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But, in some cases, disagreement is not only healthy, it’s revealing. During last week’s monthly school board meeting, what wasn’t said was probably just as telling as the exchange that took place between board members Vicki Englich and Stacey Mounce Arnold.
The issue was whether Superintendent Paul Durand should attend a teachers’ union meet-and-confer
session. Arnold advocated that Durand, who has the support of a majority of board members and only a minority of teachers, not be
at those meetings in order to foster better communications and more trust. Arnold raised the concern that Durand does too much talking, not enough listening
and that teachers aren’t comfortable speaking out about his aggressive leadership style.
While Durand may be legally entitled to be at those meetings, it’s telling that he insisted on being there, and it’s even more revealing that board chairman Brian Neil ended the conversation quickly, sweeping the issue under the rug, outside the watchful public eye.
It’s also telling that when the talk about Durand heated up among board members, Durand interjected on his own behalf. To close the surreal conversation, board member Kelly Herold then offered a few platitudes including a statement of what a great year the school district had, verbal holy water to try and calm the tense exchange.
And this is the perception and the problem with District 861. In this brief board conversation, Winona’s belief about this board was reconfirmed. We saw that it ducks controversy; that it is unwilling to listen to criticism — especially within its own ranks — of the superintendent; that it wants only the positive spin in front of the cameras.
The same kind of cut-off happened last month when researcher Tim Hatfield was cut off because of a time limit, a rule that only seems to be enforced when the speaker is presenting news the board doesn’t want to hear. Hatfield had to come back to read the rest of his statement this month — this time through, Hatfield and his wife were not cut short.
Disagreement isn’t always bad, and in this case, talking about the superintendent’s relationship with the teachers would seem to be an important topic. After all, a recent vote of no-confidence taken by the teachers’ union passed by about 90 percent. Whether Durand’s leadership style is truly as bad as billed is something that’s hard to answer. But that’s not necessarily the point. The perception that Durand is inflexible, unfair or even capricious is a perception only bolstered by a near-record number of grievances filed this year.
The problem isn’t with Durand’s presence, it’s his actions. His words speak loudly, his actions even louder. As the conversation between Arnold and Englich progressed, Durand stepped in to announce that he would be at those meetings, like it or not.
It’s time the board remind Durand that he serves at their pleasure and is their employee. If two of his bosses want to talk about his performance or interactions, they should be free to do so without his interference. Again, Durand’s actions speak louder than words about the relationship he has with the board and the tactics he employs when dealing with others in the district.
While the board would rather have the dirty laundry aired somewhere else, the board has a responsibility to be candid about the problem in an open forum — and that forum is at board meetings. What happens in District
861 shouldn’t just stay there. It is the public’s business, because these are the public schools.
With the Hatfields’ statement and the recent conversation about Durand and the teachers, we have to wonder why the board fights so hard — even apparently deliberately — not to hear criticism of the superintendent? Why
is ignoring a community and the teachers a good thing, and how does that foster the communication some board members have repeatedly said is so lacking? It seems like the only reason they don’t want to hear criticism
is because that is the only way they can believe there is none.
By Darrell Ehrlick, editor, on behalf of the Winona Daily News editorial board, which also includes publisher Rusty Cunningham and online editor Jerome Christenson. To comment, call (507) 453-3507 or send e-mail to letters@winonadailynews.com.
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