Editorial: Bungling is par for the course

Wednesday, March 29, 2000 | 9:23 a.m.

Emblematic of this bungled selection process was the School Board's discussion Tuesday regarding the qualifications of the two finalists, Fresno Unified School District Superintendent Carlos Garcia and Virginia Beach City Public Schools Superintendent Timothy Jenney. The Sun's Terry Webster reported Tuesday that as the board became indecisive on which candidate it preferred, superintendent search consultant William Attea unloaded this bombshell on the School Board: "You only have one candidate left. Jenney has withdrawn," Attea said.

Board member Larry Mason thundered back: "And you didn't tell us?" Attea's reason for withholding this critical fact after nearly two hours of discussion? He didn't want to spoil the debate on the candidates' strengths and weaknesses. But it is ridiculous for a consultant, who is getting paid a hefty fee by the school district for his professional services, to keep elected members of the School Board in the dark about such a critical fact.

Attea is fortunate he didn't get fired months ago. Don't forget that the original search orchestrated by him resulted in disaster, as all three finalists dropped out. In fact, the leading candidate, West Virginia state Superintendent of Schools Henry Marockie, had to withdraw after misrepresenting his salary and benefits to the School Board. Attea failed to confirm Marockie's actual salary, instead accepting Marockie's word.

Sure, it's tough to hire a superintendent as school districts around the nation compete to find skilled people willing to take on such a difficult job, but Attea's performance has been miserable. Still, Attea's own ineptness shouldn't cast a pall over Garcia; the School Board is pleased with Garcia, voting 6-1 to offer him the job. And while in most situations you'd think this would be a done deal, Las Vegans have come to expect the worst from this search process, so you can't fault them for holding their breath until Garcia actually signs a contract.