- The declining survey numbers every year reflect my own perceptions of JCPS leadership, which have gone from strong support for Hargens to very concerned.
- Leadership is not a popularity contest, which is why surveys ask about leadership and not how likely you are to invite your leader to a backyard BBQ. Teachers and administrators are educated professionals, and have the ability to understand what leadership is. They work under Dr. Hargens' leadership day in and day out and feel the results of her changes and her leadership. If the opinion of Dr. Hargens' leadership has declined that much, the board should take that as a huge red flag about Hargens' abilities to lead, not to mention a potential indicator of staffing issues and other trouble down the road.
- It's a fallacy that people don't like change. People don't like change when it's poorly communicated, threatens their jobs, goes against what they know to be best practices, goes against common sense, is a change to something that has been proven not to work, or when it's clear its simply change for change's sake. There could be very legitimate reasons for frustration at changes being made by Dr. Hargens, and there also could be very real frustration that minimal input is sought from people in the ranks of JCPS before changes are made. Effective leadership explains and fosters trust in change.
- Last year's evaluation mentioned Hargens had problems with communication. And in my experience, that has not changed this year. If the decline in the view of leadership is perception and not reality in the opinion of the board, then the board needs to take a hard look at why her bold changes are not seeing a positive reaction from the dedicated teachers and staff at JCPS. Are Dr. Hargens and her staff not communicating these changes well, or are these changes simply done in a vacuum where discussions with those they impact are not important? Certainly the botched handling of the salary study and the aftermath shows Hargens still has issues in handling serious concerns that come up that reflect negatively on her leadership.