Opinion: An Exit Interview
My reasons for leaving, and who's going to take over
As I’m sure you’ve already heard, my family and I are moving back to Florida. The reasons to leave have been building since last summer, and I will go into them in more detail. I want you to know, my dear readers, that I am leaving you in good hands. This blog will continue. I feel an “exit interview” format is the most appropriate way to explain my reasons.
Reasons for Leaving
What prompted you to start looking for a new home?
Visiting Florida’s Emerald Coast last March. We had lunch with the school superintendent, a good friend of ours. We toured Stella’s new high school where Holly and I are free to teach. I did the math and found that moving to Florida would reduce our tax burden by $1k/month.
Was there a specific event or situation that made you decide to leave?
Soon after we returned to Tecumseh, we learned that Trisha Howard, the TMS principal that inspired Holly and I to be substitutes, had left the district. It was sudden. The lack of a formal farewell from Matt Hilton led me to believe that he played his part in her departure. At best, Hilton is useless at talent retention. At worst, he’s the mastermind behind it.
This was not the only situation of concern, but it was the single straw, as it were. I previously detailed the problems at the high school, spoke out at board meetings, approached board members in private, gave Matt Hilton a detailed summary of my own personal experience, but nothing was done about any of it. Why enroll our daughter in a school where the vice principal hides from me?
How does your new role compare to your position here?
I will do everything in Florida that I wanted to do here. I’ll teach, I’ll coach, I’ll volunteer, I’ll fix tech issues because our old Rotary club loves to volunteer me for that sort of thing. Most of all, I’ll be in a support role. I enjoy supporting folks far more than I do criticizing them. I started out here wanting to be in a support role, but fate had other ideas.
Team & Culture
How would you describe the team dynamic and collaboration?
The “good ol’ boys” in this town are incestuous. There is no room for “outsiders”. I saw this when I first subbed at the high school, but I thought it was just a coincidence. There is something in that building that breeds cowardice and xenophobia, from the secretary to the faculty to the administration housed within it.
Did you feel valued and recognized for your contributions?
By the town, yes. By the district, no. I suppose the most depressing part of this saga is that I wanted to support this district. We liked living here, and I thought the district just needed support from the community. I felt valued teaching at the middle school. I felt rejected everywhere else. When Trisha moved on, I started to see that the rejection from this district was by design.
How inclusive and supportive was the workplace culture?
It wasn’t. I’ll actually take this opportunity to say that Edustaff is the worst employer I’ve ever worked for, and that’s saying a lot considering I worked for L3 Harris back in 2012. Their HR is a joke. They exist to skim off your paycheck and nothing else (much like L3 Harris). My heart goes out to the subs that might actually need anything from Edustaff. This is a bridge I don’t mind burning.
Were there any issues with coworkers or team members that impacted your experience?
I think this town already knows the issues I’ve had. Most of my frustration has been at stupidity, not personality. Ignorance is dangerous. I stood at the podium offering a consult in coordination with my university and was mocked by Simpson because he didn’t understand what “candidate sourcing” meant. He didn’t understand any of it. His sidekick, Brooks, has zero comprehension of the basic cause and effect of her own actions.
I can handle an ideological debate. I can respect those who fight hard for their beliefs, even if I don’t agree with them. I have no respect for a couple of dumb hicks with a pocket full of excuses for why the data reveals their incompetence at every turn. I don’t think degrees make a person smart, and I don’t think I’m very smart. When I sat in board meetings in 2024, I felt like the smartest man on earth. When the intelligent trustees are finally in the majority, things will get better. You’ll know when it happens.
Company Overall
What are three things we do well as an organization?
Tecumseh has amazing educators, para-pros, and counselors. Second to none.
Hilton’s focus on formal process implementation is a good step. I hope he applies this adherence to process to his own administration, not just the public.
Our music program is better than most folks realize. I have absolutely nothing against football, or high school sports at all, but I’d have fired every single one of our coaches if it meant ensuring Joe McInchak remained our band director. Fortunately, we retained them (and Jesus Sanchez), for now. That goes in the win category, even if it took half of Lenawee protesting to make it happen.
What are three areas where we could improve?
For heaven’s sake, find a mentor for Greg Dolson. The man has potential, but that potential will never be realized as long as we let him hide from accountability. Too many parents, and staff, have come forward to Hilton about him for him to still be in his position. I don’t know what Kim Irish’s deal is, but I don’t think she wants to be there. It’s time for fresh blood. Stop letting football coaches run the district.
Transparency. Give us the data. Idiots on Facebook pages will run with the information and make it seem way worse than it is. It’s worse when they are left to their imaginations. Release the data anyway. Get ahead of the headlines. Admit problems up front, and don’t try to spin it. STREAM THE MEETINGS.
Make board meetings more welcoming. Someone was sitting in front of the mixer board this week. Why? Does she know how to turn it on? Why do the speakers face the empty wall? Why do board members face an empty wall? Older board members tell us they tried to fix it, but couldn’t. “Tecumseh loves veterans”. Really? I’ve said I can’t hear the meetings. A veteran said the same a few weeks ago. Hell, Lewis is a veteran and he constantly has to ask trustees to speak up. What’s the problem?
Closing Questions
Is there anything we could have done to keep you?
There were plenty of opportunities. Old Greg D could have picked up the phone, replied to an email, not run away when he sees me at Starbucks in the morning, etc. The district has no desire or intent to “keep” me, so I’d say it’s an amicable split.
Do you have any final thoughts or suggestions you’d like to share?
I wasn’t here in 2018, but I wish I had been. We had a superintendent with a doctorate in education. We had a board president that actually tried to keep the community informed. We had a school board that increased enrollment and fund reserves reliably every year. Ah, the good ol’ days, long gone now because Becky Brooks needed attention. Tecumseh’s good ol’ boys (and gals) may have won the recall, but Tecumseh lost in the end.
Folks may have noticed that I pick on Becky Brooks quite often. There are many reasons for this, but the screenshot below is one. Her “I have the facts” statement is what inspired this blog. Turns out, the facts were all public record, so I started EducateTecumseh to share the facts.
Another reason is because I started making the connection between Brooks constantly saying, “you weren’t here back then” whenever anyone challenges her, and Simpson’s “you don’t know what you’re talking about” comment when I offered to help the board find cost savings. It’s a dogwhistle. They led the recall in 2018. They’re saying, “you’re not part of our club”.
I was never part of the club. I definitely wasn’t comfortable with the portrait of the child bride being offered to an Arabian leader in the men’s club above Basil Boys. If you’re reading this, you’re either outside the club too, or you’re Mary Tommelein. The only hope for change in this district will have to come from one of Tecumseh’s own. Luckily, I know a guy.
Who’s Gonna Give Them Hell?
As I sat in front of a bonfire last week with other parents in the community, one woman said, “Well who’s gonna give’m hell when you leave?” There is one person this administration hasn’t outlasted. His name is Anthony Alaniz. Unlike me, Anthony was born and raised here. Anthony has been journaling the incompetence since before I arrived. Many times, his articles have been the inspiration behind my articles. He’s also an actual journalist, which helps.
This is Anthony’s comments at the October 27th board meeting. In short, Anthony will be the one *continuing* to give’m hell. I’ve added Anthony as a co-writer to this blog, and I have a few folks that will try to summarize the meetings when they’re able. I will still write the occasional opinion piece on things relating to psychology or culture, and might summarize the occasional meeting, but ultimately I’m handing it over to one of your own.
To be clear, Anthony has a day job like me, and his own journal at AnthonyAlaniz.com, so the best any of us can do is write when we can. Check out his blog. Poke around a bit. It’s full of interesting facts.
Farewell
In psychology, we have this thing called the ASA model: Attraction, Selection, Attrition. An organization maintains its core values through attracting those with similar values, carefully selecting those candidates, and letting those who do not conform find the door through attrition. If I am to be on the attrition side of the ASA model for TPS, I can think of no greater honor than to be on the outside with Principal Trisha Howard.
Make good choices, Tecumseh! ;-)