After a round of “meet and greets” with the three finalists for the job of Madison schools superintendent, insiders were divided on two favorites. Leaders who’ve pushed for greater educational reforms spoke highly of Miami’s Steve Gallon, while key institutional players favored Green Bay’s Dan Nerad.
Nerad, 56, the most battle-tested of the finalists, delivered a solid introductory speech that struck the right notes. He stressed his consensus-building record, cautioned against embracing reform for its own sake, and drew applause by blasting state revenue controls.
In contrast, Gallon seemed bolder but less experienced. He ventured into dangerous territory by saying inadequate funding shouldn’t be used as an excuse for educational failures. A 38-year-old black single father, Gallon attended the same Miami public school system where he now runs alternative programs, and many saw his potential as a visionary leader.
In the end, picking a replacement for Art Rainwater, who is retiring in June after eight years in the top job, was not hard to do. The night before school board deliberations, Gallon dropped out after finding a job on the East Coast. The Madison board unanimously made an offer to Nerad, Green Bay’s school superintendent since 2001.
Those who lobbied for Gallon behind the scenes say privately they’re over any disappointment they initially felt. And school board members say they’re excited — if not relieved — to find someone like Nerad. “It feels right. It feels good,” says board president Arlene Silveira.
Much more on Dan Nerad here
I hope this works out. Nerad certainly did hit some good notes, but he also seems to subscribe to the idea that the QEO and limits on raises (currently a bit over 4%) may have somehow contributed to some of the problems education currently faces. That is of course the WEA/MTI stance, and it is their job to get that message across. However, there is almost no relationship between the problems our districts face and a sincere though flawed effort to limit compensation increases during what has been an unusually long period of low inflation.
In many ways, Dr. Nerad is entering the land of plenty. Shephard’s print article included a graphic that compared Green Bay to Madison in terms of spending, staffing, student/teacher ratio and demographics.
http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/gbmsnisthmus2.jpg
Green Bay has 19% fewer students and 38% fewer teachers. Per student spending (2005/2006) was 11,269 vs $13,201 in Madison.