[Southsider2k12]

So here are the main details from the meeting tonight. By a unanimous vote of 6-0 (Dr Jones was absent, but sent word he would have approved as well) Dr Barbara Eason Watkins was approved as the newest Superintendent of the Michigan City Area Schools. Board President Jim Kintzele said "We did a good job" with this hire.

Her contract is the standard 3 year deal required by law in the state of Indiana, which will run through June 20, 2013. She is getting $145,000 per year, which is about $16,000 per year more than Interim leader Carla Iacona was getting, and about $20,000 more than Harding was making. The thing is I am sure this is a sizable pay cut from her job in Chicago. She is getting standard things such as her professional association dues paid up to $1500 per year, and 3% paid by the MCAS towards her retirement fund. Watkins will get 20 vacation days, 12 sick days, and 4 personal business days per year, but she will be on a 260 day calendar-versus the 230 day one that Harding was on. There will be a $200 per month automotive allowance, versus the $500 per month one of Harding.

Things that are very different include Dr Watkins request to give a State of the District address annually. Contrast that with Michael Harding who didn't talk to anyone he didn't have to. She also requested performance bonuses based on achievements of the school system. There also will be no annuity. Another nice thing is that Watkins is not bringing any accrued time with her, as is tradition for administrators who are hired into other school systems. There was also a request to be able to engage in outside professional activities which could include things such as speaking as a paid lecturer and teaching at the college level, as long as they do not interfere with her work in Michigan City.

[Ang]

Bottom line, not only does this lady want to run the school system, she wants to fix it and be actively involved with our community. Sounds like she just might be a winner.

[lovethiscity]

Bottom line, not only does this lady want to run the school system, she wants to fix it and be actively involved with our community. Sounds like she just might be a winner.

Good for the kids of Michigan City.

[Grammy515]

Good for the kids of Michigan City.

I think it's great that we have a new leader of MCAS but it's not gonna matter who the leader is if the board and community ties her hands as has happened with leaders past. How long will it take before non-cooperation will become the status quo again? I sincerely the hope the board is willing to work with Mrs. Eason-Watkins, even if she has ideas that do not mirror their own.

[Southsider2k12]

I think it's great that we have a new leader of MCAS but it's not gonna matter who the leader is if the board and community ties her hands as has happened with leaders past. How long will it take before non-cooperation will become the status quo again? I sincerely the hope the board is willing to work with Mrs. Eason-Watkins, even if she has ideas that do not mirror their own.

Honestly I think the non-cooperation with the former Super was of his own doing. He refused to work with MC, so MC refused to work with him. I thought the response from the community was better already in the short time that Iacona led the system. If Dr Watkins is as good of a communicator as we are told, she should be fine.

[taxthedeer]

Tonight's school board meeting will be the first for Dr Barbara Eason Watkins as MCAS superintendent.

[NDReporter]

Tonight's school board meeting will be the first for Dr Barbara Eason Watkins as MCAS superintendent.

Check out the story about her in today's News-Dispatch!

[Ang]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/0...91492076866.txt

New supt.: Students need rigorous studies


By Alicia Ebaugh
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 9:53 AM CDT

MICHIGAN CITY — When it comes to a child’s education, Barbara Eason-Watkins means business.

Monday was her fourth official day on the job as the new superintendent for Michigan City Area Schools, but she dove into the role weeks ago, meeting with principals, teachers and community members about how the school district can build on the education it provides to its students.

“It’s always important to listen to the key stakeholders in your organization and be responsive to the things that matter to them,” said Eason-Watkins, 57, who until recently was chief education officer for Chicago Public Schools. She spent nearly 25 years there, having worked her way from being an elementary school principal to spending the last nine years in administration.

Eason-Watkins learned early on about the significance of listening as a 20-year-old college student at the University of Michigan who was about to start student teaching in the early 1970s. She and four other students told school administrators they wanted an opportunity to teach in a more urban school environment than Ann Arbor, where the University of Michigan is located. They wanted to be able to make a difference in the lives of more disadvantaged youth, she said.

“They took what we said to heart and they made it possible for us to teach in the Inkster school district. They were even able to provide us with a car and a gas card,” she said. Inkster, Mich., is an outer suburb of Detroit, which is Eason-Watkins’ hometown, and is a predominantly black community with nearly 25 percent of its residents below poverty level. “Having an administration that was willing to listen to our needs was key for our development.”

While she was a student teacher there, Eason-Watkins noted the lack of school books depicting blacks in any type of situation, historic or otherwise. So she wrote a children’s book for her students about a black boy being cared for by a single mother, then had it illustrated.

“I wanted them to be able to see children just like them in real-life situations,” she said. “That’s important while they are developing an identity.”

Combining culture and education has been especially meaningful for Eason-Watkins’ because of her own family background. Her mother couldn’t attend the whites-only school where she grew up in Alabama, so she and other black students were taught by her grandmother at the church where her grandfather was a reverend. Her mother also later became a teacher.

“She always wanted me to understand education was truly a privilege,” Eason-Watkins said.

Her experiences, she said, have helped her develop a few priorities as she starts her “second career” at MCAS. Eason-Watkins’ first big project has been to initiate a complete analysis of test data, so school officials will better be able to tell which subgroups of students need the most assistance, in which subjects and at which schools.

“It’s more than concentrating on the percentage of students who meet standards,” she said. “We need to be able to accelerate the progress of students who have fallen behind and implement additional programming, if needed. We need a high-quality, rigorous program that serves the needs of all children.”

Being well aware that MCAS lags behind surrounding school districts in test scores, Eason-Watkins said she is determined to prove the school district can provide a quality education. Asking community businesses and higher education institutions, as well as parents, about what else the school system needs to do to improve its standing is just the start.

“I want to get a real sense of our strengths and weaknesses, see what additional programming options they are looking for. It will also help us appeal to parents who are not currently choosing MCAS for their children,” she said. “We want families here in Michigan City engaged in education and to work with them in partnership.”

She also wants to enhance the roles of school principals in the district to get them more involved with teachers, students and families.

“They’re an integral part of bringing everyone together to address not only academic needs, but also social and emotional needs of our students,” she said.

Her philosophy on getting students engaged in their own education is simple — find what they like and need, then give it to them.

“For the most part, students want to come to school and have an engaging experience. They won’t want to come if they are bored,” Eason-Watkins said. “They want adults in the building who care about them. They want to experience a level of success. They want to have a voice and feel like their opinion matters.”

As the highest-paid superintendent in MCAS history, Eason-Watkins pledges to make her work worthwhile. She is paid $145,000 a year.

“I guarantee you will get a 200 percent commitment from me,” she said. “Each day, I get more and more excited about the opportunities we have here. I love this community and plan to stay awhile.”

[taxthedeer]

What does everybody think about the creating, approval and hiring of our new "associate" superintendent without any advertisement, search committee, interview process or public input?

Wouldn't it normally take board approval for this new position to even be created?

[Southsider2k12]

Wow. I had no idea this was coming.

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/0...c8255530279.txt

Eason-Watkins hires associate at $115,000

Xavier Botana will be second-in-command for MCAS
By Alicia Ebaugh
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 8:46 AM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — The new superintendent for Michigan City Area Schools announced Tuesday the one — and, she said, only — administrator she will be adding to the school district as she restructures its leadership.

“This restructuring is meant to provide clear lines of accountability and divide work up from unfilled positions,” Barbara Eason-Watkins said at the school board meeting. “It will save money in the long run.”

Xavier Botana, who was chief officer of instructional design and assessment at Chicago Public Schools from 2002 to 2009 under Eason-Watkins, was named associate superintendent at a salary of $115,000, making him the second highest-paid administrator at MCAS. The position did not exist before.

He spent the last year in Portland, Ore., as chief academic officer for Portland Public Schools. Botana will head all things involving teaching, learning and leadership, she said. He will also be in charge of special and bilingual education.

In Chicago, Botana led instructional, assessment and accountability programs, and the district showed increases in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding benchmarks, particularly at the elementary and middle school levels. In Portland, he helped design the restructuring of the city’s public high schools. Before his administrative career, he spent several years as a teacher.

“I am excited to have this opportunity and be reunited with Dr. Eason-Watkins. I have considered her a mentor and personal friend for a number of years.” Botana said to the school board at Tuesday’s meeting. “The role of associate superintendent is very important. It’s critical to unite curriculum, instruction and leadership because what makes a difference is improving the interaction between students and teachers. I’ve seen the effects it can have.”

Botana will now be second in command, Eason-Watkins said. Assistant Superintendent Carla Iacona will be third, handling day-to-day operations at the district’s buildings, including discipline, grievances and personnel issues.

The rest of the restructuring is a “work in progress,” Eason-Watkins said, as she decides which duties belong where. The restructuring will be laid out once everything is complete, she said. At least two key administration positions will remain unfilled — that of former special education director Joan McCormick and former personnel, labor relations and policy director John Neilson. More layoffs, however, will be unlikely, she said.

Before the School Board’s unanimous vote to approve Botana’s appointment, board member Beryle Burgwald said he supports reducing and simplifying the school district’s administrative structure.

“I hope it will be more efficient,” he said. “But you have to save money, too, otherwise there’s no reason to do it.”

Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith wrote in an e-mail published by the Willamette Week last month that Botana was leaving the school district after just one year to return to Chicago due to a “chronic illness in his family.”

“We will miss the strong academic leadership that Xavier has brought to our school district, yet I support his decision to return to Chicago where he and his family can benefit from the support of extended family,” Smith wrote.

“Over the past year, Xavier helped achieve several major accomplishments — from improving education for English language learners and students in special education, to creating a core program for our high schools that will give every student access to a rigorous and well-rounded education, to the launch of our district-wide equity plan and Beyond Diversity training. PPS is a better place because of his service.”

Aug. 10 will be his last day in Portland, the e-mail said. His appointment here is to be effective Aug. 1.

[Ang]

Hmmm......

[Southsider2k12]

Anyone else think this could have been a prearranged thing that came from her contract negotiations? I can't believe we are hiring another administrator, at that salary, with all of the layoffs going on here.

[lovethiscity]

Anyone else think this could have been a prearranged thing that came from her contract negotiations? I can't believe we are hiring another administrator, at that salary, with all of the layoffs going on here.

I think he sounds like a perfect fit for MCAS. Better spent money then paying leaders to leave!

[eric.hanke]

What does everybody think about the creating, approval and hiring of our new "associate" superintendent without any advertisement, search committee, interview process or public input?

Wouldn't it normally take board approval for this new position to even be created?

I've been quiet this whole time regarding out new Supt. I just don't have a good feeling. Glad my kids are done with the MCAS for the next 2 years!

[Tom Burns]

I've been quiet this whole time regarding out new Supt. I just don't have a good feeling. Glad my kids are done with the MCAS for the next 2 years!

I have never heard of such a means of appointment although the school board apparently concurred. This does appear to shortcut "normal" procedure.

[edgeywood]

I have never heard of such a means of appointment although the school board apparently concurred. This does appear to shortcut "normal" procedure.

Didn't Harding appoint Sweeney shortly after he arrived? I don't think it is unprecedented.

Have to agree with the News Dispatch editorial. I do think it was handled poorly but I think she needs a person that she trusts in that position. I'll reserve judgment until she's had a chance to actually begin her work.

[Ang]

I heard on WEFM that they are eliminating other administrative positions, specifically mentioned was Human Resources. Isn't that Iacona's normal postion?

And Edgey is right about Harding bringing in Sweeney, but we all still have a bad taste in our mouths from that debacle, so where does that leave us now?

Feeling nervous and apprehensive.

[Southsider2k12]

Wasn't Sweeney hired in to a position that already existed, as the assistant super?

[taxthedeer]

I heard on WEFM that they are eliminating other administrative positions, specifically mentioned was Human Resources. Isn't that Iacona's normal postion?

And Edgey is right about Harding bringing in Sweeney, but we all still have a bad taste in our mouths from that debacle, so where does that leave us now?

Feeling nervous and apprehensive.

Something I heard on WEFM that really floored me is it was stated that Dr. BEW's appointment of X.B. as associate superintendent before she took office was no different than Police Chief Mark Swistek appointing Tim Richardson and Royce Williams as assistant police chief's before he took office.

I'm wondering where Mr. Botana is going to live?

[Southsider2k12]

Something I heard on WEFM that really floored me is it was stated that Dr. BEW's appointment of X.B. as associate superintendent before she took office was no different than Police Chief Mark Swistek appointing Tim Richardson and Royce Williams as assistant police chief's before he took office.

I'm wondering where Mr. Botana is going to live?

Making an appointment to an established and traditional structure is completely different than creating a new position into an organization that is laying off many good people.