By Ron Matus, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Pinellas superintendent Julie Janssen's decision to stick by an embattled administrator has cost her support among school board members, their latest evaluations show.
In eight of nine categories, Janssen got lower marks than she did in the board's first evaluations from January. But the drop was steepest in human resources management.
Janssen came under fire last month for trying to move Janet Hernandez, a director accused of creating a "climate of fear" in the professional development office, to another key job in dropout prevention.
In a rare no vote, the board rejected the recommendation 5-2. But Hernandez - a friend of Janssen's from graduate school - is now under investigation for another matter. And her lightning-rod stint in the district has several board members blasting Janssen's handling of employee issues.
"Allowing friendships to impact decisions so much is bothersome to me," said board chair Janet Clark, who gave Janssen the lowest marks of any member. "I don't know how much more blunt I can be."
Janssen said she expected to get dinged on that part of the evaluation, but was surprised by some of the other ratings.
"It's a little bit disconcerting," she said. "It makes you stop and think, 'What did I miss along the way?" "
She said the shortcomings in human resources will be addressed soon, with the district on the verge of hiring a new assistant superintendent to oversee that area. As for the other areas, she said she has not met with individual board members yet to find out what specifically they see going wrong - and what their proposed solutions may be.
"I have to do better. I have to convince them that we really are moving forward," she said. "Obviously I have not done a good job convincing them of that."
the shortcomings in human resources will be addressed soon, with the district on the verge of hiring a new assistant superintendent to oversee that area.
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Pinellas school board members are a little less confident in Superintendent Julie Janssen's ability to lead the district, especially with regard to managing employees, their latest evaluations show.
They also show that Janssen's decision to stick by an embattled administrator has cost her board support.
In eight of nine categories, Janssen got lower marks from members than she did in her first evaluations from January, with the biggest drop coming in human resources management.
On a 1-5 scale, average scores there fell from 3.71 to 2.57, with three members giving Janssen a 2 and one member a 1.
Overall, Janssen's average score dropped from 3.92 to 3.44.
The latest evaluations for Janssen, who the board hired in September 2008, come after a rocky year.
The superintendent was criticized for her handling of student discipline problems at John Hopkins Middle School and for not communicating well with either parents or board members on a proposal to change school start times More recently, she has come under fire for trying to move Janet Hernandez, a top administrator accused of creating a "climate of fear" in the professional development department, to another key job in dropout prevention.
In a rare no vote, the board rejected the recommendation 5-2 last month.
"Dr. Janssen needs to recognize why some of her decisions in the Dr. Hernandez situation were not supported by the board," wrote board member Linda Lerner, who otherwise gave Janssen fairly high marks.
Board chair Janet Clark was the most critical of Janssen, giving her three 1's and six 2's, including a 2 for values and ethics.
"I would have rated this higher, but the recent issues within the HR/PD (human resources and professional development) department have caused me great concern," Clark wrote. "I can't understand how if the issues were obvious, they were allowed to continue."
On the flip side, board members have been praising Janssen for crafting a far-reaching proposal to give more students access to top-notch academic programs. That plan has upset pockets of parents, but so far the board remains supportive of it as a whole.
Board member Peggy O'Shea, who gave Janssen the highest marks, said the superintendent is strong with curriculum planning and instructional leadership. "She keeps a big picture perspective but is able to drill down and develop initiatives to meet the needs of specific schools and students," she wrote.
The latest evaluations also come as the board prepares for turnover.
Two members - Mary Brown and Nina Hayden - will be leaving after next month's elections.
Brown's rating of Janssen dipped more than any other member's. Hayden's scores were second highest behind O'Shea's.
The Times is seeking comment from Janssen. Check back here for updates.
Ron Matus can be reached at matus@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8873.