“Everybody is still pointing to us,” Hill said. “Our schools are still successful.”
That’s Kevin Hill, chairman of the Wake County School Board, when asked if he’d have problems finding qualified applicants for the Superintendent’s position for Wake County Schools (see: article).
If people are still pointing at Wake, if the district schools are still successful, it’s due in large part, to the efforts of Tony Tata. However last week, in a gigantic display of small-mindedness, the majority Democrats on the Wake School Board fired Tata for well, er , you ask them why.
When asked about why the district released Tata, Board Chairman Kevin Hill said “We did not have the working relationship needed to match the demands of the 16th largest school system in the country.” How’s that for cryptic? Isn’t it curious how the issue never came up previously? No, the decision to remove Tata was brute force politics. The Democrats wanted Tata out, and they did it.
The sacking comes with a hefty price tag. In addition to the quarter million dollar severance package Tata received, the public firing and theatrics likely reduced the pool of qualified candidates for the position. Ask yourself: what superintendent wants to report to a deeply divided board whose majority could change in two years and whose schools and whose community and schools remain deeply divided on academic and social issues? In the best of situations, superintendent jobs are difficult enough. Those difficulties coupled with the zig-zag leadership style of the Democratic majority offer many good reason why top superintendents won’t consider applying for the superintendent’s job for Wake County Public Schools.
Of course someone will be awarded the position. However, it will likely be to an individual who sees the job as a stepping stone and lacks the personality, skills, vision and leadership necessary to lead a large district through daunting challenges.
Come to think of it, that might be the exactly type of person, the board wants to carry out their agenda.
Firing Tony Tata has put this school system into chaos. After previous years of chaos with Del Burns & then interim superintendent, here we go again. Elections have consequences. Didn’t we learn anything in 2008?