Whan an embarrassment

[Mrs. Norm]

As a teacher in the OKC public schools, I am saddened by what is going on between our board and the superintendant. As teachers are told on numerous occasions, we need some people to grow up and just do their jobs. Stop making OKC look like the most ignorant, disfunctional, disorganized district in Oklahoma. It is just absolutely ridiculous! :mad:

[OCUDad]

I thought this was a thread about SicEm. Carry on.

[Soonerus]

Superintendent should be fired summarily...board president is right on...i

[BajaOklahoma]

The School Board President is a NWC grad. He was always a smart guy.

[Mrs. Norm]

Superintendent should be fired summarily...board president is right on...i

Agreed. Unfortunately, it has all become racial and political. It is going to get nastier before the end. Then our district will have a huge scar.

Soonerus, how long do you think it will be before we get a good superintendent in here?

[Soonerus]

3 months....btw you need to keep the board pres...he is great for okc schools...

[Mrs. Norm]

3 months....btw you need to keep the board pres...he is great for okc schools...

I agree with you. As a matter of fact, the staff at my school wants Porter gone. We had our union president come speak at our school yesterday afternoon. Most of our faculty were upset that the union came out in support for the super. We didn't like the fact that he spoke for teachers. But, most of our teachers have seen some really harsh things from him. Cliff is doing the best he can for our schools, and has been all along.

[Soonerus]

Since I can say this here, the super. is out of control no question about it...

[Mrs. Norm]

Since I can say this here, the super. is out of control no question about it...

As a principal, have you personally been disrespected by him? My principal had a disagreement with him his first week. She cannot stand him. She says that he is so rude! I just wondered if you have seen it or been the recipient of his wrath.

[Soonerus]

No, I just know from reports...

[OUAndy1807]

Soonerus is a principal? of a school?

[GottaHavePride]

No matter what happens, OKC will NEVER be as big an embarrassment as the Kansas State Board of Education.

Or, as I like to call them, the Borad of Edumacation.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

No, I just know from reports...I thought you were a lawyer.

If Porter gets fired, so should the people who have been processing his reimbursement reports. I work at a state entity that falls under similar purchasing rules as the school district. If I forget to include a $10 meeting receipt, my expense report gets returned to me. I don't understand why it went on so long before anyone said anything to him.

[Sooner_Bob]

I thought you were a lawyer.

If Porter gets fired, so should the people who have been processing his reimbursement reports. I work at a state entity that falls under similar purchasing rules as the school district. If I forget to include a $10 meeting receipt, my expense report gets returned to me. I don't understand why it went on so long before anyone said anything to him.

$10? Here I thought I worked for a strict group. But at least we can claim an expense without a receipt if it's under $75.


I've been halfway paying attention to this whole story, but could someone summarize exactly what he did wrong?

Was it falsifying expense reports or did he buy things he wasn't authorized to for various schools?

[DoubleDown]

But what about Cliff Hudson's offer of a "joint resignation"? Doesn't this offer lend credence to the theory that Hudson will do whatever it takes to get Porter out of there? IMHO, It really portrays the whole mess as a personal vendetta against Porter.

BTW, I don't believe this has a single thing to do with race. I mean, Porter's race wasn't a big deal when they hired him, so why should it be now?

[Sooner_Bob]

But what about Cliff Hudson's offer of a "joint resignation"? Doesn't this offer lend credence to the theory that Hudson will do whatever it takes to get Porter out of there? IMHO, It really portrays the whole mess as a personal vendetta against Porter.

BTW, I don't believe this has a single thing to do with race. I mean, Porter's race wasn't a big deal when they hired him, so why should it be now?


Doesn't Hudson also have another "real" job that he gets paid for? This is Porter's "real" job that he gets paid for.

That's what makes that part a little more interesting.

[crawfish]

Come on, that's amateur corruption. You should hire a professional from Dallas ISD.

[Hamhock]

Soonerus is a principal? of a school?


i thought the was a trial lawyer?? :confused:

[TheHumanAlphabet]

So what's the Cliff's Notes version of what is going on (as a non-Oklahoma resident)? Seems like the OKC school district has been messed up for years now.

[sanantoniosooner]

i thought the was a trial lawyer?? :confused:
no.

My understanding was that he was a pencil pushing behind the desk lawyer.

[Mrs. Norm]

i thought the was a trial lawyer?? :confused:

My bad. I was thinking of another gentleman on the board who is a principal.

[frankensooner]

I have known many school superintendents at many different schools. (My pops was one for a while) Some are really caring individuals who put the needs of the kids and staff above all else while others think they are the lord of their domain and are entitled to use school property and monies for whatever they want. I think we can deduce into which catagory this guy falls.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

So what's the deal - what's going on??

[Sooner_Bob]

The board says porter mismanaged school funds and filed inappropriate expenses.

[Sooner_Bob]

News

Oklahoma City school district investigates superintendent
By AP
Saturday, January 5, 2008 11:00 PM CST


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City School Board is investigating claims of inappropriate behavior by Superintendent John Q. Porter and could decide to fire him during a special meeting on Monday, according to court papers.

Porter asked an Oklahoma County judge on Friday to prevent the board from meeting behind closed doors on Monday, but District Judge Carolyn Ricks did not grant the request for an injunction, which means the board can meet starting at 8 a.m. Monday.

School Board Chairman Cliff Hudson said Porter has declined to meet with the board since before Christmas to talk about the board’s investigation of complaints about Porter’s behavior. The board hired Robert McCampbell, a former U.S. Attorney, as a special counsel to investigate Porter.

Hudson said the board began receiving complaints from employees about inappropriate behavior by the superintendent. Hudson said the board set up two meetings on Dec. 20 to review the investigation with Porter, but the superintendent did not attend, citing an emergency. Porter has not contacted the district since then, Hudson said.

Porter began working with the Oklahoma City school district on July 1. In his court filing, Porter claimed that Hudson had undermined his authority as the district’s superintendent.

“The superintendent has been treated with hostility (and) disrespect,” according to the filing, which goes on to note that Hudson “has indicated he would pursue the termination of the superintendent.”
*

The filing also notes Porter received a letter from McCampbell stating that the board planned to consider suspending Porter and possibly firing him.

Porter’s attorney, Murray Abowitz, declined comment, saying the matter remains in litigation.

Porter’s court filing also said it was not fair that the school board moved its meeting time on Monday to 8 a.m. from its regular time of 5:30 p.m. The filing noted that changing the time “deprives and impairs the ability of interested citizens to speak on the issue of the employment of the superintendent.”

Hudson said the meeting’s start time was changed because time is of the essence.

“Several employees did come forward to report certain inappropriate — certain elements of inappropriate behavior, certain repeated inappropriate activities on (Porter’s) part,” Hudson said. “The report that has been delivered to John Porter makes it very clear by implication who those employees are.

“It is the board’s desire to have John Porter when he returns to the district to ... review those allegations rather than having John Porter mix with those employees, who have kind of put themselves on the line.”


link (http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/articles/2008/01/06/news/state/news739.txt)

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Thanks.

So how much money has been mis-appropriated. Didn't something like this happen in the 80s and 90s?

Seems as if the Board and Superintendent have always been at loggerheads, regardless of who is in office or in job...

[KC//CRIMSON]

Soonerus is a principal? of a school?

Yep. He's also the town Mayor and part time Barber.

[Soonrboy]

he's a condescending *** who needs to go back from whence he came.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

Districts as large as OKC are almost always dysfunctional. Districts need to be smaller.

[proud gonzo]

No matter what happens, OKC will NEVER be as big an embarrassment as the Kansas State Board of Education.

Or, as I like to call them, the Borad of Edumacation.no joke.

[Sooner_Bob]

Districts as large as OKC are almost always dysfunctional. Districts need to be smaller.


Either that or have fewer districts and consolidate all of those extra superintendent positions.

[Okla-homey]

This sort of crapola by educrats could be fixed overnight, overnight I say, if we in the US would adopt one simple little measure in force in many European countries.

See, I'm, normally not too big a fan of any European model, (except Heidi Klum,) but since European kids kick our kids butts in science and math skillz, I think we should seriously consider something from western European law and public policy that makes that possible.

To wit, in many European states, the gubmint money attaches to the kid. IOW, if you decide to bail on the public school and send your kid to a private or parochial school, that money goes with your kid to his new school. That's right, the state cuts a check based on your kid's per capita share of public education funds and it is paid to wherever he or she attends. Mind you, this is occurring in very "progressive" European states like Holland, Luxembourg, Denmark and Belgium.

I beleive this was allowed to evolve in these locales because they are honestly more concerned about the educationla prospects of their children than we are. And before anyone get's started with the sad tale of woe that the public schools are disadvantaged because they have to take whomever walks in the door...guess what? The same thing is true in these western European states. Yet, somehow, the competition sparked by the policy makes ALL the schools better.

End result in these countries? Their kids kick our kids butts, academically speaking of course. And the publics must remain competive with the private sector, which usually entails ridding themselves of administrative and support dead weight and making sure they are paying good classroom teachers decent money -- or they are shuttered.

Contrast this reality with the status quo in the US where mediocre schools and mediocre educrats can just trudge along, safe in the knowledge their infusion of tax dollars is bullet-proof.

[sanantoniosooner]

India kicks us too.

Perhaps we should only allow the top students to go to college.

[SleestakSooner]

he's a condescending *** who needs to go back from whence he came.

Now come on... Soonerus ain't that bad. ;)

[Okla-homey]

India kicks us too.

Perhaps we should only allow the top students to go to college.

pssst.

That's pretty much what happens here anyway. It's just not the law. Here of course, its driven by economic forces. College admission standards are based on the applicant's potential to remain in school for four or five years enroute to earning a degree. See, the student's tuition and fee payments keep the doors open and ensure all the profs keep their cushy gigs. Thus, they don't like to admit goobers who won't be able to cut it after a couple semesters.

Therefore, dumarses, if they manage to graduate from HS, don't usually get into college...unless they are competive athletes.

[sanantoniosooner]

The difference is that their dummies that can't get into the India Institute of Technology come over here and get scholarships to ivy league schools.

[Okla-homey]

The difference is that their dummies that can't get into the India Institute of Technology come over here and get scholarships to ivy league schools.


yeah, but, remember. They have a billion people in India now. Literally. And IIT prolly only accepts a several hundred a year. That allows them to have some pretty high standards.

[sanantoniosooner]

They don't have an entitlement system in place either. The son of the head honcho couldn't get into IIT and had to settle for Harvard.

[Okla-homey]

BTW...this is Heidi Klum. I prefer brunettes and redheads over blondes myself...but ZANG!

http://aycu13.webshots.com/image/38052/2005772702463795598_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005772702463795598)

[Harry Beanbag]

pssst.

That's pretty much what happens here anyway. It's just not the law. Here of course, its driven by economic forces. College admission standards are based on the applicant's potential to remain in school for four or five years enroute to earning a degree. See, the student's tuition and fee payments keep the doors open and ensure all the profs keep their cushy gigs. Thus, they don't like to admit goobers who won't be able to cut it after a couple semesters.

Therefore, dumarses, if they manage to graduate from HS, don't usually get into college...unless they are competive athletes.


I don't agree at all. Most people with college degrees I've encountered in my professional life are idiots.

[Turd_Ferguson]

I don't agree at all. Most people with college degrees I've encountered in my professional life are idiots.

Concur. CHS(common horse sense) pwns PHD(post hole digger). There doesn't seem to be many kid's growing up with CHS anymore.

[OUAndy1807]

I don't agree at all. Most people with college degrees I've encountered in my professional life are idiots.
most?

[Harry Beanbag]

most?


Okay, majority.

[Okla-homey]

I don't agree at all. Most people with college degrees I've encountered in my professional life are idiots.

mebbe so, but they'll earn approximately a million dollars more over the course of their working life than a guy with only a HS diploma.

[OUAndy1807]

and to be fair, I would say that most people are idiots, some of them go to college and some don't