East Maine School District #63 (EMSD#63) Superintendent, Dr. Scott Clay and the EMSD#63 School Board, led by long time Board President Ms. Jane Wojtkiewicz, are, in my opinion, either the dumbest School System leaders I’ve ever met or the most brilliant, in choosing over the last few days, to directly respond to Internet blog postings: Unrealistic and unachievable drivel….. and Spain is a great place for a vacation. Hope our lucky administrators had good ones, in the way they have.
In my opinion, to allow Dr. Clay to directly respond on an Internet blog site as they did multiple times last week, although daring, innovative and refreshing, was in my opinion, naïve and potentially placed EMSD#63 and Dr. Clay personally and professionally, in a position for well deserved ridicule, and ultimately put at risk his reputation and career, as well as the reputation and good name of East Maine School District #63 and it’s staff. Shame on this sightless Board.
What the heck were they thinking?
Are they not aware of their mutual responsibilities under Board Policies 2:130 “Board-Superintendent Relationship”, Adopted December 11, 2002, and 3:40 “Superintendent”, Revised January 6, 2010? Policies they created and vote on?
Even if these policies relieve Dr. Clay and/or the Board from any explicit responsibility to advise and consent, the Board approved 2009-2010 Goals for Dr. Clay make clear the Boards intentions relating to communication; including the strengthening of communication among and between Board Members, Superintendent and Board and between Superintendent and stakeholders.
As I stated above, Dr. Clay and EMSD#63 Board, were, in my opinion, either the dumbest School System leaders I’ve ever met or the most brilliant.
Question: What if it’s the latter?
EMSD#63 has expressed its long-standing policy of continuously improving communications between the District and stakeholders. It’s clear that EMSD#63, in my opinion, has broken new ground in their on-going effort to improve Board, Administration and Stakeholder communication. Seems like Dr. Williams $70k+ one-year no-contract mentoring gig has finally paid off.
Since EMSD#63 has now positioned itself as a “leader” in the Illinois education community, I can only hope the rest of Illinois School Superintendents and their School Boards shows the same insightful leadership when dealing with their District stakeholders.
We’ll just have to wait and see.
As followers of this site, you’ve read the blog posting and their comment “messages”. Was this experiment in open communication dumb or brilliant?
You make the call!
I will be responding to Dr. Clay’s final “messages” starting next week.
5 comments:
I think it was brilliant! Dr. Clay took a risk. More than I can say for you. I've read your blogs. You only complain.You never say anything good. Dr. Clays response made you look small and petty. You're always putting down district 63 administrators and teachers. You didn't show Dr. Clay or the school board the respect they deserve. Our teachers look after our children every day and all you can do is belittle them. The board volinteer hundreds of hours a year to make the district better. Mr. Butterly you have no shame.
I do not agree with 100% of what you have written but I do find Mr. Butterly to be slanted in the extreme. He makes all kinds of claims and he gets an actual response. Now he creats an issue out of the fact that someone responded. Funny stuff!!!
Mr. Butterly:
I have just read a few more threads on your blog. I guess I have to thank you for your time in putting this together but I have to say it would appear to me you have an ax to grind here - why I am not sure. I can understand you, or any taxpayer having questions about how our dolars are spent. Having said that, I would hope you would agree that none of us are going to be in complete agreement. I do not understand why you find it necessary to post about an event that took place in 2006 and, while the value is open to debate, was hardly extravagant. You go on to post about issues whick Clay politely responds to and you creat an issue out of that. Do you not want dialogue with the district?
Not to pry, but your profile is very limited. A google search suggests there is some history here. Apparently you tried to run for D63 board in the past. Care to explain??
Anon: June 26, 2010 6:24
I am glad that you chose to read a few more threads. I don’t know which ones they were; there are as of this message, 44 in total. Maybe you can tell me which ones you read so that I can get a better understanding of your comment so that I may properly respond.
You say that I have an ax to grind. If so, maybe you can tell me what that ax looks like?
You stated that you understood why I or any other taxpayer might have questions regarding how “our tax dollars are spent.” Then you went on to say, that you hoped that I would agree that none of us are going to be in complete agreement. You are being vague here. Can you explain what our disagreement is? I completely missed it.
You stated at the beginning of your message, that you had only read a few “threads”. Might I suggest that you take the time to read them all. The Spain working vacation was only one of them.
EMSD#63 has had a history of being less than frugal with our tax money. Soon, the District will return to the taxpayer with their hands out. Fifty two hundred dollars, no matter when it was spent is about the amount I paid in EMSD#63's portion of my real estate taxes. My referendum-increased tax dollars paid for that trip; tax dollars that could have been used toward other, and more needed, teaching resources. Extravagant? You obviously believe they weren’t. If spending other people’s money, when you’re broke, on something that was not needed is not extravagant, then I don’t know what that word means.
I am sorry that you missed the thrust of this post. Dr. Clay’s writing, no matter how polite, were naïve and misguided. He is a nice man. He deserved better from his Board. That said, the EMSD#63 Boards apparent lack of good judgment, in this matter, is the issue!
Finally, in a “not to pry” way, would you be more specific? I don’t get what my “tried to run for D63 board in the past” has to do with this post?
Please explain.
Anon: June 25, 2010 1:44PM,
1.) I am glad that you thought EMSD#63’s decision to, I assume, encourage Dr. Clay to directly respond to posts published here was a “brilliant” one. And, to his credit, Dr. Clay did take a very big risk in doing so. In spite of what I thought of his responses, his stand-up attitude was something to be applauded. I’m not sure his predecessor would have ever attempted the same thing without first, passing everything through the attorneys.
2.) Are you suggesting that placing ones ideas or opinions out in the public arena is without risk?
3.) Did you read all of the posting on the blog site before posting your comment?
4.) You wrote that I only complain and never say anything good. Are you suggesting that my site would be better served if I focused on the “good works” aspect of EMSD#63 instead of it’s shortcomings? Are you asking me to be a flack for the district? EMSD#63 already has publications designed for that; the FORUM comes to mind.
5.) You stated that Dr. Clay’s response made me look “small and petty.” Are you suggesting that a 40+ year-old professional with a Ph D. making $170k+ per year should be treated like a child? Is that what your suggesting? Quite frankly, Dr. Clay, in my opinion, gave as good as he got!
6.) As to your comment that I’m “always putting down district 63 administrators and teachers”, I must beg to differ with you. I do sometimes write unflattering things about EMSD#63 administrators or the Board. Where, on this site, have I written uncomplimentary comments directed at EMSD#63’s teachers?
7.) Respect - that subject will be covered in the future in a separate post.
8.) As to your two comments about teachers looking after children and board volunteers spending “hundreds of hours a year” making the district better, I say the following: Everybody knew when they took these jobs what the jobs entailed. No one forces them to stay. Others are prepared to take their place should they go. Their continued stay is by their choice.
9.) No, I feel no shame in discussing in public, education related problems at EMSD#63 or any other school district.
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