Smithville School Board Situation Analysis

The meeting continued with board member Jason Hopp presenting Dr. Matthew Flannery, formerly the principal of Shiloh Hills Elementary School, for a roll call vote to approve him as the new Assistant Superintendent of the WIlson School District. Mr. Hopp spoke for approximately two minutes about the credentials, reputation, and record of quality performance that Dr. Flannery has documented during his time with the district. A five-year contract was approved on an 8-1 vote, with Mr. Martin voting “no”. It may be worth observing that Mr. Martin is known as the “no man” of the current board, and often tows one of the more conservative lines of all board members. One can speculate that he may have felt

Although the superintendent has the authority to hire and fire teachers, it would be within his best interest to do so based on appropriate legal footing rather than personal bias. The superintendent’s recommendations for Barnhart’s change of employment appears to be grounded in bias. From the beginning he was a dubious supporter of Barnhart as athletic director. He has no proof that she contacted the reporter so is basing his decision on the weak legal footing of assumption. Understandably, he is doing so to balance teacher rights and promoting harmony within the work place which ultimately supports student learning. Several court cases provide guide lines for achieving this balance. The cases of Pickering v. Board of Education (1968) and Connick v. Myers (1983) developed a two pronged test to check the balance. First, does the speech address matters of public concern? Assuming Barnhart did contact the reporter, yes, the information is a matter of public concern since it involves Title IX, a federal civil law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in education activities. It is a federal law that high schools treat boys’ and girls’ sports equally. Also, can Burnhart demonstrate her speech interest outweigh the harmony of the district leadership? Again, yes, the speech is not affecting her immediate supervisor, principal Tara Hills as supported by Fales v. Garst

Simple arithmetic is not an easy task. Just like some students have difficulties with basic mathematics skills, so does the Superintendent. This is not to say that the Superintendent cannot do basic math. What this is really comparing is the challenging undertaking involved in counting four out of seven votes in favor of the Superintendent 's recommendations. Swaying back and forth for Board votes is timely and very hard to accomplish, but it is an essential part of the job. Sharp and Walter (2004) explain board members have no authority as individuals. However, together or as a majority they can be extremely powerful in making policy. Longer tenures and more efficient working

I was chosen to sit on the committee due to my many years of service in the education system. I bring 15 years of experience as an educator, coach, mentor and supervisor. This experience in the k-12 setting has allowed me to work with hundreds of teachers and administrators. During my tenor with the school district I have been asked to sit on dozens of committees, from curriculum, book adoption, finance, to diversity just to name a few. I hold two masters degrees in education; which has afforded me the knowledge and wherewithal to prefect my craft.

The candidates presented during this panel discussion were Representative Chris turner, who serves in the higher education committee for district 101. Sheri Capehart, who serves in district 2, all of her sons graduated from Arlington ISD. Kelly Cannon, running for city council, district 1, she is the one involved with taking away the red lights in Arlington. A person running for district seven in favor of online voting, which I believe is ridiculous. Charlie Parker, he’s the district 1 incumbent and an ex-pilot from the navy. Dr. Victoria Myers, she taught political science in UTA but now she is running for district seven, which is responsible by how Arlington looks. John Hibbs, a member of the school district at Arlington, he has served there for 6 years. And last but not least Jamie Sullins, the president of Arlington Independent School District. All of these people intend to do what they

I think it is important to point out a little background information on the Englewood School Board. I have attended several of the school board meetings over the past three years and have witnessed a lot of bitterness and dissatisfaction among the board members and attendees. It stems from a history of inequities in the school system and a separation of high school and an Academy program that appears to receive a large operating budget and administrative support on the same campus. With that said there are members on the board who have children in the Academy program who have a vested interest in the success of the program over what is best for all the students who attend the high school or the program.

In Bethel School District v. Fraser, Matthew Fraser made a speech in front of an assembly of students in which he nominated a fellow student for a class election. In his speech,

Although Mullion does not have a background in education, as a parent of three children reared in the Palo Verde Unified District, she was elected to the school board last November, and has since, learned the workings of the district.

The school board meeting I attended was the Norris School District. The meeting was located at Norris Middle School in the Mary Louise Robinson Library. The address was 6940 Calloway Dr. at seven PM. The Norris school district contains four elementary schools and one middle school. Total number of elected board members are five. The board president is Cy Silver. They meet once a month on the second Wednesday. The board is required to address the reports from superintendent and staff. Such as enrollment, district proposition 39 California clean energy job acts funding, district cafeteria report, local control accountability plan progress report. They also discuss new business such as approving budgets and achievements. The general format of the meeting is the board members sit in the front of the general attendees and the president sits in the middle of all the board members. Staff members sit to the right and left of the board members. The atmosphere was very welcoming, and they spoke of the business like they actually cared.

For this online course, I was required to attend and observe a school board meeting. I completed my requirement on Monday May 23rd, 2016 at the Clearfield Area Board of School Directors Regular Meeting from 6:00 pm until 9:15 pm. The current Clearfield Area School Board is composed of five male and four female members. The five male members of this school board are: Mr. Larry A. Putt, Mr. Phillip E. Carr, Mr. Tim N. Morgan, Mr. Randy Pataky, and Dr. Michael Spencer. The four female members of this school board include: Mrs. Mary Anne Jackson, Mrs. Susan E. Mikesell, Mrs. Gail Ralston, and Mrs. Jennifer Wallace.

According to Lunenburg and Ornstein (2012), “Major reasons why superintendents ultimately come under attack or resign can be classified into ten problem areas” (p. 254). After attending the Owensboro Public School Board Meeting it was clear which problem areas were prevalent in the district.

The meeting began when the school board members entered the large group instruction room and took their seats at a panel table angled to the side of the audience. The school board consists of nine elected members from the community. The members are as follows: Paul Ridley (President), Pat Vigliotta (Vice President), Helen Cumminskey

The new board member needs to devise a new policy that will ensure that the faculty in her district culturally resembles the community. The Board is in a good position to make a change and it not be a huge change. If they wait the community will grow more diverse the policy will have to be more aggressive. As mentioned previously, the board needs to revise how the purchase services. They need to begin allowing the superintendent to using a bidding process to engage companies instead of hiring a group without doing research. This policy needs to focus on the details and clearly define every step.

The essay asks students to describe what they would do as mayor to improve their community. Our hope is that seventh-grade teachers across Kansas will use the essay to address the state’s 7th Grade Civics-Government Benchmarks. We will select a winner from six regions across the state, and each winning student will receive a $125 cash prize in addition to recognition at Local Government Day in January. One overall winner will also be selected to represent

a) What action, if any, should have been taken by the school administration when the local teachers’ association publicly criticized the administration and the school board?