Posts from — December 2011

PPS new SPED Director (Robert Ford) has been out on leave for about three weeks and now I hear he’s not returning to the Director position.  Ford was only in the position for about five months.    Parents I’ve talked with were happy with Ford.

I know there was criticism about PPS hiring him because many felt he wasn’t qualified for the position.  That may or may not be true.    People have said that he got the position because he’s Black.

Carole Smith, Zeke Smith, Michelle Riddell, Greg Wolleck, Fred Locke and many other administrators aren’t qualified for their positions either.  But nobody has said they got their positions because they’re white.

Any bets (less than $10,000) on who will lead SPED until Ford is replaced?

The piece below was found on Facebook and it’s being republished with the permission of the author.

The school board should use it as a guide when looking for a new superintendent (which I wish they would do).

Here are 12 killers of good leadership:

Defensiveness – Good leaders don’t wear their feelings on their shoulders. They know other’s opinions matter and aren’t afraid to be challenged.

Jealousy – A good leader enjoys watching others on the team excel.

Revenge – The leader that succeeds for the long term must be forgiving and knows that “getting even” only comes back to harm them and the organization.

Fearfulness – The good leader remains committed when no one else is and must take risks no one else will. Others will follow. That’s what leaders do.

Favoritism – Good leaders don’t have favorites on the team. They reward for results not partiality.

Ungratefulness – Good leaders value people, knowing they cannot attain success without others.

Small-mindedness – Good leaders think bigger than today. They are dreamers and idea people.

Pridefulness – Pride comes before the fall. Good leaders remain humbled by the position of authority entrusted to them.

Rigidity – There are some things to be rigid about, such as values and vision, but for most issues, the leader must be open to change. Good leaders welcome new ideas, realizing that most everything can be improved.

Laziness – One can’t be a good leader and not be willing to work hard. In fact, the leader should be willing to be the hardest worker on the team.

Unresponsiveness – Good leaders don’t lead from behind closed doors. They are responsive to the needs and desires of those they attempt to lead. They respond to concerns and questions. They collaborate more than control. Leaders who close themselves off from those they lead will limit the places where others will follow.

Dishonesty – Since character counts highest, a good leader must be above reproach. When a leader fails, he or she must admit their mistake and work towards restoration.

A leader may struggle with one or more of these, but the goal should be to lead “killer-free.” Leader, be honest, which of these wrecking balls do you struggle with most?

These are Betsy Hammond’s comments that were posted online:

I see PPS is continuing their tradition of transparency.  From the November 29, 2011 Administrators Connection:

Changed Procedure Regarding OSHA 300 Log Reports in January

Our schools are used to receiving OSHA 300 log reports from Risk Management in January and posting this information. PPS is not required to do this in our school buildings. Therefore, Risk Management will not be sending schools this information. If an OSHA inspector should ask to see this information in your school please remind her/him that public schools are exempt from this rule per OSHA SIC Code 82. Should this prompt a disagreement at your school please ask the inspector to contact me directly.

For PPS facilities that are not schools, i.e., BESC, Rice, etc. Risk Management will send the OSHA 300 log information in January and ask you to post it at that time.

Please contact me if you have a question about this changed procedure.

Benson Meyers, Risk Manager, 503.916.3204, bmeyers@pps.net

Is there something to hide?