SMCISD: Vacant Leadership

Nothing good happens in a vacuum of leadership. A vacuum in leadership may be the most dangerous vacuum of all because it has long lasting consequences.

 

August 25th, 2015 Assistant Superintendent Dr. Greg Rodriguez up and resigned, clearly a premeditated decision, as he had a new job waiting for him and left SMCISD within six days of his notice.

 

Even minimum wage employees, in every industry, holding no real responsibility in their positions put in two weeks’ notice as general etiquette in working society.

 

September 10th, 2015 Superintendent Mark Eads submits his letter of resignation, without cause, and after having received a 2.5 % pay increase, making him the second resignation in the administration, in the last six months.

 

Most recently, January 5th, 2016 Dr. “Lolly” Guerra, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources has also resigned, making her lucky number 3 for the district. Dr. Guerra had already informed the district she had planned to resign in September, then upped her exit date to March 4th 2015. March just happens to be when the school districts 1700 employee contracts and salaries are to be re-signed and adjusted.

 

The question from public conversation, employees, even trustees is, why leave at such a critical time?

 

Meanwhile, school board trustees have been scrambling to find an Interim Superintendent who can fill the gap in leadership, until JG Consulting, the appointed search firm, delivers qualified candidates for the permanent position as SMCISD’s new superintendent.

 

The Interim search has been nothing but trouble for the trustees as the original candidate list contained 8 names. Quickly the board narrowed the list to just 3.

 

Dr. Sylvester Perez was the preferred candidate amongst majority of the board. Opposition came from Kathy Hansen and John Crowley, former SMCISD employees under Perez.

 

Public Information requests have been submitted by multiple media outlets to investigate why Hansen and Crowley protested Dr. Perez so fervently.

 

Essentially, Dr. Perez was run off by the drama brought on by Hansen and Crowley, even though he received several requests from citizens, the business community, community leaders and district staff, to accept the temporary slot and help the district through this transition.

 

“I believe that SMCISD is at a pivotal point in many areas, including leadership if it is going to reach its full potential. It is also apparent that student performance is on the cusp of not meeting standards without full focus and support”, Dr. Perez stated in his withdrawal letter for Interim Superintendent.

 

Simply put, Dr. Perez accommodated the multiple requests for leadership aid, by participating as an Interim select, and decided he is content as a consultant and senior lecturer at University of Texas at San Antonio, and doesn’t need this conflict and attack from board members/former employees in his life.

 

So who’s left?

 

Of the original eight Interim selects, the board has just 2 names left, Greg D. Jung and Dr. Marc H. Walker. Jung is a former Dripping Springs ISD assistant superintendent. Walker formerly led Comal ISD as superintendent.

 

To add insult to injury after the loss of the boards preferred Interim candidate, SMCISD trustees were presented unconscionable news regarding one of the remaining two candidates.

 

Walker was the superintendent when Comal ISD overpaid a contractor on four contracts funded by voter-approved bonds back in 2008. Of the nearly 130-million dollars the district paid to Baird-Williams Construction during that time, just over 7-million dollars in overpayments were made. 

 

Comal CISD Superintendent Andrew Kim and trustees on the school board placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of previous district administrators.

 

Comal CISD School Board President David Drastata says that it’s “unfortunate that individuals who no longer work for Comal ISD did not provide the necessary oversight to ensure that taxpayer dollars were spent wisely.”  And without naming names, Kim said that he understands that this issue has caused concern for the community, but he asks that the public allow the district to earn back their trust through their actions going forward, rather than judge them for what was done by others in the past.

 

Walker was also in the position of Superintendent when his Assistant Superintendent Thomas Bloxham was placed on administrative leave in late 2012. Bloxham has been under investigation by the Texas Rangers and the Comal County Sheriff’s Office, and although no charges have been filed, a search warrant was issued and executed at his New Braunfels home to look for evidence that he personally gained from district business dealings. Allegedly, an a/c unit belonging to the high school and building materials were found to have been used to build a guest house on Bloxhams’ property.

 

So does that mean Mr. Jung gets the job by default?

 

Trustees will meet Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. at the San Marcos CISD Central Office, 501 S. LBJ Drive, San Marcos.

 

As of last Monday, trustees have enlisted JG Consulting, the company handling the district’s search for Mark Eads’ permanent replacement, to also seek Interim candidates as well.

 

The trustees has been disarmed for years by lack of information produced by the administration, budget transparency issues and the reported combative disposition from Eads when information or materials were requested of him or his staff; “micromanaging” as he has been quoted.

 

Due to a growing exodus of higher administration, school board trustees are unable to focus on the future goals for curriculum, budgeting, and policies, which they would like to have implemented before a new super steps in.

 

All eyes are on SMCISD as spectators wait to see who will be next to suddenly resign, with a few names already suspected by staff, the board and public opinion as well as, who will hold the keys and keep the lights on while the search for the next superintendent continues.