Among
the more interesting news over the weekend was the D&C’s report
that two heavy-hitters – Patty Malgieri and William Ansbrow –
have accepted top administration positions in the Rochester school
district.
Malgieri,
who is leaving a job at Hillside, will become Superintendent Bolgen
Vargas’s chief of staff. Before joining Hillside, Malgieri served
as Rochester’s deputy mayor and, earlier, headed the Center for
Governmental Research. Ansbrow, who is currently the city’s budget
director, will be the school district’s chief financial officer.
This
will be interesting to watch. Malgieri is no novice to education; the
Rochester school district was among the subjects of CGR’s research
when she was its director (as it continues to be). But she has a
strong business-oriented approach, has been a strong critic of the
district, and was deputy mayor under Bob Duffy as he pushed for
mayoral control of the school district.
We’re
already hearing that at least some school board members were
surprised at the news – and aren’t one bit happy about it. They
have no say on the appointments, though; the superintendent picks his
top officials without board approval.
I
said this was “interesting news.” Actually, it’s a blockbuster,
one that will play out slowly – but I’ll bet dramatically –
over the coming weeks and months. Among the flash points: the role
and power of the school board.
In
the past, some boards have wanted to be heavily involved in decisions
about operations. Others have taken a more hands-off approach,
believing they should stick strictly to policy making. This board
tends toward a desire to be heavily involved, something former
Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard complained about.
Tension
has already been building between Vargas and a few board members over
some of Vargas’s proposals – his plan to close School 16, for
instance.
I
would bet that the business community is delighted with the
Malgieri-Ansbrow appointments. But if school board members stay
unhappy about them, we’re in for some interesting times.
This article appears in Jul 25-31, 2012.
