Three still in running for schools chief

Terry Webster

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 1999 | 10:51 a.m.

Three candidates remain in the running for the Clark County School District superintendent's job following daylong deliberations Monday by the School Board and the Superintendent Selection Process Committee.

James A. Fleming, superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District in Orange County, Calif., Henry Marockie, superintendent of the West Virginia Department of Education, and Joseph J. Redden, a retired U.S. Air Force general, are finalists in the quest for a new leader of the country's eighth-largest school district.

Out of five finalists, the panels eliminated George F. Garcia, the superintendent of the Tucson, Ariz., Unified School District. Another candidate, Ken Burnley, superintendent of the Colorado Springs, Colo., District 11 Schools, withdrew from consideration last week.

Fleming and Redden will return for a series of interviews and meetings Thursday and Friday, followed by Marockie early next week. Times are still being firmed up by school officials.

Included on the slate is an invitation-only reception at Texas Station for school officials and community members who have been involved in the superintendent search. A new superintendent to replace Brian Cram, who retires in July, is expected to be announced by Dec. 16. The board also could decide to nix the current finalists and start the search process over.

Following a lengthy debate, the School Board selected two candidates recommended by the committee, Marockie and Redden. The board rejected the committee's suggestion to ask Burnley to reconsider his decision to drop out of the race. Burnley had cited family concerns.

But one board member isn't convinced.

Shirley Barber chastised fellow board member Mary Beth Scow for embarrassing Burnley during his interview, which was held in public session, by pointing out that his cover letter contained errors.

Scow previously said an advanced placement English teacher graded the cover letters, giving Burnley a B-minus or C. The teacher gave all of the other candidates an A or an A-minus, Scow said, although she would not name the teacher.

William Attea, a district-hired consultant, reassured the board that Burnley told him the cover letter had no bearing on his decision.

Attea said he tried but couldn't get Burnley to change his mind about dropping out.

Committee Chairman Sig Rogich wanted to continue the effort to get Burnley back in the process. "I think he's a strong enough candidate that we should reach out."

Hammering out a list of the candidates' strengths and weaknesses, the committee started with Garcia. The evaluations were based on information gleaned from the interviews.

After rating the candidates, the School Board eliminated Garcia by secret ballot. Attea asked the board to write down the candidate they liked the least and a majority decided upon Garcia, then Burnley. After the board wrote down their answers, Attea read the names aloud, along with how the board members voted. All of the ballots were given to the district's school attorneys.

Board member Larry Mason, who participated in the session via video conference from Hawaii, verbally gave his answers over a television monitor.

The School Board and committee members' lists of strengths and weaknesses were combined into one list by Attea.

Strengths the committee listed for Garcia included his focus on multi-culturalism, expertise in using data analysis, his use of the Internet and technology, the unique programs he has developed and good listening skills.

To that, the School Board added strong leadership, a good relationship with the elementary-level schools and sincerity.

But the committee questioned whether Garcia placed too much emphasis on data and whether he had strong leadership skills. Concerns raised by the School Board involved questions on his ability to work with the board to create a vision, a lack of experience in passing bonds for construction work and a lack of "fire in his belly" for his profession.

Compliments the committee members and School Board gave to Burnley included his demonstration of leadership abilities, his personality, a good value base, the ability to understand and work with quality people and knowledge of the challenges of construction and growth.

One of the questions raised about Burnley's interview performance was whether he could deliver on what he was saying.

Redden was credited with a long list of strengths, including demonstrating of a no-nonsense management approach, fairness in dealing with others, personal pride in his work, his knowledge of the Clark County School District, sensitivity to the needs of the district and a good personality.

Doubts about Redden centered on his lack of experience in dealing with kindergarten through Grade 12 issues and construction management.

Some of the pluses for Fleming were his experience in a large urban district, his planning skills, an understanding of English Language Learner students and his creativity.

Criticisms of Fleming included name-dropping, his financial management abilities and an emphasis on "I" rather than "we" when citing his accomplishments.

After finishing his interview with the School Board, Marockie joined the audience and sat through the evaluation of his interview.

The School Board and committee were complimentary of Marockie's strong desire to raise student achievement, ability to work with state officials, a high energy level and his concept of equity.

Drawbacks the panels saw in Marockie included his lack of experience with minority students and whether he could translate his rural successes in West Virginia to an urban setting.

One of the points Marockie stressed during his interview was his definition of equity. He said all students deserve quality teachers and opportunities to learn, adding that sometimes more money needs to be spent on poorly performing students.

Marockie also emphasized the use of television and computers in helping disadvantaged students. He said proceeds from lottery money are used in his state to provide computer equipment.

Further, Marockie explained a teaching method that ensures students who do not "get" class material the first time around are retaught the material.

A few board members said they plan to ask tougher questions when the finalists return for their interviews.