Jennifer Davis reports in her Word on the Street column today that Ken Hinton is denying rumors that he will retire in February. In case you haven’t heard, the rumor goes like this: Due to health problems, Ken Hinton is planning to retire February 1 on the condition that he gets to name his successor, Associate Superintendent Herschel Hannah.
“Please write something about it,” Hinton said when we broached the rumor with him this week. “First I heard I was retiring in February, and then I heard it was due to poor health. None of that is true.”
If he isn’t retiring, then a good case could be made for the school board to fire him instead. In an earlier post, frequent commenter PrairieCelt made this compelling argument:
Hinton should be terminated, immediately. If he were employed in the private sector as CEO of an organization and made a unilateral decision to expend over 85% of the organization’s limited funds earmarked for replacement and upgrade of plant and equipment, undertook the acquisition of several parcels of real estate for his planned development (without prior board approval) based on a nonexistent agreement with another organization, and then had the whole undertaking blow up in his face, he would have been fired on the spot.
In fact, if the BOE is unable to replace the hard-earned taxpayer dollars expended on the purchase of the Prospect Road properties, dollar for dollar, Hinton should write a check to the district to cover the shortfall. Hinton is the one in the position of “public trust†and should be held to a higher standard of behavior/performance. Why should Peoria’s children have their educational futures mortgaged once again because of Hinton’s poor judgment and disastrous financial management skills?
Good questions.
Prairie Celt is on target. Nevertheless, as unfortunate as this fiasco has played out, the D150 org chart is inverted and the likelihood that the BOE will take any type of corrective action would stupifying.
If you think Hinton bought that property without the informal approval (not public)of a majority of the School Board, together with an informal agreement with certain Park board members, then I have a bridge to sell you. Common sense will tell you he had talks with enough of those people to make him push forward, but when push came to shove, the Park Board saw the light. Now lets go forward and figure out what is best for the kids, neighborhoods and taxpayers. Don’t try to . ram something down our throats without taking our temperatures. If all that “being next to a park” will enhance education, then let’s talk about it, sell it to the public and those who are going to pay for it.
If King Hinton is allowed to stay at the helm of the leaking 150 ship until 6-30-08 I pity this community. Already he has squandered $877,500 toward his Legacy Temple/School. In the meantime now one of the district’s crown jewels (RHS) has a serious drug problem being squelched by him and his scared administrative team. I have to wonder if Jennifer Davis will ask Hinton about that? Gosh, while Jennifer is talking to him I wonder if she’ll also ask some tough questions about the properties he bought. You know, like just who gave the authority to gut several of the houses of appliances, woodwork, plumbing and electrical fixtures, etc etc? Kinda difficult to sell a house with no wiring or plumbing here in Peoria! Could it be district maintenance staff? though probably not – remember recently Hinton said they didn’t have adequate maintenance staff to receive $500,000 worth of free new lighting. I guess that means the demolition was done by an independent contractor, but jolly gee, why wasn’t that bid out in the public process as required by law? Must have been some of King Hinton’s friends in the demo business…or wait…maybe Cahill got a bonus contract (wink wink) to do that too! Sure must be great to be King of 150, let alone the court jester!
Now we hear that Hinton has at least 17 more months to screw Peoria taxpayers through his utter management incompetence and lack of fiscal accountability. I’m with the others here and say the BOE needs to FIRE King Hinton! ^oo^~
RomanII – I believe Hinton likely did seek approval from some Park Board members and, possibly, some BOE members. But, to say that common sense caused him to proceed is a bit of a stretch. He relied upon the word of the people he talked with who agreed with him and took the “word for the deed.” A prudent, responsible, reasonable manger/administrator would not have expended the funds based on informal discussions – too many terms had to be agreed upon and documents approved and signed – let alone working out all the details for two governmental units to reach an agreement. As you said, Hinton did not “take the temperature” of the citizens residing in the Glen Oak/White attendance areas. That, too, was irresponsible and demonstrates very poor administrative judgment (too say nothing of planning). It really appears he was determined to push this development through regardless what anyone else wanted. Are those the professional qualities that you want in the Superintendent of our schools?
I agree that several people knew something before the properties were built.
And gutted houses being sold, come on…some slumlord will by the gutted houses, not change a thing except find a way to make more bedrooms in it, grab the first Section 8 voucher, pack 20 people into it who then will stand out on Prospect flagging down cars, selling drugs, thumping music, perhaps toss a refrigerator or an old car in the front yard, etc. If confronted said slumlord will assure officials of the rigorous screening process for said tenants and note that neighbors are discriminatory, touting a cabin like atmosphere for said gutted house and noting the service to the community for providing “affordable housing” The $1000 per month in tax dollars aka PHA funds for the house go into his pocket, no repairs are really ever made and he retires in Florida giggling at how easy it is in town to run such an operation. but I digress….
Paul Wilkinson, you just need to quit bottling up your emotions! Let them out – you’ll feel better. Now, tell us what was really think! ^oo^~
kat,
was I harsh?
LOL – no, Paul – I was just trying to be funny by implying that you’re not telling the world how you felt and you need to quit keeping things bottled up inside. Guess I’ll get back to what I do best – you know being King Hinton’s favorite cheerleader! ^oo^~