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This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by editorial page staff and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Seasoned Educator Takes on Challenge

By
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    Welcome, Winston Brooks, to your next challenge, Albuquerque Public Schools, and your new community.
    Brooks, the 55-year-old chief of the 49,000-student Wichita, Kan., district, was chosen Sunday from six finalists for the APS superintendent's job.
    It's a choice that stresses stability; tightening the achievement gap and increasing the graduation rate; and the ability to build consensus among teachers, parents, the business community and the board.
    Nationally, the average tenure in the pressure-cooker job of superintendent is less than four years, an average Albuquerque has done nothing to boost during the past two decades. Brooks' 10-year run as Wichita superintendent was more than double that average.
    During that decade, Wichita Public Schools' four-year graduation rate increased from 64 percent to 77 percent. The district narrowed the achievement gap under a plan formulated by community groups and adopted by the school board in 2004. The leader of one group, Kevin Myles of the NAACP, said Brooks was "always willing to meet" with such groups. "He definitely does share some credit."
    Reviews from Wichita teachers are mixed— two additional days of instruction and two of professional development were added to the calendar on his watch. But the head of the Albuquerque union, Ellen Bernstein, said Brooks' attitude toward front-line educators played well with teachers here.
    His relations with Wichita's business community can be expressed in dollars and cents. When another district tried to hire him away in 2002, businesses put together a stipend package that boosted his compensation by $60,000 a year.
    And now that he is leaving, school board president Connie Dietz told the Wichita Eagle, "I believe he put the 'public' back in public education."
    Albuquerque Public Schools could use some of that along with a measure of stability and community consensus. Welcome, Mr. Brooks. Your work is cut out for you.
   

    The school board packed what is probably the most important decision it makes into a very short process. The opportunity for the public to gauge the six candidates for the superintendent position was limited to one day, Friday.
    Considering the time limitations, it went well, largely because district officials partnered with the League of Women Voters of Albuquerque/Bernalillo County to run four forums.
    The League brought its experience at organizing forums along with a reputation for impartiality. With time at a premium, moderators wasted none of it on what has become a staple of forums: the long-winded statement lightly disguised as a question. League volunteers took written questions and categorized and distilled similar ones into a single question for each of the candidates.
    Volunteers also conducted a straw ballot and conveyed those results along with comments to APS officials. Winston Brooks garnered the most votes, according to Diane Goldfarb, president of the local League.
    If it was a long day for the volunteers, it must have been grueling for the six candidates on the firing line. The first 11/2-hour session commenced at 6:30 a.m. with APS students, according to Goldfarb. Next in line was the business community, followed by teachers and staff after school. The final forum, for parents and the general public, started at 6 p.m.
    Thanks to the League for wringing as much community exposure and information as possible from the short schedule.