, "If you look at her history, she comes into a district, she turns it on its ear, causes a lot of turmoil, and then she's gone."

Managing conflict and unifying rival interests are high on the commissioner's to-do list.

The commissioner is also responsible for providing leadership to 1,249 schools in 175 local school districts; running the 400-employee Department of Education and working with an appointed board and elected governor and legislature to develop policy and budgets. It's a tough job, sometimes even a snake pit.

Since the post was created as part of the 1990 school reforms, all three commissioners have come from bigger jobs than any Erwin has held.

Video from WKYT TV:

And, somebody, please, tell me that state board of education member, Rev C B Akins, did not compare Barbara Erwin to Jesus Christ on last night's Fox News at 10PM. I have written to Marvin Bartlett to see if I can get a clip. I must not have heard that right? He was defending the board's selection...mentioned that no candidate was perfect, save one, and that Barbara Erwin was .... well, I want to see the clip again.

What INTEGRITY looks like

Fifteen cadets have been expelled and three others have resigned in a cheating scandal at the United States Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, an Air Force official said yesterday.

“Obviously, we’re very concerned,” Johnny Whitaker, director of communications for the Air Force Academy said. “The honor code is the foundation of everything we have. Our mission is to train, educate and graduate leaders of character, and so obviously, honesty and integrity are paramount.”

“Any time a cadet lies or cheats or steals,” he said, “you’re just as guilty if you know and don’t do anything about it.”

This from the New York Times.

You gotta break a few eggs to make a...mess

So what are they talking about?

She's abrasive? OK.

It's her way or the highway? OK.

Get on the bus, or get run over by the bus? That's just modern school management, right? Perhaps.

She may be just what Kentucky needs. We leave that to the collective wisdom of our state board of education. But can we assume the board factored these issues (and others) into their deliberations? Were they presented by the search firm and discussed by the board?

But here's a partial 1990's sampling of "her press clippings."

• In 1994 dogs were used in Allen TX to conduct unannounced searches of students' lockers and cars at high schools and middle schools twice a month.
• In 1999, following school shootings in Colorado the Allen Schools announced they would "suspend classes for the rest of the year because of a flurry of bomb scares." Then, they "did an about-face. Parents angry about any early end to the school year gathered and Barbara Erwin said it was never the board's intention to call off the rest of this year's classes. Instead she claimed the misinformation was deliberate - a "carefully worded" announcement to confuse those who were behind the bomb threats. [I'm not making this up.] Erwin told The Dallas Morning News the cancellation announcement was "just a ruse to throw off the pranksters." The Fort-Worth Star-Telegram opined, "Regardless of why Allen school officials announced last week that the district was suspending classes for the rest of the year, it was a terribly flawed decision - one that should not have been made, and one that was made worse by this week's embarrassing announcement of "Oops, never mind." After a storm of nationwide publicity and an outcry from parents, leaders of the suburban district north of Dallas backtracked, saying they never intended to shut down school two weeks early."
• The Dallas Morning News [May 21, 1999] reported: A 17-year-old student complained that her constitutional rights were violated when she was suspended from school last month for wearing a black armband. Jennifer Boccia, a honors student who serves as a peer tutor for special-education students, said she was one of about 10 students who donned black armbands to protest school policies instituted after the recent Columbine High School shootings in Colorado and to show respect for the victims. The students were ordered to remove the armbands and threatened to suspend them if they did not. Jennifer said that she and two other students continued to wear the armbands, and she spent one day in in-school suspension. Jennifer, who had been studying the right to protest in her government class, said she offered a copy of a 1969 Supreme Court decision upholding the right of students to wear black armbands to protest the war in Vietnam. According to Jennifer, assistant principal Carolyn Thompson was shown a copy of the ruling, turned and calmly put it through a paper shredder in front of her and two other students. "We just sat there, stunned," Jennifer said. "She told us that she was willing to ignore the Constitution to protect students, that we could write it down and she would sign it." Jennifer said that when she appealed to the school's principal, Ira Sparks, she was told, "We will not play this protest game...he said he was above the Constitution." School Superintendent Barbara Erwin declined to comment on the student suspensions. "This is really interesting that 30 years after Tinker v. Des Moines we have a school district that thinks the First Amendment doesn't apply to them," said Ms. Philip of the ACLU.
• When the long-term award-winning band teachers suddenly quit the Allen program parents were upset. During the tenures of these teachers, Allen High bands were rated superior nearly every year in state competitions. The band was one of a handful selected from hundreds to play in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, in 1994. It marched through Manhattan in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1997. And it was invited to perform at both of Gov. George W. Bush's inaugural ceremonies. "Those are years and years of positives for Allen that you can't go out and buy," one parent said.
  The three teachers said they were forced out by the school district administration for questioning changes in the program. They said changes made behind their backs demoted them, in effect. They said that in previous years, they had been involved in determining what modifications would be made to the band program. District officials said that the teachers were not forced out, that they quit on their own and that they are simply disgruntled former employees.

More later.

New Ed. Commissioner Drama/Gov./Travis

New information from Mark Hebert this morning on his blog On the Mark.

Summary:

Erwin's the choice...contract is in the mail.

There is an error on her resume [as reported here]. "Erwin told [Hebert] by phone that listing her as 1998 Superintendent of the Year was probably a mistake and not an embellishment. Ky. Board Chairman Keith Travis says the board will look at any possible discrepancies in Erwin's resume before voting on her hiring. Board member Doug Hubbard says the mistake "is a big deal" and he blames the search firm for failing to do a better job digging into the backgrounds of the three finalists for the job."

After talking with several folks in three of her fromer districts, Hebert writes "Kentucky will either love or hate Barbara Erwin. Everyone describes her as hard working, innovative, extremely bright and able to connect with parents. They also describe her as divisive, vindictive and a micromanager with poor people skills. "

"Travis says he's happy with the nominees and heard no rumblings about reopening the search process. Hubbard says the board's search committee did the best job possible with less than stellar work by the search firm.

Lastly, Governor Fletcher, Robbie Rudolph and Education Secretary Laura Owens flew to Bowling Green to meet with the three finalists for the education commissioners job. They were there when the state board was interviewing the candidates, but did not sit in on the board's interviews. According to Travis and Hubbard, the governor welcomed the three candidates and talked with them individually. Fletcher did not meddle in the search process or try to convince board members that one candidate was better than another, according to the board members.

Thanks for the excellent work, Mark.

From Coast to Coast: Teachers dropping out

A study blames working conditions.

As a mid-career professional with a doctorate in chemistry, Maurice Stephenson appeared made to order for the Los Angeles Unified School District, especially because he was eager to teach at a high-poverty campus in a system woefully short of qualified science teachers.

But the honeymoon ended abruptly after less than two years. Fed up with student insolence and administrative impotence, he stalked out of Manual Arts High School on March 12 and never went back.

Few teachers quit so dramatically, but leave they do. In California, teachers are departing the profession in alarming numbers — 22% in four years or fewer — but simply offering them more money won't solve the problem, according to a report released Thursday.

The real issue is working conditions, which are the flip side of a student's learning conditions, said Ken Futernick, who directs K-12 studies at the Center for Teacher Quality at Cal State Sacramento.

The central findings were:

81% of teachers who participated in our survey said they entered the profession because they wanted to make a difference for children and society. This overwhelming number indicates that teachers want above all to be effective teachers.

Many teachers leave schools long before retirement because of inadequate system supports such as too little time for planning, too few textbooks, and unreliable assistance from the district office.

Bureaucratic impediments (e.g., excessive paperwork, too many unnecessary meetings) were cited frequently by leavers. The data also showed that teachers were not asking to be left alone but instead wanted efficient and responsive bureaucracy that supported their teaching.

Better compensation matters to teachers, but unless their classroom and school environment is conducive to good teaching, better compensation is not likely to improve teacher retention rates.

Teachers willingly stay because of strong collegial supports and because they have an important say in the operation of the school; they also seek strong input in what and how they are allowed to teach.

Special education teachers are most likely to leave special education because of inadequate system supports as well as an all-too-often hostile teaching environment created by parents and student advocates. In addition, they leave because of too little time for the complex and constantly changing IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) they are required to write.
Many leave because of dysfunctional professional relationships with their colleagues in general education.

Many teachers (28%) who have left teaching before retirement would come back if improvements were made to teaching and learning conditions. Monetary incentives alone would be less effective in luring them back.

And from Teacher Magazine:

Why Teachers Quit
By Kimberly Palmer
Palmer, K. (2007 May/June). Why teachers quit. Teacher Magazine, pp. 45

It wasn’t her teenage students who drove Meghan Sharp out of teaching—it was the crippling inflexibility of her administrators.

All the innovative curriculum ideas and field trips she proposed to engage her 10th grade biology students were promptly shot down, and she left the profession after just two years.

“I still enjoyed teaching, but it was a constant battle with the administration,” says Sharp, who worked in an urban district in northern New Jersey.

According to a recent report on teacher attrition by the federal National Center for Education Statistics, her predicament—and her departure—are common in the profession. Among former teachers who took noneducation jobs, 64 percent said they have more professional autonomy now than when they taught. Only 11 percent said they’d had more influence over policies at school than in their current jobs.

The survey, based on interviews with more than 7,000 current and former teachers, also found widespread problems with workloads and general working conditions, and it notes that the percentage of teachers abandoning the classroom continues to grow. Among public school teachers, that proportion reached 8 percent in the 2004-05 school year—up from 6 percent in 1988-89.

The problem, experts say, is that teaching has gotten harder.

“As states have increased their reform orientation and their standards and accountability, a good chunk of that falls on the shoulders of teachers,” says Margaret Plecki, an associate professor in educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Washington in Seattle. Those changes, she notes, add up to increased pressure to perform.

In such a climate, teaching may not feel as rewarding, says Barry Farber, professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College. “My sense is that these numbers reflect the fact that many teachers are still struggling to feel consequential—to feel that their efforts are making a difference.”

The NCES study also showed that less-experienced teachers were particularly at risk of fleeing: 20 percent of public school teachers with no prior full-time teaching experience left during 2004-05—more than double the overall rate.

65% Proportion of former public school teachers who say they're better able to balance work and life now that they're working outside the education field.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education; National Center for Education Statistics Teacher Follow-up Survey.

Crowd wants principal back

Supt. let her go; council can rehire her

This from the Cincinnati Enquirer:

A raucous crowd of about 300 students, teachers, parents and alumni at Monday's board meeting could not convince Campbell County Schools Superintendent Anthony Strong to give Ginger Webb her job back.

But she may get it back anyway.

Webb, in her third year as principal of Campbell County High, was informed Friday by Strong that her contract would not be renewed for the 2007-08 school year.

Nearly three dozen people addressed Strong and the school board Monday, all in favor of Webb. Nobody spoke in favor of Strong's decision. Many speakers received standing ovations, including eight members of the site-based council.

If Webb reapplies for the job after Strong posts it, the council can essentially overrule Strong and rehire her.

"I'm leaning heavily toward reapplying," Webb said after the meeting, saying she would make a definite decision in the next few days.

And though Holthaus' term ends after this school year, he said he's confident the new council will rehire her.

Ed Week Chat With Berliner and Nichols

Highlights of yesterday's Ed Week chat with Berliner and Nichols

on high-stakes testing posdted on School Matters.

Here's a sample:

Question from Walter Carlson, Parent, Fairfax, Virginia:

I agree there are adverse effects of the NCLB but what other choice does society have when after 3 generations the nation's schools have not been able to address the minority achievement gap -- regardless of how much money they've been given. Tests provide a means to identify were problems are and let focus schools on them. Even many educators are admittng that tests do help identify children who need help and schools that are failing. What other choice do we have besides tests?

David Berliner:

I think this is a bogus strength of NCLB and the tests they demand. For at least 50 years I could have told you what schools were not doing well, based on norm referenced low stakes tests, and I could have told you which kids were not doing well. EVERYONE KNEW!!!!!

Nobody had the will to do anything about it--they were not white middle class kids that were the ones who had the trouble, and so these chidren were abandoned.

I see nothing new in NCLB except that the schools are now to fix all of societies ills. The real issue is do we have the desire to invest in the education of poor kids--after school programs, Saturday programs, summer programs, high quality pre schools, small class size for three years, moving high quality teachers to their schools etc...

Resume Indiscretions Remain Widespread

It seemed somehow sadly ironic that Marilee Jones' title at MIT was dean of admissions.Her owning up this week to misrepresenting the qualifications on her résumé more than a quarter-century ago will have struck a chord among more people than you might think. And at a higher level than you might imagine.

Human resources surveys regularly show that anything upward of a third of résumés may be knowingly incorrect, from "padding"--or overplaying qualifications or previous work experience--to outright falsehoods, while companies generally are spending more time conducting background checks and verifying claims.

In a survey by CareerBuilder.com last October, over half of HR managers said they had flagged a lie on an applicant's résumé - 93% of them did not hire the candidate.

A 2004 report by the Government Accountability Office found that 463 government employees in eight federal agencies had listed bogus academic credentials on their résumés.

In February 2006, the CEO of Radio Shack resigned after 11 years at the helm when an investigation by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram had turned up overstated qualifications on his academic record.

Michael Brown, the former head of FEMA, much-criticized in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, found himself at the sharp end of an investigation by Time magazine, which indicated that he had padded his experience in emergency management prior to his appointment.

Notre Dame football coach George O'Leary resigned just five days after his appointment in 2001, over academic discrepancies.

This from Forbes.com.

Taking another look at Erwin's award claim.

There's no reason to read this (or any) blog if the information isn't trustworthy. That means if I mess up...I've gotta fess up. And, I may have messed up.

As a result, the issue over the veracity of Barbara Erwin's vita has flared up again.

Here's where I may have gone wrong:

I wrote to Amy Vogt, Communications Director for the Texas Association of School Administators, and asked, "Can you confirm That Barbara Erwin was the recipient of AASA's Superintendent of the Year somewhere around 2000?"

Amy directed the question to Darlene Pierce, Director of the National Superintendent of the Year Program. Ms. Pierce wrote back and said, "Yes..." But that's not all she said.

The full statement was, "Yes, in 1999 when she was a superintendent in Texas she was that state's representative in the National Superintendent of the Year program."

Well, that's like, "Yes, we have no bananas." It was a curveball, and I missed it.

So, the "case" is reopened. There is smoke, and there may yet be some flame.

Richard Innes, of the Bluegrass Institute called me last night and we were comparing notes. He told me he spoke to the Executive Director of the Texas Association of School Administrators who said TASA has NEVER designated a Texas Superintendent of the Year. Not in 1998. Not in 1999.

However, adding to the confusion, the TASA web site does make reference to a regional "TASB Superintendent of the Year." For example, in 2006, Superintendents from 16 public school districts were nominated for TASB's "regional" Superintendent of the Year award. It shows up on TASA's web site because the two groups cooperate in their recognition programs. But if Erwin won one of those, it would hardly validate a claim that she was "Texas Superintendent of the Year. It's not the same thing at all. That would be like making it to the Sweet 16...and then claiming a state championship without playing another game.

It's good to keep in mind that we are working from press reports here. What really matters is how Erwin represented herself to the state board of education. If she claimed to be the 1998 TASA Texas Supt of the Year. It seems clear, she was not.

So to recap where we stand on Erwin's claims:

TASB Supt of the Year 1997 - confirmed

TASA Supt of the Year 1998 - unconfirmed - and apparently unconfirmable - The Executive Director says TASA has no such program

TASA Supt of the Year 1999 - unconfirmed - and apparently unconfirmable - The Executive Director says TASA has no such program

TASA representative to the AASA national Supt of the Year 1999 - confirmed - Erwin was nominated but she did not win.

Stay tuned as this develops.