Ann Arbor schools Superintendent Patricia Green resigns
Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Patricia Green speaks to a crowd in 2011.
- Updated: Ann Arbor superintendent's resignation shocks school community
- Related story: Patricia Green resignation: Letter from Ann Arbor school board president Deb Mexicotte
Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Patricia Green resigned Wednesday, district officials announced in an email about 5 p.m. Thursday.
She submitted her resignation to the Board of Education, according to letters from both Green and Board President Deb Mexicotte. It's effective 90 days from Wednesday, April 10.
In her letter, Green shared her plan to retire this summer after 43 years as an educator, administrator and superintendent and her plans to do some "reflective writing" about her experiences in the profession.
The Ann Arbor Public Schools hired Green in March 2011 on a five-year contract. She receives a salary of $245,000.
School board Vice President Christine Stead said the board found out this news early Thursday morning, after Wednesday's regular board meeting had adjourned. She said the news is still new and she is still processing it, but she wasn't "entirely surprised."
"I know it has been a really difficult time. ... Being in public education in Michigan is really difficult right now. Making the kind of cuts we're having to make ... it's a challenging environment for everybody," Stead said.
"When anybody in a leadership role decides to retire and move on to something else, you of course want to thank them and acknowledge all their good work. ... And she did work really hard for our district and made a lot of impact in a lot of less public areas, in the administrative pieces and processes."
Stead said she is sad and "definitely disappointed." She said when Green asked for a five-year contract when the board negotiated with her in 2011, Stead believed she was committed to the Ann Arbor community and the district.
Board President Deb Mexicotte said she was surprised and found the retirement "unexpected."
"I think Dr. Green saw Ann Arbor as a district to come to as a capstone of her career," she said. "I think she always thought she would be here as long as she could be. ... I just thought it would be longer and would have liked it to have been longer, considering the great progress that we've made under Dr. Green."
Green told AnnArbor.com in March that she would accept a cut to her $245,000 salary to help balance the budget. Updated AAPS budget projections indicate about $8.67 million will need to be cut from the district's operations for the 2013-14 school year. Spending for 2013-14 is projected to be $192.66 million. There are about 16,269 students in the district.
Green began serving as superintendent of North Allegheny School District of May 2002 after working as acting deputy superintendent for instruction for the Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland, according to previous AnnArbor.com reports. She has a bachelor's of science degree in elementary education, a master's degree in human development education and a doctorate in philosophy in education policy, planning and administration from the University of Maryland.
Read Green's letter to the community:
Dear Colleagues and AAPS Families:Last evening, I gave President Deb Mexicotte a letter in which I asked her to accept my resignation as Superintendent of Schools of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, effective 90 days from yesterday. I shared with her that I plan to retire during the summer after 43 years as a professional educator in public education. I have been blessed to have truly enjoyed my 43-year career and I thanked her and the Board for the opportunity to serve the Ann Arbor community during these past two years.
To all my colleagues in Ann Arbor Public Schools, it has been a privilege to work with you and I wish you well as you continue to maintain the highest of standards for all of our children in the future. Ann Arbor is truly an outstanding school district with so many dedicated staff members who care enormously about children. Your commitment and dedication are beyond compare!
As I retire, I hope to do some reflective writing about my many experiences in education, do some traveling, and reconnect with family and friends who I have neglected over the years!
Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.
Comments
SonnyDog09
Sat, Apr 13, 2013 : 12:56 p.m.
I guess we now know who's performance review was going to be dinged for the district spending millions more than was budgeted. It is not uncommon for "leadership" to resign or retire before the shoe drops. That way they can leave without mud on their shoes. Voltaire wrote that "an admiral needs to be put to death every once in a while to encourage the others." We are not quite so hard core these days, but failure does have consequences. The district can now hire a new super and they can skate by for a couple of years by blaming all that goes wrong on decisions made by their predecessor.
Jon Saalberg
Sat, Apr 13, 2013 : 3:36 a.m.
I have a hard time believing that running the Ann Arbor schools warrants 61.25% of the salary that the President of the United States receives.
Corky
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 4:04 p.m.
If the good folks in Ann Arbor had done their due diligence from Dr. Green's previous position at North Allegheny, they would not be in their current situation.
maallen
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 2:47 p.m.
Now if only the Board of Education will follow her example.
Tex Treeder
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:44 p.m.
Board of Education, I hereby submit my application for the position of Superintendent. While I may lack a post-graduate degree in administration or education, I have other qualifications that may be more relevant: My children went to Ann Arbor schools and I can balance a budget. Let me propose several things that I would do. 1. Change school start times to something more realistic. 7:30 am start times for high schools? Who thinks that is a good idea? Certainly not me. 2. Reduce administrative overhead. One word: Balas. Nuff said. 3. Reduce administrative overhead at the schools. Athletic directors? Are you kidding? 4. Rationalize transportation. Why are we not taking better advantage of AATA? Why are we busing in kids from way, way outside Ann Arbor for nothing? Part of choosing to live in Superior Township, for example, should be choosing to pay for your own transportation, at least in part. 5. To quote Newsweek from a couple of years ago: "The key to saving American education: We must fire bad teachers." The flip side to that is keep the good ones. And I'm not against paying for quality. But I'll be damned if I want to keep teachers that clearly belong in other professions. I realize that this is going to be a thankless job, but I'm also willing to do it for a lot less than my predecessor. Let's start at half her salary. Not only would that be a nice raise for me, a parent who pays taxes to support AAPS, but it would also help reduce the budget deficit by about $125,000. Did I mention earlier that I can balance a budget? Sincerely,
DonBee
Sat, Apr 13, 2013 : 2:36 p.m.
Tex Treeder - I disagree with only your #4. In many cases families locate outside downtown Ann Arbor, because those are the homes and rentals they can afford. For instance all of the mobile home parks are outside the city limits and almost all of them are off the AATA routes. In most cases the people who live in these parks are here for the best job they can qualify for, more education and more education for their children. They will eventually be able to afford to move to a better home - but they are the place that young families can get started in this community. I know several families who started out in a Mobile home and now live in a nice home and have great jobs or even own local firms. Telling them their children are not worth the cost of transportation is telling them to get out of the Ann Arbor Community - which will reduce the money available to the schools.
Mike
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 2:55 p.m.
Easier said than done. You can balance a budget because you will make deep cuts in your personal life. The board has given away the farm over the years and the teachers are certainly not going to accept what has to be done. Our property values have plummeted and we've all taken a big haircut and the teachers answer is we should pay more in taxes to give our kids a better education. Get real, did I say we've all suffered a big loss in equity on our homes? Minimum of 10% cuts across the board or it will never balance and even that would be cutting it close towards future sustainability
silver7
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:25 p.m.
Regarding retirement, I believe that Maryland and Michigan have reciprocal agreements. Her years here in Michigan will accrue to her total retirement package.
A Voice of Reason
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 11:55 a.m.
I know that there are emergency managers for school districts with huge financial problems, how about for districts with school board management problems? Seems like there is no hope in fixing the achievement gap and clearly this community does not care. Pat Green was the gal to do this. I would love to have an exit interview with her to see how Ann Arbor really compares to other town she has work. By looking at the length of the meetings, we have a school board that wants to run the district vs. hire a professional to do it. You need someone strong and experienced leader to get things done in spite of this school board.
A Voice of Reason
Sat, Apr 13, 2013 : 6:56 p.m.
Dumbing down was done long before Pat Green was around, and this is what my argument was about. Our passing MEAP score was failing nationally until this year and the MEA (Teacher's Union) was always meddling with the MEAP so parents thought their kids are learning (passing) and we learned this year that they are not! Michigan is ranked Nationally 36th in Math and 32th in Reading. So, this is a bigger problem than just Ann Arbor. I have children at both AAPS and private schools, so I can definitely compare what my kids had to do at each grade level and see what they are not getting in the public schools, but I will get this for my kids. Ann Arbor kids go to Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford and all the top schools so someone is learning here and able to compete. It is the lower kids that are not getting what they need and good teachers (and we are paying them the 2nd highest salary in the nation) make a difference here and we as a district think this is ok to let kids fail. So, it is hard to say that education has been dumbed down because our kids are competitive nationally and our merit scholars each year are pretty high, but we are smart community too, so many kids are just using the public schools for structure and their parents are re-teaching or challenging them at home. I would love the public schools to ask how many parents are re-teaching their kids at home. Technology is our only hope of differentiated teaching that will allow students to be challenged and other to fill in the gap. What is taking so long.....THIS IS THE BIG QUESTION! One more point, everyone in Ann Arbor thinks their kids are gifted and are not being challenged.
aamom
Sat, Apr 13, 2013 : 3:55 a.m.
I agree with oyxclean. Just as one example in our school, math books are handed out but students aren't allowed to work ahead independently, even if they aced the pretest. So instead they sit there bored out of their minds listening to a lesson they probably could have taught. Most frustrating thing is there are enough of them to make an accelerated group, but this isn't being done. They don't want to widen the gap. I call it dumbing down when kids are not allowed to work at a level appropriate to their own needs, but rather have to work at the level of the slower kids.
oyxclean
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:54 p.m.
Do you even have kids currently enrolled in the AAPS system? The material is so watered down, kids are given answers during tests, and every one gets and A or B. Heaven forbid kids should have to earn their grades.
A Voice of Reason
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:08 p.m.
How exactly is she dumbing down education? Are classes not being offered? Are kids not getting books? Maybe the special programs are not being offered that you would like for your kids , but this is public school.
oyxclean
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:34 p.m.
Green's solution to fixing the "achievement gap" was to dumb down all education. Bright students are being punished and under-achievers are being handed good grades that mean nothing. Nobody is winning. You think this is the answer?
Blazingly Busy
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 11:39 a.m.
I am not sad to see her go, however, I think that there could be reasons other than job disatisfaction or criticism for her resignation. Could she be ill? Could she have an ill family member? We really don't know. All I do know is that Dave sounds like he would be a good superintendent!
Mike
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 11:38 a.m.
The Ann Arbor community needs to look hard in the mirror. I'm not saying at all that Green was the right person for the right job. This goes deeper than the superintendent. The only fix is to cut where the numbers are biggest. Until you get a superintendent who's willing to face that firestorm, and I don't think you ever will, we continue the march to a financial manager.....................
Alum
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 10:31 a.m.
It was a bad fit from the start. Listen up School Board members, money does not equal quality. You've wasted our money once again.
rs
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 2:17 a.m.
Isn't a contract supposed to protect both sides? She didn't live up to her end of the bargin. She got the job and salary based on the misrepresentation that she would do the job for 5 years. If she had been honest and said she she only wanted to work for 2 years then bail on her contract, chances are she would have had a slim chance of landing the job. This certainly sounds like a 2 year plan to collect $.5M and build her nest egg. If the school district had any stones, they'd sue her for breach of contract.
Neil Overgaard
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 2:02 a.m.
Perhaps the problem is that the BOE has no clue when it comes to a persons "character". Sure, they may like a resume and the list of accomplishments, and the interview is great, but they don't truly understand the persons character. As another example, take Mr. Charles Davis, the Principal at Carpenter who was the subject of an earlier news posting...
DJBudSonic
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:41 a.m.
..and that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is "The Power of Possibility Thinking"... (I wish her well, but when I first heard Dr. Green say that, I knew we were in trouble.)
Bill
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:27 a.m.
This is a good time for some or all of the school board members to resign. I doubt that any superintendent hired by the existing board will have much of a chance to succeed. The public has to get over the amount being paid to the superintendent. Keep in mind that the superintendent is running a sizeable business with responsibilities similar to that of a company CEO expect the "profit" is providing a quality education to the students of AAPS. Hopefully the next superintendent will have better communication skills. I believe the lack of communication skills was a detriment of Dr. Green.
DonBee
Sat, Apr 13, 2013 : 2:28 p.m.
Bill - Unfortunately any remaining school board members would select the new members from those that applied. This is the way it is done, it would not be by special election unless they all resigned.
Tim Hornton
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1 a.m.
AA schools should become Charter Schools where big wigs like this person who just retired make all the money for doing little work and the teachers make $30,000 a year, have garbage benefits, and get a 1% pay increase a year... if the brass says they are doing a good job after they evaluate them in the class room for 10 minutes the entire year. Once the teacher is getting paid "too much" at $40,000 a year, then they may be fired right away to start a new teacher out again at $30,000. No unions and no rights with the Charter schools. I despise the GOP the way treat workers in gov. That being said I'm not for gay marriage and think an abortion is killing an innocent baby too so I dislike the dems as well. I know AA loves gay marriage though and loves abortions so I'm prepared to get 100 votes down so bring it, lol.
Orangecrush2000
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:44 a.m.
First the Pope. Now this...
Ron Burgandy
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:52 a.m.
Hilarious! Lol.
A2centsworth
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:39 a.m.
...and as she walks away she sings "take the money and run"....
drew_blows
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:39 a.m.
I am announcing my request to be the next Superintendent for the fine folks of A2. My salary requirement is $75,000. I will not hold meetings with parents because I don't work for parents. I work for the children. Every A2 school will have a uniform requirement and discipline will be the 2nd most important aspect of my job. Giving the children the tools to learn will be the 1st priority. Teachers will be partners in this process and not the enemy as implied by Mr Snyder and the rest of the GOP party. Sincerely, drew_blows
belboz
Sat, Apr 13, 2013 : 3:47 a.m.
Drew blows! Ha. Reminds me of the good old days at the Silver Dome.
Ron Burgandy
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:34 a.m.
Rumor on the street is that she's going back to her old job as a driving instructor in Bikini Bottom.
Tim Hornton
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:44 a.m.
Ha Ha! I saw that episode on Sponge Bob, I like that cartoon. Way better then Doc McStuffins or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
GetRealA2
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:32 a.m.
It continues to amaze me that in this so-called intellectual hotbead that we've been led to believe we live in, our "educators" just can't seem to get it right. Who's next? Let's see . . . I'll take Door Number 3!
cindy1
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:21 a.m.
Superintendents who care about the community that hired them, but need to resign for whatever reason, do so in January so that the normal "superintendent search" window of time is available to the school district. This move by Green to wait until the very last second and make it impossible for AAPS to do a thorough search is beyond thoughtless. Sorry, I simply don't have the words to describe what she's done here.
jcj
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:18 p.m.
longtimer Do you really think it will be hard to find a new super? Get real. If they post the job tomorrow they will have 10 candidates the first of the week.
longtimer
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:55 a.m.
There's a lot here we don't know. Let's hope that annarbor.com finds out what precipitated Green's resignation. I bet it didn't have to do with the many hurtful comments that have been made about her since the day she was hired. And I bet it didn't have anything to do with her pay cut. From what I've read from the time she was hired, Green had no money worries before she even interviewed here. What I do bet is that the BOE is the central factor in her reason to resign so suddenly. NO superintendent can succeed here with this board----why do you think it's so hard for the district to find one? The AAPS was in serious trouble long before Green came here and I wish that instead of platitudes, she would tell us---honestly---why she's leaving.
A2centsworth
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:41 a.m.
she has done what she has always done... think only of herself...
Kai Petainen
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:14 a.m.
"Board President Deb Mexicotte said she was surprised and found the retirement "unexpected."" Unexpected? I don't believe this. Why? Look at the letter by Mexicotte. It is a carefully constructed letter of praise. That letter must have taken some time to think and write. Based on Mexicotte's letter of praise, this was expected -- unless Mexicotte is incredibly good at writing unexpected letters of praise.
Paula Gardner
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 11:39 a.m.
I wondered if that letter was crafted out of notes for Green's upcoming review.
jpud
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:10 a.m.
Maybe the BOE will appoint a retired football coach superintendent...stranger things have happened around here lately.
Kai Petainen
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:04 a.m.
When one retires, I guess it is best to wish them well and happy travels. If she takes another job, then she flat out lied and Ann Arbor was taken for the ride.
eom
Sat, Apr 13, 2013 : 12:04 a.m.
I think we were still taken for a ride. Insisting on a FIVE year contract and jumping ship before you hit the two year mark...she's a criminal in my book.
lynel
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:35 a.m.
Either way, Ann Arbor was taken for a ride.
annarboral
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : midnight
Whoever is the replacement, there should be no contract. Let the next person serve at the discretion of the AAPS board. It would be best to promote from within. If an acceptable candidate does not exist, it is an indictment of the poor quality of existing personnel and a failure of any management development program.
Dave
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:52 p.m.
I think I'd be a good replacement. I know nothing about schools. I haven't been to one in years. I have a BBA and MBA. I don't have any cronies, friends, or people to "take care of". All I'd want to do is have a relationship with the teachers, board, PTA, students, and parents. I'd do it for $130k a year. I'd balance the budget, reduce worthless administrators, and stay how ever long it took to get the job done to make Ann Arbor a better place to live.
J. A. Pieper
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:20 a.m.
I'd work for you!
A Voice of Reason
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:18 a.m.
Hired!
Lola
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:39 p.m.
The next superintendent should be required to have a school-age child or children that they must enroll in A2 public schools. A hiring committee consisting of parents and students in addition to educators is the only way we'll get someone effective.
Gorc
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:35 a.m.
And if she or he does not have kids - we will force them to procreate.
lynel
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:34 a.m.
I'm sure Lola meant school-age children OR grandchildren.
jpud
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:12 a.m.
smacks of ageism
TheDiagSquirrel
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:37 p.m.
Mark my words: within the next few months, we will be hearing about Patricia Green's new position as a superintendent at another school district. It is painfully obvious that she disliked working here as much as most Ann Arbor parents and teachers disliked her as a superintendent. Of course, the BoE will do anything to try to save face, even though their incompetence is just as obvious.
A2Student.
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:23 p.m.
Here's a solution for the BoE. Maybe it'll prevent spending another $100k on recruiting. Bring Michael White in as Superintendent. At least he'll get something done.
DonBee
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 11:38 a.m.
A2Student - I am sorry to tell you... Mr White is not coming back. He got his years in for retirement in Michigan's system. He is at the right point that if he can do 15 years in Indiana, he will qualify for full retirement from their system too. There is no way he is going to give that up to return, he is a smart operator who knows how to maximize his value and earnings.
A2Student.
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:24 p.m.
(Michael White as in- Former Pioneer Principal Michael White)
Floyd
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:20 p.m.
The hubris of this board of education must come to an end. This time around, the board should create a hiring committee comprised of the real stakeholders of our schools: parents, principals, teachers, and students. This committee, comprised of the actual experts on education in Ann Arbor, would be far better qualified to make a decision than this board.
jpud
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:15 p.m.
My compliments to the BOE for accepting her resignation, certainly a decision which the community can be unite behind the board for their sound leadership on this issue. Let this be a teachable moment. No more Matt Millen style superintendents commuting to Ann Arbor every week. We need someone who is fully engaged with our community.
ChrisW
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 5:10 a.m.
Wow, comparing to Matt Millen is low. :-)
An Arborigine
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:08 p.m.
What did the search firm charge to find this gem?
RUKiddingMe
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:08 p.m.
I've seen several questions about any retirement/benefits money this owman might be getting, but no answers. Normally I would think it's safe to assume she won't be walking abway with more money, but in this town, you never know. So, A2.com, she gets no retriement or any form of continuing benefit after her last day, correct? She won't be apid out the rest of the year, she won't get a form of pension, she was not vested in anything, correct?
a2schoolparent
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:04 p.m.
Oh, good. But it was the BOE that set the high salary, it was the BOE that hired her, it was the BOE that approved the after-midnight salary raises for administrators. I hope people remember this, especially at the next election.
glacialerratic
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:02 p.m.
An updated version of a comment from several months ago: School boards and search consultants share blame in the market rigging process that produces gold-plated salary "packages" for superintendents who, like Green, serve ever-shorter terms. The search process starts when consultants hold community surveys that yield predictable answers in order to simulate buy-in for an opaque hiring process. They play on the insecurity and vanity of school board members who are eager to do a national search to find "the very best:" Consultants produce "candidates" who often are clients of the firm. A web search shows that many such candidates are regularly short-listed across the country but never make the final cut. How many might be on retainer from the search firm, which are often run by former school administrators who know the inside players? These firms are not disinterested in the final pay package--even when consultants accept a flat fee, a fat deal for the winning candidate enhances their reputation in what's become a rigged national marketplace. Through a perverse illogic, high pay for a superintendent confirms to the board that it has found quality. Search firms know how to play on this combination of naiveté, vanity and insecurity. The result has been escalating salaries for mediocre short-termers who have little commitment to the community in which they work, but a strong sense of their own self-interest and an understanding of how the salary-spiral game is played. Green's departure debunks Ms. Stead's claim that she made several months ago that a high salary was the only way to attract the best candidate. This is now shown to be a ludicrous assertion. Ann Arbor has a national reputation for the quality of its schools, its university, and the resources of its community. This time, skip the consultants. Include members of the community on the search team, and maintain complete transparency. To do otherwise is to continue to take part in a c
a2edu
Sat, Apr 13, 2013 : 11:43 a.m.
I could not agree more. Stay local. We need a candidate with roots in the community.
local
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:14 a.m.
And Todd Roberts had kids in the district which meant decisions he made, effected his kids as well. That is what AAPS needs, someone who will feel the ramifications of the decisions they make. Green's discipline gap was a joke and I think has made schools less safe. Students getting away with bad behavior because principals couldn't suspend. Kids learned that bad behavior was okay.
Floyd
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:13 p.m.
Hear, hear, glacialerratic! The AA educational community was lucky to have Tod Roberts for as long as we did. He came all the way from Birmingham, MI. He was our best superintendent of that past 20 years, and he earned a salary half that of Green's. How about the board creates a hiring committee comprised of the real stakeholders of our schools: parents, principals, teachers, and students. Empower this committee to make a better decision than the board was able to make!
Unknown
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:51 p.m.
I wish her well! We are only in our first year of a2 public schools but we are beyond impressed and grateful for our wonderful experience at Lakewood! I spent all my years in a2 schools and it's home for us! I have nothing bad to say and hope she enjoys retirement
J. A. Pieper
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:25 a.m.
I am sorry, but you should not be sharing these platitudes. As a parent, you obviously do not really know what is going on in AAPS.
Julie Baker
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:50 p.m.
We've added a pdf of Green's contract at the bottom of the story.
jcj
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:41 p.m.
Too bad Mexicotte doesn't join her!
Gloria
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:41 p.m.
I wonder if this was due to the fact that the public hated her and thought she was grossly overpaid. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Wonder if the school board will grossly over pay the next superintendent. Bottom line-we go robbed.
jcj
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:39 p.m.
Now the REAL test for the school board! I would bet the farm they fail this one again, even after the chance for a do over! If they go outside the district then they should every one be run out of town. But next week they will announce they are looking for a new super and post a salary about 30% higher than Greens was.
Floyd
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:01 p.m.
jcj, Careful what you wish for. Which one of Pat Green's vast cabinet of lieutenant superintendents would you promote to take over? I think most of them live in the Detroit suburbs, and the biggest clue they've received in the past year is a secret 2 am pay raise.
Floyd
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:25 p.m.
Well, at least she doesn't have to bother trying to sell a big house in Michigan.
EyeHeartA2
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:04 a.m.
If the rumors help get her out.....GO FLOYD!!
js
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:56 p.m.
Floyd please don't continue to spread rumors that likely contributed to her resignation. I live in her neighborhood and she owns a house.
DonBee
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:22 p.m.
There are several people locally who could do a great job and have deep ties to the community. Ron Collins, one of the principals comes to mind immediately. Rather than an expensive national search, a local one might be a better option. With the cost of the search, expenses, and the rest of it all rolled up, the 2 year "Green Era" cost the district north of $500,000 a year. Nothing really changed during that time. None of the "goals" the board laid out for the Superintendent were achieved. One of the problems was there were way too many of them. The BOE needs to decide on 3 or 4 things they want the next Superintendent to focus on, and then write the job description around those 3 or 4 things. Not a list of 20 or 30 things, like they did with Dr. Green. I might also suggest that all the cabinet members re-interview for their jobs with the new superintendent and that person be given a free hand to replace people as they see fit. I don't think Dr. Green ever really got a team that was pulling in one direction. And...Yes, the BOE is RESPONSIBLE for this mess.
A Voice of Reason
Sat, Apr 13, 2013 : 9:47 p.m.
Well, makes you wonder why these people (BOE) do it and they always side the teachers first and students second. Who are their friends? Who is telling them what to do? It is not hard to see who influences them first and who is at the table telling them how to run the district. Why don't they want parent input into teacher and principal performance? Please help all kids in this community learn.
aaparent
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11 p.m.
These are all good ideas. But this BOE can make no decisions that are really effective for the district. They have just signed an agreement promising to get along with one another and not let meetings run beyond 12:30 a.m. Running a meeting well and understanding that you have to get along with your fellow trustees in order to get decisions made is a basic job requirement for the thankless public service job of being a board member. I think Green's resignation give the board time to show some leadership and that may start with a few board members resigning so this can happen.
alarictoo
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11 p.m.
Just a note... Ron Collins retired a couple of years ago. Prior to that he was the principal at Carpenter Elementary.
longtimer
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:18 p.m.
Blame her for her salary? Blame her for leaving this mess of a district? Why? The Board of Ed is responsible for all of this----put the blame at their feet.
a2edu
Sat, Apr 13, 2013 : 11:36 a.m.
Agreed. Mexicotte MUST go.
jcj
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 2:58 p.m.
The Board of Ed is responsible for all of this Agreed. BUT that does not absolve her of any blame. As an educator I doubt she would condone a student leaving class in the middle or turning in an essay that was not finished!
DJBudSonic
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:13 p.m.
The contract was negotiated in 2001, it was 2011. She has only been here a few years. Please fix the typo. She asked for a five year contract in 2011. If she exited halfway through her contract, do we get a refund of any sort from the "Executive Search" ? How about the pension?
Julie Baker
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:35 p.m.
The typo is fixed.
Brad
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:17 p.m.
Halfway through the contract? Don't they call that the "Palin Plan"?
LSB
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:09 p.m.
Is there any way to require that the next superintendent come from within the Ann Arbor Public Schools? I mean, somebody who has been a principal, or a teacher even? I don't care if they can do bureaucrat speak. I do care if they are committed to the town and the schools over a long term and understand what the climate is.
J. A. Pieper
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:02 p.m.
As a school district employee, I am thrilled to hear this news! Now, I am hoping we can do away with some of her programs, like the Discipline Gap, so we can actually discipline students! Many teachers I know will be celebrating tonight, and the buildings will all be buzzing tomorrow! Let's not all rush out and send her a "good bye" card, save your pennies!
dancinginmysoul
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:56 p.m.
Well that's one way to burn your bridges.
lefty48197
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:55 p.m.
With all the complaining about nothing other than her salary and the fact that she's leaving, I'm guessing that the next Superintendent will demand an even higher salary.
jcj
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:20 p.m.
The next super can demand what ever they want it is the BOE that sets the salary. They just set it TOO high!
dotdash
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:52 p.m.
It's been a tough job the past couple of years.
Brad
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:47 p.m.
It should be tough to earn $500K.
olddog
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:52 p.m.
Let's Pick an internal candidate that is willing to implement the plan the principals drew up. We need someone who will take immediate action to get our budget under control. We also need someone who is invested in the community. Hindsight is 20/20, we should have guessed this was the plan when she offered to take a pay cut. Save the money, do our own search, do not hire head hunters to run this search and post it at less than we paid her.
A2comments
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:50 p.m.
If after 2 years on the job there is any "retirement" or "severance", then the community needs to call for some resignations from the School Board. We should be on the hook for nothing after 2 years in the job. When you resign you don't get severance, or benefits. You get diddly. She resigned yesterday. The School Board said NOTHING at their meeting AFTER she resigned? If they knew before, or during the meeting and didn't reveal it...
Danielle Arndt
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 4:35 a.m.
To elaborate on Amy's comment a little bit: When I spoke with board President Deb Mexicotte earlier tonight, Deb said Patricia Green gave her the resignation letter at the end of the meeting and she was able to apprise the trustees of its contents as they left. I don't have any details other than that. And to Amy's point, the Board has not formally approved Pat's resignation with a vote or anything at this time.
Amy Biolchini
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:28 p.m.
I covered the meeting last night for AnnArbor.com in Danielle's stead, as she was sick. The board did not give any indication during the meeting that they knew of the Superintendent's intent to submit her resignation. There was no formal action by the Superintendent during the meeting announcing her decision or submitting the letter.
monk and muddy man
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:50 p.m.
How much of our money was spent on the head hunting firm which brought her in? Great job, guys and gals, that sure was money well spent. Within the next week, the BOE will no doubt announce another recruiting firm has been hired and paid $50,000 to conduct a "nationwide" search for her replacement. The mice are running for the hills. Time for a clean sweep. Enough already.
Alan Goldsmith
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:45 p.m.
Wow. What a fiasco. Maybe is the salary was $500K she would have stayed another year.
Brad
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:41 p.m.
Great job there on the superintendent selection, AAPS. So is it over now or are we on the hook for retirement/health care/etc?
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:40 p.m.
This is great news for Ann Arbor schools. But we need to find a way to get a better set of candidates in here to replace her. It's too bad we can't remove all the school board members who are too busy obsessing about gaps and protecting criminals from prosecution.
Donna
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:39 p.m.
I wish the state would properly fund education, Michigan's future.
gksteinl
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 6:56 p.m.
@Silly Sally...Elementary schoolers throughout the country are using laptops, and very few high schools do not include 9th grade...We can't stay behind the rest of the country to save money.
Silly Sally
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:05 p.m.
School boards such as Ann Arbors squander a lot of this money. Laptops for middle school kids, But at the top of the list was the decision 20 years ago to move 9th grade to the high schools - making them over crowded and 6 grade to middle schools - causing many unneeded elementary schools, the outcome was closed elementary schools and an expensive new Skyline High School.
Poorman
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:19 p.m.
Are you saying she needed more money?
jcj
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:35 p.m.
@Donna WHAT? does that have to do with her running out on the community she was never a part of?
Topher
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:04 p.m.
I, for one, will be writing to Michigan government - I hope that others will join me! The only way that the state will fund education is if the people demand it.
jhammer
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:37 p.m.
Budget cuts. A community here demanding her pay cut. Complaints left and right. Incredibly unfriendly environment for any Superintendent. Wake up people. We must be willing to both pay and support someone in this position. Complaining gets us no where and judging by these "discussions" on this site, this town is extremely talented at complaining. Well done. Now one question for y'all. Now what?
local
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:09 a.m.
jhammer, do some research, all supers in this area are making less than 150,000 a year. Not one school district in Washtenaw county is paying a super that prize. Yes, AAPS is bigger, but decisions that are made aren't all that different from school district to school district.
Gorc
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:11 p.m.
How ironic - I accidentally typed the "$" sign it the word self-entitled. Or was it subconscious?
Gorc
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:02 p.m.
jhammer is absolutely correct. This town and a portion of the readership of annarbor.com is full of self-$entitled malcontents. I don't personally know Dr. Green, but I would imagine she and the other Superintendents have chosen to leave after a short stint is partially because of the attitudes of many in this community. I don't blame her for not wanting to work in a hostile environment. And if some of you can't handle the criticism, continue to vote jahmmer and my comment down. Good question jhammer - "Now what?"
jhammer
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 10:04 p.m.
Topher, true. My point is that we make it so uncomfortable for anyone and set it up so success is seemingly impossible that internal talent might be wise to say, "No thanks. I like my current position." And I wouldn't blame them. Who wants this high of a profile for a position destined to fail? Budgets plummet and hard, unpopular decisions must follow. And all anyone points to is your salary. That's tough.
Topher
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:56 p.m.
jhammer - you're right. A national search is a good idea, but a local search is worth it too. Ann Arbor does have a lot of smart people. Somewhat related - high quality school districts (look to some of the east coast school districts like Arlington, VA) train their own teachers to become administrators (those that will be good). They keep quality people in their districts by paying for their certification. That being said, some states do not operate under items like Proposal A and have the local money to do this.
jhammer
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:51 p.m.
Topher, you have a point. If someone is qualified, it would be great to have them fully dedicated to the city. However, the best talent may not be from within.
jhammer
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:50 p.m.
Half the price? Does anyone realize what the job consists of? How many events you have to attend? How much stress and accountability? If you are capable of this job, you are capable of jobs that pay well more. Or should we find somebody to do whatever you do for half the price? I'm sure someone is willing. It's so easy to complain. So difficult to actually help make it better.
Topher
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:47 p.m.
Hire someone who is dedicated to Michigan, to Ann Arbor, and who is invested in maintaining and building community.
Brad
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:43 p.m.
$250K a year and all we got was a lot of polysyllabism.
ChrisW
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:42 p.m.
Hire someone just as qualified at half the price and keep an extra teacher or two.
aaparent
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:37 p.m.
This is a big surprise. Mexicotte's letter and tribute to Green's work alongside Green's goodbye note makes me wonder what the back story is here and the timing of it all. Is this a surprise to the board or was Green isolating herself at Balas because she knew she was never going to unpack her suitcase here and got fed up with the criticism? The board has an opportunity to show effectiveness leadership in how this transition is handled.
J. A. Pieper
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:58 p.m.
Mexicotte needs to go with her.
Brad
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:37 p.m.
So much for that pay cut, eh? Like that was ever going to happen. On the plus side the AAPS deficit just got better by 1/4 mil.
Momma G
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:36 p.m.
Oh, yeah! She came in and took the $$ from the district, more-or-less forced good people to retire and hopefully she will not be able to collect retirement from the State of MI since she wasn't here 10 yrs. Will she also take some of her people she hired with her? Hopefully the BOE will hire someone for less, who is actually dedicated to the AAPS students and not have their OWN agenda as Supt. Green seemed to have.
AMOC
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 4:24 p.m.
Momma G - Everyone at Balas and all the principals who retired or resigned under Dr. Green would have been gone years ago if Todd Roberts had been more concerned with job performance and less concerned with political correctness and giving everyone "one more chance". I'm sorry Dr. Green is leaving so soon; the long-delayed housecleaning among AAPS administration has only just begun.
The Watchman
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:35 p.m.
When does the indictment come out? What's up with this? Could she not live with 10 percent reduction of her exorbitant salary? Wonder what the national search cost per month of service from Green? These questions and more not to be answered by the Ann Arbor School board or its Administration. Stay tuned for more dysfunction!
J. A. Pieper
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:57 p.m.
Dysfunctional is AAPS' middle name!
Brad
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:35 p.m.
Oh, my. What an embarrassment. Was holding her to five hour meetings the final straw? I mean how was she supposed to be able to expound anything in a mere five hours? Balaise.
JBK
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:34 p.m.
This is highly suspect, given all of the heat she received about her salary AND the fact that it was rumored she was working a 4 day week AND the fact that she was not responsive to the schools and parents in her District. I don't buy this for a minute. She skipped town because the kitchen was getting a little to hot for her liking.
Silly Sally
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:59 p.m.
She was a carpetbagger in reverse, and the easy money was over.
oyxclean
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 11:07 p.m.
I think you nailed it. Disgusting behavior.
local
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:33 p.m.
This is great news for AAPS. I hope that the next Super is paid appropriately and the BOE works to find someone who understands Ann Arbor. With the track record of this BOE, this process should be humorous to watch.
Silly Sally
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 1:01 p.m.
Only humorous to watch if you hate Ann Arbor and it is not your money, and schools, at stake.
ChrisW
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:32 p.m.
Too bad Robert Allen is already gone.
Goober
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 10:55 a.m.
Who? Isn't he the one who was supposed to make others aware of the current spending and head count problems prior to them hitting the budget with full impact? Unless you know something that we have not been told – that maybe he told others, but they said to keep it quiet, etc., the way I see it is he should have been let go for not doing his job –(to watch the numbers and communicate the status to budgets). Oh, that's right – he quit and is leaving. Let him go! Why promote someone who could not do his job while he was with the AA school system.
KJMClark
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:19 a.m.
Geez, they should just hire him before he actually leaves. Quiet, competent, thoroughly understands the challenges in the district, and he has a lot of respect in the community.
J. A. Pieper
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:56 p.m.
He is a parent at my school, and mentioned that she was a part of the reason he was leaving. Said he would consider coming back if she left...
Topher
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:32 p.m.
Wow. It feels like we just got robbed by someone from another state who gave us very little in return over the last two years. A good superintendent doesn't make a commitment to lead and only do so for two years. It feels like poor leadership from someone who 1) doesn't want to take a paycut, and 2) cannot make decisions in which way to lead our schools. Disappointing.
Silly Sally
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:56 p.m.
"two years"? Try about 1-1/2.The tip off was that she always lived in Maryland and did not consider Ann Arbor or even Michigan her home. She was a carpetbagger in reverse. "Disappointing" Well said. She led money into her purse.
squidlover
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:32 p.m.
Wow. Our family just received the email notifying us of this. Certainly, one can recognize the pattern of short-lasting Superintendents in Ann Arbor over the years. It has been very frustrating watching the search for a new Superintendent, the late night school board votes, the worsening condition of the budget, the departure of Robert Allen, and now this. We need to let the school board know that we intend to hold them fully accountable to avoid a debacle similar to the previous search for a Superintendent. After all of the comments expressing frustration from the readers, this is our chance to get involved. I do wish Patricia Green luck on her retirement.
Ellen
Fri, Apr 12, 2013 : 12:47 a.m.
Well said, Squid!
sh1
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 9:29 p.m.
Was not the gigantic salary supposed to attract someone who would have the longevity to stick with the district for several years? Not that I'm sorry...