Published: June 10, 2008 11:13 am      

LEW-PORT: Questions clouding superintendent search

Anyone feeling skeptical that a superintendent won't be chosen at the end of the Lewiston-Porter school board's latest search is not alone.

At a public forum Monday to meet the second superintendent candidate -- a session which was, again, only attended by two community members who don't work for the district -- a question mark seemed to hang over the evening.

R. Christopher Roser, in his fourth year as superintendent in the Avoca Central School District near the Finger Lakes, opened the forum by saying he was disappointed to see the public is not getting involved in filling "such an important position." Alan Ward and Ann Johnston -- the only two to attend the first superintendent candidate forum -- came to see Roser.

But Roser, who described himself as "no nonsense," was quick to add that he wasn't surprised.

"I think they feel as though no one is going to be hired from this. I feel like that's why a lot of people aren't showing up right now," he said. "Quite frankly, I felt obligated to the board -- in good faith, they were really seeking someone to come and I figured I better follow through and finish it. I've read the paper, I see what's going on. And I think people have as well and they've said, 'Why bother?' "�

It seemed Roser was referring to disagreements among the board throughout the search process, including a formal complaint Ed Lilly filed shortly after being reinstated to his seat to stop the hiring process. Lilly told the Gazette last week if he likes the candidate the board selects, he will withdraw his complaint to the state Education Department immediately. Otherwise, the board will wait for the commissioner to rule before making an appointment.

But when asked by board member James Sperduti if Roser was still interested in the superintendent position in Lew-Port, Roser said he was as long as the board was interested in making an appointment.

"Hopefully we're going to have all seven board members and the two incoming candidates there tonight,"� Roser replied, referring to a dinner planned with the district's seven current board members and the two incoming members to meet Roser. "Otherwise, it has been a courtesy call."�

Lilly, Scott Stepien and James Mezhir did not attend Monday's public session to meet Roser. Last week, Lilly told the Gazette he didn't know anything about Roser because Roser had been selected as a finalist before Lilly had been reinstated to his seat. Neither Lilly nor Mezhir attended the public forum for Oren Cook on Wednesday last week.

Board president Robert Laub said "the jury is still out"� on whether board members are on the same page in hiring a superintendent soon. Laub said he hoped the board could meet with the district's various stakeholder groups this week and have something to announce by next week's regular meeting.

"We've waited three years. We'd like to do something if the board feels that one of these two candidates can lead us into the future,"� Laub said, and added: "We just didn't want to stop. We had done too much work, we had gone too far, we got some good candidates."�

Ed Waller, a newly elected member who will not take his seat until after an appointment, attended both public forums and said he had "a little more optimism that we're going to pick someone than (Roser) does." Waller said he intended to ask Roser some more pointed questions at the post-forum dinner and then follow up with both candidates in the coming week.

"Ultimately, we (Waller and Bob Weller) are going to be working with whoever gets picked,"� he said.

When asked at the forum what vision Roser had for making the district more successful than it is now, Roser pointed to three things -- "consensus-building" among a more cooperative school board, better addressing the district's fiscal needs and upgrading the district's technology resources.

The Avoca district has more computer workstations than Lew-Port does and has interactive SMART Boards in about half of the classrooms, despite being a district of about 600 students -- significantly smaller than Lewiston-Porter, Roser said.

"We need to keep our kids going that way (into technology) -- that's where the jobs are,"� he said. "And it is an infusion of money, but if you have a process and a plan in place ... it's possible."

Roser also said interim superintendents who take on several roles can do an adequate job filling in short-term, but appointed superintendents can capitalize on new state initiatives and be focused on finding the balance between finances and program needs.

"In the end, the superintendent is going to bring it all together,"� Roser said. "I think the biggest thing is: What were the opportunities that we've lost over the past three years you haven't had a superintendent?"�

Lew-Port's next regularly scheduled board meeting is 6 p.m. June 17 in the community education building.