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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2008 > May > 08 > Entry
Our old friend surfaces in Memphis search
James A. Williams
When the news broke last week about Dayton Superintendent Percy Mack was a candidate for superintendent in Columbia, S.C., we talked a lot about whether he had been job hunting or not.
Mack insists he was not looking when Columbia’s search consultant called him, but he said he was frequently contacted by districts searching for superintendents. Just since the start of the school year, Mack said, he was contacted by districts in Wisconsin, Louisiana and Tennessee but did not respond. That’s because, Mack said, he only wants to work here in Dayton or at an urban district close to his native Georgia.
To make the point, he got out a letter he received from Memphis schools asking him to apply for superintendent there. Memphis is a huge district with more than 100,000 kids and superintendent there is a high profile and well-paying job. Mack argued if he were really just trying to springboard out of Dayton to a better job he certainly would have applied in Memphis.
Well, yesterday Memphis named its five finalists. Mack is not one of them, but guess who is? Yep, our old friend James A. Williams.
Williams was forced out as superintendent in Dayton in 1999 after a financial scandal that led the school district into some of its darkest days. But it all worked out OK for Williams, who got a $200,000 buyout and went to Montgomery County, Md., where he got an assistant superintendent job that paid even better than his superintendent gig here.
He left Montgomery County, Md., by mutual agreement, but he wasn’t out of a job long. He landed in Buffalo, N.Y., another big district, where he has been at the center of controversy again as superintendent of schools.
When Williams was in Dayton, he was constantly looking for bigger, better jobs (he interviewed, for instance, in Dallas). Now he is back in the mix for a big time superintendency.
I imagine a few people in Dayton are shaking their heads today that his problems here appear to have had little affect on his career arc.
(Image credit: Artvoice)
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment | Categories: Schools and Politics
Comments
By Old Coach
May 10, 2008 9:28 PM | Link to this
Sorry Null, but you’re stuck with him. I remember when he was interviewed in Buffalo. Your union contacted Dayton and was told all about JAWs. You hired him anyway. If he does leave though…..check his bags first andmake sure he doesn’t take the towels.By Laura
May 10, 2008 10:52 AM | Link to this
Although I know there are disadvantages, I am beginning to think that a state school board might be a better answer. My husband is from Baltimore where they don’t have a million little school boards. He is constantly amazed at the way things are done here in Oh. Seeing the “quality” of some of the candidates that run for school boards seriously concerns me. I don’t think that just because someone has an interest or “is a good person” that they have the qualifications to make some of the decisions they need to make. Having a state-wide school board would also make purchasing more financially responsible. I think it is time to at least do some serious investigation into the pros and cons of a state school board.By Oldprof
May 9, 2008 3:56 PM | Link to this
Laura points up the problem that many still deny; having local school boards composed of citizens of diverse motivations (including those who, as Avoice notes, want to pad careers) and no demonstrated expertise in education leads to bad decision-making again and again. We should need only one board of education; it should be state-wide; a graduate degree and teaching experience ought to be mandatory for membership. There are quality board members out there, but their numbers are diluted when there are individual boards for Botkins, Russia, Enon, Troy, Brookville, West Alexandria, Gratis, and Carlisle. The state could up the salary for each member so that the job could be pursued full-time as it requires, and we’d save money overall through economy of scale.By null
May 9, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this
Williams is a disaster, plain and simple. I seriously question his qualifications for this type of position, based upon his inability to speak the english language correctly, and his utter ineffectiveness to negotiate with the Teacher’s Union here in Buffalo. When he got hired here, I remember shaking my head and saying “only Buffalo would be niave enough to hire someone like this.”….Maybe Memphis will do this town a favor and take this albatross off our hands. Or maybe you folks in Dayton want him back?!!!By Old Teach
May 9, 2008 11:18 AM | Link to this
I noticed on a quick internet search last night that Ms. Brathwaite is 1 of 9 finalists for a job in Princeton, OH.By Avoice
May 8, 2008 6:45 PM | Link to this
I did not realize that he was our old friend? Actually, I am shaking my head over the fact that the schools boards that recruit these guys do not check with their old communities. If you go back through my old posts you will see what I have been telling you. These people are not interested in education. They are only here, and there, to pad their careers. They could care less about teaching and students. I told you this is not about teaching; it is and has been about money. I wonder if JAWs told Buffalo the he would not leave and that Buffalo was �home� just like he did in Dayton? These guys are unbelievable! If they spent half as much time telling the truth and working on improving schools as they do job searching we would have much better districts. As far as Percy not job searching, I would say that anybody who responds to a national search, fills-out an application and sends references, makes phone calls, travels to an interview and attends a meet and great for two systems while employed by another is job searching. It does not sound like he is really interested in continuing any more work in Dayton. I am so surprised, again!By null
May 8, 2008 4:07 PM | Link to this
I am from Memphis…born and raised. The city public schools are already so screwed up there that Williams should feel right at home. They are just as bad, if not worse, than Dayton public is today. The people of Memphis just want ANYONE other than Dr. Willie Herenton as superintendent.By Laura
May 8, 2008 2:30 PM | Link to this
There is a reason teachers in DPS called him “JAWS”. It never ceases to amaze me that some people will continue to get better and better paying jobs no matter how devastated they leave a school district. What is the matter with these school boards? At some point surely they will start to think: Hmmm, he was pushed out of how many districts? And we want him to join us?