Does our School Board have a Clue?????
- Jul 7, 2016
- 3 min read
Shared with me from a concerned citizen
Since Rocky Barton has willing admitted in open session that Mrs. Robinson had not been evaluated in the last 4 years, does this not make her new contract invalid? In the DCPS policy it details how staff will be evaluated and can be released with unsatisfactory evaluations. Does this not apply to the superintendent? How can it apply if she has not been evaluated? Should her new contract not be dissolved and a full evaluation done on her and then start talking about a new contract. I am not sure how it would work to have her working out of contract, but how can she legally work under a contract that cannot be honored. Furthermore what happens the next time a teacher is placed on an improvement plan or axed for a poor evaluation? Will this person not have grounds to file a discrimination suit against the board? Would a good lawyer not be able to say you have no grounds to release my client, even if it is in your policy manual you cannot enforce it because the leader of the system skirted around it? This is something that demands an answer at the next school board meeting. How can you legally employ someone who di d not follow policy?Another thing that burns me up on all of this is the audacity of Rocky Barton, the chairman of the board admitting no evaluations had been done. While I admire him admitting publicly this had not been done, does he not realize he failed to fulfill the duty of his job in doing this? He owns a business, rules state that when he buries someone he is to be paid, how would he like it if you just skipped out on that part? Can he not be recalled for such behavior? Awarding someone the contract they awarded her and then finding out she was never evaluated just burns me up!
I hate to bounce around but sometimes it just works out that way. I recently “obtained” a copy of an email from Mrs. Robinson to all of her staff. The one part that stuck out to me was this one
“ 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. 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.”
This part just jumps off the page at me every time I read it. My success would be judged in significant part based upon my ability to renovate or construct schools, really, this is what your job is. We have educated children in Dickenson County for a long time in whatever buildings we can get; your job is to implement an educational program that fits the needs of our children, staff, and citizens. Since this is an opinion page, I will go ahead and give this one. Even if the only thing you were being evaluated on was the building of the new schools, I still would not give you a new contract. You built a colossal building that does not suit the needs of this county. We cannot afford to cut all the grass or keep all of the windows clean, little alone do the needed maintenance a building that size will require. We needed a school that would offer more while reducing our need for the counties money. We failed in that obligation! I know I would have gladly taken a smaller building if it meant keeping the jobs of those that were cut. Sure it is nice to look at, but sadly our students will be paying the price for your arrogance for a long, long, time!
I am including pics of the email that was shared with me from Mrs. Robinson
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