BY LINDA BENTLEY | MARCH 4, 2015
Distinguished Administrator Award?
PHOENIX – Cave Creek Unified School District (CCUSD93) Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Jana Miller (pictured far right) showed her disdain for Brad McQueen as he testified before the Arizona House Education committee in favor of a bill to rid Arizona of Common Core by sticking her tongue out.
Shortly after this legislative hearing, CCUSD93 mailed out its annual report touting “Leadership beyond measure” and shows Miller as a recipient of an Arizona School Administrators (ASA) Distinguished Administrator Award in the Educational Services Division.
As it turns out, Miller didn’t just receive the award, she’s president of that division.
ASA says it is “very proud of the many exceptional men and women who guide and direct our schools and school districts. They tirelessly create the solid foundation upon which our future leaders can learn and grow.”
The ASA’s selection criteria for Distinguished Administrator Awards include the following:
1. The Administrator acts to produce a positive climate, high morale among students, staff and colleagues, and improved educational programs and student achievement.
2. The Administrator is moving successfully to implement the philosophy and goals of the school/district.
3. The Administrator involves the community in the life of the school/district and builds community support for education.
Miller is apparently moving successfully to implement the philosophy and goals of the school/district, which, according to her testimony during the same hearing in opposition to the bill and in favor of Common Core, CCUSD93 has already invested $3 million to implement Common Core.
However, is this really the way district taxpayers should expect teachers or administrators to behave in a setting where there are opposing views on a subject of great importance?
Does anyone believe this behavior produces a “positive climate, high morale among students, staff and colleagues?”
The only public support it appears the school district and its administration cares about is monetary when it comes to bonds and overrides.
Miller was on the clock while attending this hearing as she publicly disgraced the district she was there to represent.
If this is the type of behavior worthy of a Distinguished Administrator Award, perhaps the organization dishing out these awards should be abandoned.
