When I try to switch to digest form I am told I am not subscribed to
Museum-L.  Perhaps by replying to a few messages I can attract some
attention.
 
 

Richard de Koster

Executive Director

Constitution Island Association, Inc.

Box 41

West Point, New York 10996

Tel: (845) 446-8676

Fax: (845) 622-6022

Constitution Island Association is a

501(c)3 non-profit corporation chartered

by the NYS Board of Regents

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Gayle "Indigo Nights"
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 11:01 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Sent to my by my son ...


Ok, while this satiates some curiosity and make the art lovers appeased, to
have responded about an employee's work record--which may be part of a
litigatory matter--is really dumb.  Even if the district felt it were
getting a raw deal on this one, they should not have discussed employment
issues with a perfect stranger, and the district could really be liable
depending upon how this played out in court.  
 
As has been communicated, there are two sides to every picture (and more if
you look at artistic perspective).  The details will eventually come out,
but they shouldn't have shared work history with a stranger, no matter how
well intentioned the stranger may have been.


Sue Fischer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Listmates;

I wrote an e-mail to the trustees' address, and just got back the following
reply from one of them. As usual, there is much more going on here than just
the story that the media put out.

Suzanne Fischer 
Curator of Material Culture 
Louisiana State Museum 
P.O. Box 2448 
New Orleans, LA 70176 
[log in to unmask] < mailto:[log in to unmask]> 

***********************
Thank you for your e-mail. I'm sure you understand that you cannot believe
everything you read and hear in the media. A school district is at an
extreme disadvantage in the area of personnel matters due to issues of
employee privacy and ethical considerations.

However, since an employee of the district has chosen to express her
concerns publicly in a hearing and in the media since that time, it seems
fair that a school district can at least point to facts that were stated in
that public hearing. Much has been misrepresented.

First, this is not about a field trip to an art museum. The timing of
circumstances has allowed the teacher to wave that banner and it has played
well in the media. FISD is a strong supporter of the arts and the Dallas
Museum of Arts - our art program is rich and award-winning.

At issue here are performance concerns and the ability to supervise an
employee. As early as May 2005 the principal verbally brought to the
attention of the teacher that there were some performance concerns. She
suggested at that time that a field trip experience might be a way to
strengthen the art program. It was not mandated and is truly not the issue. 
During the late spring of the next school year, 2005-2006, when the teacher
began planning the field trip, the principal suggested that the field trip
be delayed until the next school year because she was concerned that the
planning process was not sufficient. 
Then when the teacher received her evaluation conference, which was in mid
May and after the field trip, some issues of concern were discussed and the
teacher stated that she didn't think it was fair to evaluate her on
expectations that had not been clearly communicated to her in writing.
Principals try to work through informal methods first to address performance
concerns (verbal instructions, etc.) before documenting expectations. The
principal did then document the performance areas that needed to be
addressed - at the teacher's request - but the documentation was not brought
on by the field trip; the field trip was not a catalyst for anything or the
final straw to get her in "hot water." She was never told there would not be
a next year for her or that she was not "Frisco material" as has been
reported. 
After the memo was provided as requested, she did file a grievance and also
asked to be transferred if there was an opening in the district. The
transfer was denied because the central administration felt that if you
allow a teacher to transfer after a supervisor has given them guidelines for
improvement then you have weakened a supervisor's ability to address
performance issues by essentially giving the teacher an "escape hatch" to
avoid meeting the expectations of the supervisor. 
What is getting lost here is that this is not about a field trip,
censorship, or a parent complaint. It is not about age, tenure or salary
level as has also been suggested in the media. This is about a school
administrator working to help an employee improve her job performance and to
improve the educational experience of students. Even someone who has taught
for a long time can still have opportunity for professional development. 

As an aside, the Star Award that is being mentioned in the context of the
teacher being an award-winning teacher or Star Award Teacher of the Year
2004 is a recognition that took place periodically in the local paper
because a local business wanted to sponsor the monthly ad to show support
for teachers in the community - someone from each campus was usually
represented. There was no set way employees were chosen at each campus for
this ad. Some campuses went by tenure for inclusion, others were selected
based on something that had occurred that month. Teachers were recognized,
as were volunteers, custodians, receptionists, and others. 

At this time, the teacher has been placed on administrative leave with pay.
The Administration and the Board felt that this was the best action for the
teacher, the students and the school. A recommendation for the non-renewal
of her contract will be forthcoming from the superintendent. 
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help"
(without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).





Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]
========================================================= Important
Subscriber Information: 

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help"
(without the quotes). 


If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).


-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.407 / Virus Database: 268.12.9/458 - Release Date: 9/27/2006
 

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).