Comments on: AAPS Superintendent Patricia Green Resigns

By: Ruth Kraut

Ruth Kraut — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:03:06 +0000

Absolutely necessary, John! I think it’s punny! :)

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By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:35:25 +0000

@11. The MuckRock process and site are pretty cool.

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By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:37:11 +0000

@12: Jealous, John?

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By: John Floyd

John Floyd — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 03:40:12 +0000

@9 Ruth Kraut

“…I think Dave Askins is askin’(s) one of the key questions…”

Was that really necessary?

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By: Edward Vielmetti

Edward Vielmetti — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:07:24 +0000

By: Letitia Kunselman

Letitia Kunselman — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 23:31:30 +0000

Good questions Ruth. I will be asking what their process and criteria are at the working session on Wednesday.

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By: Ruth Kraut

Ruth Kraut — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 21:13:37 +0000

Because, in general, hindsight is better than foresight, I think Dave Askins is askin’(s) one of the key questions: looking back, what made the BOE decide that Pat Green was better than the other candidates? [And by the way, I heard other non-board members say the same thing.]

As we look back, does it seem that we got what we expected?
Did we get what we expected, but that turned out not to be what we wanted because we had our criteria wrong?
Did we not get what we expected because Pat Green interviewed well–but reality turned out not to match the interviews?

As my algebra teacher used to say to the class, “It’s ok to make a mistake, but it is better if you make a different one every time.” Examining the last process is a good way to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes.

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By: Letitia Kunselman

Letitia Kunselman — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 17:21:00 +0000

The BOE needs to stop thinking the grass is greener somewhere else and look for viable candidates from within the District. Ms. Mexicotte, as well as other BOE members, would benefit with a bit of introspection that Green was the wrong candidate from the very beginning.

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By: Herb

Herb — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 15:25:33 +0000

In the post WWII period cities like Ann Arbor have maintained somewhat high quality public school systems (as referenced against the generally abysmal quality of American public education) when reasonably prosperous and when the minority enrollment is less than about a third. When these conditions fail the systems collapse to barrel bottom in a generation or so. The collapse is characterized by waves of white flight, decline in electoral support and administrative chaos.

Ann Arbor is well into this process although most people here pretend otherwise.

The exiting administration, faced with the worst financial crisis in at least a generation, wasted most of its time and energy on pie in sky projects like closing the achievement gap. The only possible way to balance the budget, major cuts in teacher compensation, was traded off for chicken feed concessions. A new superintendent will probably come in too late and be too weak to push through new millages. One likely result is that AAPS will run out of money and the schools will close early in 2014. Another is state control and merger with wypsiRun.

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By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:18:03 +0000

One contributing factor may have been [insert semi-informed, off-target speculation here].

It’s interesting that this is being discussed both here and on other sites as something negative (a problem? a failure? a ???).

That sort of perspective will remain even after Green has left the building and the state: “Superintendents can’t be trusted, and are a problem to handle, and…” Turning it around, our thinking about superintendents can’t be trusted and is a problem to handle. Is that truer? Seems so to me.

The alternative? This is perfect. If we can’t see it as such, let’s figure out why. Maybe then we can model constructive approaches to education for our kids that shows that anger and blame-placing aren’t necessary.

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