What is up with the coaches?

What is going on with the coaches in district?  Lots of moving around.  Post comments!!!!

We heard that at the beginning of the year there was quite a "Come to Jesus" meeting between Hinson and the coaches.  Apparently, he hates to lose.  Is this what is going on?

Worst Principal has the Best School

Now remember that it is SO important - VITAL - that all district administrators live in the district.  This is what is "best for kids."  (Cough, cough, wink, wink toward the real estate agents, builders and developers.)

Any administrator who doesn't live in the district really isn't doing their job 100% - they are bad, bad, bad.  Either move in or move out.

So it was a SHOCK to many watchers of the District that Truman High School was recently recognized as one of the best high schools in Missouri.  US News and World Report 2013 Rankings placed Truman as 16th in the state.  Only seven schools in the metro area were in the top 20.

Wow.  Someone probably needs to tell US News and World Report to adjust their rating scales.  They need to add a score for "Does the principal and assistant principals live in the district?"  If NO, then rate the school ZERO.  Seriously, US News and World Report must not understand education.

Link to Examiner article:  HERE

Is it Human and is it a Resource?

Ask around Independence about Linda Gray-Smith and you'll hear an almost unanimous opinion:  awful.

Ask around Chillocothe, where Linda G-S was superintendent, and you'll hear an almost unanimous opinion: awful.

So how did she find her way to Independence?

We've heard that she only has a year or two left here in Independence.  Then she'll retire.  So typical of how we work.  Keep dysfunctional administrators around so that they can make their 3 highest years and retire with the full hog!!!!  Legislators complain about teachers sucking the public teat with our pension system - but the real abusers of this system are the administrators especially superintendents.

Someone here in Independence is doing Linda G-S a favor by hiring her.  Just to finish up so that she can get her full retirement.  She used to be a principal up in Lamoni - so maybe there is some Community of Christ or Graceland connection.  Or there is just a superintendent connection.

Below are some links.  Random - I know.

Contract with Chillocothe

She's used to getting her way or else

Revenge Part II

Her replacement

Superintendent Let Go

Board removes her name from the bank accounts

Board in April 2011

Why did Hinson leave?

Arguably, Jim Hinson was at the top of his game in Independence.  So it was quite a shock to some that he jumped ship over to Shawnee Mission.

1 - Was it just so that he could double-dip?  Retire from Missouri, start collecting the retirement (AND the substantial annuity provided annually by the ISD) and draw another high salary over in Kansas?

2 - Could it have been he wasn't going to get his contract renewed in Independence?  We know that this sounds surprising - especially considering the public gushing done by the school board members.  But we have heard this from several sources on both sides of the state line.

To reinforce this, we have good information that Hinson interviewed for the open position in at least one Missouri school district down in the southern part of KC area.  Why would he do that?  There was NO way that this school district could have paid him what he was being paid in ISD.

3 - The wheels are about to come off the ISD under MSIP 5.  We've been hearing a lot that the district is likely to be provisionally accredited.  So, Hinson would need to get out while the ISD seems to be doing well.

4 - Politics?  Does he want to run for office in a more "Republican" area?

What would be the reasons that he wouldn't be getting a contract in ISD?  Any ideas?  What are your ideas about why he left?

What a difference between districts

The Shawnee Mission published the details about their new contract with Hinson within days of making the decision to hire him.

Independence?  Not so much.  I wonder how much Herl is making.  What other perks has he been given?

Of course, it would be too much to ask the Examiner to make an information request.  They aren't going to publish anything that Hinson doesn't tell them to?  (What will they do when he is gone?)

Real Estate

here is a lot of land in eastern Independence.  Empty land.  Waiting land.  Developers and real estate agents are desperate.  School administrators salivate over this empty land.  Tax assessments!  Student attendance!  Ah - maybe a new high school east of 291 would be in our future if only, if only, if only, we could get people to move to eastern Independence.

We've heard that certain developers and real estate agents had an oversized influence on the district's recent decision to require all district administrators to live in the district.

Of course, most of those administrators won't buy in western Independence and there are few existing houses that they would buy to make up for their losses on their homes.  So what will they do?  They will build.

Oh, we've also heard that the district has arranged meetings with administrators who are interested in moving and developers who are willing to build.

This has nothing to do with the children.  This has to do with $$$$$$$$$$$$.

Will it be Herl or hurl?

The School Board made it official. Dale Herl is ISD's next superintendent. What do you think?  HERL or HURL.

KC Star Article
Examine Article (to be tagged on Thursday)