Ind. SB votes to fire Dash

[casey]

www.wdrb.com/story/16204507/ind-school-board-votes-to-fire-stephen-daeschner

Ind. school board votes to fire Stephen Daeschner
Posted: Dec 06, 2011 8:41 PM CST
Updated: Dec 07, 2011 9:38 AM CST
By Bennett Haeberle - bio | email
JEFFERSONVILLE, IN (WDRB) -- The Greater Clark School board has chosen to fire its highly paid superintendent Stephen Daeschner.

In a surprise move during its Tuesday night school board meeting, the board voted 5 to 2 not to renew the contract for Daeschner, who was paid $225,000 as the top educator in Clark County, Indiana.

None of the five members who voted not to renew would speak publicly after the vote, either to constituents who packed the board's meeting room, nor to reporters.

They also could not answer whether a passionate rally in support of Daeschner held Monday influenced their decision to move up the contract vote from Dec. 20th, as board members announced last week. Daeschner attended that rally and spoke of the increases in test scores the school district his experienced under his tenure.

Last week, board members met behind closed doors with Daeschner to consider his fate as superintendent. After leaving that meeting, school board chair Christina Gilkey said the board consensus was leaning towards keeping Daeschner under the condition he would have to take a pay cut.

The board laid out three options that included keeping Daeschner at a lower pay rate, keeping him as an academic consultant, or firing him.

Clearly, board members chose the latter of those three options, announcing at 9:30 p.m. that the district would fire Daeschner.

Daeschner, who spent 14 years at the superintendent of JCPS, was in his third year as superintendent at Greater Clark County Schools.

He started as superintendent on July 1, 2009. His contract expires June 30, 2012.
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Never a dull moment for Stephen Daeschner. Don't you all miss this guy? ;D

[casey]

And more:
www.wdrb.com/story/16208596/stephen-daeschner-out-as-greater-clark-superintendent

Stephen Daeschner out as Greater Clark superintendent
Posted: Dec 07, 2011 9:36 AM CST
Updated: Dec 12, 2011 4:22 PM CST
LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- Stephen Daeschner is out as superintendent of Greater Clark County Schools, despite parents and teachers pleading with the board Tuesday night to keep him.

The frustration from parents spilled over after the meeting as some yelled at board members who voted for the superintendent's removal.

Board member Kevin Satterly tried to explain his vote to angry parents. He, along with four other board members, voted not to renew Daeschner's contract, which expires next June.

More than 25 speakers, mostly parents and teachers, addressed the board before the vote was made. Daeschner makes $225,000 a year, but the school board is facing a budget hole of $4 million, which is why the discussions began in the first place.

But Daeschner says the discussions aren't completely over yet - -he says he still in talks about taking on a new role as an academic consultant. "I've been at this position for 35 years," he says, "in one of the largest districts in the US for 14 years, and this is the most magnificent gain over two and a half years I've ever seen with kids."

However, on WDRB's Facebook page, some people are siding with the school board's decision.

Tim says, "Had the previous board been above board in the hiring process and not set up a pay package like a college would do a college basketball coach with pay supplemented by 'boosters,' this might have had a different outcome. The hire was political payback, pure and simple. This board just righted the wrong."

Chris wrote, "It sounded like he's an indecisive, shrinking violet who couldn't make the big decisions."

WDRB called every board member Wednesday morning for a comment. Nancy Kraft, who voted to keep Daeschner, says she's very upset with the decision. No one else has returned those calls.





Copyright 2011 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.

[casey]

For those that find this interesting......

newsandtribune.com/x910018519/GCCS-board-votes-5-2-against-renewing-Daeschners-contract

The doctor is out: 5-2 vote sends superintendent packing
Board approves budget cuts but keeps pools open
By MATT THACKER
[e-mail] The News and Tribune Tue Dec 06, 2011, 11:32 PM EST

JEFFERSONVILLE — The Greater Clark County Schools Board of Trustees voted 5-2 Tuesday night to not renew Superintendent Dr. Stephen Daeschner’s contract.

Daeschner’s three-year contract will expire at the end of June. His salary of $225,000 plus benefits is the second highest among superintendents in the state.

Board member Kevin Satterly made the motion to remove Daeschner as superintendent with Christina Gilkey, Mark Pavey, Ernie Gilbert and Jerry White voting for the motion. Becka Christensen and Nancy Kraft voted against the motion.

The board was not expected to address Daeschner’s contract until Dec. 20, but at the beginning of Tuesday’s regular meeting, the board voted along the same lines to add contract renewal to the agenda.

During public comment at the beginning of the meeting, 27 principals, teachers and parents addressed the board. All spoke in favor of keeping Daeschner.

Maple Elementary Principal Lauraetta Starks was among the strongest voices in favor of keeping Daeschner even though he recently recommended closing her school due to budget concerns. She said she would have been there even if the school had closed.

“He left not one stone unturned when he went looking for money, and Maple happened to be under one of those stones,” she said.

Starks said she has worked under four superintendents, and Daeschner is the only one who was an “instructional leader.”

“Superintendents of this caliber are hard to find,” she said.

Principals talked about how Daeschner worked more closely with them than any previous superintendent, and teachers said he had inspired them to achieve more academically.

“We will not find another leader like Dr. Stephen Daeschner,” said Northaven Elementary School Principal Karen Wesely, who broke down crying during her speech.

“When I say my son goes to Jeff High, I’m proud of it. I couldn’t say that for 12 years,” said Jennifer Coward, a mother of three Greater Clark students.

Some 200 people attended the meeting. More than half those in attendance cheered loudly after each speech. One man claimed that all the speeches had been scripted, and another thanked the school board members for making the “right decision.”

Those in favor of keeping Daeschner were clearly the vocal majority with many confronting the board members as they left the room. Some began chanting, “vote them out.”

After the meeting, Satterly refused to answer questions from the media. Many other board members quickly exited the room without commenting.

Gilbert said he had planned to vote to keep Daeschner but changed his mind because he was “disappointed by the circus-like atmosphere.”

“I don’t like the way this has come down,” he said.

When asked if he blamed the superintendent for that atmosphere, he said he does not blame anyone.

White said after the meeting that the board has “fundamental differences” with Daeschner. He said he could not comment further about those differences because it is a personnel issue.

Gilkey said during the meeting that there will be another phase of negotiations involving keeping Daeschner in another role.

Daeschner said after the meeting that he had expected the board would renew his contract. When asked if he would still consider staying at Greater Clark in another capacity, he said, “I don’t know. We’re still talking.”

The board also voted to approve nearly $1.2 million in cuts and $3.3 million in projected “revenue injections” proposed by the administration. However, they voted against closing any pools, which was part of the proposal. Gilbert said the cuts are “not set in stone” and they can address the issues at a later date.

The savings include reducing extra-curricular staff salary, administrative staff cuts, eliminating benefits for temporary employees, a position freeze, selling property and eliminating adult education and multi-cultural programs. They will also use $2.225 million from the Rainy Day Fund.