November 25th, 2009
Murmurs • Our Reporting, Our Words.0 comments
November 25th, 2009
Dr. Know0 comments
November 25th, 2009
Letters to the Editor • Inbox0 comments
November 25th, 2009
Lost A Space | The new cannabis cafe’s neighbors are ticked. But not about the pot.0 comments
November 25th, 2009
Contract Killers | What’s holding up a deal between Portland Public Schools and teachers?0 comments
November 25th, 2009
Reasonable Doubts | Five Portlanders take the police union’s beanbag-video challenge.0 comments
November 25th, 2009
A Donor By Any Other Name | Corporate interests use associations to pass money to Oregon’s anti-tax campaign.0 comments
November 25th, 2009
Cover Story • Trail Mix | This holiday weekend, give thanks for your other family: The Blazers.0 comments
November 25th, 2009
Ask the Editor • What Were We Thinking? | WW Editor Mark Zusman answers your questions about our coverage.0 comments
November 18th, 2009
Murmurs • Going Rogue Each Week4 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 below
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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?
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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...
