Update: Audio clips have been added.
As I stated in my previous post Mr. Johnson was named New I-SS superintendent at the Board of Education meeting on Monday evening. Dr. Cash, Board Chairman, said that the decision was made at a previous meeting. I assume that it was made done during the closed session after the Committee of the Whole meeting last Monday. Click on the link below to access the official announcement on the I-SS web site.
Click on the link below to access the announcement on the Record and Landmark web site.
Johnson named I-SS superintendent
Prior to naming the new superintendent, Dr. Cash made a number of comments some of which are not included in those announcements. Some of Dr. Cash's comments are listed below.
“One of the most, if not the most, important responsibilities of a Board is to ensure the placement of a leader or CEO who shares the vision of the institution and is able to capably and responsibly nurture the institution in carrying out its mission. As the Board of I-SS began to consider who would be chosen to become our next superintendent,
we reviewed our vision to improve student learning by igniting a passion for learning and began to contemplate what leadership skills could help us all be excited about our focus on learning,
we thought about our mission …
we considered personal attributes and characteristics of a leader …
we reviewed recommendations made through the district advisory meeting process and the data obtained from formal and informal surveys throughout the education and civic community.
Resulting from this process, several common themes, skills, attributes, characteristics of our next desirable leader emerged.”
You may now listen to Dr. Cash's comments and announcement.
He then went on to make additional comments and stated some of the reasons behind the Board’s decision before making the actual announcement.
While I think that Brady Johnson is a good man and was an excellent choice for Interim Superintendent, I think that naming him Superintendent was a very premature choice. The reports of the area advisory meetings have not yet been publicized, the advisory meeting with certified personnel has not yet even been held, and there has been no public survey. The board made certain commitments regarding the selection of the superintendent that have now been totally discarded.
The Board is again stating that they really don’t care about students, teachers, parents, and the public. They made this decision on their own without the full input of the I-SS stakeholders. That is not a good for anyone but the Board. They were not properly carrying out the duties of their elected positions. Quite simply, they took the easy way out.
You're finally right. The BOE did take the easy road. It was incredibly easy to come to the decision that they made. It must have been easy to name such a wonderful, qualified, humble, capable, honest, hard-working, thoughful person to lead our school system. Now that you have some one that will listen and be fair to all sides, PLEASE- let the man do some good without tearing him down. Do any of you who post such negative things not see how unfair, and frankly- how cruel, you're being? We've got every quality that was asked for by the Advisory Committees in Brady Johnson. He's the right man for the job and I'm so proud that he agreed to take the job, allowing the board to make such an easy decision.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is the selection of Brady that some will have a problem with. My issue is in the fact that we were promised a detailed search.
ReplyDeleteOne of the major qualities in the area advisory I went to was someone entrenched in the community. That sounds like Brady. You're right, the Board should have blown $25,000 conducting a nationwide search for someone who intimately knows our community, then hired Brady, because he is the best choice anyway. Then you would have crcuified them for spending the money. Can't win with you folks.
ReplyDeleteWell I guess a $70,000 pay raise which is $40,000 more than Holiday was making for a total Salary of $170,000 is good reason not to retire. Brady must feel he is doing a good job running ISS to the ground and feels he needs to sit on his high horse and finish the job. Amazing the B.O.E. didn't ask the principals what they thought? Much less any Teachers, parents etc. Everyone fount out about the decision by reading the paper or this blog run by the biggest crackpot of them all. All you local good old boy mentalities are gonna be the downfall of what was once a good School District. And just think we have three more years of a person who doesn't have a concern about what is best,or how any of the school's are run, which is very apparent if you listen to what the principal's are saying about him. I hope everyone is happy with the board you elected... does Burke County ring a bell?
ReplyDeletePaul - You and I rarely agree, but you hit the nail on the head this time. Was anyone even interviewed for the job? I know to hire a teacher district (possibly state) policy requires you to at least interview 3 possible candidates.
ReplyDeleteA $70,000 pay raise? $40,000 more than Holliday? You have bad information I'm afraid. Brady is an excellent choice. To say he doesn't care proves you do not know him at all. You might try talking to him, seems his door is always open to everyone, including crackpots.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the poster above the Brady does care. At the same time, the previous poster was right about the money. Brady is making 40,000 more than Holliday was slated to make, and got about a 70,000 dollar raise when promoted this summer.
ReplyDeleteBrady Johnson's salary as COO of ISS was 129,000 per year. According to a great source, his salary as Superintendent will be 160,000 per year. He agreed to the salary with no increases over the four year contract. Where do you people get the idea, he got a $70,000 salary increase? Just another example of rumor without any facts or the truth. If you want to know the truth, contact Race Street, they give you the details of the contact awarded by the BOE.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, Holliday's total compensation (not simply salary) was nearly $200K per year. Get your facts straight. I know for a fact Mr. Johnson's is not that high.
ReplyDeleteA detailed search produced Dr. Holliday ,and if that is what you wanted, so sorry.
ReplyDeleteWell, from a blog post in August:
ReplyDeleteBrady Johnson was Deputy Superintendent of Operations and is now Interim Superintendent. His previous salary was $129,900.00 and is now $175,100.00, which is a 34.8% raise.
Ron Hargrave was Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education/Student Services and is now Interim Associate Superintendent of Operations. His previous salary was $118,000.00 and is now $125,000.00, which is a 5.9% raise.
Dale Ellis was Associate Superintendent of Human Resources and is now Interim Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education/Student Services. His previous salary was $110,970.00 and is now $117,000.00, which is a 5.4% raise.
Dr. Melanie Taylor was Chief Academic Officer and is now Interim Associate Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. Her previous salary was $120,000.00 and is now $125,000.00, which is a 4.2% raise.
Bill Long was Director of Recruitment & Retention and is now Interim Associate Superintendent of Human Resources. His previous salary was $81,900.00 and is now $92,000.00, which is a 12.3% raise.
So, if Mr. Johnson made $175,100 in August, do you think he is making less as Supt.? Listen, this is silly to argue about what he makes - why not just have Paul check on it?
The four year contract calls for a salary of $160,000 per year with no raises unless the BOE decides to raise the salary. He was not making 175,000 as interim superintendent.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the others, the salary increases were due to the fact that the interim positions were considered promotions.
Get your facts straight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Mr. Johnson has now provided the amounts of those raises. The change in position and salary for each administrator is given below.
ReplyDeleteBrady Johnson was Deputy Superintendent of Operations and is now Interim Superintendent. His previous salary was $129,900.00 and is now $175,100.00, which is a 34.8% raise"
So straight from Brady's mouth, he was making 175,100 as interim superintendent. How is that not "getting your facts straight". Sounds to me like you need to take a little of your own advice.
By the way, he still gets all the perks Holiday got, the car, cell phone, etc.
ReplyDeleteInterum positions, but definition, are not promotions. They called them interum to justify getting salary increases at a time when millions are losing their job and the education funding was cut by the state. In a few months, they will say the interum people are being "promoted" to give them another raise. The people at the top will always take care of the people at the top. They will cut teachers next year before CO waste too. Nothing will change.
When it comes time to vote then get out and vote, nothing will change unless you change this BOE.
ReplyDeleteI have seen Mr. Johnson's contract- he is making $160,000 as superintendent. Dr. Holliday's BASE salary was $172,000 when he left. While Mr. Johnson may have BEEN making $175,000 as the interim, I know FOR A FACT that he is not now. Any of you who truly know Mr. Johnson should know that it is very much within the realm of possibility that Mr. Johnson actually allowed the board to reduce his compensation in an effort to help the district during a difficult budget time.
ReplyDeleteWith regard to the others at the central office receiving pay increases, did it ever occur to any of you that they are in fact promotions and come with increased responsibility? You have all said it many times- the district is a mess! Unfortunately, these individuals are the ones that will be helping Mr. Johnson clean up the absolute devastation that was left in Dr. Holliday's wake. While I know that many of these changes have no yet occurred (Until Monday, Mr. Johnson was serving as an INTERIM), rest assured that he is working on it. He certainly won't make 100 percent of the people happy, but without a doubt he cares about what teacher, and every other employee, thinks. He will do everything in his power to make the best decisions for children.
Anyone who believes otherwise about Mr. Johnson doesn't know him well enough to be commenting in the first place. Wouldn't it be great if all of you could use the time you spend here non-productively commenting on heresay and rumors and put that energy into actually helping our new superintendent find realistic solutions to the problems left behind?
Now that a new super has been named...will the rest of the CO employees who got "interim" pay raises now go back to their old pay?
ReplyDeleteThat is a question for Paul to ask Mr. Johnson. I anxiously await the answer.
ReplyDelete"Dr. Holliday's BASE salary was $172,000 when he left." - his pay for the 09-10 school year was set at 130,000 due to budget cutbacks. If the NC super. of the year can do the job for 130,000, why are we paying a new person 160,000 or 170,000?
ReplyDeleteDo you honestly think he didn't know he was on his way out when he "set" his salary at $130,000? Besides, that's totally a rumor. There was never a single document to indicate that he took a salary reduction. (Nor was there ever GOING to be.) In total, his compensation exceeded $200K per year- far more than what Mr. Johnson is earning.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the interim pay- I highly doubt they are interims anymore. The word 'interim' was used assuming Mr. Johnson would at some point go back to his duties as deputy superintendent.
Again, really wish some of you folks would check your facts.
And by the way- Paul Klaene knows far less than he, and many of you, thinks he does. I really find it interesting that you sit back and allow him to do your bidding. If Paul's so-called discoveries were really that important to you, why aren't each of you out doing the leg-work rather than taking some obsessed man's word as the gospel?
I thought the witch hunts were over in 1692. I make far less than these folks at the central office and I have no problem with what they make. Look at the size of our district, its standing in the state, the level of their education and/or experience, and the responsibilites that they have. We have lost many great people to other districts and if we don't pay our people competitively, we'll lose more good folks. No one has been lied to. Mr. Johnson simply changed his mind after so many people begged him to stay on. When this was announced at our faculty meeting Tuesday, there was a loud cheer and applause. THE TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS ARE HAPPY. Why don't you all find another witch to hunt- Osama is still on he loose- why don't you go find him?
ReplyDeleteYES! Teachers and principals are HAPPY! Looking forward to good things to come!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Mr. Johnson!
Actually, there is documentation that Dr. Holiday was scheduled to make $130,000 this school year. There was several papers given out during the end of the school year last year at principal meetings. It's very clear that his salary was to be $130,000 as it's at the top of the list of budget cuts. I have also wondered how an inexperienced superintendent warrents more money. It boggled my mind that they were willing to pay an interum 45,000 more.
ReplyDeleteI'm so tired of hearing the increased responsibiity excuse, when teachers are NEVER compensated for taking on extra responsibility. The district could never afford to pay teachers for taking on extra responsibility and being chairperson of the various committees that they make us be part of or staying late for parent conferences, PTA events, etc. Teachers in grades 4-12 had their class sized increased by the district, where's their pay raise for increased responsibility?
Great post, November 14, 2009 6:51 PM ! The mantra is 'do more with less'....
ReplyDeletethat is unless you happen to be part of the top-tier of I-SS --
Teachers have more responsibility in this district than most other districts in the state. No other teachers in the state are responsible for mission statements, PDSAs, strategic goals, strategy boards....when did the teachers get a raise, and no I don't mean the raised fist that was pounding all this on our heads!
ReplyDeleteDo more with less....less technology, less instructional time, less assisstance, less planning time...teachers have been doing more with less for a long time!
11:45PM - trying hitting google and you will see that other districts are doing this too.
ReplyDeleteNovember 16, 2009 7:34 PM ... the problem is the double standard .....those at the top got double-digit raises for doing more. Those on the front lines are solving not only their own classroom problems, but under the guise of "empowerment" are being asked to help solve administrative problems as well.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to see what percentage of the total budget goes to administration in these "other districts" you mention.
Paul did a comparison of comparably sized districts-- see it here--> http://issreport.blogspot.com/2009/06/school-administration-there-and-here.html
It seems that the only ones in I-SS being asked to do more with less are those who are not top administrators and IF's.
Amyone actually seen Mr. Johnson in a school yet? What happened to visibility? or is he too busy meeting with Paul?
ReplyDeleteWhere's the answer to the question of the "interim" pay raises?
ReplyDeletePaul, have you asked about the 'interim' raises?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the majority of the tax payers would like to see I-SS administration pared down to a minimum...put the funds in the classroom where students can benefit---that would include smaller class sizes and adequate materials, i.e. text books and technology!
Thank you Paul and others for all you do, please know that those of us in the trenches are eternally grateful.