[Reading-hall-of-fame] Re: ILA non-election

Tue Apr 5 12:37:11 BST 2016

Hi Ken,

I completely agree with your comments here, your decision not to vote, and
your statement that "I see this as a shift in power from board control to
staff control of this imporotant organization."  While the charge to the
board to have a slate of 2 VP and 6 General Board candidates is no longer
in our bylaws, it is still very much in our policies and has continued to
be a charge to the Nominating Committee for many years.

It may surprise some, but I was not on the Nominating Committee this year,
despite last year's board vote on that committee's membership that included
me as Immediate Past President. There are other instances where decisions
made by last year's board were ignored by HQ - decisions not to publish
position statements the board had approved, not to include on committees
individuals who had volunteered to serve and had been approved by the
board, etc..   There is nothing in any set of minutes that indicates that a
decision to overturn these board votes were board decisions, nor would the
timeline of events have made such an overturn possible. If you've requested
copies of minutes, you would see the board approvals.  Perhaps even more
telling is that a Handbook of "IRA [ILA] policies" was distributed to
Council leaders at the July 2015 Leadership Workshop that the board had
never seen and which had numerous contradictions to our existing bylaws and
policies.  It had been created by HQ. It was only after its distribution
that I - and most board members  - learned of its existence, since we had
not been at this workshop.

ALL past presidents are aware that I have asked several times that minutes
be posted; the board NEVER voted not to post them.  It seems members will
have to contact HQ for these.  Do members even know this?  I've also asked
HQ several times to post committee volunteer information as we once had on
the website.  It is no longer possible for members to sign up for
committees. Indeed, it is probably the case that members don't even know
that ILA has committees.  (Will we continue to have them?) Committee work
has been the heart and soul of the organization.

This year's ILA President is now identified as "President of the Board"
(motion made by Diane Barone and approved by the board at the October board
meeting, as per the minutes.)  I think this change in title tells members
they no longer have a president. It does, however, portray what is now the
case - authority belongs to the ILA staff. This is significant change.
IRA was always an organization whose members were deeply involved in its
activities and deeply invested in its success. I feel that the change in
name should not result in a change in that relationship.  But the truth is
that many of us who knew how we functioned as a member organization are
simply leaving ILA.  If members feel excluded, if they believe that it
doesn't matter if they vote because there is only one candidate, what is
their membership worth? Does their opinion actually matter?

Like you, Ken, I won't be voting in this election.  I'm in agreement with
Garth Brooks who has contacted so many, that the "vote" should be voided
and the committee should restart its work. We should not accept an
'appointed' VP or  an incomplete slate for board members.  But this isn't
just about this particular election; it's really about "the shift in power"
that you mention, Ken, and how ILA no longer sees to function as a member
organization. Board members and others have been reluctant to speak out.
They fear reprisal, loss of status with HQ, which has the ability to
'reward' those who accept HQ authority.  I hope the multiple emails the
board has received since it took office in July 2015 will generate some
serious board deliberations, and that until this occurs many more emails
will follow.

Wishing you all the best,
Jill

Dr. Jill Lewis-Spector
Immediate Past President (2015-2016)
International Literacy Association
        (formerly International Reading Association)
Professor Emerita, Literacy Education,
      New Jersey City University
Distinguished Faculty Award, NJACTE &
      New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education

On Mon, Apr 4, 2016 at 12:49 PM, Ken Goodman <kgoodman at u.arizona.edu> wrote:

> They got the message, Lesley. The nonimation process failed. They need to
> start over.
> Ken
>
> Ken Goodman
> 7914 South Galileo Lane
> Tucson, Az 85747
> 520-9909612
> Learning is not a Response to Instruction
> Effective Iinstruction is a  Response to Learning
> *Coming Feb. 17, 2016*
> *READING THE GRAND iLLUSION*
> *HOW AND WHY PEOPLE MAKE SENSE OF PRINT*
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 4, 2016 at 6:20 AM, Lesley Morrow <
> lesley.morrow at gse.rutgers.edu> wrote:
>
>> Ken send  your note to ILA, their board members, the executive director
>> and president.
>> Lesley
>>
>> On Mon, Apr 4, 2016 at 8:59 AM, Ken Goodman <kgoodman at u.arizona.edu>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I am personally refusing to vote for the ILA non-election.
>>> There us no choice for vice-president and an insufficient number of
>>> candidates for board members.
>>> I see this as a shift in power from board control to staff control of
>>> this imporotant organization.
>>> Adding to that the board now holding virtual meetings and ILA seems to
>>> be shifting from a professional organization
>>> to a trade show run for the convenience of publishers.
>>>
>>> Ken Goodman
>>> 7914 South Galileo Lane
>>> Tucson, Az 85747
>>> 520-9909612
>>> Learning is not a Response to Instruction
>>> Effective Iinstruction is a  Response to Learning
>>> *Coming Feb. 17, 2016*
>>> *READING THE GRAND iLLUSION*
>>> *HOW AND WHY PEOPLE MAKE SENSE OF PRINT*
>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> *Lesley Mandel Morrow, Ph.D.*
>> Distinguished Professor of Literacy
>> Rutgers the State University of NJ
>> Director, Center for Literacy Development
>>
>
>

-- 
*Lesley Mandel Morrow, Ph.D.*
Distinguished Professor of Literacy
Rutgers the State University of NJ
Director, Center for Literacy Development
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