Article #5
Facts Pertinent to the Two-Phase 2015-2016 Search for a New Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools, Demonstrating the Good Fortune Abiding in the Candidacy of Rochelle Cox
The
following review of the botched search that eventually produced Ed Graff as MPS
superintendent from 1 July 2016 through 30 June 2022 underscores how fortunate
the Minneapolis community is to have Rochelle Cox’s unique presence among
applicants in the current search.
Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson (served 1 July 2010
through December 2015) gave notice of her impending resignation in autumn 2014,
effective January 2015. The Minneapolis
Public Schools (MPS) Board of Education selected Michael Gore, who had been
serving as MPS Chief Executive Officer, as interim superintendent.
There
then began what turned out to be a two-phase search, when for reasons given
below the Board discontinued contract discussions with Sergio Paez, the person
whom the Board had selected on a 6-3 vote.
The
following account, with occasional narrative, gives the essential dates of the
two-phase MPS superintendent search of 2015-2016.
…………………………………………………………………………………….
Phase One
On
Monday, 16 November 2015, and Tuesday, 17 November 2015, members of the MPS Board
of Education conducted interviews with six semifinalist candidates as part of
the process for selection of the new superintendent.
The six semifinalists interviewed were
Michael
Goar, who had served as Interim Superintendent since taking over for Bernadeia
Johnson in January 2015;
Jinger
Gustafson (Associate Superintendent, Anoka-Hennepin School District in
Minnesota);
Charles
Foust, (Assistant Superintendent, Houston [Texas] School District);
Sergio
Paez (a former superintendent in Holyoke, Massachusetts);
Kenneth
Spells (superintendent in Alton, Illinois), and
Jesse
Rodriguez (Regional Superintendent, Milwaukee Public Schools).
These
interviews were held, open to the public, in the main first-floor meeting room
at MPS Davis Center.
Interview
schedule was as follows >>>>>
16 November 2015
Jesse
Rodriguez, Kenneth Spells, and Charles Foust interviewed
17 November 2015
Michael
Gore, Sergio Paez, and Jinger Gustafson interviewed
Wednesday, 2 December 2015
6:30
until 8:30 PM
Community
reception at Webster Elementary (425 5th Street NE in Minneapolis) to
meet finalists Michael Gore, Charles Foust, and Sergio Paez, who answered
questions from parents, students, MPS teachers & staff, and other community
members.
Thursday, 3 December 2015)
2:30
PM
Members
of the MPS Board of Education interviewed finalists Michael Gore, Charles
Foust, and Sergio Paez, open to the public.
5:30
PM
Public
Comment time for community members to express views as to the selection of the
new Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools.
7 December 2015
Vote
for new superintendent taken at evening meeting of the MPS Board of Education.
Sergio
Paez prevailed on a vote of 6-3 over Michael Gore; Charles Foust received favorable comments
from especially Don Samuels, but no votes were cast for Foust.
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education discontinued the contract
extension process with Sergio Paez over controversies covered in the Star
Tribune concerning student treatment at a special education facility in
Holyoke under Paez’s administrative responsibility. Formal investigation by authorities in
the state of Massachusetts had cleared Paez of any wrongdoing or negligence,
but the MPS Board of Education went forward with the decision to discontinue
contract discussions with Paez, who had gained the 6-3 majority vote on 7
December.
The
Board had then begun to discuss whether or not to conduct such discussions with
Interim Superintendent Michael Goar when members of the NAACP arose to
demonstrate volubly against any such eventuality, led by Minneapolis NAACP then-president
Nekima Levy-Pounds (now, Nekima Levy-Armstrong). This group effectively shut the evening
meeting down, so that any decision on the part of the MPS Board of Education
had to be deferred for another meeting.
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
Members
of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education voted to continue the
search for a superintendent into another extended phase to last through late
spring 2016.
Phase Two
Monday, 16 May 2016
6:00
(actually late-started at 6:40) until 8:00 PM
Opportunity
for community members to ask questions of the two finalists (Brenda Cassellius
and Ed Graff) for Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), held in
main meeting hall on first floor at the Davis Center.
The
remaining events related to the superintendent search are listed below.
Tuesday, 17 May 2016
8:00-12:00 p.m. School Tours
11:00-12:30 p.m. Lunch at Schools
12:30-4:00 p.m. Candidate Personal Time
4:00-4:15 p.m. Board Process Overview by DHR
4:15-5:45
p.m. MPS Board of Education conducted an Interview, televised and open to the
public, of Brenda Cassellius
7:45-9:15 p.m. MPS Board of Education conducted an Interview, televised and
open to the public, of Ed Graff
Monday, 23 May 2016
5:30 PM
Public
Comment concerning the merits of candidates Brenda Cassellius and Ed Graff
Tuesday, 24 May 2016
Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education voted 6-3 for Ed Graff as the new
Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
An Additional Note
The
firm hired for the first-phase search was HYA;
the firm hired for the second-phase search was DHR Associates.
If
these firms merely handled applications and vetted candidates, then these
services came at a very high price.
Figures
given on 1 June 2016 by Star Tribune reporter Alejandra
Matos for the cost of the two-phase search were as follows (note that HYA
agreed to reduce an original $85,000 fee to $40,435, given the controversies
that had occurred and the perceived need for a second phase) >>>>>
FIRST ROUND
$40,435 - search firm HYA
$1,000 - Star Tribune for a
media campaign
$224 – refreshments community
reception
$54 – candidate lunches
$2,071– Holyoke trip
Total paid= $43,784
SECOND ROUND
$22,400 – DHR
$23,205 – DHR
$22,705 – DHR (submitted, not
yet paid)
$16,000 (estimate) – Remaining
contract amount for DHR
$33,000 – EPU Consultants
$37,000 (estimate) – Remaining
contract amount for EPU
$549 – food for all Selection
Committee meetings
$23 – snacks/lunches for
candidates
$256 – Anchorage lodging
$3,038– Airfare to Anchorage
for two board members
$111 – Anchorage car rental
$200 (estimate) – Anchorage
incidentals (gas, meals)
Total paid so far = $105,287
Estimate left to pay = $53,200
Total = $158,487
Grand Total for search =
$202,271
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
This expensive, error-strewn
superintendent search of academic year 2015-2016 underscores the low quality of
the pool of candidates.
Rarely does a candidate of
Rochelle Cox appear in the pool of candidates in a search for a new
superintendent.
The Minneapolis community must
as the current process moves forward be aware of the opportunity presented by
Rochelle Cox’s presence in the candidate pool and communicate clearly to MPS
Board of Education members that she should be the district’s next long-term
superintendent.
No comments:
Post a Comment