Fran Rabinowitz replaced lightning rod Paul Vallas as school chief on an interim basis and stayed on longer than expected, but now the Board of Education has started the process to ink a permanent superintendent. Has Rabinowitz had enough of the rollercoaster world of the school board with three chairs in three years? Plus some meetings have the potential to turn into the Monday night fights. Finding a new chief could take 18 months more.
CT Post reporter Linda Conner Lambeck has more:
“We owe it to the district to have a permanent superintendent,” Board member Howard Gardner said. “Our focus has to be moving forward … We need a long term plan.”
That time frame would stretch to the end of Interim School Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz current contract with the district that goes through June 2017.
Some members of the board, however, question if Rabinowitz can legally stay in the position that long, at least at full salary.
Full story here.
*** Well Lennie, what’s the news on Frannie; has she been doing a good job, fair or poor? If she’s been doing well and has all the needed wallpaper to continue being the school’s Supt, why not keep her if she wants to stay, no? ***
Because some board members want a superintendent they can control or intimidate in order to get their way. No, that doesn’t sound like Fran Rabinowitz, which is why some people want to replace her.
It’s time for all Board members to put our school children–not their petty politics–first.
Mojo, you are correct. However a lot of this is more personal and “get back” than it is about the school children.
I attempt to attend the BOE Finance meeting occasionally and have been impressed for several years by the material that is supplied to them to understand the issues facing them by Marlene Siegel, Chief Finance Officer. Watching Board members trying to grapple with State regulations, union contracts and compliance on multiple issues and come up to speed in learning about how the dollars are spent has impressed me. There is real effort expended. So with the Superintendent publicly revealing the several millions in the red the current year, and City budget numbers indicating it “assumes” the BOE will pay the City $2.3 Million in this fiscal year, where is the January Finance meeting? Chairman Bradley (and others), when will you next address your fiscal distress? Should we be waiting until February 9, 2016 for the first meeting of 2016, or is there some problem with the BOE calendar of events? Time will tell.
She can’t stay on forever. She was never intended as a permanent solution. She is collecting a full pension. Fran is a very decent person, but the search needs to get going and remain going until a satisfactory replacement is found.