Superintendent Gone Rogue?

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi everybody,
If you saw my article in the current Lakewood Observer you read about great new decisions made by Lakewood Superintendent Joe Madak. Grant Elementary School's principal, Mark Gleichauf is moving up to Director of Teaching and Learning, and the current Coordinator of Teaching and Learning--essentially an expert on Lakewood's K through 12 curriculum and Lakewood's kids' particular learning challenges-- Roxann Ramsey-- will cross the street from the Board building and become Grant's new principal. Mr. Gleichauf will be right there to guide her, as he will the other principals in the district, if we're lucky, bringing all of our schools up to the Blue Ribbon, Excellent-rated status that Grant has achieved under his care.

What's weird about this is that the School Board had no idea that these changes were in motion. Dr. Madak came to last week's PTA meeting at Grant and, along with Mr. Gleichauf, introduced Ms. Ramsey to the PTA as our new principal, and also announced that Mr Gleichauf would be the new Director of Teaching and Learning, without our Board knowing anything about it.

An email was sent out to the School Board the same morning, around the same time, informing them that they had just hired some new administrators.

I learned that the Board had not been consulted on this decision, and in fact had had no discussion of this whatsoever, at the School Board meeting, Mon May 17th, when a letter of protest written by Board Member Matt Markling was read by Board Member John Kamkutis because Mr. Markling was unable to attend the meeting.

Mr. Markling's letter said that he had no interest in micromanaging our Superintendent, but that if a decision was being made that required a Board action, then it fell to the Board to discuss the action that they were being asked to take, before they voted on it. In this case, the Board, by law, had to approve of Mr. Gleichauf's and Ms. Ramsey's contracts. It seems reasonable to discuss what you are voting on, before you vote, and is, after all, the duty of the Board, as stated in their own Bylaws, which also outline the Superintendent's role as one who recommends but cannot legally hire anyone. At last Monday night's meeting, the Board approved these particular contracts, with NO DISCUSSION beforehand.

The first any of the Board Members heard of these new hires was in that email. This is unusual because Mark Gleichauf is replacing Assistant Supeintendent Jan Soeder, which means he is being hired for the most important position or second most important, depending on how you look at it (Asst Superintendent of High School Education is also a very important position) after the Superintendent's job itself. You would think our School Board would want to discuss who would be best qualified for this position. You also would think that they would want to discuss a potentially volatile move like removing Grant's principal, though in this case, the Grant community welcomes the decision Mr. Madak has made.

I think we should be concerned about this not because Joe Madak is not competent, he is very competent, and seems to understand and care about our District. We should care because the Board is elected to represent us, and they did not weigh in on this decision at all.

If they didn't have ANY discussion over the hiring of the Director of Teaching and Learning for the whole District, the second most important job in the District, what is it that they are supposed to be doing? What other decisions have been or will be made without appropriate public Board discussions? This is the opposite of transparency. We elected them. It is their job to represent us.

Board President Betsy Shaughnessy lectured Mr. Markling in absentia, saying that she hoped he would regret his attempt to provoke talk of "conspiracy" among Lakewood's citizens. Kristine Pagsuyoin spoke at the podium, taking exception to this, saying that it seemed that Mr. Markling valued transparency, and it was something that our District was in desperate need of.

Later in the week, I went to Two Dads to ask Board Member Kamkutis if this was really true, did the Board actually have NO DISCUSSION about this decision. At first he said, "Of course we discussed it." When I asked him when exactly he knew about it, I learned about the email that had been sent out during the PTA meeting, when Mr. Madak was announcing Mr. Gleichauf's and Ms. Ramsey's new jobs. This was the first Mr. Kamkutis had heard of our new administrators.

When the Board had NO DISCUSSION before they announced the school renovation plan this past February, I felt the same. At that time, Mr. Markling said, "If someone comes up to me and says, 'Hey, you're on the School Board, why did you vote to keep Lincoln?' I won't be able to tell them because we never discussed it."

The Board doesn't seem to have any interest in representing the public, or following their own bylaws, and the one member who does, Mr. Markling, is continually left standing alone shrugging his shoulders.

Betsy Voinovich

[Danielle Masters]

I do hope that Mr. Markling comes on here and posts his letter that was shared at the board meeting. It spoke volumes about the current state of our school board. And I think everyone should hear what he has to say.

[marklingm]

I do hope that Mr. Markling comes on here and posts his letter that was shared at the board meeting. It spoke volumes about the current state of our school board. And I think everyone should hear what he has to say.

Danielle,

My letter is attached and quoted below.

Matt

May 17, 2010

Dear All,

My fellow board members and the Administration have known for the past two months or so that my professional job obligations regrettably prevent me from being at this May 17, 2010 regular meeting of the Lakewood City School District Board of Education. I do, however, want to share my thoughts with you.

For some, “transparency” and “accountability” are mere words spun by civic and elected leaders to lull the masses. For me, transparency and accountability are fundamental principles which serve as the bedrock of our democracy and must be demonstrated through every action taken by the Lakewood City Schools.

Tonight the Lakewood City School District Board of Education is being asked to take action on two items which were brought to the Board through a process that is neither transparent nor accountable. While I object to the process, I have no objection to the recommendation.

On May 11, 2010, I learned for the first time that the Administration was asking the Board to take action on the appointments of Mark Gleichauf to the Director of Teaching and Learning K-12 position and Roxann Ramsey to the Principal of Grant Elementary School position at tonight’s regular meeting on one reading. Putting aside for the moment that this is another example of board action where our two reading requirement is becoming the exception rather than the rule, the Administration shared its recommendation to the Board just moments before an announcement was sent to the general public indicating that the decision had already been made.

I have no interest on serving on a rubberstamping school board. Nor do I have any interest in serving on a micromanaging school board. My test for good boardsmanship is simple. If any action requires board approval, the Board must be given prior notice and the opportunity to consider the recommendation through the two reading rule process.

When special circumstances or emergencies arise, a board meeting with all school board members should be scheduled in accordance with the Ohio Sunshine Laws.

I think I have made it clear that I object to the process which led to a recommendation upon which I have no objection.

I support the recommendation that the Board appoint Mark Gleichauf to the Director of Teaching and Learning K-12 position. Mr. Gleichauf’s teaching and administrative experiences and his proven track record during his time with Lakewood Schools have prepared him well for this position.

I also support the recommendation that the Board appoint Roxann Ramsey to the Principal of Grant Elementary School position. After meeting with the Superintendent and subsequently reviewing her background, I believe that Ms. Ramsey is qualified for this position.

Based upon my conversations with the Superintendent, I know that he believes that both Mr. Gleichauf and Ms. Ramsey are well prepared for their new responsibilities.

Sincerely,



Matthew John Markling
Vice-President
Lakewood City School District Board of Education

[marklingm]

Betsy,

I believe, without reservation, that Dr. P. Joseph Madak is one of the best superintendents in the State of Ohio.

I have never rejected even one of Dr. Madak’s employment recommendations, in large part, due to the fact that he has updated the Board, as a whole, on every hiring decision with the two exceptions mentioned in my letter. If my fellow board members disagree, they are certainly free to jump in and correct me.

No superintendent has the authority to hire. That is the ultimate role of the school board. A superintendent simply makes hiring recommendations. It is plain and simple. Again, if my fellow board members disagree, they are certainly free to jump in and correct me.

As I stated in my letter:

“I have no interest on serving on a rubberstamping school board. Nor do I have any interest in serving on a micromanaging school board. My test for good boardsmanship is simple. If any action requires board approval, the Board must be given prior notice and the opportunity to consider the recommendation through the two reading rule process.”

I respect and like both Betsy Shaughnessy and Linda Beebe. So, I will wait to see the tape of the May 17, 2010 school board meeting before I respond to the comments that are being attributed to Betsy and Linda regarding me. And I will respond accordingly.

Matt