Dissection of an Email

This was sent to me highlighted to distinguish different parts, but Wix does not allow me to highlight so I changed what they wanted highlighted to red font and put the comments in blue. Everything black and red was originally sent in an email from Haydee Robinson to her staff.

From your email and the questions you have asked regarding the Division Superintendent's contract, it appears that you believe that my contract is somehow related to the horrific loss of 42 positions. We can debate about my contract at any time, but my contract and/or the terms of my contract had nothing to do with 42 people of courage and character losing their jobs.

I beg to differ when Haydee says that we can debate about her contract at any time. If anyone in our county point blank asked her “do you feel that it is acceptable to receive a raise and extra benefits when the school system is facing so many horrendous cuts?” This one question, which is highly debatable would NOT be answered by her, how do I know this? If she felt her contract was unfair when so many others lost their jobs, so many “people of courage and character” as she states, then she would have DENIED HER RAISE!! This would have proven her “courage” and “character!”

You are correct: It is not fair that our staff members lost their jobs. The reason that these people lost their jobs was because of the funding loss of $800,000 from the Board of Supervisors. Here we are with the first statement of blame. It isn’t her fault that she took every dime to build a massive school, instead of building a PRACTICAL school that could be sustained. It’s the BOS! Has she never been taught to save for a rainy day or to not bust the bank? Anyone with proper foresight and planning abilities should have known to cut costs where possible and not add extras, such as a massive wall of windows that would cost a great deal of time and resources to clean. That’s just one unneeded expense in the new school. The cost of the windows alone could have saved many people their positions!

Since 2008 - 2009, the Board of Supervisors has appropriated $6.1 million only one time in 2011 - 2012. Each year before 2011 - 2012 and after, the appropriations have been significantly more, and the Board of Supervisors have proudly supported children and education.

This my friends bothers me. Why? Because a great deal of money has been allocated to the school system, time and again, with “significantly more” given. We need to ask and HAVE ANSWERED, why was more given and why was some not SAVED? Again, where is the foresight, where is the planning and saving for when the creek doth rise or the wolf comes to the door?

The contract of division superintendents is solely based on performance and on his/her accomplishments on identified goals during the contractual time. There is no tenure beyond the employment contract. When I was hired in March, 2009, my first directive from the Dickenson County School Board was to get the funding to build a school. Good job, you did that. Let’s at least give her a pat on the back and credit where credit is due for finding money!

It was clear that my success would be judged in significant part based upon my ability to renovate or construct schools. I was given this responsibility in addition to the normal responsibilities and duties of a division superintendent. Then Haydee has failed! She has constructed a school that burst the budget for our county. Her legacy will be a giant school that will increase the financial burden upon our county and contribute to its possible bankruptcy! She may have thought that she was going to leave behind a lasting legacy of a big ole magnificent school as a monument to her success, however it will be a mark of her failure to properly meet the needs of a struggling county! It will be a mark of broken promises, loss and sorrow, a mark of how one person was allowed to go unchecked in their building plans and unquestioned on how she could justify such a large building.

Today, it is largely forgotten, but back then many good people were vehemently opposed to consolidation. Many good people were strongly opposed to the concept of eminent domain , and they urged that we build the school on an abandoned surface mine at another location. Many good people thought that Ridgeview would be the financial ruin of Dickenson County. AND THEY WERE RIGHT AND HAYDEE WAS WRONG AND MANY GOOD PEOPLE WERE IGNORED!!!!! ANYONE WHO GREW UP IN OUR COUNTY, GIVEN THE TASK OF BUILDING A NEW SCHOOL, COULD HAVE SEEN THAT BUILDING THIS SCHOOL THE WAY IT WAS BUILT WAS GOING TO BE FINANCIALLY DANGEROUS!!!! But I digress, the people are ignored time and again. We speak out, then our webpages are shut down, our facebook posts reported, our people stand and speak at meetings only to be denied over and over!

Today, most reasonable people realize that consolidation was inevitable. Most people would agree that it would have been a large mistake to try to fit Ridgeview on an abandoned strip mine. Ridgeview has been built with almost 100% federal money – It is completely paid for and, in addition, we have the funds to construct the elementary school. This did not just happen magically. Some people, myself included, worked very hard to make this happen. If there are funds to construct an elementary school, then why couldn’t funds have been found to retain 42 jobs? If you recall earlier our Superintendent stated that she was given the duty of finding funds to build new schools, she did! So why could she then NOT locate funds, somewhere in the (clears throats) central office jobs or other places to keep a Drama department going or a robotics program, again, I digress. The hypocrisy is thick my friends.

During the last seven years, with the collaboration of the Board of Supervisors and the IDA, the Dickenson County School Board has helped to bring into the County $110,000 million dollars to construct a 21st -century educational campus: Ridgeview High School and Career Center, Ridgeview Middle School, new and modern athletic fields and making plans to construct a new elementary school. So, if the accomplishments and performance of the division superintendent is based on the first directive I received: construction of schools : The fact is: This goal among others has exceeded all expectations. Three different School Boards agreed in 2011, 2014 and in 2016 that my performance merited either a new contract or an extension of one. I strongly believe that the reason I received a new contract is because I worked hard and that work achieved results. I also believe that the School Board expects me to work just as hard during the next four years to build a new elementary school, in addition to other normal responsibilities of the division superintendent.

Well let’s give her the Blue Ribbon children! She built a school, that was her directive, again with buck passing, laying the responsibility of failure on the shoulders of the SB for telling her to build new schools. What she is failing to see is that she built the wrong type of school, however modern and amazing, it’s unaffordable. Yes! It’s UN-A-FFORD-ABLE. We lost near a million dollars worth of jobs at the school, it’s clearly a directive that was not accomplished accordingly.

If during the last seven years, there had not been a plan to restructure all our schools, and to diligently fight for funding to construct Ridgeview, an $800,000 budget cut such as we are experiencing today would probably mean that two high schools would be closed, and all our high school students would be transported to one high school. We would not be the Wolfpack, and more than likely our approximately 659 high students (9 - 12) would be attending Clintwood High School or Haysi High School for the 2016 - 2017 school year.

When we learned in mid-April and early May that this budget loss was real, we immediately informed the DEA and our staff, we requested input from staff members through emails and surveys, we included the proposed budget cuts in every agenda for School Board meetings, and we met with the DEA, and small groups regarding the devastation of these cuts. In the last two months, School Board members and I have attended the Board of Supervisors meetings, and I have spoken publicly and privately about the impact of this funding loss to Board of Supervisors members. School Board members and I have also attended budget meetings.

We the people should DEMAND that we see all meeting notes, emails and survey results so that we can assess how well the staff and DEA were listened to in their recommendations and thoughts on the building of the e new school. You see I distinctly recollect the DEA approaching our Superintendent with cuts in the Central Office that would save money and the DENIAL of those thoughts from the later. They were accused of desiring to target one office, something Haydee said she wouldn’t do.

I am troubled as to why the participation from staff members including the leadership of our teachers has been minimal at any of these meetings. While I am very grateful for those who attended meetings and spoke so eloquently, how I wish the Courtroom had been filled to capacity in April and May. I am perplexed as to the focus on the division superintendent's contract, and the lack of action and response from the leadership of our teachers to the loss of $800,000 and its impact on the school division.

Why would she be troubled, if she received staffs feelings and ideas and other information about the cuts through the emails, surveys and meetings she mentioned? Would she not have known where her staff etc., stood? If not, she should have questioned them again so that she, as a representative of our school could have spoken at the BOS meetings for the staff. Isn’t that in the end what her duty is? Isn’t she supposed to be the voice of our school system, the head honcho, the leader? If these meetings were so very pertinent and she was troubled as to why no one was there in April, then why didn’t she reiterate the devastating news in another email and tell everyone they needed to be at the meetings? She may have, I haven’t seen the supposed emails or notes from meetings. You see there is a clear disconnect here from what she is saying and what is occurring. I cry foul to the fact that her ideals were proposed to all the staff when the budget cuts were made. I say this because we can see what has happened from the loss of jobs, PEOPLE ARE STANDING UP AND SPEAKING OUT! They would have done so before had they truly known what was coming off. The cuts were agreed upon in a CLOSED SESSION amongst SB members. Why need a closed session if the cuts were being broadcast prior to them being made? I urge you, and all our teachers and staff members to focus now upon the critical issues at hand.

We are, that’s why The Freedom page exists and why there was a Freedom page on Facebook, but you see it keeps being shut down. We came out to the meetings, the DEA told you where you could cut, but you said NO, YOU WOULDN’T TARGET ONE OFFICE! I would like to thank our Superintendent for urging us to focus now upon the issues at hand, we “Freedom Fighters” very well plan to do so!

Staff members must understand that the Board of Supervisors is in a very difficult place. Ultimately, the Board of Supervisors cannot support spending that is not supported by their constituents. I am concerned that based on what the Board of Supervisors have seen from us, they have no reason to believe that investing in education is supported by their constituents. This is the worst statement I have read in this entire message. EVERYONE IS CONCERNED! Why would this page exist? Why would we be questioning our BOS spending habits? WE WANT THEM TO STOP SPENDING $800 ON ONE MEAL!!!!!

My word, of all things that she could have said, does she truly not see that the people are outraged? We have said we want our kids to have a wonderful education and we know that it is BOTH the BOS fault and the SB fault that our school is suffering! We want them to find the money to give to the schools so we don’t have jobs lost and classes disappear! Did she not listen when a variety of people stood before the SB last month and stated their concerns. Mercy!

If you are willing to work together, please join me at the Board of Supervisors at its June 21st meeting at 5:00 p.m. at the Courthouse. I look forward to seeing you and many of our staff on June 21st.

Sincerely,

Haydee L. Robinson,