*(2) Superintendent’s Contract Approval: RESOLVED, That the Board hereby re-elects Dr. Timothy J. Steinhauer to the position of Superintendent for a term commencing July 1, 2014 and expiring June 30, 2019, and does approve an employment contract with Dr. Steinhauer for said term and does authorize the President and Secretary or AssistantWasn't there an auditor's report or legislation discouraging long contracts? Is this a wise thing? Didn't we learn anything from the Sable buyout? Isn't it supposed to be limited to three years?
Secretary to execute said contract with Dr. Steinhauer substantially in the form presented.
The asterisk represents a new agenda item. This was not considered or discussed by the Board at its Discussion Meeting on September 9, 2013. This revision appeared today, same day as the meeting.
I suspect his raise is not included in the public motion but IS included in the contract.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to FOIA it I suppose.
Quite frankly, there is nobody on this planet that is worth a six year contract extension, I don't care who you are or what business you are in!
The Board has no idea how the changes in priorities from education to bricks and mortar will impact test scores. They have no idea how the lack of program changes will impact test scores. They have no idea how the tax increases perpetrated by the good Dr. will impact student populations and results.
But, we are talking about the Mt. Lebanon school board. A little thing like "results" never matters.
Good grief! Does anyone on the school board remember what happened to Wilkinsburg? Do they think it can't happen here, too? Does it ever occur to anyone to wonder why all the school district jointures came into being?
ReplyDeleteIf so, they'd better think again! Other districts already are laughing and smirking at us.
Anyone can spend money, but it takes study and intelligence to do so wisely.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone on the school board actually think people will move here for the privilege of paying more taxes? If so, they'd better think again.
What is really scary is the thought of sitting through 6 more installments of Steinhauer's Fables at commencment. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteMaybe they are preparing to give Steinhauser a Sable-level buyout as an expression of appreciation for the horrible job that he has done?
ReplyDeleteOf course, if they raise Steinhuasers pay, then that means that we need to raise teacher pay so that the por teachers don't feel left out!
Thank you once again to the union activist Daubner family for ruining our community!
From the June 2010 State Auditor's Report page 14:
ReplyDelete"We note that the district approved a contract that will limit the potential liability to the district should termination be necessary. While the district did not adhere to our recommendation that it grant the minimum three-year contract to a FIRST-TIME superintendent, the district also did not agree to the maximum five-year contract permitted by state law."
http://www.auditorgen.state.pa.us/Archives/School/schMtLebanonSD063010.pdf
Three years applies to first time superintendents. But what about the five year contract part?
Elaine
And he can legally resign and take another job elsewhere at any time at his discretion with no penalties. But the SB cannot terminate his employment without cause and compensation. This is a 1-sided boondoggle deal that removes him from being an at-will public employee.
ReplyDeleteAn interest article from Education Week on "Leadership Implications of the Brave New Blended World" that is pertinent to the upcoming Miller forum and Steinhauer's 6 year contract extension.
ReplyDeletehttp://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?DISPATCHED=true&cid=25983841&item=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.edweek.org%2Fedweek%2Fon_innovation%2F2013%2F09%2Fleadership_implications_of_the_brave_new_blended_world.html
"It's time to rethink leadership preparation in education. The old university model is obsolete, expensive, and time consuming. It's time for new pathways and new partnerships that prepare leaders for the schools our children deserve."
Before board just hands Dr. S a new contract I want to read where he plans to take the district over the next 6 years!
How is he going to deal with pension cost, find new pathways, and create new partnerships.
I for one expect more than First Day Tweets and photo reports of pizza lunches!
There are a lot of issues facing education today, I'd like to know if the doctor is awatre of them and how he plans to deal with them.
Daniel Pink writes: "“Greatness and nearsightedness are incompatible. Meaningful achievement depends on lifting one's sights and pushing toward the horizon.”
The least the good doctor can do is tells us where he's aiming and push us towards that horizon. I'm not following someone that isn't prepared to map out the journey.
This Mt. Lebanon, I expect more and I'm willing to pay for it.
The School Code says the Superintendent can be employed from three to five years. This is a five year contract.
ReplyDeleteThe Code also says a superintendent must be given at least 150 days notice of termination or five months notice if his contract is not to be renewed. That would move his renewal date from June to January. The renewal is being made in September or about four months earlier than the minimum renewal time. So this is not as big a deal as some of you are trying to make it.
Well, alright then! Everything is good. YAY! Bring on the magical frogs and pizza all around!
ReplyDeleteElaine
The message is clear---this school board is happy with the status quo and plans to keep it going.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who feels differently better be sure to vote in upcoming elections.
FOUR MONTHS EARLIER THAN THE MINIMUM RENEWAL TIME JOHN? WHY IS IT EARLIER?
ReplyDeleteFour months give the Superintendent plenty of time to prepare and deliver a statement of where he is going to take the district, his plans, his initiatives and observations on technology, finances etc.
ReplyDeleteThat isn't something that is so unusual. As I got contracts renewed with clients, I always had to justify why I should be renewed and what I expected to delievery for the honor of being picked up.
I guess public employees don't have to justify their existance.
5:29 vote for who???????
ReplyDelete5:31, Tell me why not?
ReplyDeleteNot 5:31, but I try to answer why not.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have any idea how the Superintendent plans to run the district into the future.
What he foresees as problems, changes, technology, etc. That doesn't mean I'm suggesting he doesn't know, or doesn't have a plan, just that I'd like to hear his vision before we hand him a five year cintract.
Even the President of the USA needs to make his case before he's re-elected to a second term. Why should we expect any less from our superintendent?
Why should taking a month to give the Superintendent opportunity to present his vision of where the district should be - be such a problem?
ReplyDeleteI would think as the leader of one of Pennsylvania's premier school districts he'd be proud to publicize his intentions.
I'd think it would mean more in the world of education than tweets of backpacks lined up against a school building. Is he an educator, a motivator or a photographer?
If he can't put his plan into words, maybe we should only offer him 2 or 3 year contracts.
Maybe Timmy will be one of the largest donors but wanted a "five" year contract before he committed to a donation. Ha!
ReplyDeleteElaine
Hi John (Ewing),
ReplyDeleteI didn't comment earlier, but my concern with our current supt. is that he hasn't been able to develop an actionable plan to realize a vision.
Granted, I haven't read his educational philosophy, if he even has one, but when I look at the District's scorecard he isn't articulating meaningful and quantifyable goals with milestones and way forward to achieve them.
So, why are we paying this man so much money? How will he transform the vision of the leadership ( the Board ) into a set of specific actions that his management team ( the asst supt's) will take to realize their vision?
If he's doing it, I sure don't see it - and neither does anybody else. All that I see a lot of hot air, cheerleading, self-praise and glorification of a broken organization.
In my opinion, they planted him in the position for the next six years for the same reason that we have staggered the long terms of the school board members - namely, we're filling the Board with people who think alike and we're making it impossible to change this broken institution for at least a decade.
I hope that Mt Lebanon will have something left to manage in ten years, because at the rate that these people are going, we're going to have nothing left.
The superintendent is not elected, he is employed by, and evaluated by the Board.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the High School Project he will be responsible for:
Educating 5,000 students (with Federal interference),
Maintaining buildings remodeled at a cost of over $185,000,000,
Managing a Staff estimated above 650 people,
Following the School Code,
Following Board Policy,
Implementing the Strategic Plan,
And doing so within Act 1 millage limits.
For those who have commented please do your homework on each of the above items. 8)
Respectfully,
John
Timmy will contribute right after the SD gets the 8 million from the DAS! Ha! Ha!
ReplyDeleteJohn (Ewing),
ReplyDeleteCorrect - so, that's my point. He's not doing a very good job at implementing the strategic plan.
Where is his roadmap?
What are his milestones?
How is he measuring progress against the goals?
Maybe I am missing something, but this guy is no Glenn Smartschan. Smartschan articulated his educational philospohy and he took meaningful steps to craft the organization into the vision that he shared with The Board.
You know what happened better than me because you were on the Board when Glenn was there.
If I am wrong, please tell me, but I am expressing what I am seeing.
I'll tell you what - I haven't met the new supt but I volunteered to help Elaine tape tomorrow's meeting.
ReplyDeleteI'll be at the meeting listening to him tomorrow.
If I change my mind, I'll let you know.
John no one said the Superintendent was elected.
ReplyDeleteI said even the Prez had to sell himself to his constituency for another 4 four years.
You're right the Superintendent has all thos responsiblities and outside influences.
But I think it was Truman that said: "The buck stops here!"
Once an empty suit, always an empty suit.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mr. Kendrick for covering tomorrows meeting.
ReplyDeleteThe more I thougjt about it, the more i'd wished I could attend.
Why the hours when most people can't attend?
9:22, at the risk of stating the obvious Dr.Steinhauer made his case for five years to the Board. The Contract would not be on the Agenda without the votes to pass.
ReplyDeleteThis guy is building a 109,000,000 million dollar project and only borrowed 111,000,000 dollar to do it. But the district will tell us it borrowed around 104,000,000 million dollars, the face value of the bonds, excluding the premium from financing magic. No wonder math in the district concerns parents AND taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteMediocrity breeds mediocrity. Excellence breeds excellence. Mediocrity seems to be good enough.
ReplyDeleteMr. Ewing, you asked this question under an earlier topic-
ReplyDelete"If there are “ . . . no further capital improvement projects presently contemplated by the School District that would require the incurrence of additional bonded indebtedness.” what is Mrs. Posti saying and why is she saying it?"
Well, "at the risk of asking the obvious" who would be the person better suited to answer your question of any need for future indebtness than the guy they're going to keep incharge for the next five years?
Of course, the board made their decision on extending the Steinhauer contract, but as taxpayers shouldn't we at least be given an inkling of what he has in mind for the district?
Hey 7:11, Charles Osgood summed it up pretty well with his poem:
ReplyDeleteThere once was a pretty good student
Who sat in a pretty good class
And was taught by a pretty good teacher
Who always let pretty good pass.
He wasn’t terrific at reading,
He wasn’t a whiz-bang at math,
But for him, education was leading
Straight down a pretty good path.
He didn’t find school too exciting,
But he wanted to do pretty well,
And he did have some trouble with writing
Since nobody taught him to spell.
When doing arithmetic problems,
Pretty good was regarded as fine.
5+5 needn’t always add up to be 10;
A pretty good answer was 9.
The pretty good class that he sat in
Was part of a pretty good school,
And the student was not an exception:
On the contrary, he was the rule.
The pretty good school that he went to
Was there in a pretty good town,
And nobody there seemed to notice
He could not tell a verb from a noun.
The pretty good student in fact was
Part of a pretty good mob.
And the first time he knew what he lacked was
When he looked for a pretty good job.
It was then, when he sought a position,
He discovered that life could be tough,
And he soon had a sneaking suspicion
Pretty good might not be good enough.
The pretty good town in our story
Was part of a pretty good state
Which had pretty good aspirations
And prayed for a pretty good fate.
There once was a pretty good nation
Pretty proud of the greatness it had,
Which learned much too late,
If you want to be great,
Pretty good is, in fact, pretty bad.
Went no where in St. Clair,
ReplyDeleteNo where in NA,
But here in Lebo,
Likely to stay.
Yesterday evening, Ed Kubit the degreed engineer said he had a lengthy discussion with Steinhauer about TERC Investigations math.
ReplyDeleteEven though it's a dismal failure, Kubit is satisfied with the way Steinhauer handled parents' complaints.
TErc is not a dismal failure, many kids are doing well with that program.
ReplyDeleteThank you, 10:14am, for the good laugh just now. Given the horrible stories in the news today, reading: "Kubit is satisfied with the way Steinhauer handled parents' complaints" provided some much needed levity. I guess Mr. Kubit feels that getting the parents to go away and be quiet is considered a success. Somebody please give that man a raise.
ReplyDeleteA resident asked Timmy if he would share his goals with the community. We got an emotional account of his father, the accountant, who couldn't wait to return to work on Mondays. Timmy also looks forward to returning to work on Mondays. He also gave credit to Mrs. Szalinski for doing much of his work. What the heck does this man do? BTW, never heard about any goals.
ReplyDeleteElaine
Klein acknowledged Steinhauer does not have the accounting skills of his father.
ReplyDeleteYou can't make this stuff up.
Emotional comments about his father's work habits!!!
ReplyDelete"Oh, devil, devil!
If that the earth could teem with woman’s tears,
Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile."
- Shakespeare's Othello