You’ve got to hand it to Shawnee Mission School District Superintendent Jim Hinson…Many high-profile, public employees overstay their welcome and get overtaken by controversy. But Hinson? He apparently saw the 30-foot wave bearing down on him and got the hell out just before the shit hit the shore.
Consider:
:: In a move that caught nearly everyone off guard, Hinson announced on April 19 that he would be retiring June 30. Curious, that, coming from a guy who was hired just four years ago, is 54 years old and whose stint had been relatively free of controversy, although he was disliked by many parents and teachers.
Jim Hinson (Kansas City Star photo)
:: On about the same day Hinson announced his retirement, the ACLU of Kansas sent a letter to the school board, strongly objecting to a February 7 incident in which a third-grader at Briarwood Elementary was taken into custody by Prairie Village police at the end of the school day. The child’s mother had been detained by immigration agents earlier in the day, and the ACLU said school officials did not notify the boy’s father or other emergency contacts about what had happened.
:: Several months ago, Hinson recommended that the board switch insurance agencies and go with a company called CBIZ, which just so happened to have hired the daughter of a SMSD school board member, Debra Zila. Zila denied any involvement in CBIZ’s hiring of her daughter, but she didn’t hesitate to vote in favor of the CBIZ contract — which, given Zila’s daughter’s situation, would appear to be a direct conflict of interest.
Jim Hinson and Debra Zila (Photo from the Shawnee Mission Post)
:: A publication called the Shawnee Mission Post wants to know more about what information may have passed between Hinson and Zila. A couple of months ago, the Post filed a request under the Kansas Open Records Act for any emails between Hinson and Zila. I don’t believe the Post has made much headway on that request.
:: In April, the month everything started going south for Hinson, the school board issued new, ridiculous guidelines prohibiting members of the public from naming district employees when making public comments at school board meetings. The ACLU and The Star have jumped all over the guidelines, saying they are a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution’s freedom-of-speech provision. In an online editorial today, The Star said: “If people can’t get specific, are they supposed to speak in code? Or just keep silent altogether?”
…Unfortunately, the public may never get the back story of Hinson’s resignation. There are two reasons for that. First, The Star, with its depleted local staff, has a young, inexperienced reporter covering the Shawnee Mission School District, and the story could be beyond the reporter’s capabilities at this point.
Second, while I applaud the Shawnee Mission Post’s vigorous effort to uncover the facts, it is owned and run by two guys of limited means, and they probably do not have the money to launch a legal challenge to get the documents they have requested or to otherwise tangle with the district in court. They are two Davids, with a very small slingshot, up against a Goliath that looks and sounds like it has a lot to hide and doesn’t want to be questioned about its actions.
This is a troubling situation that is crying out for a lot of sunshine — which would mean a lot more intensive coverage by The Kansas City Star.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Take a close look at the to picture and look at the body language. That picture may be the closest thing to an explanation of why Hinson hit the bricks and why there are growing calls for Zila’s resignation.
Can’t tell much from Hinson’s body language. He’s the same in every photo I’ve ever seen — severe and mask-like. I guess there could be a hint of a smile on his face, but you can’t really tell. Great photo, though.
It’s not the face, it’s the pose. And yes Gayle, that’s her.
It’s not the face, it’s the pose. And yes Gayle, that’s her.
I was thinking the same thing as John…Is the woman in the top photo also Zila or does he just have an affinity for blondes?
I don’t think the woman in the other photo is Zila. Do a Google search on Zila, click on “images” and you’ll see there is little resemblance.
I didn’t think so, either. To me, the woman in top photo is more attractive, but didn’t know if it was just camera angle.
I bet our JoCo pundit, Ms Thomas, could shed some illuminating information on this retirement situation.
You don’t need to be issuing invitations for trouble, Gayle…
She did write about it in March, so you know it’s on her radar.
The woman in the top photo is Zila.
Or this?
From Friday, May 26: “Official meets with deaf, blind communities”
by Donald Bradley
First paragraph follows:
A crowd gathered Thursday afternoon in Olathe to hear Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson explain why the assistant superintendent for the Kansas State School for the Deaf was passed over to become superintendent of that school and the Kansas State School for the blind.
FYI — the meeting was held at KSD.
Last paragraph follows:
The department blocked members of the media, saying it was not a public meeting.
Not a a public meeting? The State Education Commissioner at the State School for the Deaf? What was not public about it?
Same old crutch — “personnel matter.” The other exception is “legal matter.”