By Antonio D. French
Filed Thursday, June 29, 2006 at 8:13 AM
On Tuesday, we reported that Superintendent Creg Williams had not recommended a replacement for the school district's treasurer, who resigned three weeks ago. After an investigation by PUB DEF, it was learned that Williams had assigned those duties to the district's chief financial officer without consulting with the school board. Labels: Interviews, Schools
On Wednesday, we reported that Williams may have also overreached his authority by firing roughly 1,000 teachers and asking them to reapply for their jobs. A copy of the superintendent's contract, obtained by PUB DEF after a Sunshine Law request, clearly states that all hirings, firings, and reassignments are to be recommended by Williams but must be approved by the school board.
While the board did approve reconstituting three high schools and four middle schools at its May meeting, district spokesmen said Williams sent termination letters to teachers at more than a dozen different schools.
School Board President Veronica O'Brien said that she believes Williams should have asked the board before such moves were made. She also said that she had requested the superintendent to submit a resolution asking the board to act on his recommendation. That had not been done.
PUB DEF asked Williams by email when he planned to ask the board to approve these two moves. He has not responded.
The board's vice-president, Bill Purdy, told PUB DEF, "superintendents are directly accountable to the board of education and not the other way around."
Yesterday, Mayor Francis Slay weighed in on the situation in support of Williams. "It is no secret that I -- and a lot of people in our community -- trust Dr. Williams and hope that he perseveres here. And it is no secret that Purdy disagrees," Slay wrote on his blog.
"School boards are elected to provide direction. The superintentent is hired to run the district. Not the other way around," wrote the mayor.
8 Comments:
I look at the organization of the District like the organization of a corporation, where the Board of Education serves the role of the Board of Directors, and the Superintendent plays the role of CEO. The CEO serves at the pleasure of the Board, and is charged with strategic planning, daily operations, and execution, but is ultimately responsible to the elected Board. We, the residents of the City, are the shareholders in this corporation, and we have elected our representative body to lead our corporation forward.
6/29/2006 10:10 AM
Nia for someone who knows you messed up the Mayor's name. The Mayor isn't Francis Slay Jr. Though some affectionately refer to his father as Francis Sr.
6/29/2006 11:51 AM
Veronica O'Brien is the Mobb Boss of the Saint Louis Public Schools. Whoever is trying to do anything in the Saint Louis Public Schools had better kiss her ring. She has shown that she runs the School Board and the day to day functions of the Saint Louis Public Schools. We needed a Mobb Boss for the Saint Louis Public Schools, but I didn't think it would end up being a lady. Some say it is better to be feared than loved, and Veronica O'Brien is definitely feared.
Maybe the Saint Louis teachers union should join forces with her, most unions connect with a Mobb Boss!
6/29/2006 4:13 PM
Veronica a "mobb boss?" You gotta be kidding. If you lived in St. Louis in the 40s and the 50s, you would recognize the gangster Slay. Everyone in St. Louis recognized the Slays as gangsters. Talk about mob, you just showed your ignorance.
6/29/2006 4:32 PM
Both sides are right, and both sides are wrong.
Purdy is correct in stating that the superintendent is responsible to the board, which is ultimately responsible for the district's actions. Williams is not entitled to the free reign that he appears to think that he has, and he has apparently signed a contract affirming that relationship. He needs to set the ego aside and follow the rules.
That said, it is also true that most of the City likes what they see in Williams, has confidence in the plans he has announced, and wants him to be given every opportunity to carry out his plans. While Williams must follow the protocol, the Board must also refrain from micromanaging. It seems at times that some members of the board majority give only lipservice to supporting Williams while trying to undercut him every step of the way. (Local 420 is clearly doing just that.) Many voters who supported the change in control of the board this past election are beginning to have "buyers' regret" over their decision after seeing some board members nipping at the superintendent, seemingly trying to make his life miserable and his job impossible. This is frustrating to voters who realize that (absent a defection or vacancy in the majority's ranks) it will take at least two elections to wrest board control away from the current majority. (The next positions up for election are all seats now held by the current board minority.)
Instead of the corporate model suggested by travis, I believe the US civilian commander in chief of the military is a better analogy. The President (like the school board) has the final say. But any smart president will rely strongly on the recommendations of military experts (e.g., the Joint Chiefs) and will leave battlefield decisions to the commanders in the field. The school board should give the same deference to the expert they have hired, Superintendent Williams. While board oversight is still appropriate (the district still suffers from public confidence lost when a former board failed to deal with improprieties by controversial superindent Jerome Jones in the '80s), board members should avoid involvement in minute personnel decisions. Actions that appear to be transparent attempts to induce Williams' resignation are not acceptible to the public. In fact, they look very much like a political payoff to Local 420 for its support in the campaign.
To paraphrase John Lennon, all I am saying is give Creg a chance.
6/29/2006 4:32 PM
Creg Williams needs to be reigned in. He's hiring cronys and friends, and there are scandalous rumors going about his private life because it involves people involved with the SLPS.
How many realize that his Building Commissioner has only online degrees and was Creg's driver in Chicago. He's a carpenter for pete's sake. You should get a chance to see the nepotism and cronyism bureaucracy he's building at big bucks. That's a pretty big step up in life from driver to a building commissioner with no engineering or architectural skills. The State should come in and take over this mess.
A superintendent is first and foremost an educator and not what some of you wish to make him out to be.
6/29/2006 4:41 PM
Oracle, if it is true that "most of the City likes what they see in Williams," it is because very few people are paying attention.
The local media, following the lead of the Mayor's office, has gone blind when it comes to the city schools. The only time they wake up is when they hear police sirens racing to a local high school.
People who give credit to Williams for his "strategic plan" probably haven't read it and surely have not asked the obvious question: How is he going to pay for it?
Williams' plan is really more of a wish list. He presented it to the board months ago and still has not told anyone how we plans to fund most of it next year.
In fact, without even accounting for the parts of his "plan" that are still unfunded, Williams submitted a 2006-2007 budget at the last board meeting that dug the district $4 million deeper into debt.
The superintendent, along with Board member Bob Archibald, have been vocal about the financial crisis facing the district in less than 18 months -- at that time, according to Williams, the district's checks will start to bounce -- yet still no plan has been offered on how SLPS should address this looming crisis.
These are not nitpicky little things. This is the job.
I don't like or dislike Dr. Williams either way. What I see is a man who is very good at talking the talk, but one who does not respond well when his bosses ask him for solid plans.
Shuffling teachers around means nothing if you can't pay them next year. And agreeing to give them a pay raise makes no sense if you don't know how you're going to cover the bill.
Again, these are valid criticisms and I should not be the only reporter asking these questions.
6/29/2006 5:02 PM
All, please know the facts before you speak. Yes, Creg williams was to present a recommendation to the board for an acting treasurer, but did not. This problem is being corrected and we can all move on. Hey, the comments about the mob are interesting!! Is F.S. in the shallow end of the mob river? Maybe so since all the rest blew themselves up many years ago. Thank god for the FBI
7/01/2006 8:15 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home