I agree with Chris' cautionary observation about Olchefske. But here's my take on
it - Olchefske probably was mostly
guilty of na�vet� in the Seattle situation, not good when you're a former investment
banker and sitting superintendent.
Which means that it is likely that it will not happen again. I also suspect that he
is very driven to repair his
reputation and we would get our money's worth out of him. Also, he is the one of the
three with enough moxy to make
something of the discombobulated collection of consultants now under contract to the
district. In his interview this
afternoon, he came as close as any candidate could to saying that hiring the
consultants was not a good idea. I think he
might actually be capable of community engagement all on his own. And he would
certainly make sure their "deliverables"
have some substance, which is not very likely without him. He also has the most
chance of any of them of settling in
Minneapolis and making the job a truly personal investment, if such a thing is even
possible today in urban education
leadership.
I did not hear the interview Dr. King, but Olchefske clearly took the conversation
to a higher level than did Ms.
Peebles.
Dan McGuire
Ericsson
Chris Johnson wrote:
> Thanks to The Pulse for providing some connection into what happened in
> Seattle schools while Joseph Olchefske was involved. That he would even
> be a finalist for our school district makes me strongly doubt the
> veracity and capabilities of our current school board.
>
> From November, 2003 election coverage in Seattle:
> "The anti-incumbent message rang loudest in the School Board race, after
> almost a year of bad news about the Seattle Public Schools. There was a
> $34 million hole in the budget, Superintendent Joseph Olchefske
> resigned, and a search for his replacement was so poorly handled that
> finalists withdrew. Just weeks before the election, the board appointed
> then-Chief Operating Officer Raj Manhas to be superintendent for at
> least a year. Meanwhile, the electorate was fuming, and a pack of
> well-organized grassroots reformers waited in the wings."
>
> From October, 2003 election coverage in Seattle:
> "Just in time for the election, the Seattle School Board and newly named
> Superintendent Raj Manhas announced the district has gotten past its
> financial crisis and is now in the black. But schools watchdog Chris
> Jackins still finds himself in the dark. Has the district, he wonders,
> truly climbed out of what now turns out to have been a $38 million
> deficit it created while asleep at the wheel year after year? And are
> public officials being up front with taxpayers?
>
> He has good cause to roll his eyes.
>
> Early last year some district officials discovered that other district
> officials had somehow sneaked two "balanced" budgets past the School
> Board that in fact were millions out of whack. The 2001-02 budget was
> $24 million in the red (not $21 million, as the district earlier
> reported), according to the latest accounting. The 2002-03 budget was
> overspent by $14 million. No one but the chief financial officer, who
> allegedly covered over the deficits, seemed to have been aware of the
> ongoing crisis. Then-Superintendent Joseph Olchefske supposedly first
> discovered the overspending last summer and waited at least three months
> to publicly reveal it.
>
> He and Manhas�then the chief operating officer�and the board approved
> giving former chief financial officer Geri Lim $53,000 in cash and
> benefits and quickly pushed her out the door with a confidential
> agreement. She has not publicly spoken since."
>
> From August, 2003 election coverage in Seattle:
> "Whatever the board should or shouldn't have been expected to know, it
> obviously has a big credibility problem. And it is exacerbated by a
> feeling among some that the board has in general been too passive,
> acting as a rubber stamp to whatever is handed down by the
> superintendent�no matter what constituents have to say. That feeling
> came to a head over the board's refusal to sanction former
> superintendent Joseph Olchefske for his financial management, despite
> calls to do so from teachers, principals, and the public. In the end, he
> resigned."
>
> And from an April, 2003 report on Olchefske's resignation:
> "One thing you can say about Seattle Public Schools Superintendent
> Joseph Olchefske, he has a great poker face. Just last week, the
> 45-year-old superintendent was sitting at district headquarters looking
> surprisingly relaxed and explaining to me why he didn�t intend to step
> down, despite the firestorm in the aftermath of financial mismanagement
> that produced a $34 million shortfall. �Clearly, this has damaged my
> credibility, and I know that,� he said. �At the same time, I�m committed
> to earning that back.� He talked about the beginning of a new phase of
> his tenure, focused on �healing,� for which he intended to develop
> �relationship-building� skills.
>
> But the next day he was off for a mini-vacation at his ranch in Cle
> Elum, and when he returned to work on Monday, he had some news: He
> intended to resign after all, giving the six months� notice required by
> his contract. �I�ve been thinking about it for a few weeks,� Olchefske
> says now. �I just watched all the acrimony and divisiveness grow over
> the last six months. If my ongoing presence distracts us from focusing
> on kids, then I�ve got to make a change.�
>
> Predictably, supporters pronounced themselves saddened while critics
> applauded. Regardless, Olchefske may have had little choice given the
> mounting crisis of confidence he faced. Once, Olchefske supporters could
> claim that dissatisfaction was confined to a vocal minority. No longer.
> The overwhelming expression of no-confidence by teachers, in a vote
> conducted by their union early this month, made that clear. Even Seattle
> Education Association head John Dunn, an Olchefske critic, was surprised
> when 85 percent of them voted in favor of seeing the superintendent
> ousted. �I was kind of awed� by the consensus, Dunn says.
>
> On top of that, the executive board of the principals association called
> for Olchefske�s removal and held a vote of its membership, the results
> of which were to be announced April 18. Meanwhile, ardent anti-Olchefske
> sentiments were being heard from an array of alienated parent
> constituencies, including those with children in programs for the
> gifted, in alternative schools, and in South End schools�a coalition of
> discontent that united some of the most privileged in the district with
> some of th
>
> He sounds like the last guy we would want as our superintendent. I worry
> the other two finalists are not much better.
>
> Chris Johnson - Fulton
>
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