See “Gilbert School Board Fix-Up” in Action 10/23/2012!

With the exception of board member Staci Burk, the Rubber Stamp Gang is at it again!  Last month, they allowed Gilbert District Officials, led by Superintendent Dave Allison, to ignore public involvement when they decided to close Gilbert Jr. High School

This month, the leadership-challenged Gilbert School Board, except for Board member Ms. Staci Burk (who caught the "oversight"), managed to get themselves into another pickle. 

When you break the law, who ya gonna call?  The taxpayer-funded Attorneys!!!   

In a nutshell, the Board gave Superintendent Dave Allison a two-month increment of a performance bonus of $35,000 improperly, and plans to do it again Tuesday.  THEN fix it after the fact.  OOPS!  See Come Watch the GPS Cover-Up this Tuesday, 10/23

Here’s the story. 

In 2010, the Arizona legislature passed a law regarding superintendent performance pay.  The statute required superintendent performance pay to be based upon 4 criteria:  1) Student academic growth (25%); 2) Teacher survey (25%); 3) Parent survey (25%), and 4) Board input (25%).  See ARS 15-341(A)(40).

The legislature, however, gave the districts an "out." 

The statute allows school boards to choose an alternate procedure IF the governing board selected the alternate procedure in a public board meeting called for that purpose.

The Board’s Preferred Touchy-Feely Performance Evaluation Criteria

The Rubber Stamp Gang, notoriously averse to accountability, opted for their own "alternate"  method.  Thus, they alone would be the Lord and Master to decide if the Superintendent was touchy and feely enough. 

According to the Minutes of the October 26, 2010 regular governing board meeting, the board voted to adopt their alternate version.   "The superintendent’s performance will be evaluated based on personal qualities, educational leadership, community relations, relationships with the board and staff, personal relationships, and planning. The superintendent will receive the performance pay for the previous two months if a majority vote of the Board determines the superintendent has an overall rating or above." Mr. Stump noted that this is for the 2011-2012 fiscal year."

Thus, Dr. Allison would not be held accountable for Student Academic Growth.  Nor would he be accountable to Parents or Teachers.  He only needed to please the Board.

Accountability Would have Made a Positive Difference

Had Dr. Dave Allison been held accountable for Student Academic Growth, do you think he would have allowed Gilbert to trail Chandler and Higley School Districts?  Had he been held accountable to Teachers, do you think he would have tolerated teacher retaliation within his District?  Do you think he would have recommended the firing of a board certified teacher whose crime was to report student bullying?  Had he been held accountable to Parents, do you think he would have arrogantly disregarded the Gilbert Jr. High School parents

The answer is:  NO. 

Public Meeting Required by Law Not Held

Dr. Allison’s employment contract signed by EJ Andersen, Lily Tram, Helen Hollands, and Shane Stapley, reads as follows, "No later than April 2012, the Board and Superintendent shall develop a mutually agreed upon performance pay plan for 2012-2013 that shall comport with then existing applicable Arizona law(s). If the parties cannot agree on a performance pay plan for 2012-2013, the performance pay plan for 2011-2012 will remain in place, so long as the plan is not prohibited by Arizona law."

A meeting was not held to discuss the performance pay criteria for the 2012-2013 fiscal year.  The board has not followed the statute, and they, once again, have excluded parents, teachers, and the public from participating in the evaluation of the most important leadership position in the district. Without holding a meeting to decide on the alternate procedure, the board should not be releasing Dr. Allison’s performance pay without basing this release upon the current law which includes Student academic growth (25%), Teacher survey (25%), Parent survey results (25%), and Board input (25%). When will these board members follow the law and be held accountable?

The pickle 

Imagine you are a Student, Teacher, or Parent.  Do you appreciate being kicked to the curb?  Imagine you are Dr. Allison.  Do you think he will take kindly to his bonus being snatched from him?

Vote for real leadership on or before 11/6/2012.  Vote for Daryl Colvin, Eric Johnson, and Julie Smith for Gilbert School Board.

Additional References:

Arizona Department of Education 2011-2012 A-F Letter Grades for All LEA’s (Districts and Charter Holders)

Arizona Revised Statute 15-341.A.40

Gilbert Governing Board Meeting Agenda to Fix "the Pickle" 10/23/2012, 7 pm

Zero Accountability for Superintendent’s Performance Pay