Blair Oaks won't rehire elementary principal

Patrons lobby board to keep Lorie Winslow

Blair Oaks School Board president Greg Russell, at left, addresses the crowd gathered while Superintendent Jim Jones listens. More than 100 supporters of Blair Oaks Elementary School principal Lorie Winslow, attended a district school board meeting and dozens spoke, in closed session, on her behalf. Photo by Julie Smith.

By News Tribune

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

WARDSVILLE, Mo. - Eight hours after the Blair Oaks School Board began its first of three closed sessions to talk about whether to renew an elementary school principal’s contract, the principal learned she would not be rehired for the next school year.

Photo by Julie Smith

Blair Oaks Elementary School Principal Lorie Winslow reviews her evaluations as she waits on Feb. 14, 2012, while the school board meets in closed session about her employment fate. She later learned the board decided she won't be rehired for next school year.

“I can go, and I won’t be rehired,” Lorie Winslow, Blair Oaks Elementary School principal, said matter-of-factly as she emerged from her second appearance before the board behind closed doors.

The meeting, which began at 6 p.m. Tuesday ended shortly after Winslow emerged from the closed session at 2:14 a.m. Wednesday.

On Friday, Superintendent Jim Jones allegedly told Winslow during her annual performance evaluation that her contract would not be extended for the next school year.

While Winslow, who has worked for the district for more than 10 years, has never publicly addressed the issue and declined to talk Tuesday night, supporters — many of whom spoke with Winslow and read the evaluation signed by Jones — said the items noted as being of concern have little merit.

Ginger Luetkemeyer, a former elementary school parent, said she had seen the evaluation and said the issues Jones noted included what was characterized “as clerical issues — nothing illegal or wrong — simply a file not being where someone wanted a file when they wanted it.”

Those issues, Luetkemeyer said Tuesday night, were an issue with the way Winslow may have or may not have filed employee evaluations that she performed on her staff.

“What she is asking for is due process,” Luetkemeyer said. “She refutes the issues that are noted and in no way did she break a law. And saying she did is a defamation of character.”

Luetkemeyer said Winslow told her Jones said she had broken the law because the teacher evaluation files were not available to him upon request.

“That is a mischaracterization of the law and the intent of the law. The evaluations were done, and were simply filed in the wrong file cabinet or not made easily accessible when someone wanted them,” Luetkemeyer said. “It would be like coming into your home and demanding the last nine years taxes and receipts. It is a law that you have it, but you are not breaking the law if you cannot immediately place your hands on all of those documents.”

Parents, grandparents, former co-workers and even former students showed up to support Winslow at the middle school. At its peak, about 125 people were crowded in the school’s library.

In anticipation of the large crowd, the school board went into a closed session about 6 p.m. Tuesday to determine how to handle the large number of community members wishing to address the board.

Emerging from the closed session, Board President Greg Russell said two people had already signed up to address the board about personnel concerns. Those two people, later identified as teachers, were allowed to address the board for five minutes in closed session.

The board went back into closed session about 6:15 p.m. to begin hearing one minute of comments each from about 100 people who signed up to speak to the board. The last people to speak to the board emerged from the conference room around 8:30 p.m.

The board came out of its closed session at 8:30 p.m. and said it would conduct its regular business and return to closed session after the regular business was conducted.

At 9:45 p.m. — an hour after emerging from the first closed session — the board met back behind closed doors.

At 11:20 p.m., the board asked Winslow to come into the closed session with the board and Jones. She emerged about 10 minutes later, telling the 30 or so still in the room that she had addressed the board, reading from some prepared remarks. It was the first time she had spoken to the board about the contract.

Nearly three hours later, at 2:13 a.m. Wednesday, she was called back into the boardroom. One minute later, she emerged from the room, saying that she was not going to be rehired, but that she would finish out this school year.

Eight minutes later, the board emerged from the conference room and adjourned.

After the meeting, Jones declined to comment about what was discussed during the closed meeting, but said the board did discuss more than one subject during the closed session.

In accordance with Missouri law, personnel issues can be discussed in a closed session. Any action has to be reported within 72 hours.

Earlier coverage:

Blair Oaks school board faces crowd supporting principal

More like this story

gofish 1 year, 3 months ago

So if you read between the lines, is the supt really trying to say she hadn't done the evaluations...which is why they couldn't be produced upon request? Either way, on it's own, it would hardly sum up a persons entire job performance, which is what gives the appearance of this being a hatchet job. Only the Board and Winslow know the rest of the story.

jlmcam71099 1 year, 3 months ago

she did the evaluations and the teachers have a copy of their evaluations, but they never received a signed copy back from DESE. She turned the evaluations into the supterintendent's office and he was to turn them into DESE. Obviously, he didn't do that. If anyone should be in trouble, it should be Dr. Jones. Get rid of him. He is nothing but trouble. Mrs. Winslow is great and has done great things for Blair Oaks Elementary. No one can replace her and the school will never be the same.

cmnsense 1 year, 3 months ago

They could just be floating around the limbo that is DESE. Stranger things have happened....

herewego 1 year, 3 months ago

You folks elected these people, take care of it next election. Tell them how much you really like them!

Bornandraised 1 year, 3 months ago

It is no accident that Dr. Jones' waited for his contract to be renewed before he brought this issue to the boards' attention and ambushed Mrs. Winslow.

privacy1 1 year, 3 months ago

Well said!

privacy1 1 year, 3 months ago

Does anyone suppose there are two sides to the story? We know the principal's side prior to the meeting. The superintendent and school board cannot, by law, release personnel records or closed meeting information. Let's ask the principal to now release the rest of the story from the closed school board meeting. She is allowed to release it since it pertains to her employment.

really_folks 1 year, 3 months ago

I agree "privacy1".

TheTruthHurts 1 year, 3 months ago

If you are followed long enough, eventually your wheels cross the center stripe and you get pulled over. Mister Jones has been after Mrs Winslow for years. HE is the problem. This is the result of a vindictive administrator who is jealous of his "subordinates" competence, compassion, and popularity. I have personally overheard his conversations with others, and he is rude, confrontational, and outright mean. It is reminiscent of an upset football coach grabbing the facemask of his quarterback after a fumble and yelling in his face. He needs to go. When I was at this meeting, I saw a room full of future potential board members. He will reap what he has sown. "Coach" Jones' days at Blair Oaks are numbered.

TheTruthHurts 1 year, 3 months ago

It is no wonder that Blair Oaks cannot improve its bullying problems when the top administrator is the worst offender and poorest role model for the kids.

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GLuetkemeyer 1 year, 3 months ago

It is very sad when "protocol" or "paperwork" becomes more important than students. If there was an issue with documentation, one would assume a district working together could easily solve that issue. It doesn't appear that there was any attempt to correct the situation, except recommending the Winslow termination.

GLuetkemeyer 1 year, 3 months ago

Blair Oaks district has struggled with special education "paperwork" and "documentation" for years. Little to no attention has been given to these issues, although there seems to be a more recent effort to properly document the DENIAL of services.
I doubt that the school board has ever been briefed on the district's past failures to comply with IDEA federal law.

What a family hopes for from a district, an administrator, a teacher... is that they will always do what is in the best interest of the student. As parents, we were willing to overlook the multiple times the district was OUT OF COMPLIANCE and IN VIOLATION, in efforts to "work together" - we never even filed a complaint. It is unfortunate that the district cannot take the same approach with their own staff.

Ginger Luetkemeyer

FalconTruth 1 year, 3 months ago

The problem with the principal telling what happened in the closed door meeting is that she was not allowed to be in to hear the comments and possible lies that Jones is telling to the board. I thought that this country was founded on being able to face your accuser, but not in this case. Mrs. Winslow did make a statement to the board in closed session, and this statement pertained to her evaluation and more to the point, teachers evaluations that we supposedly not turned in to the board office. I would think if she has copies and the teachers are willing to testify that they were done, then it seems like a filing error at the board office, which would be the other person directly involved, Prenger, that didn't do there job. Think about it, you are asked for reports, you turn them in to the board office, eight months later is the first you hear that they are not there. Where does the responsibility of the principle start and stop, you turn them in to the office and they "lose" them and it's her fault that Jones can't take care of the board office???? Seems like Jones or Prenger are the ones that we should be talking about, and I would bet that they would not garner the outpouring of support of the community - time for both of them to go - Keep Mrs. Winslow - our kids deserve the best, and she is it !!!!!!!!

Festus_Hagen 1 year, 3 months ago

I think everyone involved knows what Mr. Jones is, and should respond accordingly.

FalconTruth 1 year, 3 months ago

I just hope that Mrs. Winslow seeks legal council and will push this to an appeal or even a court hearing. I know that my kids love her and she has always gone out of her way to make sure that all the children get what they need and are taken care of. I know we do not know what the board was told as a story, but with the sitting board and two seats open and one of those is being a refile - think it is time to make our voice heard. I wonder if a petition would help the cause, I do not know if that is something that could be looked at and all of this with Mrs. Winslow's permission be discussed and reopened in open session. It is my understanding that the board still has the power to offer the contract if they actually listen to the fact and follow the point A to point B, and not just take Jones for his word, that is one thing I think we all know you can't trust, and this is the man that is running the district???? What's the angle, maybe it is to get Prenger into that position, I mean she isn't qualified to be in the position she currently has and is going to be a real eye opener WHEN we get the new superintendent, you know they would not put up with her and the fake power she thinks she has. Let's clean house, and get the board to understand that this district needs people like Mrs. Winslow, retain her today with a new contract, and see Jones and Prenger for what they really are, and I will let you fill in that blank !!!!

SoccerMom2 1 year, 3 months ago

It's apparent that paperwork and politics are more important to the school board then our children, our teachers and our community. Dr. Jones bragged last night at the meeting of all the kids that want to come to Blair Oaks for summer school, well, why do you think that is? Because we have a strong program, talented and responsible educators and the backing of a wonderful community. What do we have now? The realization that what the community/teachers/parents wants doesn't matter, low morale among students/teachers and a bunch of politics. Lorie always treated my family and I like people and not like numbers. That's the kind of person we want to entrust our children with at school. Not someone who spends the majority of their time pushing paperwork. I hope who ever you choose to fill Lorie's position has big shoulders and thick skin. This whole situation disgusts me.

Another_California 1 year, 3 months ago

Are we in for another school walk-out like we had in California last year? I don't know, but I do know we will have a new school board as these folks come up for re-election.

Isn't the proof in the pudding that Mrs. Winslow is running a good school? Doesn't the fact that 200 parents would come out on Valentine's Day, and that 100 of them would stand up and speak on her behalf say that!

What should the kids take away from this? If they don't turn in their homework, or worse, if they do and the teacher misplaces it, Dr. Jones will expel them?

There must be more to the story than some paper work that has come up missing, but unfortunately for Mrs. Winslow, the school board members up for re-election, and ultimately Dr. Jones we will never know the entire story.

One final thought... when Mrs. Winslow sues the district, if she wins, who will take that fall?

TheTruthHurts 1 year, 3 months ago

It seems to me that Federal IDEA law is a big deal. Maybe someone should investigate "Coach Jones" and his failure to comply with Federal Law.

whatabully 1 year, 3 months ago

Everyone knows how he is... Everything revolves around sports and I'm better than everyone else.. When you think Jones you think football field... The kids are the talent, the parents and community are the supporters that spent endless hours raising money and donating time etc.. Putting in a football field doesn't make you a god of Wardsville... from what I hear he has her position already filled by a friend... Blair Oaks wouldn't be Blair Oaks if it wasn't for the community support. Its not "Jones school of Excellence". I will not watch a school community be bullied. I can honestly say if this all happens I will not support any Blair Oaks fundraisers and next year my children will be Helias bound.

really_folks 1 year, 3 months ago

Blair Oaks is over crowded as it is.....but, I wonder how long they will be at Helias before they are transferred to BO??

colonelmustard 1 year, 3 months ago

So, do you all live your lives based on rumor and innuendo? Keep in mind that the ONLY reasons being discussed for Mrs. Winslow not being offered a contract for 2012-13 are the ones that she has revealed. The administration and the board, for privacy and confidentiality reasons should NEVER reveal the reasons for this action (would you want your employer to shout from the rooftops your personal evaluation??). Furthermore----while it is indeed noble to know that so many people are appreciative of Mrs. Winslow's people skills, it is curious that not a single poster has commented about her ability to ensure the academic proficency of the students in her care (and after all, isn't that the REAL reason this matters??). DESE's website has every district in the state's MO Assessment Program and Yearly Progress scores; do you think for a minute that one of the reasons might be that the Blair Oaks Elementary School has not met Yearly Progress targets for all but one area, the last three years? Reasonable people can argue about those targets and their true evaluative measure, but they are the scoring method that's used today; and from those scores Mrs Winslow has failed. PERIOD

herewego 1 year, 3 months ago

colonel, what position do you hold in the BO district? You must have even been in the closed door meeting with all the factual info you spout.

JCLifer 1 year, 3 months ago

Academics may not be that great, but they sure have a good football team!!!

viktorkowski 1 year, 3 months ago

this is missouri, that is all that matters

JCLifer 1 year, 3 months ago

Good point. Afterall, someone has to be #50, so it might as well be us.

asb 1 year, 3 months ago

I'd rather it be a state that's already #50 in things that matter, economy, population, resources, tax base, IQ, there's no excuse for a state that's in the middle in nearly all there categories being $50 . . .

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gofish 1 year, 3 months ago

The last Blair Oaks FB game I went to was several years ago and the unsportsmanlike conduct of the football coach was so perverse that I never went back. BO was winning easily with about a 30 point lead. The FB coach continued to play all of the starters to the very end humiliating the opposing team with about a 50 point loss. And for what? Anyone that would teach character would have pulled the 1st stringers out and let the 2nd and 3rd stringers get some real playing experience. I lost all respect and never returned. I've met Ms. Winslow on a few occasions and found her to be a very genuine and caring administrator. Something a lot of schools lack. I hope this apparent debacle is resolved with her being rehired. She puts people ahead of "numbers".

really_folks 1 year, 3 months ago

Last time I checked "gofish" this blog wasn't about football. However, someone like you had to eventually crawl out of the wood work. I assume your a PINTO fan???

really_folks 1 year, 3 months ago

Nope......Helias graduate. Thanks for the English lesson.

colonelmustard 1 year, 3 months ago

No dog in the fight at all. It's just interesting to see what kinds of things dominate the discussion in things like this. Certainly not an easy thing....but there are indeed two sides to every story.

sidsirdo 1 year, 3 months ago

I'm surprised that many showed up to support someone (Winslow) that was interested in their kids education! Blair Oaks is all about the Football program. Wasn't that way when I attended Blair Oaks. I have been disappointed in their sportsmanship for years. Oh . . . jlmcam71099, she can be replaced. Plenty of good people looking for jobs. Blair Oaks hasn't been the same since people with noses in the air started attending. ,