Democratic Party Chair Joe Morelle is pressing School Board members to delay the selection of Rochester's new schools superintendent until next year, after two new members join the board.
That could dramatically change the outcome of the search.
Board members had completed their interviews with the four finalists this week and have met twice since then. And around midweek, a majority seemed to be coalescing around one of the candidates.
But Melisza Campos and Allen Williams, who were elected to the board on November 6, have expressed desire for the board to delay its decision until after they take office. And they have Morelle in their corner.
Morelle confirmed late Friday that he's been contacting board members, pushing for the delay. A man identifying himself as Joe Morelle left a voice mail for one board member last week, saying it would be a "grave mistake" for the board to pick a superintendent without Campos and Williams. City has a recording of the voice mail.
Contacted by phone late Friday, Morelle said it's a matter of accountability. If outgoing board members make a bad choice, then voters, he says, have no means to hold them accountable for that choice.
"It does seem to me that a decision of this import ought to be delayed, if at all possible, until January 1, to give the two new members the opportunity to cast votes and participate in the process," Morelle says.
Williams declined to say who he wants as superintendent. Campos couldn't be reached late Friday. But a delay would open up the possibility that there would not be a majority on the new board for any of the four finalists. If that were the case, a deadlocked board might try to persuade Interim Superintendent Bill Cala to stay. And Morelle says Cala should be considered.
The board has continued to feel pressure to select Cala. Some business leaders and City Hall officials, for example, are known to be Cala fans. In its "Snap Poll" last week, the Rochester Business Journal asked readers which of the four finalists they think is the best choice for superintendent. Fifty-six percent of those responding voted for Tim Mains. When Cala was included in the poll, he got 72 percent of the vote.
Comments for "EDUCATION: Morelle pushes for superintendent delay" (3)
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icecucumber73 said on Nov. 10, 2007 at 4:52am
Why does this sound suspicious? Joe Morelle should stay out of the city school superintendent. It shouldn't be a political issue.
Peter said on Nov. 10, 2007 at 4:53pm
I agree 100% with Morelle that the Rochester City School District Board of Education needs to delay hiring until the beginning of the new year. There is no hurry to get rid of Dr. William Cala and the new members need to be part of the current process. The accountability issue should dictate when the appointment is made. Dr. William Cala deserves to be officially offered the position and a open check should be presented to him. Our kids and their families deserve a man with integrity who does not have a hidden agenda to keep the current status quo. Cala is bringing accountability to the entire system. The Board of Education needs to put aside all of the politics and hire a true leader, Dr. William Cala. I challenge Malik to take Morelle's advice and slow down the process. If Malik and the Board of Education do it their way and not wait, I would scream "foul play".
Informed Citizen said on Nov. 12, 2007 at 7:36pm
I just don't understand this Cala fever. He was appointed as interim at the end of last school year, and had no accountability for performance. Even the "fourth quarter play" of mentoring at-risk seniors was put into motion before he arrived.
Then, Cala's halo grows exponentially through the summer on claims that he has done such a wonderful job. Wake up, folks. It's summer. Nothing happens that anyone can see or claim credit for. You've been sucked into the hype - the city-hall, RBA generated propaganda.
And what we don't know... the Board members-elect don't know either. We don't know why Cala can't get the unanimous vote he's demanding as a condition of continuing on... what we do know is he can't get it. Who has he pissed off and why?
More importantly, who has does have the support of the majority of the board? Is it a slim majority, or a super-majority? How many rounds did it take to get to that decision? We don't really need to know the answers to these questions, but the answers might be tell the community how openly (or with how much caution) we should embrace their selection.
I saw all the candidates through the public forums, and I don't think there was a dud among them. I admit that some were more interesting than others to watch and listen to, but they all knew their stuff, and they all understand the urban school environment better than Dr. Cala, who was only ever a suburban superintendent with a handful of schools and a handful of kids in poverty.
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