With its director of business and operations gone, its
superintendent on her way out and a possible state take-over
looming, it is time for the Hollister School District Board to show
some leadership.
With its director of business and operations gone, its superintendent on her way out and a possible state take-over looming, it is time for the Hollister School District Board to show some leadership.
Leadership vacuums such as the one the district is currently experiencing have a way of testing those who had previously left the day-to-day operational details to others. It should now be dawning on board members that it is no longer enough to take an interest in broad budget and policy issues. This board needs to demonstrate a willingness to get its hands dirty and become more engaged in the nuts and bolts of running the district.
If it doesn’t, the state will do it for them.
The first order of business should be to put aside excuses about how it got into its current financial mess – declining enrollment and the rest – and balance its $42 million budget. With a deficit of $1 million, laying off five teachers out of a staff of 450 and “creatively reassigning” administrative personnel, in the words of one district official, was not enough to fix the problem. Clearly the board is not being creative enough.
If it has run out of ideas, it should ask for help, perhaps from a blue-ribbon panel of local CPA volunteers.
The search for a new superintendent will also speak volumes about whether the board is serious about reform.
In that regard, we disagree with the teachers union, which would like to see the district hire someone local. The HSD should not limit its options and cast as wide a net as possible, also considering qualified candidates from the outside who bring no political baggage to the job.
Whoever that person is, it should be someone of the highest integrity who is committed to openness. It is no secret that this paper has long felt that the outgoing administration left a lot to be desired when it came to doing business in the light of day.
Our idea of a good administration is one that doesn’t shy away from problems, that takes an unvarnished view of difficulties and is not afraid to engage the community in a search for solutions.
The days are long gone when getting elected to a seat on a school board was a ceremonial job that looked good on a resume. Board members have a duty – both fiduciary and ethical – to be proactive in ensuring that the district is run within its budget for the benefit of students, and in an open and above-board manner.
There is too much at stake to do things any other way.
