The Wake County school board approved a new contract tonight for temporary superintendent Stephen Gainey and appointed two principals.
Gainey will receive an additional $3,000 a month in salary and an additional $750 a month for travel. This comes on top of the $120,000 salary he receives as assistant superintendent for human resources.
The board hired Carter Hillman to be principal of the East Wake School of Health Science in Wendell, with a salary of $90,201. The former Knightdale High School assistant principal is currently principal of Richwood High School in Summersville, W. Va.
Craig T. Matthews was named interim principal of Leesville Road Middle School in North Raleigh. He's served in various interim positions since retiring as principal of Jones Dairy Elementary in 2008.
UPDATE
Click here for the bio sheets.
Comments
Steve Gainey Supports THE WORST Principal at Knightdale HS
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 00:34 — RandyRockettThe BOE vote for Stephen Gainey was selected by the chair Kevin Hill, independently, without discussion of other alternatives. Hence the 5 - 4 vote where Mrs. Goldman and Mr. Tedesco both commented and clarified that but because he was selected by the chair, independently, without discussion of any other alternatives. It already was a DONE deal.
Steve Gainey is known for his BLIND SUPPORT of Wake principals over our good teachers as seen in his darling Carla Jerigan-Baker who has the HIGHEST teacher turnover rate in the county and possibly the state for that matter. Steve Gainey told the BOE to continue her contract 20 months ago as she was considered by the board for dismissal! Steve Gainey insisted, "Carla is receiving all time low scores on the Governor's state-wide Teacher's survey because she is kicking ass and taking names!"
FAR FROM THE TRUTH!
For example:
Knightdale High School's embattled princi'pal' Carla Jernigan-Baker is breathing a huge sigh of relief as the bright light of truth & local red hot public attention is taken off her ongoing, proven incompetence and re-focused on the BOE Tony Tata political firing.
An unpopular Carla Jernigan-Baker continues to 'lead' the lowest test scores in Wake and some of the lowest in our entire state. Carla Jernigan-Baker owns the higest assistant principal & classroom teacher turn-over rate in our county, schoolwide violence, low teacher moral, - her ongoing changing of grades to increase 'KHS graduation rates' is legendary, her harrasment of hard working teachers etc.
Yes, many graduates receive passing grades after teachers record accurate failing grades. Carla 'Click-Click' Jernigan-Baker routinely sits at her computer and 'Click-Click' changes Knightdale High School students final grades each semester so she will look good.
The skinny is simple, "She's way over her head and should have been ousted two years ago"!
The students, teachers, and the Knightdale families & community DESERVE their ongoing suffering to finally come to a swift conclusion!
Com'on Gainey -- put some LEADERSHIP in Knightdale High School!
What are the terms of Steve Gainey employment in this peculiar position? I also see some very serious conflict issues as Steve Gainey is the Director of Human Resources and now the Acting Superintendent . Will he sign the letters to employees as both? When employees do not agree with his politically driven decisions in human resourses, will then the appeal go back to him as the superintendent, too?
How would Steve Gainey be able to review and act on his own actions in one position versus the other? Considering both are full time jobs, who will be covering the other? Especially as employees are heading out the doors?
Who will be heading up our WCPSS major recruitment effort that we just started for more employees and more bus drivers?
Speak the TRUTH!
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 06:51 — speakerfortruthYes you are spot on about Carla Jernigan-Baker. If Knightdale is to progress they much REMOVE her as principal. She is definitely NOT kidding @@@ but has a low morale among teachers and students. Look at the 2008 AdvanceEd report. She failed two very important measures. Go to wcpss.net and type in the search: knightdale advance ed report
Standard I- Vision and Purpose
The school establishes and communicates a shared purpose and direction for improving the performance of students and the effectiveness of the school.
Standard VI-Stakeholder Communications and Relationships
The school fosters effective communications and relationships with and among its stakeholders.
There is a strong culture of FEAR and intimidation at the school from her leadership. Because she is so vendictive it is hard to get students and teacher to stand up and speak out.
Please provide Source documents
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 15:12 — KnightdaleParentThese are strong accusations. Do you have any source documents that we can look at to support your statements about Jernigan-Baker?
Carla Jernigan-Baker scores WAKE'S WORST Principal
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 01:53 — RandyRockettThese are strong FACTS. Knightdale Parent is historically blind to the cold hard facts at Knightdale High School. Most teachers believe she is in fact Carla 'Click-Click' Jernigan. No matter - bottom line: Knightdale High School dedicated teachers and students deserve PROVEN, REAL leadership. Why do you think eastern Wake students hardly attend classes at Knightdale High School?
2010 & 2012 North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Initiative Survey are public source documents that y'all can look at to support my statements about Carla Jernigan-Baker.
2010:
http://ncteachingconditions.org/archive2010/reports/detailed.php?siteID=920-466
2012:
http://www.ncteachingconditions.org/reports/detailed.php?siteID=920-466
Look under sections Managing Student Conduct & School Leadership = Carla Jernigan-Baker
Never Said that I disagreed.
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 08:14 — KnightdaleParentI know about the teacher issues and wholeheartedly agree. There has not been any respect for the principal at KHS since Mr. Connelly left. I was looking for support for the statements from Gainey that you included in quotes.
I like the fact that they've
Tue, 10/02/2012 - 22:42 — Livingthegoodli...I like the fact that they've got an HR guy running the schools system. That makes me laugh.
I suppose this is where a big difference in opinion lies: What makes some people think that prior experience as a teacher or principal makes one qualified for an executive level position running an entire school system? Is a single school a sufficient microcosm of the entire system? Does success in one foretell success in the other.
Personally, I have my doubts about career "educators" at any level and their lack of real world experience outside academia, but I know others feel differently.
As a teacher, I was thrilled to see the BOE choose someone
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:22 — neverindoubtwho was NOT a career educator to run the system. What training does a teacher or even building level administrator have that could possibly prepare them to lead such a huge enterprise?
WCPSS has a budget of $1B, 18,000 employees and 150,000 'customers'. This is an enormous business....the purpose of the business is educating children, of course, but that is a ton of people and money for someone to 'rise through the ranks' to manage. A smaller system, maybe. Our oversized system, no way!
But, of course, the bleeding hearts are intimidated by the BG's 'no-nonsense' approach and favor sheltered employment to allow their fellow incompetents guaranteed jobs forever. And then we find ourselves in this sort of a mess....
So a guy with...
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:29 — bpuli9999no experience in running anything remotely close to the system was the perfect choice? Makes sense.
(Cue..Bob to chime in with how Ford got an outside guy to be CEO...)
All you capitalists have to do is work a bit harder to be able to afford a private education. Get to it. Why do you even want to send your kids to public schools with the commoners?
?
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:54 — Bob_SconceSo, he was an assistant superintendent in DC -- that wasn't a lot of experience, but it was more than "no experience." And, I don't see being a Brigadier General as being "nowhere remotely close." Leadership skills translate across a lot of areas. Heck, look at Hugh Shelton, or Gen. Colon Powell.
Frankly, considering his accomplishments, it's a bit silly debating whether he was good at leading the school system. Performance improvements across the board, managed to avoid firing any teachers desipte a severe budget crunch (recall that this was Del Burns' first instinct.) Yeah, the transportation situation was/is a problem, but recognize that he did them to save teacher jobs, and that's a trade-off that I think we can all agree with.
Tata wasn't fired for a lack of competence -- he was fired, largely, because Evans/Martin/Kushner wanted somebody to embrace bussing-for-diversity and, when the new assignment plan DIDN'T, they pushed to show him the door.
Considering the sorry state
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 18:16 — woodstockConsidering the sorry state of the nation's public school systems and the fact that they are primarily run by people immersed in academia is not exactly a confidence-builder regarding the notion that WCPSS needs to hire a career educator as a superintendent.
Well...
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 16:14 — Bob_SconceI think career educators have their place -- educating. I don't understand this idea of "Hey! Let's take somebody who does a really good job of teaching and move them into a position where they're not teaching any more."
$$$$$$
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 16:59 — shank56Guess they have to throw their hat in the ring to "move up" financially.
Possibly....
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 17:29 — Bob_SconceIf so, then that's a problem. Personally, I think most people in education are under-paid. Good Principals, especially.
Agree 100 %
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 20:32 — shank56Agree 100 %
Because when I work harder,
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:33 — shearertwBecause when I work harder, you just tax me more! Let me keep my income and you've got a deal!
If we stay with WCPSS, I
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:24 — shearertwIf we stay with WCPSS, I hope my children have you as their teacher someday....
thank you, SHEARERTW, that means a lot to me....
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 20:20 — neverindoubtI work in a high performing Title I school full of first class professionals. We work together as a team and are constantly searching for whatever it takes to hook every single child. Our children are just precious to us. But what goes along with that is their achievement. We love them enough to demand everything they've got. We aren't a bunch of bleeding hearts who feel sorry for them because they didn't hear English until they walked through our doors or because they live in poverty. We acknowledge these things and then we start demanding. Feeling pity for them won't help anything. Demanding their best everyday (while the adults in the building are also giving our best to them everyday, well, OK, most days!) means that they are gaining valuable skills and self confidence that they'll carry with them as they move forward in life. There are amazing things happening in WCPSS every day. I am proud to be a part of that. I only wish the BOE had the same commitment to student achievment that Mr Tata and my coworkers do.
Thank you and thank you for sharing your perspective
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 23:21 — nmoskalYour school is a high performing Title I school exactly because of the mindset and approach you outlined in your post. As a former ED student, thank you and your school for not subjecting your students to deficit thinking. I too wish the BOE had the same committment to student achievement that Mr. Tata and your coworkers do.
Too bad we can't replace the BOE with a council of nine principals from high-performing Title I schools.
Fantastic Idea....
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 10:35 — JanisTangoToo bad we can't replace the BOE with a council of nine principals from high-performing Title I schools
I concur. It these board members in the Ivory Magnets would go visit some of these schools that might learn a thing or two. Our school had a revolving door of students year after year. When we finally had a somewhat stable population of students that had been there for more than 1 year and it's amazing what was accomplished.
Why don't you..
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:26 — bpuli9999just ask for the political affiliation of your kid's teachers before school starts every year? That would make your life so much better knowing that these leftist liberals are not poisoning their minds.
You don't have to ask. The
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:28 — starsonoursYou don't have to ask. The leftist liberal ones usually announce their beliefs. No asking required.
That's what I would have
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:33 — shearertwThat's what I would have said...
Even More Money
Tue, 10/02/2012 - 21:35 — jeffrey1Assuming Gainey's named interim, and assuming Hill's prediction of July 1, 2013 for a new super to be in place, that's another 9 x $3750 = $33,750 to add to the cost of Tata's firing. And then they'll have a 3 month period (July, 2013 thru September, 2013) where they will essentially be paying 2 superintendents. If the new guy, also makes $250,000/year, that's another $62,500 added to the pot. It just keeps getting bigger.
I don't think you're
Tue, 10/02/2012 - 21:40 — shearertwI don't think you're including benefits...
That's a lot of iPads!
You're right, we should
Tue, 10/02/2012 - 21:43 — jeffrey1You're right, we should start a list of all the "costs" associated with Tata's firing, and come up with a grand total. Bet it approaches $1 million.