The Metro Nashville School Board was hurried into picking a new school director and doing it fast. The number of candidates were few, the search was hurried, and the choice of Dr. Shawn Joseph is turning into a major embarrassment. Dr. Joseph, it turns out, is embroiled in a major controversy in his previous district, but apparently no one had time to check that out.
Public school parent and blogger T.C. Weber tells the whole sordid story here.
Nashville just went through a bitter election contest in which voters made clear that they want good public schools, not privatization. The school board can’t afford to squander the public’s confidence by letting the new director run roughshod over the elected board. The board is in charge; Dr. Joseph works for them. They are his employer.
Nashville didn’t want a corporate reformer, but made the mistake of hiring an autocratic, power-hungry, tone-deaf bureaucrat.
If the elected board can’t straighten out this mess and revise Dr. Joseph’s contract to assure that he works for the board–the board does not work for him–then it’s time to cut their losses and terminate his contract. Don’t accept excuses for his wasteful spending, his ill-advised hires, his importing of the same aides involved in the scandal in Prince George’s County. If he won’t comply, say goodbye. It’s imperative to admit it when you have made a mistake. Cut your losses sooner rather than later.
Fire whatever search service you used. There are others who can identify superintendents who have served with honor and integrity. Take the time to do it right.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Thank you, Diane, for sharing this story. You are indeed right – the board needs to admit its mistake and make it right. Now. Before it’s too late.
http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Nashville-New-School-Supe-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Diane-Ravitch_Embarrassment_Nashville_School-Reform-161008-777.html#comment621818
I have seen this over and over, as these top-dogs move from one school district to another,–superintendent who took me out, went on to San Diego, and they ‘fired’ her. Cortines,& Alverado escaped NYC to Califronia, and Rudy Crew took is low class act to Florida; The donkey Superintendent Mucci left Belmore Long Island, for to become chancellor in NJ’s, Englewood schools.
It is such a shame because they create havoc while collecting pensions and benefits in each place.
YES. The guys who originated the rules for school “accountability” opened the floodgates for paying anyone who promised miracles to be hired…again and again and again. Actual results, not so important. But oh, those pie-in-the-sky promises.
Maybe some pro-public education organization should publish the “Do not hire” list for boards of education that want to protect public education. It would be a pity to win the battle and lose the war.
That is a brilliant idea. I teach in Prince George’s County Public Schools, Maryland, where Joseph cam from. I can’t think of the words to describe how terrible this situation is.
We can all thank Lillian Lowery (a Broadie!) for bringing Dr. Joseph, Renee Foose, and Dallas Dance as Superintendents to the once great state of MD. Dr. Joseph got out right before the garbage hit the fan, but I don’t think he will be able to avoid blame.
I know of two people who do superintendent searches and look for genuine educators with good track records.
There are issues with the recent state superintendent selection here in Alabama and if legislators pull off getting to appoint state school board members as they want and have been trying to do recently, things could get really bad here..
I live in Nashville. I watched with deep interest two rounds of the Metro School Board interviews with every school director candidate via live stream. The School board members each took the time to flesh out important issues through lengthy discussion. These interviews were live streamed so anyone could watch. They are probably still online for anyone to watch. This was an open, transparent process with a lot of public input. The school board UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to hire Dr Joseph. The school board chose him because they felt he was the best candidate for our community.
ANY person stepping into this role would be facing the same challenges Dr Joseph is facing. He has involved parents and the community from DAY ONE — much more so than in previous years. It seems wildly inaccurate to characterize him as an “autocratic, power-hungry, tone-deaf bureaucrat.”
As a native Nashvillian who came up in MNPS, I know what our public schools are like. I attended five of them. I now have a son who has attended both public traditional and public charter schools, and we have had amazing experiences and been part of engaged learning communities at BOTH. I think people who don’t live in Nashville and don’t have kids in school here are hard pressed to present a balanced perspective on our local issues.
Aidan,
Dr. J. immediately hired a chief of staff whose background was charters and corporate reform, which voters clearly opposed. He raised administrative salaries, while schools need basic supplies. He bought luxury cars for his top staff. He is embroiled in a nasty controversy in Prince George’s County, his last job. Did the Nashville board know about that?
If Nashville parents are happy to see their tax dollars lavished on administrators, so be it. I’m not in a position to call him on the carpet for his spending spree, but I do have the freedom to say what I want on my own blog. I have not yet heard of the law that tells me I can only write about education in the place where I live.
I believe what Nashville parents, including me, are happy to see is an increase in open, honest and difficult dialogue among actual community members about the MANY complex issues — both current and historic — that impact our school system. Dr Joseph encourages and supports this dialogue.
These issues cannot be oversimplified into “pro-charter vs anti-charter” or some other polarizing debate — debates that often take on a life of their own as separate from our community reality. To say that “voters clearly opposed” charters is misleading — the city is quite split on support for charters – it’s not one-sided.
I don’t know what individual board members knew or didn’t know about Dr Joseph when they unanimously chose him as the best candidate. But I do believe each one of them is thoughtful, conscientious, and dedicated to supporting our schools. To insinuate that they were somehow duped doesn’t give them credit for the work they put into the process.
Dr Joseph did not “buy luxury cars for his top staff.” MNPS published the actual facts about their motor fleet here:
http://www.mnps.org/blog/factcheckingtvnewsinvestigation
Anybody can say anything on a blog. Since you are talking about my community, I felt that you and the folks reading your blog might want to hear some actual information from the community you are blasting.
I know and trust TC Weber, a Nashville public school parent, as well as members of the Metro Nashville school board and teachers in the Nashville schools. Like it or not, Nashville is on the national stage because of the failed efforts of Stand for Children (NOT a Nashville organization) to choose the board members. Were you equally upset that SFC intervened in your local school board election as you are that I dared to speak critically of the superintendent? Which was a greater threat to Nashville? Their out-of-state money dump or my words? Show me where you complained about their attempt to buy your board and I will be impressed by your outrage.
I have not expressed any outrage. You are the one expressing outrage. I am aware of the controversies surrounding funding by outside groups of candidates for school board. My district’s seat was not up for a new term so I couldn’t vote, but if I could have, I would have voted for a specific incumbent that wasn’t backed by Stand for Children. I’m not here to share outrage. I’m here to offer another local perspective, and to point out one of the positives Dr Joseph has brought – a desire to get past the outrage and actually talk to each other face to face.
Dr. Ravitch,
You say you know and trust Nashville school board members. Do they also feel the same as you do that he needs to go? Would love your insights.
Brad, my conversations are in confidence. Let’s see where the investigation in Prince George’s County leads.
Is this the controversy you are referring to about Dr Joseph? :
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2016/08/23/shawn-joseph-cleared-maryland-head-start-student-neglect-case/88946350/
“No wrongdoing was found on the part of Metro Nashville Public Schools Director Shawn Joseph when he headed a Prince George’s County (Md.) Public Schools division that recently saw the federal government revoke a $6.4 million Head Start program grant fund due to teachers mistreating students.”
If this is not the controversy you are referring to, can you please share more information?
Thanks.
Dr. Joseph may or may not have been cleared. What you have not explained is why he selected as his chief of staff a person with a long history of advocating for school privatization immediately after an election where the privatizers lost.
Prince George is on fire and at the beginning stages of an investigation by multiple agencies. Joseph says his people had nothing to do with the culture yet all were in leadership positions. Hmmm…either someone isn’t being honest or we’ve hired leaders so inept that they can influence culture.
Aidan, I have two children in the school system and if you think things have gotten more transparent you are wrong. And that piece from Joe Bass does not refute any facts either. Salaries have increased dramatically for staff while failing to increase equally for teachers. There was a Tahoe purchased for Joseph and for a Chrysler 300 for Carlisle. I suggest you read my post next week when I talk about the actual resumes of the people he’s hired. For example the Broadie hired to oversee personal development that has no classroom experience or PD experience. My email is norinrad10@yahoo.com please feel free to contact me if you want to discuss any of the facts.
Diane, I’m a huge fan of yours. But I think you are wrong on this. And to answer a question posed above, I’m pretty certain ALL Nashville’s board members remain in full support of Dr. Joseph, as do the vast majority of parents in Nashville who push back against the corporate reform movement. Listen to Dr. Joseph speaking and it’s very clear that he doesn’t not speak the language of the reformers, but of someone who is dedicated to all children. Your assessment of him is premature, and I hope you will take a look at what he does or does not accomplish over the entire school year and consider revisiting your opinion.
His choice of a zealous charter promoter as his chief of staff is not a good sign.
Truly an unfair cause to action. I am an avid. longtime reader of this column … the messages shared so often resonate with me. But this paints an uninformed and inaccurate picture of Shawn Joseph’s early months of the job. While early in his journey here … how he has gone about his work has been impressive to date. The fact that he is recruiting top level talent to a district that does not have enough of it is commendable. The reality is that we need to expend dollars to attract and retain the talent we desperately need to reform and improve urban education in Nashville. And … the reality is that he must position himself to lead this district and that includes providing his board with strong guidance. Sorry … but you missed the target with this one. … Avi Poster
Avi I have a great deal of respect for you but I would temper that uninformed and inaccurate comments. Email and we can talk about some of the things I haven’t shared yet and then we’ll see who’s uninformed and inaccurate. Diane I’ve yet to see anybody refute a single passage from what I’ve written and I stand by it. Thank you for your support.