[Reading-hall-of-fame] Events at IRA headquarters

[Brian Cambourne]

Ken,
Thanks for your clear analysis of the data available to you. I find  
it distressing that there appears to be so much secrecy about  
whatever's happened. Such secrecy starts t he rumour mills grinding  
and reputations can be ruined by misinformed speculation and  
innuendo. I support the mediation rather than litigation route.
  Brian Cambourne
On 26/02/2009, at 9:25 AM, Ken Goodman wrote:

>
> Dear colleague:
> I want to share my impressions of what has happened in IRA recently  
> and also some communication I've had with Alan Farstrup.  I talked  
> to President Barbara Walkers and ome of the board members in  
> Phoenix at the IRA conference, . I also talked with some of the  
> staff members. In summary here is what I learned: Since there has  
> been no official statement from the board I cannot vouch for the  
> accuracy of all of my summary though I have restrained from  
> repeating rumors which were rampant  in Phoenix.
>
> This is what happened as nearly as I can determine.
>
> The Executive committee composed of President Barbara Walker, Vice  
> President Kathy Au, and VP-Elect Pat Edwards. made the decision to  
> terminate Alan Farstrup. They then polled the board who voted to  
> support their action, An official vote was then held in Phoenix at  
> a board meeting prior to the conference there.
>
> According to Alan  there was no discussion with him prior to his  
> receipt of a terse letter from a Chicago attorney employed by  the  
> Board dismissing him.
> The staff, to date, has received no notice of what has taken place  
> other than a memo that there was a new acting executive director.  
> One staff member indicated that he had not heard the word "fired"  
> until he got to Phoenix.
>
> There was an outside audit of the IRA conferences since 2002 which  
> indicated some concerns which troubled the Executive Committee and  
> the Board. The director of conferences subsequently resigned.
>
> The board members were strongly cautioned not to discuss the entire  
> matter. In the last week however they were permitted to discuss it  
> and a number of people active in IRA were called personally by  
> Executive Committee members. Barbara Walker called Yetta and me.
>
> Alan told  me that he would welcome, for his sake and for IRA's  an  
> unbiased mediation and would prefer that to litigation over his  
> contract which runs through June 2010. Unless there is mediation  
> there will certainly be a court suit.
>
> My own view:
>
> There may well be charges against Alan which may or may not have  
> warranted terminating him as Executive Director.However it is  
> impossible for any of us who care about the Association to evaluate  
> such possible charges since they have not been made publicly. "If  
> you knew what I knew" is certainly not an adequate statement of  
> causes for such an abrupt and extreme action. It is hard to  
> understand why his dismissal needed to take place so rapidly just  
> before the Phoenix conference, why it had to involve a Chicago  
> attorney, and why such secrecy was and still is necessary. This  
> certainly will cast a pall over the selection of  a new Executive  
> Director which is coincidentally drawing to a conclusion.
>
> I suggest two courses of action:
>
> As many active members of IRA as possible including past presidents  
> and past board members should ask the Board to offer to mediate the  
> terms of Alan's separation from his position. I believe that such  
> mediation is warranted regardless of the adequacy of the charges  
> against Alan. I didn't ask him whether he wants to serve out his  
> contract. In view of what has happened however I would suspect that  
> he would be willing to accept a fair settlement.
>
> There are many reasons why mediation would be better than  
> litigation. One is the expense of court and lawyers fees. Another  
> is the negative publicity that IRA would suffer and the impact   
> that would have on its reputation and the possible loss of  
> membership. Perhaps the best reason for mediation is that it is the  
> fair way to proceed and that courts always want to see that  
> internal alternatives have been exhausted before bringing the case  
> to the courts.
>
> I think that it is important that this be a decision of the full  
> board and not just of the Executive committee. I do not believe  
> that the IRA by-laws permit the Executive Committee to make this  
> kind of decision in the name of the board. And I believe that the  
> members of the executive committee themselves appear to be  
> unwilling to reconsider the decisions they made and the manner in  
> which they were made.
>
> I would also suggest that the board be asked to appoint an  
> extraordinary committee to investigate the issues surrounding  Alan  
> Farstrup's dismissal and the causes which led up to it.
> I suggest that such a committee might include: A retired past  
> president from ten more years in the past. A retired president from  
> the last five years who did not serve at the same time as current  
> officers and the Executive Director of a sister professional  
> educational organization such as NCTE, ASCD, AERA etc. There should  
> have been such a committee before the Board acted but it is not too  
> late. If there is substance to the issues which caused the  
> executive committee to act then it is likely that there are further  
> actions which are necessary  for the board to take to prevent  
> repetitions. And a new Executive Director will be reassured if the  
> air is cleared before he or she takes control.
>
> Please respond if you agree or disagree with  my summation and my  
> recommendations. And please make your feelings known to the Board.  
> Feel free to pass this message on.
>
> Ken Goodman
>
>
>
>
>
>
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  Assoc. Prof. ( Dr) Brian Cambourne
Principal Fellow
  Faculty of Education
University of Wollongong
Northfields Rd Wollongong
AUSTRALIA
Phone: Overseas callers
Home 61-244-416182
email<brian_cambourne at uow.edu.au
  Mobile/Cell phone: 0408684368



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