CUMan

Sat, Jul 10, 2010 : 1:16 a.m.

This news should be celebrated in Ypsilanti. Justin Moore was easily the worst administrator that I've ever come across in my two decades of working with secondary administrators. This is the man who stated "Parental support isn't important to learning", "I hate to read and couldn't tell you the last book I read", and "I'm resigning and I won't be back after spring break. I'll be at a bar in southwest Champaign." And, this is the tip of the iceberg. He has zero intellectual curiosity or capital and Ypsilanti is much better off without him. Then again, why you hired D. Martin is beyond me. Martin hired his friend, Justin. The school board was bamboozled with both hires. Best of luck.

Abigail

Tue, Jul 6, 2010 : 9:22 p.m.

Despite the fact that it was Mr. Moore's decision and not those in power, I'm happy to see another school is avoiding the same mistake that my former high school, Champaign Centennial, made. The past 2 years spent under his leadership, and I use the term loosely, were not the most successful. As a student, even I noticed the lack of leadership. I hope all goes well, and good luck with the hunt for a new principal.

Brian

Sat, Jul 3, 2010 : 9:28 a.m.

They would have kept Mr. Brown if they could have put since the HS was on phase 5 of No Child Left Behind they had to choice but to remove Mr. Brown.

missypsi

Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 1:31 p.m.

This is no surprise. Justin Moore did the exact same thing to a middle school in Peoria in 2008 (http://www.news-gazette.com/news/education/2008-06-28/new-centennial-high-school-principal-hired.html). Whatever excuse he might give with respect to his latest decision to leave yet another school in the lurch in the middle of summer, I think its a pretty clear reflection of his character. Speaking of character, this latest fiasco suggests that our current administration is a pretty poor judge of it. In fact this is not about some young and inexperienced principal, but about a young and inexperienced superintendent, who apparently possesses neither the foresight nor the humility to learn to listen to others with more experience in this community (not to mention the community itself). Stop ramming things down our throat Superintendent Martin, and start listening, maybe you will get more support.

BBraveYHS

Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 12:01 p.m.

BobJ Of course 5% is not acceptable to me. The board was brought the resignation at the same time Mr. Moore had already been extended a contract which was pretty lousy administrative work. If you extend a contract prior to acting on a resignation and you vote against a resignation you have two people with claim to a position which could have resulted in extra legal costs. There was a lot of pressure for Mr. Brown to go. I know students and families felt it. By the time students and families found out Mr. Brown was being asked to leave, it was pretty much a done deal. I did not get a sense from the meetings that I attended that all of the board favored the removal of Mr. Brown. Perhaps that is why there was not full support for his replacement. Mr. Brown cannot be blamed for the 5% problem. A school does not get to the 5% level overnight or in a few years. The problems at YHS are systemic and not just a high school problem. The students who are not performing well had many years of school prior to getting into grades 9-12 and in some cases that foundation schooling did not even occur in Ypsilanti Public Schools. If you look at educational research, a huge part of a school being successful is a climate that supports learning. A climate where students are connected, feel safe, and feel supported in meeting high expectations for behavior and academics. Mr. Brown absolutely brought that aspect of educational success to YHS in a relatively short period of time. He built this climate from a climate of turmoil and chaos. Student achievement does not rest on one person's shoulders. Asking Mr. Brown to return for a well defined temporary period, would allow the district to build on the climate that was created and to continue to work on improving student achievement without spending additional time on creating another new learning climate. The staff at YHS has been working hard to improve achievement. Many staff members spend time helping students be successful by tutoring them during both lunch and after school hours. Reassigning a current staff member to take on the high school because another person dropped out before starting does not seem like forward planning to me. Bring back what was working and build from there. Mr. Brown's leadership was working in so many ways. It was a sound foundation that ended prematurely and YHS will pay a price for the premature end. If you think 2 years was enough time for Mr. Brown to fix everything, would you argue that superintendent Martin has one more year to fix everything too? Real systemic change takes thoughtful planning, continual assessment and evaluation, and appropriate and well planned out adjustments. There was nothing systematic or thoughtfully planned out in the premature removal of Mr. Brown. There is a window that has been open to correct this error without getting too far off track. If there was talk about bringing Mr. Brown back, instinctively some people knew this could be the right course of action.

CountyKate

Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 10:19 a.m.

I agree, BBraveYHS, that Mr. Brown was a godsend. Whether or not district leadership can bring him back is the question. But you are absolutely right that they made a huge mistake ushering him out. Seems like they're making a lot of mistakes lately. Take2, clearly you don't know what you're talking about. Have you read the contracts? Because I have. The contracted administrators got their salaries and nothing more. No stipends, nothing. Letting these talented, experienced administrators go so that we can pay an extra $20,000 to $30,000 a year PER PERSON in benefits and mandated funding of the retirement account was not fiscally responsible.

Bob J

Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 10:09 a.m.

@BBraveYHS, you stated the following: "The lack of concern and knowledge about the critical role Mr.Brown played at YHS that Mr. Martin and the majority of the board showed when students, staff, and parents expressed concens about the removal of Mr. Brown was disheartening." You also stated: "Superintendent Martin and a majority of the school board made a huge mistake when they kicked him to the door." I want to clarify that ALL SEVEN board members (Bates, Horne, Brumfield, Jackson, Devaney, Berman, and Fanta) voted to approve the "resignation" of Mr. Brown. So, when you say a or the majority of the board, I hope you realize it's the entire board of 7 and not just 4 or 5 of them. Also, let me clarify that only 4 board members (Bates, Horne, Brumfield, and Jackson) voted to hire Mr. Moore. Three board members voted no (Devaney, Berman, and Fanta). That is a small majority. How do I know this? I may not attned every meeting these days, but I read all of the minutes that are posted on the district's website, and I suggest you do the same. In regards to Mr. Brown being so effective, he might have been loved by everyone, but what he is also responsible for is YHS being in the bottom 5.1% statewide and decreasing test scores and graduation rates. How is this acceptable? My child has already graduated (I unfortunately was part of that turmoil you referenced) so I don't know Mr. Brown personally, but I don't see how being loved by all makes up for poor academic student achievement. Administration and a small majority of the board made a mistake when hiring Mr. Moore (after administration and ALL board members let Mr. Brown go), but we don't need to go backward, we need new leadership at YHS. 5.1% is not good enough for me. How about you?

BBraveYHS

Thu, Jul 1, 2010 : 7:23 p.m.

WOW! When I received my high schooler's final report card it contained an open letter to parents from Superintendent Dedrick Martin outlining his accomplishments. It listed "Filling key administrative vacancies including... YHS Principal" as an accomplishment. I guess that can be scratched off the list! As a parent, I did not quite see this as an accomplishment but rather a diservice to the students and families at the high school. Superintendent Martin does not understand the turmoil that took place at YHS prior to Mr. Brown's arrival. As a parent of an 7th grader at the time the turmoil was hitting its peak, I remember vividly how upsetting it was to be worried about whether my child would attend YHS for HS given the conditions. Mr. Brown and his leadership at YHS was a huge reason why my child did eventually attend YHS. The lack of concern and knowledge about the critical role Mr.Brown played at YHS that Mr. Martin and the majority of the board showed when students, staff, and parents expressed concens about the removal of Mr. Brown was disheartening. Mr. Brown needs to return. Superintendent Martin and a majority of the school board made a huge mistake when they kicked him to the door. They made a promise to the students and to parents that Mr. Moore was just what the high school needed. They were wrong. They made a mistake. They need to fix this by returning a man that should not have been replaced in the first place. Being too stubborn to admit and repair mistakes is not the kind of leadership the YHS needs at this time. There is no need to experiment at a time when the district has so much change going on anyway. Bring Mr. Brown back. The high school does not have to be a variable at this time. Do the right thing! There should have been more than talking about bringing Mr. Brown back. Talk should have been backed by action. Bringing Mr. Brown back should have been a no brainer. The timing of removing him was lousy in the first place. It looks like the leadership in the district is too proud to eat a huge slice of humble pie!

take2

Thu, Jul 1, 2010 : 9:32 a.m.

These contracted employees are paid top dollar and as for benefits...they get a very nice stipend as part of their salary because they DO NOT need medical benefits.

CountyKate

Thu, Jul 1, 2010 : 8:50 a.m.

take2, don't you realize that the contracted administrators actually SAVED the district money? As Ironyinthesky2 noted, the district didn't have to pay for benefits or put money into the state-mandated retirement program. Getting rid of qualified, experienced administrators who were a bargain for the district is probably the most stupid thing the board has done this year. Then, there's the fact that they got rid of a wonderful principal at YHS, Jon Brown, in order to bring in this loser, Moore. While Dedrick Martin may not have recruited Moore, it was certainly suspicious that he came from the same district as Martin and became the front runner - even though he'd been let go from his previous school and had only 18 months experience. And, in addition, they took an award-winning principal from West Middle and want her to take over TWO of the jobs of these contracted administrators. I don't know why they are setting her up to fail; I only know they are. In the long run, this move won't save money, either - it will only cause us to lose this wonderful administrator. This board seems to have suddenly lost what little common sense it had. Board leadership is up for reelection this year and I sure hope some intelligent, concerned and focused citizens run against them.

ironyinthesky2

Thu, Jul 1, 2010 : 7:22 a.m.

take2 - good idea on getting rid of contracted employees. It's much better to pay between 20-30 thousand on benefits/retirement than to retain a highly qualified and effective administrator.

dading dont delete me bro

Wed, Jun 30, 2010 : 9:15 p.m.

what kind of severance package does he get?

take2

Wed, Jun 30, 2010 : 4:24 p.m.

Placing Mr. Fouchey in the job is not a solution to YPSD budget woes. He is a retired, contracted employee. I was under the impression the district was getting rid of ALL contracted employees. There are teachers in the district who have the credentials to do the job! It's time to recruit from within the district if you REALLY want to save money!

Moonmaiden

Wed, Jun 30, 2010 : 11:40 a.m.

justlife - district officials have claimed that Mr. Moore was not recruited, that he and Mr. Martin hardly knew each other. Do you have some inside info on this or are you making an assumption?

justlife

Wed, Jun 30, 2010 : 11:31 a.m.

If Moore really was committed, he would not have left so easily. He started out on the wrong note with the students. He is better gone! I agree he was still looking, and what does this say about his loyalty to the superintendent who recruited and hired him?

CountyKate

Wed, Jun 30, 2010 : 10:32 a.m.

"Trustee Kira Berman said Tuesday the lack of full board support was among the reasons for Moore's resignation." Some people would have seen that as a challenge and worked to change the opposing board members' minds. Evidently, not Moore. And Ironyinthesky2 is right that this resignation couldn't have come at a worse time. Obviously, if he has accepted another job, he was still looking when he agreed to this one. That's just wrong. I'm glad he's gone. We don't need someone who acts like that to be around our young people.

Umich2008

Wed, Jun 30, 2010 : 10:31 a.m.

http://markmaynard.com/?p=8420&cpage=1 interesting link. talks about how fanta tried to avoid the hiring of this clown. what else do you expect from Ypsi school district. Reason why my kids go to private schools. It's worth the extra "mortgage payment". and a main reason the charter schools are so successful is because of the lack of leadership. way to go.

Jenny S

Wed, Jun 30, 2010 : 9:29 a.m.

@sad day, you said "the district should try to hire him instead of spending more money" but how is hiring someone from the outside rather than using a current employee that they are already paying going to save the district any money? Seems like their move is a smart one b/c it won't require paying someone new. Agree with ironyinthesky2, is the bargaining public now?

naturally

Wed, Jun 30, 2010 : 7:39 a.m.

Why conduct another search? Was the pool of candidates so bad that they are not even interested in offering the position to the runner-up?

ironyinthesky2

Wed, Jun 30, 2010 : 7:32 a.m.

sad day - you keep mentioning the seven vacant custodial positions - what's that about? Is this general information or are you extending negotiations to the blog world?

Brad

Wed, Jun 30, 2010 : 7:17 a.m.

Wow! That's worse that Sarah Palin!!

ironyinthesky2

Wed, Jun 30, 2010 : 5:03 a.m.

Justin Moore resigned Justin Thyme to really create a problem. Way to go Mr. Moore, we sure appreciate you stringing us along. From what my friends in the schools tell me, YHS will be in good hands with Mr. Fouchey.

jcj

Tue, Jun 29, 2010 : 9:07 p.m.

Justin Moore set a great example for any kids he might come in contact with. Give up before giving it a try. The district is probably better off without the quitter! Will he include this episode on his next resume? I doubt it!

sad day

Tue, Jun 29, 2010 : 5:56 p.m.

There was another suitable applicant that interviewed for the job...the district should try to hire him instead of spending more money. They should also post the 7 vacant custodial positions instead of using them as a barganing chip.

dading dont delete me bro

Tue, Jun 29, 2010 : 3:38 p.m.

hmmm......... why conduct another search? are any of the other immediate candidates still available? or are they too proud to play 'second fiddle'?