Mr. Klochack, Principal at Marshall High School, reads along as the two MHS Graduates give their speeches.We are told that the two graduates had to turn their speeches into Mr. Klochack prior to graduation - that's understandable. Obviously he was so concerned that the grads may add a word or two in, that he followed along with the copy they turned in to him. Both speeches were great - too bad he didn't pay attention to them because he was too busy reading them word for word.
Word of advice: Show respect, and you shall receive respect.
398 comments:
1 – 200 of 398 Newer› Newest»Lets all hope the Board does the right thing and not renew his contract. What a dud he has been.
The biggest problem at MHS is Bryan Klochack. He needs to be fired ASAP if anything is going to start improving next year. Mrs. Nessel is far better and she can be promoted.
I knew there was concern among Joyce Phillips and some board members that students could use graduation to praise Kathy Petrich, Ron Behrenwald and other victims of injustice. They might also blast Klochacks bad leadership or Phillips disastrous reign, as many students wanted to do.
Hmmm, what to have? I hear the fish is good here.....
Yes, my fellow students, we have survived adversity. Losses on the field of sport, breakups with girlfriends, incompetence from idiots such as those behind me.....
Not to defend Mr. Klochak, but I do know that Mr. Behrenwald used to do the same thing. When I spoke at our graduation a few years ago, I had to turn my speech in to him. As far as the poster mentioning Mrs. Nessel ding a better job, I think that she's out of the building as much as Mr. Klochak, if not more. So who knows what kind of job that she would do if she was there for a full year?
Behrenwald made you turn your speech in, but he didn't follow word for word like Klochack did.
You may be correct, I guess that I wasn't looking behind me while I was speaking. I do know that Mr. B was awesome and was a great leader. I, along with my classmates had the utmost respect for him. It seems as though, other than Hulk, the current high school admin is very disconnected from the students. My sister(current senior) used to think quite a bit of Mrs. Nessel, but not anymore. She has been very disappointed with her, Mrs. Nessel seems to be taking Mr. Klochak's lead and is hardly ever in the building or at events.
"Mrs. Nessel seems to be taking Mr. Klochak's lead and is hardly ever in the building or at events."
First of all, if Mrs. Nessel is gone during the school day, it is probably due to being called to a meeting at the administration building. I know this was a bone of contention between Mr. Behrenwald and Mrs. Phillips---he thought she was requesting his presence at too many meetings during the school day, when he thought he should be in his building. So do not necessarily blame Mrs. Nessel for being gone. She may have no choice but to attend these meetings.
Secondly, I believe Mrs. Nessel had another baby during this school year; that might impact the amount of time she would have to spend at after-school events.
The hiring of Mrs. Nessel is one of the few positive things to come out of the Phillips years.
I agree with the last poster and know that this was a problem that Ron had with the "Good Dr". I do see the other poster's point though. Since I have worked at the high school, Ms. Nessel has had two children(one passed away which was most tragic and my heart goes out to her) however, I too had children 3 children in my tenure here. I tried to schedule most of my Dr. appointments outside of school hours, have my children towards the summer and when I had my tubes tied, I too scheduled that in the summer. Again, I see both sides of the comments being made. I certainly wish that Ms. Nessel was in the building and at events more often. That would be my ONLY issue that I have with her since taking the job.
This has to be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. Most school principals, or senior class advisors do ask to either see a copy of student speeches, or to hear the speech delivered. (Actually, much of the time this is not to see if there is anything objectionable, as much as it is to make sure the speech is somewhat polished.) But to sit there and follow along while it is being delivered is the height of paranoia. What would Mr. Klockack have done if, heaven forbid, one of the speakers had interjected some sentences, or phrases that were not in the prepared text? Would he have stood up and yanked them away from the microphone?
Would have attempted to withhold their diplomas? (not legally possible, I do not think.)
Let's be real, even if one of the students had strayed from his/her prepared speech, there is really nothing he could have done about it anyway; so to follow along only makes him look ridiculous!
Maybe if you all could give Mr. K a chanse you would see that J.P has him out of the building for meetings alot just as she did R.B. J.P. is controling his time to be able to make him look worse than she does. Just think about it!
Klochack had to decide if he was to serve the best interets of Joyce Phillips or the best interests of MHS. He chose to serve Joyce, after knowing it cost Ron Behrenwald his job to serve the schools. I blame the board, as they support and encourage this- specifically Paul, Dan, Vic and Janice. Without them JP would have been gone long ago.
If only she hadnt chased Behrenwald away with lies and deceit. He had the support of both staff and students while Klochack has the support of no one but the "Dr.". What a disaster he has been and will continue to be since it is obvious he cannot find a job closer to the Flint area where he has commuted from for two years.
I have no sympathy for Klochack after he chose to fully cooperate with Phillips, Vic, Janice, Paul and Dan to make Kathy Petrich's life hell and harrass other good staff for no good reason. Ron Behrenwald refused to do that and stood up for what was fair, honest and right! If he had been a spineless weasel he would still be there and would have gotten a big raise. What did Charlie M. do for his 40% raise? Was it staff surveilance? Help cover scandals up?
I have no sympathy for Klochack after he chose to fully cooperate with Phillips, Vic, Janice, Paul and Dan to make Kathy Petrich's life hell and harrass other good staff for no good reason. Ron Behrenwald refused to do that and stood up for what was fair, honest and right! If he had been a spineless weasel he would still be there and would have gotten a big raise. What did Charlie M. do for his 40% raise? Was it staff surveilance? Help cover scandals up?
I can agree with alot of what is said here, but this is the dumbest thread of all. He is looking down. Big whoop. How do you know it not at his own words? How does anyone know the purpose of his looking down and even if it were to follow along, so what? Many people follow along reading as other people read. You want to talk about paranoia, this thread is paranoia. In my opinion, you are fly specking everyone now and it need not happen on a day when we should be celebrating the acheivements of the kids in our community. I've never read such narrow mindedness. I bet if he were watching the student, you would have found fault with that as well--that he wasn't doing his job monitoring what was said. You are putting people in no win situations and spare me the comments about how you've been treated. Yes it sucks, we hear that all the time. Do something about it.
I tend to agree with the above poster, there seems to be a little bit of paranoia here. On a lighter note, did anyone catch the tp job that was done to our poor beleaguered superintendents house today? Whoever did it, they did a great job. It would be hard to pin this on anyone in particular because there are literally hundreds who could have taken part.
Anyone know about the band's non performance at graduation? Ian Sanwald's letter was great.
I think the Principal decided to cancel it because he was afraid it was going to start to rain and wanted to sped the ceremony up and get it over. (Or maybe he was just in a hurry to get home to Grand Blanc?)
I think its funny, people are worried about a little rain but where were they when the band was marching in all the rain during the football games? I didn't see his bleeding heart out there worried about whether or not the kids are getting sick when there is almost a foot of water that they are going through.
When is the incoming superintendent and all of those JP loyalists who got huge undeserved raises going to announce major pay rollbacks? They should go back five years, add what the teachers got (1-2% per year) and they should get no more. Otherwise no teacher concessions!
I agree. The salaries that have been increased greatly this past 3-5 years should be rolled back by the School Board. MPS needs to get ready for future state funding cuts. If these salaries are not corrected immediately it will only lead to much bigger problems by 2010. According to the news (6/18/09) there are huge state cuts to school districts coming by 2010. If we don't correct the salary issues now it will only lead to more cuts that will directly affect the students later. These top administration positions do not directly affect the education of our next generation of community leaders that are currently in the school system.
Fair pay adjustments as proposed above can save $50,000 - $100,000 year. That can save the jobs of two teachers being cut. These administrators received pay raises far beyond anything they deserve. Randy Davis has very little education experience, $90-$95,000 year is plenty. Charlie M. is the head tech support guy at best, when you can find him. Raising his pay from $60,000 to almost $90,000/year was both highly suspicious and grossly undeserved for performance. He should make no more than $65,000 a year for what he actually does, even that is high!
There are two cuts that can save over $50,000/year.
And staff concessions of 10% will save plenty more...get ready, cause its coming...EVERYONE needs to participate, "For The Kids"!!!
Joyce aren't you gone yet? Or is this Vic or Dan?
Contrary to your belief, you are NOT an island...
Can't be Vic, the poster spells too well.
I am giving Randy Davis a chance but watching his performance in Athens and Marshall so far all I see is cut, cut cut. Any self-serving fool can do that! I want to see bold leadership, the pursuit of grants and other funding, personal sacrifice (after getting a big raise on top of previous big superintendent raises). Maybe he is waiting for July to announce the long list of positive things he will do for our district.
I like the administrative big raise rollbacks above. We need to save at least a few of the jobs being cut. That would be a great start for Randy Davis ASAP!
Someone mentioned that Joyce Phillips' house was Toilette papered. When? Any pics? If anyone ever deserved it it is her! Actually she deserved to be fired four years ago for scandals, mismanagement and lying but thanks to Paul, Dan, Vic, Janice and a few others, she was never held accountable.
Imagine working somewhere five years knowing you made things much worse, knowing you should have been fired but for doing dirty deeds you were protected, and when you retired everyone can't stand you and is happy to see you leave! Any person with an ounce of decency and integrity would have resigned long ago. We will be cleaning up this mess for years, but some of the damage cannot be fixed.
Don't forget the victims, most served the MPS very well for many many years!
Dr. J is as good as gone, so move on to something new and try being more constructive...get involved, run for the Board, make your ideas known publicly...and quit the whining already.
Dr. J needs to be investigated and held accountable. I agree, this is not over. Also the same puppet masters that pulled her strings still have a majority on the board. Nothing is really changing, the same regime is still in power. Though perhaps a little weaker and much more exposed.
I am still upset at any board member who gave Joyce Phillips a standing ovation at her last board meeting.
That is a huge slap in the face to all hardworking, honest and dedicated employees of the Marshall Public Schools. It is also a slap in the face to all who care about the Marshall schools.
It reminds me of when Vic got her flowers when the survey results were coming out showing her very poor performance.
Rubbing salt in the wounds they created, the board supporters of JP seem intent to rub it in to make things even worse. Of course that just proves who is truly responsible for all that has happened.
We need real leadership, honest leadership, a leader who can inspire and motivate others! We need someone who can understand complex educational issues and has extensive experience in the classroom and as a building Principal. We need someone who can gain broad public support and staff respect. I hope someday the Marshall schools gets the leader we deserve! I highly doubt Randy Davis will even come close to these high standards. But let's see what he does, so far it is unimpressive at best.
Any update on changes at the elementary level? How many students are being moved to other schools? How is this being decided? Are any of the laid off teachers being reinstated? What about the cuts at the Marshall Alternative High School? These are some of the most vulnerable students being affected by all of these changes. Can't something be done to prevent these cuts? Why have so many generous raises been given out to administrators the last few years? Can these be cut to held the students?
They will not roll back the huge raises to Joyce Phillips loyalists because that is "hush money." These people know or did "special favors" and will be protected for their loyalty. They will much prefer to cuts teachers whom they mostly dislike anyway. As far as the students and parents go, they have always been a low priority with this regime.
"As far as the students and parents go, they have always been a low priority with this regime".
Another typically ridiculous and stupid statement by the above poster...
You must not be on staff in the Marshall schools among those who know firsthand what has been going on.
If so, you would know this is very true. There is much hostility directed at the staff, parents and students. You can read all of the postings on this blog to get the tip of the iceberg as to what has happened the last five years.
I want to thank whoever started this blog. I remember learning about it soon after the teachers were threatened and the chronicle were threatened with lawsuits or worse after the teacher survey came out. It was frustrating to see Mrs. Phillips and the board succeeding in silencing all criticism and getting away with who knows what? I credit this blog with informing the public and I have found the vast majority of the postings to be very civil and truthful about what has been happening in the Marshall schools. I think the public outcry and this blog helped keep Mr. Hulkow around another year, we know Dan, Vic and Joyce would have loved to fire him! Now we need bigger changes and more new faces on the school board. Thanks Bill DeSmet for running. Goodbye Paul- you let us down and worse! Dr. Davis you can be a hero if you are wise as to what you do and who you listen too. Ignore Dan, Vic and Janice. Good luck!
"Thanks brave bloggers!"
Especially those that sign their posts as "ANONYMOUS"...How brave you are...
"Dr. Davis you can be a hero if you are wise as to what you do and who you listen too. Ignore Dan, Vic and Janice."
Great advice, absolute genius...NOT!!!
This has to be Vic or Dan, as I cannot think of anyone else who would have such extreme views.
Yes, the teachers and building principals who spoke up about lies, incompetence and bad leadership were targeted, we all know that and it is well-covered on this blog.
The staff are brave for speaking out both publicly and as "anonymous" on this blog. We know JP and her board buddies were out to punish any and all who they see as a threat. The lies and scandals are well known. JP's incompetence and that of her loyalists is well known! The damage to our schools is well known! Kathy Petrich is a hero to the teachers. Ron Behrenwald spoke up too and look what happened. Many others suffered harm including losing their jobs. I think the people of Marshall have become apathetic or else there would have been a recall. The staff did all they can to maintain "excellence" in the face of terrible and abusive "leadership."
Thanks Paul, Dan, Vic and Janice- NOT!!!
The protection of Joyce began shortly after the staff survey became public. That is exactly when - Metcalf got his doctorate at 'the taxpayers expense'. At that point in time Joyce put her little white gloves on and began directing staffers like Metcalf, Jones, Walbeck and at the top of the list ' yes ' Charlie MacDonald (he is very good at snooping via media tools). Ali became her PR Board supporter and the 'smoke screen' really began.
This misuse of Board power has cost this district dearly. Not just in the excellent instructional staff - which if you look closely you will see - the veteran teachers have been pushed to the curb 'in the name of saving money' so as to let the 'newbie teachers at the lowest pay' dominate the teaching staff.
It has cost in lives and that will never be forgotten. Thank God for 'School of Choice' - now I never have to get stressed about the district of MPS.
Hello Joyce Phillips - why are you claiming a sound fund balance? Why are you pointing your crooked finger of blame at the 'loss of students and we didn't see that one coming'. When you and your board supporters were 'visiting the idea of outsourcing the custodial staff' we heard the community loud and clearly say: We will move our students out of MPS...'No Strangers in our Schools'. Did you think it was an idle threat?
Don't forget the loss of the failed bond which would have included a $1.5 mil studio.
That would have passed if we had a good superintendent and a trusted board. This will cost us millions if we try for it again as costs rise. Also Marshall will fall much further behind other area schools.
What about all of the damage to staff morale and teamwork? What about the people who unjustly lost their jobs? What about the damage to Marshall's reputation? The bond was lost, students were lost, the last five years have been a disaster! Now those responsible want us all just to forget about it and move on. Phillips wants her 2nd Michigan retirement so she can leave the damage behind her. The board majority are ultimately responsible for all they backed, supported, covered up and encouraged.
Things are a big mess and a lot of work is needed to fix the problems. We have a bad and uncooperative Principal at MHS. Replacing Klochack would be a good start. The tech director, Walbeck, Holbrook and Turner should be replaced too. We need an investigation into Joyce Phillips, Brian Metcalf and Amy Jones. Beardslee, Darling, Potter, and Stulberg should be investigated too for covering up many scandals and abusing their power to target individuals they had personal grievances against. Those above have cost us all dearly!
They're counting on Randy Davis to help keep things covered up. They want someone to do as they say and target whom they ask to target.
It is bittersweet that Joyce Phillips is leaving (4 years overdue!) and that she will NOT be held accountable by those listed above who have covered for her going back to the early insurance and air conditioning scandals. We still need justice! Vic, Janice, Dan, Paul and any other board protector needs it to clear their names, or they will be forever blamed for all of the problems.
Joyce Phillips is leaving a legacy of low morale, lost public trust, damaged school reputation, lies and scandals, lost students, a failed vital bond, a lost donated $1.5 mil recording studio, $40,000 lost in an insurance screwup, huge legal bills, huge consultants bills, programs slashed, and many hurt people. And lest we forget, Kathy Petrich who passed away while under 2+ years of extreme unjust persecution from JP, the board and Klochack!
We will not forget!
Is Coach Hulkow safe for next year as far as keeping all of his areas of responsibility? We would hate to lose him in any capacity.
When the board members who wanted Mr. Hulkow gone figured out it would likely lead to them being recalled they backed off. JP wanted to fire him! I know he is being renewed, just not sure if he keeps all areas of responsibility.
If Randy Davis is going to be an good superintendent, he will have to make some tough decisions to start cleaning up the huge mess left behind. He will have to decide what to do with Joyce Phillips loyalists- Klochack, Walbeck, Holbrook, Turner and MacDonald. If he simply makes them his loyalists and protects them, then he will prove his critics right that he is simply another JP. If he holds them accountable and replaces most or all of them, that will be a big step in the right direction. He should focus on a new board majority, our best hopes are in DeSmet, Coulter and to a lesser extent Webb and Campeau. If these four can unite for big changes away from the disastrous leadership of the past (and the other three on the board) then the changes could be for the better.
That could be a good start. But you can be sure that Potter, Darling and Stulberg see themselves as ruling the board like they have along with Beardslee the last four years.
I do not think Potter or Stulberg cared much for Mrs. Phillips anymore. But I think they felt it was easier to keep her and start a big fight that would likely end up in a lawsuit.
They both told me that she would surely sue the Marshall schools if they tried to fire her.
Their vote to extend her contract and grant her a big raise came back to haunt them.
I bet they are both glad to see her go. I think everyone is very happy to see Phillips go!
Is Joyce gone yet?
sounds like in the above post that Potter and Stulberg are realizing how much the community has turned against them for the role they played in making the school system in the shape it is today. My question tho is if they did all they should have been doing and Phillips did as much wrong as she has done, then why would they stick their neck out and defend the wrong doing that she did instead of holding her accountable for it. They were worried about being sueing but if you follow the books and don't do wrong what would Phillips have been able to sue over if she was in the wrong and even did things that were possible illegal, the board stood up for her and lied instead of saying the truth or she would have been found guilty for her wrong doing. Phillips is gone so now they are going to give the sob story and point the finger all towards Phillips when they are just as bad for not doing their jobs as the board members to stand up for the Marshall school district and think of our children, the employees, and the community. Phillips is gone maybe it is time for everyone to stop doing business with those involved as well maybe they will be forced to leave this town same as those who they treated wrong were forced to do
Potter does not care what happens in Marshall his business in out of city limits he don't pay city taxes, steve's wrecker service should be given the communities business they pay marshall taxes. same with stulberg, he don't pay city taxes where is activity center (hmmmm just outside city limits)but it is all ok the people in Marshall who do care are strong people and one day all the people who did wrong will have a higher power to answer to RIP Cathy P your name has no shame for what you stood up for.
Believe me, Potter, Darling, Beardslee and Stulberg have lost business for their actions. I know many, including myself, who quit doing business with these people. Some think the Franke's, who backed Phillips, may have paid them off, one way or another, to keep supporting Phillips. I have no idea if that is true but it is a mystery why they all worked together and did so much harm to the schools. It was not just being naive or duped by Phillips, as many told them what was going on and how they were doing much more harm than good. It is a very strange situation and there seems to be a strong effort to conceal the truth behind the last five years.
From today's Enquirer, article about the Athens budget:
"In what could be his last advice to Athens, he (Davis) urged everyone to take responsibility for stopping declining enrollment, the villain he blamed on the budget woes.
"Every employee in this district has to do what they can to keep students in this district and bring new students in," he said.
Of course did he ever "take responsibility" for his role, such as cutting most of the electives from the high school curriculum, which forced many kids to use schools of choice to go elsewhere? I do not think so. Good Luck Marshall.
His reputation in Athens is as a self-serving politician who kept those he needed to keep happy on the board and was not supportive of his staff. He has little actual educational experience. At best he will be mediocre. Most likely he will be another big problem. Marshall is way overpaying him for his experience and reputation.
Where's the Joyce Phillips retirement party? Is Vic bringing the flowers? Will Paul, Janice and Dan reminisce about forcing out Behrenwald, harassing staff, and firing the custodians? Is Ali and Chris V. going too? What about the Marsh's and the Franke's? Any sign of Walbeck, Turner, Holbrook, Klochack or McDonald? Whose bring the champagne to toast getting off the hook from scandal after scandal? When does JPs 2nd Michigan retirement ($20,000+/yr) kick in on top of her Indiana retirement? Is it at Joyce's house in Coldwater, or at the MAC or is Marsha Franke hosting? Can we all come?
Supposedly there is a gathering for JP of friends and loyalists that will likely include most or all of the above. But it is being kept quiet, I wonder why?
I keep hearing that more cuts are coming.
The arts (orchestra?) and athletics are being looked at now for further cuts.
Why are the teachers asked to give up their tiny raise when the big raises lavished on some administrators and the incoming superintendent are not cut first?
They are first counting on the teachers taking a nearly $300,000 pay "freeze," which is actually a cut. So far no offers of administrative pay cuts.
You appear to be confused...with todays economic conditions, a pay freeze is NOT a pay cut. Come out of your shell, read the headlines, watch the news, this is not "Reality TV", this is REALITY!!! Time for staff to give a little, "Know what I mean Vern"???
I will agree when the administrators who got up to 40% in raises get their pay rolled back to what the teachers got.
Go back five years for each administrator, start with what that position paid then, then add the same raises the teachers got, typically about 1% per year. Then freeze that too!
They cannot hand out huge raises to the administrators, most of whom performed poorly or mediocre at best, and then ask the teachers who got next to nothing for a freeze!
As a teacher, I know that our principal did get the same raises that we did and nothing more. I'd heard rumors that our tech director has gotten a big jump in his salary and is THE highest paid tech director in the county.
He is probably the worst too! he is known to delegate most of his job, he disappears alot, takes almost no initiative to lead the Marshall school in technology, we are quite behind in many areas, and does he bring in huge amounts in grant money? From my experience he doesn't even answer most e-mail or return phone calls. Marshall can do much better! He is a nice guy but about the most undeserving of all administrators to get a 40% raise. There is something shady about that!
The other strange admin deciison was making Holbrook a "co-Principal" of the Middle school! Why? I have never heard of this at another Middle School. Was Turner demoted? Was it political to give Holbrook more money? What is Klochack being paid? Behrenwald was much better so he should be making much less.
The excellence in Marshall leadership is:
Mr. Hulkow
Andrea Nessel
Bob Vaught
Susan Townsend
Tom Hanson
These are the ones who should have been recognized and rewarded, not the JP "brown nosers" Holbrook, MacDonald, Walbeck, Turner and Klochack. We need to support our real leaders who stand up for what is right, honest and best for our schools!
If anyone is reading the above who does not work in the Marshall schools, this is very accurate and well known by the staff. The best school leaders have been treated badly, with at least one forced out. Some of the worst have been protected and rewarded handsomely. Was the board fooled to support this or do they know exactly what they are doing? Either way they know now so we will see their true intentions as to how things change in the coming year.
Mrs. Joyce Phillips is leaving the Marshall schools in much worse shape than when she took over five years ago.
Phillips proved herself untrustworthy, incompetent, dishonest, mean and a very bad leader. She made no serious attempt to work effectively with the staff. She betrayed and backstabbed many good people. She fell back on her raw authoritarian power, provided by her board supporters, as her only means of "leading." This was a disaster!
Many people have been unjustly and needlessly harmed on purpose by her. There is much speculation that she got away with acts that should have gotten her fired, or worse, during the last five years. We will not forget the victims!
Joyce, you should be ashamed for what you did to the Marshall Public Schools!!! We may forgive because we are good people who have suffered enough, but we will not forget what you did...
Think long and hard, change your dark heart, and see if you can do something good somewhere else for a change! We know Kathy Petrich would be (is?) praying for you. She would be a good example for you to follow.
You never really tried to get to know us, you ignored us, you seemed to dislike us, but we are...
Your MPS Staff
Well said!
Boy, are the Chinese going to be pissed.
My guess is that the closest JP will get to China is a Chinese restaurant near Coldwater Lake.
I am quite certain JKP will continue her dark ways until the last God given breath she takes in this lifetime. It would be the after life I would be more concerned about here. I will never forget the destruction of lives she had a hand in....neither will I forget that she was backed by our 'local elected community members'. That will be the hardest part. Forgive - yes I will continue to conquer forgiveness....Forget - Never!
Rest in peace Kathy Petrich - you are so very much missed! What you contributed to MPS students will live on in their lives! That - no one can take away
The last five years were dark, creepy, bizarre, corrupt, incompetent and very very bad for the Marshall schools as far as the top leadership goes.
I commend those teachers, parents, coaches and students that did the best they could under very bad circumstances. We are now waiting for hope that things have changed. At worst Darling, Stulberg and Potter still run the board, plan to carry on the same style of leadership and have found their "Joyce Phillips part 2" in Randy Davis.
At best, a new board majority will emerge that wants real and positive changes that we all need! While there is little hope that Randy Davis is the leader we need, he can be if he wants to. Let's give him a chance and he will need to make major changes from the past to earn trust and respect from all.
Welcome Dr. Davis!
The board is excited to have you on board! We have a great staff and community and we will all look forward to working with you and getting to know you.
With the economy and the state budget the way it is there will be some big challenges. At some point we will all need to pull together to pass an upgrade bond, mostly to upgrade MHS, so we can retain students and compete with the Battle Creek area high schools.
Good luck and we wish you well!
i do not feel any bond should ever pass in marshall until there is a change in board members. the board didn't want to listen to everything that was being said before and they found out the bond didn't pass so what have they changed to make them think another would pass. of course all the blame will be pointed at joyce but she didn't do anything alone she had the board to help so they need to remember when they point 1 finger at saying it was all joyce 3 fingers are pointing at them saying they were the problem as well.
Potter, Darling, Stulberg, Holbrook, MacDonald, Walbeck, Turner and Klochack you all need to step down and leave the marshall school system it doesn't matter what you say or do now your trust has been lost to the people in marshall. I don't feel any bond will pass and if it does it shouldn't until you are all out of the picture
The group mentioned above are all responsible for being part a huge part of the problems of the last five years. I see no way they can redeem themselves, they actually need to be held accountable for their actions. The sooner they are replaced the better!
They need to be removed and then investigated, along with Joyce Phillips, Brian Metcalf and Amy Jones to find out all that really happened during the last five years. Imagine what an outcry it would cause if the truth came out? Phillips would certainly lose her second Michigan retirement! You can be sure they are counting on Randy Davis to help keep things buried and covered up. You can be sure they will want him to be loyal to them and continue the status quo.
Why does it feel like nothing really has changed?
Especially the repeated and pathetic whining that is posted here...
July 3, 2009
Are there any updates on cuts or changes??
I know a few parents who were PROMISED specific teachers for their children for next year and they just got letters in the mail, not only are the students not getting the teacher they were promised but they were also notified that they will be changing schools!!!!! Now this family is changing districts!!! More students lost!!!!
To three above! It is obvious you do not care about the schools! If you disagree about the causes or solutions of the problems then present an argument and defend it. If you just want to ridicule those who exposed and challenged the corrupt and failed top leaders that harmed our schools, then we suspect you are either one of them or very close to them.
i am waiting for the next bond proposal to come around. i'm sure it will include how the lunchrooms will be redone and have all new equipment. what it won't say is that they will then outsource all these jobs, just as they did to our custodians. the truth of the matter is, they have already looked into outsourcing these jobs, but no company wants to take it over with the old equipment. i cannot vote for a bond with the majority of the school board being responsible for the hostility felt by the community. i haven't been interested in ANYTHING jp has had to say since she delivered the most boring keynote speech at my graduation in 1993. this board has misused funds and made many poor choices. i actually moved back to marshall JUST SO MY CHILDREN COULD GO TO SCHOOL HERE. that is why i cannot, like many others, just say oh well and send my kids somewhere else. the board needs a major shake up (vic, jan, etc) b/c the community sentiment is not with them at all, and i don't feel that any bond will pass with these people behind it. i am hoping something will happen to turn things aroud.
I will NEVER vote for a bond as long as these board members are still in office and the miserably incompetent admins (Klochack,Turner, Holbrook, McDonald,etc) are still destroying our once great schools. By the way, I have never voted against any bond or millage for the schools. I am NOT the Lone Ranger with these feelings.
I keep hearing the cuts are not over yet. Any update? Also how can the board ask the teachers for a pay freeze after they have fallen over themselves handing out big pay raises to the handful of incompetent Joyce Phillips brown nosers? Why did the Tech Director, who is not even known for doing a good job, given a 40% raise? I am still waiting for that explanation.
Why not come up with some fresh questions...those have been asked hundreds, if not thousands, of times before...but then, it is possible you may have missed them because of your affliction caused by tunnel vision...staff reductions and pay adjustments could be just around the corner and sooner than you think, so get ready to gripe some more kiddies.
Do you have an inside track as to what is going on? Are you a board member?
I worked with the tech director Charlie MacDonald and believe me he does not do much. He is a yes man and does as little as possible to keep his job. My guess is that neither JP or the board had much of a clue what he did. He must have told them he is underpaid and for whatever reason they gave him a big pay raise. I doubt it is anything sinister like staff surveillance, I do not think he has the know how or ambition to pull off anything beyond snooping at e-mail, which he probably delegated to someone else anyway. My advice to the board, he is way over paid and this is a great place to make a big cut. Better yet, find a replacement that knows what they are doing and cares about the school district.
Did my invitation get lost in the mail to Joyce's farewell party? I wanted to see the whole fun group- Georgia, Marsha F., Paul, Dan, Janice and Vic. We could have talked about how we got our revenge against everyone the last five years.
You left out Bennink, Walbeck, MacDonald, Klochack, Turner and Holbrook. They all need to be held accountable.
Dr. Davis and the board of Ed need to start taking actions that build trust and respect that had been lost in recent years. Let's hope we see some major positive steps ASAP!
He can start by treating people with respect and listen to what ALL people have to say.
You can bet Dan, Vic and Janice are still very angry and in a fighting mood. They will likely try to run the board as if they are in charge and get Randy Davis to do as they say. They have a lot to keep covered up and they have made enemies out of nearly everyone. So it may be better to ask if the other four board members will step up and take charge? They are our best hope. My guess is Randy Davis will follow whoever he thinks has the power. He is not known as a strong leader.
It will depend on Ali Webb and Annette Campau. Both have sided with the previous board majority in the past. If they truly care about the kids they will join John and Bill for a clean break from the past failed regime.
Any update on fixing the broken athletic facilities at MHS? The lack of maintenance is embarrassing. A lot of areas are quite dirty too. Why are the new tennis courts already severely cracked? Any update when there will be a new track? What about the pool? Was all the money squandered by the superintendent and her cohorts?
No...The lack of improvements were probably caused by YOU and YOUR cohorts voting against the last bond proposal!!! So blame yourselves, and nobody else, for an opportunity squandered...
To two above...
Yes, they squandered all kinds of money going back to the $40,000+ it cost due to an insurance screwup by Joyce Phillips and Amy Jones. The list goes on and on, but had they done their jobs properly all of the above and much more could have been fixed. Also if they had been good leaders I am sure the bond would have passed. Nobody trusted them.
The bond proposal was poorly conceived and the campaign badly executed. That's a management failure.
When Joyce was given her last contract she should have been the one to have the task of passing the bond. As it was, her personality was so poisonous she had to be kept in the background.
The board is responsible for the failure. Period.
Carry on.
"We didn't like Joyce or the Board, so we voted down the bond proposal"...or words to that effect. So lets take it out on the kids...brilliant, what genius!
You cannot vote in $35 million to a group you believe are dishonest, corrupt and incompetent, can you?
Has,
Your prejudice is showing. What I said was that the bond and its committee screwed up. What I said was the district's CEO was incapable of helping because she was so controversial.
Grow up.
"you believe are dishonest, corrupt and incompetent"
What a pathetic outlook on community members who volunteer their time to take such abuse...its always your way, its the only way or no way...sad.
OK, spell it out. How are we better off than we were five years ago?
The board members are not bad people,just wrong.
For those not closely associated with the schools there may be a lot that is not known about some of the board members.
Janice, Paul, Dan, Georgia Marsh and Marsha Franke, to name a few, have been involved going back as an organized anti-Lou and anti-Redskin name group. That in itself is not the main problem. It was when they took control, and recruited Vic along the way to be their lightening rod, they met with Phillips and decided they were going to "fix" the schools. There were some problems, mostly at MMS. Then as has been covered thoroughly on this blog, they set out like a bull in a china shop to fix things and ended up fighting with nearly everyone. They were on a crusade that also included Amy Jones and Brian Metcalf. They rewarded bad employees and targeted many of the best staff because of dirty political and personal issues. Then as their mistakes mounted they went overboard to cover things up, many lies were told, and used unfair and possibly illegal tactics to harm or force out staff they did not like. Yes, I agree a few of these people they were justified in targeting, but their methods and reasons were often as bad or worse than anything their targets did. For whatever stupid reasons they targeted many people they should have been listening to. They also attacked Sam and Bob and pressured them off the board (things that were said and done should have lead to a recall of some of them). By all accounts Joyce Phillips was a terrible superintendent but this group kept backing and protecting her. I and many others tried warning the board but to no avail. They chose a path, they used unethically and unscrupulous tactics, they often lied and now they must be held accountable for their actions. Their actions go way beyond an honest difference of opinion or mere ignorance. They knew exactly what they were doing and did it anyway. I have no sympathy, they deserve all the criticism and anger they are receiving for their actions. Also I have seen no remorse or change of heart. Just arrogance and anger targeting nearly everyone. I wish this had not happened, but it did!
That's pretty much what I know too in a nutshell. I think paranoia set in, they made many dumb mistakes and then engaged in bad behavior to cover it up and started fighting with the teachers and custodians. They should have switched sides when the teacher survey came out and other scandals that should have set off red flags (they did with everyone else).
I think JP and Amy Jones were a huge part of the problem, they were unprofessional and disrespectful towards everybody. I do not think they knew what they were doing and this is how they chose to rule. The board were fools to follow them, except Sam and Bob, and later John, who saw right through them and spoke out about it. John, Sam and Bob are courageous and did/do a great job serving our schools whether we always agree with them or not. Thanks for offering your wisdom which unfortunately was ridiculed by most of your colleagues.
Vic told me they forced Amy Jones and Brian Metcalf out. He also said they did not want Joyce Phillips around past her current contract, hinting she was forced out before she wanted to leave. I do not think Paul or Dan much cared for Joyce at the end. Behrenwald supposedly got on their sh*t list for talking bad about Joyce soon after she arrived. What they didn't know was that Joyce was sending nonsensical directives to Ron and wanted him to do some pretty dumb or just plain wrong things. They should have backed Ron and investigated Joyce. I sense these board members are not too bright as far as how to run a school district.
Are they keeping Klochack around another year? MHS has many problems. Replacing him would be a good start.
To the comment above about MHS facilities not being maintained, they did put in a new access road to the softball fields. I know, it is not much. The front parking lot looks awful, are they planning to fix that or any of the other maintenance needs at the high school?
Talk about "Tunnel Vision"...Guess you did't see the City streets leading into the parking lot??? We will soon be a truly historic town before long...dirt streets and all. Its all about lack of funding kiddies!
to whoever said i didn't vote for the bond b/c i don't like jp/the board, and choose to "punish" the children instead...i moved back to marshall so my children can attend this school district. i voted no on the bond b/c i don't trust the boards decisions with money. like the leaky pipes we all saw pics of when the bond was going around, that was known about and could have been fixed, but the board opted to spend the $$ on AIR CONDITIONING for the AUDITORIUM instead. because the kids need air at school in the SUMMER when it's hot. also, they paid thousands of dollars to resurface the track in APRIL when you need 3 days of consectutive 70 degree weather. that is why it was patched and then feel apart rather quickley. why don't you ask some of the janitors whose jobs were OUTSOURCED in the name of money. they actually knew the conditions of the buildings and where money was misused. so no, i cannot place millions of more dollars in the hands of people who have already squandered it before. please don't tell me what i think...what i really think is too long and offensive to post here! and obviously the majority of the community feels the same way, b/c the bond didn't pass.
I voted for the bond but I can understand why most people I know voted against it. The number one reason, besides some didn't think we needed a new auditorium, was they thought we needed new leadership first. The Phillips/Jones/Metcalf/Potter/Beardslee/Stulberg/Darling regime had failed, had lied and was not trusted. I had mixed feelings myself supporting the bond. I knew we needed it badly but just as badly we needed new leaders who were trusted, competent and honest.
The bond would have easily passed, even with the auditorium, if there were good leaders in place.
Gee, it sounds like the majority thought the bond proposal was necessary, but because of personal vendettas against the Board...you decided to punished the children of MPS...brilliant!!!
Wow, some indignant fool gets on here and calls others who voted against the bond because of poor leadership brilliant!!! I think that that is a perfect reason to not vote for something...poor leadership. That individual supports the board and at the same time talks about punishing children, you my friend are a fool! The board has been hurting children for the past few years, especially Dan, Janice, Vic, and Janice. They couldn't name a kid in our district unless they are an employee's child or a friend's child. There is total disconection between the board and the children of the school district.
And you...my friend, must certainly be a disgruntled staff member...time to change professions or retire! Your posting exposes a very venomous attitude...did Santa always bring you the wrong toys too?
Well - to poster above. I am not an employee at MPS - but I have enough intelligence to determine when one bad decision after another bad decision backed up by lying and deception - which my friend has coincidentially been happening since Joyce Phillips took office....triggers me to beg then wait for better leadership until my 'vote for more school taxes' will go through.
This community begged the school board to do something about the corrupt leader joyce. NOTHING was done except the 'Marshall wait and see if the community forgets about the problems we tried to sweep under the rug'
Well Joyce is gone - but I have not fotgotten: The $$$$ lost to good families whose incomes were taken from them 24 custodians. I have not had time to forget the ignored issues exposed through a united staff survey. I have not forgotten the lies about the Metcalf doctorate (yes - ask the office ladies - he did most of his studies on school property...ooops....those awesome ladies in central office have moved on to better jobs: Penny H., Martha R and Karla B. There in itself is yet another iconic loss to our district. I have not had time to forget about the lies and deception regarding the mistake that led to $22,000+ money in the double administrator insurance coverage. I have not had time to forget that Joyce Philips DID LIE TO THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE about the misappropriate of school funds when she instructed the two grounds workers to 'go fix the air conditioner no matter what it takes - yes on school time with school truck'. I have not had time to forget how Phillips tried to ruin the career of Ron Behrenwald....with the assistance of Mr. Big Brain - Beardslee....who Ron went to in confidence and was told by Beardslee to 'bring it to the board meeting'. After which Joyce wrote him up with a scathing reprimand.... I have not had time to forget how Joyce then began systematically ruining lives and careers - - - - I have not had time to forget Kathy Petrich and the good she stood for. Nor have I had time to forget Kathy Petrich and what Joyce directed Metcalf and Klochak to put her through - - - - Nor will I ever forget Kathy Petrich and how Joyce caused suffering to the end of her life.
No - I have not had time to forget that board members have been approached, like employees are supposed to do, while they ignored the concerns of staff member and community members.
I guess I just have not had enough time to forget!
I actually wouldn't say that I'm a disgruntled employee(your statement narrows down who you are because you've made that statement previously), just someone who is dissatisfied with how our board has been operating in the past 5-6 years. I actually love my job and the kids that I come into contact with EVERY day. If I didn't like my job, I would change it. As far as venom goes, I would say that the attacks that the board has allowed JKP and her cronies carry out seeps of venom that is infused by our "know-nothing" board members. By the way, just so you know, Santa is not real. That only goes to show the rest of us where your mind is, still in 2nd grade and still believing in Santa.
So sad to know that you not only received the wrong toys at Christmas, but that you never even believed in Santa...how about the Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy??? Probably not...
why are the obvious supporters of the board so nasty in their posts? is it b/c you are in the very small minority? read the posts on here, they are almost all negative towards the board/leadership of mps in the past 5 or so years. the fact that a blog was started for the community to vent about what a crappy shape the schools are in really shows how the community feels. we are tired of this b.s., and it is very obvious. and then one or two supporters of the board try to tell us how we are bad parents and must not care about the children b/c we didn't pass the bond. there are teachers who voted no on that bond! that is almost unheard of! that shows what a complete lack of faith the majority of this community has in our mps board/leaders. it's not about the higher taxes, it's about passing millions of dollars into the hands of people who have misused funds before. no bond will pass in this town without a shake up/recall/replacement to the school board!
Oh, I once believed in Santa, The Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy. It was a precious time in my life. It was a fantasy. Kind of like our board(especially Dan, Vic, Janice and Paul), the reality of it is that there is no Santa, much like our board, no leadership. Too, I find that you are talking about what I was "getting" from Santa, kind of like our board, always wanting to "get" and not give. I know where your priorities lie.
There is a tiny circle of board members and their family members and close friends left who still support the failed leadership. This group is trying to hang on to power. Their meanness, or the one supporter of theirs (or one of them) who keeps posting is not a surprise. That is how they treated almost everybody through their years of mismanagement. I like how they accuse others of personal vendettas which they carried out all the time. Their true colors shine brightly! They cannot cover up their intentions or actions anymore. Now we will see if they prevail and run the schools a few more years with Randy Davis as a sort of JP 2 or if the other board members take charge and push for real change in a good direction.
BTW, JP still needs to be held accountable and an investigation is needed. This is not over by a longshot. Now some with key information about coverups and scandals may be willing to step forward and expose what happened.
Besides accepting a big raise for himself, what else has the new Supt. Randy Davis done for the Marshall schools so far? He left Athens in a big mess.
Supt. Davis has made it known that he would like to see more cuts, it makes his job easier.
He will have to take bold initiatives if he is to win over the staff and the community. He will need to sideline Potter, Darling and Stulberg.
Dr. Davis has a huge mess to clean up, if he chooses to and the board lets him.
Davis will probably be low key and wait and see what the board wants him to do. Don't expect much from him. Only because he followed someone who was so awful may he look like an improvement. You can be sure he will not investigate or help expose the corruption of the last five years. Also he is not know for working with his staff very well and will betray anyone that helps his protect his position. So staff you have been warned, be very cautious and don't count on RD backing you. He will always look out for himself. He was not selected for his experience or educational knowledge, nor his leadership skills. He was selected as someone weak who could be controlled by the Marshall board. You can be sure the same characters see themselves in charge and the same policies and goals will be pursued. If you think you were on the "hit list" before, you can be sure your name has not been removed.
The Chronicle reported that Ali Webb is the new board President, which is better than Vic, Dan or Janice, though Vic is the VP. They are planning to start pursuing a new bond for a possible vote by next May. Stimulus dollars may be available which would make it cheaper. Now let's see if they make the hard choices and big steps necessary to rebuild all the broken relationships and loss of trust over the last five years. We cannot fall any further behind and continue losing students and cutting programs.
The Unified State Health Plan to insure an estimated 400,000 employees of the state, municipalities, counties and schools with a single health care plan could save Michigan Taxpayers $700 to $900 million dollars per year.
Proposed by: House Speaker Andy Dillon (D).
Supported by: Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R).
Opposed by: Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D).
Opposed by: mea.
With opposition like that, this plan will undoubtedly be very beneficial to Michigan Taxpayers and should be vigorously supported.....hard to believe, but something from Lansing is finally making sense.
Imagine the big raises (long overdue) they could give the teachers from the cost savings! Maybe we could all get a big raise like our new superintendent and some other administrators received the past few years?
please allow me to ask this question to those whom criticize the employees at mps, do you walk in their shoes, have you ever led a caring work force with vinegar, have you ever given away something for the betterment of the job you must love? the fellow employees I used to work with have done that and more! they have been doused with vinegar for 5 years, been unsupported by their management and did give back half of their raise and more. but hey why should they recieve any compensation for their job just because the untold raises and expenses given to thier 'leaders' who usually ask them to do all the research and recieving funding for their 'leadership' can take the credit and raise for. yes I do understand these practices for I am an ex-custiodian. I watched all this happen and more. however YOU must know more than I ever saw or may have heard of because you can dictate to these people what they should do. I, however believe these employees need a bit of honey in some support of the community. no I am not talking to all you the listers in this blog but you know that if you are not wearing your blinders.
There is a tiny radical clique that supported Joyce Phillips and backed all kinds of anti-MPS staff policies and actions. Unfortunately this tiny clique has run our school board the last five years. Not all board members belong but at least Dan, Vic and Janice do, along with Paul, Marsha F. and Georgia M. Not sure about Ali, she may be one too. Or used to be.
That group sunk the last bond. I hope they do not sink the next try, as they still have a board majority and a new superintendent they picked while others preferred the better qualified candidates. Nothing has changed.
The people voted for big changes, Bill DeSmet, vs the old guard of Georgia Marsh by a landslide! That was also a vote against Phillips, Stulberg, Potter and Darling. Now a new board majority needs to take charge- Webb, Coulter, DeSmet and Campau. This group can turn things around and move the Marshall schools forward. They need to resist pressure from the other three to keep the same old ways of mismanagement, lies and coverups. Supt. Randy Davis needs to step up and lead bold new changes away from the past leadership failures, lies and scandals. This is the hope of the people of Marshall. Do it for our schools and community. Do it for the kids!!!
Speak up Marshall! Your efforts helped stop the radical clique from a sleazy attempt to remove Mr. Hulkow! Call board members, send letters to the editor, spread the word that this is our golden opportunity to start turning things for the better.
How about these changes: (1) a new head Principal at MHS, (2) new Principals to fix MMS, (3) a new tech director that actually does a good job for their 40% pay raise. Make sure we hire highly experienced and competent replacements. JP was notorious for overruling hiring committees and hiring the weaker candidates.
The Marshall schools are not what they used to be! Bad leadership and a loss of top talent has taken its toll.
Any update on the new bond? Will it include the same things? I think it should, we do need a good auditorium, or at least offer that as an option to voters.
I think with Dr. Phillips gone it will pass this time.
I'd heard that Dr. Phillips has been hired as a consultant to Dr. Davis and will be working with the school district for a couple more months. Please tell me that the board didn't do that?
"I'd heard that Dr. Phillips has been hired as a consultant to Dr. Davis and will be working with the school district for a couple more months. Please tell me that the board didn't do that?"
I certainly hope that is just a silly rumor. I have never heard of such a thing. If Dr. Davis needs a "consultant" to help him, he never should have been hired in the first place. When Harper Creek last hired it last superintendent, the old superintendent had already been gone for three months when Mr. Severson started. He did not need any "consultants" and this was his first job as superintendent, Mr. Davis already is suppose to have superintendent experience.
So she can be held accountable for the illegal things she did. It is well known she crossed the line in a number of cases and needs to be charged and convicted of her actions. At minimum she should lose her second Michigan retirement.
Since JPs supporters still dominate the school board do not expect much change. I will personally give them a chance but the odds are pretty bad. I think Ali and Annete are much more in the pro-JP/anti-MPS camp than many would like to think. At minimum they have been very supportive most of the time in the past with one or two minor exceptions.
Even though JP is gone, the same mentality and group that was behind her still rule the roost. Now they want the teachers to take a pay freeze after they have rewarded JP, Dr. Davis and JP loyalists handsomely.
Massages for Flushing teachers were supposed to decrease under their new union contract three years ago. A change in the teachers' insurance plan that cut the number of allowed visits from 38 to 24 a year. Think they fought that? Teachers given massages as a MEA/NEA union benefit...and we wonder why school budgets are so bloated. We wonder why they always need more and more tax increases. Time to consider payroll costs and taking away all outrageous benefits. The taxpayers of Michigan are tired of getting massaged...
I agree, give the teachers insurance comparable to private industry and PAY too! So a little lesser insurance but another $15,000-$20,000 per year to narrow the differences for education level and years of experience would be a good start.
The teachers need to freeze their wages and quit whining. They should be glad to have a job!
Dr. Phillips did a great job cleaning up this district. The old boy network did not like it. I back the board members who bravely went after Ron Behrenwald and others that needed to be removed. We need law and order in our schools, not chaos. Vic, Dan, Janice, Paul, Ali, Annette, keep up the good work and don't let spoiled whiners get in your way. There is much more work to be done. While you are at it give Mr. Klochack a big raise for cleaning up MHS. See what you can do to get rid of "the Bulk" by next year.
So, details please. What is good now that was bad before?
Does any one know how the board meeting went tonight????
Here is what happened at the board meeting:
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20090728/NEWS01/907280311/Marshall+school+board+hires+business+director
They hired a Director of Business Operations AND an Accountant and plan to hire a curriculum director to replace Curriculum Director Brian Metcalf and Business Manager Amy Jones and somehow sell this as a cut of $98,000? Unless these three positions add up to about $98,000 in pay combined (about what BOTH Metcalf and Jones made a piece) then it looks like the budget will not be cut and they actually added another position.
Can someone clarify what happened here? What gives?
You said 3 positions but only listed Amy Jones and Brian Metcalf...what am I missing here???
I think they meant that three positions were being filled or created to replace two positions. Then asked how is this a cut?
Also there is an article about Supt. Davis in the July 29, 2009 BC Enquirer:
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20090729/NEWS01/907290307/Davis+settling+in+as+Marshall+superintendent
I agree that big changes are needed! Staff and community trust and respect in the school leaders need to be restored, or more specifically earned back after being lost! There are still open wounds that need to be addressed. The former Superintendent Joyce Phillips left a big mess and many feel she needs to be investigated for possible criminal charges. Honesty, cooperation and transparency went out the door the last five years. Nasty personal politics, incompetence and scandals plagued the Marshall schools at the top and cost us a much-needed bond. The board members who backed and propped up Joyce Phillips are also to blame. We have lost students and our reputation has suffered. Reversing this damage will not be easy. Not all damage can be fixed.
Was the huge 40% pay raise given Charlie MacDonald the Tech Director in return for cooperation with such things as staff surveillance and deleting information from the network that could have been damaging or possibly used against Joyce Phillips and others? Was it connected to covering up the insurance scandal or methods used to harass and force out good employees who spoke out against mismanagement?
There seems to be no other reason for such a huge raise for someone with such a lackluster performance record. Almost anyone else on staff deserved a raise of that size more. This needs to be investigated.
I asked a board member about this huge unprecedented and suspicious pay raise. This board member claimed it was no big deal and that Joyce had recommended it. Do they normally just give a 40% pay raise? This board member said it was not that big. Five years ago that position paid about $59,000 per year, it is a tech management and support position and Charlie MacDonald keeps a very low profile, not a significant administrative job like it is in some other districts. Now it is paid like an assistant superintendent at closer to $90,000 per year. The raise may be bigger than 40%, and may have happened over a few years to cover it up.
Suspicious? Yes
Deserved? No
I hope Dr. Davis looks into this and fixes this as part of new cuts.
I think his pay went from something like $62,000 to about $85,000. My guess is he sold JP and the board that they could not get by without him and that he had great skills. Not likely true by any stretch, but they must have bought it. As far as any secret deals to monitor staff or delete data, who knows? Anything is possible with the regime that has run things the last few years.
Hey, quit yer yappin' about this stuff.I tells you that is supposed to be buried under the rug. Listen here, if ya wanna keep yer job keep yer trap shut. Ya heres me. JP, Vic, Paul, Dan and Janice- ya done' good.
I do agree virtually the entire staff and most everyone else I know in Marshall have been very angry with the previous superintendent and the school board. In the past this would have lead to a recall. I am quite surprised that did not happen this time.
I believe the new superintendent and the school board need to realize two very important things they need to do first.
1. They need to do whatever it takes to regain the support, trust and respect of their own school staff.
2. Then they need to regain the trust, support and confidence of the parents and community members.
This will not be easy and it will take time.
To be honest, it would go much better if Potter, Darling and Stulberg stepped down. I am not sure if these three can ever regain trust, forgiveness and support. There are many deep and open wounds left over from their actions. There are also many questions unanswered.
We need honesty, cooperation and integrity in our leaders. It has to be genuine and sincere. Dr. Davis and the school board must now decide if they will face reality and deal with these issues to solve them, of if they will ignore the problems and use the tactics of the past. The latter option will just make things worse.
I have trust in Mr. DeSmet and Mr. Coulter the most. Mr. Davis still has to earn trust and support.Mrs. Campeau and Mrs. Web need to join DeSmet and Coulter for change. I gave up on the other three long ago. Their knives are still in my back.
I am very upset that right after the school year ended I got a letter that my 3rd grader would be forced to move to another elementary school due to budget cuts. Now imagine if you were in 3rd grade, had all of your friends at school and suddenly had to change schools against your will. Then I called the school and they said the office was closed until August 24th! I left a message and nobody has gotten back with me. Is this any way to run a school district?
I know that Dr. Phillips screwed things up and squandered a lot of money. It is nice that Mr. Davis and the Tech Director got big raises, but at what expense? Hurting children, cutting teachers?
The priorities are all messed up and I blame our school board. They have been ignoring our teachers warnings for years. They have allowed bad management to go unaccountable. They have wasted mnney on people who do not deserve it. They have harmed our schools and show no remorse for all they have done wrong.
Now what? Should I move my kids to another district like so many other Marshall parents are doing?
That is a good example of the "I don't give a dam about anyone but myself" attitude of Joyce Phillips and her loyalists that last five year! They lavish money on themselves and cut staff and programs that benefit kids. Seeing how the board approved such lavish raises they must have more money stashed away than we know about. Maybe they can free up some of that money to restore staff and programs so things like this do not happen to the kids.
There are a lot of upset parents out there. Many of the cuts make no sense. The worst part is they have the money, they just don't want to spend it on what is best for the kids. They would rather give themselves raises and perks. No wonder why Marshall has lost so many students. Are we going to follow Athens now down the drain? We just hired the captain of their sinking ship. Smart move board!
I can imagine some board members saying, as they have said before about other issues:
"Quit your whining"
"You should be happy your kid has a school to attend"
"I will look into it and get back with you" (Never to be heard from again!)
Or my favorite:
"You are the only one to ever complain about this" (when I know many others have complained too!).
I know Bill and John will do a fine job. I hope Ali and Annette break from the others and serve the schools well. Dr. Davis should intervene and allow all students to stay at the elementary school they were at last year unless they voluntarily are willing to change. If some classes are larger, so be it. I agree, they have the money. Its all a matter of priorities.
That was so nice of Joyce Phillips to send out letters right after school got out to ruin the summer of many Marshall kids and their families and tell them they cannot go to their school any longer. Is this the same Joyce Phillips that tried to cover up a $40,000+ insurance mistake? Who let her $100,000 per year asst. Supt. do next to nothing while he worked on his PhD full-time which was also paid for by the MPS, about another $20,000. The same Phillips who got big raises despite very bad performance. The same Phillips who gave her tech director a $25,000/year raise, despite poor performance. The same Phillips who is very close and supported by most of our school board and a few other well-heeled Marshallites who apparently could give a hoot about our kids?
Yes she is gone, but her legacy is still doing great harm and her supporters still rule the school board. Supt. Davis needs to either start undoing all the wrongs she committed or take responsibility for them himself.
"SHUT UP ALREADY"!!! Offer something constructive for a change...
i love how the people who actually support the people who have decimated our school system are so rude! that attitude right there says it all. "i am tired of people ragging on the horrible job that has been done by the board (and jp) and the lack of competence they have shown. complain about something else." well, i don't know if you noticed, but alot of people are upset about all the mismanagement/wasted funds ( and alot of other b.s.), and that anger is not going to go away until someone starts moving this district in the right direction...my constuctive offer is for someone who actually knows how to handle $$ and will listen to what the people in this community are saying to step up and lead in a proper direction...the one that is best for our children! i am praying that Mr. Davis will be the man for the job...b/c it sure isn't vic, janice or dan.
Bottom line is all new money spent on education goes NOT to the kids, but to out of control teacher benefits and pension costs. This is a cold hard fact ... and it needs to be addressed NOW. All the teachers 'cry me a river' stories 'or 'boo hoo...I didn't get a raise' are NOT going to resonate with the vast majority of state taxpayers who are either not working (almost 20% unemployment) or have had their salaries and benefits CUT over the last 3 years.
Just an FYI here: The Business Office has seen other changes 'quietly' over the summer. Karla Bivens - with her awesome personality - was pink slipped in June. This was the last corner stone in the 'once people friendly system' in the MPS business office. Joyce had it out for Karla for several years as Karla was extremely liked by EVERYONE! Narcistic personalities (like JKP) do not like those who are well respected and professionally admired. Karla will be greatly missed - somewhat similar to when Mary Carol Allen retired! Thanks Joyce - you completed your dirty deal!!! What you sow you will reap....this goes for everyone!!!!
Dr. Davis and the school board, if they are honest and want to truly fix the mess the MPS are in, need to:
1. Launch an independent adn hnest investigation into the last five years. Those guilty of unethical or illegal conduct need to be held accountable.
2. Make big and sincere efforts to reach out to rebuild staff relations. The MPS has a wonderful staff with many highly talented people that need to be respected and listened to. They also need to know they can share their honest views without fear of retribution.
3. The board lastly needs to reach out to the community and rebuild all the broken relationships and lost trust that was manifested in the previous regime. This will take time, humility and courage to pull off. Can Dan, Ali, Janice and Vic pull a 180 and back all of this, or will they do all they can to prevent real progress and cover up the past? Most people think these four to varying degrees are very bad for the Marshall schools. Let them show critics wrong and lead the charge for accountability and real change! Or if they fail they will deserve to be recalled and their damaged reputations will get worse.
We will know soon what direction Dr. Davis and the board are going in. The few token things they are working on like possible bond funding are good. But they are the tip of the iceberg of what is needed to truly fix problems and move forward in the best way possible.
First big fix- let all the elementary kids stay at the schools they were at last year unless they choose to change schools. Some laid off staff may need to be called back. Also we need to reverse the cuts at the Marshall alternative school. We know the board has the money, look at the big raises they have doled out the last few years.
I would like to know what the Marshall schools spent on legal fees and attorneys the last five years. I have heard it is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars! WOW!!! That could have paid for all of the cuts. And my sources tell me the vast majority of these expenses should never have occurred in the first place, making them the fault of the Joyce Phillips regime and the board. You can be sure these expenses have been buried and covered up. Along with some other payoffs to avoid lawsuits.
I miss the days when Shelley Sulser at the Marshall Chronicle used to use the Freedom of Information Act to get such information and then write a good story about it. That ended when Joyce threatened the Chronicle with litigation, which the Chronicle could not afford to defend and Joyce would have been financed by, well, us the taxpayers.
You can be sure their legal bills have been very high. I would not be surprised if they buried some of these expenses using creative accounting. Now the kids pay the price.
I wonder if Dr. Davis will continue to hire very expensive outside "consultants" all the time like JP did the last five years. They spent a fortune on them too. It was as if she could not do anything without a highly paid consultant advising. All while ignoring the expert advice available for free from her own staff and community members.
The board only listens to the superintendent, the school lawyers or highly paid outside consultants. The latter two promote this so they can keep milking the school district, often at hundreds of dollars per hour in fees. They can't make a decisions without them, or by simply using free experts already on staff or in the community.
What a waste! How much has all of this cost in the last five years? $1 million? $2 million? more ?
I think Supt. Davis and the board need to listen more to the parents. Our kids should not be shuffled around because the previous leaders wasted the money.
I would also be very curious about the legal fees. Has no one FOIAd those figures. I know for sure Joyce was very willing to incurr legal costs at whatever expense to this district. All in the name of 'getting rid of problem employees.....whatever'! She was the problem employee!!!!!!!!!!!!! As far as I can see - - - the only problem employee enhanced by her side kick Amy Jones, Brian Do Nothing Metcalf and then Lisa Barley!!!! (the joyce clone in HR)
FYI: How is it this district (others do not) pays 3 employees to work full time at the school bus garage - all summer long- but yet you can NEVER get anyone to answer a phone as well as you can NEVER find an employee at the garage - on many attempts. Several years ago - (8 years I think) back when the district had money to waste - the bus supervisor asked for summer hours thus extending the salaries of the secretary/dispatcher, mechanic and supervisor. Prior to this they did not work summers - their schedules were 44 - 46 weeks. Aside from putting together bus routes for fall (which takes 1-2 weeks and is done solely by the secretary/dispatcher).....and of course there is that one special needs bus that runs every other week during summer....so why?!?!?!?! is this district paying three employees over the summer to do nothing? Ask any City Workers (who share the garage) and you will find out Walbeck is never to be found - secretary is never to be found - mechanic will tell you there is not much to do in upkeeping buses as they are primarily sitting in the bus lot!
If there is such a need to cut the budget - why did Joyce keep passing over on cuts to the summer payment at the transportation department. Could it be payola - for Walbeck being such a tattle tale finkster? Could Dr. Davis possibly put some equity in the district and look into the huge waste at the transportation department. Funny thing here: Walbeck must have gotten pressure to do those safety bus evacuations - last three weeks of school year he directed drivers to teach bus evacuations to student riders.....(hum....maybe earlier in the school year would have been proactive instead of cya at end of school year. How important is bus safety????
The superintendent and the board should spend more time getting to know and listening to their staff and the community. Most (not all) of the board have been ignoring everyone but a few in their clique, top administrators who do not live in or care about Marshall, or highly paid outside consultants for far too long. That is a huge part of why so many problems and bad things happened. We are all paying the price in the lost bond (costing us millions, imagine how cheap everything would have been to be fixing MHS NOW), lost reputation, lost students, lost talent who left because of them, and low staff morale and lost community trust.
What is the board and Dr. Davis going to do to address all of this? So far they act as if everything is just fine and there are no problems. Only John Coulter I have heard address these issues. I am guessing Bill DeSmet is another good one to try to start turning things around. I have a feeling the others want to sweep it under the rug and play dumb. I still do not trust most of the board members. I am giving Dr. Davis a chance but his reputation at Athens was not good and his experience in education is very minimal at best.
I feel bad for the excellent people who have been cut because of our bad leaders and board mistakes. I also feel bad for all of the children affected by these cuts who are being moved to other schools against their will. This must stop and be reversed!
Let me give you a reality check about politics, especially Marshall politics!
You may wish we had people who were smart, caring and truly looked out for the best interests of our schools. People who had no personal agenda other than something positive like boosting the arts or academics. People who were cooperative and respected others. In reality some of those kinds of people exist. Bill DeSmet and John Coulter may fall into that category.
But the other type of politician, the type that wants to get some people fired, the type that could give a damn what anyone else thinks, the type that wants to help their buddies out, the type that picks fights and enjoys messing with people, the type in other words who are self-serving and on a power trip. This type often makes bad decisions and then tries to lie their way out of it. This type has a hidden agenda, which is often against the best interests they are supposed to serve. This type appears to have dominated the Marshall school board for years.
Until others run against them or there is a recall we get what we tolerate. We also ALL pay the price for the bad leaders we get. Until the people of Marshall are done tolerating corrupt and incompetent leaders, we will keep getting them and they will do as they damn well please! Our kids will suffer the consequences the most, as we are seeing now with the "elementary shuffle" and the lack of money due to waste to properly fund the alternative school and other programs.
I recently attended MHS and I am embarrassed to say I went to Marshall. Look at our crumbling sports facilities and parking lots? Its a mess caused by neglect of people who do not care about the kids. Mr. Behrenwald cared, Mr. Klochack does not.
I would like to be positive and hope things are getting better. Most of those responsible for the disaster of the past few years are still in charge. The way Mr. Davis was selected was very suspicious and his background and experience are highly questionable for a district of what should be high stature. I feel standards and expectations have dropped significantly as the Marshall schools struggle. I admire the staff, coaches, parents and students who work hard to make the best of a bad situation. Thank you for your efforts!
I keep hearing there are more cuts to come and don't get your hopes up if your kid was forced to move to another school. Not good.
What is the update on Marshall Alternative school? Is Mr. Klochack coming back to MHS? I heard he is looking for something closer to home. The 90 min commutes are quite long. I wish him well for his sake and ours.
Bond question
Last time the MPS requested $35 million to update MHS and do some other things in the district. It appears the new program Supt. Davis talked about allows for a $15 mil only. Would that cover part of the bond or would the request be scaled back significantly?
Right now they are having a car wash to buy $45,000 worth fo textbooks. Let me think here, they have given just 2 administrators, the tech director and the superintendent, at least $45,000 in a combined raise PER year, compared to what they made a few years back.
Now with all of the budget cuts why waste such money? Anyone who works in the MPS knows the tech director didn't not deserve it and neither did Joyce Phillips. We hired the new guy one step ahead of Athens booting him out, so I am sure he could get by with a little less. Instead of helping wash cars, he should take a 10% pay cut and he will still be overpaid.
Another PR stunt to cover up what has really been going on. If you don't believe me, look into it yourself. Talk to former board members. You will be shocked how much waste and fraud has gone on in our schools.
I don't blame Dr. Davis. He didn't ask for a $10,000 raise, the board gave it to him, along with the other undeserved generous superintendent raises of the last five years.
So if I were him I would rather work a few hours at a car wash rather than give up a $10,000 raise despite big budget cuts. Who do you think we are, Lakeview and Harper Creek where their superintendent took a pay freeze to avoid more budget cuts that hurt the kids?
This is Marshall, those in power look out for themselves first!
More phony PR from the spinmeisters. I see the head spinmeister Ali is now in charge. Vic is still in control too. Nothing has changed.
Is anything being done to address the concerns of parents? Will the elementary kids be allowed to stay in their own schools?
Seems like with school starting soon we would see more about changes that are taking place this fall on here!!!
Read the following off the next board agenda: Approve an amended one-year Agreement for Human Resource Services for an Elementary Principal
and a Elementary Coordinator. So we have another new position an Elemetary Coordinator??? And a contract for a principal??? Does this mean one the elementary principals left??
They said they were making a big cut by cutting Metcalf Curriculum position, which he didn't do anything in anyway and proved it was not needed, but now are adding another job or two to replace it.
They also want a pay freeze from teachers after giving large raises to the superintendent and others.
I am surprised more people are not outraged, things are not getting better.
Rumor has it Susan Townsend has taken a position with the CISD. I wish her all the best - she deserves it.
She was on JP/Janice/Vic/Paul/Dan's hit list early on. Fortunately her community, staff and parent supporters were too strong for them to force her out easily. Like with Ron B. she was viewed as way too competent and strong, which made JP and her idiot cronies look bad. The early word on Mr. Davis is that he is not as bad as JP, but not a whole lot better either. I noticed he does not mind a big raise in the midst of budget cuts. He should follow Ruble and Severson and take a pay freeze, rolling back his big pay raise. A $111,000+/year is quite steep for a superintendent with four years of experience in education.
If Susan Townsend leaves that will be a big loss! She is one of our best.
The Michigan Merit Exam results were out three weeks ago. Nothing from the administration....
Their pre-opening news will tell us a lot about how they want to communicate.
You could put a monkey, or worse a Phillips, in charge of the Marshall schools and still have the best test scores in the county. Per capita Marshall is affluent and does not have very many students from low performing demographics. Also we do have very good teachers and caring parents which is another reason for success.
Marshall should always have the best scores in the county, by far!
But we are stuck with some of the worst leadership and nasty politics. That's dragging us down.
Word on the street is one of the middle scholl principals will replace Townsend!!
Can they get rid of Klochack too. He is dragging down the high school.
No reflection on teachers, but we may have seen all the improvement we're going to see on MEAP because the effect of teaching to the test may have run out.
The Merit test showed good and bad. The bad involves declining reading and writing during high school years.
That's terrible news if Susan Townsend is leaving. She is a wonderful principal. I don't blame her though, she was never appreciated by her bosses.
I hope we do not have another "good doctor" who is clueless about what they are doing, lack crucial experience in teaching and running an actual school building, and run around like a bull in a china shop making things worse.
Post a Comment