Osceola County Superintendent Citizens Search Committee - Gossip
Geo
first use of the term. If someone can find an earlier use of this term, I
stand corrected.
The term "google hearsay" means internet gossip facilitated by the use of
global search engines like Google. This is cyber gossip that goes global and
may possibly never go away.
The human mind is very susceptible to gossip, especially negative gossip.
Coincidentally, the results of a scientific study on human gossip was just
presented on NPR a few days ago. The transcript appears here:
Psst! The Human Brain Is Wired For Gossip
http://www.webcitation.org/5ypkaGUSD
It is my understanding that google hearsay was the primary source of
information used by the Osceola School Board as well as by the Osceola
County Superintendent Citizens Search Committee for the evaluation of nine
superintendent candidates recently. This is my opinion at the moment. We
will soon learn if this opinion is in actuality a fact.
Here are the nine candidates impacted by the apparent application of google
hearsay:
Applicant 6 � Wayne Alexander
Applicant 7 � Portia Selene Bonner
Applicant 9 � Shannon Goodsell
Applicant 16 � Roberta Selleck
Applicant 21 � James Browder
Applicant 22 � Thomas Geismar
Applicant 27 � Karyle Green
This topic was started so that these seven superintendent candidates can
respond to allegations made during recent superintendent search committee
meetings as well as during school board meetings held this past Tuesday (May
17, 2011). The school board meetings can be seen here:
http://osceolacountyschoolfl.iqm2.com/Citizens/
The first of the two school board meetings on Tuesday at 9:00am (the lower
of the two May 17th meetings in the list) contains several google hearsay
allegations. The discussion driven by google hearsay begins at about 42:35
into the video.
An audio recording of the first of the two committee meetings where google
hearsay was applied can be heard here (the audio of the second of the two
meetings was lost due to a technical failure):
The draft minutes of the above meeting can be found here:
http://groups.google.com/group/harmonyfl/msg/5f087c947e4b3961
The final minutes of the second of the two committee meetings where google
hearsay was applied can be found here:
http://groups.google.com/group/harmonyfl/msg/584655088a793623
Proper due diligence requires that google hearsay be used only to formulate
questions for use during direct communications with candidates themselves or
the folks who know them, either by email or by phone.
Using google hearsay alone to evaluate superintendent candidates is a major
injustice to these candidates, a failure to serve the needs of the school
district and a failure to take seriously the responsibility entrusted to
search committee members and especially to school board members.
What follows are the allegations found in meeting minutes. There are more
that can be heard in the recordings. I will invite the superintendent
candidates to respond to these allegations themselves as they see fit.
Since I have already taken on the case of Dr. Roberta Selleck as an example
of what went wrong with this process, I would prefer to initially handle the
allegations myself made against Dr. Selleck during the 5/17/2011 9:00am
school board meeting. The allegations below where made public during search
committee meetings.
I will let Dr. Selleck know when I am done with my investigation of the
school board's allegations after which she can follow-up with any additional
information that she has. This is just a suggestion on my part. Naturally,
Dr. Selleck is free to proceed however she likes.
Here is some of the google hearsay and perhaps more than google hearsay that
requires further explanation (taken from meeting minutes):
Regarding Wayne Alexander:
Mrs. Donato: He was dismissed from Hernando County.
Regarding Portia Bonner:
Mrs. Brizendine: She is familiar with Race to the Top
and well-versed in national initiatives. A weakness
would be her knowledge on how to meet the needs of
diverse students. There seems to have been a problem
with communication and how to effectively deal with
different personalities on a Board.
Mr. Collins: He was not impressed with her past work
history that seemed to involve bitter breakups and
communication issues.
Mr. Thursam: She never returned his phone call.
Regarding Shannon Goodsell:
Mr. Bass: His research showed that Dr. Goodsell was
arrested for allegedly trying to stop a police
investigation regarding some of his employees. The
outcome of the case wasn�t known.
Regarding Roberta Selleck:
Mr. Polachek: She did not return his call.
Kathy Donato: She did not return her call.
Mr. Allain: She did not return his call.
Mr. Smith: She did not return his call.
Mr. Collins: His research showed that she has
implemented extreme reform measures that are unproven
and have resulted in a drop in test scores.
Mr. Thursam: She seemed to do her homework and be very
knowledgeable. She is definitely a visionary but
questioned whether she is a good administrator.
Regarding James Browder:
Mr. Thursam: The faculty of Edison College has
requested Mr. Browder leave saying he fostered a
hostile work environment.
Regarding Thomas Geismar:
Mr. Allain: When asked, this candidate "danced around"
union issues and he believes in outsourcing jobs.
Regarding Karyle Green:
Mr. Thursam: His research showed that there is one high
school in her district that is in its fifth year of
academic probation.
Geo
While there were nine candidates considered "in-the-running" for the job of
Osceola Superintendent, I believe that only the seven below were impacted by
google hearsay.
Geo
Mrs. Donato: He was dismissed from Hernando County.
I was not dismissed. After my first year I received
outstanding evaluations from all 5 board members.
During my second year, I married a women from CT. My
wife and I ran into difficulties with relocating my
stepchildren. These difficulties required that I
relocate back to CT. I began the process of looking
for a position in New England. This caused a great
deal of stress for my family, the board and entire
community. The board held me to completing my contract
by a 3-2 vote. When I refused to fire a principal at
the demand of my board chairwomen, she turned on me and
felt I could not longer lead the disitrict. At that
point we began the process of negotiating my leaving
the district earlier than the agreed upon date.
Geo
Mr. Thursam: His research showed that there is one high
school in her district that is in its fifth year of
academic probation.
Dr. Karyle Green responds:
Mr. Schiro,
Thank you for the call today [May 22]. I know how
frustrating searches can be for the community, but
please know, this is not out of the ordinary -
especially in this information age. Fair or not,
people are relying on the internet. I actually know of
people who have paid a company to provide internet
search information for them. There are companies that
actually put 10-15 fake stories up so that when people
google their name, they'll see the 10-15 fake stories
first. Hardly anyone searches any deeper than that.
I will say, the information about my low achieving high
school is true. I do have a high school in year five.
Although, since I came to the district we have made
tremendous changes which have brought about significant
change. I had 2 other schools headed to year five and
we pulled them out of the probation process by all of
the initiatives we instituted in those two schools It's
too bad they didn't go a little further because I also
have the only NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON HS in the State of
Indiana in 2010. I also have four Indiana Blue Ribbon
Schools in my district. So, I have schools on either
end of the spectrum.
I am very happy in my district - have received a
contract extension through 2014. As I may have
mentioned to you, I don't apply for positions lightly.
So, I'll wait until another position which piques my
interest becomes vacant. Onward and upward as they
say.
You sound like a very caring community member. Keep
supporting your schools. Public education (educators)
need support today more than anything else.
Karyle Green
-----Original Message-----
From: harm...@googlegroups.com [mailto:harm...@googlegroups.com]On
Behalf Of Geo
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 6:44 PM
To: HarmonyFL
Subject: [HarmonyFL:1077] Re: Osceola County Superintendent Citizens
Search Committee - Gossip
Geo
Mr. Bass: His research showed that Dr. Goodsell was
arrested for allegedly trying to stop a police
investigation regarding some of his employees. The
outcome of the case wasn�t known.
Dr. Shannon Goodsell responds:
In 2007 I suspended a deputy sheriff who was working as
a school resource officer (SRO) for my previous school
district; Crooked Oak Public Schools. The officer was
suspended at the direct recommendation of the
district's legal council for failure to produce school
district documents/reports describing a possible
assault on school property between a staff member and a
student. According to district, state, and federal law
the district is required to conduct an investigation
into such matters.
The officer was suspended at 4:30 P.M. and was
reinstated at 7:30 P.M. that same evening. He never
missed a day of work. The SRO claimed he was ordered
by the district attorney's office not to produce the
documents. Upon my report to legal council (4:35 P.M.)
regarding the suspension, he decided to make attempts
to subpoena the documents from the DA's office. Since
there was no need for the officer to be suspended he
was reinstated (contacted via telephone). The DA's
office later refused to produce the documents.
I contacted the district attorney's office to formally
complain of their media reports that villainized the
school district in an attempt to gain minority votes
during an election campaign. The charges filed against
Mr. Thomas had changed from misdemeanor assault to a
newly created hate crime. I also explained to the DA's
office that the district was in possession of a
surveillance video of the incident which indicated no
assault occurred. I requested they view the video
before continuing forward with their charges. They
refused. Two days after I contacted the district
attorney's office, I was charged with a misdemeanor for
suspending the SRO; my punishment for being the
shepherd of the district. It is my responsibility to
protect and preserve the best interests and reputation
of the district. I formally requested the charges be
dismissed for lack of substance and merit. The DA's
office again refused. Upon conclusion of trial, I was
acquitted of all charges. Regretfully, the Google
gossip remains.
I have guest lectured several times to doctoral
students at Oklahoma State University regarding the
incident. Upon the conclusion of each lecture the
students always ask if I have any regrets or historical
changes to the events described. I always answer no.
Doing the right thing for the right reason is always
the best course of action.
I have forwarded to George some news articles found on
Google regarding the incident. He may post them for
your view at a later time. If you have any questions
regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to
contact me.
I would like to thank the School Board, Dr. Blanton,
and the Search Committee for providing me with an
opportunity to apply for the position. I would like to
wish Mr. Andrews all the best in his role as the
superintendent of schools. Just from reading his
biographical information he seems to be a caring man
who has the best interest of students at heart. I
believe he will do an excellent job representing and
leading the district.
The attached news articles (see below) were provided by Dr. Goodsell.
Geo
Mr. Polachek: She did not return his call.
Kathy Donato: She did not return her call.
Mr. Allain: She did not return his call.
Mr. Smith: She did not return his call.
Mr. Collins: His research showed that she has
implemented extreme reform measures that are unproven
and have resulted in a drop in test scores.
Mr. Thursam: She seemed to do her homework and be very
knowledgeable. She is definitely a visionary but
questioned whether she is a good administrator.
Dr. Roberta Selleck responds:
Dear Members of the Superintendent Search Committee:
I am positive that you will agree with me that a 21st
Century skill that is absolutely essential for our
students is Critical Thinking. I believe the
phenomenon of the media and internet proves this to be
of significant importance. Prior to this staple of our
every day life, the old adage was: Don't believe
everything you hear/read. Today that statement is even
more crucial. Therefore, I am compelled to address a
few erroneous comments made about my application as
discussed during committee meetings.
� Professional Development stipend for
administrators. It was stated that administrators
'pocketed' the stipend. Please let me share with you
this is a common benefit provided to administrators and
it is a component of their compensation package. The
$800 benefit had not changed since 2002; administrators
were facing a 3rd year of a salary freeze while
teachers were advancing monetarily on the salary
schedule. During a 'meet and confer' process the
administrators asked for the Professional Development
stipend to be increased to $3,000. The policy
established prior to my arrival allows for this benefit
to be received as cash. Most of the administrators
used this stipend to repay college debt or to purchase
appropriate technology to assist them in doing their
job.
� Not returning phone calls. I found it interesting
that Mr. Polachek, Ms. Danato, Mr. Allain, and Mr.
Smith stated that I did not return their phone call.
This is simply not true. I have phone records that
prove that only two individuals called me: George Shiro
and Jon Arguello; I had conversations with both of
these gentlemen.
� Mr. Collins stated that I've implemented an
'extreme reform measure that is unproven' and 'resulted
in a drop of test scores.' Let me take the opportunity
to share more information about Standards-based
education, first and foremost it is not new; it has
been practiced for decades. It has a remarkable track
record when implemented correctly. Typically you will
find this model operating in silos - single classrooms,
a school, possibly a charter school. Adams 50 is the
largest and only district in the continental United
States to embrace this model. Just in the past few
years technology has emerged to support this dynamic
method which is absolutely critical when providing real
time information to students and parents.
A drop in test scores: It is true that in the first
year of implementation the results were exactly as
predicted: a decline. The "Implementation Dip" is a
very real phenomenon. If you would like more
information on this I would be more than happy to point
you in the right direction. We just received the
results of the 3rd grade CSAP (Colorado Student
Assessment Program) reading scores: we are celebrating!
They are improving. Typically it takes 3-5 years
before you will see noticeable increases in student
test scores when undertaking significant change.
� Mr. Thursam acknowledged that I did my homework -
indeed I did, thank you for recognizing that fact.
However, he questioned whether I am a good
administrator. This truly puzzles me, what criteria
would you use to determine that status? I can share
with you that I was the runner up for the
Superintendent of the Year here in Colorado. Every
administrative evaluation, without exception which
spans 24 years, has always rated me as extremely
effective in my various roles. Additionally, I allow
input from the rank and file to assist me in
continuously improving my skills.
I believe it is important for the misstatements to be
corrected. Thank you for this opportunity. I wish
everyone the best as time marches forward - our country
is depending on well educated students.
Sincerely,
Dr. Roberta L. Selleck