Tuesday night, Brownwood ISD superintendent Dr. Reece Blincoe had an open forum discussion with parents and faculty at Woodland Heights Elementary. Blincoe welcomed questions from those in attendance who asked some pointed and sometimes awkward questions regarding the recent retirement of former Woodland Heights Principal Bob Turner. The crowd consisted of about sixty concerned parents, teachers and others concerned citizens.
Blincoe explained a superintendent’s responsibility to evaluate each principal within their school district. Blincoe cited visits with principals in September discussing his goals for them and asking them what their goals were. In February he will check on the progress of these goals. Weaknesses and strengths of the principals as well as their school are part of the evaluation as well.
Many parents expressed concerns that there was more to the story of Turner’s retirement than just medical reasons. Concerns about Turner’s departure and the effects it would have upon the school and the students were voiced by many.
The question, “Why was he forced to retire?” came up, to which Blincoe responded, “He wasn’t.” Then it was explained to the crowd that a school board evaluates the performance of a superintendent, but does not hire or fire principals or teachers, that is handled at the superintendent level and that the school board is responsible for making sure policies and procedures are followed in all school activities.
One question Blincoe had of the crowd was, “What do you want me to know about your campus?” One woman spoke out saying, “We want you to know that this campus is your weakness.” Another parent said of Turner, “He stood up for the school and took as much as he could.” Blincoe mentioned to the crowd that Mr. Turner is retiring for medical reasons. He further explained that there is still a good relationship between Turner and the school, in fact, he was invited to come visit during the holidays, and that Turner offered to help the interim principals if needed…he was only a phone call away.
Dr. Justin Murphy of the Brownwood ISD school board commented, “A board member’s most important job is to evaluate a superintendent. Woodland Heights’ performance is important to me…If it slips…his (pointing to Dr. Blincoe) job is on the line.”
Dr. Blincoe stated that the most important thing in determining the success of a school is what happens in the classroom in relationship to teachers and students. He further stated, “It’s insulting to the teachers that it has been implied they only did their jobs well because Mr. Turner forced them to do their jobs.”
Questions regarding the hiring process were asked by those in attendance. Blincoe was also asked if there would there be an inside candidate placed into the position. To this he answered, “No, we will reach a consensus.” A panel consisting of 3 administrators and two teachers will be formed to interview and hire the candidates that apply. It was expressed that because Woodland Heights is a national award winning school, the best candidates in the state will apply for the position according to Blincoe.
Blincoe then was asked for more information about how Mr. Turner was evaluated and if teachers were consulted. He replied, “It would be irresponsible for me to talk about his job evaluation in public. The man retired, I certainly would not blast a man when he has retired, and hopefully he (Turner) will enjoy his retirement, which should be the best years of his life.” He also noted that all employees of the district have the right to file grievances, there is a procedure and chain of commands in place, noting that an employee can even go as high as the State Commissioner of Education.
Murphy commented, “This school has great teachers and parents. You may not trust the school board now, but policies and procedures legally put in place have been followed and this school will survive and do well.
Blincoe again assured the crowd that an interview process would occur. Parents voiced concern asking if he would “steamroll the three administrators’ choice over our teachers’ choice”, to which he explained that typically interview panels are usually either all impressed with a candidate or they all know a candidate is not right for the job. Blincoe then noted, “It is my job on the line and it is my final say, but we will reach a consensus”. “I’d rather us talk about looking forward rather than looking back”, stated Blincoe.
A parent asked, “How do we get our kids past this?” Blincoe answered, “I feel those tears were out of love. It’s a good opportunity to visit with your kids that in everyone’s life, there’s a time when someone is taken away, that we all experience these things throughout our lives.” He also gave an analogy that is it “was like having a dog that dies…” to which another parent said, “we recently had a dog die, but it is one thing if the dog died of old age and another if it was poisoned.”
Blincoe encouraged the crowd to visit www.brownwoodisd.org, click on school board, then policy, then TASB online. He explained that this policy could be searched similar to Google either by phrase or by citing the policy number. He urged the audience to type in superintendent’s responsibilities, noting that “this is how schools are run”. Legal and local policies are listed.
Although parents still seemed to be concerned, the school district continued to assure that the hiring process will result in Woodland Heights gaining a qualified excellent candidate.
