It is reported that Peoria District 150 Board of Education has voted to release Julie McArdle, who is the first year principal at Lindbergh Middle School, from her contract. Ms. McArdle has in return accused the District of firing her because she had informed them of financial discrepancies that were allegedly perpetrated by the former principal of Lindbergh, Mary Davis. Ms. Davis currently works as an Academic Officer for District 150.As District 150 embarks upon an extensive reorganization that will require massive cuts, it is important that all of their employees and administrators feel comfortable coming forward with discrepancies and cost cutting ideas. Who knows better about what's really going on in schools than the teachers and principles in daily attendance. We need for educators to not be afraid that they will be harassed, punished, or fired for having the courage to speak up when they see conduct that is contrary to what is good for the children.
When a person elects to take the route that Ms. McArdle has taken, the emotional toll is great. Not just to her, but to her family and subsequently this Community. Whistleblowers are generally seen as brave, the person who is willing to take a stand against the system. It is unfortunate that Ms. McArdle’s practices have also been called into question by commenters on local blogs, but that is par for the course. Whistleblowing is never really cut and dry as the whistleblower is always expected to be above reproach. Having said that, the whistleblower that is above reproach, is said to be rare...
Is this just a knee-jerk reaction on District 150’s behalf? Instead of addressing the problems that Ms. McArdle raised, they decided it would be easier to fire her and risk her going public, even if it meant colluding unlawfully? Really? I’m still trying to get my mind around that one.
The allegation of violating the rights of a whistleblower is right up there with going along with discrimination - wrong. The nuances of both are extensively intricate. The documentation will tell the true story.
5 comments:
Yes, there must be more to this story. I believe if Hinton knew of the discrepancies as it was stated in the paper, he needs to go. Could this have been handled any worse? When did the board know of all of this? Mary needs to be on leave until the investigation is complete. The question still remains, who is the other Administrator that is implicated in this mess?
sissela bok is awesome. i have the lying tome on the shelf in my office, right next to 'when in doubt, mumble'
Emerge. Thanks for weighing in on this topic. As usual, I very much appreciate your insights. I have weighed in far too much on the other blogs--sorry! I'll visit here again the next time I feel I haven't said enough on the subject--which with me might not take too long.
My understanding is that card in question was a personal card delivered to the business address. Also, McCardle actually only had a guaranteed one year of a two year contract, The other(second) year was optional. The district chose not to exercise their option on the second year.
It would also appear, from what I'm told, she not use to schools with a diversity of students. So I don't think she was let go because of this incident. There was talk for a while about getting rid of her.
Oh Anonymous... you are a riot.
Yeah, Lindbergh is a real diverse school...
It is also the only regular school that received an excellent on its AYP testing.
What is the name of your Ox?
Post a Comment