The Editorial that will Never Be Published in the Naples Daily News

Background: After reading a report that was used in the ultimate firing of a 36 year veteran of the Collier County Public schools and current Superintendent, I became curious. The report, created by an out of State law firm, only interviewed a handful of people at one school in a district with over 40,000 students. Meanwhile I saw another report. A report from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It was far more credible. After posting this letter on my site, I began receiving crank phone calls. And so the story goes...

August 10, 2007

The Editorial that will Never Be Published in the Naples Daily News or How I Spent My Summer Vacation

While the faces change and the scandals vary, the power struggles remain. When you forget about the alliances, when you put away the conspiracy theories, when you cease trying to place blame, you are left with the students and how it will affect them.

In April a review team completed a report for the Quality Assurance Review of the Collier County Schools. The report was completed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI.) This report was presented to the School Board in May. Their comments were mostly positive regarding the District except for the School Board.

In that report the SACS CASI Review Team states, “However, there is a challenge, which exists and herein is acknowledged, and must be acted upon to sustain the district’s school improvement accomplishments. It is to pursue the district’s vision and mission and model the district’s beliefs, given the current condition of school board governance. District leadership is commended for striving to maintain a committed focus on achieving the district’s vision and goals within this environment.”

They go on to say, “It became evident that some board policies need review, updating and revision, not only to meet the needs of a dynamically growing and changing school district and community, but also to more specifically clarify roles. In conjunction with such policy examination and to sustain the district’s effective operation, it is important that board members’ responsibilities regarding interactions with staff at all levels within the district be examined.”

The review team recommended a “comprehensive and thorough review of its policies and operations” of the School Board. The ability of the School Board to meet those recommendations will determine our SACS District Accreditation as a Quality School System. This is a much esteemed honor. Many college scholarships, federal and private grants/loans and military appointments require regional accreditation. Loss of accreditation could have a significant impact on many young lives.

Mark Elgart, President/CEO of AdvancEd - the parent company for NCA CASI, SACS CASI and the National Study of School Evaluation - has stated, “With respect to Collier County it is conceivable that the school district could lose its accreditation but it will not happen immediately upon our follow-up visit in the fall. If the district fails to respond adequately and effectively to our recommendations it could result in a loss of accreditation after the 2007-08 school year.”

It is a time we should be celebrating, but instead we are left with our mouths agape at the behavior of our School Board.

The School Board has hired a company called Neola, Inc. from , Ohio http://www.neola.com. While they appear to have sold services to a few smaller school districts there have been many complaints concerning their “broiler-plate” solutions that have resulted in litigation. Citizens of Collier County should be very concerned about Florida’s Public Records Act, State Statute 119.

A quick comparison of other large “urban” school districts shows several grave disparities among the Collier County School Board and the rest of the country. One of the most striking is the number of members. Another is the financial compensation and retirement benefits.

I started on my journey through this event with the reading of the Hinshaw Report. After reviewing the methodology I immediately became intrigued. How could a law firm, which by the way represented Rockford Board of Education in one of the longest running desegregation cases in US history, make such a big statement about only a handful of students? What about the recent SACS report? Why isn’t anybody addressing that? I’m inquisitive by nature and I smelled a rat.

The more I dug into this the smellier it got. Without going into detail and adding fuel to the fire the parents and community should be very concerned, particularly Out of Zone students. Dr. Thompson should be questioned on his philosophical stance on School Choice and per student funding (his dissertation) as well as expulsion policies.

Approximately 44% of our student population is categorized as “Economically Needy” – they qualify for the free or reduced lunch. Many parents are unable to speak for their children and need a voice from the community. 41.7% of our students live in non-English homes, where English is not the first language and sometimes isn’t spoken. And the percentage increases to 47.7% in grades PreK through 3, where learning to read is so critical.

Rockford is Dr. Thompson’s first Superintendent position. The jury is still out on his accomplishments. The town of Rockford was split on his performance just like Naples was split on Ray Baker. Today they are decidedly against him. His refusal to make any statements to the Rockford public has incensed them. The School Board in Rockford requested his presence at a special meeting to discuss the situation. He did not attend opting to pack his office instead. The School Board voted 7-0 to place him on “indefinite paid administrative leave.” According to the Rockford Register Star, “School Board member Alice Saudargas said it would be all but impossible for Thompson to continue as the superintendent of Rockford schools after recent events. Traditionally one of Thompson’s allies on the School Board, Saudargas said the superintendent’s flirtation with the Florida board has diminished support for him, even among those board members who approve of his administration.” The School Board in Rockford is a 7 member volunteer organization and receives ongoing training from the Illinois Association of School Boards and other resources.

Dr. Thompson does not support “Site Based Management” in schools. Dr. Thompson has been criticized in Rockford for firing of all maintenance staff and replacing them with outside contracts. Much of the dollar savings Dr. Thompson has brought to Rockford is from this and the deferred maintenance on school buildings. While Dr. Thompson is interviewing with Naples, the town of Rockford is cleaning up from a major flood. Damage to school buildings is estimated at $150k. Which may not seem much to Naples, but for a school district faced with extreme State budget cuts, it is enormous.

Collier County District Staff should take note the School District and Dr. Thompson are in negotiations with six labor unions. The Attorney who presented the Hinshaw report to the Board is Lori Hoadley. She is on the Illinois Bar and not licensed to practice law in Florida. The website lists her practice focus to be, “public and private sector employers in all areas of labor and employment law, including employment litigation and union-related matters. She regularly counsels clients and litigates issues relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, Title VII, and traditional union matters, such as unfair labor practice claims and collective bargaining issues.”

In the end, the Collier County School Board can vote to hire Dr. Thompson regardless of the suspected legal issues and without public comment. In addition to drafting iron clan contracts for superintendents they have written one for themselves. Current Board Level Policies give them unprecedented access and control of our schools. This is/has LONG been a complaint among professional educators in Collier County.

A comparison of the two reports reveals bruised egos and an attempt to sensationalize minor issues. Personally, I’m most upset with the Naples Daily News. As the only major newspaper in town it is their civic responsibility to inform the public. They actively participated in the “spin” and subsequent “hurricane” that followed. They should be held as much responsible as the School Board, former Superintendent Ray Baker, and the only candidate for future Superintendent Dr. Dennis Thompson. All have played a role in an event that will be yet another black eye for Collier County embedded in our colorful history.

After nearly 20 years, it’s really time to move out of Collier County. My house is for sale at a bargain price and it’s in Linda Abbott’s district.