There are a great many stories coming into the blog and sadly, not all of them can be pursued with vigor and vim. The latest curiosity involves a member of district management that always perplexed me. I was never quite sure what this manager did and whenever he did interact with others, he would trigger a rolling of eyes once his back was turned. His questions always seemed like he started work the day before and was always on a fact-finding mission, laying a foundation upon which his work might take root and blossom.I have heard stories about how this particular manager arrived in his position and that it had everything to do with his relationship with a certain assistant superintendent - and nothing to do with his qualifications. In fact, I have recently come to discover that the nature of his arrival did not follow anything remotely comparable to a hiring process, but then that is standard practice in the Edmonds School District.
Now what I am reading is that this same manager has been teaching on-line classes for an academic institution in Missouri called Columbia College.
"Many students who participate in learning experiences outside the classroom wish to earn college credit for their work. Columbia College offers a number of ways students may earn such credit. CLEP tests, ACE credit and course test-outs are the preferred means because they require a theory-base for awarding credit, have national norms/criteria or both. If none of the above credit-awarding methods are an option, Columbia College awards credit for prior learning."
If I had the time and inclination, I would request his internet traffic - for no doubt such an arduous schedule of teaching three or more classes each term might cause an interruption in his busy District day. But alas, I have other priorities at the moment. I just find it mildly entertaining that such a prestigious institute for learning would seek to promulgate the District's management philosophy.
I honestly hope, for the sake of our public funds, that this particular manager isn't spending his work day responding to students or developing a curriculum. That would be the other side of the building, for a different set of assistant superintendents, and would require a teaching certificate and actual classroom in the District.
8 comments:
His background is as a store clerk for the Navy. He has and always will be someone who can only take orders without questioning them. When attempting to apply to a previous posted position in the District his application was rejected due to lack of qualifications. It was reinserted by a member of Human Resources under Marla's order with the justification that he could be categorized as a "person of color". He scored last out of the applicants interviewed. Since he could not qualify for any position one was created for him by Marla and he was paid over $35,000.00 more in yearly salary than the position he could not obtain either ethically or morally. This was and still is a clear violation of fair hiring. It has also been an amazing feat of engineering that Marla has been able to maintain his employment and cover for him when he has been such a negative influence and cannot boast any accomplishments in 8 years on any District operations.
I'm floored that this guy is teaching management courses. Anyone with exposure him would also be flabbergasted.
Columbia must have really low teaching standards. I hope he doesn't ruin their reputation.
Maybe Mark's investigation could do some research about them?
It's really not so unusual that Marla would hire this unqualified, dim person. She simply wants to be surrounded by people like herself.
I agree that since he has so little to actually do during the course of his "job" that he might use this time to pursue additional income.
Certainly making cookies, producing photos and making flyers can't take up a whole day. It is curiously against logic that someone so completely unsuccessful at his job (his only tangible gauge of success would probably reside in his bank account) could then take those failures and transfer them to others under the guise of educational credentials.
You demonstrate a wonderful understanding of our language and insight into events and individuals throughout your presentation (s).
I particularly appreciate your opening up this worthy target.
He was hired by Marla as payroll supervisor but met with little success there other than with Marla as a perfect realization of her requirement of a "puppet". In his ten years with the District he has been a failure in most people's eyes. You hit the target with your first paragraph description of always seeming to be a new employee, continually on fact finding missions and still waiting to actually portray the role in which he is overly compensated for merely playing it as pretense. He will never surprise you with what he knows, only with what he does not.
He creates frustration in most with his inability to properly communicate. As a living example of the worst of Dilbert, he appropriates other's work and claims it as his own. (edit) He is a reflection of She who hired him. Another of her legacies - her embarrassment, her joke, her waste of tax payer's dollars.
I will also add that there is little difference in the result of his picking up a paycheck every month and that of the former employee who embezzled potentially up to 3/4 of million dollars. At least she was clandestine, his (act) is quite brazen and the District has paid him about a million, in addition to the other costs associated with his continued employment.
Working with Manny is ver difficlut. He will never answer with a straight answer and always has to research which means going to Marla for the anwser. I have been in meetings where he is suppose to share information and believe me that is something to see if someone ask a questions he can't answer it so why is he there. It drives me nuts.
Mark I have a suggestion when King 5 is ready to talk with some of us maybe we (meanning those reading and writing to the blog) could all have a forum and discuss all. I think King 5 would be amazed that we are all still working/living in the district. Parents are starting to move out of the district. I for one tell people you don't want your students in our district.
Maybe the solution is for him to go out into the school and teach. Then the damage he's created in the business office might be mitigated.
But that wouldn't work because he might have to actually go through the hiring process!
Here's an incident that will help define the character of this person and his immediate "superior".
One faithful employee who had been with the District about 10 years was docked a day for "insubordination". This was created by Manny as part of his uncontrolled bias supporting fractious members of his department and to show he did more than just nothing. As a counter to this punishment a grievance was filed by the employee but supporting the District on this Manny and Marla pursued it to its natural conclusion.
The conclusion was that an outside representative described their behavior and actions as being unfair, unjust and immoral. The employee won the grievance following many months of meetings and eventual arbitration. The District was forced to return what amounted to roughly $120.00 but by pursuing what they were never likely to win, the cost to the District taxpayers was an additional $20,000.00 in attorney's fees and employee time.
This is the logic that Marla and Manny apply in their persecution, disregard and disrespect of the District employees entrusted under their care and must also demonstrate the cavalier attitude they have to wasting District and taxpayer dollars.
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