By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
Ecclesiastes 3:7 tells us that there is a time to speak and a time to keep silent. As I watched the Broward County school board meeting last Tuesday, there was so much bubbling up inside of me, but I simply kept silent. To open my mouth at that time would have been catastrophic. I decided to sit in silence and, “seek ye wise counsel”.
I will first begin with the Organizational Chart put forward by Interim Superintendent Earlean Smiley. I asked myself over and over again what was that I just watched? People shake their heads when Black people bring up race, but nothing can explain what I witnessed except race. It is not gender because both Smiley and former Superintendent Vickie Cartwright are women. Would they dare question compensency out in the open? It has to be race. The page-by-page, line-by-line critique of Smiley’s chart was not what was done to Cartwright when she presented her organizational chart a year ago. There were serious flaws in the Cartwright chart that exacted vengeance on people who represented the district loyally and courageously while doing their jobs. Good, decent, long standing employees were stripped of their jobs without regard to any fairness in the process. If you recall, they all had doctorate degrees and years of highly effective evaluations. Yet Cartwright gathered all of them in a line and one by one tossed them off a cliff. The community showed up in tremendous numbers to revolt against this. And what did the Board chair and Board do? The Board chair muted the voice of the community by limiting comments to the first 50 people and reduced the time for comments from three minutes to one minute each. Somehow, those who were in support of Cartwright knew to get to the meeting early and sign up. The remaining eight board members one by one shared their regret for what and how this was happening, yet they voted unanimously to approve the travesty of an organizational chart. We heard things like, “if we tell her how to organize the chart then it’s not her chart, it’s our chart and we are responsible and not her.” They all acknowledged that the decisions with people’s lives and livelihood were being unjustly impacted… but this was a White woman who was hurting Black employees. This came across as if “They” really did not care. These employees were simply casualties of an unnecessary war.
There was one Board member present on Tuesday who remembered what happened during Cartwright’s chart presentation and he acknowledged the hypocrisy in a short and direct manner. He then said he was ready to vote in the affirmative on Smiley’s chart.
What I see with Smiley’s chart is righting some of Cartwright’s wrong. When Cartwright was called out on her clear biases on race, she answered by trading out competent Black employees for other less competent Blacks who are now struggling immensely in their jobs. This is not fair to those fired or demoted, nor is it fair to those who are struggling in their jobs. It is definitely not fair to children, employees and the organization as a whole. It is a colossal mess and it appears that Smiley’s chart is attempting to right some of these wrongs.
Reducing the Threat Assessment Executive Director position to a Director is the right thing to do. It should never have been elevated to an Executive Director position. The holder of the position only supervises one person. It originally appeared on the chart as Director but it is rumored that the BTU President strong armed Cartwright into making it Executive Director.
The Executive Director of Professional Learning position was eliminated from the chart. Talking about this position always amuses me. It is the one Cartwright gave to Michael Walker. Walker never applied for the job, never interviewed for the job, and never worked in the department. Walker admitted to people he didn’t know what to do in the job. He supervised at least two Black directors who applied for the Executive Director position, worked in the department and have doctorate degrees. Cartwright denied them the opportunity and direct appointed Walker who didn’t apply for the job, didn’t interview for the job and admits he knew little about the job. Yet again, Black people with years of highly effective evaluations and doctorate degrees were thrown from Mount Everest with Cartwright’s organizational chart changes, and the Board members simply rubber-stamped it.
Smiley was graceful in answering questions, but the insulting nature of the inquiry began to wear away at her. I could feel a “take this job and shove it” on her mind, but she held it together.
Plain and simple. This Board cannot stay out of its own way. More than 50 percent of the Board is new, yet the same behavior languishes. It’s because this is a cultural problem that needs to be rooted out. Some of the new people just seem to fall right into the dysfunction and keep it going.
My all time favorite is the District 5 Board member. I am not sure if these are his questions and comments or someone is providing him with his narrative. He is often seen reading from his phone when making his comments or asking questions. It appears he hasn’t a clue about the legal ramifications of the things he wants. He doesn’t realize that demanding the superintendent gives him a formal letter of her intentions with employees and positions creates a mess with public records requests and other legalities. Why does he even want or need this information? Does he want to get a head start on undermining and sabotaging? Does he need this information to share with someone else so that they can instruct him on what to say and do? There is a line that Board members must stay under and he is all over the line. Grand Jury reports and accreditation teams have cited the Broward School Board about this repeatedly but nothing changes even with Board member changes. What on earth is District 5 going to do with their representative?
It is interesting how members of this Board voted against supporting student led prayer in schools. My favorite Board member brought a resolution to express that the Board supports student-led prayer. Three Board members voted against it for what they espouse to be in response to a politically driven agenda. Contrarily, two of the three claim to be religious/spiritual beings. Shamefully, they continue with the partisan politics and all it does is hurt our children. With or without their nod, I am going to pray for the entire Board as a whole and the three negators, specifically. They desperately need a spiritual intervention.
This is what I surmise. The Board absolutely wants an organizational chart change. They want the changes that they want and nothing more. They argue that Smiley should not be able to change the chart because they are going through the process to select a new superintendent. What I find is they will support changes that they want but little more. They justify it by saying they want to respect the new superintendent’s right to make their own chart. This is hogwash. A new superintendent inherits the chart of the former. For up to a year, a new superintendent observes the positions and people and then makes changes the following year. So, in essence, it doesn’t matter whose chart the new superintendent inherits. It can be Cartwright’s or Smiley’s.
Some of these Board members badly need training on staying in their lanes. Until they do, they will continue to be inundated with Grand Jury investigations and the poor perception of their intentions by the greater community.
This poor perception of the greater community brings me to the workshop on the selection of a new superintendent. Where exactly is it that I start? I will start by stating what I have often said about this Board. They can’t seem to get out of their own way. I was disappointed and quite frankly enraged at how they have behaved.
There were 26 applicants and hardly three had credentials worthy of being considered as superintendent of the sixth largest school district in the nation. Yet, the talent of one stood head and shoulders above the rest. One candidate received a recommendation from all but one union group that represent employees in the school district.
Anna Fusco of the Broward Teachers Union has one foot in and one foot out. Depending on who she is speaking to, she supports Dr. Valerie Wanza. But, when speaking to others, she does not. Quite frankly, it may be a plus for Wanza to not have Fusco’s support. Since Fusco is allegedly known to say she “owns” those she endorses and are later promoted, it may be a good thing that she is not publicly supporting Wanza.
Interestingly, Wanza also has the unwavering support of Superintendent Smiley. Smiley is so confident in Wanza’s abilities, she wrote a comprehensive letter attesting to Wanza’s immediate readiness.
Unfortunately, some Board members have made comments about the lack of talent in the pool. One Board member likened the collective candidates to a junior varsity (JV) squad. While the comment was in reference to the collective roster of candidates, it was insensitive since one of the organization’s long standing employees is on this supposed list of JV players. The employee is overqualified and has risen as the favorite of the district’s employees. She comes highly recommended by the sitting superintendent and the representative from the search firm.
Another Board member attested to candidates she recognized on the list as being ready but not right now. This Board member said that she just didn’t want anyone from the old culture, yet this particular Board member herself is from the old culture. How is that fair or even valid?
This Board, even with its new members, has a habit of pointing the finger of blame at everyone but themselves. They even attempted to blame the search firm for not bringing them more formidable candidates. The firm representative was professional in his response but eventually spelled out that a good deal of the struggle to get the best applicants is the Board’s resistance in paying a competitive salary and the constant drama that makes national news due to this Board’s repeated embarrassing public performances. I have often said that this Board is the laughing stock of all governing Boards. It appears that it doesn’t quite matter its makeup. Board members are traded in and out, removed and others appointed by the Governor, yet we continue to get the same revolving door of madness with this dysfunctional culture that they have created and continue to foster.
I have long said that this Board is happy with Wanza being a de facto superintendent. Listen up Wanza, “Don’t do it”. Call their bluff. Pack your leadership tackle box and go fishing in better waters. Take your show on the road. Leave them high and dry. When someone shows you who they are, believe them.
They are depending on the love Wanza has for the district to keep her in this dysfunctional, abusive relationship with them. Smiley admits her love for the district which summoned her back despite everything she knew and had read about the failures plaguing the district. The denials that were slapped on her in the interim process were totally unnecessary and uncalled for.
The Board proved that they could care less about the love both Smiley and Wanza have for the district. They could care less that all but one of their employee groups want her. They want only what they want. I think someone described this as narcissistic leadership.
My Lovely Ladies, they don’t love you back. They depend on your love to keep the bills paid. It is self-serving, plain and simple. You deserve better. Love don’t live here anymore.
Smiley, If they don’t approve your chart, give them notice. You have accomplished your lifelong mission to be superintendent of your Love. Now that you have it, the juice really ain’t worth the squeeze, is it? You are giving love, but do you feel loved?
Wanza, I started with a Bible verse and I am going to end with one.
Mark 6:4 reads, “a prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”
Wanza, you may have to leave and come back similarly to the way Smiley has to be respected for your work in your own land and house. They don’t think you will do it because of the love you have in your heart for Broward schools. But, I say, love yourself first and in this situation, put yourself first.
From where I sit, they certainly don’t love you and assuredly don’t love Broward schools. If they did, they would do the right thing as you have a million times out of love. Beware, if you stay, you will be nothing more than a de facto superintendent. A hidden mistress or as the young folk say, the side chick or a”THOT”.
The search firm has recognized your immense value, and I believe the representatives stand ready to work with other schools districts that would be ecstatic to have your talent. It is definitely Broward’s loss and trust me, they will feel it.
Love is patient and kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor other. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
Yet others fail to show love.
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