The Charlottesville School Board has rounded its candidates list down to three people for the new superintendent, who will replace the retiring Bill Symons. They are: Jean Murray, Albemarle’s assistant superintendent for instruction; James Bughsley, deputy superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Schools in North Carolina; and Kriner Cash, superintendent for Martha’s Vineyards Public Schools. Due to the great amount of pressure on the school board to appoint an African-American superintendent, it’s worth pointing out that the two male candidates, Bughsley and Cash, are both black. The board will pick from these three by Monday. Kate Andrews has the story in today’s Progress.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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Here linked from WINA are two related stories on candidates, race and the administration of City schools:
Three are left standing in the Charlottesville Superintendent search
The City School Board chairman prefers keeping an appointed board
I find it notable that Jean Murray, the local woman, has her doctorate from Harvard. The other two have theirs from University of Arizona and UMass Amherst. I can’t claim to know a whole lot about colleges, but I’m guessing that Harvard’s doctorates are more highly-regarded, and likely offers a better education.
Does anybody know anything about Murray’s history in Albemarle?
I can make an “I was there” observation about UMass Amherst’s education department in the 1970s, if that’s of any value. I was an undergraduate there and, while not an education major, took classes in that department and had friends that were ed majors.
The deal was, there were no grades in any classes in the education department; everything was pass/fail. And I never heard of anybody failing. While there may have been good education going on, an outside observer would never know it if they just wanted to rely on grades and degrees as evidence. If you showed up, you passed and got your degree.
One of the most well-known graduates of the UMass doctoral program from that era is Bill Cosby. He didn’t spend much time on campus, but somehow managed to get his degree. The rumor was that he wrote his thesis on Fat Albert and the gang, but I don’t know whether that’s true.
If the candidate with the UMass doctorate was there in that era (at age 47 that could be possible), I’d wonder how good the academic credentials really are.
That said, the gentleman probably has a 20-25 career in education. Presumably, he’s got a track record of performance that will be closely examined by the school board.
The thing is, you don’t really know the character and personal dynamics of somebody in this kind of position until you’ve observed them on the job for a year or so. That might be one reason to lean towards the local candidate.
Harry Landers
. . .but I’m guessing that Harvard’s doctorates are more highly-regarded, and likely offers a better education.
Harvard’s Graduate School of Education is indeed more highly-ranked than the others you mentioned.
Not that these rankings are everything . . .
I’ve worked for Jean Murray and have been very impressed with her knowledge, her honesty and plain-dealing style, and her ability to craft a vision. I think that she has the best interests of the students at heart, but she is also incredibly supportive of teachers and principals. While I think the Charlottesville job would be a great move for her, I would hate to see her leave Albemarle. The county school system has been well-served by her.
I find it notable that Jean Murray, the local woman, has her doctorate from Harvard. … I can’t claim to know a whole lot about colleges, but I’m guessing that Harvard’s doctorates are more highly-regarded, and likely offers a better education.
This, of course, is (rather than the education) one of the big reasons why people shell out the big bucks for postgraduate Ivy League degrees. Even folks who openly admit to a lack of knowledge about schools see the name and are impressed. Not that they’d be wrong, necessarily. Many of those programs are very, very good.
I would submit, though, as a reminder, that there’s probably some value in looking in what the candidates have done in the, oh, 25 years since they left school.
— Detective Gomez (I swear to God I’m going to register this.)
I just wanted to see this appear with a +1 rating. It seems pretty “interesting” to me.
I find it notable that Jean Murray, the local woman, has her doctorate from Harvard. … I can’t claim to know a whole lot about colleges, but I’m guessing that Harvard’s doctorates are more highly-regarded, and likely offers a better education.
This, of course, is (rather than the education) one of the big reasons why people shell out the big bucks for postgraduate Ivy League degrees. Even folks who openly admit to a lack of knowledge about schools see the name and are impressed. Not that they’d be wrong, necessarily. Many of those programs are very, very good.
I would submit, though, as a reminder, that there’s probably some value in looking in what the candidates have done in the, oh, 25 years since they left school.
— Detective Gomez (I swear to God I’m going to register this.)
I would submit, though, as a reminder, that there’s probably some value in looking in what the candidates have done in the, oh, 25 years since they left school.
Unless, of course, it hasn’t been 25 years.
Here’s a quick bibliographical clip regarding the timing and content of the candidates’ academic work:
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Top-down high school curriculum change requires bottom-up support from teachers: Factors influencing teachers’ responses. Murray, Jean Shelley, EdD. HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 1999. 174 pp. Advisor: Elmore, Richard F
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THE INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITARIANISM, RACIAL UNREST IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, AND CHANGE AS DEMANDED BY BLACK STUDENTS.. PUGHSLEY, JAMES LAWRENCE, EDD. THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA, 1973. 101 pp.
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PERCEPTIONS OF SELECTED UPPER ELEMENTARY PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS TOWARD GROUPING AND EVALUATION OF PUPIL LEARNING PROGRESS IN READING (ABILITY GROUPING, STUDENT EVALUATION). CASH, KRINER, EDD. UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, 1991. 262 pp. Advisor: SINCLAIR, ROBERT L.
I would submit, though, as a reminder, that there’s probably some value in looking in what the candidates have done in the, oh, 25 years since they left school.
Oh, sure, obviously candidates can’t be considered solely on the basis of where they got their PhDs. But when it comes to careers that involve PhDs, I’m a sucker for brand-name colleges as a method of determining quality of candidates without actually spending any time thinking about them. ;)
Unless, of course, it hasn’t been 25 years.
Sure. Fill in the blank as you wish. The point — that it’s a good idea to judge people on their work rather than on their diploma — still holds.
Unless we’re talking about Columbia or something.
Unless we’re talking about Columbia or something.
*Laugh* Hypothetically, of course. :)
From a WINA news story:
City Councilors will make School Board choices next month
The issue of appointed versus elected school boards has become prominent in next Tuesday’s election for City Council. A couple of board members are already asking the current councilors to re-appoint them. Olivia Boykin, who first joined the School Board in 1994, wants one more term. So does freshman member John Santoski. The only incumbent with an expiring term that’s still mulling his options is Richard Merriwether, the school board chairman. For another four weeks, Charlottesville will accept applications for the seats which Merriwether, Boykin, and Santoski now hold. The appointments will be made by the current city council, not the council that will be seated after July first.
Says the Charlotte Observer on May 1:
“When news of Smith’s pending departure broke, Pughsley asked Charlottesville to hold off on naming him as a finalist, saying he needed time to consider his options.
…
“But the Charlottesville board, which had been awaiting his OK to announce his visit, did so Tuesday.”
I think this means that he wanted the school board to keep quiet about the fact that he was a finalist, not that they wanted to hold off on making him a finalist. But I’m not sure.