City urged to move Matadero Creek Trail Schools & Kids, posted by Tyler Hanley, online editor of Palo Alto Online, on Oct 2, 2006 at 5:34 pm Tyler Hanley is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
The proposed Matadero Creek Trail is so disliked by Midtown Palo Alto residents that they have told the city to change the project's name.
Read the full story here Web Link posted Saturday, May 4, 2013, 10:04 AM
Posted by Periwinkle, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Oct 2, 2006 at 6:02 pm
OK, the administration letter pretty much confirms everything that has been posted about serious, long-standing comunications and operational problems that exist between the Superintendent and some of her senior executive PAUSD staff, and PAUSD site administrators/program directors.
This has been going on, unreported, for a LONG time.
What I want to is more about the retraction letter. Was there even a retraction letter, as reported here? Tyler? anyone?
IN any case, we have what is a dysfunctional senior administration, and possibly a senior administration so full of contempt for those it is supposed to be managing that it would demand what amount toa loyalty oath.
So, what's the truth, so we can focus on where to take this.
Palo Altans will be watching this; they will also be interested to see whether a serious staff vote of "no confidence' in PAUSD 'leadership' is yet again swept under the PAUSD rug.
Posted by George, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Oct 2, 2006 at 7:06 pm
Mary Frances Callan ""I am concerned for the overall health of the organization," she said. But she said clearly there are significant issues that need to be discussed more deeply.
"We have some serious talking to do," she said.""
If this doesn't sound like another executive - namely, Mark Hurd at HP - trying to spin away from responsibility and trying to make herself look like a hero, I'll eat my kid's teddy bears.
"Health of the organization"??!? Perhaps Callan, Scott Bowers and Marilyn Cook shuold have been working on that in years past, instead of alienating the vast majority of site administrators who are running one of the best school districts in America. Perhaps, indeed.
Yes, there *are* significant issues; they didn't just appear overnight.
Watch the spin folks, here it comes.
I still want to know abuot the letter of retraction. Was there one?
Posted by Good Heavens, a member of the Terman Middle School community, on Oct 3, 2006 at 7:21 am
The letter was written by a principal and was intended as place to start a conversation. It did not ask for a retraction. No one was compelled to sign. This was posted already. Five years of a district running well, with the efforts of great students, parents, teachers, and administrators, and then suddenly a confidential document is given anonymously to the press? This forum reads like a hit piece and could just as likely be an attempt to push a personal agenda.
Posted by Jay Thorwaldson, editor emeritus, on Oct 3, 2006 at 7:21 am Jay Thorwaldson is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Yes, George, there does seem to have been a draft of a letter expressing disagreement with the Sept. 6 document. We are not sure that "retraction" is the correct description of its content, however. It was drafted by Gunn High School Principal Noreen Likens and handed out at the 1 p.m. Friday meeting of about 30 members of the Management Team, according to reports from some of those at the meeting. The group had asked Superintendent Mary Frances Callan to leave the room, which she did.
After lengthy discussion, the group agreed to "set the letter aside," as one person there described it, for three reasons: (1) there was not agreement of all parties about its content; (2) there is a tradition in the district of "not airing dirty laundry in public," and (3) there was concern about implications of some signing and others not signing. So there was a group decision not to sign the letter, and reportedly all copies were collected and returned to Likens to be shredded.
Also, confusion about who called the Friday meeting has been cleared up. The Management Team had been called together for a Thursday-afternoon meeting by Callan, but the group agreed at the Thursday meeting that it would meet again on Friday afternoon, according to the best information we have at present. They were not "summoned back to sign a letter," as some posts have asserted.
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