Whoever becomes the next superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools will face many challenges. As the school board deliberates on who will assume that critical post, it must take care to ensure that the process it uses is open and transparent and the choice it makes is credible.
This board has been subjected to a great deal of criticism for its decisions, some of it deserved but much of it based on unfounded claims and partisan concerns. However, its record in naming a chief executive of the district leaves much to be desired.
Naming a turnaround firm executive as interim superintendent helped stoke public resentment about needed school reform. And the board’s single-minded pursuit of Rudy Crew left the district demoralized and without a leader. Floyd Crues was a veteran of the district, but his expensive tenure as interim superintendent caused further erosion of confidence in the board’s ability to make a prudent choice of an executive to take on the responsibility of leading the district.
Sound management of the school district requires smart thinking, crisp execution and keeping costs in line. This task needs all of the resources the district can muster, including contributions from the private sector. As the board’s search process enters its final phase, it appears that the board does not intend to consider the candidacy of Pamela Randall Hughes. She was named interim superintendent last December on a month-to-month basis after Crues’ took an extended medical leave during a controversy over pay raises for administrators. That paid leave, in turn, led to Crues’ decision to retire from the district.
By most accounts, Dr. Hughes has performed at a high level. Importantly, she has attracted high praise from many in the district as well as a broad group of civic and community leaders.
Yet the board maintains that she should not be considered for the post because she replaced Crues, and he was appointed with the understanding that he would not be considered a permanent superintendent. Morever, Hughes, a deputy superintendent before she was named as interim superintendent, did not apply early in the selection process. She was pursuing other opportunities and surprised that fate bought her the interim superintendent’s job.
Subsequent to Hughes’ appointment as interim superintendent, she has been instrumental in the settlement of the proposed teachers’ strike; has received her certification as a superintendent; has learned a great deal more about the district n and now expresses a desire to be considered.
Dr. Hughes is a well-regarded graduate of the Urban Superintendents Academy, a program of The Broad Center for Superintendents. This rigorous, 10-month executive management program was designed to prepare exceptional executives to lead urban school systems. With so much at stake and a need for the board to assure the community that the final criteria for selecting a permanent superintendent are based on merit, we expect that any final choice must measure up to Hughes’ qualifications for the post.
This troubled district has made significant progress in addressing chronic problems. Selection of a top-flight superintendent and a positive outcome in the upcoming school board election are the critical next steps in improving the students’ experience.
We are not endorsing any candidate, because we do not know who is included among the panel of finalists, but what we do urge is a completely objective decision that considers all of the best qualified candidates, including Dr. Pamela Randall Hughes.