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 Detroit
Schools Has New Interim Chief
Chastity Pratt, Detroit Free Press, April 26, 2005
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Detroit's
appointed school board selected William Coleman on Monday to run
the state's largest school district for the next school year.
Coleman, 49, will be the interim chief executive officer for the
first 6 months, then serve as interim general superintendent for
6 months under the school board to be elected in November. His
term is from July 1 to June 30, 2006.
Coleman has worked as the Detroit Public Schools' chief
operating officer for the past three years and was the only
person to be interviewed at the special public meeting Monday.
Kenneth Burnley, who has been the CEO since mid-2000, chose not
to be considered for the position. His contract ends June 30.
Coleman said he intends to improve communication with the
community and principals, get out into the schools more and
solicit input from board members before making significant
decisions.
"The vision is more communication," Coleman said in his
half-hour interview before about 150 Detroit Public Schools
employees and parents. "It's not about what Public Act 10 says.
It's what's the right thing to do."
Under Public Act 10, the law that replaced the elected school
board with an appointed board, the CEO can make all decisions
without the board's input. Coleman and board members said those
procedures must change by January, when all decision-making
powers will be handed off to an elected school board.
Coleman's resume is stocked with high-ranking positions in large
urban school districts. He was a deputy superintendent for the
Dallas public schools, chief financial officer in the San
Francisco public schools and deputy budget director for the New
York public schools. He also was a consultant with the Berkshire
Advisors, the company hired for about $1 million to assess the
district in the early days of the Burnley administration. He
said he was not part of the team that worked on that project.
A native of New York City, he now lives in Detroit. His wife
leads the district's Office of Early Childhood Education.
Board members wanted the district's interim leader to be a
Detroiter. They also expected him to increase student
achievement, increase parental involvement and keep finances on
track with the deficit-elimination plan designed to solve the
district's $200-million budget crisis through long-term loans,
job cuts and the closings of up to 110 schools in the next few
years.
Board member Geneva Williams, who led the search committee, said
the committee did not look outside the district because it isn't
seeking a permanent CEO yet.
After the six board members who were present voted unanimously
to select Coleman, parents and DPS employees gave him his first
taste of the bitterness that has grown during the state takeover
of the district.
Some were angry that the board selected someone with no track
record for improving academic performance; others lashed out at
the board for not interviewing more candidates.
"It's warmed-over soup," Pam Criss, president of the Local
School Community Organization at Malcolm X Academy, said. "It
will be the same things we've had since the takeover."
Dolores Smith-Jackson, president of the Local School Community
Organization at John R. King Elementary, wanted the crowd to be
able to ask Coleman questions before the board voted.
She said Coleman and the board have to earn the community's
trust.
"If there's no trust, there's not going to be any movement,
because we're going to continue to fight amongst each other."
From now until January, Coleman will make all decisions for the
district, which has 21,000 employees and a budget of more than
$1 billion.
By law, the appointed board members can only hire, evaluate, and
if necessary, fire the CEO. Coleman's salary will be determined
in contract negotiations. Burnley is paid about $240,000
annually.
State control is to end after voters elect 11 school board
members in November. When the elected officials take office in
January, Coleman is to become the interim general
superintendent. The board would vote to approve or reject his
decisions.
The elected board then will have to hire a permanent
superintendent to succeed him.
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