Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Murky Hiring at Northwoods Middle Not Encouraging

Perhaps Dan Conner really will be an effective principal for Northwoods Middle; however. Charleston County School Superintendent Nancy McGinley has some 'splaining to do.
  • If Conner was such an effective principal at Stall High School for four years, why did he leave, and why did Stall just make the list of lowest performing schools in the state?
  • Why did Conner feel the pull to become a principal in Iowa? Why was his tenure there so stormy?
  • Are jobs as principal in middle and high schools really so interchangeable?
  • Why was Conner  named interim at Garrett when he came back from Iowa (presumably with his tail between  his legs), and why is Garrett's popular band director now out of a job?
  • Why wasn't Northwoods Middle allowed some consistency by keeping on its interim instead of naming Conner in August, just at the beginning of the school year?
Does this situation sound like mismanagement to you?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dan Connor is a very good administrator who really cares about all children. He is consistently tough. The band director issue was unfortunate. There should have been some mediation between the parties involved. The superintendent is insensitive to the people she moves around. She treats them as if they are pawns on a chess board. Dan would have been good for Garrett. Toshawnka Mahoney should have been allowed to stay at Northwoods, a school she organized and hired personnel for the coming school year. I know former teachers and administrators whose lives have been mainly ruined because of the superintendent's ruthless decisions.

Anonymous said...

"Former teachers and administrators" is the correct description. McGinley talks a good game about "relationships" and then moves people around so frequently that relationships are damaged or never have the opportunity to develop.

Anonymous said...

The band director issue was NOT unfortunate -- it was long overdue accountability. Mr. Conner only did what had to be done as an administrator. There is a ongoing history of lack of teaching, lack of supervision, and lack of accountability issues: unpaid bills, lost funds, hazing of students, (including physical striking of a student by a non-CCSD employee, non student "assistant" to the band director, that were addressed previously without real consequences. The fact the band director took a work day off, and then lied to his boss, was a final straw issue. If he is returned to the classroom it will be a crime.

Anonymous said...

So, what happened in Iowa? More than 50 teachers signed a letter describing the hostile work environment he created.
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/05/14/teachers-signed-letter-of-concern-before-east-principal-quit/

FB said...

When is hazing or striking a student by anyone acceptable? I don't care if the striker is an employee or not, it's not acceptable.

Sounds like no one knows what is going on in any of these examples. The superintendent and the board chairman aren't doing much to help explain.