2024-12-10

December 10, 2024

The December general meeting was held on December 10, 2024.  This was a fairly boring meeting with the exception of Patton and friends digging themselves deeper into a potential lawsuit (no, not that lawsuit) by fucking up the hiring (promotion) of an assistant principal (AP) because Patton worked with her in the past and doesn't like her.

Agenda Item 1: Roll call

Baqir ducked roll call again (he hasn't been present for roll call for months ever since I started making points of order about it).  I was really kinda peeved at this one because I was a bit grumpy and had a zinger lined up: I have spent more time on the toilet this year than Baqir has spent at all in the State of Delaware.  I look forward to the next legislative session, which starts in January, fixing the bullshit loophole that lets this clown hole up halfway across the planet for an entire year and still cosplay as a school board member.

Agenda Item 4: Approval of the agenda

We pulled a couple items from the consent agenda completely:

1. 10.04  is a placeholder for legal settlements, and if we put it on the agenda, it's there in case we need it.  Since there were no legal settlements, we pulled it.

2. 10.05 had to do with reproductive health services at our health centers, but it wasn't ready yet, so we pulled it.

Agenda Item 5: Public comment

The final speaker foreshadowed the fuckery on the AP vote that was going to happen later.  She implored the board to do its job and approve the fully-qualified AP candidate for adult education.

Narrator voice: The board would not do its job.

Agenda Item 11.01: Administrative recommendations

Motion: Yes (carried: no)

This as a continuation of the item that Moriak pulled from the agenda last month as an attempt to stall the board from doing something stupid.

Narrator voice: The board did something stupid.

So, what was up here?  Sarah Pyle Academy (SPA, pronounced "spa") has an open assistant principal (AP) spot.  Nikia Hannon has been acting in that role for a while now, and she was the person selected by the interview committee for the position.  She and Patton crossed paths in the past, and as we've seen in other instances, he has a grudge against her.  He literally admitted this in November's executive session.  Instead of doing the ethical, responsible thing and politely recusing himself from the matter, he used the old Patton Playbook and tried to gin up some process reasons why Hannon shouldn't be hired.  When he couldn't find any, he then tried to invalidate the whole thing by claiming that the job description that was posted just wasn't what was needed and so it should be rescinded and re-posted with a new description.  Just absolute buffoonery.

Anyway, this is a combo, because the head of SPA is Kris MacBury, whom Patton also has a grudge against for some reason.  Patton has been interfering with her all year, literally making up some bullshit about the Department of Education saying that Christina School District should get out of adult education entirely (more to come on this later).

A little while back, the district began to consolidate some related services, including bringing adult education under Kris MacBury (technically still the principal at SPA).  So, if Patton could muck up two people who have crossed him before, then that's a big win in his book.

As is common in this things Patton's bloc made literally zero statements and just voted as a bloc to defeat the motion.  I will also stress that there was also no discussion about this matter in executive session before the meeting, either.  This was just a pre-coordinated bloc vote.

My statement before the vote:

As we have discussed time and time again, I believe that this board should be encouraging more local control and less top-down micromanagement.

This AP position is under the management of the principal of Sarah Pyle, and she sat on the final interview panel and is happy with this recommendation.

The process was followed correctly and has produced an acceptable outcome to those most impacted by it.

This board should support this recommendation, and I will be voting in favor of it.

The motion was defeated: 2 yes (Manley, Moriak), 2 no (Smith-Tucker, Patton), 1 abstain (Lou), with Baqir AWOL at that time.

Agenda Item 11.02: Recommend legal services

Motion: Yes (carried: yes)

Since Morris James quit us as a customer, we need legal services, so I'm fine with using the company that we've been using for special education matters already.

Agenda Item 11.03: Recommend superintendent search firm

Motion: No (carried: yes)

Since we literally have two superintendents right now, I don't see a need to go out and find another one.  And even if that was a good idea, what kind of person would want to be our superintendent at this point, seeing how we did the previous one dirty?  I doubt that we're going to find a strong, dynamic leader who wants to step into this dogshit right now.

Agenda Item 11.04: Board training

Motion: No (carried: yes)

As far as I can tell, this is just Smith-Tucker wanting to waste district money on some kumbaya stuff to pretend to help fix our board.  What'll help fix our board is for the other 4 of them to stop doing stupid, illegal shit, and maybe actually do something to help improve student outcomes.

Agenda Item 11.05: Policy review: 2.33

Motion: Yes (carried: yes)

This policy is fine and its first reading was unanimously approved at the previous meeting.

Agenda Item 11.06: Policy review: 2.38

Motion: Yes (carried: yes)

This policy is fine and its first reading was unanimously approved at the previous meeting.

Agenda Item 13.02: My report

Since there was no proper time to bring up my issues with the board's action with regard to the AP spot after that vote was taken, I put it in my report.  I made a short statement about my feelings on the matter and why the board was in the wrong, and then I read into the public record an e-mail that Kris MacBury had sent the board previously in an attempt to get us to Do The Right Thing.

That e-mail was hopeless from the start (what Patton wants, the other 3 do), but it is now public record, and I've reproduced it here as I read it out loud:

I have a report on hiring.

Patton wants what Patton wants, and if he can use a process excuse to do it, he will.  In this particular case, as with many such cases over the past year, Patton has a history with the candidate and wants to punish her.

You will note that he and his bloc gave no reasoning whatsoever for voting it down, nor did they discuss it in executive session today.  In last month’s executive sessions, it was discussed, and that’s where he introduced his process excuse.

Here, because he couldn’t find fault with the hiring process itself, the “flaw” was that the position wasn’t crafted properly.

The principal of Sarah Pyle implored the board to do the right thing in an e-mail that I will read into the record, as is my right to do so.

[the following is the e-mail sent by Kris MacBury]

CSD BOE-

This email has been pending in my outgoing email box since the morning after our last BOE meeting. It was suggested that perhaps I should not send it, not interfere with the process, and allow this Board to simply do the right thing. I have zero confidence in that happening, as I do not believe you have all the actual facts and only have a one sided story.

In light of what I have become aware of since the last board meeting, I at least need to know that, in good conscience, you have all the actual facts for your decisions. I can not continue to carry the guilt and worry of not doing the best by those I serve if I do not share: This includes being made aware of the latest developments that, even if Mrs. Hannon gets approved, there is potential for this position to now be separated from SPA, become a stand-alone role, not included with shared services, and ultimately serving only to continue the retaliation against me and anything that I am involved with- SPA and now Adult Ed

This is being offered solely to appease ONE board member who has already expressed his biased and overreaching opinions while in an attempt to still “allow” the HR recommendation hiring of a fabulous candidate, Mrs. Hannon. 

There is no legitimate reason to separate this from the intended posting and hiring recommendation other than continuing to allow for retaliation. Based on our 4 months of working on this, with little support, this is not what is in the best interest of either program. 

Here is my original email from last month. 

I have been debating sending this email since early this morning, but I’ve decided that transparency is essential to moving forward effectively.

It’s critical that you understand the significant impact of the board’s delay in approving the Assistant Principal position for the Christina Adult Education program and Sarah Pyle Academy (SPA). This delay has placed an enormous strain on both programs. The AP position posting closed back in August, and the process has already been interrupted once due to misinformation.

After seeking to understand all that is Adult Ed, building systems in place to address our findings, and rallying my SPA team around doing what is best for CSD and the Adult Learning Community (knowing the interim sacrifices they would have to make), I received a call about CSD not continuing with Adult Ed. Effective immediately, we were no longer managing Adult Ed.

What?????

I could not fathom letting down the people who are working their asses off, part time, as their second job, to carry this program and the families who depend on us. 

As it was shared, our Board President received a call from DDOE Adult Ed, where they claimed:

1. They did not want CSD involved in Adult Ed anymore.

2. It would cost CSD too much money to keep running Adult Ed.

Dr. Voshell and I immediately got on a call with DDOE leadership, with whom we had been working so closely, and they shared that, as far as they were aware, no such conversation had happened. Although our achievement data was low from years past, we had already been granted the monies to run Adult Ed through 2026. I also learned through my research that Adult Ed returned hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly in unspent money. I was not worried about overspending. Game was back on- rumor debunked! Attempt to retaliate and remove me from Adult Ed, for what reason I am not aware of, was averted. If only temporarily.

So here we are now, still awaiting resolution almost four months later.

The AP position for SPA/Adult Ed attracted over 39 applicants, including Mrs. Hannon, who was one of the top contenders. After a rigorous selection process, she advanced through the initial screening, then the first and second rounds of interviews, where she performed exceptionally well. According to the scores from the final interview panel—comprising Dr. Moody, Dr. Joyner, Ms. Hernandez, and myself—Mrs. Hannon exceeded the cut score of 32, achieving a score of 39. Please review the notes and scores from the screening and interview committees if you have any doubts about her qualifications.

This selection process has been exhaustive, not only for the candidates but also for Adult Ed and SPA. Our teams have been forced to put critical initiatives on hold. Personally I have felt paralyzed as a leader many times through this process. 

It is imperative to point out that when Dr. Voshell and I agreed to oversee Adult Ed at Mr. Vacca’s request, I was enthusiastic because it aligned with our commitment to serving our community’s needs. Earlier in the year, I had asked my district support team if we could consider adding Twilight from the entire district under my management, as well as funding an AP position. Between the growing SPAs and CSDva, we earn a unit.

As the opportunity to manage Adult Ed became available—although I recognized it would initially be a huge undertaking—I also understood the impact this could have for all of our adult programming. I was excited to reimagine how this could greatly improve the services we offer our adult learners. I took on this responsibility without additional compensation or title, driven solely by the vision of creating a continuum of services across our non-traditional programs—a vision that could significantly impact our adult learners.

In August, after meeting with existing Adult Ed staff, we saw the enormous potential for collaboration. Integrating the “SPA Way”—including SEL, social work, and essential resources for food and housing insecurity—would enable us to truly lift our students and connect them to workforce development opportunities.

Dr. Voshell and I understood the magnitude of this undertaking, but we couldn’t anticipate the full extent of the challenges we’d face. Overseeing ten sites from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. without the AP support we need has been unsustainable.  All the while, both of these teams have been working relentlessly to make this happen, and regardless of the leadership prior, have found ways to figure out the missing pieces because they too believe in the vision Dr. Voshell and I have shared.  

For the past month, Mrs. Hannon has been serving in an acting capacity, providing invaluable support despite the additional challenges of not having her Dean or Site Coordinator position backfilled. Moving some Adult Ed sites to SPA Newark was a strategic decision to save on resources, yet it also requires dedicated oversight that’s currently impossible to provide under these conditions.

I understand that certain board members may hold personal biases due to past relationships.

Mrs. Hannon’s qualifications and accomplishments speak volumes. During her tenure with me, she led CHS in achieving Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2011 and 2013—the only two times the school has reached this milestone, even after previous admin returned to the building.

In my 22 years as a principal, I’ve had the privilege of coaching and mentoring numerous assistant principals who have gone on to excel in senior leadership roles, including:

• Todd Setterlund, Director of Communications, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching

• Rob Harvey, Director, University of Pennsylvania, and Founding Partner of Accelerate Achievement

• Michael Dillman and Charles Ireland, Retired

• Bart Dryden, Principal

• Nikia Hannon, Director of Instruction, Academic Dean, and District Coach

During her time in the acting AP role, Mrs. Hannon has led with passion, quickly learning the intricacies of Adult Ed and proving herself an asset both to SPA and Adult Ed. 

With these facts in mind, I urge you to exercise your authority as board members to empower us to lead effectively. Follow through on your promise to grant local control and EMPOWER your more-than-capable leadership. Let us return to our roles as instructional leaders, equipped with the support we need to make a meaningful impact. Please do not allow the process to be hindered by individual interests or perceptions.

Let me move forward for the benefit of our students, staff, and community. Please stop blaming the process. It is not the process, it is gross overreach. Let me do what I do—make great programs and lead great schools. Base this on my ACTUAL data, my 29-year track record of success and growth, and my 15-year track record in Delaware, which includes reaching the highest achievements for my schools. Let my results speak for themselves and let me do what I have been paid to do.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I am confident that a resolution can be reached that aligns with our shared commitment to educational excellence for all of CSD. I welcome any questions.

Very truly yours,

Kris MacBury