Lee's Summit R-7 School District

Former St. Joseph Superintendent To Pay Back $660,000 | KCUR The following comments are those of Bill Baird.  He is fighting an uphill battle for us and we must join him and support him. It is not going to change until the citizens demand it.  The time is now.  It is difficult to convey the incredible timing of this announcement as we face a pivotal moment in our LSR7 school district crisis. The attached article explains that yesterday in the largest settlement in the history of the Public Schools Retirement System (PSRS), the former superintendent of St Joseph will pay back $660,000 in retirement benefits he did not earn. Our LSR7 President Terri Harmon and past Vice President Chris Storms brought forth a similar ill-structured contract for board approval that would have increased Dr. McGehee’s retirement benefits far greater than what the superintendent of St. Joe had devised. The proposed contract would have reallocated funds to his base salary in an attempt to abuse the PSRS.

How much does your superintendent make? This is from 2014.  Here is part of the article.   The highest paid superintendent in the state is Lee's Summit. He makes more than $282,000. There are a number of superintendents making less than $50,000.

Superintendent does not deserve salary | Opinion | Lee's Summit Journal I don’t believe a $397,000 annual salary is warranted if Lee’s Summit is only the 10th largest district in the state, yet the School Board believes Dr. McGehee should be compensated as the highest paid superintendent in the state. I have supervised employees for over 20 years and reviews were always based upon performance. Based upon my research on the Lee’s Summit R-7 school district’s performance during Dr. McGehee’s tenure I have found the following on the students MAP data: • LS R-7 was ranked in the top 4 or 5 out of 30 in 2007 (within districts of similar demographic make-up and size), the year after Dr. McGehee started with the school district. • LS R-7 was ranked in the top 1 or 2 out of 22 in 2007 within the Kansas City metro utilizing the same data metrics as above with respect to language arts and math MAP data. • Today, LS R-7 is ranked 9 or 11 out of 30 in 2014 (within districts of similar demogr

You must read this agreement that the Board has come up with. How much more do you want to let happen, Lee's Summit? Have you had enough yet? This is part of the agreement. Please go to the link to read it all. It shows a pattern. LEE’S SUMMIT R-7 BOARD/SUPERINTENDENT AGREEMENT BOARD OF EDUCATION/SUPERINTENDENT June 18, 2015 Board of Education Terri Harmon Chris Storms Phyllis Balagna Bob White Bill Baird Julie Doane Adam Rutherford Superintendent Dr. David McGehee Part I – Focus on Issues Related to Board/Superintendent Relationship PROMISES Board members and the Superintendent will not embarrass each other. Board members and the Superintendent will praise in public, criticize in private. The Superintendent will not pit one Board member against another. The Superintendent will not “browbeat” or lobby individual Board members. The Board, individual members, and the Superintendent will make every reasonable effort to protect the integrity and promote the positive image of the D

McGehee a strong leader | Opinion | Lee's Summit Journal This shows you exactly how bad the school board has been and for how long it has been bad.  These former board members are also standing behind Dr. McGehee and their decision to hire him.  Lee's Summit, do you still wonder how bad it is and whether this is something new?  Wonder no more.  It has been corrupt for a very long time. Sincerely, Ron Baker, former R7BOE president; Robert E. “Bud” Hertzog, former R-7 BOE vice president; Annette Braam, former R-7 BOE member; Jeff A. Tindle, former R-7 BOE president; Gene Brixey, former R-7 BOE president; Jack Wiley, former R-7 BOE president; Patti Buie, former R-7 BOE president; Manne Magady, former R-7 BOE vice president

Moreau Heights probe of student behavior kept behind closed doors | News Tribune Guin also advises school districts on employment matters such as personnel management, termination, wage and hour issues, discrimination claims, employee leave and contracts. It’s not clear when or how the Board of Education hired the Guin Mundorf law firm. On Friday, the News Tribune submitted questions asking when the board approved the contract with the firm and the scope of work described in the document. Board members and administrators have not addressed the questions.

I am so very grateful to all that came out to exercise your civic right to attend a public meeting & make comment. While many got out what they came to say, I am sorry that the voice of others was cut short. I was truly embarrassed by what the people in attendance observed last night, though I believe the board meeting proceedings validated my reasons for going to the public. All in attendance got a glimpse of what I have been experiencing for 8 months since I raised my conce rns over the conflict of interest our superintendent has with our primary legal firm, Guin Mundorf. I also believe it gave the public a glimpse into the way teachers and staff feel with regard to not having a voice and feeling oppressed. Julie Shuck Doane ,  Phyllis Balagna , and I lost 4-3 on votes to end the relationship with the Guin Mundorf firm, to open discussion to rescind the new contract offer to Dr. McGehee, and to end Terri Harmon’s term as president. However, one important goal was to bring mor

Under public scrutiny, Lee’s Summit School Board votes to retain law firm | Education | Lee's Summit Journal Board member Bill Baird was one of three board members to vote against continuing the business relationship with Guin Mundorf. Julie Doane and Phyllis Balagna were the others. Baird has publicly raised concerns about the board’s handling of the contract. Several members of the public, including a state representative, told the school board they had concerns about McGehee’s relationship with Guin. One person asked the board to discontinue its contract with the firm, while another commented that she thought both McGehee and board president Terri Harmon should resign for allowing the relationship to  become the focal point of recent media reports. Neither McGehee nor Harmon were available for comment after the meeting. Rebecca Roeber, a Republican state representative for Missouri’s 34thdistrict, was one of several speakers to address the board. Roeber, a retired educator, ca

Lee’s Summit parents outraged by superintendent, Board of Education - + KSHB.com “You have one or two choices. I'm either going to file an injunction to cease this school board completely, or ask the people to do a recall!” shouted a man. The passion and frustration from many parents were easy to see, but time will tell how much of an impact the turnout will have. McGehee’s contract now only needs the superintendent’s signature to become official.

Lee’s Summit School Board votes to keep superintendent’s contract extension amid public criticism | fox4kc.com

Lee's Summit parents confront school board, superintendent in heated meeting | Local News - KMBC Home

Day 8 of an 8-day countdown to our next public school board meeting on April 14th at 7:00 pm. Dear Citizens and Patrons of the LSR7 School District: Tomorrow night’s meeting is about holding me, the Board of Education, and Dr. McGehee accountable to the community. The Board of Education is to provide vision for the school district, governance with regard to laws and policies, and good stewardship of the taxpayers’ money. The superintendent is to provide management over the o perations of the school district in a professional, ethical, and transparent manner. I am but one board member. I made my call to action originally in the KC Star. I have laid the case out to the public on many levels including the lack of transparency, law and policy violations, misleading statements to the public and district employees, and misconduct behind closed doors and most recently in the public eye. I have given the facts and timelines to the public in hopes that they will hold me, the board membe

I am watching Dr. Phil, no I don't normally watch him, and he is talking about bullying in school that leads to suicide. It makes me so angry. In many cases the school district was aware and did nothing about it. It reminds me of when Jake was in school. He was bullied in the lunch room. He would never tell me about these things, but one of his sisters were there when it happened. She came home and told me about it. I contacted the school. Their answer was that his od d behavior lead to him being teased and that my daughter got her information about the bully wrong. She said that he had moved from one place and he had actually moved from another. I guess the fact that she got a little information wrong made the bullying ok. Jake dropped out of school when he was 16 years old. They were destroying him and I couldn't allow it to continue.

Lee’s Summit school board offers McGehee contract extension | The Kansas City Star

We Stand With Baird - Lee's Summit Tribune - Lee's Summit News

As a 30 year resident of Lee's Summit and a retired Special Education teacher of 33 yrs. - Lee's Summit Tribune - Lee's Summit News

Investigate some of the groups that many of these members belong to.  The CAC is the one that I would suggest that research first.  You will be amazed if you pay close attention. Terri   Harmon President Terri Harmon was elected to the R-7 Board of Education in April 2011. She has served on the R-7 Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC) and on the CAC Steering Committee and has recently held leadership positions with the Pleasant Lea Elementary PTA and the Lee’s Summit R-7 Building Our Future Committee. Mrs. Harmon earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in business administration and economics from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., and is a graduate of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurions program. She joined Best Buy as one of the original employees in the company’s 13th store. She moved to the Kansas City metropolitan area with Best Buy in 1987, managing multiple store locations in the Midwest as well as serving as a district operations administrator fo

From Bill Baird Day 5 of the 8-day countdown to our next public school board meeting on April 14th at 7:00 pm. Each day I am simply posting facts. In what may be one of the most offensive acts of deception to the public and district employees, Dr. McGehee and Ms. Harmon released a chart on Friday indicating that his “salary” had only gone up 3.74% per year instead of the full disclosure that his “compensation” has gone up 8% per year. This misleading chart, currently posted on the LSR7 websi te, embodies Dr. McGehee and board leadership's misrepresentation and lack of transparency as the chart omits his current $80,500 annuity/deferred compensation as well as amounts in previous years. These are real dollars going to Dr. McGehee. I don't know any teachers with an $80,500 annuity paid yearly by the district and taxpayers. There are no annuities or deferred compensation offered to teachers for any amount. I have attached two charts explaining Dr. McGehee’s compensation incr

I found these email addresses and I wanted to share them with you.  I think that it is important for our citizens to let the Lee's Summit School Board know that we are not pleased with the present situation and how it is being handled.  I will be posting more about these members in my next post.  This information can be found on the Lee's Summit Chamber page under Board of Education. Steppin' Out - The Studio Phyllis Balagna 750 NW MAIN STREET LEE'S SUMMIT, MO 64086 816-525-7464 Email: msphyllis5678@sbcglobal.net Bob White E-mail: office@lssymphony.org Julie Doane E-mail: jdoane@ucmo.edu Terri Harmon President E-mail: terri@terriharmon.com Adam Rutherford E-mail: adam.rutherford@empower-retirement.com Chris Storms Vice President E-mail: cstorms@yahoo.com Bill Baird wbaird@bairdgrouprealestate.com Dr. McGehee 816-986-1000 E-mail: david.mcgehee@lsr7.net

The following are the comments of Bill Baird.  I stand behind him 100% Day 4 of the 8-day countdown to our next public school board meeting on April 14th at 7:00 pm. Each day I am simply posting facts. The following is a timeline of events that all occurred with regard to legal services and the conflict of interest that I object to with Shellie Guin of the Guin Mundorf law firm dating our superintendent. This will include timelines regarding the negotiations for Dr. McGehee's contract as the two issues are related. It also shows that I worked through the board process for seven months before making my appeal to the public. This timeline does not begin to count the many emails and one to one conversations I had with board members, Terri Harmon, and Dr. McGehee about this conflict. This timeline begins over one year ago in 2015. January 19, 2015 (last year) I expressed concern in an email to the outgoing board president regarding the legality of Dr. McGehee's proposed new

Day 3 of the 8-day countdown to our next public school board meeting on April 14th at 7:00 pm. Each day I am simply posting facts. Today’s Fact: The Board of Education approved a new contract for Dr. McGehee last night in closed session in a 5-2 vote. I may not discuss the terms of the contract until they are available to the public (72 hours after the execution of the contract). Board President Terri Harmon called for a closed session on short notice to approve this contract despite the circumstances of recent events. Twice before in the last month, Ms. Harmon and Dr. McGehee have tried to get the board to approve an illegal contract that not only violated board policy but also took great advantage of the Public Schools Retirement System. The board has now condoned the behavior by altering the numbers to make it legal and granting him 3 more years. Dr. McGehee’s previous compensation package was close to $100,000 higher than the next highest paid superintendent in Missouri and Kans

Missouri Elementary and Secondary Special Education: Show Me State Autism Advocate Wants on the School Board | International Coalition for Autism and All Abilities Sherri Tucker, renowned throughout Missouri as a strong special needs advocate and activist, is making her second run for School Board in Lee’s Summit R-7 district. Nine hopefuls are vying for one seat on the Board. Tucker is the only candidate with experience and knowledge regarding the unique needs of students with different abilities. While the other candidates have all the expected positive credentials (and the usual ties to the public school system), Tucker’s candidacy stands out with her experience as an advocate for students, responsible spending, and educational oversight. In this story in the  Lee’s Summit Journal , Tucker’s mention is listed as simply: “Sherri Tucker, co-founder of the Lee’s Summit Autism Support Group. Tucker ran for the R-7 school board in 2008, arguing that the district was not providing ad

A Race To Remember LS Tribune Saturday, April 12, 2008 A Race to Remember Matt Bird-Meyer Tribune Editor Voters had an option Tuesday of four board candidates for three seats. Maybe the outcome was indicative of lazy voting habits, where the candidates at the top of the ballot get the most votes. Check, check, check and move on. But maybe the outcome was indicative of growing displeasure with the entrenched members of the board. Whatever happened, newcomer Sherri Tucker came close.  She was just 2 percent shy of overcoming incumbent Jon Plaas, who won 5,065 to 4,679. Plaas had a slim 386-vote separation from Tucker. However the top vote getter, Jeff Tindle, had 2,246 more votes than Tucker, and Jack Wiley had 1,878 more votes than the newcomer. Tindle was listed first on the ballot, followed by Wiley, Plaas and then Tucker. The top two candidates were so far ahead of the bottom two that  it appears voters were gravitating toward Tucker.  I like to think the people who make time

Local News: Poplar Bluff lawmaker seeks to limit school superintendent pay (02/15/16) | Southeast Missourian newspaper, Cape Girardeau, MO Poplar Bluff lawmaker seeks to limit school superintendent pay Monday, February 15, 2016 By Pat PRATT ~ Daily American Republic POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Rep. Steve Cookson, R-Poplar Bluff, will attempt to address the pay disparity between teachers and school superintendents through proposed legislation. House Bill 1627 would prohibit superintendents from receiving pay greater than four times the salary of an entry-level teacher. Other provisions in the bill would require schools to report salaries to the press and allow taxpayers to bring action for violations. A similar bill died in the legislature last year. Cookson, a former superintendent of the Naylor, Missouri, school district and a current chairman current House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, said the legislation stems from his experiences in meetings with other superintendents,

School Board members respond to key questions | Opinion | Lee's Summit Journal I asked each board member two questions (prior to McGehee dialing back his statements) recently: Do they support McGehee’s call for Baird to resign; and, could the media attention lead to better dialogue between board members, administration and the community? All but one member responded, and a portion of some of the answers appears on Page 5A. In addition, Balagna added: “In the time I have been on the R7 School Board, we have consistently had positive, analytical and forward-thinking dialogue. In light of recent events, our dialogue has become deeper, and has forced us to evaluate the scope of our work further.” Bob White replied “No, not at this time” to the question of McGehee’s call for Baird to resign, and Julie Doane replied “No,” as well. On the question of media attention, White replied, “not necessarily,” while Doane answered in the affirmative. Board President Terri Harmon had this to say a