Finding Grier's replacement
This month is full of meetings. If you are following the search for a new Guilford County Schools superintendent, you may want to tune in to Thursday's meeting. Board of Education members will spend most of the evening laying out the search process and the platform for public input. Today, I asked Nancy Routh about the board releasing Terry Grier from his contract, which ends in 2010, and she replied that the board has discussed it but not made a decision. That decision could be made clear this week, she said.
Grier was hired in January to work in San Diego Unified Schools, starting July 1.
The school board will also hold a special meeting on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. at central office to receive and discuss the report/recommendations from the school climate task force appointed last year. The board has a regular meeting on Feb. 19, but I don't know what is on the agenda yet.
Comments (13)
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Is there any chance the Board will ask Dr. Grier to go before July 1? Does it make sense to have someone dictating policy which he will not be here to implement or to face the consequences if the policy isn't sound?
Also, a member of the Board stated that the Elementary 6-Day Schedule Proposal was a recommendation from a consultant brought in to figure out the best use of time. It's been my experience that we have some very talented principals and teachers in our school district. Wouldn't it be better to consult them about scheduling instead of some outside source?
Posted on February 4, 2008 5:12 PM
I honestly believe that Dr. Grier will give a day's work for a day's pay. I think we would be better off keeping him as long as possible. The Interim Supt. is not going to do much except draw much higher pay. That being said, I expect Dr. Grier to leave by the end of March.
Posted on February 4, 2008 5:26 PM
No professional company that I know of would allow a person to stay for more than 2 weeks after finding another job, not even CEO's of companys. Many times they are escorted out the door the day they resign. We have some good staff and they could work as a team until we hire.
Posted on February 4, 2008 6:35 PM
Should Nancy Routh be discussing this?
I asked Nancy Routh about the board releasing Terry Grier from his contract, which ends in 2010, and she replied that the board has discussed it but not made a decision. That decision could be made clear this week, she said.
Posted on February 4, 2008 6:44 PM
This is education. Often teachers find another job and take it and the end of the school year. Treat Dr. Grier like a professional not like a college football coach.
Posted on February 4, 2008 6:47 PM
A little birdie told me he's out.
We will know for definite only Thursday.
Posted on February 4, 2008 8:42 PM
There are plenty of companies who ask employees to stay longer to give the company time to find and transition a new employee. It all depends on the level of trust between the the employer and the employee.
It will be interesting to see what the school board does.
Posted on February 4, 2008 10:16 PM
I think that the word Trust has something to do with your statement. I didn't say the Dr Grier wouldn't do a good job, but you know he will be torn between both places with neither getting his full attention. I don't think that we should pay his salary, his retirement (that's the big one), insurance etc. The county can save that 5 months of his pay and use it toward the hunt for the next person.
Posted on February 5, 2008 8:35 AM
Joe,
Did not Terry Grier have a contract with Guilford County Schools through 2010? If he can go interview for another job during his the period of his contract, then why should our schools allow him to continue working here? Did the school board give its blessings for him to do that? He is the one that violated his contract. His contract has been extended by our school board several times in an attempt to keep him here, but Grier doesn't seem to have honored that contract. You made an interesting analogy between Grier and a football coach. I'd say that is exactly correct. He broke his contract with one school to go to a better opportunity at another school. Football coaches do it all of the time with impunity. It's time for Terry Grier to go on to his new and better career opportunity. Why wait? He needs to be where his heart lies.
Posted on February 5, 2008 1:14 PM
The BOE should do what is in the best interest of education in Guilford County. You may not agree with what Dr. Grier has done but I feel he is better than an interim Supt. As for the contract, Guilford Co. has a long tradition of letting the Supt. out of contracts that they do not want to be in. The mistake was in extending the contract. It bought us nothing.
Posted on February 5, 2008 1:43 PM
Joe,
What good does it do to have him stay here on paper but physicall he will be in California? An interim or the GCS team should be able to do just fine until a replacement is found.
Haven't you ever heard "You cannot serve two masters."
He wanted out of his contract. It should be a clean, graceful exit. Taxpayers should not be paying salary, benefits etc. at such a high rate for someone whose interests will have to be split.
Deborah is right on this one.
Posted on February 6, 2008 11:56 PM
Take a look at the Administrator Contracts in the Personnel Reports for the meeting tonight. Why lock these people in to June 30, 2010 when we have a new Supt. coming.
Posted on February 7, 2008 9:28 AM
Joe,
To answer your question - it's the same reason that Susan Mendenhall and Marti Sykes successfully made a motion in their last meeting last year before leaving the board to extend the superintendent's contract.
Politics as usual in Guilford County
Posted on February 7, 2008 11:18 AM