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$600,000 for the new Superintendent equals what?!!!

$600,000 for the new Superintendent equals what?!!!

Submitted by itsonlymyopinion on Mon, 03/15/2010 - 2:06am.

First, I will start this off in a positive light, congratulations to the new superintendent-elect, Dr. Vashti Washington, and good luck in this challenge that has been given to you.  However, to the school board, shame on you again. What in the world are you thinking?!  I sincerely hope my math is wrong, but offering a four year contract at $165,000 annually, equals $660,000 paid upfront without any guarantee of results.  Granted, can the future be predicted, no.  Is Japser County in need of a Superintendent, yes.  But for goodness sakes, the school board's hiring process in completely moronic.  I would gladly vote to offer to pay Dr. Washington $200,000 a year, if she can pull this off, operative word being if, but why not offer a contract with pay increases contingent on positive changes in the school system.  Our students are failing terribly, our teachers are involved in a revolving door system, and if Dr. Washington fails before her contract is up, the school board is still liable to pay.  Dr. Washington is going to need more than her proven track record to tackle Jasper County and I sincerely wish her the best, but I am not apologetic when all I can say is, lets wait and see.

Sincerely,

itsonlymyopinion


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That is a lot of money

Submitted by applicant on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 5:13pm.

”Jasper County's school board voted unanimously to give the new school superintendent a four-year contract at an annual salary of $165,000 to be the county's newest superintendent. Washington will be the district's fourth superintendent in 12 months when she takes over for interim superintendent Larry Heath on July 1.” $165,000 is a lot of money.  I can’t blame the new superindentent  for taking this job for this kind of money, especially if the folks on the school board are desparate enough to offer her, and gaurantee her this kind of money even though she has never led a rural school district before. I don’t think the Jasper County School Superintendent post is an entry level job. I think this is way too much money up front for a district like Jasper's. Further, I hope she does; but I don’t think this new superindent will last for four years; but, she will get the money the contract says it will pay her at the taxpayers’s expense, if her contract was written to cover separation like most are. This hiring proves one constant. This school board has an insatiable appetitie for spending money. $165,000 is a lot of money; big bucks; especially in Jasper County. Ms. Superintendent, you will literally have to bring in a slew of new teachers, administrators, support personnel, etc. with different mindsets to succeed in Jasper County. Good luck. It is hard to change people; might be easier to change the people. This place has been a graveyard for superintendents; hired for big bucks, saying the right things at the time of their hires, vowing to make the difference no one before them has made.  I hope you can!

Does anyone ever wonder why

Submitted by tacoboy on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:42pm.

Does anyone ever wonder why their kids are so bad and failing in Jasper County?  Hmmmm...I know....its because they have teachers there that are friends with the students. Therefore the students run that school.  I have been complaining about this staff for the longest.  My child went to Thomas Heyward, but we decided to send her to Ridgeland because of the money issue.  I went to pick up my daughter, and there were teachers cursing with the kids!  What kind of stuff is that?  When you go and tell the principle he wants to get you removed from the school..I am a black parent, and I am personally saying this.....that school has alot of racism in their staff.  They need to do an investigation on that school from SLED because that school is embezzaling money, and they dont even have teachers there who are licensed.  Bottom line is that I tired of the lack of education that our kids are facing and im tired of the teachers and that thing of a principle that they have, not giving a crap about our schools and our kids future. PERIOD.

This whole county has race

Submitted by dbrinson1977 on Wed, 05/12/2010 - 8:26pm.

This whole county has race issues. It's amazing to me that Jasper county is still stuck in the 1800's the schools are segregated for the most part. I'm a white woman with three children in Ridgeland k-12. They come home every day telling me how racist the students AND TEACHERS are against them. My 8 yr old thinks she has to be black to be cool, sorry baby that just isn't gonna happen. I have watched a few generations of kids struggle through the school system in Jasper. When my kids got old enough to start school I did everything in my power to keep them out of the schools in this county. In the early years I transported them to Beaufort County so they could attend school in the same county that I did. They were honor roll students with perfect attendance. I never had a problem getting them up and off to school. I had a great working relationship with thier teachers and attended many functions at the school. Times are hard and money is tight so I can no longer afford to commute everyday, so for the past few years my kids have been in Jasper County. WHAT A JOKE!!! Thier grades have fallen so drastically that I'm looking at two of them being retained this year! Every morning is a struggle to get them going. My lil one crys and my teenager is hateful and resentfull that he has to deal with this crap. I'm broke. I can't afford the rediculously high tuition at the Private schools in this area, and my Children can not afford to miss out on an education. How is it that this can continue to go on and no one does anything about it. This is America isn't it?

So True!

Submitted by blacksunshine on Fri, 05/14/2010 - 6:18pm.

I agree with some of your comments. I am currently an educator in another district and my siblings still go to school there. I have seen first hand that the relationship between student and teacher can be horrible. Some of the teachers care more about the paycheck than they do educating and caring for the well being of the kids. Yes, I have also seen that there are SEVERAL teachers whom are not licensed/certified to teach. Yet, the school district has not been concerned with that. They sometimes operate on the "who you know" system. If you know a teacher/district personnel/administrator, then you can get a job. Forget the certification!