Archive for September, 2010

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Browder starts Edison job on Friday

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

Former Lee County Superintendent James Browder popped by Edison State College’s campus this afternoon, signing a two-page contract and one-page addendum. He will serve as vice president for operations, overseeing charter schools, facilities, public safety, technology, student housing and the Hendry/Glades center.

The contract will pay Browder $116,544 for nine months of work, commencing Friday and ending June 30, 2011. It covers 177 work days. The addendum pays Browder $600 per month for a vehicle allowance; however, he can only seek mileage reimbursement for travel outside the five-county region Edison serves.

On Sept. 20, Browder verbally accepted a job offer from Edison District President Kenneth Walker, submitting a 60-day advance resignation notice as required by his school contract. On Sept. 22, though, the Lee County School Board voted to make Friday Browder’s last day, appointing Larry Tihen as interim superintendent. Browder will receive a $335,630 severance package as outlined under his contract. His Edison contract specifically prohibits any such payout.

“In the even the contract is terminated for any such reason, the employee shall not perform any further services or be entitled to receive any further compensation after the effective termination and/or dismissal date,” the contract states.

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FGCU will reject you the old-fashioned way — snail mail

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

John Mayer broke up with Jennifer Aniston by text message. Joe Jonas dumped Taylor Swift via cell phone. And Florida State University will now be rejecting students via e-mail.

Michael Buchanon, an FSU enrollment management specialist, said the university will be e-mailing admissions notices to all applicants this year. Students who are accepted also will receive a paper copy of their admission certificates in the mail (suitable for framing, I’m sure), but those who are rejected will just receive an e-mail. It’s part of FSU’s paperwork reduction initiative.

Florida Gulf Coast University, however, will uphold tradition. Director of admissions Marc Laviolette says the university will continue mailing letters of acceptance and denial to all students, although applicants can check their status online.

Of course, given the nature of electronic communications, e-mailed rejection letters surely will have a different look and feel to them. I’ve taken the liberty of drafting sample letters:

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Tihen’s “no comment” sure sounds like a comment

Monday, September 27th, 2010

After Gov. Charlie Crist’s quick 15-minute tour of Cypress Lake Middle, I was chatting with new interim Superintendent Larry Tihen about his first real workday on the job (he said it went well). Other reporters, in true herd mentality fashion, butted in like vultures going in for the kill — that’s how journalists operate.

One reporter asked if Tihen’s predecessor, James Browder, broke his employment contract. School board members agreed last week that Browder breached his contract by failing to officially notify the board as a whole that he applied for the superintendency in Las Vegas.

“I have no comment on that,” Tihen said.

Then he continued his no comment.

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What happens in Vegas… won’t be in The News-Press

Friday, September 24th, 2010

When Lee County Superintendent James Browder was named a finalist for the top position in Clark County, Nev., the possibilities were endless — not necessarily his career potential, but pun potential. Las Vegas and its gambling culture would have been a gold mine for us. If Browder had played his cards right, gone forward with his interview this week and gotten the job, we in the news business would have hit the jackpot.

See below for some sample headlines:

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A place where everybody doesn’t know your name

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Donald Lane nearly became Lee County’s interim superintendent on Wednesday. At least a half-dozen times, school board chairman Steven Teuber touted Mr. Lane’s credentials in making a pitch to hire him. Mr. Lane was a successful educator and principal, Teuber said, and had administrative experience working in the district’s central office.

Only that, there is no Donald Lane. Donald Bryant, however, is principal of Fort Myers Middle Academy, and previously led an academic turnaround at Tropic Isles Elementary. “That was a school that no one thought could be successful,” board member Jeanne Dozier said.

Today, Teuber made it clear he does know Donald Bryant, knows his last name isn’t Lane and thinks very highly of Bryant’s work. “I was tired,” he said.

It wasn’t the first time this week that a high-profile educator flubbed up a name.

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FGCU prez gets good review, pay raise and bonus

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw is doing great, according to a consultant hired to conduct Bradshaw’s annual performance evaluation.

The university paid John Moore, president of Penson Associates and president emeritus of Indiana State University, $15,000 to interview administrators, faculty, staff, students, local leaders and donors. Bradshaw, who will hit the three-year mark in October, also provided his self-evaluation Tuesday to members of the Board of Trustees. Most performance indicators show upward trends.

“In no way are the results a one-person accomplishment,” Bradshaw said in deflecting any praise.

Trustees voted unanimously to award Bradshaw a 5 percent pay raise and full $60,000 performance bonus as outlined in his contract. He declined both last year.

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Browder transforms from homebody to jet-setter

Monday, September 20th, 2010

“All work and no play makes for a very dull boy, and we don’t want our superintendent to be dull.” That’s the message Lee County School Board member Jeanne Dozier gave Superintendent James Browder back in September 2003, urging him to make better use of his vacation time. When Browder became schools chief, he had already hit the maximum of 45 banked days of vacation.

“My focus is on the job. In order to focus on it, you have to be here,” Browder said in July 2003, explaining why he tended not to take any long vacations.

Now, it’s a different story. I spoke with him a few weeks ago when he was hustling through the Atlanta airport to visit his daughter. Last week, Browder was in Tampa attending the Florida Association of District School Superintendents’ fall conference. On Tuesday, he’ll be flying to Las Vegas to interview for the superintendent’s job in Clark County, Nev. And on Sunday, he will fly to New York, where he’ll participate in NBC News’ Education Nation, a national summit focusing on strategies and methods to improve America’s struggling education system.

Of course, two of those trips were work-related, so that doesn’t knock off any vacation time, but hopefully he’s registered for frequent flyer programs.

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Rankings are great, if you’re ranked

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

In its developmental years, Florida Gulf Coast University never made it onto national rankings. It was too small, too new or simply overlooked by the academic elite who rank institutions.

U.S. News & World Report released its annual rankings in August, and Florida Gulf Coast University was No. 42 of 69 in its class — Tier I regional public universities in the South. It’s the first time FGCU has been recognized.

“It’s interesting that when we were not on the list, we pooh-poohed the list,” President Wilson Bradshaw said. “Right now, we are pleased U.S. News & World Report finally has woken up and smelled the roses, and they now understand the quality product we have at FGCU.”

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School transportation: ride the bus or a zip-line?

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

One week after an audit found a plethora of inefficiencies in Lee County schools’ transportation department, Superintendent James Browder tried Tuesday to put the criticism into perspective. Citing a March 2000 Life Magazine article, Browder told the story of 9-year-old Daisy Mora, who lived outside Bogota, Colombia, and did not have access to a school bus. Instead, she traversed a steel cable, or zip-line, to cross the valley at 30 m.p.h. enroute to school each morning. The line was a staggering 1,200 feet above the valley floor, and she carried her little brother in a sack across the zip-line.

“She risks death every day to go to school,” said Browder, who showed three photos of Daisy during Tuesday’s school board meeting. “Ladies and gentlemen, we in Lee County and America are real lucky that we have what we have. And I would say to you, that I believe Daisy would be delighted to be with us.”

Ten years after that original story, Daisy’s ride continues to recirculate in publications, blogs and even YouTube.

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Kuckel clears up exit rumor

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

Jane Kuckel is not stepping down early from the Lee County School Board. I repeat, Jane Kuckel is not stepping down early from the school board.

For months, speculation on Internet forums, including news-press.com, was that Kuckel may resign before her term ends in November 2012.

“I have no plans to leave the board early,” she confirmed.

However, Kuckel does not plan to seek a fourth term on the board.

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