East China to Central Bucks: We Told You So

Former Central Bucks School District Superintendent Rodney Green was hired after a nationwide search of candidates last year.

He even held a public "meet and greet" before the board voted to approve a four-year contract that would pay him $225,000 a year to start. Public opinion of Green following that public event was positive, according to an article on Doylestown Patch.

But while things may have gotten off to a good start, they certainly did not end well.

On Wednesday, the Central Bucks School Board unanimously voted to break the contract with Green, who will leave the district with $365,000 and a year of health insurance.

But the writing seemed to be on the wall even before Wednesday’s vote to dismiss Green from Central Bucks after less than a year of employment.

Several residents of the East China School District, Green’s last place of employment before he came to Central Bucks, commented publicly about their dissatisfaction with his performance. Members of the Michigan community even created a Facebook page, Save East China Schools, to air their concerns about Green and his choices at the 5,000-student district.

On Wednesday, Save East China Schools Facebook page posted: “We tried to warn you, but you didn't look at what the man is done in the past” with a link to the Central Bucks School Board meeting online stream.

Similar comments can be seen on stories posted last year on Doylestown Patch, when the board was narrowing down its nationwide search and preparing to offer Green a contract.

“All I can say is good luck to the Central Bucks district families. Dr. Green has done an extremely poor job here in Michigan,” wrote reader Jennifer on a story published last July on Doylestown Patch.

And when the news of Green’s dismissal from Central Bucks reached Michigan, local residents were quick to chime in. A story posted on the website of the Times Herald of Port Huron, Mich., which reported that Green received $60,000 plus vacation days when he left East China, garnered numerous reactions, including this comment by reader Mary Westrick.

“They did what East China should have done a long time ago! Rod Green ruined our district and we deserve better! Very saddening to see he his walking away with so much money.” 

Kathy VanHuysee, who commented on the same story, agreed with Westrick. She suggested East China should have terminated Green during his 12 years at the district. “What a shame for us, and kudos to the folks in PA,” she said.

"I'm a parent in the school district he was formally Superintendent. I cannot say I'm shocked at all! It is a shame that he was able to walk away with that kind of money from a school district when schools are so strapped for money these days," wrote a reader on the story Doylestown Patch posted announcing the news that the $365,000 separation agreement was approved. 

The comments continue in an editorial piece published by the Courier Times over the weekend. “I am a parent in the ECSD, which is where Rod 'the tool" Green came from. All of us here in MI are still reeling from what he did to us here and to see that he did it again make it deplorable. The man has no shame,” wrote one commenter.

During Central Bucks’ special meeting Wednesday, Board President Stephen Corr said there wasn’t one single “earthshattering” reason for Green’s dismissal. 

Rather, it was a series of alarming actions that led the board to believe the relationship "wasn’t working." Nearly 200 attended that special meeting, in which Corr painted the picture of an aloof administrator who used “superficial” school visits and Twitter to mask his lack of engagement.

 “This decision has nothing to do with Rodney Green the person,” Corr said. But, he added, the board felt it would be detrimental to the educational advancement of the district to keep him at the helm. 

According to Corr, as the board reviewed the complaints about Green through formal interviews of staff, they heard accounts of improper conduct at meetings. Green would arrive late, leave early and be on the phone the whole time, tweeting, said Corr.

Corr said administrators across the district expressed concerns with Green’s hands-off approach. And while parents and students told the board they enjoyed his frequent school visits, those visits seemed to come at the expense of curriculum improvement, Corr said, estimating that Green spent two-thirds of his time in the classrooms.

“While visibility is a nice thing, I’m not sure that visibility is conducive to doing the work that needs to be done in the district,” Corr said. “They were superficial visits that did not further the mission of the district.”

The board is expected to appoint an internal candidate as acting superintendent at a meeting on July 23.