Ann Arbor community faces crucial task in picking next school superintendent
I read with interest but no surprise the announcement that Todd Roberts has resigned as superintendent of schools in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor has a history in recent years of hiring younger persons who view the job here as a stepping-stone to another position. A city that prides itself as one of the great cities in America to rear a family can and needs to do better. There are several hundred wonderful cities in which to rear a family. Ann Arbor is one of those.
The process of hiring a superintendent of schools should be re-examined and changed. To expect an outside employment firm to find and recommend appropriate persons for the job is a cop-out. This procedure has not worked in the past.
To obtain a superior superintendent with the needed credentials and experience requires time. The appointment of an interim superintendent is necessary to accomplish this goal. The school board has rushed the choice and lived to regret the decision.
Why not begin with a series of forums and provide opportunity for citizens to discuss the qualities Ann Arbor needs in a superintendent? Ask what are our most prominent issues, needs and concerns in our school system?
1. We hear a lot about the fact that one in four students who begins high school does not graduate. Although it is hoped that most Ann Arbor high school graduates would continue their education, entering a four-year college or university is not for everyone. Highlighting and encouraging other valuable options for continuing education and preparation for a variety of needed careers should be a priority.
2. The “achievement gap” is mentioned frequently. The district has spent large sums of money to deal with the issue, but the disparities are still with us. Let’s identify specifically what has worked and why or how.
3. Another important matter for concerned citizens is the financial structure of the school system and how funding is dispersed and utilized.
4. We read about the Ann Arbor school district’s strategic plan. What does it mean and what kind of planning has been done? It has begun to sound like a “buzz” word with little substance or progress.
With the above thoughts in mind, the decision about the next superintendent is crucial. I believe Ann Arbor needs someone who has already made a recognized significant contribution to public education. Her or his education credentials along with considerable experience would be noteworthy. That person would become a vital and visible part of the community. They would be challenged to leave a legacy of forward progress for the Ann Arbor school system.
Carl E. Williams Ann Arbor
Comments
Jay Thomas
Mon, Aug 30, 2010 : 10:52 a.m.
As long as the candidate is committed to offering Ypsilanti and West Willow students a better education via school choice here in Ann Arbor I'm sure they will be supported.;) Gotta have the right priorities; the superintendent of the Ann Arbor public schools mustn't think only of Ann Arbor... that would be snobbish and parochial. Also they need to keep as many administrators as possible -- that's the key to quality education. Five assistant principals per high school would be ideal.
Basic Bob
Mon, Aug 30, 2010 : 10:40 a.m.
This should not be a difficult position to fill. The parents are well-educated and this brings a lot of success no matter what the superintendent does. Did education suffer under Ray-Taylor or Fornero? No. Being superintendent of AAPS is a great resume booster. Unfortunately the district is not run by the school board or the superintendent. It is run by academic elitists and the teachers union. Try to cross them and you will be run out of town in a hurry. My concern is that the board wants to hang a millage proposal around the neck of a new superintendent. If it fails (which it might), that is hardly a vote of no confidence on the superintendent. But the board could use that as an excuse to make a change.
jns131
Mon, Aug 30, 2010 : 7:05 a.m.
Talk about cop out. Todd Roberts copped out when he hired a private firm to eliminate transportation. Now Ann Arbor is going to cop out and hire another firm to do its will? Ann Arbor needs to trim its administration not its custodial staff, again nor eliminate anything else but what they have now. Look within the administration, hire someone from within and save us and everyone else some money. From what I remember in years past? A great principal was named superintendent. Ann Arbor is not doing itself nor anyone else a favor by spending more money to hire an outside firm. The board knew they wanted transportation eliminated, but used an outside firm as a smoke screen. Now they are going to hire another firm to find a replacement? Looks like the board doesn't want to do its job does it? Vote em out in November. We need new blood.
jcj
Sun, Aug 29, 2010 : 4:16 p.m.
@josber What planet have you been living on the last 40 years? Can you name every superintendent in those 40 years? DonBee is on the money on this one!
josber
Sun, Aug 29, 2010 : 1:51 p.m.
Don Bee, give me a break. Todd Roberts didn't sound like a guy who was leaving, but then again, when Erskine Bowles is happy to have you back at a nice small prep school, things happen. Succession, smuccession. Who knew? What entanglements, setups, betrayals can happen at the upper echelons when somebody is just at second banana status, waiting for the big guy to leave, or better yet, set it up so he has to leave. If the board just runs out and hires somebody, they could get a very ugly surprise. Ann Arbor has its problems, and a lot of them are the work atmosphere itself in the district. The board is just going to have to do a good job at finding somebody. That's their job now. Let them do it.
AlphaAlpha
Sun, Aug 29, 2010 : 12:59 p.m.
"If the board wants to prove they are a board, a real succession plan has to be instituted" Agreed. Finding a new leader is easy, if you know what you are doing...
DonBee
Sun, Aug 29, 2010 : 11:35 a.m.
I have to wonder if the school board and Todd Roberts were asleep at the switch. Most private enterprises have a succession plan. A way to make sure there is someone trained to move up, if a key person leaves for any reason. It seems AAPS does not. This will mean 2 years of uncertainty and change. The first year with the interim superintendent and the knowledge that someone else will come in, so in a year when critical decisions have to be made, there will be a holding pattern. The teachers contact and others are single year contracts. Can an interim superintendent have the backing to make the changes that will probably need to be made or will we get a holding pattern contract. Then we will get a new superintendent and they will have to build relationships in the district and with the board. The first year will be probation like, even if it is not really probation. So will the board back the changes that the superintendent wants to make in the face of determined resistance by some sectors of the community? The school board has been incredibly passive, letting Todd Roberts make almost every decision. It was still a tough job. The next two years are going to test the school board members as never before. They will burn though far more money in the next 12 months looking for the next superintendent then they realize right now. The fact that they have no succession plan will cost far more to the children of the district in the chaos that the adults will feel and feed into the classrooms. If the board wants to prove they are a board, a real succession plan has to be instituted in the district during this decision. Anything else is irresponsible to the children of the district.
sbbuilder
Sun, Aug 29, 2010 : 9:18 a.m.
I don't want to sound the contrarian, but I don't see the need for massive administrations to begin with. Administrations have become the tail wagging the dog. I think the more salient question would be 'Why is such a gargantuan administration necessary'? We have recently been privy to the salaries of the highest paid staff of our area schools. This was bothersome to me and to many others. I see teachers being cut in our State left and right, and I don't see the same parity in administrative staff. Lead the way! Cut your own positions first!
Dr. I. Emsayin
Sun, Aug 29, 2010 : 9 a.m.
Ann Arbor should look at Dexter's interim superintendent