Herald Times Reporter

School board skirts open meetings law

We're not accusing the board of breaking Wisconsin's Open Records laws, but it certainly has skirted. For instance:

• The board picked six finalists. Wisconsin law does not provide disclosure until the list of finalists reaches five or less.
• The board released the names of three finalists, but when two either dropped out or were eliminated, Miller refused to admit that a sole finalist existed. Truthfully, Miller was obligated to tell the community a final candidate existed or that the board would seek out a new group of finalists. Using the "personnel matters" clause of the Open Records law to hide facts about a formal candidate is not fair to taxpayers.

A perfect example is the remodeling of the auditorium at Lincoln High School. The district has spared no expense on the project, which will cost more than $1 million and did not require public approval.

The board's refusal to televise its meetings is an indication of its resistance to public scrutiny.

This year, the board hid behind the personnel clause of the law to negotiate the departure of Wilson Junior High Principal Don Cooley and appoint a new principal weeks before it was voted on in public session. Then, when parents and teachers showed up at a board meeting to discuss the matter, board members refused to comment.

The board's penchant for "no comment" often leaves the public's questions unanswered.

Here are a few we have heard on the subject of the next superintendent: Why were candidates from Wisconsin the only ones to reach the finals? Wisconsin certainly isn't the only state with quality educators. Why did the search committee or the consulting firm hired by the board not know more about the other two formal candidates? One's salary requirements were more than this board could afford to pay, and the other was deemed unworthy of visiting. How can the board begin negotiations with a final superintendent candidate - Wayne Johnson, Ph.D - without voting in a public session that a final candidate has emerged?

Why has the board been so secretive about their formal candidate's qualifications? Information about Johnson's most-recent district assignment - one of 434 students - is easily attainable. The fact the Elcho School District is a mere fraction of the size of Manitowoc concerns many teachers and parents, who the board promised to keep informed, The size of the Elcho District doesn't mean, though, that Johnson is not qualified for the job. Of course, the board won't say.

As a matter of fact, Elcho has been Johnson's fifth stop as a superintendent. He held similar posts in four districts in Illinois - Dixon (3,345 students), Beardstown (1,600 students), Washburn (531 students), Crescent City (264 students).

The best we can hope for is that the new superintendent, whomever he or she may be, brings to the MPSD a sense of change and a commitment to openness. The people of this community, who take such pride in their school system, deserve it.