In the next week, the Charlottesville School Board plans to hold a pair of closed sessions to discuss personnel matters. That’s not terribly exciting in itself, but given the recent turmoil surrounding Superintendent Scottie Griffin, there’s the possibility that this may involve either Griffin or Assistant Superintendent Laura Purnell, who called out Griffin in a letter last month. Or, of course, it could be something routine and uninteresting. The Hook‘s got the story.
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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Rumor mill is running rampant with the news that Laura Purnell was fired/let go/no longer works for CCS.
Hmm, that’d be mighty interesting. If that’s the case, I’m sure we’ll all get an e-mail from her soon. ;)
Wow, this place is crazy- fire the person that all the staff loves, has a proven track record of success and real experience with the achievement gap and keep the person who has no record of success, can’t keep a job, has been demoted and has torn our city apart. What the heck?
I’d have to agree with Teachcville. Even before the “letter incident”, people I spoke with said that she was trying do the best she could under the circumstances. I’ve spoken with colleagues in other schools who worked with her and they had nothing but good things to say about her.
I think that by getting rid of (my end of the rumor mill is still unclear as to whether she was fired or the position was “cut” for next year) Dr. Purnell we have made it even harder to replace Griffin when the time comes. And by all accounts, that time is coming.
It is a real shame that we have now lost the one person in Central Office who was most likely able to help us actually close the achievement gap. It is a real shame that she is most likely being “let go” because she had the courage to speak up about what was really going on at Central Office.
The School Board needs to sit down and decide exactly what it wants from a Superintendent. They then need to sit down with the parents, the staff, and the community at large and communicate what they want, why they want it and why it’s best for our division. So many people in this division would gladly throw themselves 100% behind a real leader – no matter what race or gender that leader was.
After this fiasco, however, I wonder why any real leader would come here. I moved here shortly after CCS bought out Dr. Shannon’s contract, but to me it seems as though the School Board has never had very good luck in getting the superintendent it wants. Shannon had to be bought out, Symons was on a golf course in South Carolina as often as he was here, they totally mucked up the last time we did a national search, Hutchinson took the job with the understanding it would be for two years only and while he is an exceptionally nice guy, he wasn’t going to institute sweeping changes in that time frame.
Unfortunately, I believe that all of these problems can be laid directly at the feet of the School Board. If the School Board doesn’t fix its own leadership problem, we will never have the superintendent we need.
Cvilleyankee is correct. This whole mess, and boy is it ever a mess…lies totally with the School Board.
But, if I were the School Board, to get out of this and save face, I would do the following
1. First I would advised Dr. Griffin that she is being reassigned. She will still have a job as superintendent, that is Deputy Superintendent..but she will have no authority.
2. She will be moved out of her office and over to Buford tried to do with and put in a room with no windows. (I think this was done last July with our Deputy Superintendent)
3. She will write grants for the school district. She will have no one directly reporting to her but if she wants to keep her salary, she will report to work each day or 8-4, with 30 minutes off for lunch. She will sign in and out.
4. She will submit all of her grant proposals to the new superintendent.
I can’t believe she would stay under those conditions, but then, I’ve heard she vicious as a rattlesnake but money seems to be one of the compelling reasons for her actions. That and power. So given that she might lose the power…she might resign. At least this is worth a try and could send the message to any future people that might want to apply for the Superintendent’s job in Charlottesville.
And if Griffin did take the “reassigned job, it would great to gloat…You know they say, what “comes around, goes around.” It’s time for Dr. Griffin to see what it’s like to be on the receiving end.
I am shocked about the chance the Laura was fired or her job was cut for next year. I work with Laura on a parent advisory board for the schools and she is one of the kindest, most enthuiastic people I know when it comes tot he children of this school district. She has been here for the school year without her family and they just sold their home and closed on one here so that she can have her family here. I just had a advisory board meeting on the 16th where we were making plans for next year that we were so excited about.
We are a miltary transplant family here and we will be leaving next summer so my children have 1 more year left here. This school (not the system but our school) has been wonderful for my kids. Even with all the crap that has gone on. I have going to all the PTO meetings that concern the major issues and I am shocked that something isn’t being done to control this situation. Not only is the school district getting a bad name, the teachers and principals are upset which affect our children. Our school has already had one teacher move to the county school district and we have threatened to tie our principal up if she gets frustrated enough to leave.
I am jus tin hopes that this gets figured out quick because our children are the ones paying and if Laura got canned because she said what needed to be said then someone has a major problem. She is a strong, educated and caring woman who seems to have my children’s best interests in mind and I will hate to see her go. I will be asking her about this at our next meeting and I pray it’s just a rumor.