A personnel issue or a personal one?

By Jeff Pooler
Review Managing Editor
Published: May 22, 2008

Last week, the Orange County School Board decided not to renew the contract of schools superintendent Dr. William Crawford.
The board reached this decision within the privacy of the closed session--where personnel issues are discussed.
Since the board took no action, a formal vote was not recorded when the board reconvened in open session. (In this case, the decision not to renew Dr. Crawford’s contract wasn’t really “action” because no action was taken. Had the board decided to renew the contract, that would have constituted action and required a vote in open session.)
But, we’re not letting the school board off the hook that easily.
This is a high-profile position--the chief administrator of the largest organization in the county. We’re owed an explanation.
Now, what happens in closed session is supposed to stay in closed session and we respect that privilege which elected boards enjoy.
However, that doesn’t absolve the school board of answering to their constituents and the public.
We’re left with vague statements that say the superintendent’s contract will expire in 2009 and will not be renewed.
We could at least have gotten the bland “philosphical differences” defense.
But no. We’ve got nothing to go on.
We realize county administrators, town managers and school superintendents essentially serve at the pleasure of their elected boards.
However, these are professional people doing professional jobs. They are day-to-day administrators of large organizations. Their dismissal requires some explanation--whether their employers want to give one or not.
Our school board members are professionals from various fields. Only District 5 representative Jim Hopkins has experience as a professional educator. If they’re deciding they want our school system to go in a different direction, we as the citizens who send our children to school and our tax dollars to fund education deserve that explanation.
What is it exactly that they’re looking for?
What is it exactly that our schools are doing or not doing that needs to change?
Again, we realize these discussions may have occured behind the closed doors of executive session, but we have a right to know.
Dr. Crawford was hired three years ago after the tumultuous termination of his predecessor. Essentially, Dr. Crawford’s replacement will be the fourth school superintendent we’ve had in the last seven years. Hmm.
We need some indication from our school board that they indeed have a direction. Otherwise, we can only construe that this is more of a personal issue than a personnel one.