Jewell Interim Superintendents Speak Out, Pt II

Local News

Carrie Bartoldus May 5, 2008

Up Next: Jim Mabbott
Jewell School Board next turned to the Northwest Regional Educational Services District Superintendent (NWRESD) Jim Mabbott, who stepped in himself to take over the reigns of the beleaguered district. Mabbott was only able to be onsite in Jewell one day a week, however, his main goal was to get the school district back on track. “If we are going to be involved, this is the way it must be,” Mabbott told the school board. He felt the majority of the community supported that.

Mabbott says that there were huge gaps between policy and procedures. There were issues involving curriculum and textbook adoptions. “We could not fix all of those issues in the time we had but we created a solid plan [to fix the problems].”

On an ongoing basis ESD’s Instruction and School Improvement Services Department provides support and consultation services in curriculum and staff development to 20 component school districts. Services are designed to assist districts in meeting the requirements of Oregon 21st Century Reform. Through strategic planning ESD: Provides assistance to component districts to support their efforts to improve student performance; Improves the collaborative partnership with school districts, ODE, the U.S. Department of Education, other public and private educational agencies and the NWRESD; Provides assistance to component school districts in curriculum alignment processes and textbook adoption cycles; Provides assistance to component school districts in the development and implementation of a continuous improvement plan.

The Statement of Assurances form that Mike Tiedeman received on his first day on the job had been filled out and sent in every year yet Mabbott could not find an up to date state approved written curriculum for the school or state approved text book either. “Until that district gets back on track they will not attract a high caliber candidate for the superintendent position,” Mabbott firmly stated. Oly Schockelt’s, and other’s like him, opinion that the Jewell School District would be better off without using the services of ESD is something that Mabbott finds hard to understand.

Even while John Seeley was still superintendent, Jim Mabbott reflected, Karl Meier and Ann Samuelson contacted NWRESD to report fiscal concerns and asked if ESD could help them look at their fiscal policies and procedures. Mabbott indicated that Superintendent Seeley told NWRESD he was opposed to that help. Without board direction or the support of the superintendent NWESD could not step in.

According to Mabbott, Oly Schockelt was on the board and was outspoken in not wanting the help of the Educational Services District. Looking back at news reports of that time Schockelt, a board member of five years, felt that most of Jewell’s problems come down to “technicalities.” Schockelt didn’t feel that it in any way affected the integrity of the school system or the way that the school was ran.

Special Student Services: Early Intervention (Birth to 3) Early Childhood Special Education (3-5); Behavioral Programs (K-12); Related Services (Birth to 21).
Instructional Services: Curriculum and Staff Development; School Improvement Services; Professional Development; Migrant/English Language Learner (ELL) Services; Northwest Outdoor Science School, Terra Nova High School; CAPITAL Center High School Technology Institute; Tillamook County Health Services Academy and Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation Program; GED Testing Services; and Title VII Indian Education Services.
Technology Services: Technology Services to Schools; Software & Application Support; Management Information Systems (MIS); Testing & Assessment Scoring Services; Multimedia; Videoconferencing.
Other Support Services: Truancy Enforcement; Home School Registration; Printing & Graphics Services; and Courier Services.

In early 2006 the majority of the Jewell School Board turned its nose up at using these services for their school district. By January 2007, however, a new board looked at the situation differently and Mabbott himself took time away from his work as the director of the Northwest Regional office of the Educational Service District to help Jewell get back on track.

“For the first time in many, many years there is a partnership between the school district and its service providers,” Mabbott reported. When asked what would happen if the district were to take a step back now, Mabbott replied, “It would be a huge mistake. The board is on the right track.” The plan that Mabbott initiated and that the current administrator, Jerry Jones, is implementing, “has been added to in a positive way by the current board and administration,” Mabbott affirmed.

Looking at the Jewell School District’s programs, developed by John Seeley and funded by the Jewell School District at what appears to be the expense of other academic programs (i.e. the over $80,000 that had to be repaid to the state for grant money that was not properly accounted for) and comparing that to the programs and services already developed and funded by the NWESD it seems that a complete analysis of the appropriate use of fiscal funds may not have occurred.

Jewell’s Guaranteed Success program has not produced the results expected, according to the teachers and parents involved in the program, nor the test scores on the national standardized testing. The cost of this program is truly hard to compute as proper accounting procedures for it were never kept. Reimbursements were made without proper receipts, purchase orders were not made, trip vouchers not kept, reimbursements were made on credit card statements and a total tally of expenditures does not appear to have been done per trip.

One of the ESD programs compatible to the Guaranteed Success Program or Creative Week could be Place Based Education. NWRESD hosts a four-day institute offering teachers, school administrators, and community members an opportunity to become familiar with the possibilities, principles, and practices of place-based education. This approach to teaching and learning focuses on local culture, history, natural resource issues, economics, and community processes as the basis for a proportion of students’ educational experiences. Teaching in this way benefits both students and their communities. Students encounter learning opportunities that are personally engaging and valued by others. And communities gain from the imagination, energy, and commitment of their youngest citizens. While the trips offered for completing homework provided students with a type of education that families offer during vacations, the Place Based Education program gives the students the skills and tools to proceed academically, which a school district is responsible to its patrons to do.

Ann Samuelson sits on the NWRESD board and her familiarity with the services it provides and the benefits it could bring (and is currently providing) to the Jewell School District is evident in the consistency with which she encourages the district to turn to its services. That ESD values Samuelson is also evident. When asked what Mabbott thought about the recall effort he responded, “Karl Meier and Ann Samuelson are fine public servants and they should both be thanked for their commitment to serving the community of the Jewell School District. It will be a loss to the district to lose either of them as board members.”

9 Comments

On May 6, 10:51 AM, wondering wrote:

Can someone please explain why there are certain people are resentful of ESD in Jewell? If an agency is designed to help schools stay on track with its curriculum and textbooks, helps schools with training teachers to use new programs and resources, and helps school districts update their policies all for free what the heck is there to hate about using ESD? ESPECIALLY a district that has had to return $80,000 for not being in compliance with state mandates?

On May 6, 10:04 PM, outside looking in wrote:

That is an excellent question! Will someone please answer it? I’d think by now that the main concern in the Jewell School District would be getting your school back on track as fast as possible. I had always thought that Jewell School would be exceptional, especially with the amount of money per student spent. I thought you’d have the best Teachers and Programs. I wonder why it wasn’t a simple thing to be in compliance with such a small student population? And why not harsher penalties from the state for being so far out of compliance? Come on PEOPLE....aren’t you all embarrassed enough by now and want to move forward and quit looking back? Rebuild you reputation NOW!

On May 6, 10:33 PM, Penalties wrote:

Outside looking in you are referring to penalties on a past event yet advising Jewell people to quite looking back and move forward. BTW some of your points are good but the way you addresses sure struck out as a double standard. I agree with the penalties idea and thats also why a recall success will be a good reminder that the community will stand against not listening. They sure did not listen last night. 5-0 approval on a 4.8 millions dollar budget. 25,000 per student? You would think the board would be motivated by now to reduce the budget so they would not be as burdened by how much is spent per student. The size they continue to approve sure puts a glaring spot light on whether performance increases have justified expenditures under their leadership.

On May 6, 11:13 PM, Marsha Tisdale wrote:

Up until last year, I was a teacher at Jewell School. I saw marked improvement from students over the years the Guaranteed Success Program was in place. When first developing this program we looked the elements of a successful student. We found five areas:

Students who did the following passed their classes:

1. Attended class regularly (90% or above);
2. Engaged themselves in the class;
3. Did all the homework and turned it in on time;
4. Gave an honest effort in studying for tests;
5. Were proactive in asking for help when needed.

These are the factors around which we built the program. The trips were bonuses, but even the trips were learning experiences where students were able to experience something great, something they would remember for a lifetime. And the trips had learning built into them as well. Students prepared for the trips, learning about the area and its history. They would meet once a week for 6 weeks to participate in a learning frenzy, even researching and presenting information to their fellow students.

I understand the complaint about the cost of the trips and would have supported a program that did not include a trip every year or one that included a service project (such as the habitat for humanity that I hear was done this year). But as for the study program itself, throughout the year...I felt it did help.

There are those students who would do the five things with or without the program. And there are students who won’t bother doing them and won’t bother joining a help program. But for the students who need extra motivation, extra help, extra study time...for those students we saw good progress with the program.

On May 8, 9:50 PM, jewell student wrote:

Jewell really sucks now that the new administration has come in, less and less kids are wanting or even coming to school anymore. i think that the board should do something about that. No one like’s anyone, all the teachers are stressed out, everyone is craby,and the kids are causeing anarcky i dont know how to spell that thanks jewell!!!

On May 8, 10:53 PM, jewell in the rough wrote:

Yeah, vegetables suck after eating candy for five years straight. Exercise makes people craBBy at first, but after a while a proper diet and healthy food will make you a better person.

On May 9, 7:06 AM, money money wrote:

I like Jewell in the rough comments. That is reality and really does work like exercise. But the direct correlation with a current lean situation does not apply to Jewell yet. They approved a 4.8 million dollar budget for that small district. Nearly 25,000 dollars per student ( LONG WAYS FROM LEAN ). Some of us do not know this sup very well but from what I have seen in the public in his actions and the boards, the treatment of the general public is certainly not cordial. I would have to believe there is issues that are not healthy and they are not about the candy.
The administration and board have clearly decided to stay away from vegetables, hopefully changes in the board makeup will bring back some healthy living and for that you have brought up a great point. THANK YOU

On May 9, 9:10 AM, Ron wrote:

Over the years the Jewell School Board’s lack of ethical and financial oversight has eroded our respect for elected public agencies.
For some reason people ignore the past and elected public agencies say, “ You need to get over being angry about the past”. We need to learn from the mistakes from the past and have the correct oversight for the future.

Wizard John with his wand fabricated a signed witness list against Debbie Bowers on Valentines Day and had her arrested by the Clatsop County Sheriff’s dept.
Mrs. Bowers had previous complained to wizard John and the Jewell School board about the massaging and other issues. Some teachers targeted Mrs. Bowers’s children at school.
The fabricated statement was a false statement and all the people that signed the statement lied under oath. Our District Attorney Joshua Marquis not knowingly prosecuted Mrs. Bowers over multiple lies. One of the assignees is a spouse of a current Jewell School Board member.

Guess its better for Wizard John that everyone was corrupt and not just him.
Marquis said “no prosecution was possible because of strongly conflicting statements by different members of the Jewell School Board, a lack of documentation, and no clear line of accountability for expenditures. In some cases the minutes of the School Board are unavailable and in other instances they lack any discussion of specific expenditures. Despite this lack of documentation, several former school board members and some staff insist that Seeley was acting properly”.
I am surprised that my information was not part of the process. I have a package of public information from the Jewell School that costs $623.30 dollars in 2002. The package contains 123 copies at $5.06 per copy. I requested the Superintendent’s evaluation form for 2001, which was public information. The evaluation form was 16 pages of a form that is blank and I was charged $80.96 dollars.
Wizard John with his wand and a wish was able to stop me from attending my son’s graduation ceremony in 2002. The school board chairperson at the time knew exactly what was happening and looked the other way.
Look at who the Chairperson was at the time and look at the path that the school is following. The Jewell school board is going to approve 4.8 million dollar budget for next year. Jerry Jones stated if we loose the timber money we will be like every other school district. Our curriculum instruction budget is more than we would receive from the state. How would we maintain the school?

On May 9, 12:04 PM, jewell in the rough wrote:

Actually, they didn’t approve $25,000 per student, did they? They approved a treatment system for the school (water or sewer?).

Tip of the Day

"A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul." ~ George Bernard Shaw "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." ~Thomas Jefferson (Thanks, Auntie)

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