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There have been a lot of articles, editorials, op-ed pieces and letters in the local papers lately regarding the current situation in the Lewiston-Porter School District. In a March 26 editorial, the Niagara Gazette weighed in with a series of opinions that may be summarized as: 1. School Board President Ed Lilly's "personal vendetta" and recent actions are abominable. 2. Superintendent Walt Polka must be doing something right. 3. The situation may deteriorate into a fiasco resembling that with former Superintendent Gail Stephens. What the Gazette Editorial Board doesn't seem to realize is that the current situation is the end-game of the Gail Stephens affair. Some historical perspective may help explain the level of vitriol in the current dispute.
Time was when the School Board at Lew-Port was made up of businessmen, farmers, professionals, and the occasional housewife or blue-collar guy. Interested citizens doing community service without any particular ax to grind. The district was changing into a more upscale, highly-educated community with higher expectations for its schools. New buildings, experienced superintendents from outside the district, new educational methods, and the empowerment of the staff made Lew-Port an area leader by any standard. With Superintendent Dan Healy retiring, the board and staff were excited by the opportunity to bring a new educational leader into the district. A "head hunter" was brought in. All stakeholders were polled and meetings were held to determine what the characteristics of the new superintendent should be. A nationwide search was conducted. Teachers and administrators were included in the selection and interview process to a greater degree than ever before. Gail Stephens seemed to embody the criteria we had all agreed on. We set out to empower staff and students to succeed in achieving mutually agreed upon standards and outcomes. Walt Polka was hired as Assistant Superintendent, moving from Williamsville Central to join this exciting undertaking.
What went wrong? Personality conflicts? Unrealistic expectations? A woman boss? I'll leave this an open question. What is beyond dispute is that when Stephens and the board attempted to put the outcomes from the "shared decision making" process into practice, the staff recoiled. Through all of this, the community, parents and taxpayers had been told, "It's going to cost money to meet your expectations for the district, but we will be accountable to you for achieving our goals." So even though the administrators and teachers were, in large part, setting their own goals, some rebelled at being accountable for achieving them. Some felt threatened. The board felt betrayed.
Something else was happening which changed the dynamic at the school board level. Teachers were getting active in board politics, making endorsements, supporting relatives and friends and even running for office. With supporters on the board, the mission became the dismissal of Stephens at all costs and the replacement of board members who stood in the way. Make no mistake, this was a coup d'etat led by a few administrators and the teachers' leadership. Contracts, procedures, legal niceties and civility fell by the wayside, replaced by stonewalling, character assassination and personal attacks. Sound familiar? It was the beginning of a school board by, of and for the district staff.
Polka was suspect, too. After all, Stephens had hired him. But he was a convenient replacement, who had been a teacher in the district. If he didn't tread on others turf, he could have the job. He's well-educated and more than capable, but he owes his longevity in the district to playing ball with the in-house power structure. He presides over a district with a pretty good demographic makeup, so the numbers should look good. What he really excels at is self-promotion. Lilly should compromise? How about the superintendent?
After many years of apathy, the taxpayers of the district elect a couple watchdogs to the thankless job of school board member. Questions are asked. Expenditures, policies and practices are reviewed. Explanations are requested. What is the response of the entrenched power structure? Circle the wagons! Stonewall. Demonize. Vilify. Make it more trouble than it's worth and they'll go away. But Lilly, and now some others, are hanging in there, and by all accounts giving as good as they get.
It's a shame but it's understandable. It's been a long time since folks have been able to discuss the issues and disagree agreeably. Some try, but get drowned out in the histrionics. I know I'm putting a bull's-eye on my back by writing this, but I couldn't stand by while opinion-makers with no background and no context hold sway in the media. The Gazette worries that taxpayer dollars may be spent to buy Polka out. The people who put him there didn't worry about the cost. The next chapter of this story will be written in the next couple of months. Will the school board reflect the will of the community for fiscal responsibility and educational accountability or will Polka and the staff convince voters that they know best?
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | April 2 2002 |