Things are moving pretty fast. Read the back story here, here, here, and here.
Seattle School Board President Steve Sundquist met with The Seattle Times editorial board today morning to discuss the district’s $1.8 million alleged financial fraud, and what the board is considering doing with the supe.
Seattle School Board President Steve Sundquist said Friday the board is considering firing Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson or buying out her contract in light of a report’s findings that she didn’t do more to stop misuse of public money in a district contracting program.
In an appearance before The Seattle Times editorial board, Sundquist said the findings in the newly released report “certainly undermine my confidence in the effectiveness of the management.”
Sundquist declined comment when asked if the school board was in buyout discussions with Goodloe-Johnson, but said she is working with an attorney.
“All options are on the table,” Sundquist said.
Goodloe-Johnson could not be reached for comment. School staff say she is with her mother, who is hospitalized.
The board could announce its decision about Goodloe-Johnson as early as the next school board meeting Wednesday. It meets in executive session Tuesday.
The Superintendent and Don Kennedy, the COO, should be let go for cause.
It is probable she will get a buy-out because it is likely in her contract.
I nominate Phil Brockman, one of the Executive Directors of schools, for interim superintendent. Phil has great integrity and is liked and respected by staff and teachers alike.
The Board up for reelection in the fall should think long and hard if they really want to run again. Saying THEY didn’t know about this is going to be easy to prove wrong.
Gone immediately, with cause. Criminal activity, with crony system. Hopefully (but I bet it’ll happen) the Dreaded Race Card will not be played.
Too little, too late.
Addressing the symptoms won’t change anything.
Backing up a little, can someone explain why the SPS is involved in business development?
@4
You haven’t been paying attention the past ten years, have you? In America, the public sector must justify it’s existence by directly creating private-sector jobs. Otherwise, we’re just a surrender monkey commie nation.
The story on this program is that several years back the Board thought it a good idea (and the Auditor concurs) to encourage small minority/women-owned businesses to bid for capital projects. The idea was to make sure they had information on how to create the bids as well as have someone who could answer their questions. I think some of it was an attempt to enlarge the pool of contractors and not just give work to the same group.
Not a bad thought and it certainly was a far cry from what it morphed into under Silas Potter.
Will mr. Silas be asking for equal justice or social justice when he’s caught?
@5: I get that we must welcome our private sector overlords. Well, I don’t get it, but I accept it. But why the school system? Wouldn’t the noble task of diversifying the contractors’ pool rightfully go to, I don’t know, some municipal or county business development types?