Public can meet and question 2 Ann Arbor superintendent finalists next week
Listen up Ann Arbor: You have the opportunity next week to personally question the two finalists vying to be the next superintendent of Ann Arbor Public Schools.
Jeanice Kerr Swift and Brian Osborne
Courtesy
Swift will visit Ann Arbor Tuesday to meet with AAPS stakeholders and tour schools. Osborne will do the same Wednesday.
The two first interviewed for the position on Monday, July 8, and were selected by the Board of Education as finalists the next day, after the board had interviewed six semi-finalists.
In addition to the evening meeting, the public also can attend a session including a presentation by the finalists to the board and further interviews, which will take place from 1:15-2:45 p.m. at Skyline both days.
Other sessions - such as meetings with the Ann Arbor Public Schools cabinet, subsets of the board, AAPS associations and selected business leaders and local officials - won't be public.
The board plans to make a final selection Friday, July 19, at 5:30 p.m. at the Balas Administration Building, 2555 S. State St.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Comments
Gloria
Mon, Jul 15, 2013 : 12:48 p.m.
Who cares where the next super is from as long as they are good!!!!!!!
barefootdave
Sun, Jul 14, 2013 : 11:04 p.m.
Really disappointing that we could not find one person within our local system that was qualified / wanted the job. I think this alone speaks volumes of AAPS.
Dr. I. Emsayin
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 2:34 p.m.
How will this superintendent calm the community as redistributing is decided upon and implemented? This process will require trust from all stakeholders and then great fortitude and excellent integrity in communication during the fallout phase.
Wake Up A2
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 10:15 a.m.
After what I found online with these two I see no point at being happy.we are getting stuck with at least on who is the same as Pat and one with no real experience. We could have saved time and money picking a home candidate. Kelly how much is this dog and pony show costing the people of A2? It is not free. Keep in mind most high school science departments get less then 10 grand a year....
aaparent
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 9:57 a.m.
@Kellie & A2.com-- Where in Skyline will the events be? What are the parameters of the Open Meeting Laws for the executive session that the board will have on Friday at 5:30 in the Balas building to make their selection? I also recall there is a quorum rule where in a situation such as building visits, there has to be a number of board members who are present that are below the quorum or else the informal chit chat about candidates amongst board members would be a violation of the Open Meeting Laws. Given the BOE's style of making big decisions on budget and other matters in a disorganized way, I am curious how they will make this decision on Friday. I am also curious about what other districts Osborne and Swift are applying to and where they stand in the interview process. When will the BOE disclose information about how what offer they would make about the candidates current contracts?
A2anon
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 2:46 a.m.
My question: there are examples of phenomenal superintendent leaders throughout the country who are guiding their districts in the push back against the widespread attempts to dismantle public education, disguised with misuse and enormous overuse of high-stakes testing, de-funding of districts to the point of failure, and painted as "reform." What is your take on this movement, this push back by teachers, administrators, parents and students? Where do you stand?
Huron74
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 2:07 a.m.
If you really care about your kid's education skip this dog & pony show and do some research on homeschooling or look for a second gig to pay for private school tuition. Renting an apartment in the Saline school district is a decent option too.
a2xarob
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 9:28 p.m.
What you say may be true for some kids and parents, but I think for many, probably most, of us whose kids are going or have gone through AAPS, we are pretty happy with the education and the outcome. We like all the opportunities in AP classes and the arts and athletics, and we like the diversity that you don't get in most other schools, public or private. Graduates of our system do very well in further education and on the job market. Many of us who have the resources for private school or home schooling have chosen AAPS because it is a darn good system.
a2xarob
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 11:32 p.m.
I would like to hear from each candidate what their top five priorities might be coming into this district. If one is revenue and budget, what approach would he/she use to improve our process? If transparency is one, in what areas and how would they improve it? If the achievement gap: how can that be approached, given that we have in good faith and with open hearts apparently already tried every proven and unproven method known? What is levelling and de-levelling (apparently an issue in Osborne's current district)? Would this be attempted here? Disruptive classroom behavior: we have not been happy with the current administration's alleged prohibition of removing disruptive children from the classroom if it will contribute to disproportionate removal by ethnicity. How can we maintain a classroom environment that is conducive to learning if the teacher cannot maintain order? Oh, I could go on and on, but no one would like that. Please, please put hard questions about real situations to these people and push them hard if their answers are vague. If community members are allowed to ask questions in any of the public meetings, will they also be allowed follow-up? In which meetings will this be allowed?
AMOC
Sun, Jul 14, 2013 : 12:09 p.m.
a2xarob- Leveling (or de-leveling) refers to the practice of grouping students in a class by their achievement levels / previous grades and test scores. De-leveling means students are grouped in classrooms by criteria unrelated to their academic level (or no criteria at all). It is very common to have reading groups in K-3 classrooms; some teachers also have math groups in order to keep more students more engaged in learning. Early elementary teachers usually revise group assignments at the end of each marking period. It has been well-documented that all students learn more when working at or near their current "challenge" level. Unfortunately this practice of grouping students at a similar level for instruction rarely survives past early elementary in AAPS. At AAPS middle and high schools, achievement grouping or leveling is explicitly not allowed. Students are assigned to classrooms and teachers pretty much at random, and the teachers must do their best to teach the material to kids who may range from 2-3 years behind grade level to 2-3 years ahead. The possible exception is high school AP classes, but even the practice of requiring evidence of past learning (grades or test scores) to enroll in an AP class is under attack by those who want to increase African American enrollment because they believe this will reduce the achievement gap. I believe that if AAPS was to use best-practice leveling with re-grouping at semester/trimester breaks to assign students to specific leveled classrooms in the middle and high schools, we would have fewer students who were bored or overwhelmed and therefore behave disruptively. This is a technique that can both "lift the bottom" and "raise the roof" on achievement, since it has been my experience that many bright children in heterogeneous (de-leveled) classrooms are mostly left to their own devices while the teacher tries very hard to make the kids who don't quite get it understand the top
a2xarob
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 11:12 p.m.
Glad we're to have this chance! "In addition to the evening meeting, the public also can attend a session including a presentation by the finalists to the board and further interviews, which will take place from 1:15-2:45 p.m. at Skyline both days." Could someone please clarify if both candidates will be present at both afternoon sessions, or will it be just the one who is going to be "introduced" at Skyline on the given day? Thank you.
DonBee
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 2:49 a.m.
One candidate per day, Dr Swift on the first day, Dr. Osborne on the second. If you want to hear them both you will have to go to both meetings.
mikael
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 8:20 p.m.
Ann Arbor is ridiculous. Who cares about the new super? I just hope they pay this person at least 300k per year.
Goober
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 11:34 p.m.
I agree. The AA BOE has developed a reputation in the circle of industry people that I know. I trust that any outside candidate knows how to do their own due diligence. To the 300 dollar figure - no way, too high and should be spent on the teachers, the close support staff and the students.
DonBee
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 7:56 p.m.
Since the BOE picked locations that are without TV gear for all of these meetings, you will have to go if you want to know anything about what happens. That is unless Ms. Woodhouse is willing to kill a couple more days with her fantastic blogging. I suspect the BOE sessions will be as lame as the ones earlier this week were. The real meat will come if the BOE allows any real time for Q&A at the evening sessions. I doubt they will though, and if they do, I suspect they will have staged a number of questions with people in advance, to keep the questions to topics they want addressed. Again I think these are very different candidates with very different strengths and weaknesses, can the BOE recognize that and build the right SHORT set of priorities for the selected candidate. Not the 30+ "HIGH PRIORITY" items they handed Dr. Green. Good luck to everyone involved. This selection will pick the superintendent that will have to make significant changes to the district - many of them will leave one or more groups very unhappy.
DonBee
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 2:48 a.m.
donderop - No, I am looking back in history and looking at what I have seen them do in the past, like make the table leaders for the bond issue, school employees who knew what to report out and what not in advance. I can cite a dozen other forums where the deck was stacked in advance by either the administration or the board in the last 8 years. As I said in another thread, there are 2 members I trust, 4 I don't and 1 I don't yet have an opinion on.
donderop
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
" I suspect they will have staged a number of questions with people in advance." Really? You're painting the entire board with one broad brush, aren't you?
Kellie Woodhouse
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 8:05 p.m.
Hmm... I don't know if we plan to live blog or not but I am pretty sure our K-12 reporter Danielle Arndt will be back in town covering the visits. She was on vacation this past week.
Retiree Newcomer
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 7:30 p.m.
A key question for both of these candidates is communication with the community. Will they be regularly accessible to the media, which serves as surrogate for the public? Will they commit to monthly interviews by media representatives on CTV without submitting questions in advance or restricting topics? What steps will they take to familiarize themselves with the district and the job? How long will it take to be confident in the job? Will they live within the district? How do they see redistricting (and closing of some schools) unfolding? What public participation will there be in the process? How should the now perennial problem of budget shortfalls be dealt with in A2? How will they avoid a sudden revelation of budget shortfalls during the budget year? How do they view their relationship with the board? Describe how they view their participation in board meetings? Just a few of the questions that the public deserves to know.
Kellie Woodhouse
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 8:06 p.m.
Those are good questions. Are you planning on attending the evening sessions to ask them?
barefootdave
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 7:27 p.m.
I would like to hear their take on Glen Singleton and the Courageous Conversations.