Superintendent for now — or for good?

There was plenty to ponder in the “10 to watch in 2009″ feature in the Sunday Eagle. Karl Peterjohn’s crossover from anti-tax activist to Sedgwick County commissioner will make the weekly commission meetings must-see TV. And 2009 will be a defining year, during difficult times, for incoming City Manager Robert Layton, Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition president Vicki Pratt Gerbino and Intrust Bank Arena manager Chris Presson. One point jumped out of the stories, though: interim Wichita schools superintendent Martin Libhart’s suggestion that he might consider applying for the permanent job after all. “I really enjoy what I do in this role,” he told The Eagle. By all accounts, he is doing a fine job. But Libhart, an architect by training, lacks any education degree. And last April, the school board was unequivocal in saying that he wasn’t in the running to replace Winston Brooks permanently. Then-board president Connie Dietz said: “The board felt very strongly that this (interim) person not be a candidate.” Eight months later, have more minds than Libhart’s changed?

6 Comments

  1. Political_mama
    Posted December 30, 2008 at 6:40 am | Permalink

    It is sad to me that so many consider higher education the first and foremost factor in whether or not one can ‘get the job done’. It used to be that diploma nurses were trained on site, not in the classrooms. There are many smart and capable people who have drive and ambition who, for whatever reason, were unable to make it through college. With the cost of education spiraling out of control, perhaps it is time to start looking outside the box for how to find quality management. Allow people to work up again, and let experience count for something.

  2. brian_nuevo
    Posted December 30, 2008 at 1:23 pm | Permalink

    Lack of a degree in eduction should not preclude him from the superintendent job. In a district the size of Wichita’s, the superintendent is not an educator, they are a manager and public figurehead.

    In depth knowledge of teaching theory does not one a good manager make.

  3. Chrisfrommactown
    Posted December 30, 2008 at 9:31 pm | Permalink

    congratulations P-mom. For maybe the first time, I am in total and wholehearted agreement with you. Well said.

  4. Chrisfrommactown
    Posted December 30, 2008 at 9:54 pm | Permalink

    brian_nuevo
    Posted December 30, 2008 at 1:23 pm | Permalink
    Lack of a degree in eduction should not preclude him from the superintendent job. In a district the size of Wichita’s, the superintendent is not an educator, they are a manager and public figurehead.

    In depth knowledge of teaching theory does not one a good manager make.

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    Funny thing about what you posted, Brian. If you substitute Kansas education commissioner for superintendent and Kansas for Wichita, you just described former Education Commissioner Bob Corkins.

  5. JWink
    Posted December 31, 2008 at 6:42 am | Permalink

    Chris MacTown: You mention Bob Corkins, the short term Kansas Education Commissioner. He did have a reputation for intelligence. He had a degree from somewhere, and perhaps a law degree. He was supposedly a conservative administrator.

    But it didn’t take long for him to begin trying to build an empire in the Kansas education department in Topeka. He reportedly wanted to build a massive information network about each Kansas school student … for what reason no one knows. This activity alone would have required new staff, computers, warehouse space and administrators.

    I wonder where Bob Corkins is working now?

  6. lindainks55
    Posted December 31, 2008 at 9:14 am | Permalink

    “I wonder where Bob Corkins is working now?”
    ———

    Probably went back to lobbying. Isn’t that the only ‘job’ he held prior to his short stint as Kansas Ed Commissioner?