Edmonds Elementary's new principal is Melissa Oliver, who comes from the Mercer Island School District, where she was a teacher mentor and acting principal at Island Park and Lakeridge elementary schools.Read the entire article by clicking here.
The Community Forum was advertised on the District's website and did not mention Melissa Oliver among any of the finalists at any of the schools.
Edmonds Elementary
Doug Johnson: Doug is currently serving as Vice Principal at Mead Elementary School in the Lake Washington School District.
Betsy McGregor: Since 2006, Betsy has served as the Dean of Students and teacher at Martha Lake Elementary here in Edmonds.
Margaret Mesaros: Margaret is the Title I Specialist for Edmonds, and from this past January through March served as the Interim Principal at Hazelwood Elementary (while Tim Parnell was on leave).
To view all of the other finalists and all community forums, click here.
14 comments:
The same thing happened at College Place Middle--3 years ago. The principal, Andy Rogers, resigned in June. A committee (composed of teachers, parents, and staff) looked over the applications. People were interviewed and the list was narrowed. Three finalists spoke to a gathering at the school. Then suddenly, Thea Gardner, was appointed as principal--she was not one of the finalists, and had not even made the "cut" by the interview team.
Sounds like the same sort of thing happened at Edmonds Elementary.
Another dog and pony show! But with no winners...
The community forums seem to be just for show. Historically speaking, it doesn't seem the administration takes community or parent input into account at all, but has a forum on record that they can point to and say, "See? We listen to the community! Look, we had a forum!"
They do what they want. They're building the structure THEY want, all the while wearing bright smiles and offering false assurances of fair hiring practices for those higher positions.
What happens when you have seven openings and seven finalists? Musical chairs with a last minute plot twist. One can only imagine what is going on "behind the curtain" where the wizard controls the action.
Transparency means nothing; slight of hand is the game of the day.
Why have a Community Forum if community feedback is not wanted?
So, the District really doesn't care about what the community wants.
Is it Betsy McGregor at Martha Lake or Mary McGregor?
This is how they have been hiring for the last 4 or 5 years. Just ask any classified employee about his/her supervisor. Unbelievable!
this is nothing new. go back to your caves and shut your mouth. like the last guy said look at the classified chicken club we have been getting screwd for the last 4 yrs.
the district not going to listen to anyone.....
Just do away with the Community Forum; it is a farse! They, District personnel, are just making it look like they
"care". "They" do what they see fit and they do not care about anyone's input, LET'S GET REAL HERE", as Dr. Phil always says!
Fred, tell me another one please.
"Arrogance" is the word that comes to mind. These ersatz (false, deceptive) hiring practices of the district should be viewed as an insult to all who falsely believe they have an input opportunity into the process.
If you invite someone's opinion and then totally ignore it, you risk deeply insulted them. But apparently that social norm is not recognized by those who run roughshod over this district.
Three options: 1) shut up because it's totally futile anyway [what they want you to do] 2) continue to object only to be frustrated because you don't have the power to create change [current course]or 3) "grow" the power to create change; recruit other taxpayers and parents to the indignation that this arrogance should stir up [go to the Board meetings-take 5 friends-but don't expect results overnight, either].
Is this even legal? To bring in someone at the last minute who was NOT listed as one of the finalists, or included in the community forum? It seems that this should go against current hiring regulations at the very least. How did this just pass by with no notice? HR had to have signed off on it, right?
But this is strange: in your June 4th blog article (the now infamous C.Birdsong to S.Joos email, with the nasty comment), it lists 3 different finalists for Edmonds Elementary principal -- including Melissa Oliver. http://esd15.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html What happened to them? It looks like no one from the original finalist group was chosen, then no one from the second group of finalists was chosen. So ... what, they went back to someone from the original group? Can they do that? Is that even what happened? If so, why didn't they choose her the first time around, why didn't any of the "second round contestants" get chosen, and is it legal for them to just go grab someone from a previous round without any process?
I find this to be an example of the district disregarding practices and processes when it's convenient for THEM, while, at the same time, they're quick to cite processes/regulations if the status quo is questioned, or of someone tries to institute any sort of real change or improvement.
If they can just decide to bring in a hire however they want, bump her up past the processes, above the 3 finalists to take the position, why can't they do more about the lack of diversity in this district? And again, what happened with this candidate the first time around?
Something smells rotten ...
There are circumstances where this could happen. Considering the current atmosphere at ESD, I can also understand the incredulity on the part of those reading the blog.
It is POSSIBLE that one or more of the original "finalists" were applying in other districts and were "finalists" in another work place. Under those circumstances, I could see some making a decision to "go someplace else" (as they say). Probably a wise decision at that.
If that were the case, HR (or whoever is pulling the strings) would have to go back to their "non-finalist" list and glean someone else who might do who didn't make the "cut" on the first pass. Or perhaps someone is suddenly free from another district.
This happens frequently in community theatre; you cast someone in a role but they get a better offer from another show and they leave. You go back to square one, or maybe start calling people who didn't tryout originally or you call someone who is well placed to know who might be acceptable and available. Sometimes you can get someone better than the original person. Sometimes not.
It happens. Hiring isn't always straight forward and linear.
Now, having said that, one would have to ask "Why WOULDN'T someone want to work in Edmonds?" Perhaps the district's reputation goes before it? It doesn't take long to figure out which districts are the better, more desirable employers. And people do talk.
Kinda like watching the tub empty.
Ask Tracy Penney?
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