JeffCo school board decision draws questions re:transparency

So tonight is the Jeffco BOE Meeting at 6:30 in the Education Center Board Room, 1829 Denver West Drive | Golden. CO 80401, in which they will supposedly vote upon formally hiring Dan McMinimee as the new Superintendent. The Board initially wasn't going to allow public comment on this action, but relented in the face of pressure (although they allotted much less time than speakers usually get, which prompted an email from one board member, Leslie Dahlkemper, to be released publicly in which she implores the board to reconsider the time restriction and put it back to the standard allotment. As far as I know, it was not changed).

A petition submitted to change.org has garnered over 5,000 signatures already for the Jeffco Board to reconsider the announcement of only one finalist for the position of Superintendent (below agenda).

Agenda Item Details

May 27, 2014 - Special Meeting

Discussion Agenda
Subject: Superintendent Appointment

Recommended Action:
To hire Daniel McMinimee to be superintendent of Jeffco Public Schools.
estimated time 7:25 p.m. (estimated duration: 30 minutes)

PERTINENT FACTS:
On January 9, 2014, the Board of Education began its process to find a new superintendent for Jeffco Public Schools with the announced retirement of Dr. Cynthia Stevenson.

On February 27, the Board secured the services of Ray and Associates to conduct the executive search with began with community input on the characteristics sought in a superintendent through an online survey and community meetings during the month of March.

In April, the Board finalized the superintendent profile and accepted applicants through the deadline of April 25, 2014.

At the meetings of May 5, 9 and 10, 2014 the Board of Education narrowed its search to one finalist, Daniel McMinimee. Mr. McMinimee was announced publicly on May 10, 2014.

The law requires that the finalist or finalists be made public fourteen days prior to appointing or employing one of the finalists.

On May 7, 2014 the preliminary Terms of Offer were communicated to the Board.

District staff and district legal counsel have drafted a proposed contract for review and discussion.

The finalized contract is planned to be on the June 5 regular Board of Education meeting agenda for approval.

Please open the attachment below to review additional background information.

Petitioning The Jefferson County Board of Education, Colorado
We want the Jeffco BoE to reconsider the announcement of Daniel McMinimee as the sole superintendent finalist. We request that the board reexamine the candidate pool and announce 3-4 new finalists.

We, the concerned citizens, voters, and members of the Jeffco community, petition the Jeffco Board of Education to rescind their decision to announce only one superintendent finalist, Daniel McMinimee. This is not due to his quality as an applicant. Rather, it has become apparent to us that the superintendent search was not completed in a manner that would result in objectively finding the best candidate for the job in a fair, transparent, and accountable manner. In our opinions, the board majority has placed their own personal biases over the needs of this district and the community. Please understand that we do not make this accusation lightly. We have come to this conclusion by reviewing the following data on the matter:

Public pushes Jeffco to release superintendent's contract
By John Aguilar
The Denver Post
Posted: 05/20/2014

Read more: Public pushes Jeffco to release superintendent's contract - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_25802 ... z32xgFVHl3
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse
Follow us: @Denverpost on Twitter | Denverpost on Facebook

Superintendent’s proposed contract now available online
Draft Contract: http://www.boarddocs.com/co/jeffco/Boar ... ntract.pdf

Some additional information, I haven't verified this myself, but I saw one comment on the Jeffco PTA page that Cindy Stevenson's salary was $201,000, and they are offering Dan McMinimee $280,000 even though he has fewer qualifications/less experience than Dr. Stevenson had?

Also, one of the board members, Julie Williams, may have violated board governance policies by calling for supporters to sign up for the public comment period

http://www.supportjeffcokids.org/drowne ... -policies/
See link for screen shot of Ms. Williams post.

“Be ready at 8:00 or your voice might not be heard and we will be drowned out by the progressives!”

“The reform minded board members and Dan McMinimee need your support today! We are coming under extreme fire and community support will make a huge difference. Be aware that the anti reformers will do ANYTHING to make us loose this fight.”

“Remember- all eyes are on Jeffco and what we do will not only make a difference in Jeffco but the state and the nation! We need to continue to Stand Strong!”

Besides being offensive, this looks like a violation of NUMEROUS Board Governance Policies:

Remove the 45 Minute Restriction
May 26, 2014 jeffkids



Posted on Transparency Jeffco: https://www.facebook.com/Transparency.J ... ts&fref=ts

From: Dahlkemper Lesley
Date: May 21, 2014 at 10:08:53 PM MDT
To: Ken Witt
Cc: Jill Fellman , Newkirk John , Williams Julie
Subject: Re: Special Meeting on May 27 re: Superintendent

Ken, I understand that public comment for individuals has been limited to one minute and to three minutes for groups on May 27.

Furthermore, you have limited public comment to 45 minutes.

Please explain why you are now changing the board’s practice for public comment - especially when we’ve seen an outpouring of emails requesting public comment and greater transparency.

Our community has had no opportunity to share with the board its views on the superintendent finalist.

To simply suggest that “we have to do what’s right for conducting the business of the board while still accommodating for public comment” ignores one very important point. Our public schools belong to the public. We serve our community - and that includes taking whatever amount of time necessary to listen to our community.

I request that we follow normal practice for public comment on May 27.

Please do not further undermine this board’s credibility and trust with the public. This is an embarrassment.

Best,
Les

Lesley Dahlkemper
Board of Education || Jeffco Public Schools

They put overflow people over at the Marriott across the street and are streaming audio there. If you want to follow along, @JeffcoSchoolsCo and @Jeffco_CSEA are tweeting from the meeting.

Jeffco's contract for Daniel McMinimee still needs work
By The Denver Post Editorial Board
Posted: 05/28/2014

In fact, we had made some of these points previously . A base salary of $280,000 is high for a first-time superintendent in Colorado. His predecessor, who had held the job for a dozen years, earned a base salary of $205,000.

It's also a mistake to offer McMinimee a five-year-contract because it sets up the district to pay him a year's salary if a new majority is elected before the contract is up and decides to replace him.

...this new board didn't do itself any favors when it imposed severe restrictions on public comment Tuesday and rebuffed efforts to modify the contract. The good news is that the contract is not yet signed and details are set to be discussed June 5.

The board majority ran in part on fiscal responsibility. One way to demonstrate that commitment would be to adjust the terms of McMinimee's contract.

Read more: Jeffco's contract for Daniel McMinimee still needs work - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/editorials/ci ... z3375ghFJS
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse
Follow us: @Denverpost on Twitter | Denverpost on Facebook

I believe tonight is the last meeting scheduled before school starts back up again. It's a huge agenda, so it'll likely be a long one.
Edit to add: You can watch it live via UStream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/JeffcoBoardRoom
http://www.boarddocs.com/co/jeffco/Board.nsf/Public

Agenda:
1. Study/Dialogue Session 5:30 pm
1.01 Location: Board Room, Education Center
1.02 Liberty Day Curricular Resources (EL-11)
[This item has files attached]
1.03 Negotiations with Employee Associations

2. Preliminary
2.01 Call to Order-6:30 pm
2.02 Welcome to Audience
2.03 Pledge of Allegiance
2.04 Roll Call
2.05 Approve Agenda

3. Honors, Recognition and School Reports
3.01 43rd Annual District Purchase Awards - Art Exhibits 2014
3.02 Destination Imagination Global Contenders:
3.03 2014 Daniels Fund Scholars
3.04 4A Boys Swim/Diving State Champions: D'Evelyn Jr./Sr. High School
3.05 5A Girls Soccer State Champions: Columbine High School
3.06 4A/5A Track and Field State Champions: Wheat Ridge, Arvada West, Bear Creek
3.07 4A Boys Baseball State Champions: Green Mountain High School
3.08 2014 Athletic Directors of the Year
3.09 Warren Tech Egg Cooker for NASA International Space Station

4. Public Agenda Part One
4.01 Correspondence-June 5, 2014
[This item has files attached]
4.02 Public Comment (Agenda Related)
4.03 2014-2015 Budget (EL-5, EL-6)
[This item has files attached]
4.04 Public Hearing: 2014/2015 Proposed Budget - comment sign up
[This item has files attached]

5. Consent Agenda
5.01 Approval of Minutes-April 24, 2014
5.02 Approval of Minutes-May 1, 2014
5.03 Approval of Minutes-May 5, 2014
5.04 Approval of Minutes-May 9, 2014
5.05 Approval of Minutes-May 10, 2014
5.06 Approval of Minutes-May 15, 2014
5.07 Adoption Student Conduct Code (EL-1)
[This item has files attached]
5.08 Board Approval of Instructional Resources Recommended for Use in Jefferson County Public Schools, EL-11
[This item has files attached]
5.09 Employment (EL3)
[This item has files attached]
5.10 Administrative Appointments (EL3
[This item has files attached]
5.11 Resignations/Terminations (EL3)
[This item has files attached]
5.12 Licensed Teacher Exchange (EL3)
[This item has files attached]
5.13 Supplemental Funds Notification: June 5, 2014
[This item has files attached]
5.14 Contract Award: District-Wide Water Heater, Piping, Fixtures (EL-8)
[This item has files attached]
5.15 Contract Award: Foothills Elementary "Field of Dreams" Site Improvements (EL-8)
[This item has files attached]

6. Ends Discussion
6.01 Progress on Board Goals: Remediation (Ends 3)
[This item has files attached]
6.02 Jeffco Accountability Committee School-Level Roles/Responsibilities (EL-11)
[This item has files attached]

7. Discussion Agenda
7.01 Tentative Agreement - JCEA (EL-3)
[This item has files attached]
7.02 Tentative Agreement - CSEA (EL-3)
[This item has files attached]
7.03 Superintendent's Contract: McMinimee 2014

8. Policy Work
8.01 Policy Review: GP-3, Policy Making Principles
8.02 Policy Review: GP-4, Board Job Description

9. Public Agenda Part Two
9.01 Public Comment (Not On Agenda)

10. Develop Next Agenda
10.01 Board Work Calendar
10.02 Special and Regular Meetings of June 19 and August 2014

11. Adjournment

Your Voice: Jeffco board majority not keeping their promises
Posted by tstraut on May 28, 2014

Dear Jeffco Board of Education Members,

As a parent and community member in Jeffco, I continue to be appalled by the disrespect and lack of transparency in the behaviors of the new Board majority. The list of disappointing behaviors, breaking your own Board policies, and likely State laws is long. It is also well-documented. So I will focus on YOUR promises to the community when you ran for these positions in 2013.
Jeffco Board discussing the details of public comment on 5/27/14.

Mr. Witt’s website home ( http://wittforjeffcoschools.com/ ) says:
Ms. Williams website ( http://www.williamsforjeffcoschools.com/principles ) says:
“Mr. Newkirk’s website homepage ( http://newkirkforjeffcoschools.net/ ) says:

I ask you to re-read your own words, your own promises to the community. You talk about transparency, you promise to give teachers a voice, you promise to provide meaningful community engagement, you promise to attract and reward the best educators to Jeffco and you promised fiscal responsibility.

Your ACTIONS in the first six months of your tenure have been the complete opposite of your promises.

You have made a mockery of public comment at Board meetings.

How is giving a $78,000 increase (40%) to the new Superintendent fiscally responsible, when many teachers and paraprofessionals in Jeffco are still making less than they were 5 years ago. Where is the transparency in the superintendent process?

Let’s be very clear, this is not just an issue with the associations vs. the Board majority who are trying to protect us from bad teachers. This community is outraged.

New PR Firm Hired
June 3, 2014 jeffkids

Did you hear the discussion that was brought up by the minority board members? They asked to know about a new PR firm hired and wanted to know what the scope of work and contract terms were. They couldn’t get answers at that meeting from the majority board members.


Well, the price is $10,000. That’s another $10,000 that does not go to students while the district has a highly qualified communications staff and apparently yet another conversation to which 2 board members were not privy.

https://www.facebook.com/denverpost - Opinion poll: Jeffco superintendent Daniel McMinimee's salary
Check out the 422 comments under that June 3 post on their FB page of this opinion poll:
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_25 ... ees-salary

Under a proposed contract, new Jefferson County schools superintendent Daniel McMinimee would draw a base salary of $280,000 a year, giving him the highest salary of any superintendent in the state. His total compensation would be the second-highest in Colorado.
year?
Total Votes = 3866
Yes 12.10 %
No 87.89 %

Rosen: The teachers union and hardball politics in Jeffco
By Mike Rosen
Posted: 06/04/2014
Read more: Rosen: The teachers union and hardball politics in Jeffco - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_25 ... z33nnltKHQ
[center:2muwgy0t]

---

[/center:2muwgy0t]
Some Facebook/Twitter Pages you may be interested in following:
Jeffco Public Schools - https://twitter.com/JeffcoSchoolsCo
Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) - https://www.facebook.com/JCEAColorado
Jeffco Parent Teacher Association - https://www.facebook.com/JeffcoPTA
Jeffco CSEA (Classified School Employees Association) - https://www.facebook.com/JeffcoCsea
Jefferson County School Board Watch - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jefferso ... 3802251913 and https://twitter.com/JCSBWatch
Hashtag #standup4kids
Transparency Jeffco - https://www.facebook.com/Transparency.Jeffco

Jefferson County Students First - https://www.facebook.com/JeffcoStudentsFirst
Jeffco Citizens for School Choice and Innovation - https://www.facebook.com/JeffCoSchoolChoice