Parent Post: The school board approved Bettina Kates as the new Deer Creek Elementary principal last night (6/26/08).  FYI..... I heard Miller stayed awake throughout the entire meeting this time!  Although I made the assumption about the new Rose Union principal and her lack of experience, I am very aware of Mrs. Kates ability and I know without a doubt she will be awesome.  In my opinion, the superintendent made one of her best decisions by putting Bettina in this role.

Parent Post: For the record, Mrs. Riggs wasn't asked to leave DC. But it sounds like several will be happy she left, many are sad and now she can be used as the whipping post and scapegoat for the CYA approach in the district. Best of luck to a wonderful person and educator! It is our district's loss.

Parent Post 1: You are exactly right that the name calling and accusations, before proven, are ruining careers, lives and making for horrible morale. A lot of your veteran teachers that do stand up for what they believe are then being cussed out by the one or two parents that don't understand the programs and methods that made us successful for years and they are also the ones that are miserable because the horrible comments about teachers and the district in general are taken very personally by them when they are the ones that have worked so hard to make DC what it WAS!

The people that have made the biggest negative impact on this district were the ones under the microscope at first and rightfully so but suddenly they are now being quoted as people that Ruthie should have learned from? Read back in the post and see the people from other districts that have come out of the wood work to let you know where your problems lie and you will find that principal that is still there and you wanted Ruthie to learn from her? I don't believe the person acting as if they knew Ruthie so well has really spoken with her or teachers at that school that were thrilled to be with someone who understood children.

We are never going to please every single parent so realize that and also stop to think about the teachers that have left you and how their families are also seeing this information and hearing about it then watching their loved ones in stress on a daily basis because they are doing the right thing in their room but when you lump all of the teachers and administrators together to be the enemies, it makes for a miserable day, everyday.

We weren't like this when we were successful. The biggest change has been lack of support for the teachers, not making copies and raising money but letting them know they are doing a good job and understanding that educating 22 kids at a time means that one or two might not like the lesson every single time and that educated professional knows what they are doing and if they don't then it will be very obvious and talk to them without lumping everyone in there with them.
 

Parent Post 2: Amazing how hateful and immature some of you parents are.  How can you look at yourself in the mirror after making such rude comments about teachers and/or administrators?  Is that really necessary?  Can you not just share an opinion and keep your rude comments about people to yourself?  I'm a ten year Deer Creek parent and I'm ashamed of you who keep up these ugly attitudes!
 

Parent Post 3: Mr. Miller stated today that Debbie Straughn has NOT been approved as the Vice Principal at Rose Union. Bettina Kates is to be voted on tomorrow for the DCES principal position.  Her baby is due in the fall.

I will agree with the post that my post looked as if I assumed Stacey Edwards might not be a good principal because of her lack of experience.  In no way did I intend to come across that way.  The point I was trying to make is that we set her up to fail.  We didn't put her in a well-oiled machine like DCES or with a year to sit behind other elementary principals in our district to learn "the Deer Creek way".

I believe if we would get rid of our school board that hired our lousy Superintendent - we could make some progress. Our district has deteriorated with the growth rather than grown with it.  We don't want to end up like other local districts that were once the best and now a place people transfer out of....

It amazes me that our school district is run by a bunch of parents who apparently do not realize that our district is a business.  While it may not be a business to make money; it is still managed by tax dollars and earned income from educating our children. 

Our district nearly closed in the 80's.  The Foundation was formed to save it.  That worked until the last 2 leaders.  Now they have dwindled to nearly no members - except for new people who don't know any better.  They have hardly raised any money.  They have again tried to change their focus - the past 2 years.  The current leadership has made a mockery out of years of hard work. 

Without the Foundation to help subsidize the extra income needed for growth and updating; our children suffer.  We don't have the tax revenue YET!

Fortunately, the movie theater, the new gas station/convenience store and a few businesses have purchased land to build on. In the meantime, we have a lot of growth NOW. We have needs NOW for the kids in school that is our responsibility to educate to the best of our ability. Deer Creek is NOT doing that on this path.

So many children are falling through the cracks.  If you are behind - at all - you struggle to survive.  Fortunately, all of my kids are in GT - but I still see kids being overlooked because they just cannot keep up with the pace.  I would think that is OK IF and only IF we were a private school and it was a choice.  We are a public school and we owe every child the SAME opportunity. Having such different technology in each classroom (like SmartBoards) is NOT being equal. 

What has our "leader" done? Her re-districting fiasco still costs us - We have kids attending Rose Union that live in the farthest Southwest corner of our district - and a large # of them - 3 entire neighborhoods plus....driving past DCES to go to school.  Does she not read the paper?  Gas is at an all time high!  And are we doing anything about this problem?  NO - we asked for volunteers to transfer.

We have 1 elementary that survived as an overpopulated building while that same school the children were bussed right past was under.  So far - I don't see any success there. Not only did Becky Wilkinson mess that up - she didn't admit and correct the mistake. Under her reign:  we have had numerous district wide issues with staff members (how many times have we read about our coaches?!), huge transfers amongst employees, we have never had enough bus drivers, we had at least 4 different cleaning crews and now have to clean our own areas, whether you like the DCSPost or not - it has come in to existence due to her lack of ability to communicate.

We have had horrific and embarrassing issues with each new school board election. We had horrible press when Danny Barnes tried to buy his daughter a classroom of technology and choose the teacher for it - all through the Foundation (wonder why it has fallen apart?- leadership issues?!). We have had a leak about the surprise visits from the "drug dogs" and supposedly Becky was the only one who knew when they were coming.

We have had an increase in drugs and drinking, more discipline problems than we have ever seen, numerous principals at the high school, an elementary principal quit and the other two under consistent fire from very serious issues, and we have a lawsuit pending from a former coach/teacher and parents of a special education child locked in a time out room and another for being slapped!

Hmmmmm...what has she done? Gave the principal with the obvious Special Needs issues - a new job and a new school! Done nothing to assist with the redistricting nightmare she created - pass the buck! Has not found or requested more money so we could actually keep maintenance, cleaning, and transportation staff.  I prefer a certified mechanic … as my child’s bus mechanic! 

I know the high school had to pay back tax money ($9,000) for forms not filled out correctly. We cannot afford financially one lawsuit and have 3 facing us. We have "never known" that a school building would need to be checked by a fire marshal. We have had mold, leaks, plumbing issues and just purchased more land that has to be repaired before we can even build on it!

And we wait until the end of June to decide we need Principals - yep - when I graduated if you didn't have a job by May - you were not fit to be hired.  GO DEER CREEK! What do we have to show for Becky Wilkinson reign besides NIGHTMARES?!

So, Danny - you say you want to do something big this year so you can be re-elected?!  How about using your brain…and make a business decision that would actually benefit our district - hire a leader!  Hire a grant writer!

Or sit back and wait on another lawsuit - where I am - you could be sued daily for the way you are spoken to by the "infamous" principal you are coddling along.  Or is she your answer to the Superintendent issue in one more year?  But, if you aren't re-elected - it won't matter!

Our Reply: To Parent Post 1, we agree that the parents should be giving more recognition to the teachers that deserve it.  We some what disagree with you about when Deer Creek was great.  A lot of the problems that are talked about today were happening in the past.  It is just in the past it was such a small school district that these problems could be covered up.  With the growth in the district today these problems no longer can be covered up.  Unfortunately these problems put a dark cloud on everything good about the district.  The teachers take the brunt of the abuse because they are in front of the parents every day.  That doesn’t make it right but it happens and it is not a problem that is solely Deer Creek’s alone.  Hopefully we can get to the day when we don’t take out our frustrations on the wrong people and we can talk about our differences without the name calling.

To Parent Post 3, we were not sure if you were being sarcastic or not about your statement of learning the ‘Deer Creek Way’.  We actually would prefer that individuals come in with new ideas and a fresh way of doing things.  As you stated in your post ‘the Deer Creek way’ has lead to a lot of adverse situations.  Of course these new ideas have to be consistent in an educational sense so all of the kids in the district are getting a consistent education throughout the district.

As for the DCSF we have no inside information about the foundation itself but you would admit the economic times may have had something to do with the lack of contributions.  You would also have to admit that even though it is a separate organization it too will feel the repercussions of a lack of leadership with in the school district.  Maybe, just maybe, the school board will see that their decisions have far reaching effects even beyond their own little world.

Parent Post 1: Regarding comments of the RU principal and MS principal.

Thank you parent post #1, as for parent post #3.  You are part of the problem.  Shut up and make things better at your children's school.  No one cares about your opinions and your classless name calling.  I'm done with the DCSPOST, why do you allow these type of people a forum?  (Censorship??? Yes, if it destroys jobs-lives and our children's education.) Every decent journalist screens remarks. I know Clay Christensen does during the School board town meeting.  I challenge you all to make a difference in Deer Creek schools as we approach a new year with our new teachers and administrators. It's a difficult job with the continuing lack of funds, complaining parents, and undisciplined children.  Quit being part of the problem! To all of you.....STOP THIS CRAP!!!

Good-by DCSPOST!
 

Parent Post 2: Anyone who does not categorize the last two years at Rose Union as a "mess" has not been staying informed.

Obviously, you (Parent Post 1, June 24) totally missed the irony of your comments.  Do you think the fact that you are FRIENDS with SEVERAL teachers has anything to do with your positive experience at RU?  Why is that you, FRIEND of teachers, has test results before the rest of us?  Do you also make your teacher preference known and then your child is placed in that teacher's room, etc.?

My experience and comments have nothing to do with bashing - it has to do with the quality of education, materials and facilities!  No doubt, your child was not prematurely placed in a portable, not up to fire code and without smartboards and the same instructional materials as the other classes in the same grade.  Indeed, my children love Rose Union - they also love Pixie Stix but that doesn't mean that it is GOOD for them.

From where I sit, RU has not been taking the brunt of criticism for being different but for sending students over to DCMS with noticeably lower math skills.  Is it due to different curriculum, teaching methods or some other variable?  Who knows?  Our RU students were still behind!

Test scores are a fallacy - we have seen how they can be manipulated to "achieve" what standard it arbitrarily set.  What we need to be looking at is where students begin at the start of school and where they finish at the end of the year.  This gives a more accurate assessment of a teacher and student then the cookie-cutter "No Child Left Behind" approach.

As a parent, I have not whined or complained.  I have been active in the schools to try and make things better.  At times over the past two years, I have had to take a stand for my child, who had a teacher the first year who couldn't be bothered with students that weren't GT and this past year with a teacher who was chronically absent.  I suppose that when you are not friends with staff and actually have to attempt to go through the proper channels to have your voice heard, it is construed by some as whining and/or complaining. 

I consider it fighting for my children's future.
 

Parent Post 3: Unfortunately, test scores weren't the reason Ruthie was encouraged to "resign" or go through the harsh reality of being let go. If you are truly "friends" or actually a staff member - then you too know the reality of "the mess" at RU.

Teachers were running the show.  There was no leadership.  Some teams more than others; struggled the entire year with no leader.  This year especially was a nightmare for the administration with complaint after complaint - teachers couldn't get along - no one to make a decision.  When the staff is complaining - we have serious problems.

Staff was not required to dress within our district dress code. Staff was not made to meet principal or staff requirements.  Ruthie continued to complain to parents, school board members and other staff that "the teachers just don't listen to her". Some of her staff was permitted to show up late to work on a consistent basis. 

There were issues with records that were taken to the school board.

Ruthie Riggs is a really kind person.  I think she might even do really well in the school she is in now.  She is in a position to be successful now.  She has 2 really strong vice principals.  Running the show alone is not Ruthie's strength.  She couldn't get along with Debbie Straughn for a semester, she had issues with Michelle Anderson, she had to be allowed to office at the Administration because she couldn't do her job - to follow and learn from 2 existing principals in our district.

That was our red flag - but once again, our school board just went along with things and thus the problems we have today.

No one can say Ruthie Riggs was not a very kind person.  She is almost at fault for being too nice.  She tried to hard to be everyone's friend - and no one's leader.

The day she quit and the staff went to her house at the beginning of this school year to beg her to stay - and continue on her path of "TAKING THE LEMONS ROSE UNION HAS BEEN DEALT AND MAKING LEMONADE" was the day our school board should have stepped in and let her go.  I don't keep a single employee that doesn't want to work for our company -why should we want to?  A person that demanding to throw a temper tantrum of sorts to get attention and have her way; is far from a professional and/or a leader.

My kids are in GT and their individual test scores dropped from the beginning to the end of the year - so have many people I have talked to - especially in reading.  I don't know why the scores you quote don't show that.  But, I am not trying to speak for the masses - only my experience and those I personally know.  I tried to meet with the art teacher several mornings only to find him arriving after 9 a.m. on MANY occasions and the office staff and Mrs. Riggs - just laughing him off as to being creative and people like that just can't live on a schedule.  Unbelievable!  He didn't have to follow rules - why should anyone else?  What does that say to the rest of the staff?

Why should the kids be held more accountable than the staff that is teaching them?

I could go on and on - but the reality is:  we have hired a GREAT TEACHER with only 1 year of experience as a Vice Principal - another horrible decision by our school board!  Or do they enjoy setting people up to fail?

How would you like to transfer from a job to openly move away from a boss only to have that boss transferred to follow you?  We only think we had bad morale amongst the staff last year.

Now we have a BRAND NEW and UNEXPERIENCED principal with a temporary quick fix of a Vice Principal that no one wanted to work for.  Sure sounds like the school board stepped up to fix things doesn't it?!
 

Parent Post 4: Has anyone heard about the new principal for DCES?
 

Our Reply: To Parent Post 1, we appreciate you affording us the status of Journalist but the reality of it is we are not.  The DCSpost is nothing more than an avenue for people to share ideas and views.  Do we wish that people would stick to the facts and leave out the ‘name calling’?  Yes and you have no idea of the editorial changes we have had to make.  But in doing so we have never and will ever suppress anybody’s opinion just because we don’t like it or don’t agree with it.  The only way anybody can understand an entire issue is by hearing both sides of the story.  Then and only then can anybody truly evaluate a situation and make their own informed decision.

For the record Clay Christenson does a wonderful job in his role as the moderator for the DCSF debates.  In actuality his role is entirely different that our role and is not a fair comparison by any means. 

Finally, while we may not agree with everything Parent Post 3(June 24) says, we will never question their commitment to the school and all they have done over the years to help make the school a better place not only for their child but all children. 

To Parent Post 3, remember that every great administrator at some point in their career only had one year experience.  So let’s keep an open mind and not judge the new Rose Union Principal before she gets a chance.

To Parent Post 4, we have not heard anything yet but to our understanding they just posted that position as well as the DCMS principal.  With that said we are sure if anybody hears anything they will let us know.  

Parent Post 1: As a Rose Union parent, I’m deeply offended by your remarks “fix the mess at Rose Union.”  What mess would that be?  I’m friends with several of the teachers and they just shared their preliminary test results which were excellent…..yes, even by Deer Creek standards:  3rd grade math 98%, reading 95%; 4th grade math 100%, reading 99%; 5th grade math 95%, reading 97%.  Also, 49% of 4th graders scored advanced in math and 62% of 5th graders scored advanced in math.  I’m tired of the Rose Union bashing!  My kids have loved being there and I’ve loved being part of that school!  DCE and PV both use different math textbooks and different approaches to reading; but RU has taken the brunt of the criticism for being different.  You want test scores?  You got ‘em!  You want kids learning?  You got it!  Should all of the schools be using the same textbook?  Yes!  But RU didn’t come up with the plan for all of them to be different!  Unfortunately, I’m sure Mrs. Riggs got tired of the whining and complaining parents and was able to go someplace where buildings are made of brick, occupancy permits are applied for, intercoms and fire alarms are done before March and school is a business.
 

Parent Post 2: I have heard that the new principal at Rose Union will be Stacey Edwards.  She taught 2nd grade at DCES. She was an excellent teacher and wonderful with her students and parents.
 

Parent Post 3:

1. Toni Jones will be the new Director of Curriculum at the high school.
2. Stacey Edwards - (former DCES teacher and one year of Vice Principal in Edmond) will be the Rose Union principal
3. Debbie Straughn will be Rose Union Vice Principal for the first semester and then will plan for the new school the second semester as needed.

Those are the facts.

Here are my opinions:

1. Once again, the school board waited too long to do ANYTHING!  All the principals know where they will be by February if they are any good - not at the end of June! Those that don't have jobs today - didn't get hired for a reason!
2. If Debbie Straughn is so wonderful - why does she get a new school?  Wouldn't she be more experienced to FIX THE MESS at Rose Union rather than a teacher with ZERO principal experience!
3. Are either one of those good candidates to put at a school where they were:
   1. co-teachers of Stacey Edwards
      or
   2. left DCES to get away from Debbie
4. We now have NO middle school principal - maybe we can't move Toni UNTIL WE HAVE ONE IN PLACE AND TRAINED.  And, if the school board thinks Blankenship is the answer - they are dumber than I thought.  Our kids could eat him for a snack.
5. Bettina Kates?  She couldn't even handle the elementary school….Besides, she wants an elementary job - as she has stated - because the middle school takes too much away from your "family" time - so she doesn't want the middle school job - she'll be on maternity leave in the first semester anyways.
6. You know - I don't sell my car until I have another one or plan to immediately purchase another one so I can still do my job.  Why does our School Board move people without a plan in place?  Why is the school that is not even under construction (near enough to do a thing with it) more important than the existing schools?
   Which School Board Member has a kid going there?

Parent Post 4: I hope you realize the people you would be hurting by defeating a bond issue would be the children, not the adminstration.  As for who will be the Rose Union principal, I only hope the patrons will be supportive.  The transition in a school from one principal to another is tough on the staff and students.  Let\'s show our support for the new person.  She is very competent and has taught for many years, not just the one as stated in a previous post. As parents and patrons, we need to show our support for our schools not hurl insults and \"digs\" at the staff and administration. There are a lot of positive things going on in this district but unfortunately, some choose to focus on the one or two things that make them unhappy.
 

Our Reply: To Parent Post 1.  We think the original poster was being sarcastic when referring to the mess at Rose Union.  If you want to be offended be offended by the board member who is suggesting that the school district is better off without Ruthie Riggs.  Also is it just us or has anybody else found the Superintendent’s actions towards Rose Union questionable?  It is these actions that suggest Rose Union is a mess.  Have you ever wondered why the Superintendent questioned the teachers at Rose Union about the goings on there but refused to meet with a group of parents about Prairie Vale?

To Parent Post 3.  Great points.  You bring up some questions worth pondering.

To Parent Post 4.  We certainly realize that by not voting for a bond election there would be adverse affects on the students.  But since the board doesn’t appear to be listening to the patrons it may be the only way to get their attention.  Also would you give a thief money if he promised you your kids would benefit or would you choose to find other options with people who are more fiscally responsible?  Not to suggest the school board are a bunch a thieves but their fiscal responsibility is certainly in question.

As for the Rose Union new Principal we agree that we hope the patrons will be supportive.  Remember she is not the reason Ruthie Riggs left.  You can thank our school board and Superintendent for that.  For the record a school board member told me personally that Ruthie Riggs was not much of a team player.  Could it be that the school board does not practice what you are preaching either?  That they focused on the negative instead of all the positives at Rose Union. 

For the record, Debbie Straughn, Richard Vrooman, and Becky Wilkinson were the only Principals who were in office when the students with the High Remediation Rates were in school.  No chance any of them would have any responsibility with that?  Of course they would not have been promoted or overly complemented if they did (sarcasm in case you didn’t notice).

Yes there are a lot of positive things going on in the district but there are more than one or two things wrong in the district.  If the school board would fix what is broken then the focus would go back to the positive.  By not making the superintendant do her job or finding a replacement may help get the school district back on track. Choosing to ignore the negative will never solve the problem. 

Parent Post 1: Does anyone know who is going to be new principal at Rose Union?

Parent Post 2: Is it correct what we are hearing?  Word was that Debbie Straughn has been reassigned to the new elementary school that won't be open for another year,  Toni Jones is going to the High School as Director of Curriculum,  Jan Seely is now Director of Special Services(?)  And they have hired a ex-teacher from DC with one year experience as a vice-principal with Edmond schools to try to fix the mess at Rose Union, then a new principal at DC Elementary and new principal at the MS.  

We also have a personnel director and a director of something, Dick Vrooman , an athletic director and so on.  What is the world is Debbie Straughn going to do for a year?   WE ARE ADMINISTRATIVELY TOP-HEAVY.  The school board is constantly asking for more and more from it's constituency.  We just gave them 35 million in the last bond issue and they're preparing to ask us for more. 

Where is John Robertson and David Miller who both ran on the "increased accountability" ticket?  Gentlemen, Please step up! We know Barnes is only going to vote for what is in his best interest and Ding-a-ling Larson is going to vote as per her religion.  Hopefully Jim Benson, a financial wizard, can see we are spending too much on the palace and not enough on the peasants. 

Are we going to have to get an organized revolt against the next bond issue to get the boards attention?  I certainly hope not but we have to get the boards attention somehow. Wait till the new school supply lists come out and the schools will be asking for reams of paper and other supplies that clearly should be the responsibility of the board to purchase. We want the money spent at the classroom level and not more administrative expense.
 

Our Reply: Here is the link to the school board meeting agenda for June 20, 2008. http://www.deercreekschools.org/boe/agenda/AGENDA062008.pdf you will see Toni Jones and Debbie Straughn are the only names mentioned.  There are no names for the other positions including the Principal at Rose Union.

How are the finding the fund for all of these new administrative positions but were unable to find the funds when hiring the Superintendent?  We totally agree with your assessment of the situation.  Unfortunately it appears the board did not get the message during the last election.  Maybe it will take defeating a bond election for them to wake up.