Thursday, February 15, 2007
Diploma Issue
There seems to be some discussion on the blog why we are "blaming" Central Office for losing this diploma. Was it turned in at the "current" High School? Was it turned in at the "old" high school? If you want to know the FACTS just make one simple phone call to the Superintendent's Office and ask. You should get a simple, Yes it was turned in here. Our intention is not to cast blame on whoever lost this diploma. If you read the "Raspberry" you can tell he was given the run-around. This diploma has been in his family since 1911! What if someone lost a family treasure of yours since 1911? Wouldn't you want direct answers? All that needed to be done about the issue is tell the man from Olivet that we are very sorry but we lost it, and issue an apology. But this District is no longer in the business to offer apologies if we screw up. Isn't Marshall the same old fashioned caring community we once were? Far too often people of this District are given the RUN-AROUND. It's simple really - Admit you made a mistake - and Move On! But it looks like the leaders of our District NEVER screw up - the blame ALWAYS falls on someone else.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
95 comments:
Watch for the chronicle article this Sat. Guess it's time to point the finger of blame on 'school closings' at the bus supervisor. Problem is - this is one of the first times she hasn't argued about closings from her warm cozy home while that person is out in the blizzard type weather. Don't be misled by this simple article.
I am a critic of Supt. Phillips but I have no problem with the days selected to be off. In most school districts the head of the busses plays a key role, maybe the main role, in deciding when it is safe to have school or not. But ultimately the Superintendent has to take responsibility. That is like when Amy Jones forgot to cancel the insurance policy and cost the district at least $20,000. If Joyce and Amy had been upfront and honest about it, I could have forgiven a mistake. It is the trend to lie, engage in double standards of accountablity, and cover things up that caused me to lose all trust and respect for either Supt. Phillips or Amy Jones. By the way, sources include two school board members.
I do not think the school Board is very happy with Mrs. Phillips. She has caused them much headaches and problems this past year. The bond(s) they have invested so much time and money into may be in trouble due to these problems. The staff support is almost nonexistent. And now community members, like myself, have come to the conclusion that it may be time for her to step aside. Some of the names dropped on this site about her alleged "clique" are not true. I am friends with some of these people and they do not care much for her either. Please be careful what you post.
I agree regarding caution about who postings indicate are jp supports - just the same as a few postings that indicate all MPS employees are basically lazy, or morons, or part of some mystic problem that needed to be fixed. Or another example - we all know there are a couple board members that do not appear to be doing what they were elected to do - but it is unfair to say all board members never do what they are elected to do. We should use caution in postings. Emotions do get tangled up sometimes which can cloud a message being posted.
Why is the Marshall School Board ignoring the controversy over Dr. Phillips? Or are they doing something about it that I am not aware of?
We will find out in March when they do Dr. Phillips performance review. They have three options: (1) hold her accountable for the long list of failures and problems she has caused and give her a bad review (2) give her a good but not great review and pretend they are holding her somewhat accountable while still protecting her, or (3) pretend there are no problems and help cover up her bad leadership with a good review. This year they have no excuses, the problems are well-known by the entire school board and the community. Will they be "Kids First" or "Joyce First"? The current school board may be split as to their support for Phillips. We will soon know!
I found out about this Blog from the new Chronicle article about the school board candidates. Is it true that Dr. Phillips got her free weekly PR column in the Marshall Chronicle after she threatened legal action against the Chronicle for printing criticism of her? I also heard that the Chronicle will not print letters critical of Phillips for the same reasons. I guess Phillips is trying to stop the barrage of bad publicity and critical letter she had throughout 2006. Is that why this Blog exists?
It is unfortunate that his blog needs to exist at all! The simple reason for it's existence is that anyone who has merely disagreed or questioned a Phillips decision has been given a poor eval....even people who have had stellar careers with MPS for many years. This blog is not just a few disgruntled whiners who want more money. The posts are from people who came into the Phillips era with high hopes and good intentions. Dr. Phillips has engendered distrust, devided strong bonds of friendship between employees and fosters an atmosphere of intimidation and chaos. She is sytematically trying to push out any one who she feels is not "loyal" to the superintendent. Since when is loyalty smething that needs to be written into a contract or handbook? Loyalty is earned and respect is reciprocated; it is not a unilateral demand. An incompetent leader, like Phillips, and at least some of her followers, lack the will or skill (or both) to sustain effective action. With regard to any important leadership challenges, she does not create positive change.Joyce Phllips lacks personal integrity and is aided and abetted by followers who are unwilling or unable to effectively intervene. Joyce Phillips, and at least some of her followers, are uncaring or unkind. Ignored and discounted are the needs, wants, and wishes of most members of MPS, especially subordinates. A corrupt leader like Phillips and at least some of her followers lie, cheat, or steal. To a degree that exceeds the norm, they put self-interest ahead of the public interest. A bad leader like Phillips, and at least some of her followers, minimize or disregard the welfare of those outside her "favored" group for which she is directly responsible. Phillips is an evil leader. She,and at least some of her followers, commit atrocities. They use fear and mis communication as an instrument of power. The outcome of that harm can be physical, psychological or both.
A true leader is someone who is at peace with themselves and therefore inspires our trust. If one is in a position of leadership, it is essential to have a strong personal foundation and solid personal integrity. A leader is someone who exhibits the qualities of clarity, energy, and passion. A leader comes from a place of encouragement rather than a place of fear. That is why one of the greatest characteristics of a leader is that they are admired and loved.
These things have been pushed out of Marshall Public Schools and the fact that many people feel the need to express this ,anonymously, from a position of fear is the reason this blog exists. I hope this has clarified the situation for you so that our community can once again come together and make MPS a district we can be proud of.
Oops, excuse my typo...the correct spelling is "divided"
In the new Marshall Chronicle Vic Potter is quoted as saying that he and Janice Darling must be doing a great job since no one is running against them for the school board. Has anyone seen either of them in the school buildings talking to staff about any or all of the problems mentioned on this web site? Does anyone know of them doing anything positive to solve the numerous problems in the Marshall schools between the staff and Dr. Phillips? Are they both doing a great job? Why or why not?
On the contrary,they are doing a terrible job just by the fact that they have done NOTHING to bridge any problems and NOTHING to create checks and balances between the staff and the central office. The reason many people who were asked to run didn't run is that no one felt it was worth the headache and heartache that is involved. Ask Sam Ramon or Bob Lyng why they got out....they were ignored and ridiculed by Vic, ignored by Janice and held in contempt by the other members. I feel that perhaps John Coulter has a good heart, but he too is only being given one side of the story...the phillips side.
My hat is off to Marshall Voice above....that should go in the newspaper!!!!
With all of the problems in the Marshall schools connected one way or another to the Superintendent you would think more was being done about it. I have been hearing about problems for two years now. Is the school board living on a different planet? Does the Superintendent think that writing a goofy PR article about talking to the bus garage manager is working to cover up problems and major issues that need attention?
Thanks For Comments Sue.
Thanks For Comments Sue.
What did the Marshall School Board ever do about the Jones/Phillips insurance scandal? For those not familiar, this was when Amy Jones, the Bus. manager forgot to cancel a major insurance policy. It would have cost $180,000 but the insurance company was kind enough to lower it to somewhere between $20,000-$40,000 (varying reports). I also heard some board members were quite upset because Amy Jones and Joyce Phillips tried to blame the insurance company, but when it was investigated, it turned out that they were not being honest about what happened. Why are Joyce and Amy still employed by the Marshall Schools have so many problems and dishonesty? They obviously tried to cover it up rather than being upfront and truthful about their mistakes. Is the school board taking any actions on this matter? Is it true that Potter and Darling have blocked attempts to hold anyone accountable at the top for anything bad they have done?
The School Board does the same things they have done about every other problem or scandal involving Phillips, Metcalf and Jones- "It was really nothing?" "Just some whining employees or parents" "We are taking this matter seriously" "We are looking into it" "We resolved it" "It is not a big deal" "What do you want us to do, fire him/her/them?" "I believe Joyce" "I will vote how Joyce tells me" "How big of a raise can we give Joyce?"
Now if it is a teacher, coach or building administrator- "throw the book at them," "give them a bad performance review," "file tenure charges" "give them no raise" "dock their pay"!
Did Dr. Phillips and the school board just "blow off" the teacher surveys?
Some board members took them seriously, mostly Dan, John and Chris. If the others took them seriously and are doing anything positive it is yet to be seen that I am aware of at this time. Actually some public real and significant positive actions by the Marshall school board are much needed in the coming months if the bond has any hope of passing.
Just to advise, the Chronicle has not received any critical letters nor otherwise concerning anything to do with the schools (except for the coaching-related letter.) If people WOULD write signed letters to the Chronicle, greater accountability of elected officials would result. Together, letters AND columns provide public discourse with a balanced presentation of opinions. If the people on this blog feel so strongly and deeply about the real issues, let's get them into print where everyone can engage in healthy debate and the readers can consider the opinions of people they know in the community when making decisions at the ballot box. The simple fact is, people in Marshall are ultra reluctant to write letters to the newspaper. It's extremely difficult and rare for the paper to successfully encourage letters which seems very odd for a city with so many passionate opinions.
The passionate opinions are from people who's jobs and livelihoods will be targeted if they speak out....I will call you to figure out a way to possibly get around this.
The debate, dialogue and cooperation in Marshall has been severely damaged by extreme actions taken by Supt. Phillips that include threats and revenge in various ways against MPS staff, parents and community members. When she got a lawyer and started threatening legal action, that was the last straw after over two years of controversies, bad leadership, bad cooperation and bad communition. Now the ball is in the court of Supt. Phillips and the school board to make major changes for the better as a first step towards resolving this "cold war" between them and the MPS staff/community. Another good option would be to get a new Superintendent. So far they have done little to nothing, at least in public. Many like myself will not vote for any school bonds until trust, respect and cooperation is fully restored.
concerning the Amy Jones/Phillips cover up of the insurance, the people who were"undercharged" on their insurance had to PAY $300 of the total cost. Extremely unfair, it was not the fault of the employee who gets the insurance but the fault of the lovely Mrs. Jones. The employees tried to not have to pay anything but the duo would not budge. So they had to pay for others mistakes. This one wa a HUGE HUGE mistake.
The comment that Vic said in the paper is completely not true. No one wants to have the headache or stress dealing with Phillips and the others. I didn't want it so I didn't run.
The bus supervisor, who is this? I have called many times to talk to someone and he is NEVER in. It takes days for him to return the call and I have called many many times after the first attempt.
His boss is Amy Jones, try calling her.
From everything I have heard and read it is obvious that Supt. Phillips is not a good fit for the Marshall schools. She may be fine in Indiana or somewhere down South, but she has been nothing but problems and controversy since her arrival a few years back. We need to go back to the drawing board and find a much better Superintendent.
You are not going to get a new superintendent. Don't you get it? She has the support of the Board; no one stepped up to run against the two incumbants who are two of her strongest supporters. That sent a very strong message. She will finish out her five years in Marshall, and retire. The one chance you had is gone. I am still shocked that no one in this town was willing to run for the Board when things seem to be in such a mess; and yet when the issue was something as insignificant as the high school mascot, well that was a different story. It appears that the good people of Marshall care more about the nickname of their athletic teams than the overall running of their school system.
That is sad but true! I guess we get what we deserve. Maybe it is time to move away. Oh yeah, the school (Phillips, etc) problems have lowered my house values so much I can't afford to.
I hope an emboldened Phillips, Potter and Darling do not target our building Princpals next. Who else is on their hit list?
They went after the Elem. and MHS building Principals last year with poor performance reviews and no pay increase. That was outrageous! They are all far better than Phillips. I also fear what Phillips and the school board will do this again this year? I hope the Marshall school board comes to their senses and removes Phillips first.
I agree with the post above---
A board member told me that JP was trying to pressure Principals that she did not hire to look for work elsewhere.
Why would she do this? Phillips was unqualified when she was hired to be Supt. and she did not like the very good administrators under her that she did not feel comfortable working with. As we all know she is a poor communicator (the columns are a work of fiction), a bad leader, mean spirited and dislikes working with others. So instead she bullies people to make it appear that she is good and tough, at least in the eyes of people who do not know any better. She badmouths the Principals behind their backs as an excuse to abuse them. She lied at a school board meeting when Bob Lyng called her on about how she was treating the MHS Principal in regards to hiring an assistant Principal. She claimed she was using the same process at MHS which was clearly not true. Why again? To abuse and disrespect the MHS Principal for no valid reason! She is obviously trying to divert attention from all of the other problems and failures that plague her administration. I will not vote for any new school bonds until we get a new Superintendent!
If the Marshall School Board is truly fair, honest and cares about the Marshall Public Schools, then Supt. Phillips will get a very bad performance review this year. There are no excuses anymore. Last year school board members pleaded ignorance about all of the problems. Now the problems are well-known and documented so they have no reason to conclude that Supt. Phillips performance is anything but very poor. We will find out soon what is really up. I hope the MPS Board "Saves our Schools." Vic and Janice, make us proud!
I do not think that Potter and Darling are as strong of supporters of Phillips anymore. I know that Beardslee and other board members are not happy with her performance. I guess we will see what happens. I hope they have the courage to do what is best for the schools and the kids.
I hope we get some good news soon. We need to unite and heal after all we have gone through.
The Marshall School Board has a golden opportunity to turn things around before the bond vote. They know what things need to be done. They are very well-informed of all of the problems. They know what is needed to regain support, trust and cooperation. Now will they have the will and the courage to carry out what needs to be done?
I have been following events in the Marshall Schools. While I do not agree with everything on this Blog, I do agree that we need a forum to discuss many sensitive issues. I hope everyone is careful in sharing their views and information. I am most interested in solid information about problems and possible solutions.
To the previous post...whom do you feel we need to give this positive information to? As employees we have been told not to speak to the school board and we certainly can't speak with Metcalf....that leaves the building level admin. Behrenwald...easy to talk to, but on Joyce's hit list. Townsend is also on JP's hit list....she listens, but has run up against a brick wall. Turner...joyce's stooge! Bennink...stooge #2. Hanson...listens, but has to walk on egg shells(as do we all). School board pres....according to him we are a bunch of whining slackers.The rest of the school board has shown little interest in talking to anyone so let me know when you actually find someone who is interested in solid information about problems!!! You sound alot like Joyce's ridiculous articles.
How do you define the term Office Bully?
There is a two-step definition that comes from the literature on abusive supervision. The first standard is whether someone consistently leaves people feeling demeaned and belittled and deenergized. The second standard is whether that person targets people who have less power than they do. But there's also an emotional component--the feeling that you're being oppressed or pushed around by a bad apple.
How do you screen for antagonizers like this?
Mostly it's classic HR stuff. Don't believe the interview because it's so easy to fake it. Seek out people who know the candidate but weren't given as references. Try to work with people you've worked with before and found to be trustworthy, hardworking and personable.It's always better to go with a known entity if you have one.
How do you know if you're an office bully?
Since you started at your job, your goal has been to climb the corporate ladder as fast as possible, no matter how many people you knock down on your way there. When you see people who have higher positions, you make it a point to demean their status. You might be an office bully if the only way you can boost yourself up is by forcing others down.
That's phillips in a nutshell.
To Marshall Voice 2 above...
I made the post you referred to and you are completely wrong about my point. I share most if not all of your concerns. I am still learning about the depth of the problems. I appreciate that you enlightened me and others about the problems for dealing with these issues, notably that those at the top apparently are not trusted to do anything good. I am aware that those in between cannot do much either. The more I learn the more it is obvious that Dr. Phillips and at least some school board members (Vic Potter, Janice Darling, etc) are at the heart of the problems. But you assumed I may be sympathetic with Dr. Phillips which was wrong. Please do be careful, lest you turn allies into foes. Might we need to turn to a recall if some board members are at the center of the problems?
I apologize for my skepticism! It is just frustration rearing it's ugly head. Any and all help is warmly welcomed by all. I hope that you will continue to stay involved. Thanks :o)
My condolences to MHS asst. Principal Andrea Nessel in her loss!
I agree! No matter our views we all share in this sorrow.
The roads in Marshall were horrendous this morning. There was a big accident near the high school involving a school bus from what I saw. Why was there at least not a delay?
the snow came quickly, no time to delay it i think. or maybe no one was around to delay it. hummmm
For those who think that many people are being unfair to Mrs. Phillips, you need to know the truth. Mrs. Phillips is widely disliked for many very good reasons. Almost everyone in the MPS made a good faith effort to work with her when she arrived 3 years ago. She has been making big mistakes, being arrogant, ignoring good advice, failing to work with others, a bad communicator, has questionable competence for her job and has been overall very mean spirited and often dishonest towards the staff and parents. She rightly deserves all of the harsh criticism she is receiving. More bad news comes out almost weekly. There is no trust, respect or support from the staff and most administrators. She has worked hard to try to hurt good people badly for sleazy and shady motives. In short, she is a disaster for the Marshall schools! If Mrs. Phillips is not removed in the near future, or worse yet, if she gets a good review, then we will no something shady and corrupt is going on with the Marshall School Board. Whoever said it first was right. A board member can be "Phillips First" or "Kids First," but not both! We will find out soon which board members will put the Kids First and the Marshall Schools first! If you do not believe me start talking to MPS staff you know. They will confirm these facts.
MHS principal is indeed looking for another job - and being sought by other districts. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
A bad thing for the Marshall Schools. He should stay, Phillips, Jones and Metcalf need to be the ones to leave!
Supt. Phillips and her strongest board supporters have carried out a witchhunt and a campaign of harrassment against many good MPS employees they do not like. It is not about "fixing" something that is broke. The top administration is broken very badly and they are doing absolutely nothing to fix them. They have targeted innocent people for personal vendettas to make "an example" out of them! The dishonest, extreme, unjust, unfair and outrageous targeting of employees is causing great personal harm to many people and needs to be stopped! If you are angry please do something about this. Write letters to the Chronicle or the BC Enquirer. Tell your friends and neighbors. Hundreds are planning to vote "no" on any school bond until there is at least a new Superintendent. A recall may be needed to as a last resort! We cannot allow things to get any worse, but I fear they will.
Joyce's new column out in the Chronicle this weekend praises the band boosters and the group trying to raise money for new tennis courts. She refers to the neglect of the facilities. These parents and staff are doing good noble work, no thanks to Joyce! Joyce is the problem and her light cheery articles (whoever writes them I don't know) do not at all reflect the reality of the bad leader she truly is! If the hundreds of thousands that Joyce squandered, and the many tens of thousands wasted on her and Brian, had not occured. There would be plenty of money available to build an awesome tennis facility AND make improvements for the arts. Also if a good trusted, respected and supported Superintendent and Board President existed, the school bond would not be in serious jeopardy of not passing. The anger in this town is at an all-time high right now!
As a very feeble effort to do something I hope the board at least has brains enough to replace Potter as Board President. He has proven to be a humiliation to the entire system. He has displayed actions that lack credibility and honesty. The morale has sunken even further with his presence at meetings as President accompanying the superintendent. The two of them as a team are a complete disaster. I hope July 1, 2007 anyone else is in that seat.
Joyce said:
Unfortunately, the auditorium and music suite were in this condition when I arrived in January 2004. To be straightforward, these two areas pushed my interest in long range planning. Frankly, I was puzzled, that in a community like Marshall that values the arts, this area of the high school physical plant had been so long neglected.
What Joyce didn't say:
Isn't it great that I got my own pocket lined before I slammed the community of Marshall? Isn't it great that I cover up for the huge mistakes of my immediate subordinates?
The only thing that "inspires" that woman is the ability to intimidate, present a false face and coddle her favorite underlings!
boo hoo
joyce, nice to see you posting! ;-)
Does anyone know anybody not on the school board (or one of their relatives) who supports Mrs. Phillips? If so, why?
Let me think, uh, maybe... uh, not sure,..still thinking...could be... I guess there is no one I can think of!
Did the Amy Jones insurance scandal cost the district $20,000 or $40,000? I have heard both. Did Joyce ever comment on it? Did the school board ever investigate it? Was Joyce held accountable in any way? The staff tell me that Metcalf did not do much at his job last year while he was going to grad school full-time with approved release time during the school day from Joyce. Did we pay him $90,000 plus his $10,000 in tuition to be a full-time grad student? That is why so many are outraged! Not because he took a few classes according to his contract, but because it was all handled in such a shady manner and he did much les at his job while leaving work to go to school. Joyce should be fired for approving this! By comparison look had how badly the rest of the staff is treated.
Check the June Board meeting minutes. I believe I heard the insurance mistake cost a settlement of $20,000 or $22,000. Then it apparently got swept under the rug - Bob Lyng asked many questions and was shushed by jp. I have heard that metcalf was never in the office last year. I think it was Tues and Thursday he only put in 2-3 hours then left ... but I am not sure on these facts. Again, check the June Board meeting for the actual shady cover up comments by jp. Makes me sick - but evidently the Marshall board wants to pretend to be ostriches....with heads in the sand! All staff can do is expose situations which they have done -
I thought Lou was shady but JP and Vic got him beat by a long shot!
Joyce and her rubber-stamp cronies have set up the "no tax increase" bond in May in a manner that they will claim they have strong support of the Marshall community if it passes. First, this is a lie as it is a tax increase. And secondly, most people I know will NOT be voting for a bond that is promoted by Joyce, Vic and Janice for their own sleazy political gain. After Joyce is gone I will gladly support reasonable bonds. Until then, as someone else said first... NO BOND FOR JOYCE!!!
Did Ron Behrenwald get a new job? If so congratulations to him! He deserves much better than the crappy and unprofessional way he has been treated by the current Superintendent and the school board. This will be a big loss to Marshall if it is true. Now if we can only get rid of Joyce somehow?
I have been watching school board meetings for several years. It is clear that since Sam and Bob left they look staged. There is no real discussion or debate in public. All of the votes I can remember are unanimous. Some ask if this is a "Rubber Stamp" board? So far that is all we have been seeing for many months. Why do I feel that our beloved Marshall schools have been hijacked?
I am concerned too! What is really going on? Are our schools in serious jeopardy? Why is there a war directed at our teachers, support staff and Principals?
Is there confirmation that Ron got a new job? If this is true this should absolutely be a new post about this. As one said above, congratulations to him but this would be a tragedy to the high school and the community. Will someone please follow up on this story?
Unfortunately MHS won't be lead by Ron Behrenwald next year. Congrats to him! He deserves to go to a District where he will be treated with the respect he deserves from the top administration. THANKS board members for stepping up to the plate to stop the unfair treatment of Ron. The Board HAS FAILED US ALL!
Again, Vic and Joyce win, Marshall loses! :-(
March will be a crucial Month for the Marshall Schools. Supt. Phillips will be evaluated by the school board. If they hold her accountable and she gets the very bad evaluation that she deserves, that will be great news for our schools! Also hopefully our good staff and Principals will be protected from Phillips retrubution.
If the board chooses to support Phillips with a good evaluation, then that will be a big turn for the worse. Also the school bond will be doomed.
Who on the school board will stand up publicly and defend the Marshall schools from Mrs. Phillips? So far no one!
Some thought the board was divided with Dan, Chris, John and maybe even Paul or Ali turning against Joyce. The staff and the community is overhwelmingly opposed to Phillips and want to see her gone! If they have turned against supporting Phillips, I know of no solid evidence so far to confirm this. They may be good people but for whatever reason they have so far been unwilling or unable to make any positive changes or hold Phillips accountable for all of the embarrassments and damage she has committed to the Marshall schools. I guess we will see when the Phillips evaluation is completed what their "true colors" really are? Hope is fading fast...board please do not let us down! :-(
This is honestly ridiculous. There is nothing left. I truly feel without Ron, the entire staff of MHS are left with NOTHING except a future admin to send the school into ruins. Congratulations, Ron - And I truly mean that. I am just saddened what the Marshall Public Schools have become in the last 1 1/2 years
Leadership is about...blah, blah, blah. Those articles are starting to make me sick. Instead of writing fiction stories, I wish that she would actually lead by example. Much like Ron does.
Amen. The good "doctors" should have learned about real leadership from Behrenwald rather than spin negative things to the board about him because he had the courage to disagree with the "doctors" when they obviously had no clue about the high school level. I hate to be negative but for anyone who really cares about "Kids First" Ron being driven out of here will be the single worst thing that could happen to MHS. It may be true that no one is irreplaceable but in this case it is a loss that we wont recover from easily. Lets hope that board members will look more closely into why this has happened and beyond the "doctors" spin which will NOT be the real reasons he is choosing to leave. In fact, anyone who cares about Marshall High should look more closely.
Her spin will include, "oh Ron is so fortunate to be moving closer to his parents" or some thing along those lines. I have personally heard him state that he'd like to be able to retire from here. I also know that she's been after him for at least the past 2 years. Especially after he voiced his opinion at the board meeting and the inelgibility occurance. My heart and prayers go out to the high school staff, after she tries to shove Turner down your throats.
Is the union planning to do anything other than sit back and let Joyce, Vic , Janice and other JP supporters declare war on the Marshall Public Schools? They have shafted and lied to the teachers long enough. They laugh at the teachers as they plot "payback" for any pathetic reason they choose. A big turnout at the Monday board meeting and sharing the survey results publicly woudl be a good start. They view the civil and polite actions that have occurred so far as being weak and a waste of time. JP and her supporters have declared war. Ron is another victim, whcih is a bog loss to MHS. Who will be next? How much more abuse and bad leadership can be tolerated?
Where is Ron going? He will be missed greatly! We all know this is "Hit List" month for Joyce. Vic and Janice are probably gloating too.
I wish it were "Day of reckoning" month for Dr. J! Maybe by some miracle it is!
Definition of Ron Behrenwald: Most ethical, caring, honest family oriented man that has/will probably ever administer at Marshall. He has lead a staff with these ethics. He has lead students by his wonderful examples. He is all that jp and the board members do not stand for. We will look back for years and wish we had not let a man of this character and caliber slip away. His family has become a part of our MHS family. They will all be sorely missed. It is awesome that he will go somewhere like Dahlinger did: where you are treated with dignity and respect. Where your opinion is valued just like your work is. Sad, sad day for MPS. We shall all look at our current board members for years to come and remember what they have allowed joyce phillips to do to Marshall schools as well as our community. This community does not deserve the lies and deceit but evidently there is no one willing to speak up to the board members that have been elected to be a check and balance. Instead they all except joyces bill of sale, acts of corruption, lies and spins without looking into the goods that are really being delivered. The reality of the situation at MPS is about to become part of the history of our wonderful school system. Unfortunately, it seems each and every person that has not gotton involved would prefer to sit back and watch one of the best area schools go down the drains. Joyce Phillips needs to be stopped - but it seems the months of begging the board to do something positive for our schools has been in vein.
When Ron worked hard for "what is best for the kids," Joyce and her board supporters turned on him. When Joyce ordered the schedules of about 80 MHS students changed two weeks into the semester last fall to save a few dollars towards her raise and waste, Ron spoke up saying this could wait until second semester. Joyce was furious and threatened Ron yet again. Joyce and her board supporters deserve all of the harsh criticism that exists for their mean-spirited "power trip" that has caused so much harm to our schools, staff, parents and kids. If the school board does not turn on Joyce this month (their last chance!) they will all suffer the consequnces of very bad reputations in Marshall for decades to come.
Since it is "performance review" month, how about a new poll so the community can evaluate JP and maybe other admins this month? :-)
We can already see that the bond is in trouble! No Bond for Vic and Joyce!
After a terrible year, there is absolutely no reason for Mrs. Phillips' contract to be renewed.
Of course the board has a chance to prove they don't have their heads totally buried in the sand - but I have learned to expect nothing. They have used and will continue to use EVERY POSSIBLE EXCUSE. The spin doctor has even shared giggle and grins that no one ran for board. Shame on you board members that were part of that little 'giggle fest'...you know who you are and so do we. In fact - it is all about evidence. Good luck on the March 27th evaluation of joyce phillips.
Expect one or more lawsuits in the coming months. One school board member, when informed of a possible lawsuit due to their actions, challenged a Marshall citizen to go ahead and sue if they think they can win! Is that the kind of attitude and leadership we want? To be so reckless that they pursue actions known to violate people's rights and put the district at a serious risk of a major lawsuit. Then foolishly challenge citizens and MPS staff to sue the Marshall schools as a result? Why is the board and Superintendent at "war" with the community and staff? This is nuts!
Has MPS ever bid out the contract for towing of school owned vehicles? There are more wrecker services in Calhoun County than Bud's Towing. I thought policy is that bids had to be advertised for this type of contracted services?
Mr. Potter's unwavering support got Dr. Phillips has cost him dearly in this town in terms of reputation and respect. If he truly cares about the Marshall schools and what is best for the kids, then he will pull a 180 on Phillips and lead the charge to fire or demote her.
We will find out soon who Potter is serving to, Joyce Phillips or the best intersts of the Marshall Schools.
Potter is not for Marshall Schools, his head is somewhere where the sun does not shine. I think I have heard that his business is not doing well but my question is How can he afford to drive around a $40,000plus car??? Maybe getting some money on the side??? Another question, do the rules around the middle school about dropping off your children on the Hamilton side instead of the front not apply to him? The no parking signs don't apply to him either. I have seen him park down by the middle school right in front of the no parking signs. Hummm, not right if you ask me.
Well as of this past thursday's meeting he is still appearing pompous and totally supportive of his friend joyce. Maybe she will get flowers before her 3/27 evaluation. You know, just in case someone says something that may hurt her feelings.
Paul was wise to back out of being the board President last year when he knew the you-know-what was going to hit the fan over JP. Paul has also been wise to keep a very low profile this past year as one scandal or major embarrassment after another related to JP's bad leadership emerged. Now will Paul, Dan, John, Chris and Ali be wise enough to realize that the time has come to oust JP for the good of the Marshall Schools? I sure hope so!!!
Why does the Superintendent and the school board treat the dedicated teachers, Principals and support staff so badly? They work hard and do not deserve such bad behavior!
Yes, Paul was wise for his own personal community business. But he was elected to serve the community. If he knows there are issues he should feel compelled to speak up. He would be amazed at the support he would have. Just taking the back seat does not bring him immunity. He has a Code of Ethics that he was elected to abide by as well. I would love to see Paul speak up. He is very aware of the issues that go back to the two different hiring processes (MS and HS) last June. I believe he was contacted regarding the hiring process prior to the June Board meeting. I believe Paul could shead alot of light on the circumstances that have lead to jp running the Behrenwalds out. You know this past week it has been her total agenda to make people believe 'she is not the sole reason for Ron leaving'. WHATEVER JOYCE! Talk is cheap and these stinky tactics from Indiana are cheap also. Marshall deserve much better. We are used to much better. We will have much better.
Ron Behrenwald would not be leaving if we had a good competent Superintedent instead of Joyce. SHE is the reason we are losing such a fine Principal and his family. Another major scandal for Joyce! Another loss for the Marshall schools and students. What's new!
To 4 posts above. I do not put any confidence in Dan. In fact, we very careful of speaking to him. Unfortunately - a couple board members have turned coat on the Marshall Public School system. In fact, it is looking like they have pledged alligance to hoosierland. Give Ali a call. Let her know how you are feeling about things.
The only logical reason I can think of, and many suspect, is that Dan is still bent on revenge against Hulk (Lou is gone) and maybe Behrenwald for his being replaced as the girls basketball coach. Many suspect that he supports Joyce because she carries out his wishes against Hulk and most likely Ron too. There seems to be no other reason for Dan to still be loyal to Joyce except for personal motives. I thought he would be above such a thing but until he changes sides publicly to support the schools, staff and kids instead of Joyce, I will share these suspicions that many others share too.
Anyone who supports Dr. Phillips after all that has happened has to be viewed with suspicion. Something very bad is happening and the community is demanding to know why?
A much wider and stronger boycott may begin if the school board continues propping up a failed and very bad Superintendent at the expense of the MPS staff and the community.
Boycotts? Recalls? Voting down bonds? Etc. I hope the school board takes the lead and fires Mrs. Phillips before things get much worse! We have been through way too much already.
Many people wanted Lou gone for far far less. If the board backs Phillips on Tuesday, then we know something very corrupt is going on. The only logical reason this would happen is if the rumors of a small radical (yet powerful) clique being behind Phillips. The rumors say that a secret agenda existed when Phillips arrived and this clique uses/backs Phillips to carry out their agenda of revenge and retribution. Many of those targeted already may have been on a "hit list" before Phillips arrived, or were added soon after she got here. We will find out Tuesday whose side the school board is really on. If Phillips is not removed, things we will get much worse in the coming year.
Post a Comment