Just the Facts Ma'am:
Here is the link to Mr. Brucker's license with the Minnesota Department of Education:http://education.state.mn.us/LicenseDisplay/searchAction.do?folderNumber=427756
This license number also matches with the license number of a Christopher Brucker who is listed as a teacher who left during the year at the Academy of BioScience in the annual report for the 2006-2007 school year:
http://www.academyofbioscience.com/AnnualReport2006-07.pdf
According to June 7, 2007 article in the Rochester Post-Bulletin, Mr. Brucker was "completing the K-12 principal's licensure program in September at the Saint Mary's University campus in Minneapolis. As part of the requirements for the program, he said, he's completing an internship at the Mainstreet School of the Performing Arts in Hopkins, Minn."
Additional articles (and including the June 7, 2007 one quoted above) in the Rochester Post-Bulletin of March 23, 2007; May 23, 2007; June, 11, 2007; June 12, 2007; June 18, 2007; June 26, 2007; July 26, 2007 (two articles); and August 9, 2007 detail the mess that Brucker was stepping in to when he accepted the director's position at Studio Academy.
Chief among these messes are:
1. A school in financial difficulty. "The school is required to approve a budget by July 1, and the proposed budget in front of the board Tuesday was based on a projected enrollment of 120 students. Without the 12 students signed up so far for grades 7 and 8 next year, the school's expected enrollment drops to 92 students." May 23, 2007, Rochester Post-Bulletin
"In discussion before the vote Tuesday, board member Scot Schwark expressed concern about the cost of a potential lawsuit for Studio Academy, which is going through lean financial times." June 27, 2007, Rochester Post-Bulletin
2. A school in turmoil after the non-renewal/renewal of a teacher/founder/board member, Kandice Mascotti. "Brucker also faces a board that during its last meeting discussed how it could restore a positive climate among members. At the same time, he joins the school shortly after co-founder, teacher, and board member Kandice Mascotti was let go for what she said were political reasons, a claim Holsen denies." June 7, 2007
"The Studio Academy board voted Monday to affirm the nonrenewal of a school founder's teaching contract, leading the Rochester charter school's other founder to call for a boycott.
Kris Holsen, a Studio Academy teacher and the wife of Studio Academy director Eric Holsen, joined the majority in a 3-2 vote affirming her husband's decision to not renew the year-to-year teaching contract of Kandice Mascotti, who helped found the art-centered charter school." June 12, 2007, Rochester Post-Bulletin
"Highlighting recent tensions at the Rochester charter school, two Studio Academy school board meetings -- to be held by different boards claiming to the school's governing body -- were scheduled for 7 p.m. on the same night." July 26, 2007, Rochester Post-Bulletin
"Art teacher Kandice Mascotti will return to Studio Academy to teach this fall, a development that has caused the school's secretary, maintenance manager and dean of students to quit, according to director Chris Brucker. " August 9, 2007, Rochester Post-Bulletin
Kandice Mascotti's attorney is Tammy Pust "Neither Mascotti nor her attorney, Tammy Pust, returned calls seeking comment." August 9, 2007, Rochester Post-Bulletin. Pust conducted the investigation into the claims of former employee, Ms. Susan Reid, for Eagle Ridge Academy.
Mr. Brucker gave Studio Academy a one week notice that he was leaving. "Director Chris Brucker created the opening Monday when he announced his resignation, in order to take a position with Eagle Ridge Academy charter school in Eden Prairie." May 22, 2008, Rochester Post-Bulletin
Mr. Brucker, in his resignation letter to Studio Academy, claims that he will be paid $105,000 (May 22, 2008, Rochester Post-Bulletin) which is more than $15,000 above the salary of current director, Mrs. Judi Ingison.
My Questions:
Why would Eagle Ridge Academy bring in a neophyte administrator? Mr. Brucker was hired at Studio Academy in June but did not assume the reins until August 2007. He has had 9 months experience as a director in a school that resembles ERA only in that it is a charter school and has numerous governance issues.
Brucker left his job at the Academy of BioScience mid-year and has now left his post at Studio Academy with one week's notice. Maybe both situations were untenable, but it's not like the future of Eagle Ridge Academy is looking to be a cake walk. Why would he leave one mess for another? Has Eagle Ridge been negligent in educating him on the mess he is about to deal with?
How did we find this guy? Did he apply for the post or did Pust recommend him? What spoke to the board about his experience and his resume that made them think he was the right man for the job?
Why are we even bothering with an interim director at this point? Couldn't Mrs. Erin Johnson, Dean of Students, have filled this position until a director was found and the board could have focused on the long term? Her qualifications aren't that different from Mr. Brucker's. How long can Mr. Brucker be the interim director anyway? Six weeks maybe? Why would someone quit their job with one week's notice to take an interim position with no guarantee of the future?
If Mr. Brucker is to be believed why is he being offered a salary of $105,000 with only 9 months of administrative experience and for an interim position?
As with the non-renewal of Mrs. Ingison, I'm left wondering why the board of Eagle Ridge Academy behaves the way it does.
5 comments:
I am not certain, (you should check on this), but it is my understanding that the school board per se is not in charge of the search for the new director. There are only 2 people on the search team as far as I know and there is only one member of the board on the team. The other is a faculty member.
For what it is worth, if it were up to me, I would pick a search team that was not part of the ERA faculty. Possibly some folks from Friends of Ascension would be more acceptable.
A member of the search committee who is also on the staff at ERA could pose a conflict of interest.
Actually, the committee consists of Mrs. Karilyn Jons and Mrs. Erin Johnson, both Board members. It is wise to have these two members on since they represent the teacher faction and parent faction. The teachers will have to work with this person daily and the parents will be communicating with this director frequently, by having both of these two on the committee, it is likely that they will agree on the candidate most suited for the school. This provides, in essence, a check and balance.
I am concerned that Erin Johnson may be in a position to influence the hiring of her own boss. That creates the potential for a conflict of interest.
J Capello.
So ... there's a "potential" of conflict of interest. Are you accusing Mrs. Johnson of something? Seems to me that there are 8 other board members that will also vote on the final contract with the new director. And given that Mrs. Johnson voted against the majority on the decision to not renew Mrs. Ingison's contract, I don't know that she has that much influence on the board anyway. And, who better to serve on the search committee than someone who has been with the school since before the doors opened and knows the school better than anyone left there. She may be the last hope of hiring someone decent.
I am sorry if my post was unclear. Erin Johnson is now in the difficult position of having to recommend to the board her new boss. Yes, the board will have the final say, however the board, which consists of a majority of employees of ERA, will have to decide on their new boss. In most cases, employees usually don't have that much influence in picking their supervisor. That is potentially a conflict of interest.
If she is 50% responsible for reviewing the pool of candidates and conducting the initial interviews I believe there is further potential for a conflict of interest question being raised.
Another point to address is who picked the interim director? The board or Ms Johnson and Ms Jons, or were there more people involved in the decision? At this point in time, I don't know. The incumbent director will have a significant advantage when the final decision is made, and I don't know who was involved in the decision to hire him other than the 2 people previously mentioned.
Finally.
Be careful when jumping ship. Keep your feet together when you hit the water otherwise you could get injured. And never dive in headfirst. :)
Best of luck,
J Capello.
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