Stacey: McIntyre got the top job here. He was CFO in Boston. Our school board essentially bypassed our own CFO for Boston's -- a guy with one year in a classroom.

Strictly, guessing. I'm thinking that Boston is cold and wet. We're hot and sticky. Some people thing it's a good trade off.

I don't know enough about the individual players to say they should or shouldn't have picked the home grown person. But I am willing to say that sometimes you need fresh blood. Frankly, I'm not impressed by a whole lot that the Knox County schools are doing. I think it needs some shaking up.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

need fresh blood

Yeah, just like Charles Lindsey!!

One year of teaching experience.

I hope those who voted for McIntyre at least refrain from ever saying "We know what goes on in the classroom has the greatest impact on a child, etc,etc,etc."

It's like appointing a military commander who has never been on a battlefield. It's worse than useless; it's dangerous.

Bingelli appeared to have won the job, then lost it due to his interest in the South Carolina job and his unavailablity for personal interview. Fairfax is one of the top 30 school districts in the nation (out of 13,000+) from what I've read. We wouldn't want anyone connected to that kind of success unless it's a college sports coach.

...and frankly they don't make sense to me. Is he saying that Haslam flew Bingelli to Knoxville on his private plane so that Bingelli would be "tainted" and not get the job? Would someone from "Brian's Blog" team explain it to me because it makes my head hurt trying to decipher this whole conspiracy theory.

And speaking of Rinos Brian's Blog: "Hello, pot? This is the Kettle...you're black". When I hear you criticize Mike Ragsdale and Mike Arms I might think that you are less than a Rino.

I made a hat out of tin foil and read Brian's Blog backwards and now I understand the whole thing. The conspiracy was to create the illusion of a conspiracy so that the real conspiracy from the conspirators appeared to be a conspiracy when everybody else thought it was a conspiracy. How could I have missed that?

By the way, did you also know that the new digital televisions will be equipped with an "eye" so that not only will you be watching tv, "they" will be watching you? This eye will recognize body types and therefore program the commercials specifically for you. I guess I'll be getting a lot of ads for Krispy Kreme donuts. If you want to know the Truth, you should listen to more late night radio and read the Truth Squat's blog. Backwards, of course.

I've heard that the Boston area schools are poor because everyone with money puts their kids in the numerous private schools, maybe he wanted out of that environment. As someone who is from here, I get tired of that(being from here) being a detriment. For the school's sake, I hope this guy can do what Lindsey could not.

Ah, progress!

(link...)

"Board Chairwoman Karen Carson shared a story she was told about when McIntyre became Boston's chief operating officer in 2006. He asked each of the district's departments to show him a mission statement on how their jobs related to academic achievement. There was some resistance in the maintenance and food service departments. He replied that those departments may not be necessary. This caused the departments to rethink their mission statement."

A mission statement on how food services relates to academic achievement? He was kidding, right?

Let's see, how about "Studies have shown that children who are under-fed tend to pass out, and consequently, unconscious students tend to perform below average on state standardized tests."

A chief operating officer who doesn't think maintenance and food services departments may not be necessary, in ANY school system, because they don't want to fill out even more paper work , needs to find another job...and not here!

What a bureaucrat!

You hate the guy

I don't hate the guy. I'm just waiting for someone to comment on what there is to be positive about him being chosen.

He's getting paid a quarter-of-a-million, he's got less classroom experience than what it takes to get tenure in this county and then get 1/8 of his salary, and he's either dumb or arrogant enough to threaten to close a school system's food service and maintenance departments, because they didn't want to write a mission statement for him.

On the bright side...? Anyone?

The superintendent has more responsibility than a teacher

I never thought I would read an upper management lie on a progressive blog site that purports to be for the working class.

I realize that white collars need to feel needed, and that they need to feel that what they do is needed, but here's some advice:

Next time you go to the mechanic, call the plumber, or call the heat and air repair person, please realize that without these people doing necessary jobs, all the people who subject others to Death-by-PowerPoint and torture by mission statements would find their lives in modern day America screeching to a sudden and painful stop.

I do not begrudge a high salary, when and if it is earned by what a person contributes to the organization. These days, high salaries rarely correspond to how a person benefits an organization.

I do begrudge high salaries for those people who claim to be "public servants." Both Mayor Haslam and Governor Bredesen have my respect for not taking theirs, although it's clear they have earned it.

I wish the superintendent success in his endeavors, in the interests of the county. It would have been better if the vote had been 6-3, especially given the political climate that currently exists in Knox County.

That said, nobody forced McIntyre to come here, his eyes were open, and I hope someone informed him of the situations and divisiveness ongoing in Knox County government and politics.

Because, with the vote on the school board going as it did, McIntyre is not just walking into a confrontational environment, he has become a part of it.

It is what it is.

but I remember parent orientation at 3 different schools, 15 different teachers, all with handouts and their particular policies and rules - and the teachers' names were usually not on their handouts! Honestly, I couldn't keep it straight. I'm just thankful to have survived teenagers.

I've got no opinion on the superitendant but this caught my eye:

"my question is: did you step forward to challenge anyone as a school board candidate? If yes, you clearly were defeated. If no, you've got no room to complain."

Pam, you are saying that someone's opinion doesn't count unless they've run for the appropriate office.

So much for public input.

____________________________________
Less is the new More - Karrie Jacobs

But Gary, who I haven't seen post here previously,

On this thread or on the blog in general?

Frankly, I didn't waste my time voicing my opposition, because after the first cut, I saw the usual suspects line up, and I figured it was a done deal. And in my opinion, it was.

Maybe KCS does need better management, but since the superintendent has a great affect on teacher morale and leadership, I hope he understands just how important it is to the teachers that they have a supporter at the top.

I know teachers who saw Lindsey when he visited their schools just once over his entire tenure.

That worked as long as Lindsey wined and dined the Board, on taxpayer's expense, up at Riverside.

I hope this isn't a repeat.

But for all those who criticize electing a superintendent, you need to be clear on this: The superintendent is still elected; he just needs five votes to win. Will he look after those districts represented by members who didn't vote for him, as well as he'll look out for those districts whose representatives did vote for him?

Time will tell.

Attention: To the village in VA who's Asst School Supt has gone missing these past several years, We have your idiot (aka Dr. Brian Bingelli, Ed.D), so come-n-get 'im before he we toss 'im to the gators.