LRSD Parents Petition for Board to Cut Superintendent Candidate
By: Marci Manley
Updated: February 22, 2013
"Dr. Milton just doesn't give us any confidence," he said, reading through comments on the Facebook page.
From behind the screen and in front of the camera, Little Rock parent Jim Ross offers his concerns to the public about school district superintendent candidate Walter Milton, Jr.
"He's a very divisive personality when he comes into a school district," Ross said. "There are serious allegations of hiring child molesters and misappropriations of funds."
Ross started the "Working to Make Better Schools in the Little Rock School District" Facebook page as a forum for parents to discuss and get involved in the superintendent search.
"I really think the biggest challenge facing our schools is apathy from parents," Ross said. "So, I was pleasantly surprised when parents started signing up and giving their thoughts on all this."
What Ross wasn't pleasantly surprised by, all the news Milton made from his stint in school districts like Fallsburg, New York, Flint, Michigan, and most recently in his current position at Springfield, Illinois.
"We believe they are our schools," Ross said. "I just don't understand how the consulting firm could have selected him."
On his Facebook group and in an online petition, Ross and other parents say Milton's in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
"That leads us to believe he's not the leader we want for our school district," Ross said.
School Board member Greg Adams, speaking individually and not for the board, says he welcomes feedback from parents and thinks the Facebook page is a useful tool.
"The more information we have the better," he said. "I think they're putting a lot of good information out there. They're giving a forum for parents and other people who are interested in this, a place to express their views."
But he hopes a public interview process will clear up controversy and reveal the best candidate for Little Rock's kids.
"Go through the process and trust that if everybody does that with honesty and integrity -- we'll come out with a good outcome. That's something we're committed to, an open process."
While Ross feels like Milton's inclusion only muddies the waters, he's hoping the situation spurs other parents to get involved.
"We're all vested in this whether with money or our kids," Ross said. "We're vested in this for our community. Let's make our schools better, because we can."
The consulting firm MacPherson & Jacobson was hired to the tune of $21,500 to head up the superintendent selection process. This brochure, lists the criteria candidates are required to have.
Consultant Loe Dunn refused to answer any of our questions, including whether she had any professional or personal relationships with any of the finalists selected. She also couldn't say whether Milton was a finalist in any other district searches.
Milton did speak to us by phone, saying parents have no need to worry. He said many of the allegations made about him were untrue and politically motivated.
"If they were true, I could not have been a successful superintendent in Springfield for six years," he said. "If they go to Google they're going to see a lot of those negative things, but there are a lot of positive things about how my district has performed that get overlooked."
Milton said he is more than happy to answer questions from parents and the public, either through phone calls or during the interview process.
The Little Rock School District will hold the following meetings for each candidate to be open to public interview and interaction at the LRSD Administration Building:
Monday, February 25: Hathorn
Tuesday, February 26: Phillips
Wednesday, February 27: Suggs
Monday, March 4: Milton
The following schedule applies each day:
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. General Public and Media Meet and Greet
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. PTA Advisory Council and Parents
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Certified and Non-certified Employees, Union Representatives
From behind the screen and in front of the camera, Little Rock parent Jim Ross offers his concerns to the public about school district superintendent candidate Walter Milton, Jr.
"He's a very divisive personality when he comes into a school district," Ross said. "There are serious allegations of hiring child molesters and misappropriations of funds."
Ross started the "Working to Make Better Schools in the Little Rock School District" Facebook page as a forum for parents to discuss and get involved in the superintendent search.
"I really think the biggest challenge facing our schools is apathy from parents," Ross said. "So, I was pleasantly surprised when parents started signing up and giving their thoughts on all this."
What Ross wasn't pleasantly surprised by, all the news Milton made from his stint in school districts like Fallsburg, New York, Flint, Michigan, and most recently in his current position at Springfield, Illinois.
"We believe they are our schools," Ross said. "I just don't understand how the consulting firm could have selected him."
On his Facebook group and in an online petition, Ross and other parents say Milton's in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
"That leads us to believe he's not the leader we want for our school district," Ross said.
School Board member Greg Adams, speaking individually and not for the board, says he welcomes feedback from parents and thinks the Facebook page is a useful tool.
"The more information we have the better," he said. "I think they're putting a lot of good information out there. They're giving a forum for parents and other people who are interested in this, a place to express their views."
But he hopes a public interview process will clear up controversy and reveal the best candidate for Little Rock's kids.
"Go through the process and trust that if everybody does that with honesty and integrity -- we'll come out with a good outcome. That's something we're committed to, an open process."
While Ross feels like Milton's inclusion only muddies the waters, he's hoping the situation spurs other parents to get involved.
"We're all vested in this whether with money or our kids," Ross said. "We're vested in this for our community. Let's make our schools better, because we can."
The consulting firm MacPherson & Jacobson was hired to the tune of $21,500 to head up the superintendent selection process. This brochure, lists the criteria candidates are required to have.
Consultant Loe Dunn refused to answer any of our questions, including whether she had any professional or personal relationships with any of the finalists selected. She also couldn't say whether Milton was a finalist in any other district searches.
Milton did speak to us by phone, saying parents have no need to worry. He said many of the allegations made about him were untrue and politically motivated.
"If they were true, I could not have been a successful superintendent in Springfield for six years," he said. "If they go to Google they're going to see a lot of those negative things, but there are a lot of positive things about how my district has performed that get overlooked."
Milton said he is more than happy to answer questions from parents and the public, either through phone calls or during the interview process.
The Little Rock School District will hold the following meetings for each candidate to be open to public interview and interaction at the LRSD Administration Building:
Monday, February 25: Hathorn
Tuesday, February 26: Phillips
Wednesday, February 27: Suggs
Monday, March 4: Milton
The following schedule applies each day:
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. General Public and Media Meet and Greet
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. PTA Advisory Council and Parents
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Certified and Non-certified Employees, Union Representatives
