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From: Judy Gafa [mailto:gafaj@gpschools.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2015 4:44 PM
To: ahmed@portraitplacegpw.com
Cc: Fenton, Christian; Roeske, Daniel (GPPSS); Summerfield, Brian (GPPSS); Valente, Lois (GPPSS); Margaret Weertz; Pangborn, Cindy
Subject: Re: Acting Superintendent Decisions

Mr Ismail

Thank you for your concerns 

It was decide by the entire board with Mr Summerfield phoning in at the Brownell Library.  This is not a decision I would make unilaterally I asked if this was ok with everyone and I specifically reiterated the question to Mr Summerfield on speaker phone, while the entire board was present with our attorney present.  There was no objections.  It was stated clearly by myself and reaffirmed by members of this board. No concerns or questions were raised at that time 

Mr Fenton and Dr Dean are professionals, they have divided duties many times in their perspective roles when Dr Harwood was on vacation or out of the district for business.  

It was stated clearly in that same meeting Dr Dean would handle human resources and curriculum and Mr Fenton would handle the business.  Both have reassured me personally that they are comfortable with this situation. Mr Fenton will be acting signatory.

I cannot imagine any situation that  two highly respected administrators could not resolve a situation amicably, as they have been in this situation before.

I would also remind trustees that dr Harwood is on vacation and if needed can be contacted in case of an emergency.

I apologize for the grammatical error in my press release

Respectfully

Judy Gafa

On Saturday, April 11, 2015, Ahmed Ismail <ahmed@portraitplacegpw.com> wrote:

Mrs. Gafa,

This email is in follow-up to the email below (April 10, 2015 at 9:39:45 PM) which Mrs. Fannon sent under your signature advising what looks to be the entire staff of the school system that Mr. Fenton and Dr. Dean "…will both assume the role of acting superintendent…"  "…until our new Superintendent is named".

I would appreciate two clarifications on this letter and specifically the above referenced statements.  The items are as follows:

1.       ACTING SUPERINTENDENT SELECTION.  The only discussion I recall on who would serve as acting superintendent was a meeting at 389 after which I left with the distinct understanding that Mr. Fenton would serve as our acting superintendent.  In fact, as I recall, the only discussion on the issue was not that there was any question that Mr. Fenton should serve in this capacity, but the semantic issue of whether he would be "interim" or "acting" superintendent.  I have no recollection as to this being a joint position to be shared by Mr. Fenton and Dr. Dean.  Please advise the meeting date that this change was made.

2.       EFFECTIVE DATE FOR TERMINATION OF ACTING SUPERINTENDENT SERVICES.  As I understand it, we are "naming" the new superintendent before we even have a contract with him/her (which is so anti-real world it will be the subject of a subsequent email).  I hope you will consider that this should really have read "…until our new Superintendent can assume his/her full time duties" or something similar and advise the staff and the community accordingly.  It is unlikely that the successful candidate would be willing to start work the day after he/she is "named" and prior to having at least an agreement of understanding with regard to their terms of employment.  Another potential scenario is that they may have prior family/other commitments that make it impossible for them to assume the position until some date after July 1.

Based on my experience in the private sector, having co-presidents of a company (let alone one with a $100 budget under development and 700+ employees) is a recipe for disaster.  I regretfully predict if we do follow this direction it will be the same in this instance.  The buck has to stop at the top with one person if you want to avoid chaos during this already difficult time.

Some questions to ponder:

1.       Who will make what decision under this joint superintendency scenario?

2.       If Dr. Dean is in a position to have to make a decision, is he to run to Mr. Fenton to see if her agrees and vice versa?

3.       If they don't agree, whose opinion will prevail?

4.       Whose direction will staffers take as the final word on decisions?

5.       Will we be creating a situation where they get played against each other?

6.       How will Mr. Fenton's vast institutional memory be weighed in relation to something Dr. Dean wants to do based on a similar situation he experienced in Birmingham or another district?

7.       If we are in effect "splitting" the superintendency job duties, who will define the division of responsibility?

8.       Who are we (and the entire community) to ultimately hold accountable for the decisions made in running our $100 million business?  The last thing we need at this time is a finger pointing contest.

This email is in no way to challenge either Dr. Dean's or Mr. Fenton's core competencies.  It is simply to find out when the change from a singular acting superintendent to a plural acting superintendent was made, and, if it is a reality, caution you as to the potential problems in this arrangement.

Thank you all for considering my thoughts on this issue.

Best wishes,

Ahmed

From: Judy Gafa [mailto:gafaj@gpschools.com]
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2015 9:46 PM
To: Daniel Roeske; Brian Summerfield; Lois Valente; Margaret Weertz; Ahmed Ismail; Pangborn, Cindy
Cc: Fenton, Christian (GPPSS); Dean, Jon
Subject: Fwd: Superintendent update from Board President

Today was Dr Harwoods last day in the district he is starting his vacation.  This press release was sent out this evening

Respectfully

Judy Gafa

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Fannon, Rebecca" <Rebecca.Fannon@gpschools.org>
Date: April 10, 2015 at 9:39:45 PM EDT
To: All Employees <AllEmployees@gpschools.org>
Subject: Superintendent update from Board President

The Board of Education wishes Dr. Harwood well, and thanks him for his service to the district as he assumes his regional position as Deputy Superintendent of Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA).  Dr. Harwood has announced his last day in the district will be April 10th. At that time, our Deputy Superintendents Dr. Dean and Mr. Fenton will both assume the role of acting superintendent, with Mr. Fenton having signatory responsibilities until our new Superintendent is named.

Please continue to watch progress on the superintendent search as updated online and at our televised board meetings. As you know, those meetings are also archived on our Livestream account, which is linked from the district website.

Sincerely,
Judy Gafa, President
GPPSS Board of Education

Sent from my iPhone