Tuesday, March 20, 2007
How would you review Dr. Joyce Phillips' leadership?
Marshall Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Joyce Phillips will receive her Board of Education job performance evaluation Tuesday, March 27 in closed session. Board President Vic Potter has said the board could convene into open session following the review and vote on whether to increase her $108,000 salary and contract duration. Dr. Phillips was the subject of a lengthy, informal survey conducted by unionized staff last spring concluding that morale was at an all time low. And, she and some of her administrative staff have received harsh criticism on a local web log. Today, the unionized staff has said their morale has improved as her efforts to garner their input has improved. Board members have supported Phillips' ability to restore fund balance and keep the district in the black. What do you think about the kind of leadership Marshall needs to lead the district through the uncertainty of the state budget shortfall? Is Dr. Phillips the right kind of fiscal steward you want in charge or does the district need a less aggressive personality in that office? How likely is it that the 4.45 mil, three year bond issue extension will pass in the May 8 election? Please, share your thoughts.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
17 comments:
I for one will not vote for this bond! If on March 27th, the Board comes back to say they will not renew Joyce's contract - then I'm on board for this bond. Don't trust your taxpayer dollars in Joyce's hands!
The Marshall Public Schools needs a Superintendent who is trusted, respected, cooperative, caring, a good motivator, a good communicator, someone who works well with others at all levels and someone who maintains the support of most of the staff and community as we all work together towards real improvement of the Marshall Schools. Supt. Phillips has failed in all of these areas! We need a new Superintendent after two years of problems, controversies and divisiveness.
I have a hard time giving her a pay increase when the teachers who are the real backbone of our schools get nothing....or nothing compared to what she will be receiving. Remember if she left tomorrow, our schools would continue to run. However, if the teachers were to leave tomorrow, what would happen?? If she were any kind of Superintendant, seeing the money shortfall this district is facing, she would turn down the increase.
There should be no reason to renew her contract this coming Tuesday. Joyce + MPS = Not a Good Fit
If you want more info regarding the problems of MPS go to www.mpschangeisgood.blogspot.com
I am very curious as to what unionized staff member stated that morale has improved as her efforts to garner input has improved. What planet is that person on? She only wants input from those who agree with her and will propogate her message that all is good. Let me tell you, I've been here for a number of years and all is not good. She stays...bond fails, she leaves bond has a chance. At least that's the vote in this home.
Joyce Phillips lacks the will or skill (or both) to sustain effective action within the district and ,with regard to virtually all important leadership challenges that have come up, she has created a void where creative and positive ideas once flourished. Phillips lacks personal integrity and is aided and abetted by followers (and some board members) who are unwilling or unable to effectively intervene. She has systematically micromanaged ,intimidated , and ultimately driven off great administrators, like Ron Behrenwald, and made other long standing and valued employees feel like second hand citizens. Phillips has changed protocol and past practice numerous times in order to facilitate her personal whims and when this has been questioned she has given those people unsatisfactory job evaluations for merely bringing it to the attention of board members, staff or parents.
I am appalled that anybody could mistake Phillip's actions or policies for leadership. Staff morale is in a death-spiral and Phillips keeps on punishing the common rank-n-file simply to cover up the lack of leadership in upper management. I know countless professionals that have been with MPS for 10, 15 or 25 years saying they wish they worked somewhere else because working for MPS is utterly miserable now. These are not the "bottom of the barrel" employees who are not wanting to do their jobs. These are the key professionals that are retained specifically because they are the 'cream of the crop' and have always been deemed essential if not irreplaceable to the district. These same teachers, administrators and staff are now being told (in actions if not so much in words) that they're lucky to have jobs. Phillips has continually not kept her word...that affects performance and vision. When employees receive promises or verbal contracts from Phillips and then these contracts are broken, morale suffers and so does the outcomes from the employees. No lip service is going to improve motivation when the employees know that nothing is going to change while Phillips is still in charge.The impact of her actions linger like an insidious energy-sapping virus, swallowing motivation and stamping out pride. She is one of those individuals who truly fails to understand that sometimes it is far better to be kind than right. Joyce Phillips and her immediate subordinates are incompetent and should be fired.
I too am very curious which employee could have possibly said that anything has improved in staff morale. I would 100% say it is now sunken to new record low. Trust must be earned and to date employees have very little, if any, trust in the current superintendent. There is a huge lack in confidence in the superintendent. There is far too much disfunction that was not at Marshall Schools prior to her hiring. There is alot more to running a school district than talking and writing about Leadership and what it means. Good leadership is by example. Good leadership encourages communication - doesn't stiffle it. Good leadership helps to empower and build trust with employees and community members. These are very important especially in a people base business like education. This is the type of leadership we do not see in the current superintendent. Isn't it time to give some crediblity to the 152 employee surveys that were turned into the board last fall. What has improved since then?
I am not sure how joyce phillips gets the credit for balancing a budget. It is the employee base that has taken raises in the range of 1/2% per semester up to the present 1% (1st sem) 1% (2nd sem) over the past 5 years. This in contrast to the money and benefit package this board has found monies to compensate the superintendent with. We have been told for five years we have to tighten the budget strings. There is not money to compensate employees with. It is the union groups that have been told to work together to help attain a positve fund equity. It is teachers that are writing and receiving grant money that is used for instructional needs that would have come out of the teaching supply budgets. It is the union groups that look into more affordable insurance plans for their units. While the top administration has double insurance for several months. It is the employees that have been talking up the schools trying to get the student count up while the superintendent causes negative feedback for the schools. It is the families of students that are now paying to participate not only in sports but in the fine arts also. It is the employees that have worked to find the most affordable means to do the tasks that need to be done each year. It is the employees that search for the product that is most affordable. It is the employees that use personal funds to enhance the learning environment for their students.
I guess I am confused as to what it is that the superintendent has done to create a positive environment at the schools for the employees. All I see is negative reaction to this superintendent. I see a lack of confidence and trust by the employees as a whole towards this superintendent.
My question is this: How does a board continue to support their employee - the superintendent - while nearly 300 employees tell them differently? We can not pretend all is well with our current situation which can be directly tied to the current superintendent. What are we waiting for? This board needs to take on better leadership. I am still waiting for this superintendent to thank this incredible staff that has enabled her to receive any positive feedback due to their efforts.
My answer to your post: No I do not think our community school is going to move forward and pass any bond issues with the current superintendent left at the helm. The first step to moving forward is going to require this board to boldly step forward and do what they were elected to do. We must find a better match between superintendent and school vision. This district has shared a wonderful vision for decades. Why would we need to change our vision for this newcomer to our town?
I guess I am very confused how Dr. Phillips stands in line for that thank you on the balanced budget. It is not ONE PERSON - IT IS THE ENTIRE STAFF AT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FROM BOTTOM TO TOP.
If you want to see how some of these school board members are towards Joyce during meetings you should go to the meeting this Tuesday. You will see plenty of Yes Joyce, Not a problem Joyce, you want a $10,000 raise - you got it Joyce!, Whats that? an A+ evaluation - where do I sign-up? Joyce requested a closed meeting for her evaluation, but there is a chance they may come back to an open meeting to consider voting on her raise and contract.
The Marshall schools need a new Superintendent bad! Joyce Phillips has failed miserably as a leader and has turned the entire MPS staff against her, along with most students, parents and community members. The bond is in serious jeopardy if the board keeps supporting her troubled reign after March 27th. I for one will never vote for a bond, even for a dollar as long as she is the Superintendent. I know of too many problems and too many good people who have been harmed by her leadership failures and actions.
The MPS staff, parents and community members need to contact school board members and show up on Tuesday March 27th at 6 pm to voice their support for getting a new Superintendent. This is the only way we are going to truly move forward and unify the community behind much-needed bonds and other improvements "for our kids."
Very simply put - Marshall Schools is in dire need of a superintendent that is a better match to this district. The marriage between Joyce and MPS has not been good from the start, in my opinion. It is time to move forward. The other schools in Calhoun County are not suffering this kind of demobilizing management. While we keep trying to address the issues here in Marshall other districts are pulling our students and flourishing before our very eyes. Change is Good - Let's Really Put Kids First - Change the top administration so we can quit spinning our wheels over this one issue. We need bonds passed - we need to keep wonderful building administrators - we need to find a better match of superintendent/schools.
In the article where Tom Duffey is quoted - I am wondering why he says the insurance mistake/coverup is a moot point now. I know it was las years budget but it was still a lie. Why should we be asked to pretend Joyce Phillips did not try to cover up the settlement? Why did she blame the MESSA office? I was informed that the rules have not changed at MESSA for nearly 10 years. Why did Joyce say that was the reason for the mistake? Just wondering. I don't forget when people lie to me. I had been hoping there was something here I didn't know.
Most of the school board members have been reaching out to the MPS staff during the last four months and have learned in great detail about the magnitude of the numerous problems that are attributed to Supt. Phillips leadership problems. They have indicated that they are taking these issues seriously and in return for staff cooperation they will do what they can to remove Phillips and get a new Superintendent. The MPS staff have done their part to be as cooperative as possible. Now we are counting on the Marshall School Board to do "what is best for the Marshall Schools" and remove Supt. Phillips before things get worse.
I am a student at mhs and i think that it is time for joyce to leave!!! We need all the support that we can get at the school board meeting tuesday. we need students parents and teachers to go and support the fact that we dont want her there! Come and support as we hope that she will leave.
For years at Marshall Schools we have been teaching 'character education' to our students. What a wonderful concept - respect, trustworthiness, honesty, etc. (I wish I could remember all the monthly topics). As our young generation is learning all the great topics that lead to productive adulthood I am left wondering how we can continue to try to impress the importance of these topics to students while the leader (superintendent) does not exhibit hardly any of these virtues. Once again to be a great school district shouldn't it start at the top - Honesty, integrity, trust, etc... If good leaders lead by example - what is the example the Marshall School employees are to follow. Should each employee have their own VISION? How can we expect them to follow the example set by the current superintendent?
One way or another Joyce Phillips needs to be fired or forced out. We cannot nor should not tolerate two more years of her scandals, controversies, bad leadership and abuse of good people! Thanks Joyce for running Ron out of town! JP is an embarrassment to Marshall!
Post a Comment