School Board Meets
March 28 2022
Nothing is ever
simple in County Clay. Pay backs, backroom deals, getting a
favor, keeping a favor, and more, permeates Clayberry at every
corner. This is coverage from the March 28th Bd of Education
meeting held at the Pentagon beginning at 6pm. Boardsters
Susan Bodkins and Morgy Triplett participated on a cell line
connection.
In the peanut gallery, notably, for the first time since retiring, Kenneth Tanner (KT for our long time readers), Jim Haynie (also long retired from the administration), Phil Dobbins and Allen Tanner from CHS, and School Board candidates, Phoebe Nichols, Lo Nutter, Carrie Haynes Dunmire, and Nicole Brook Jones.
Note: those four candidates for office have been attending public meetings since signing up for their run for office. Seeing them in the peanut gallery skeers those trying to retain their perch. That would be Board Chair Dave Mullins, Cheryl White and Morgy Triplett.
Clay High Principal Crystal Gibson resigned from her post two weeks ago. She's being moved to a grant funded homeless position away from CHS. The created job allows her to keep getting paid after receiving a letter of no support from teachers at CHS two months ago.
Note: That no support letter applied to Vo Ag Director Bob Morris as well.
The Pentagon's plan was to immediately replace Gibson that same night but a wrench was thrown in when three applicants sought the CHS Principal position.
The two top contenders for the slot were Allan Tanner and Phil Dobbins. Both are top notch teachers, well liked, and strong contenders. Dobbins had one added check mark. He has head honcho Principal experience at CHS.
After the three candidates were interviewed, Phil Dobbins (according to Jim Haynie) was told he had the job. One day later, March 25th, Alan Tanner was told You are the new Principal.
See the problem?
No you don't.
What was happening was yet one more incident of a disorganized Pentagon and for that matter, School Board with Dave Mullins at the Chair, not knowing how to run a $20+ million govt agency.
While we're talking about a screwed up school system, a side note. One of the biggest problems in the Clayberry School System is hiring unqualified, untrained, unskilled, teachers for the classrooms. No not one person here and there but for the last five years, the Pentagon has been hiring non teachers to do teachers work. Like any other craft, training is needed to do a good job.
Yes, there's a shortage of teachers and substitute teachers, but to hire people WITHOUT a four year degree, without any teaching skills, that's the recipe for disaster. That's what we have today in the County.
For that matter, ask our Superintendent if he has any teaching experience in this system.
With that out in the open, on with the meeting.
Item 6 was the hiring of Allan Tanner. Next up came secret time for a little over 20 minutes.
During that time, Phil Dobbins went over and greeted hands with Allan Tanner and then left the building. That was the right thang to do but our guess, Mr Dobbins was chomping nails.
In the peanut gallery, notably, for the first time since retiring, Kenneth Tanner (KT for our long time readers), Jim Haynie (also long retired from the administration), Phil Dobbins and Allen Tanner from CHS, and School Board candidates, Phoebe Nichols, Lo Nutter, Carrie Haynes Dunmire, and Nicole Brook Jones.
Note: those four candidates for office have been attending public meetings since signing up for their run for office. Seeing them in the peanut gallery skeers those trying to retain their perch. That would be Board Chair Dave Mullins, Cheryl White and Morgy Triplett.
Clay High Principal Crystal Gibson resigned from her post two weeks ago. She's being moved to a grant funded homeless position away from CHS. The created job allows her to keep getting paid after receiving a letter of no support from teachers at CHS two months ago.
Note: That no support letter applied to Vo Ag Director Bob Morris as well.
The Pentagon's plan was to immediately replace Gibson that same night but a wrench was thrown in when three applicants sought the CHS Principal position.
The two top contenders for the slot were Allan Tanner and Phil Dobbins. Both are top notch teachers, well liked, and strong contenders. Dobbins had one added check mark. He has head honcho Principal experience at CHS.
After the three candidates were interviewed, Phil Dobbins (according to Jim Haynie) was told he had the job. One day later, March 25th, Alan Tanner was told You are the new Principal.
See the problem?
No you don't.
What was happening was yet one more incident of a disorganized Pentagon and for that matter, School Board with Dave Mullins at the Chair, not knowing how to run a $20+ million govt agency.
While we're talking about a screwed up school system, a side note. One of the biggest problems in the Clayberry School System is hiring unqualified, untrained, unskilled, teachers for the classrooms. No not one person here and there but for the last five years, the Pentagon has been hiring non teachers to do teachers work. Like any other craft, training is needed to do a good job.
Yes, there's a shortage of teachers and substitute teachers, but to hire people WITHOUT a four year degree, without any teaching skills, that's the recipe for disaster. That's what we have today in the County.
For that matter, ask our Superintendent if he has any teaching experience in this system.
With that out in the open, on with the meeting.
Item 6 was the hiring of Allan Tanner. Next up came secret time for a little over 20 minutes.
During that time, Phil Dobbins went over and greeted hands with Allan Tanner and then left the building. That was the right thang to do but our guess, Mr Dobbins was chomping nails.
New Principal Allan Tanner
Now retired, Jim Haynie was in this
system for decades. Haynie moved up thru the ranks and a
couple points worked as an Asst. Principal. He knows the ropes
and what really goes on behind the scenes. Haynie attended
this meeting. Before the 6pm start time, Haynie got his name
listed on the meeting agenda.
Something was bugging Haynie big time.
Haynie: I have nothing against Allan Tanner... This school system makes me sick... The test scores make me sick... Phil was told he had the job. He was devastated!
We have never seen Jim like this. His rattling on was a newspaper reporter's dream come true. He was making public the buried stuff we've been trying to uncover for the last 27 years.
Super Paxton tried to cool his jets with: Alan got the job because of his technology and curriculum expertise.
That didn't slow Mr Haynie one beat: Now we are a disgrace!... Phil is the better candidate... I thought this Board was for [working] for the county, the kids... Phil has the experience!
And then the uncovering.
Haynie unloaded, his wife Joan (now Asst Superintendent) SHOULD have been hired as the Superintendent and not Joe Paxton.... Joan should be the Superintendent ...
Mr Haynie got into the pitiful test scores that the Board nor Paxton have ever mentioned during a public meeting. Haynie: Now the test scores are bad.
He went on to remind those up front, Clay High ranks at the bottom, 100th out of 113 schools in West Virginia. And, back years ago, the scores were much higher.
Note: Jim Haynie worked as a VP when Phil Dobbins was Principal at CHS.
Haynie: I'm not here to cause problems... I want the best people on the job... Joan thinks Phil was better too!
His presentation extended several minutes. We just couldn't write it all down as he spoke. If you want the exact wordage, Joe Paxton tapes each meeting as does this newspaper of choice. Just ask for a copy.
Before we leave this part of the coverage, a couple more notes. Let's talk Haynie. At every intersection of life, Jim regularly argues with the Ace Cub Reporter. Everything from Drumpf to women rights, to well, everything, we argue about it. He's Hell bent to the right while the Ace Cub Reporter is one step from falling off the left side of Earth.
Secondly on Jim (and wifey Joan), one of the biggest disagreements has been: when their kids were of school age, the kids were sent to private schools and not the Clayberry School System where both parents made their living. We've always have had problems with that set up.
We know, you know, our school system is failing the youth, the future of this county. They keep telling dimly lit parents, your child is receiving a great edumacation. When they say that, they are fibbing and they know they are fibbing.
Often they come up with grant funded "add-ons" guaranteed to make life fuzzy and warm. For this meeting, the newest initiative is to romp a cuddly dog named "Ollie" around the kids at each school. With smiles around the big table at this Board meeting, the idea is to teach love, skills, and support.
It might be time to return to the stuff kids needs every day of their adult life, reading, writing, and math comes to mind. It's also time to change leadership on May 10th followed by a change at the Pentagon
From Eliza Cook: It's better to build schoolhouses for the boy than cells for the man.
AW
PS Allan or Phil, either one will do a good job at Clay High... a great job .... the problem is, it's going to take a long time to get the CHS ship back on an even keel. That's one more class ill prepared for life. aw
Something was bugging Haynie big time.
Haynie: I have nothing against Allan Tanner... This school system makes me sick... The test scores make me sick... Phil was told he had the job. He was devastated!
We have never seen Jim like this. His rattling on was a newspaper reporter's dream come true. He was making public the buried stuff we've been trying to uncover for the last 27 years.
Super Paxton tried to cool his jets with: Alan got the job because of his technology and curriculum expertise.
That didn't slow Mr Haynie one beat: Now we are a disgrace!... Phil is the better candidate... I thought this Board was for [working] for the county, the kids... Phil has the experience!
And then the uncovering.
Haynie unloaded, his wife Joan (now Asst Superintendent) SHOULD have been hired as the Superintendent and not Joe Paxton.... Joan should be the Superintendent ...
Mr Haynie got into the pitiful test scores that the Board nor Paxton have ever mentioned during a public meeting. Haynie: Now the test scores are bad.
He went on to remind those up front, Clay High ranks at the bottom, 100th out of 113 schools in West Virginia. And, back years ago, the scores were much higher.
Note: Jim Haynie worked as a VP when Phil Dobbins was Principal at CHS.
Haynie: I'm not here to cause problems... I want the best people on the job... Joan thinks Phil was better too!
His presentation extended several minutes. We just couldn't write it all down as he spoke. If you want the exact wordage, Joe Paxton tapes each meeting as does this newspaper of choice. Just ask for a copy.
Before we leave this part of the coverage, a couple more notes. Let's talk Haynie. At every intersection of life, Jim regularly argues with the Ace Cub Reporter. Everything from Drumpf to women rights, to well, everything, we argue about it. He's Hell bent to the right while the Ace Cub Reporter is one step from falling off the left side of Earth.
Secondly on Jim (and wifey Joan), one of the biggest disagreements has been: when their kids were of school age, the kids were sent to private schools and not the Clayberry School System where both parents made their living. We've always have had problems with that set up.
We know, you know, our school system is failing the youth, the future of this county. They keep telling dimly lit parents, your child is receiving a great edumacation. When they say that, they are fibbing and they know they are fibbing.
Often they come up with grant funded "add-ons" guaranteed to make life fuzzy and warm. For this meeting, the newest initiative is to romp a cuddly dog named "Ollie" around the kids at each school. With smiles around the big table at this Board meeting, the idea is to teach love, skills, and support.
It might be time to return to the stuff kids needs every day of their adult life, reading, writing, and math comes to mind. It's also time to change leadership on May 10th followed by a change at the Pentagon
From Eliza Cook: It's better to build schoolhouses for the boy than cells for the man.
AW
PS Allan or Phil, either one will do a good job at Clay High... a great job .... the problem is, it's going to take a long time to get the CHS ship back on an even keel. That's one more class ill prepared for life. aw