By Viv Sade
When I interviewed Carol Kaiser - superintendent of Smith-Green Community Schools - a few weeks ago, I had no idea how timely it would be. But since I procrastinated long enough, it has now become an exit interview.
A few days ago Kaiser accepted a position as superintendent of a school corporation in Lake County, effective Nov. 1.
Will she show?, I wondered as I entered Monday night’s board meeting.
She did not.
The news media and some members of the public seemed somewhat deflated - what, no last words, no last quotes? She left without so much as an adios, amigos.
Not that I blame her. A fresh start, new beginning, a move forward and all that other stuff.
The board president, Tanya Young, sat next to Kaiser’s empty chair and announced Kaiser’s resignation and wished her “the best in all of her future endeavors.”
“We have a great group of administrators who will step up and lead our school,” Young said. “We will get through this and will appoint an interim superintendent as quickly as possible.”
Young also warned that the pool of superintendents is not all that vast, so pickings will be slim and hiring another superintendent may take longer than most people realize.
When Kaiser came to Smith-Green over three years ago, she had 25 years experience in administration and five years as a principal.
When I heard that Carol Kaiser had resigned, I quickly dug out my notebook to review my interview notes.
Kaiser was straightforward and frank, and opened up on all but two topics - this year’s graduation rate - she said there were not yet any firm statistics. But, she added, the numbers could “be better. ” The second issue was increased teacher turnover.
Kaiser did not think there was a problem with teacher turnover at Smith-Green.
I did not tell her that two of my children had experienced - in the past 5 years - a newly hired English teacher every year during all four years of their high school career.
“Teachers leave,” Kaiser said. “Overall teachers leave for a variety of reasons - for better pay or to be closer to home … it happens in all districts. Our statistics show that our teacher turnover is no higher than in other districts.”
Kaiser’s new three-year contract includes an annual base salary of $100,000 plus benefits. She told a reporter for the Times of Northwest Indiana that returning to Lake County is a coming home of sorts.
OK, so maybe it’s not just teachers who leave for better pay or to be closer to home.
When interviewing teachers, Kaiser said, “It’s a different world. We hire who we think can do the best job for our students, and don’t ask ’Will you stay with us forever?’”
The teacher’s contract was only recently settled after three years of uncertainty. Asked about the air of mistrust and the tension between teachers and the administration that has permeated the halls of Smith-Green for the past three years, Kaiser responded: “Maybe some (teachers) left because the contract was in flux, but no one ever came to me and clearly stated a problem. If I did not know about it, how could I fix it?”
The Smith-Green administration, Kaiser said, was intelligent, respectful and open to meeting with anyone who wanted to share a concern.
“It’s hard to deal with this perception … without a face-to-face meeting. I wish the people starting some of these rumors would approach me,” she said.
Smith-Green has a lot of strong points, Kaiser said. “The students are very supportive. The community is very supportive. And, there are some very good, committed, long-term teachers here.”
When asked if it were true that school staff is unhappy because support staff salary increases were cut out entirely this year, Kaiser said this was another misconception.
“The non-certified staff received a one percent raise last year, and we’re still looking at (possible increases) this year,” Kaiser said. “We have had job cuts - we’ve had to restructure the bus routes because some bus routes were empty last year. The transportation fund is $130,000 in the red.”
Some of the instructional aides, Kaiser said, were paid for out of grants that had to be reallocated.
“This was portrayed as negative and it’s not true. It’s easy to say things to create an emotional and volatile environment, but the effect it has on Smith-Green Schools is harmful,” Kaiser said.
“If it’s the facts, that’s fair enough, but not when perceptions go unchecked - this is a disservice to our community and to our kids.”
The school board has their work cut out for them. And I don’t envy them. Hiring a new superintendent is no cakewalk - ask any board member who has been through the tedious and mind-numbing process.
My guess is there won’t be flocks of administrators showing up on Smith-Green’s doorstep, begging for a job. It will be tough, as President Young said, but the staff and students and school corporation will pull through. We’ve been through tough times before.
The main focus of the school and the community should be, well, the same as our former superintendent’s - a fresh start, a new beginning, a move forward and all that other stuff.
Oh yeah, and the students. Let’s not forget the students.
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