Dr. Barnes Hired In 4-1 Vote By BOE

[Jim O'Bryan]

Last night the Board of Education "considered" the hiring of Dr, Michael Barnes, Asst. Superintendent for Mayfield City Schools. While many things have gone smoothly over the building process of the new schools this process seems to have run astray, and has upset at least on BOE member, BOW President Ed Favre, and also caused some of the candidates to remove their name from consideration.

At the end of the night Dr. Barnes was selected and we join with the entire BOE and City of Lakewood in welcoming him to Lakewood, and know he can continue the level of excellence the students, residents, teachers, and administration have become accustomed to.


Lakewood Public Schools' Superintendent Dr. Michael Barnes.

Dr. Barnes, welcome to Lakewood.

I casting the lone "NO" vote to the hiring, BOE President Edward Favre underline it was not Dr. Barnes, but his fellow BOE members that he was questioning, and was troubled by what he and others saw as a flawed process.

He wrote...

....

Comments after motion has been made, seconded, and under discussion:

Unfortunately, I cannot support this resolution. My opposition is not based on the merits of the individual. It is based on my concern of us not following our process. Ever since I have been on the Board, previous superintendent experience has always been a requirement when selecting a new superintendent. This was at the case at the outset of this process. Our initial OSBA flyer referred to “…extensive superintendent experience…” as part of the criteria.

Folks in our organization were so advised and were under that understanding when they spoke with colleagues and associates. We can only imagine who may have made or changed plans according to that belief. Other candidates were evaluated for not meeting certain criteria.

Changing the rules after the fact sends the wrong message and adversely affects our credibility. I have heard so and can understand how people would feel that way. Changing hiring criteria in the midst of the process may also increase the Board’s legal risks. That is why I suggested and hoped we would have stopped, reevaluated our criteria if necessary, restarted, and proceeded within that criteria.

This is why my conscience is not clear going this route and why I cannot support the resolution. I mean no offense to the candidate.


The vote was taken with a 4-1 tally the BOE President Favre went on to comment


Comments after the vote:

The vote having been taken, we now have our next Superintendent in place. It is our responsibility, and that includes me, to support the new Superintendent. That is what I intend to do. We need him to be successful and carry on the success of the District, which is everyone’s goal.

.....

There will be a meet and greet for the community to meet Dr. Barnes on April 9, 2018 at 6pm at Horace Mann School on West Clifton Blvd.

In another thread I will post what the Lakewood BOE posted in their search for a new Superintendent.

It should also be noted that current and retiring Superintendent Jeffery Patterson has agreed to stay on as a consultant for two years. This was decided as an added value move to make sure new Superintendent Dr. Michael Barnes could come up to speed quicker and more smoothly as he learned his way around the Lakewood School System.

This was also made a necessity when Superintendent Patterson's longtime Asst Superintendent Roxann Ramsey accepted a job offered a job heading up the North Ridgeville School District earlier in this year.

Here is a link to the $20,000 Burges and Burgess study of what Residents and Teachers were looking for in their next Superintendent.

Click on this link: http://media.lakewoodobserver.com/media ... 335146.pdf

[Dan Alaimo]

Who were the four and how did they explain the break with procedure?

[Bridget Conant]

http://www.lakewoodcityschools.org/Board

Favre

Shaughnessy
Beebe
Einhouse
Barcelona

[Dan Alaimo]

http://www.lakewoodcityschools.org/Board

Favre

Shaughnessy
Beebe
Einhouse
Barcelona

But the more important half of that post: why?
Maybe it has been explained, but I haven't seen it anywhere. It's a very big deal to break with procedure like this. I would hope that they had a very good reason. If they didn't, I'd want to know that as well.

[Dan Alaimo]

http://www.lakewoodcityschools.org/Board

Favre

Shaughnessy
Beebe
Einhouse
Barcelona

But the more important half of that post: why?
Maybe it has been explained, but I haven't seen it anywhere. It's a very big deal to break with procedure like this. I would hope that they had a very good reason. If they didn't, I'd want to know that as well.

So it's been a over two weeks and no response to this question. I know there are a few people who read the Deck who could respond.
This is a matter of taxpayer interest. This is a matter of voter interest. Why did they do this? And now why do they choose not to respond? And I don't think it has a thing to do with Dr. Barnes.

[Jim O'Bryan]

http://www.lakewoodcityschools.org/Board

Favre

Shaughnessy
Beebe
Einhouse
Barcelona

But the more important half of that post: why?
Maybe it has been explained, but I haven't seen it anywhere. It's a very big deal to break with procedure like this. I would hope that they had a very good reason. If they didn't, I'd want to know that as well.

So it's been a over two weeks and no response to this question. I know there are a few people who read the Deck who could respond.
This is a matter of taxpayer interest. This is a matter of voter interest. Why did they do this? And now why do they choose not to respond? And I don't think it has a thing to do with Dr. Barnes.

Dan

I have not answered because it would be totally unfair to Dr. Barnes, who is our new Superintendent.

Let's just read into it what you may. The Lakewood BOE set out criteria, that was stead fast and the criteria used over the last 3 Superintendents (not really as all were chosen long before selection process started, another charade). Superintendent Jeffery Patterson was the first Superintendent in the region to announce his moving on. All to give the Lakewood BOE more than enough time to fill their pretty tough standards. The Lakewood BOE squandered all of that time, until we were the last to chose and announce.

After the selection was made, the BOE President made very public statements that would underline deals made behind the scenes, none of which necessarily deal with the selection of Dr. Barnes. Of course this would underline their need to meet in private, ignoring sunshine laws, put on charades, and generally gamble with the public's trust.

None of this should be taken as a reflection on Dr. Barnes.

I for one wish Dr. Barnes much success, and hope he realizes what he has himself in for. Some great students, teachers, administrators and a BOE that can't shoot straight.

.

[Dan Alaimo]

Do I understand correctly? The simple reason is, they ran out of time and had to choose in the most important decision a school board has to make. I wish one of them would have said that.

[Gary Rice]

I attended the reception last night for the new superintendent at Horace Mann.

It was very well attended, although I did not see any of the usual people who like to criticize our schools from afar, but that's all too often the way things go.

I've been in and around the Lakewood schools for many years as a student, special education tutor, teacher, and volunteer. While I spent most of my career as an educator in another district, I would like to say that I am very pleased with the Lakewood Schools, and I find our new superintendent to be a positive, engaging, and dynamic active listener who will now be provided the opportunity to bring many constructive new ideas to our district.

Regarding the manner in which he (or any certified employee of ours, or in any school district) is hired, there are a normal set of established certification qualifications that all candidates must meet. Beyond those, there are always many intangible factors that can play into the selection of qualified individuals. We elect the school board to make those decisions and this superintendent was selected 4-1 by the Board. Even the dissenting voter has thrown his support behind the new superintendent, as our schools go forward.

I for one, am comfortable with the way the process works. I have confidence in our school board, and welcome our new superintendent to this city.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I attended the reception last night for the new superintendent at Horace Mann.

It was very well attended, although I did not see any of the usual people who like to criticize our schools from afar, but that's all too often the way things go.

I've been in and around the Lakewood schools for many years as a student, special education tutor, teacher, and volunteer. While I spent most of my career as an educator in another district, I would like to say that I am very pleased with the Lakewood Schools, and I find our new superintendent to be a positive, engaging, and dynamic active listener who will now be provided the opportunity to bring many constructive new ideas to our district.

Regarding the manner in which he (or any certified employee of ours, or in any school district) is hired, there are a normal set of established certification qualifications that all candidates must meet. Beyond those, there are always many intangible factors that can play into the selection of qualified individuals. We elect the school board to make those decisions and this superintendent was selected 4-1 by the Board. Even the dissenting voter has thrown his support behind the new superintendent, as our schools go forward.

I for one, am comfortable with the way the process works. I have confidence in our school board, and welcome our new superintendent to this city.

Gary

No one is criticizing or not behind Dr. Barnes. But I guess say anything to make a point.

What do you know of the process? Were you part of it?

Just curious.

.

[Gary Rice]

Hi Jim,

The Board of Education, like the City and for that matter, any business organization, has a stated process for hiring and firing individuals. The particular personnel process in our school district continues on all the time, whether with teachers, administrators, certified, or classified staff. Checks and balances for that process are always in place, as well.

A central and implicit part of a particular personnel process would be trusting the hiring and firing team to do the job right the first time.

Short answer? While I am obviously not privy to the particular considerations that go into the hiring of any school employee, I will simply reiterate at the risk of redundancy here that the professional certifications and credentials of any potential school employee must be in order before hiring. The 4-1 hiring recommendation was therefore made by a decisive majority of our representatives, on the basis of the best interests of the Lakewood Schools, and the best information that they had available...

...and I, for one, very much support that process, as well as the man they hired.

[Jim O'Bryan]

[quote="Gary Rice"]Hi Jim,

The Board of Education, like the City and for that matter, any business organization, has a stated process for hiring and firing individuals. The particular personnel process in our school district continues on all the time, whether with teachers, administrators, certified, or classified staff. Checks and balances for that process are always in place, as well.

A central and implicit part of a particular personnel process would be trusting the hiring and firing team to do the job right the first time.

Short answer? While I am obviously not privy to the particular considerations that go into the hiring of any school employee, I will simply reiterate at the risk of redundancy here that the professional certifications and credentials of any potential school employee must be in order before hiring. The 4-1 hiring recommendation was therefore made by a decisive majority of our representatives, on the basis of the best interests of the Lakewood Schools, and the best information that they had available...

...and I, for one, very much support that process, as well as the man they hired. [/quote


Gary

1) For the umpteenth time. I have not heard or read a single disparaging remark about Dr. Barnes. Instead of just hoping, I talked with people in Mayfield School District and others in the area. I have heard nothing but the nicest terms for Dr. Barnes, and we all hope he succeeds. Which was one point I was making earlier, you seemed to miss.

2) There was criteria set forth by the Schools, and registered with the State, that assisted in the search, have you read it? I posted it so we could all read what the qualifications were, and how the school board followed it.

3) I posted the study the Lakewood BOE paid $20,000 for to help them in their search for the new superintendent, and what the community was looking for. I also spoke with members of the Teachers Union and other professional in the area.

4) I then laid out the time table from the moment Jeffery Patterson said he was stepping down to when, the BOE got their list, and when decisions were made.

5) I spoke with more than one applicant that had applied, even some that withdrew their names and why.

6) I read the letter from School Board President Ed Favre, that faulted the rest of the school board for not following procedures, criteria and the system set out by the BOE, even openly questioning them on when they whole thing changed. (I guess you skipped over that part for the last sentence.)

7) I put all of this information together and got with some of my fellow Lakewood School employees and realized, as did Ed, the entire process you write three paragraphs about was thrown out the window at the last moment.

The BOE going against everything you tout, is not a reflection on Dr. Barnes. He applied and was in the running from day one. I have zero proof any of this caused him to be chosen or not. This once again is not about Dr. Barnes. Instead it is about a BOE that has been given everything they have ever asked for from this city, and came up short in following their own procedures, timelines, and in the end potentially what could be best for the community. (Meaning, this time it turned out ok, but sooner or later it could bite them and us in the ass.)

9) City Hall (you brought them up) like members of the BOE seem to not care about sunshine laws, and open meetings. While you have given them full trust, and I have been a supporter of the Schools since I attended including giving them everything they have ever asked for, including serving on one of their boards for 3 years now, worry when short cuts are taken, meetings happen in secret, and private agendas run rough shod over public meetings and no agendas.

But perhaps, that is the difference between you and I. I look, read, study, talk to, investigate and double check. You take it all for granted.



I have watched City Hall stumble and bumble with private agendas out of public sight, and would hate to see the BOE squander the trust it took they years to regain.

Once more, this is not a reflection on Dr. Barnes, I have heard nothing but positive things about him and his background, and wish him the best.

.

[Gary Rice]

Jim,

I have absolutely NO idea what your post here is all about.

I have indeed kept up with much of what you have posted in the past, and trust me when I say that I do take absolutely nothing for granted. Two intelligent people can look at the same circumstances and arrive at totally different conclusions sometimes.

I may, at times, arrive at different conclusions from your own, but you need not look at that as being a personal challenge, as it certainly is not intended to be.

Suffice to say that, being a retired professional educator having an excellent knowledge of how school governance functions, I remain confident in the process, in our School Board, and in our new superintendent.

Back to eraser cleaning....

[Jim O'Bryan]

Jim,

I have absolutely NO idea what your post here is all about.

Suffice to say that, being a retired professional educator having an excellent knowledge of how school governance functions, I remain confident in the process, in our School Board, and in our new superintendent.

Back to eraser cleaning....

Gary

I'll raise you one...

Being a professional that is currently working within the school system on an administrative level, I think...


.

[Dan Alaimo]

Gary,
My concern is the process and that the president of the BOE was the lone dissenting vote and called out the board for not adhering to procedure. Then no one from that board explained why they did it that way and is apparently not answering questions. At that point it is in the public interest to ask, what is going on?
(Apologies for the time stamp. I'm in another time zone although I frequently work the night shift around here.)

[Gary Rice]

To paraphrase Shakespeare here, methinks that there are those who protest WAY too much regarding all of this.

...and I HONESTLY have to wonder why?

The preference for an "experienced" superintendent was apparently part of the original criteria, but at the same time, arguably, an assistant superintendent is indeed experienced, so a legitimate question of semantics and some reasonably interpretive flexibility comes into play here.

The particulars of the "process" with school personnel matters regarding negotiations, (as well as hiring and firing issues) contrasts the rights of the public to know, with the responsibility of our elected school representatives (and potential or hired employees) to conduct due process and executive session negotiations in good faith. Granted this is a bit of a tightrope, but those negotiations are part and parcel of long established protocols, negotiated agreements, legal guidelines, and given all that, even a PROCESS that can necessarily change and evolve over time.

The Board President has his reasons for voting as he did, and he clearly expressed those in his lone dissent, while at the same time, decided to join the rest of the Board in welcoming the new superintendent.

Had the vote been closer, I would think that there would be more reason for public concern, but it appears to me that the Board President's lone objections were procedural, rather than personnel-related, and that the Board is once again unified going forward in the best interest of the students of the Lakewood Schools.

Back to the chalkboard....