Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers, center, announced reassignments of middle school principals on Wednesday, including James Hundertmark, right, who has been Robertsville Middle School principal. Also pictured is Christopher Scott, vice principal of curriculum and instruction at Oak Ridge High School.
Principals at Robertsville and Jefferson middle schools have been reassigned, education officials said Wednesday.
Robertsville Middle School Principal James Hundertmark is moving to the School Administration Building, where he will be the special projects administrator, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said.
Meanwhile, Jefferson Middle School Principal Bruce Lay has been reassigned as RMS principal, Borchers said. Philip Cox, who has been JMS vice principal, will become interim principal.
Borchers said the special projects administrator is a new position that will be involved in several initiatives, including data collection for a Keys to College and Career Readiness program. He will be involved in developing report cards for all buildings and departments.
Hundertmark asked for the transfer, and the position will be in effect through the school year. Whether it continues next year will depend upon the school board’s mission and vision, Borchers said.
Hundertmark started at RMS in July, and he had previously been lead associate principal of Klein High School in Klein, Texas. He has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Lincoln Memorial University. He also has a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Florida. He began his teaching career as a secondary mathematics teacher for Anderson County Schools and later taught mathematics in Spring, Texas.
Before coming to Oak Ridge, he had been lead associate principal of Klein High School in Klein, Texas.
Lay has been JMS principal since 2001. He also served as Jefferson’s vice principal in 2000 and 2001.
Prior to his service at Jefferson, Lay worked for Anderson County Schools, serving as principal of both Briceville Elementary and Norwood Middle schools, a press release said. He has a bachelor’s degree from Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Ky., a master’s degree from Tusculum College, and an education specialist degree from Tennessee Technological University.
Cox has been JMS vice principal since 2006. Before he came to Oak Ridge, Cox was principal of Lake City Elementary. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Vanderbilt University.
“This realignment of administrators will enable Oak Ridge Schools’ staff to continue to meet the learning needs of all of our students,†Borchers said in the release. “I look forward to this transition and working with administrative and teacher leaders as we provide our students and parents with excellent schools that are focused on preparing all students for college and career success. Both Mr. Lay and Mr. Cox have excellent leadership skills and have demonstrated a strong commitment to Oak Ridge Schools. I also wish Mr. Hundertmark success during this transition.â€
Andrew Howe says
Note, despite my happiness for Principal Hundertmark getting a new position that I’m assuming he’ll relish, sarcasm follows:
Splendid, more administration in an already top-heavy boat… I once went on a canoe trip with an 8′ tall Aussie who couldn’t keep his balance. We kept capsizing.
Don’t pay me for that analogy, that one’s on the house.
Is this another Fed requirement, these new metrics? It almost seems a no brainer that if we’d just stop requiring so much data collection we could reallocate the salaries toward teachers and materials and be better off.
I went to school in the mid-80’s. 1000 kids from grade 9 to 12. We had maybe five people working in the HS administration, and about the same working under the Superintendant. We had one HS, three Middle Schools and about five Elementary Schools they took care of. Most of those schools didn’t have air conditioning, but we had teachers and books and the staff ran a tight ship.
We had the number one school in the state at the time. I broke the schools ACT record my year, and a friend a grade below bested that by a point the next year. We had NHS kids coming out of our ears. Kids in my class competed to look the most professional. Believe it or not, I wore a tie to public school most days and carried a briefcase.
My point is that it doesn’t take stats and tracking (although you can’t discount the benefits of having some) to succeed at teaching, it takes teachers and materials.
Let’s refocus on that, shall we.
I’d be extremely curious to find out just what data is needed collecting for the “key” and “Career” programs, as the school already collects assignment metrics daily. Collating said metrics into a representable form isn’t much of a task, and would only take a few key strokes by a DBA to initiate.
As for report cards… Uh, we already have those, and the online tracking keeps parents up-to-date on changes daily.
Sorry if this seems to be thumbing a nose at our ‘sacred cow’. The cow is still great. I’m just concerned about the ranch.
😉
Sam Hopwood says
Bruce Lay is a class act. He will have RMS up to speed very quickly. Yes the “sacred cow” will continue to moo, graze and deposit large cow chips. I dunno about the ranch…….
Harold Clark says
Both Sam and Andrew are totally clueless as to what is really behind this “transfer”.
Andrew Howe says
Seems many are, based on comments in other forums.
Doesn’t negate the “we’re top heavy” argument though – that’s pretty much a known issue at this point.
I expected some new hires/positions to deal with the new Data Center model, if only for a while, but I figured the article would say that if this shift was regarding that need.
Fill us in, Harold!
Harold Clark says
If the circulating stories are true, it has nothing to do with the data center and the article makes no such statement. In the first place, Mr. Hundertmark asked to be transfered. Do you not find that unusual?Then think for a moment, why would one hire someone to be a middle school principal, then transfer that person to a fairly transparently made up central office job just three months later? Does that also not seem strange to you? You, Sam and Linda would do well to do a whole lot more critical thinking before jumping to conclusions.
Linda Wells Mabry says
It appears you are as well.
Harold Clark says
When and if the truth ever becomes widely published, I’ll be happy to accept your apology for being wrong, not that you would ever offer such a thing.
johnhuotari says
Harold,
Please remember we’re trying to keep the conversation as civil as possible, so I’d ask you to not refer to other commenters as “clueless.”
Thank you for your understanding.
John
Cindy McCullough says
It appears we all are, as the article doesn’t give a reason. The school system doesn’t seem to be sharing a reason.
Mike M says
Andrew, First I am not saying this position is good or bad, not in this forum, but the issue of being top heavy is not black or white. I would be happy to discuss the keys to success efforts with you offline.
Andrew Howe says
I know the Feds have pushed a lot of requirements upon school districts, and that’s the primary cause schools across the nation have become top heavy, if that’s what you’re meaning.
And I wouldn’t be surprised if other monies came with such stipulations as well.
I’m just saying there’s an obvious imbalance these days. Perhaps it’s time for schools to resort to the old “state’s rights” argument and start cutting apron strings.
But I would indeed very much like to know more specifics, so educate away, my friend.
🙂
Linda Wells Mabry says
I would like to know what’s behind this transfer. How can a transfer take place when the article clearly stares this is a new position? So, basically the man had poor job performance doing the job he was hired to do and instead of cutting the strings administration makes a new position for him? Where did this new found money come from?
Sam Hopwood says
Where did this new found money come from? Why, it came from you and I and Harold and Mary and Mike and all the other OR taxpayors. Keep in mind that the school board is flush with cash now that they are not going to pay their share of the high school mortgage. They are on a spending spree like kids in a candy store. Who knows what their next endeaver will be? Buckle your seat belts!! 🙂
Linda Wells Mabry says
No no no. If I loan you money to pay your rent, you better not show up driving a new car. If there is money for a new positio in admin. then the City needs to be reimbursed the money the school board bullyeied to get!
Andrew Howe says
School board elections coming up.
Seek out the candidates who vow to get their hands dirty by overseeing the finances and offering full disclosure to the public about past and present ways of handling the monies.
There’s gold in them thar hills, but the miners are hiding their claims and have been for a decade.
I hope that when we get some public disclosure on the finance practices at ORS, we’ll find Dr Borchers has cleaned up his house.
Any financial forensics experts out there with a good knowledge of modern schools? I have reams of data for them to mine. Contact me.
Harold Clark says
There is no “new found” money. Hundertmark is getting paid exactly what he was getting paid as principal of RMS. So is Mr. Lay and so is Mr. Cox. No additional employee is being hired therefore no additional cost is involved. Can’t anyone actually read and comprehend English before they go flying off the handle?
Andrew Howe says
Until they decide to hire a new principal at JMS, which the article implies.
Harold Clark says
No it doesn’t necessarily imply that. You’re making a probaby erroneous assumption that Mr. Hundertmark’s contract will be renewed. You’re jumping to a conclusion based on incomplete info.
Andrew Howe says
“Philip Cox, who has been JMS vice principal, will become interim principal.”
This implies they will seek to fill that role, which will mean another salary. But I am assuming they like having both a Principle and Vice Principle at JMS and will want to fill both those roles quickly.
But you’re right, they could choose to fill that vacant slot only after another person leaves, Hundertmark or otherwise.
Linda Wells Mabry says
Mr. Clark, as an ORHS graduate, I can assure you I am quite capable of both reading AND comprehending. I can take it one step farther. I can listen AND observe. And when it comes to the subject in question, I have SEEN plenty! Why they made a new position for this man I don’t know. But I plan on finding out. And as you pointed out, “He is getting paid exactly what he was getting paid as principal of RMS.” Therein lies the problem. He is NOT doing the job he was hired to do! I have heard from numerous friends whose children attend JMS and they are not happy Mr. Lay is being relocated. Temporary assignment? Who’s to say. Yet more change is coming down the pike. It appears you are the one flying off the handle. And doing so in a very condescending manner.
Andrew Howe says
The Observer quoted that he was re-positioned due to something beyond his control, so it appears that the motivation wasn’t to fill this new role, but rather that they created a role to keep him employed.
But what are the circumstances? This kind of re-positioning happens in ORS far too often for me to feel comfortable. Sometimes they come with an explanation, sometimes not. When full disclosure isn’t made, my first guess is legal issue, which is always followed by a rub of my chin and a loud “hmmmm…”
“Will ORS ultimately fire James?”
“What is the dark secret behind the move?”
“What was the head count at tonight’s ORHS Choir concert, and who was getting it?”
These questions and many others will be answered in the next episode of… ORS Soap.