Ann Arbor principals union: Next superintendent needs local ties, not Ph.D.
The Ann Arbor Administrators Association issued 17 recommendations for what the Board of Education should look for in a new superintendent. The principals union took a couple of jabs at current Superintendent Patricia Green, pictured above, in its recommendations.
Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com file photo
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Three days after advertisements seeking the next superintendent of the Ann Arbor Public Schools went live, the Ann Arbor principals union released a list of 17 qualities it hopes to see in the district's fifth leader in 10 years — and a doctoral degree and thick resume were not among them.
Finding an internal candidate who can be a "healer" and gain the trust of the community through collaboration, visibility, open and honest dialogue, and flexibility of thought were repeated throughout the union's list of desired characteristics.
Dicken Elementary School Principal and union President Mike Madison penned the recommendations which captured the collective thinking of the Ann Arbor Administrators Association and sent them to the Board of Education late Monday morning.
AAAA President Mike Madison
"I realize this would require a current building-level administrator, in that no one at Balas (Administration Building) currently is a long-time employee, but it is a risk AAPS must take."
Superintendent Patricia Green resigned from the Ann Arbor Public Schools in mid-April, stating her intent to retire after 43 years in public education.
Her resignation is effective July 9.
Green requested a five-year contract when she was hired by AAPS in 2011. When the Maryland native leaves in July, Green will have served just two years of her contract.
Green's time in the AAPS has been marked by criticism from parents, teachers, principals and the public. Her communication skills, approachability, accessibility and level of transparency have been points of contention throughout her tenure.
School officials have said the $245,000 salary the Board of Education set in 2011 negatively affected the public's perceptions and expectations of the position. Board Trustee Andy Thomas called the salary an "albatross" Green wore around her neck the entire time she was here.
The idea behind increasing the salary was to attract a prestigious candidate with a wealth of experience working in a large district, and in a university town, similar to Ann Arbor. The board also wanted a candidate with expertise in improving academic achievement and discipline issues among ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged students, which Green excelled at in her previous districts.
However, members of the school community have stressed a need and a desire for stability and longevity in leadership. The AAAA's recommendations echo pleas from parents and the public for local and internal candidates and take several swipes at Green.
"We need a leader who realizes that only effective instruction from highly effective educators solves achievement and discipline issues," Madison wrote. "Our leader should know that just saying 'shrink the discipline gap' won't solve the problem, but knows that through best practices, buy-in from staff and high quality interventions that we will solve these issues."
The union also wrote that the next leader should have a history of being an effective — not just well-liked — teacher and administrator himself.
"They do not necessarily need a doctoral degree or an extended resume. Is that not what we just had?" Madison wrote. "How did that work out?"
Other recommendations from the AAAA include finding a leader who:
- Values and solicits the ideas and creativity of all the members that he or she works with.
- Leads by example, guides with enthusiasm and praises the collective works of the team.
- Has conversations about other topics besides education.
- Is aeteran leader with varied work experience.
- In addition to his/her own educational philosophy, has skills in building consensus among all of the stakeholders of the educational community and can be open to considering changes to his or her own plan when circumstances require it.
- Has the ability to reorganize central office in order for decisions to be made quickly, timely and based on students' needs, not adults.
The AAAA also said superintendent candidates should be required to share their 90-day plans as part of the interview process.
A posting advertising the superintendent position went up Friday and will close June 14. The school board is using the Iowa-based consulting firm Ray & Associates to conduct a nationwide search for a new leader.
The search will be at a minimal cost to the district because of a two-year satisfaction guarantee clause the district had in its contract for the search that resulted in Green's hiring.
The salary has been advertised at $180,000 to $220,000, "plus an excellent comprehensive benefits package." This pay range is $25,000 to $65,000 less than Green's $245,000 salary. It brings the district closer to the $175,000 base pay the AAPS had when former Superintendent Todd Roberts was in office. It also brings the district more in line with other superintendents in the county, who earn an average of about $140,000.
The Ann Arbor school board will be appointing an interim superintendent shortly to lead the district while the board goes through the process of finding a new leader. The board's intent is to have a new superintendent in place prior to September and the first day of the 2013-14 academic year.
The AAAA had recommendations about the interim superintendent as well.
"An interim candidate must be carefully chosen," Madison wrote. "The wrong choice from our current central office could make things even worse for our community. A vibrant building leader stepping up would be a way to help the board earn back trust and respect."
The board is expected to talk more about the superintendent search at a study session on Wednesday. The meeting is open to the public and will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Balas Administration Building.
Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.
Comments
Judy
Wed, May 15, 2013 : 7:09 p.m.
If Green is breaking her 5 year contract does she have to pay the AAPS any money? I am sure if AASB broke her contract she would want money.
Dexterdriver
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 11:40 a.m.
I hope this doesn't jinx him as a candidate, but current building principal, former administrator, successful teacher and overall quality local employee, Bill Harris, is an obvious choice for the new superintendent. He's a super qualified individual and a modest, very likable person. No distant search is required. He works and lives in Ann Arbor!
Jay Thomas
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 4:15 a.m.
Anyone aware of Madison's history knows that he does not see things like most people do. While he is putting himself forward, I sincerely hope that goes nowhere.
AMOC
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 2:19 p.m.
Actually Jay, I wish Mike Madison well in his career. I just wish him well away from Ann Arbor and as soon as possible.
Bill
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 2:25 a.m.
AAPS needs an effective communicator with or without a PhD. The lack of communication from the current, soon to be former, superintendent compounds the problems of AAPS. Stop hiding behind FOI, when someone asks for information, provide the information, don't make it difficult to obtain. Communicate on a regular basis with the entire community. The superintendent should be a well known and respected individual in the community. This doesn't mean the candidate must come from the community, but they must quickly establish themselves in this position within the community. The AAPS needs a well planned and executed communication and public relations plans. The district must be first to comment on issues, not the last to make a comment. Additional changes beyond the superintendent will be needed within AAPS to put it on a track to regain the respect and support from the public.
J. A. Pieper
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:57 a.m.
I am wondering how successful Dr. Green's "Discipline Gap" initiative is progressing these days, and if there is going to be any kind of evaluation related to this initiative? It would be interesting to find out what parents think of the current effectiveness of her ideas. I would like to see data, and then find out how it is being interpreted, by AAPS, and then have public reactions. How do we know she really excelled at this in her previous district? Was it data compiled by her, or responses from parents and teachers? I know several very good families who are leaving AAPS because of the "Discipline Gap" initiatives, and it makes me worry about what will remain in the long run. To solve discipline problems, it cannot be done through ignoring the issues, we have to teach the behaviors that are expected, so that the learning environment is healthy for all students. I agree with other posters, it seems Mr. Madison is trying to nominate himself for the position! I greatly appreciated how he worked with my son, but I am not sure if he has what it takes to handle this district. and just when is the AAAA going to announce the cuts it is willing to take, like all other district employees?
J. A. Pieper
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 10:09 a.m.
Wake Up A2, I am not surprised, I knew of her while she was at Clague, and she was not highly thought of there. Everyone in Education KNOWS that you establish routines of discipline right away, you never wait. Now, the students have established their line in the sand, and she will have great difficulty with any plan she wants to implement. She is afraid of handling a certain population, so they may reign free at Pioneer under her tenure.
Wake Up A2
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 1:18 a.m.
Well from what I can see at pioneer it is ignore everything and report nothing. My daughters teacher today tells me that Cindy is going to wait till fall before she sets her discipline policy. Thanks to pat, pioneer is sinking fast.
Elijah Shalis
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:43 a.m.
Dr. Williams for Super! He was great when I was at Huron
Wake Up A2
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:38 a.m.
It would fit Mike's ego... like Bob's ego.... principal's dont want someone who treats them like children....Pat did.
coolretiree
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:32 a.m.
Any recommendations from a union president Hope the BOE doesn't take the recommendations of a AAAA union president. In recent dealings with this man I have found him extremely rude. Sounds like this group is only interested in What they want and not the interest of making the district solvent.
jns131
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:23 a.m.
Green looks like she is going to break out laughing doesn't she? Got us so she says. So this is the face of a PhD? I think not. Good riddance to bad rubbage.
alarictoo
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 3:08 p.m.
rubbage?? o_O?
beardown
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:13 a.m.
Local ties? YCS has three superintendents for Ann Arbor to pick from.
ManA2
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 11:32 p.m.
What we need is a true leader. I am rather concerned that their recommendation can be paraphrased as "someone who won't push for change".
beardown
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:22 a.m.
Spot on.
Wake Up A2
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 11:13 p.m.
No travling dolls? No consulting for past district on ann arbor's dime? No four day work weeks? No degree in yelling at your co-workers? Giving work to minions? Andy it wasnt her pay people had a problem with....
beardown
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 11:05 p.m.
So....if they are looking for someone internal, why hire a search firm? The only reason I can see is that they have tens of thousands of dollars burning a whole in the coffers that they need to spend, and we know this isn't the case. Either go all in on the internal candidate (I don't like this plan) and nix the search firm, or open it up to everyone with equal weighting.
ViSHa
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 10:59 p.m.
"Next superintendent needs local ties, not Ph.D."...........says the local guy with no Ph.D, lol.
B2Pilot
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 10:47 p.m.
I have a list of qualities and requirements for the next [or current] principal; Mr. Madison would you be willing to follow my recommendations?
Atlas Shrugged
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 9:22 p.m.
The friggin principals are unionized????
DonBee
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 10:15 p.m.
Mr. Shrugged - Yes, sir! All the AAPS employees that you will find in a typical grade school, including the management (e.g. the Principal) are union.
Fishermon
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 9:01 p.m.
It is refreshing to learn that we will search for the new superintendent within our own school district. Surely, there must be a qualified individual here.
alarictoo
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 8:24 p.m.
"The union also wrote that the next leader should have a history of being an effective — not just well-liked — teacher and administrator himself." Well, considering that Mike Madison garnered the AAPS district some very negative national press just a couple of years ago, (http://annarbor.com/news/dicken-investigation-report-released/ (don't forget to look at the poll results, as well)), that should effectively remove him from consideration, should it not?
alarictoo
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 8:19 p.m.
"Green's time in the AAPS has been marked by criticism from parents, teachers, principals and the public." So, to summarize, pretty much everyone BUT the AAPS Board of Education. Does anyone else notice the elephant in the room?
Basic Bob
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 8:17 p.m.
so no one at ballast is a long-time aaps employee? they must be a lot easier to get rid of than a principal.
nickcarraweigh
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 8:02 p.m.
If ever they start hiring on the basis of ability rather than credentials, the entire US post-secondary education system will be fatally undermined.
John of Saline
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:59 p.m.
There are so many principals that they have their own union? Bizarre.
DonBee
Fri, May 17, 2013 : 8:12 p.m.
Ms Margolis - Thank you very much.
Liz Margolis
Wed, May 15, 2013 : 7:59 p.m.
DonBee, The head counts for AAEA (teachers) = 1,324; AAEA OP (Office Professionals)= 113; AAEA P (Parapros)= 280
DonBee
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 1:47 a.m.
Ms Margolis - Thank you for the information, and yes, I do mean the bargaining unit for the teachers, et. al.
Liz Margolis
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:52 a.m.
Mr. Bee, I apologize, I don't recall our conversation but I am thinking you may be using another name in these posts. By my count there are 48 members in Quad A - I can confirm this tomorrow. We have one open position (Clague). Of that one is the Executive Director of Rec and Ed, 12 are Assistant Principals at the secondary level (middle and high school) and the rest are Principals. When you say AAEA do you mean all bargaining groups of the AAEA which includes Teachers, OP's and Parapros?
DonBee
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:39 a.m.
Ms. Margolis - Thank you, when I asked 2 years ago for the list by role of members of the AAAA you told me that I could FOIA it and it would probably be a privacy issue. I would love if you would post the information here, since you offered. 1) How many total members of AAAA are there? 2) How many are in what kind of role (e.g. Principal, assistant Principal, etc.) If you would be so kind as to do it for the AEAA as well that would be very nice. Now I bet you don't remember the phone call, but we spent 15 minutes on the phone and you were nice in your refusal.
B2Pilot
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 10:43 p.m.
I thought the same thing; They are supposed to be leaders but they need a union to protect them from???? the bureaucracy runs deep in A2
Liz Margolis
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 9:31 p.m.
Mr. Bee is incorrect regarding his assumptions on AAAA membership. There are no staff member at Balas who are members of the Ann Arbor Administrators Association. One cabinet member is and that person is the Executive Director of Rec and Ed. Please Mr. Bee, if you have questions about what you read, feel free to contact me anytime.
DonBee
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 8:56 p.m.
Bob - There are far more than 2, think more like 70 plus members of AAAA. It is not just building principals, but a large part of the staff at Balas as well.
Basic Bob
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 8:19 p.m.
i think the city has an assistant fire chiefs union with two members.
DonBee
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:59 p.m.
I agree with items: (1), (4), (6), (8), (11), (13), (14), (15), (16), and (17). With some re-wording I could get behind (3), (9), and (10) I think the next superintendent NEEDS to be someone with a STRONG Financial background. I also think they need to plan to spend 2 to 3 years in the district. I suspect they will have to make a large number of painful decisions, that will lead to a much earlier exit than some people will like. I would worry less about the educational background of the candidate and far more about the financial and organizational background. The one hire that Dr. Green got right is Alesia Flye. Given two years and a cleaned up budget, she should be the person the BOE is looking to for a long term future. I will note so far we have not seen any concessions from AAAA on the budget, their list of things to cut held harmless the number of members of AAAA and their salaries. If I did not know better, I would say Mr. Madison is trying to make sure he gets the job. Given his history in town, it would go against items (8) and (10) on his own list to make him Superintendent.
SonnyDog09
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 11:53 a.m.
The ideal candidate would be from the private sector, where they earned the nickname "the knife" or "the ax" following the successful right sizing of an organization.
towncryer
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 8:41 p.m.
"Given his history in town, it would go against items (8) and (10) on his own list to make him Superintendent." Bingo! I imagine there are several parents and staff having a good laugh over this. Of course he does have a few board members in his pocket for "thinking outside of the box".
Susie Q
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:58 p.m.
While I believe local ties and knowledge would be invaluable at this juncture, I am not necessarily of the opinion that this person can only be found among the ranks of the current building administrators. Todd Roberts lived locally, but was a central administrator in the Birmingham Public Schools. I believe he was a fine superintendent. I am very sorry he left when he did. I can think of quite a few current AAPS administrators who would not be good candidates for the permanent OR interim job.
smokeblwr
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:57 p.m.
Until AAPS starts teaching the kind of science I believe in my kids won't go there and they won't see a dime from me, PhD or no PhD in charge.
Rod Johnson
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 9:32 p.m.
Come on guys, he's trolling. Don't feed the troll.
Basic Bob
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 8:14 p.m.
science is not a belief. belief is not a science.
Susie Q
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:59 p.m.
What kind of science is that?
TB
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:43 p.m.
You do not want a committee of teachers to choose the superintendent. They should have a seat at the table and their opinion considered, but to give them any decision-making power would be a conflict of interest. You don't want a superintendent that puts teachers first and students second, and you don't want a superintendent with too strong of personal ties to the teachers to be put in the position of making painful but necessary budget cuts and be dubbed a 'traitor' by their former peers.
Steve Bean
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:42 p.m.
"• Leads by example, guides with enthusiasm and praises the collective works of the team." The principals have an opportunity to demonstrate how this is done by highlighting some of the superintendent's contributions before her departure and the before the next one is hired. (I'd offer suggestions, but I'm not familiar with her work.)
a2xarob
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:38 p.m.
I couldnt disagree more. The kinds of leadership required at the building level and the district level are quite different. I hope the board does not go in this direction.
jns131
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:37 a.m.
Anything is better then another Green with a PhD who has no clue how to run a school district. She is responsible for the ousting of the bus drivers and monitors due to her salary and all the cuts to the teachers and other staff just trying to make an honest living. Hire a principal. You will go far with that one.
AMOC
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:37 p.m.
I certainly hope the self-interest on the part of AAAA and Mike Madison in putting forward these recommendations is as obvious to the BoE as it is to me. These suggestions, if acted upon, will lead to a current long-serving administrator becoming the Superintendent of AAPS. Given the degree to which this group has systematically resisted all efforts to update some extremely poor management practices by principals in several AAPS schools, I think following these recommendations would be one of the worst possible outcomes of the superintendent search. I agree that many of the traits listed in AAAA's recommendations are desirable, but I have profound doubts that any long-time member of AAAA would be able to "reorganize central office in order for decisions to be made quickly, timely and based on students' needs, not adults" or "build [ing] consensus among all of the stakeholders of the educational community and [can] be open to considering changes to his or her own plan when circumstances require it." Nor is a PhD in Education or in Educational Administration as valuable a credential in my mind as a PhD from almost any other department of School of a major University.
ViSHa
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 1:04 a.m.
jns131, how long/when did your children go to Dicken? I know MANY who would disagree vehemently with your assessment.
jns131
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:35 a.m.
I like Mr Madison's bull dog approach to things. He has a great way with parents, staff and children. I think he would make a perfect superintendent.
towncryer
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 8:35 p.m.
Several AAAA members have been in the news the past several years---and not in a good way.
Stephen Lange Ranzini
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:29 p.m.
In the entire document, the only references to budgeting or financial expertise are a subtopic mentioned briefly a few lines down in point #11 "Strong financial knowledge" and the final point #17 "Be able to demonstrate a track record of making unpopular, yet necessary budgetary cuts before asking employees to take pay cuts." Personally, with an organization that just had to borrow $10 million to make payroll over this coming Summer, I would expect point #17 would be the first point and not the last, and frankly someone with strong financial knowledge ought to be the first or second criteria. AAPS needs to quickly transition to a budget process that actually works (the current one is dysfunctional) and where each of the 31 schools has its own profit and loss budget.
Katherine Griswold
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:27 p.m.
"Finding an internal candidate who can be a "healer" and gain the trust of the community through collaboration, visibility, open and honest dialogue, and flexibility of thought were repeated throughout the union's list of desired characteristics." Exactly what the AAPS community needs!
beardown
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:27 p.m.
While I believe that a Phd should not be the most important criteria for a new superintendent, it seems a bit naive, just like the YCS searches that yielded the current debacle, to limit your district to only in-house candidates. You are leaving out outside ideas and most likely you end up just picking a person who won't rock the boat and will continue the status quo. Then again, maybe that is the goal. Sometimes change is a good thing.
olddog
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:22 p.m.
I would trust quad A and a committee of teachers ( not the union) to do a search that would lead to an excellent candidate before I would trust the BOE and the company the have selected. Quad A's list of requirements and the stipulation that it be a CURRENT EMPLOYEE is excellent .
Florida Sandman
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:20 p.m.
Forgive my naivete, but when they say "building leader", do they mean principal? Does anyone other than principals count as "building leaders"? I don't disagree that appointing someone with strong AA ties is a good thing at this point. I am wondering if the principals are saying "you need to appoint one of us as interim" and "you need to hire one of us to be superintendent".
kris
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 9:09 p.m.
That's exactly how I interpreted it, Florida Sandman
alarictoo
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 8:05 p.m.
That is pretty much what he said, yes.
Barzoom
Mon, May 13, 2013 : 7:12 p.m.
Don't worry. The BOE won't listen to anyones' ideas except their own.
mady
Tue, May 14, 2013 : 2:18 p.m.
too right, 'zoom, but then didn't you know they're ALWAYS right about EVERYTHING?<(sarcasm)