January 7th, 2009
Murmurs • Amid The Challenges, A Commitment To Show Up.0 comments
January 7th, 2009
Hot Air | An Oregon chemist tends the fires of global-warming deniers.1 comment
January 7th, 2009
Rogue of the Week • Barack Obama | Partying on our last dime17 comments
January 7th, 2009
Mobile Sten | What’s the man who was City Hall’s biggest deal maker doing in Bend?0 comments
January 7th, 2009
The Weekly Fix • Just Like Starting Over0 comments
January 7th, 2009
Cover Story • Jody De Simone Wants To Kick Your Ass | A Pearl District PR woman takes a “crash course” in mixed martial arts.39 comments
January 7th, 2009
Clearing The Smoke | More fights and outdoor urination, plus other predictions after the new smoking ban’s first week.
January 7th, 2009
The Score • Estate Of Denial | Think prosecuting elder abuse will be easy under Newly passed Measure 57? Maybe not.2 comments
January 7th, 2009
Letters to the Editor • Inbox0 comments
January 7th, 2009
Ask the Editor • What Were We Thinking? | WW Editor Mark Zusman answers your questions about our coverage.0 comments
 VICKI PHILLIPS |
[May 2nd, 2007] Just three months ago, WW asked Portland Public Schools Superintendent Vicki Phillips to give herself a grade.
She refused, saying her work "is about continuous improvement; it's about keeping our eyes on outcomes for kids." (See "Hurricane Vicki," WW, Feb. 7, 2007.)
Last week, Phillips' eyes wandered north to Seattle. She announced she was leaving Portland Public Schools less than three years after moving to the district from Pennsylvania.
If she were a high-school student, she'd be labeled a drop-out.
But upon closer examination, Phillips' eyeballs appear to have morphed into giant dollar signs:
She is leaving to be the new education director for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a post that paid the previous director $340,242 in 2005. Under Phillips' initial contract with the Portland district, she earned less than 60 percent of that—$203,000.
Before she goes, here's WW's report card on Phillips, covering core subject areas such as math, language arts, history and science, as well as important behavioral categories assessing how the superintendent treated others on the playground. We've come up with these grades following an extensive review of Phillips' permanent file.
Story continues belowadvertisement
Her final grade?
INCOMPLETE.
Report card for Vicki Phillips
Email from Portland Public Schools general counsel Jollee Patterson to Melanie Quinn
Email from Vicki Phillips to Peter Cookson
A report generated by consultant Marilyn Crawford, and what the Portland School District paid for it
RECENT COMMENTS ON “Report card”
Quote: Indeed, MaryAnne, you are right. But can we afford to have the exact same crew that hired VP staying on as part of the School Board that will hire the next superintendent?
<...
I was very emotional at reading VPs vindictive note. I know I owe at least one party an apology, and it ISN'T VP!
Dear Sid: Do you think Bill Gates knows what Vicki is like? Of course he does. That's why she won out over the other list of "impressive" candidates. His goal is to create the first Gates/Broad school...
Reading the article and all of the emotional reactions makes me glad that I made the choice to live in unincorporated Washington County (Portland) and make use of the Beaverton School District. Peopl...
