2B WEDNESDAY, JULY 14,1993 School board nears decision on seeking aid in hunt for chief BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Writer The Little Rock School Board has one day remaining before its target date for deciding whether to turn to a search firm to help find candidates interested in running the states largest school district. So far, some board members have tried to recruit at least two educators with whom they are familiar Dr. Morris ' Holmes and Dr. Henry P. Williams to apply for the po- -sition of Little Rock School Dis- I Irict superintendent. < Holmes declined to apply because he had just started a 'hew job, and Williams has not l
said whether he will apply, -'board members said Tuesday. '.- 1 think one of us will call -/and ask Dr. Williams by Thurs- - jday if he is interested or not in- -.terested in applying, said
John Riggs IV, a member of the -jhree-person board search .' committee that also includes 'Dr. Katherine Mitchell and 'Dorsey Jackson. > The board is scheduled to jineet Thursday and decide -what to do. < Riggs and W.D. Bill 'Hamilton confirmed that they -look a trip to Syracuse, N.Y., -yvhere they approached SWilliams about the job. < I thought he sounded like -Jie was willing to listen, -Hamilton said. But he did not l^ump up and down when we -isked him about it. > Williams did not return a ^-reporters telephone call for 'Comment. He told the Arkansas ''J)emocrat-Gazette on July 6 and ?July 7 after the visit by board ^inembers that he had not talked to any Little Rock board members, administrators or search firms about the Little Rock vacancy. Hamilton confirmed Tuesday that he had approached Holmes a former Central High School principal from 1974-79 and a former associate director of the state Department of Education from 1979- 87 about the Little Rock job. But Holmes said he had just accepted the superintendent of schools position in New Orleans and was unwilling to apply for the Little-Rock job, Hamilton said. Board members said there may be at least two other educators who have been approached about applying, but their names have not been revealed. Some board members have acknowledged they do not know who some other board members are contacting or considering and hope to learn more Thursday. I had high hopes that we would have had more candidates by now, Hamilton said. I think there is a good chance that we will not have anyone aboard before the end of the first semester or even, conceivably, the entire school year. Estelle Matthis, the interim j superintendent, is running the district until a replacement is found. She has said she does not want the position permanently. Matthis replaced Dr. Mac Bernd, who resigned one year and one day after accepting the position to take a similar job as head of the Newport Beach, Calif., schools. IMAX BRANTLEY ^NSAS times JULY ihgo) LAWS MADE TO BE IGNORED Why wont public officials conduct the publics business in public? Why wont they tell the truth? Inevitably, they get caught Inevitably, they erode the publics trust Latest violators are members of the Little Rock School Board and a leading contender to be the new school superintendent, Henry Williams of Syracuse, N.Y. Their deception and secret dealing shouldnt be a surprise. A year ago, the Little Rock School Board effectively offered Williams the job without first voting on him in public session. Williams saidno thanks. Williams offered varying explanations. Either he was deterred by a split on the board or he was holding out for a more lucrative offer from Cleveland. When the Board hired Mac Bemd, now departed, the deal included a secret salary supplement from a private business group. Only a scoop by KARN radios Pat Lynch brought the deal into the sunlight Its happening again. We have just learned that two Little Rock School Board members met secretly with Williams in Syracuse a month ago. They sounded him out about the current vacancy. This trip came to light after various school board members and Williams himself had told reporters fortwo newspapers that there had been no communication between the board and Williams about the job. Unbelievably, board member Dorsey Jackson defends lying on personnel matters. He says he would do it again. Given the secrecy, the lies and Jacksons proud defiance, its hard not to conclude that the school boaid willfully ignored the Freedom of Information Act when it failed to notify media of the ad hoc board committees trip to Syracuse. The happenings did manage to shed a bit of unflattering light on the ways of superintendent candidate Williams. Called by the Democrat-GazeKe to account for conflicts between his and board metribers accounts of the trip to Syracuse, Williams offered a puzzling response. When people in two different time zones talk, they can say different things, said WUliams. Not if both people are telling the truth. A footnote on Sen. W. D. Moores attempt to be reimbursed for a junket to Alaska without producing proof that he paid for the trip: The Legislative Council staff, the governors Department of Finance and Administration, Legislative Audit and the state auditors office aU disclaim the power to demand proof from the EI Dorado lawmaker. But consider the constitutional amendment on state officials pay adopted by voters in 1990, which says: no member of the General Assembly shall be entitled to reimbursement for expenses or mileage unless authorized by law, documented and reasonably related to their official duties. Is it asking too much to expect state employees to uphold the state Constitution? MAX BRANTLEY RKANSAS times ]VLY 15.199^ LAWS MADE TO BE IGNORED Why won'tpublic officials conduct the publics business in public? Why wont they tell the truth? Inevitably, ey get caught Inevitably, they erode the publics trust Latest violators are members of the Little Rock School Board and a leading contender to be the new school superintendent, Henry Williams of Syracuse, N.Y. Their deception and secret dealing shouldnt be a surprise. A year ago, the Little Rock School Board effectively offered Williams the job without first voting on him in public session. Williams said no anks. Williams offered varying explanations. Either he was deterred by a split on the board or he was holding out for a more lucrative offer fi'om Cleveland. When the Board hired Mac Bernd, now departed, the deal included a secret salary supplement from a private business group. Only a scoop by KARN radios Pat Lynch brought the deal into the sunlight Its happening again. We have just learned that two Little Rock School Board members met secretly with Williams in Syracuse amonth ago. They sounded him out about the current vacancy. This trip came to light after various school board members and Williams himself had told reporters for two newspapers that there had been no communication between the board and Williams about the job. Unbelievably, board member Dorsey Jackson defends lying on personnel matters. He says he would do it again. Given the secrecy, the lies and Jacksons proud defiance, its hard not to conclude that the school board willfully ignored the Freedom of Information Act when it failed to notify media of the ad hoc board committee s trip to Syracuse. The happenings did manage to shed a bit of unflattering light on the ways of superintendent candidate Williams. Called by the Democrat-Gazette to account for conflicts between his and board merribers accounts of the trip to Syracuse, Williams offered a puzzling response. When people in two different time zones talk, they can say different things, said Williams. Not if both people are telling the tmth. A footnote on Sen. W. D. Moores attempt to be reimbursed for a junket to Alaska without producing proof that he paid for the trip: The Legislative Council staff, the governors Department of Finance and Administration, Legislative Audit and the state auditors office all disclaim the power to demand proof from the El Dorado lawmaker. But consider e constitutional amendment on state officials pay adopted by voters in 1990, which says
no member of the General Assembly shall be entitled to reimbursement for expenses or mileage unless authorized by law, documented and reasonably related to their official duties. Is it asking too much to expect state employees to uphold e state Constitution? Arkansas Democrat "^(Bazcttc LRSD to ask old pick williams for helm to pay visit BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Five Little Rock School Board members voted Thursday to invite Dr. Henry P. Williams to visit and discuss running the states largest public school district a job he turned down last year. Williams, 51, has been superintendent of schools in Syracuse, N.Y., since January 1989. Last year, he rejected an offer from a majorify of board members to become the Little Rock Schdol District superintendent. The Little Rock board then hired Dr. Mac Bernd, the boards second choice, but he resigned after a year on the job, creating the current vacancy. Some Little Rock board mem- f bers said that if the visit goes nr p .>/ ..---------- well, they will talk contract terms VV'*f>anis with Williams. Dorsey Jackson, the boards vice president and chairman of its three-member search committee, said he spoke with Williams twic^ by telephone f Continued from Page 1A Thursday night, said he did not speak with any Little Rock board I members Thursday. That marked I the second time this month he ! has denied any contact with Lit- I tie Rock board members who I said they spoke with him. Thursday, in the morning and in ' the afternoon. He indicated he would pfolb ably come down, Jackson said. Williams, reached at home See WILLIAMS^age .<4A' - Asked whether he would be willing to accept the boards invitation to visit Little Rock, Williams paused, then said, I want to wait until I hear from the board before I comment. Jackson said he will call Williams today and inform him of the Little Rock boards decision Thursday night. Board member Pat Gee was not in the room when the vote took place. O.G. Jacovelli was absent, recovering from an illness. The Little Rock district has not advertised the position. Instead, board members have recruited potential candidates on their own. Two board members visited Williams in Syracuse last month and asked him to consider ap- plying for the Little Rock job. Williams later denied talking to Little Rock board members at that time. As described by the board members, that visit violated the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, because the media was not properly notified that board members were gathering for school district business. Last year, the Little Rock board offered Williams the job at $110,000 a year. The offer con- tained a proviso that his employment would probably not be approved by a unanimous vote. Williams considered the offer for two days, but turned the job down because of the divided vote. The board turned to Bernd, who accepted on a unanimous vote. If Williams accepts the job, he will become the first black superintendent in the districts history. Some black residents have said a black superintendent could more readily relate to the needs of black students, who make up 64 percent of the districts enrollment and generally score below white students on standardized tests. Estelle Matthis, the interim superintendent, is the first black administrator to run the district. The Little Rock district has 26,000 students in 52 schools and a $119 million budget, not including federal money, and is involved in a court-ordered desegregation plan. Bernd was paid $110,000 a year. He would have received another $100,000 in bonuses if he had stayed five years. At Syracuse, Williams earns a base salary of $88,000 a year and has $14,000 worth of perks
' He heads a district that is 52 percent white and 37 percent black. It has 22,000 students in 36 schools with a budget of about $160 million. 14A FRIDAY, JULY 16, 1993 I I SATURDAY, JULY 17, 1993 N.Y. superintendent to fly in, talk to LRSD board about post BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Dr. Henry P. Williams of Syracuse, N.Y., has agreed to fly to Little Rock for more discussions about becoming superintendent of the states largest school district. Williams, 51, superintendent of schools in Syracuse, turned down the job of running the Little Rock School District 14 months ago. I have spoken to the board and I have agreed, Williams said by telephone Friday from Syracuse. I have nothing else ...a, to say until Ive met with the board. OK? He declined to answer more questions. John Moore, Little Rock board president, said the date for Williams trip to Arkansas has not yet been set. But Moore said he thinks face-to-face discussions with Williams may begin as late as July 29. If all goes well, contract talks would start the following day, Moore said. John Riggs IV, a board member who serves on the superin- ,1 See WILLIAMS, Page 16A Williams Continued from Page 1A tendent search committee, said he contacted Williams on Friday morning and invited him for an interview. I asked him if he would come down and let our board talk to him about being a candidate, Riggs said. Dr. didate, Williams said, Yes. Whether Dr. Williams will actually apply, I dont know. In our mind, he is a candidate. Several board members in Syracuse said they think Williams reluctance to publicly discuss whether he is interested in the Little Rock job stems from an understanding they reached in December 1992 and some local criticism over his willingness to explore other job opportunities. Since January 1989, when Williams took over as superintendent in Syracuse, he has ---------- superintendent of Dr. Williams agreed to interviews with sev- education and experience is in eral school boards across the high demand, said Katharine country and became a finalist at Detroit, Memphis, Cleveland and Little Rock. -w.-. Seven months ago, bowing to some local pressure, the Syracuse board confronted Williams about his job aspirations. After some discussion, the board extended Williams contract to 1995 with the oral understanding that he would stop exploring other job opportunities for the foreseeable future. Two months later, Syracuse board members said they learned Williams had agreed to be interviewed by the school board that runs the Guilford, N.C., schools at Greensboro. The Syracuse board members said that what upset them most about the North Carolina trip was not the broken oral understanding but the fact that they learned about the visit from reporters, not Williams himself. Our general response to his interview trips is that in this day and age, it is very clear that tenures of superintendents are becoming shorter and shorter, and a good African-American OConnell, the Syracuse boards vice president. Another Syracuse board ' ' --------------- .VTOI.. member, Bea Gonzalez, said board members generally feel they cannot restrict Williams freedom to explore other opportunities. We dont have the money or resources to pay Dr. Williams what I think he is worth, Gonzalez said. Williams earns a base salary of $88,000 a year and has $14,000 worth of perks in a district that is 52 percent white, 37 percent black and 10 percent other races. Dr. Mac Bernd, who resigned after one year on the job in Little Rock, earned $110,000 and would have gotten up to $100,000 in bonuses if he had stayed five years. The Little Rock district is 64 percent black and has 26,000 students. Williams brief remarks Friday about agreeing to come to Little Rock to discuss the superintendent vacancy marks the first time he and the Little Rock board have said the same thing regarding his recruitment as a candidate. Twice, some Little Rock board members said they spoke with him on a particular day conversations that Williams, in separate interviews, denied ever took place. He got burned badly in Greensboro
no one on the board knew about the trip there and the board went crazy when they found out about iL said Jeanette Pietrantoni, Syracuse Teachers Association president. The board was standing around with egg on their faces after hed promised not to look for a job again. So, these job interviews are a sensitive subject with him. No newspaper advertisements have been placed seeking applicants for the Little Rock superintendent position, though a posting notice has been printed. The posting notice, which the Little Rock district produced under a written Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request, outlines several qualifications for the next superintendent. Those qualifications include: high personal and professional integrity
successful experience as an administrator in a desegregated urban setting
strong management credentials in the areas of finance, personnel, operations and long-range planning
and demonstration of an administrative style that is flexible.I -ilDAY, JULY 23,1993 ' Pulaski Arkansas Democrafgr (gazette Williams to visit next week about LR superintendent iob BY.JAKE SANDLIN tee. at the board's regular meet- the state's largest school district - - tug Thursday night. Dsniocrat^Gazette Staff Writer Dr. Henry P. Williams, who turned down a chance a year ago toL become Little Rock superintendent, will visit next week to again discuss the position with the Little Rock School Board. - Williams, 51, superintendent of schools in SjTacuse, N.Y., wiU arrive late Thursday and spend July 30 and 31 in Little Rock, an- noOnced Dorsey Jackson, board vice-president and head of. its thpee-member search commit- Were in the process of working out his schedule,' Jack- son said, which will not be finalized until Monday. That schedule, Jackson said, will include meetings with key administrators, members of the Parent Teacher Association council, the Classroom Teachers Association, the districts Bira- ciai Advisory Committee, district parents and local media. The superintendents job in opened up when Dr. Mac Bemd, the boards second choice be- hind Williams for the job last year, resigned after about one year on the job. While the district has five unsolicited applications from other candidates, Williams is being courted by the board to reconsider. I think hes the number one candidate, Jackson said during a break Thursday. Jackson said the latest ap- plication was received this week from Dr. Jo Anu Wooden Roberts of Decatur, Ga., most recently superintendent in Muskegon Heights, Mich. during a later executive session on personnel changes, Moore announced. The board preceded its regular meeting with an approximately one-hour special meeting, spent entirely in executive session to discuss district personnel, principals and in particular the superintendents job, John Moore, board president, said. No action was taken then, or That left Central High School, the states largest high school with about 2,000 students, still without a full-time principal. John L. Hickman Jr., who was suspended as principal Jan. 7, has not completed his suspension appeal hearings before the board. Those hearings have been in indefinite recess since May. Hickman has since accepted a job as Gould (Lincoln County) superintendent. Hafeeza Majeed of the Ad Hoc Committee for Fairness and Equity in Little Rock Public Schools urged the board to accept the committee's recommendation to hire an interim principal at Central until the Hickman case is resolved. ' Linda Watson-Swain is currently interim principal of the school, but Majeed said many students and parents would prefer Michael Peterson, an assistant principal at the school.Arkansas Arkansas Demcxirai (gazette SUNDAY, JULY 25, 1993 Copyngni 1993. Little Rock Newsoapers, Inc. B Williams wants to wean LR schools from court control Dr. Henry P. Williams BY DANNY SHAMEEP Democrat-Gazette Education Writer SYRACUSE, N.Y. Dr. Henry P. Williams says he not only can help the Little Rock School District carry out its desegregation plan, but also can get it out of federal court control once and for all. He says that although he knows a generation of school administrators has seen court con-trol of the schools increase rather than diminish. He also knows every executive decision from closing a school to fashioning a budget requires approval of a federal judge. And he knows the last Little Rock superintendent. Dr. Mac Bernd, quit after only a year because of frustration with the school systems legal entanglements
Its a challenge, an opportunity, Williams said over dinner at his favorite Italian restaurant Joeys, a popular eatery in this small, ethnically diverse city of 163,860 people, where he is superintendent of the Syracuse City School District, Isnt it time that the court stops telling the district what to do? he said. Isnt it time that the district does the things necessary to reach the goal of getting out of court? Williams will arrive Thursday night in Little Rock to begin talks about becoming the new school superintendent a job he turned down last year. And hell be in the drivers seat The Little Rock School Board has named him the leading and only finalist. Although he refused the job before, Williams says he wants it now. He remembers when Little Rock became a national battleground for school desegregation in 1957. He sees the job as a chance to become part of history. History has been hard on Little Rock superintendents, though. Since 1982, the district has undergone eight leadership changes including interim appointments. U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright, who monitors Little Rocks compliance, has put the 26,000-student system on notice that its problems would justify the imposition of a receivership, a designation that could strip away local control. Williams said, I wouldnt want to speculate on what the judge will do, but I hope she would give a new superintendent an opportunity to begin to change things." The people in north-central New York who know Williams say he is up to the task a trou-ble- shooting superintendent who can step into a bad situation and make fast repairs. Williams made an instant impression when he became superintendent of Syracuse schools in January 1989. He immediately labeled the gifted and talented program a sacred cow of elitists. He criticized its lack of minority participation and announced he would re-evaluate it. His directness offended some parents. The way he went about it was really startling, said Dr. Jeff Stonecash, a Syracuse University political science professor. Here was an audience of a bunch of liberals who would'do anything to help inner-city kids. But it was his style. Its like, if you dont agree with me. youre a racist. That turned people off. But others welcomed Williams stick-it-in-your-face approach. Some felt he pinched their toes when he did that, said Leon Modeste, the local Urban League director. But he tells it like it is. ..L. In the end, Williams made sweeping changes in the proSee WILLIAMS, Page 6B inienoeiii says iiiai s a pruuttci VII C OJOICIII, Ml WiJJianis laaaiM Continued Itom Page IB gram. In 1988 09. the gifted jiro- gram had 901 students 0 per- ceiil of them minorities. In Syracuse, minorities include black. Hispanic, Asian American and American Indian students. William.s changed the pro- gram'.s name lo llic Outer for Inquiry and expanded Ilie selection CJ ileria lo include factors other (han grailes, such a.s teacher recommendations, interviews and special talents. By 1992 93. (he number of participants jumped lo 1.507 students 24 percent of whom are minorities. None of the parents who cotnpinituul about Williams' at- Hludo toward the giflctl pro gram pulled their children out of Ihc public schools, but they still seethe over Williams ap- proach. Williams makes no apologies. A lot of people in public school education think their child sliould get a private school education. Williams said. "If they want a private education for their children, let them send their children to private school. Bui William.s doesn't resent privale schools. Hes on Ihe 25- memher board of trustees of Manlius Pebble Hill School, a private school in suburban DeWitt. N.Y. Ils always good lo have the persfiective of a good professional educator. snid Baxter Ball. Ihc school's headmaster, lie's been helpful in a number of policy issues, parliculariy in the development of our ill the cily'.s iashionahle easi siile in a $180,000 split level home. Their cliildren, now 19, are sophomores al llie Stale University of New York at Buffalo. Willi a base salary of $88,000, Williams is Ihe highesl-pnld public official in Syracuse, earning more than Mayor Thomas Young, who gels a base salary of $74,263. Perks push Williams gross earnings lo $108,000, which includes annuities and a travel allowance in addition to any reimbursements for out-of-town trips he needs to take as part of his job. But his tenure al Syracuse sometimes has been rocky. The Syracuse School Board Joyce. gave him an unfavorable eval- Their children twins ualion in 1990 and threatened Dr. Henry P. Williams Born: Sept. 3. 1941, Birmingham, Ala. Family: Wile. Joyce
twin son and dnugtitof, Gavin Charles and Courtney Joy. Current position: Superintendent, Syracuse Cily School District, since January 1909. Education: Bachelor ol science, Slate University of North Carolina al Fayelteville (1967): master's in education. Slate University of New York al Brockport (1973). rtnctorale. Slate University of Now York al Buffalo (1983). he found his niche ns a school adminisiralor in Rochester, N.Y. There he met his wife. Gavin Charles and Courtney .loy - attended a parochial school in Rochester. N.Y., because of the availability of day care. William.s became principal of Wil.son Magnet School in 1980, taking over an iniier-cily school plagued by high staff turnover and poor academic ticrformance. People who knew him then .said Ihal be .surrounded himself with a highly capable staff much a.s he ha.s in Syracu.se and that (here was very little he could do wrong. The staff helped him Iransform the lo lake away some of his power. William.s hired a lawyer. After a series of public and private meetings, the board expunged the negative evaluation and handed Williams a $6,000 raise. Board members said they .Icanclle Phlranlnni, prcsl deni of Ihe Syracuse Teachers As.snciation, .says commiinica- lion has suffered because of him. "It's his personality, she said. "He looks as If he doesnt listen to anyone else but himself. But thats not the case at all. That's the perception. Communication has suffered a bit. "His style is, its got to be his way. He'll listen, and if he agrees, fine. But if not, well, you spend a lot of time arguing. Hey, were all in this together. Williams said of the teachers union: Im for kids. Theyre for adtills." Although William.s started several parent advisory committees and packed many strategic planning committees with parents, many parents don't Ihink he listens to Ihcm. .Jenny Abrantes. co-presi- denl of the Council for School Community Organizations Syracuses version of Little Rocks Parent-Teacher Asso- ciation Council says had been unhappy with Williains Irealmcnt of parents, Williams doesnt really believe in parental involvement tinless parents do what he wants them parliculariy over the gidcd pro- lo do or think as he wants tlieni gram, and his failure to release information on two schools the slate had cited as academically deficient. The boarrl members were also upset when they discov- lo think. "I feel like he's given m
little pats on the head, as if we nil a spot on his agenda called Parental Involvement," school into one of Rochesters . ered that Williams had spent strategic planning. "Private * Private school, public school, public I t > school - its ed- schoo! - it s all uupor- best. "Hes charismatic, friendly and extremely self-confident, said a teacher who knew him then and asked (hat his name not be used. Ami he said and did some things (hat, if he had been while, the <listrict would have thrown him out." When the Rochester superintendent decided to transfer Williams 1'0 0 to another troubled school, Wil.son Magnet slu- iicalion, and its fanf. If a privaie scho(fl pa- all important, / enUprotested, Williams .said. "'y expertise, then .ging sit-ins important, "If a private st? |7. LcV wrc 5/wrc school needs my expertise, then wi/b them* so be il. Let me - Dr, Hcury P. U illiinus Share with _________________________ and demonstrations lo keep him. W i 11 i a m a them. Many people In Syracuse resent Williams style, but they acknowledge he is a strong advocate for children. The superintendent says thats a product of his early life. Williams, 51, was born in Birmingham, Ala., one of 10 children. His mother was a teacher, hl.s father a laborer. When he was 2, the family moved to New York City, 280 miles from Syracuse. He grew up in Ilai lem, then the political and cultural center of New York Cily's black community. Afler graduation from higli school, Williams spent four years working al a series of health-care jobs: pharmacy technician, IV technician, operating room orderly. It wasnt until childhood friend Ron Kilpatrick inspired him to get an ediicalion that Williams enrolled in college at an age when most students were nnishing their university careers. Al 21, he went to the State University of North Carolina al Fayelteville on a partial basketball scholarship. It was the 1960s, and he wanted to help society, so he became an education major. "I wanted lo give something back to my community, lie said. "A lot of kids need support and direction. He became n teacher before (iuil moved anti to Roanoke, Va., where he became deputy superintendent in 1986, getting a taste of being second in command of an entire system. Two years later, he left for Syracuse his first superintendent job. The Syracuse district ha.s 36 schools and 22,133 students, making it the fourfh-largesl dis- about $720,000 for computer eipiipment without their Imowl- edge. Board relations have grown smoother, in general, as the district has improved under Williams watch- Williams installed a pilot project called continuous progress schools a program in which students learn in mul- li-age classc.s without grade-level distinctions. The program helped lower the dropout rale from 8.09 percent in 1988-89 to 4.39 percent In 1990 91. Overall, student performance is up. Students in the citys elementary and middle schools generally improved their performance on standardized tests in reading and math. But discipline problems have mounted. Out-of school suspensions have grown from 4,754 in 1988 to 7,194 In 1992. The district is considering the use of hand-held metal detectors and police officers stationed on some campuses Abrantes said. William.s has acknowledged his weakness in parent relations in the past, but he bristles al the notion that he does not like to get parent.s involved. "If I am not a believer in parent involvement, we would not have had parents involved in our strategic planning
we would not be putting in site- based management, Williams said. Bui despite all of Ibis collaboration, 1 do not ever intend to abdicate my responsibility as an adminisiralor in making key decisions, even if that means my success or failure with community groups, he said. "1 will not put in the hands of parents or community groups my demise or rise as an adminisiralor, Williams said. I dont try to run their families, but 1 do try to provide their children with a safe environment conducive to learning. Williams has been courled at one lime or another by school districts in Grand programs Little Rock already Rapids, Mich.
Gary, Ind.
and has begun. Mobile, Ala. He was a finalist The number of certified employees has fallen from 2,024 trlct in New York. Il is one of shortly before Williams arrived 10 public school districts in Onondaga County. About 60 percent of the districts children are in free or reduced lunch programs. Enrollment is .52 percent white and 37 percent black. The rest of the enrollment is Hispanic, Asian American and American Indian. lo 1,973 in the 1992-93 academic year, attributable to local and stale budget cuts and a suffering economy in the Northeast. But Ihe program people across the cily rave about l.s the five-year Strategic Plan which sets goals calling for greater commitment to student In 1977, the stale of New achievement,cultural diversity, JL- instructional innovation and York ordered the Syracuse dis- for superinlcndenl jobs in Detroit, Memphis and Cleveland. < Syracuse has shown signs that its weary of his constant interviews for other jobs. Last winter, the seven-member Syracuse School Board gave Williams a two-year extension on his contract, bringing him job security to 1995, with the oral understanding that he would not pursue other positions. Less than two months later, he agreed to interview for a su- tricl to develop a desegregation plan. The plan, still in existence, allows children lo attend their school of choice ns long as space is available and the move helps racial balances. Otherwise, the children attend schools in their attendance zones. Because the plan worked. Syracuse never ended up with a court-ordered desegregation case like Lillie Rocks. Williams and his wife, Joyce, who works in employee rela- liotis at Anheuser-Busch, live community involvement, among perinlendent job at Greens- other things. Committees of parents, educators and community leaders are working to come up with details on how lo reach these goals. Although the idea to have a strategic plan preceded Williams arrival, the community credits him for carrying it out and remaining its biggest promoter. But Williams still clashes occasionally with people Including the teachers union and parents. boro, N.C. He didnt get the job, but the Syracuse School Board was angry with him not so much because he looked, but because they learned about it from newspaper reporters instead of from Williams. "I have a legal right to consider other offers, dont I?" Williams said. "I wanted the Greensboro job because it offered a challenge, as does Little Rock. Youre dealing with a new south and a new set of attitudes."The Syracuse board issued a news release after the Greensboro interview was revealed in the local newspaper that stated Williams had a legal right to consider other positions and acknowledged that the district could not compete financially with offers made by larger school districts. His willingness to explore talks with Little Rock has gone more smoothly with the Syracuse board. But the local morning newspaper, The Post-Standard, ran an editorial Thursday saying Williams should make up his mind about whether he wants to stay in Syracuse. Last year, Williams told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette he turned down the Little Rock job because of a divided school board. But now he says a divided board wasnt the problem at all. I turned down the job because it was not right for me at that particular time, Williams said. Nothing else, nothing more. It was just not the appropriate time. Im now willing to take a second look because I feel, based on my conversations with board members, that they are more than ever concerned about the district reaching unitary status. I believe this board sees a piece of its mission to be the true integration of the Little Rock school system. And I believe that when you have a board that thinks change is necessary and they are willing to support the superintendent, you can make an^hing happen in the schools. mill vu UUUHWiiiArkansa^emocra^^CpazeUc _________THURSDAY, JULY 29. 19P.3 R Forum to let LR meet only finalist for superintendent BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Writer A community forum to meet Dr. Henry P. Williams, the only finalist for Little Rock School District superintendent, is today. The forum from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 810 W. Markham St. will allow students, parents and others to question Williams. Williams, 51, superintendent of schools in Syracuse, N.Y., will arrive in Little Rock today. His two-day schedule will include a closed meeting with Gov. Jim Guy Tucker on Friday. Max Parker, the governors spokesman, said Tucker agreed to meet with Williams because the governor is interested in the Little Rock district, the states largest, and because he is always interested in meeting educators from different states. Other meetings will be with the Office of Desegregation Monitoring, administrators and other groups. All meetings will be at the districts headquarters on Markham Street unless otherwise noted. Today 2:30-3:45 p.m. With Estelle Matthis, interim superintendent, and Jerry Malone, an attorney who represents the district in the Pulaski County school desegregation case. 3:45-4:45 p.m. With Assistant Superintendents Margaret Gremillion and Larry Robertson, who oversee the districts elementary schools, and Dr. Victor Anderson, Hall High School principal, who is filling in as a district administrator overseeing secondary schools. 4:45-5:30 p.m. A news conference. 5:30-7:30p.m.The community forum. Parents, students and other citizens are invited. Friday 8-8:45 a.m. With Marie Parker, the districts associate Dr. Henry P. Williams superintendent for desegregation, and Sterling Ingram, the districts director of planning, research and evaluation. 8:45-9:30 a.m. With Mark Milhollen, the districts controller. 9:30-10:30 a.m. With the Parent-Teacher Association Council. 11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Lunch with Principals Round-table. 1:15-2:15 p.m. With the Little Rock Classroom Teachers Association. 2:30-3:15 p.m. With Gov. Jim Guy Tucker at the state Capitol. 3:30-4:30 p.m. With the Office of Desegregation Monitoring. 4:30-5:30p.m. With Volunteers in the Public Schools. 7 p.m. Dinner with the Little Rock School Board at a location to be announced. Williams, his wife, Joyce, and their two 19-year-old twins, Courtney Joy and Gavin Charles, who are sophomores at the State University of New York at Buffalo, will be in Little Rock at least through Saturday morning. The school district will pay for the Williams trip and expenses. Arkansas Democrat W (gazelle FRIDAY, JULY 30, 1993 B Contract draft suggests $115,000 starting salary if LRSD hires Williams BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Writer A draft of a proposed contract says Dr. Henry P. Williams may be offered a $115,000 starting salary to become superintendent of the states largest school district. The Arkansas Democrat- Gazette learned about the contents of the proposed contract draft on Thursday the day Williams arrived from Syracuse, N.Y., to explore the possibility of becoming the next Little Rock School District superintendent. The draft is circulating among Little Rock School Board i members. I So far the board has not made i a formal offer to Williams, 51, i now superintendent of schools in Syracuse. His annual base salary there is $88,000, with perks raising the value of his fi- i nancial package to $108,000. But the board has set a spe- i cial meeting for 9 a.m. Saturday j for a wrap-up session with Williams, who the board has de- 1 dared is its only^finalist for the Williams Continued from Page IB perintendent positions since 1989. when he became Syracuse superintendent. If I leave Syracuse and come to Little Rock, Im coming with the understanding that Im going to be here for the five-year duration that the board would be offering. Williams said. Asked whether he had discussed contract terms with board members, Williams paused, then chose his words carefully. I have not had an opportunity to meet with the board in executive session to discuss a specific contract or terms of employment, so to speak, Williams said. Ill just leave it there. Williams met with a number of groups Thursday, including a 90-minute public forum that attracted about 60 people. A videotape of the forum will be replayed at 8 p.m. today over cable Channel 18. A number of people in the community have said privately they think Williams two days of meetings with various local and state officials, as well as parents, represents a coronation of sorts before the board hires him as the superintendent. They also said Williams manner is markedly different this year than in the spring of 1992, when he first came to Little Rock for interviews. Last year, they said, Williams appeared to have other matters on his mind during his stay in Little Rock. They remembered him as a man who seemed to be in a hurry to get the job talks out of the way. i job. The $115,000 salary is the same amount the board offered Williams last year, when he turned down the job. After Williams declined that offer, the board turned to Dr. Mac Bernd of San Diego County, Calif., who became superintendent at a starting salary of $110,000. Bernd resigned after one year, creating the current opening. The draft of the proposed contract also says Williams would get at least a $10,000 annuity per year which would be similar to Bernds package. He could keep the annuity if he stays five years. At a news conference earlier Thursday, a reporter asked Williams if he would stick around if he took the job. The district has had eight administrative changes in the superintendents office since 1982. Williams has been willing to be interviewed for several su- . See WILLIAMS, Page 9B sJ ?*- ^1 1 1 ii MCCTIKP TUC rP,9nE,-SrS, pD, r. Henry P. WilliamAsrk aisns laas pOeemdo bcryal -aG alzoecltea/Sl ctoetlteCaviipseinolenr stat on during a news conference Thursday afternoon after arriving in Little Rock to explore the possibility of becoming the Little Rock School District's next superintendent. At the time, Williams was a finalist for superintendent of the Cleveland, Ohio, school dis-j trict. He didnt get that position.j- Williams seems more focused and interested in the people he meets this time around, they said. He will continue a series of meetings today including separate afternoon sessions with the Office of Desegregation Monitoring, a federal court office that oversees the Pulaski County school desegregation plan, and Gov. Jim Guy Tucker. rucker is exploring the possibility of whether a private company can help a public school district run some or all of its operations. Williams is not exactly a fan of that approach. Privatization of public education? Williams asked rhetorically when the subject came up during the news conference Thursday. Then its not public education, its private education. "Some people would like to see business-run schools or private organizations operate school districts across the country. I am not one who believes at this point that this is something that we should jump forward or headlong into. I think we need to try to get the people who are responsible for public.education to do a better job at it and get the education professionals to take more responsibility and accountability for whats happening in our buildings. I dont think we need business involved in that way. We are business people. We are people trained to operate schools. We understand how children learn, how children think, and we know what they need. I think it behooves us, or should at least, to try to put together a structure that will meet the needs of these kids without involving business to the extent that they have absolute control over whats happening in our sch|,ols. Arkansas Democrat (gazette SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1993 Copyright 1993, Little Rock Newspapers, Inc. Meet the press I i <1 Arkansas Oemocrat-Qazette/Scott Carpenter rADlT/^i Ricc-rikiz^ .. ^i^a.isasuemocrai-uazene/scott Carpenter CAPITOL meeting - Dr. Henry P. Williams, superintendent of schools n Syracuse, N.Y., waits outside Gov. Jim Guy Tucker's office Friday af- with the governor for an hour to discuss educa- nr, jssues- Wdliams IS in Little Rock to explore the possibility of becoming superintendent of the Little Rock School District. Article, 2B *AAansas Democrat SATURDAY. JULY 31, 1993 Copyright 1993, Little Rock Newspapers. Inc. Judge warns LRSD new chief must hit the ground running BY DANNY SHAMEER Defnocrat-Oazette Education Writer 'A federal judge Friday . warned the state's largest school district to make sure its next superintendent gets right on track in carrying out the courts desegregation plan. The judge.s comments came during a review session about a court hearing in which she said the former superintendent lacked candor and failed to keep promises. The session coincided with the second day of a visit that Dr. Henry P. Williams is making as he and the Little Rock School Board discuss whether he will become the next Little Rock School District superintendent. , "I'm sure the new superintendent will want some breathing room to learn the plan, U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright said. "But he must hit the ground running. 1 expect counsel to inform him of that. Wright made the remarks during a short review session for three Little Rock School Board members who missed earlier court hearings in the Pulaski County school desegregation case. The session was for board . members Pat Gee, Dr. Katherine Mitchell and John Moore. Williams was not in the courtroom during the review session. But his name popped up after Wright told board members that at an earlier hearing she had said that Dr. Mac Bernd, the for- iHet Little Rock School District superintendent, made promises he did not keep. Wright also said Bernd was not candid on the stand, and she told the districts attorneys that she will hold the legal staff responsible for anything she .catches that is not truthful or .Candid. She said she understood the ^'district was courting Williams Ub be its new superintendent but reminded the board that she had given Bernds new administration time to get settled. Because Bernds administration did not follow through on its promises, Wright said, she would not give another new administration the same breathing room. "He must abide by the desegregation plan or go through the process of modifying it, Wright said of a new superintendent. I will not permit ignorance to be an excuse. The court learned her lesson in the previous administration. She suggested that the board show any new superintendent transcripts of court hearings and the desegregation audit the district is supposed to be developing as a way to help him or her understand what is required. Wright told the board members that her court is simply the administrator ofthe desegregation plan the district wrote and that she will try to make sure the district adheres to the plans promises. "I want the new superintendent to understand that he must follow the plan, unless it is modified, and I will be very firm in that regard, she said. The judge requires board members to attend hearings that concern the district. If they get an excused absence, the excused board members must report to an on-the-record review session at a later date to cover the highlights of the hearing. Later in the review session, Fred Ursery. one of the attorneys representing the district, asked when Wright would issue a decision on the proposed closing ofish Elementary School, an incentive school that receives double funding to help raise pupils' test scores and academic performance. Wright, clearly angered by the question, told the district that she had just received the motion and did not like the implication that she was not ruling in a timely manner. She said it was an important decision to close an incentive school and that she was working on it as quickly as she could. The Joshua intervenors, who represent black families in the case, have objected to closing Ish. The hearing ended shortly afterward. Williams was unaware that his name had come up in the federal court hearing. He spent the day attending a number of closed meetings with various groups associated with the district, as well as the Office of Desegregation Monitoring and Gov. Jim Guy Tucker. He said in a brief interview after the visit with Tucker that he and the governor talked about the importance of education in Arkansas and the importance of education in Little Rock. Then Williams and John Riggs, a board member, drove to the Office of Desegregation Monitoring for another one of Williams scheduled appointments. The Little Rock School Board has scheduled a 9 a.m. meeting today for a "wrap-up session with Williams. In an interview outside the Capitol later, a reporter asked Williams whether he would accept an offer if the board makes one today. Williams refused to respond to the question.Arkansas Democrat (Gazette' SUNDAY, AUGUST 1. 1993 Copyright O 1993, UWe Rod< Nowspapere, Inc. Williams waiting to see terms before deciding on LRSD job BY DANNY SHAMEcR Democrat-Gazene Education Writer The Little Rock School Board asked Dr. Henpt P. Williams to become superintendent of the states largest school district Saturday, but he wants to see the contract before making a decision. The board offered Williams a $115,000 starting salary and said its search committee would work out a retirement and financial incentive package. If this falls through, we will turn it over to the search firm that we used last year and start from square one, John Moore, school board president, said after the meeting. The board met a goal set July 1 to offer someone the superintendents job by today. Several board members said the bulk of Saturdays closed session with Williams was spent discussing the timetable, structure and amount of the financial incentive package. They said the district offered Williams an annuity of at least $10,000 per year. If Williams stays five years, he would keep the entire annuity. Williams, 51, has been superintendent of schools in Syracuse, N.Y., since January 1989. He is the only finalist for the Little Rock School District superintendent position. After the meeting, Williams said he would have a better opportunity to consider the offer once he sees a final version of the proposed contract. ' ' - The contract will have to be reviewed, and if its something! can live with, I will seriously consider it, Williams said. I dont see any problems. Its just a matter of finalizing the contract. Once its in hand and I can look at all the covenants of the contract, I can make a decision. Williams sounded upbeat about becoming the districts new superintendent and tackling its problems. Last year, he turned down the job. I know there are perils and ,, the road is well-mined, Williams said. One has to be mindful of where you step. If he accepts, Williams would step into a 26,000-student dis- See WILLIAMS, Page 7Aki " I ' Arkansas Democrat 7^ azetlc 5 IN NEGOTIATION Henry P. Williams, the only linal-ist lor the vacant position of Little Rock School District superintendent position, talks with Dr. Katherine Mitchell Aikansas Democral-QazeHe/Rtck McFarland and other board members during a meeting Saturday. Williams was ollered the job, but has not yet accepted. Williams Continued from Page 1A trict that has seen eight different changes in the superintendents office since 1982 That year, the Little Rock board sued the state and two neighboring districts over consolidation, setting off the Pulaski County school desegregation case. Eleven years later, U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright, who oversees the case, ha.s notified the district that its problems justify imposing receivership. Wright has said the district suffers from mismanagement, confrontation and delay in following court orders, and has said the lack of leadership casts doubt on whether the situation can be turned around in a reasonable amount of time. The district, which is 64 percent black, needs more than a new superintendent. It has key top positions vacant including two Cabinet opening.s and a high level administrative slot. Williams works in a much stabler environment: a 22.000-stu-dent district, the fourth largest in New York, where he earns $88,000 a year, plus benefits that make his contract worth $108,000. The Syracuse district is 52 percent white, 37 percent black and 10 percent other races. It is not involved in a school desegregation lawsuit. Under Williams watch, test scores have inched up and the number of college-bound students has increased. But he has had a sometimes stormy relationship with the teachers union and has occasionally clashed with parents who dont like his candid style. Although he has increased the amount of parental involvement, including a Superinlen-dents Parent Advisory Council that meets monthly, some parents think he simply goes through the motions. But Moore, the Little Rock board president, thinks the meetings Williams have had with various groups in the city since Thursday have dispelled notions reported about Williams experiences in Syracuse. I think there were some concerns, Moore said. But once the parents listened and saw him in action, 1 think they felt differently about him. I think Hank Williams creates excitement, and 1 think he can revitalize the school district and the community. The community can take another peek at Williams today. Hafeeza Majeed interviewed Williams for her cable television show, African American Male Mentors Think Tank, which will air on Channel 14 at 5:30 p.m. today. Saturday, five Little Rock board members gathered at district headquarters to have a wrap-up session with Williams. Two Southwest Little Rock board members were absent: O.G. Jacovelli is ill and Pat Gee attended a funeral. During a two-hour closed session, the board called Williams in twice. Dorsey Jackson, the boards vice president who serves as the search committees chairman, hopes to have a proposed contract in Williams hands no later than noon Tuesday. Jackson said that because of Williams schedule with parents, administrators and others Thursday and Friday, there had been no time until Saturday morning to sit down to discuss the proposed contract. If Williams accepts the position, he would become the first black to hold the position of Little Rock district superintendent on a permanent basis. Estelle Matthis, the districts interim superintendent, became the first black ever to run the district when the board appointed her to fill in for an indefinite period that began July 1. When Williams rejected the job offer last year, the board turned to Ur. Mac Bernd, a Californian. The board hired Bernd at $110,000 per year, offered him $50,000 in annuities if he stayed five years, plus the potential for anotlier $50,000 from the business community. Bernd quit after one year, citing the time he spent dealing with the desegregation case, to become superintendent of schools in Newport Beach, Calif. Since 1991, Williams has been a finalist for school superintendent jobs in Detroit, Memphis, Cleveland and Guilford County, N.C. The Little Rock district is reportedly the only place among those to offer him a position. Arkai^sas Democrat (gazette WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 4, 1993 Copynght t> ,993. Lime Rock Newspapers. Irw. LRSD revising draft of contract to show potential superintendent BY DANNY SHAMEER Democral-GazeRe Education Writer The Little Rock School District is putting together a revised draft of a contract that it hopes to show Dr. Henry P. Williams today. Officials spent the bulk of Tuesday looking over tax laws and seeing how they would affect proposed annuity payments.. Williams, superintendent of schools in Syracuse, N.Y., says he wants to see a contract before he can make a decision on the Little Rock School Boards offer. Saturday, the board offered Williams the job of running Arkansas largest school district. Many a slip has been made between the cup and the lip, said Williams, the only finalist for the Little Rock School District superintendent. The contract would offer A $115,000 starting salary. An annual annuity of $10,000. Williams could keep the entire annuity if he stays five years. Extra financial payments tied to achieving desegregation goals. Attainable and measurable goals would either be set out in the initial contract or a clause would be added saying the board and superintendent would determine those goals at a later date. Officials spent part of Tuesday trying to come up with a district contribution that would compensate Williams for retirement benefits he might lose by leaving New York, where he has spent the bulk of his career. The $10,000 annual annuity offered by the district in Williams name may not be all tax-deferred, as originally planned, because of changes in tax laws. Williams, who has worked in Syracuse since January 1989, turned down the Little Rock superintendents job last year because he said the time was not right for such a move. The board turned to its second choice. Dr. Mac Bernd of California. Bemd quit after one year and returned to California, saying he spent too much time dealing with the desegregation case. This year the board focused its recruitment on Williams, who agreed to explore job possibilities by visiting Little Rock last week. He spent two days meeting with parents, school officials, the federal courts Office of Desegregation Monitoring and Gov. Jim Guy Tucker, among others. Little Rock board members didnt set a deadline for Williams decision, though some said they hope he can decide by Friday. Williams contract in Syracuse says he must provide written notice of his intention to resign at least 30 days before the resignation takes effect. But some Syracuse board members said that if Williams resigns, they would not be bothered if he took advantage of any unused vacation time and left earlier than the 30 days. They said that though they dont want him to leave, the district needs to move forward if its going to lose its superintendent at a time when it needs to prepare for a new school year.2B FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1993 Williams expected to take LRSD post at meeting today f BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Dr. Henry P. Williams is expected to accept an offer today that will make him the first black superintendent ever hired to run the states largest school district. Williams superintendent of schools in Syracuse, N.Y. plans to fly into Arkansas for a special Little Rock School Board meeting to n ark the occasion. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at district headquarters, 810 W. Markham St. Its going to be an historical event and a new beginning for the Little Rock School District, said John Moore, school board president. I The board assigned Estelle Matthis, an associate superintendent, interim chief July 1, making her the first black educator ever appointed to run the district. But the board has never before hired a black educa- tor-to oversee the citys public school system, where W percent ofthe 26,000 students are black. The Council for African- Arnerican Progress, among other groups, has called on the board to hire a black superintendent several times. Many black leaders in the city have said a black educator can readily relate to the needs of black students who, on average, do not score as high as white students on standardized tests. 1 I see this as an opportunity fbr the children of the district to feel good about themselves, especially the black children, said Hafeeza Majeed, coordinator ofthe Ad Hoc Committee for Fairness and Equity in Little Rock Public Schools. The children will see history in the making. She added later: Im sad about the fact that it took so long for the board to get there, and I wonder if everyone will realize that Dr. Williams comes in burdened by things that are not his fault. He is inheriting everybodys baggage. If the district ever goes into receivership, will it be Dr. Williams fault? Williams, who runs the fourth-largest district in New York, oversees 22,000 students 37 percent of whom are black. He earns a base salary of $88,000 in Syracuse. He notified Syracuse school board members by phone Wednesday and Thursday that he is accepting the Little Rock position. He will be paid a starting base salary of $115,000 to take over a financially strapped Little Rock district, which is embroiled in a desegregated lawsuit. He also will receive other income and perks. U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright, a federal judge who oversees the desegregation case, has notified the district that its problems justify imposing receivership. Wright has said the district suffers from mismanagement, confrontation and delay in following court orders, and has said the lack of leadership casts doubt on whether the situation can be turned around in a reasonable amount of time. Eleanor Coleman, president of the Little Rock Classroom Teachers Association, said she is looking forward to someone who can provide stability in the districts leadership. I believe he is very outspoken, but I think we can work with him, said Coleman, who heads the Little Rock teachers union, the states largest. Some people remain skeptical. I I I The Little Rock Biracial Ad- ' visory Council a watchdog
that has, at times, had the ear of I the federal court when it has f taken public stands against I some board decisions met i with Williams last week. J The meeting was confronta- i tional at times. Terrie Root, a biracial committee member, said Williams did not answer questions directly. She said he was evasive, answered questions with questions of his own, changed the direction of questions or simply refused to provide answers. SATURDAY, AUGUST 7,1993 Williams takes on LR challenge First black school head affirms belief in progress to come BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-QazeHe Education Writer Willi a stroke of a pen, Dr. Henry I*. William.s signed his name into local history Friday. Williams became the first black superintendent hired to run the Liltle Rock School District the states largest and its ninth chief administrator since 1982. I am well aware of the Little Rock School Districts problems, Williams, 51. said. "I know it has had a history. But it is my belief that it has a future as well. Little Rock School Board members, who courted Williams unsuccessfully for the post last year, stood and applauded aRer lie signed what could be the most lucrative financial package ever given a school superintendent in the state. Afterward, board member John Riggs IV lighted a celebratory cigar in the adniiiiistra-tion building. The boards vote for the contract was 5-0, with two Southwest Little Rock board members absent. O.G. Jacovelli is recovering from an illness and Pat Gee was out of the state on personal business. Williams, superintendent of schools in Syracuse, N.Y., will earn a base starting salary of $115,000 $17,000 more than what he earns in Syracuse alter See WILLIAMS. Page 16A Williams Continued from Page 1A nearly five years there. Other contract provisions include: $10,000 annually each April 30 for a retirement program of Williams choice. A$60,000 trust for Williams benefit within 60 days. Williams may keep the $60,000, plus interest, if he stays on the job five years. Extra pay for performance. Williams and the board will establish district goals for each new school year. The district will give him extra money for accomplishing those goals. Board members said those goals could include such steps as improving student achievement, increasing the number of white students enrolling in the district which is 64 percent black and moving the district closer to getting out of court oversight. A $200 per month expense account. A late-model, mid-sized domestic car equipped with a cellular telephone. Disability, medical and dental insurance for Williams, his wife and their two collegeage children. Also, the district would maintain term life insurance equal to the amount of the annual premium, allowing Williams to maintain his existing policy. One-time relocation expenses, expenses for two househunting trips, and relocation and transition expenses of $1,000 per month for six months. The Little Rock board hired Williams for his track record as superintendent of schools in Syracuse, the fourth-largest district in New York, where he worked since January 1989. On his watch, the districts college-attendance rate improved, test scores increased and the dropout rate fell among the 22,000 students, 37 percent of whom are black. But he sometimes clashed with the local teachers union and some parents who disliked his direct and candid style. Williams set no time for his S' JU Arkansas Oemocraf-Gazette/Rick McFarland NEW CHIEF Dr. Henry Williams gets a hug Friday night from Little Rock School Board member Dr. Katherine Mitchell after he signed the contract that made him the Little Rock School Districts superintendent. Williams, who is coming to Little Rock from Syracuse, N.Y., is the districts first black superin-tendent. arrival. He said he will begin full-time in late September or early October. Meanwhile, he said, he will be in and out of Little Rock to do some work here. His contract calls for him to receive a per diem, pro-rated amount for each day he works during the transition period, plus expenses. Williams joins a small minority of black school superintendents employed in the state. Arkansas has 316 public school districts. Thirteen districts, including Little Rock, have black superintendents as the 1993-94 academic year begins. Nearly 36 years ago, federal troops escorted nine black students into then all-white Central High School in 1957 as angry white mobs watched, putting the city in civil rights history. The district, now the states largest, has been in and out of court over desegregation matters since then. Williams said his hiring is an opportunity to remove the stigma that once existed here and added that he comes to Little Rock with the intention of becoming a superintendent for all children, not just some. He called for the community to work together. The pressure and experience are awesome here, Williams said later in remarks to the local media. I understand my mission and purpose. However, I am only one man and I am not capable of miracles. Williams plunges into troubled waters Williams BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Dr. Henry P. Williams is stepping into a job with a school district that is on notice that its problems may lead to receivership. And a private company that runs public schools is exploring the possibility of running his district. Hes inheriting a lot of other baggage too: a desegregation plan that he never had a say in and a district with high administrative turnover. But Williams, whom the Little Rock School Board hired Friday to be its next superintendent, doesnt shrink from the situation. Im a guy who likes to take on challenges, and I'm not afraid to tackle the problems, Williams said recently. "If Little Rock has problems, and indeed it does, and if you have a board of education thats collaborative, and a community that is concerned with quality education, then you have an opportunity for change. Im a change agent, and an individual who believes in quality education and quality life for children. In some ways Williams steps into the position at the right time. The teachers contract is settled for the 1993-94 academic year. The federal judge who oversees the Pulaski County school desegregation case will have approved a budget for the 1993-94 academic year by the time Williams starts. Even the districts brand new school Dr, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School is scheduled to open on time, not weeks late as originally thought. Classes begin Aug. 23, barring unforeseen problems. But hes also facing a lot of challenges that he will have to begin dealing with as soon as See WILLIAMS. Page 7A Continued from Page 1A he parks his district-provided car in the superintendents space behind the administration building. "The opportunities and challenges here in Little Rock are equal to the opportunities and challenges in other parts of the country, but Im intrigued by the whole notion of what you people have been doing, by the fact tluilyou.have been in the courts since 1957, and the entire community seems to be concerned with getting that behind you, moving ahead and building a quality educational system for the children of Little Rock," Williams says. "I think thats exciting, and I want to be part of it." The most serious challenge he faces is the possibility that the district is operating with an ever-shortening leash on independence and faces the potential for going under receivership. In 1982 the district sued the state and the other two Pulaski County school districts, seeking consolidation. This set off whats known as the Pulaski County school desegregation lawsuit. Several desegregation plans later plus a $129.75 million settlement with the state havent meant smooth sailing. Since the 1982 lawsuit, the district has had eight different administrative changes in the superintendents office. Dr. Mac Bernd of California, the last superintendent the board hired, quit after a year, tired of spending more time on desegregation and legal issues than he could oh education matters. Eleven years into the suit, the district seems the defendant, not the plaintilT that it is. U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright has notified the district that its problems justify imposing receivership. Wright has said the district suffers from mismanagement, confrontation and delay in following court orders. She said the lack of leadership casts doubt on whether the situation can be turned around in a reasonable amount of time. Her order detailing her reasons for this warning of receivership is on notice of appeal. "I would hope that the judge would give a new superintendent the opportunity to try some things and do some things differently rather than put the school district in receivership, Williams said recently in an oR- repeated remark. But the judge has said as recently as July 30 that she wants any new superintendent, including Williams, "to hit the ground running." She means that a new superintendent and a new administrative team won't get any slack
they wont gel much time to adjust to a new district. She wants the plan followed now. No more delays. But thats not all. Williams faces some empty offices when he steps into the superintendent's wing of 810 W. Markham Street. The districts chief business affairs officer quit after less than a year on the job to'take a similar position in another stale. He was the third in as many years to occupy that post. Also, the district has no one as assistant superintendent of secondary schools a major sub-Cabinet post to oversee junior and senior high school principals. Williams will have to find people to nil those positions. In one way, he has got a golden opportunity to pick his own people forthose positions without having to replace anyone. On the other hand, he has no one in those positions to lean on as he spends his opening weeks and months learning about the district and slate laws. However, Williams does have three attorneys to rely on for advice and an Office of Desegregation Monitoring, whose staff knows the desegregation plan backward and forward. And district officials and board members say a search is under way for an assistant superintendent for secondary schools a position the district wants filled this month. Williams will also have to face whatever the board decides to do about privatization. Education Alternatives Inc. a Minneapolis-based company that runs some schools in Baltimore and Miami is exploring the possibility of running not one but all three Pulaski County school districts. Some board members who oversee the three districts say the private company wants to keep the three superintendents around, but wants decision-making powers. Based on what the companys officials have told board mem bers so far, privatization could mean possibilities that the pri vale company would wrest all or some decision-making con7A 1^ h Ri J $ Vi r- H' * a .n CHECKING OUT THE OFFICE Dr. Henry vyilliams, the new superintendent of the Little Rock School District, visits Arkansas Democfal-GazeWe/Rick McFatland Friday In whal will be his olfice. Estelle Matthis is the interim superintendent and her name plate is still on the desk. trol from administrators. Williams isnt exactly a fan of privatization. Privatization of public edu- < cation? Williams asked rhetor- ically, when the question popped up during a recent news conference. Then its not public education
its private education. Williams also will inherit another burden: who will become principal of Little Rock Central High? Board members had anticipated that the matter would be resolved long before a new superintendent, whoever it would have been, would have come aboard to run the district. But a committee that included teachers and parents recommended that a national search get under way to find candidates. The Central principal position always has attracted wide interest in the community. Williams already has some fence-mending to do. During interviews here, he had a confrontational meeting with the Little Rock Biracial Advisory Council, a watchdog group that has taken public stands on some local education issues. Since then, some members of the biracial group have criti- cized both Williams and the school boards single-minded recruitment of him. Williams also will have to enter the fray of what site to pick for a new Stephens Elementary School. The desegregation plan requires the district to build a new school. But the parties in the desegregation case cant agree where to build it. If they cant decide, the judge will. But perhaps the biggest challenge Williams faces is putting the district in good long-term financial hands. Williams acknowledges he doesnt know exactly how he will tackle all of these problems. Im not sure, he said recently. We have to, for me to stand here today to tell you what I would do would be presumptuous on my part, and also premature. I think I would have to assess whats been going on, look at some strategies that might be employed to work with the courts, with the people who are responsible for monitoring the school district, and then try io work with them as best we possibly can to move the district away from the court. TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1993 Welcome, Dr. Williams Memo to the new school boss enry P. Williams has received an opulent contract from the Little Rock School District as its ninth superintendent in a little more than 10 years. His remuneration will include a base salary of $115,000 a year, which is $17,000 more than what he has been getting in Syracuse, plus a few perks fit for a maharajah, or even a congressman. Like $10,000 every April for his retirement fund. And a $60,000 trust that is his, plus interest, if he can stay with the job five years. The school district will also offer its new superintendent a bonus for various accomplishments such as attracting more white students, now a minority in the Little Rock district. And for raising the level of student achievement. And for getting the district out of federal court, where it seems to be have been since roughly forever. There is also an expense account, a car (even though it comes with a phone to assure that the new super cant escape the districts problems), all kinds of insurance, generous moving expenses, and pay for every day Dr. Williams works for the district till he gets here permanently sometime in the fall. Hopes are high, but so are the obstacles. If the new superintendent can accomplish all these goals, hell have earned more than his pay
he will have the respect of a grateful city. Because, as its schools go, so goes Little Rock. Dr. Williams would seem to understand the scale of the challenge. As he put it the other day, The pressure and experience are awesome here. So will be the rewards for all the community if the school district prospers, educates our children, and lets Little Rock bask in its I'l reflected glow, keeping and attracting families who understand the overriding importance of education for their kids. For that first day on the job, or maybe before, heres a hearty welcome for Dr. Williams and a list of things to do: 1. Be candid with the public. If you dont know or cant tell something, just say so. Never mislead. Or your chief asset, the publics confidence, will evaporate quickern a snow cone on an August afternoon. 2. Learn the desegregation jargon and how to translate it into English, because youll be spending a lot of time meeting the districts legal requirements. 3. Learn the district in detail. Because the devil of this job. like the angels, is in the details. There are a lot of good people teachers, principals, secretaries working out in the district. Listen to them. 4. Get a group of leading citizens, the kind that work and dont just lend their names, behind the school district Little Rock needs another group like the brave band jof women who saved the schools back in the50s. Todays crisis may be less dramatic, but it is no less serious. i I 5. Fill key slots in the districts ad- { ministration with good people who J can save money and children and the mutual respect between administrators and teachers. 6. Stick around for a while. As the ninth superintendent in about a decade the district has been running through them at the rate of roughly one a year you neednt be in a hurry to make room for No. 10 any time soon. Forget any more job interviews for a few years. The district has had enough short-timers at the helm. Plan to stay for a while. 7. Dont let egos get in the way of the job, yours or anybody elses. 8. Develop a feel for the community. 9. Forgive those who expect too much or settle for too little. 10. Keep your sense of humor, and remember that you have a lot of people rooting for you even those who sound like critics. A fellow can learn a lot from criticism. Well, thatll be enough for one day. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9,1993 LRSD puts
new leader in new Buiek BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Writer The Little Rock School District spent $2,438.01 to turn in its former superintendents year-old leased car, then obtained a new Buick Park Avenue for his successor. And new Superintendent Henry Williams like former Superintendent Mac Bernd got a more luxurious car than his contract specifies. The districts purchasing office approved both leases. ' But Williams car will be slightly less expensive for the district to lease each month than Bernds was. The expense comes as the districts financial forecasts show huge deficits in coming years and illustrates some of the added costs created when a school district cannot keep its superintendents. i The district, the states largest, has had nine administrative changes in its superintendents office since 1982. John Moore, board president, said he doesnt see any problem with the kind of cars the district has provided Bernd and Williams. I consider a luxury car to be a Cadillac or a Lincoln Continental, Moore said. ivioore added that he doesnt think it would have been appropriate for the district to have turned over a used car to a new superinten-
dent, considering the high po-. ' sition and authority that the I job holds. And he said he was told by
some people that Williams needed a roomy car fotjhis
size and that Bernds ol^'car wouldnt be large enough
Williams is over 6 feet tall. Bernd, who left the district during the summer after only- one year as superintendent, drove a 1992 Oldsmobile Delta 88. Bernds contract said the board would provide him with a midsize domestic automo-
bile. Several auto dealers described a 1992 Oldsmobile, Delta 88 aS a full-size car
that could be considered a luxury car, depending on op- tions inside it. District records dont indicate what options Bernds leased car had. The district bill for Bernds car, leased in the districts name, came to $497.93 per month. ' Because the district turned in the car before the end of the 36-month lease, the district had to pay the $2,438.01, See CAR, Page 7B Car Continued from Page 2B district controller Mark Mil- hollen. The Little Rock School Board historically has given superintendents the car of their choice, Milhollen said. Willjams selected a 1993 Buick Park Avenue. His contract says the board will provide him with a late model, midsize domestic automobile. Auto dealers said a Buick Park Avenue is considered a full-size luxury car. The districts bill to lease a car for Williams will be $470.75 per month, $27.18 less than Bernds for a toUl of $815.40 less over tlie 30 months..'661 81. U3giAI31d3S AVOHniVS ' Williams $77,734 bill stuns Syracuse board BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Dr. Henry Williams decision to cash in $77,734 of unused sick days and vacation time is creating a stir as he prepares to step down as superintendent of schools in Syracuse, N.Y. The incoming Little Rock School District superintendent has a contract with the Syracuse School Board that entitles him to payment for any time he didnt take off. That amounts to 212 unused sick days, vacation days and personal days Williams stored up since January 1989. when he took over the Syracuse school system. Syracuse School Board members said Friday the issue is causing them to face questions from angry taxpayers and politicians upset with the huge bill. A member of the Syracuse Common Council which sets the public school budget in Syracuse has asked the district to withhold the payment until officials can check the dates Williams worked and the dates he took off for recreation, job searches and working in Little Rock. Williams annual base salary in Syracuse is $88,000. He has used no sick days while superintendent there. The Syracuse board is considering stopping its long-standing practice of allowing administrators to save unused time off that can be cashed in later. Williams and the Syracuse board had different perspec* tives on the situation when contacted Friday afternoon. This is not relevant to anything that Im doing to Little Rock," Williams said when he intercepted a telephone call from a reporter seeking information about the matter from district administrators. See WILLIAMS, Page 14A - .WiJhams lead toaSn I Katharin p jj'm 20 vacation days . Williams doesnt :Situation hkefy wTl?leadlo a :4>n unused leave time inM ^hen times were I an ac- different and money was and was shocked. The .amount is staggerine sojutfilv dllA fhJc. o sb- 7 ho shenanigSn^p
Practice has to stop h'ith'willutTa1foifrih *'y e* work so they tn *** f Wednesday night ii to review mon Council i and Com- 'cl minor clerical .payments. ways to packa^^^he
* for any days he doesnt use when Se^iyact also states that fp '''es iin 50 sick leave days as of Sept. 1. After he he will -eS'.XS
s : The contract does . out whether Williams not spell ' entiiUH i ^'"ams would be : used sick time but says he'mav ,70,""'''- year tia d'' ^a/herine Mitchell, a Lit- '' 'dVtW w "'r, said Fri- .-uay that Williams explained . would receive money for sick days, vacation and days at Syracuse. - I iiHo asked the - cat hP /r" ^"i'-act ^n Williams will he unused personal Base salats $U5.000 ex year, plus 1,with ifall decided later this include *.?W,000 annually on April 30 for a Williams may keen 9^ars.* atays five assumes his full-time Little jRock responsibilities Oct. 1,* -'661 81 H3gi^31d3S AVOHniVS ' Williams $77,734 bill stuns Syracuse board BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Dr. Henry Williams decision to cash in $77,734 of unused sick days and vacation time is creating a stir as he prepares to step down as superintendent of schools in Syracuse, N.Y. The incoming Little Rock School District superintendent has a contract with the Syracuse School Board that entitles him to payment for any time he didnt take off. That amounts to 212 unused sick days, vacation days and personal days Williams stored up since January 1989, when he took over the Syracuse school system. Syracuse School Board members said Friday the issue is causing them to face questions from angry taxpayer.s and politicians upset with the huge bill. A member of the Syracuse Common Council which sets the public school budget in Syracuse has asked the district to withhold the payment until officials can check the dates Williams worked and the dates he took off for recreation, job searches and working in Little Rock. Williams annual base salary in Syracuse is $88,000. He has used no sick days while superintendent there. The Syracuse board is considering stopping its long-standing practice of allowing administrators to save unused time off that can be cashed in later. Williams and the Syracuse board had different perspectives on the situation when contacted Friday afternoon. This is not relevant to any? thing that Im doing to Little Rock, Williams said when he intercepted a telephone call from a reporter seeking information about the matter from district administrators. See WILLIAMS, Page 14A WiJJiams Continued from Page 1A contract I -.11 with thp I School Board gives nim 20 vanoUzin J____ S'^CS to a cap f in the next r .-------an ae- - in the past '"ere different and money was fM Y'^erent a ationsofthepub^^""' 5? school board Pirferent. I r, expec- and me r member are was shocked. The l vacation days I: mi 'k" doesnt use them, thev I- * fBr be saved. He could get paid I 1^"^ doesnt use when I , he leaves the district. -,u J, oontract also states that fp=r, district gives him 50 sick leave days as of Sept. 1. After he p,2k days sick leave for oa^subsequent year.
The contract does . out whether Williams per year. If not spell * Wiihams would be - for any ut amount is staggering ha k solutelvdiiP fhic s ab- I shenanig5n7{rp"7"'-es | :
PracfieehS!op"^"'^*hef, <JvithwmUmTaVourfh^^'" I S.WednesdayniHhtin 2? 7"er f
.'-'Sion and askpH f P''''?ees-I > fecord-keeninp better I . >fhe da^S'^tkeTanrH^T'^ >work so they can hp ^countable to thepubhcad'cp <.mon i^ case ..questions whether anyone s hiinor clerica pf/^ Possible : used sick time but says he'mav 'ate sick time K year ho .mon Council i ' tu n' Katherine Mitchell, a Lit- ' 'dL^that '""her, said Fri- Williams explained . would receive money for :sick days, vacation and days at Syracuse. T asked the r ''d for 50 sick days cSe he enF^" "'""'OOt fn .:.tom"issTork"''^'^''^ he unused personal . ------- iiei minor clerical him fcheck for half Tk now and wail ""lount * toexlJnr'^^' "er '*0 weeks J to explore Lo will earn a $115 OOO :. base salary m his first year plim with Zfall * decided later this include program, a $60,000 ''^''"ms may keen his full-time Little X,Rock responsibilities Oct. LArkansas Demcx-'rar (Sazcttc Dear Diary Had a visitor the other day. Henry Williams, about to become superintendent of Little Rock schools, stops by at his own initiative. This is going to be a superintendent who stays in touch, which would be nice change. Hes accompanied by Estelle Matthis on eve of her becoming deputy superintendent. She takes notes throughout. Dr. Williams impressive, natty, confident, informal, poised, at ease from moment he's off elevator and in newsroom. He has one of those New York accents that assure rather than offend. Ms. Matthis' cultivated, Garden-Club Southern makes perfect complement for his speech out of old Harlem in New York. For every R she drops, he inserts one. Makes for a balanced presentation. Can't stop thinking of him as Hank Williams. Almost overwhelmed by insane impulse to ask for a few lines of Yore Cheatin Heart. But his name the only resemblance new superintendent bears to country singer. As editorial writers and publisher gather round, he has long but direct, personal, revealing answers to our naive questions. I start taking notes when he delivers lecture about difference between todays students and yesterdays. He attributes it largely to deleterious effects of being raised by television and Rap instead of families. I keep myself from standing up and cheering. He sounds old-fashioned, the way a school superintendent should. Also businesslike. He also sounds wild about Little Rock, I which shows good judgment. (Who wouldnt like Little Rock after a few years running a school district in frozen urban North?) His two kids now in Arkansas universities. Maybe hes here to stay. Another refreshing change. New superintendent has sense of history, even mission. He speaks of watching FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1.1993 * First impression Paul Greenberg I Central High Crisis of 57 unfold as 16- year-old in New York City, and now hes becoming superintendent of that same district. Good. A man ought to have a sense of history and irony (but I repeat myself) and of his place in it, of where he entered it and where hell leave it. Checked on Dr. Williams with some newspaper buddies in Syracuse. Hes confident, they say, his own man, and he may say some things that strike others as abrasive. Has had his fights with the school board. They all like him. Newspaper people dont mind candid types. For one thing, theyre good copy. Its the evasive sort we can't stand. If only the tone of his voice lush and soft could be carried over in print, his directness might not seem abrasive. He talks about raising test scores, involving whole community to shape Strategic Plan, staying visible, supplying example for young people, obeying court order. Most assuring
his quiet, no-non-sense attitude toward violence in schools. Doesnt much cater to teacher unions, but understands how they got that way
because teachers were treated as units of production, not professionals. Speaks longingly of teachers as pros. Happily, many still are. He seems touchy about reporting of his salary and perks. May never have met a perk he didnt take. Fair enough. Hell be worth every penny and more if he turns school administration around. School board should make policy, he says, and let him run schools. Should be interesting first time he runs into occasional school board member who likes to meddle. Like any other CEO of good-sized operation, Dr. Williams says newspaper should take positive tack in covering it. He seems to know as much about running a newspaper as we would about running schools. He is frank and may get used to our being so. We have no choice. Owe it to our readers. He seems like a good man moving into a new country where speech, customs and symbolism not quite the same. Hes spent some time in North Carolina, where he went to school, but it may take him a while to pick up on Arkansas singularities and finer points of Southern speech and subtexts. Happily, hes got a good guide to these latitudes in Estelle Matthis. Between his driving ways and her soft-spoken but correct manner, school district entering new era. Good sign
Dr. Williams isnt out the door before making arrangements to come back on regular schedule. Same time next month. This should be educational. Paul Greenberg is the editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gasette. Aricansas Democrat (gazette FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1993 New LRSD chief to miss 1st day Personal business delaying Williams, Matthis says BY DANNY SHAMEER Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Dr. Henry Williams planned to assume full-time duties as the new Little Rock School District superintendent today, but he will be recorded as absent. Williams wont start today because he is out of town on personal business, tying up loose ends, said Estelle Matthis, the districts new deputy superintendent. She said he would begin Saturday. On Aug. 6, the Little Rock School Board hired Williams, then superintendent of schools in Syracuse, N.Y., where he has lived and worked for nearly five years. Although he will be absent today, Williams has a head start on his Little Rock job. Since the board hired him, Williams has worked 15 days for the Little Rock district, records show. Williams contract called for him to work for the district as Vt' i'\ Ulf I *T*1.ff S' \ ",ii Dr. Henry Williams time allowed during the 55-day transition period between the time the board hired him and the time he planned to assume full-time responsibilities. The contract stated that he would be paid his daily rate plus travel and other expenses. Williams worked Aug. 7, Aug. 17-20, Sept. 7-12 and Sept. 21-24. He will be paid $6,900 for the work, according to his contract terms. Decisions Williams has made during the transition period include filling two top administrative positions. He selected Matthis deputy superintendent. as She had been serving as the districts interim superintendent since July 1 and had been an associate superintendent since 1989. Williams also selected Dr. C. Russell Mayo Jr. as associate superintendent for desegregation. Mayo worked with Williams in Roanoke, Va., and has since followed him to Syracuse and Little Rock. Mayo also is scheduled to assume his responsibilities today. Arkansas Democrat (gazette MONDAY, OCTOBER 4. 1993 Dock superintendent? ' Note in passing: Dr. Henry Williams"'' the new Little Rock school superinten- dent, whose praises everyone has been'' singing, failed to show up for his firsts scheduled day on the job, which was Frt-
day.
~z'. Estelle Matthis, the school district's'.* new associate superintendent, said he-* was busy tying up loose ends in his per?.! sonal business and would report to work, on Saturday. In my time, an employee who offeree- untied loose ends of personal business? as an excuse for not showing up for the? first day of employment would have been" fired on the spot and justifiably so. ' Makes you wonder how a guy who.' cant tie up the loose ends of his person-' al business in eight weeks will succeed in tying the loose ends in a school district' that has become, through the years, one^ gigantic loose end. r Twill be interesting to see if his pay gets docked for the day he wasnt on- band. THURSDAY, OCTOBER?, 1993 LR superintendent plans forum series Parents and community members in the Little Rock School District are invited to meet with the districts new superintendent, Dr. Henry P. Williams, at a series of five community forums, the first ot which is 7 p.m. Monday at Cloverdale Elementary School, 6500 Hinkson Road. Williams began work for the district this month after serving nearly five years as superintendent of the Syracuse, N.Y., public schools. Members of the public may use the forums to express concerns and suggest ideas for improving the school district. The information collected at the forums will be used in short-tem and long-term planning for the school system. The districts court-approved desegregation plans call for the district to keep in touch" and solicit comments from the public and employees about how the district is doing. In addition to the forum Monday, other forums are scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at Parkview Magnet High School, 2501 Barrow Road
7 p.m. Nov. 10 at Bale Elementary School, 6501W. 32nd St.
7 p.m. Nov. 16 at Forest Heights Junior High, 5901 Evergreen St.
and 7 p.m. Nov. 30 at Rockefeller Incentive Elementary School, 700 E. 17th St.Arkansas Democrat (gazette I BREAKFAST CLUB Dr. Henry Williams visits with Pulaski Heights Jr. High School students Thursday be- Arkansas Oemocrat-Gazette/Steve Keesee fore the start of a Breakfast Club meeting. Students Norris Harris (left) and Eric Patrick wait for the food. Superintendent talks with pupils Encourages 79 in Breakfast Club to develop potential BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Dr. Henry P. Williams, Little Rocks new school superintendent, holds two masters de- ' grees and a doctorate and pulls 1 down a salary of $115,000, but ! his early years were not necessarily indicative of his future successes. Williams told a group of 79 black, eighth-^ade boys Thursday at Pulaski Heights Junior High that as a child he was not a model student. The superintendent made the comments during the monthly Breakfast Club meeting at the school. Each month, the club provides the students with a special breakfast financed by the New Futures for Little Rock Youth organization and a motivational speaker. Williams told the eighth-waders he had difficulty learning to read in elementary school and sometimes had a behavior problem. He was suspended from school at least once. In kindergarten, he said, he hit his teacher when she refused to let him go home in the middle of the day. As he entered junior high. Williams said he stayed out late at night and would get into fights. But as a ninth-grader, he began playing organized basketball and a coach took an interest in him and encourawd him to develop his potential. His grades improved and he became interested in reading, even working in a New York City public library throughout his high school years. Now 52, Williams said he started college when he was 21 and he completed his doctorate when he was well into his 30s. You may not be an A student, but you can have an A life and be a quality person, Williams told the Pulaski Heights pupils. His accomplishments in life were not easy but he said he persevered. He attributed his ' successes to what he called the four Cs: courage, character, commitment and community. After the talk, Williams told reporters he would like to see the Breakfast Club program expanded to other district schools and he hoped financial support from businesses could be obtained. He also said he hopes to establish a student cabinet of junior and senior high school students. Arkansas Democrat 18? gazette SATURDAY. OCTOBER 9,1993 1 09 Local news New school chief pleased by respect BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Little Rocks new school superintendent, Dr. Henry P. Williams, said Friday he has been surprised since his arrival by the willingness of Little Rock residents to be involved in the public schools. Speaking to the Pulaski County Bar Association, Williams said that although he turned down the Little Rock superintendency a year ago, he is happy to be on the job now. People tell me I have a trough full of problems, but I think it was a wise decision to come here, he said. He said there were many more education problems in Syracuse, N.Y., where he worked previously, than in Little Rock. He said Little Rock has desegregation-related problems but not the crime and violence that occurred in Syracuse. He said youngsters he has met in the schools here have responded to him, shown him respect and called him sir. That is absent in other cities where young people have no fear or respect for ed+ ucators, their parents, the court system or law enforcement agencies, he said. Williams listed for the lawyers the problems that face public education in Little Rock and across the nation and said certain beliefs must be adopted and resources provided to turn the schools around. The community must believe that all children can learn, even if they learn in different ways, he said. The community must believe that all children have value and that they can succeed. In addition, the public must be convinced that the democratic form of government thrives on an educated citizenry and that diversity among people strengthens the community. The education of a child must be the shared responsibility of the child, the parents, the government and the community, he said. Im not a miracle-worker, Williams said. Im one man who believes children are important and that we can make schools a better place. I believe we can provide students with the skills they will need to survive in the 21st century.Arkansas Democrat (gazette TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1993 Williams shares ideas, seeks others at forum BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Democrat'Qazette Education Writer Little Rocks new school superintendent shared a few of his ideas for improving district operations Monday night and asked for suggestions from others on how to use the $167 million the schools receive annually in local. state and federal money. Dr. Henry P. Williams made his remarks at the first of five community forums he will hold this year on budget priorities and program plans for 1994-95. About 35 people attended the forum at Cloverdale Elementary School, but virtually all were administrators, school employees, school board members or journalists. We need to have a plan for increasing our funds, Williams said, suggesting the district could do more to win federal grants. In Syracuse, N.Y., where he previously worked, his 22,000- student district received $40 million a year in federal money, compared with $6 million in Lit- tle Rock, a district of about 26,000 students. Williams said he is looking for people to help the district raise money. The chief financial officers position in the district has been vacant since Gary Jones resigned during the summer. School board member Linda Pondexter suggested the district initiate a violence prevention program, beginning with the 4- year-old children in the early childhood program. Williams replied that young children are taught how to deal with their problems when they are home alone watching television: You kill it. And some children never learn to share toys, or dont even have toys to share, before they begin school, he said. They must be taught at school how to share or resolve their other conflicts, he said. Even though some children enter school not knowing how to identify shapes and colors, Williams said he is opposed to retaining children in the first grade. He said the children should be given academic help but not labeled as failures so early in their school years. Williams called the districts court-approved desegregation plan a good one, but said he has directed his staff to review the plan to make it more readable and understandable for the general public. The next forum is at 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at Parkview Magnet High School, 2501 John Barrow Road.Aikansas Democrat (gazette TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12. 1993 Williams shares ideas, seeks others at forum BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Democrat-Gazette Education Writer Little Rocks new school superintendent shared a few of his ideas for improving district operations Monday night and asked for suggestions from others on how to use the $167 million the schools receive annually in local, state and federal money. Dr. Henry P. Williams made his remarks at the first of five community forums he will hold this year on budget priorities and program plans for 1994-95. About 35 people attended the forum at Cloverdale Elementary School, but virtually all were administrators, school employees, school board members or journalists. We need to have a plan for increasing our funds, Williams said, suggesting the district could do more to win federal grants. In Syracuse, N.Y., where he previously worked, his 22,000- student district received $40 million a year in federal money, compared with $6 million in Little Rock, a district of about 26,000 students. Williams said he is looking for people to help the district raise money. The chief financial officers position in the district has been vacant since Gary Jones resigned during the summer. School board member Linda Pondexter suggested the district initiate a violence prevention program, beginning with the 4- year-old children in the early childhood program. Williams replied that young children are taught how to deal with their problems when they are home alone watching television
You kill it. And some children never learn to share toys, or dont even have toys to share, before they begin school, he said. They must be taught at school how to share or resolve their other conflicts, he said. Even though some children enter school not knowing how to identify shapes and colors, Williams said he is opposed to retaining children in the first grade. He said the children should be given academic help but not labeled as failures so early in their school years. Williams called the districts court-approved desegregation plan a good one, but said he has directed his staff to review the plan to make it more readable and understandable for the general public. The next forum is at 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at Parkview Magnet High School, 2501 John Barrow Road.Arkansas Democrat (gazette WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1993 ' Superintendent to speak at Central High Dr. Henry P. Williams, superintendent of the Little Rock School District, will be the featured speaker at a rally at 11 a.m. today at Central High School sponsored by the newly created Martin Luther King Jr. Commission. The rally is the first in an ongoing effort to increase positive interaction between adults and children, commission officials said. Members of Volunteers in Public Schools will be at the rally to distribute information about the organization and recruit members. The commission director, Tracy Steele, said in a statement announcing the rally that the emphasis was on the re-, cruitment of black males. It is important that young people at Central and other schools see positive role models, he said. The men who attend the rally are not here just to be with the crowd... they are here because they understand and accept the challenges of being a good leader. New .chief of schools gets primer Williams assessing needs of LR district BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Democral-Gazatte Educatton Writer Little Rocks new school superintendent has spent his first two weeks on the job in the public eye. In a break from what has almost become a tradition. Dr. Henry P. Williams did not have to spend his first official day at work in federal court talking about desegregation. He knows the days in court will come, but these early days have been spent honoring an award-winning teacher, attending a groundbreaking for a new school, telling his life story to eighth-graders, addressing the county bar association, publi- ' cizing a mentoring program, attending a reception in his honor and conducting the first in a series of public forums. If he has his way, Williams said, hell continue to take time to visit schools and speak to groups. I dont want to run the district from this office, he said last week in an interview. I want to be a part of the programs at the schools. He said his tours of the schools help him assess what the district is offering instruc- tionally. Do teachers have the training and the resources they need? he asked."I was in a geometry classroom, and the teacher had no computer for those students to use. Thats important for me to know. I have to get out in the schools to find I out those needs. Williams began work here the first of this month after more than four years as superintendent in the Syracuse, N.Y., school system. He is Little Rocks first black superintendent. He also is the sixth Little Rock superintendent in a dozen years, not counting four people who were acting chief administrators. He has come to a district that at times is bogged down with typical urban school district problems complying with a comprehensive desegregation plan, revenue shortages, achievement disparities among races and school violence. People tell Williams he has inherited not a plateful of problems, but a trough full. Despite that, he was pleased to be in Lit- tie Rock and said he is pleas- aiwly surprised by the willing- See WILLIAMS, Page 8A ? Arkansas Democrat (gazette.
' MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1993 Williams Continued from Page 1A ness and sense of urgency people in the city have about improving public education. Asked about the strengths of the district, Williams cited the support and the commitment displayed by the district staff members. Asked about the weaknesses, he said there is a need to make final appointments to his administrative team so the tasks related to the implementation of a court-approved desegregation plan can be done and monitored. He also said the district is not able to report data quickly and accurately, which hinders work. The district has numerous administrative vacancies, including the personnel director, an associate superintendent for curriculum, a manager of support services and an assistant superintendent for secondary schools. Williams said he is not in a big hurry to fill vacancies but hopes to do so by Christmas. He is assessing the staff and said the people filling the posts tem- porarily are doing excellent jobs. District controller Mark Millhollen has been doing much of the support services work. Hall High Principal Victor Anderson is taking care of responsibilities assigned to the assistant superintendent for secondary schools, and Dennis Glasgow, the science supervisor, is acting associate superintendent for curriculum. The new superintendent has made two appointments, that of Estelle Matthis as deputy superintendent, and Russell Mayo, formerly of Syracuse, as associate superintendent for desegregation. Williams said he never thought he would have a deputy but he couldnt give short shrift to Matthis skills, experience and commitment. One district weakness hes discovered, Williams said, is the appearance of some of the schools. Three he specifically mentioned as being in bad shape were Stephens Elementary, Mabelvale Junior High and Central High. After attending a ceremony at Central last week, Williams directed district employees to clean up the school grounds, pull weeds and cut tree limbs. I have never been more disappointed in a (campus) than I was at Central, he told the district's Biracial Advisory Committee on Thursday. There were papers, soda cans and beer bottles in the yard and grass in the cracks ofthe sidewalk. When people come to Little Rock, what do they want to see first? What did I want to see? Central High. You watch that school building. It will change, and other schools will change too, he said. District personnel have already found that Williams is meticulous. His efforts to clean up have already hit the administration building. In his own secretarial office area there were accumulations of files on the tops of filing cabinets that he asked to have removed. When he is not at schools, talking to police officers or meeting with the city manager, Williams has focused on the desegregation plan. He knows that, like his predecessors, he will spend a lot of time implementing the plan, including attending court hearings. U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright said last summer that the new superintendent should read old court orders and transcripts of court hearings so he could hit the ground running. Williams said he is trying to read as much as possible. He calls the plan a good one, but costly. There are parts he would like to ask the judge to change, but he refused to say which parts until he has consulted with the school board. He has directed his staff to comb through the plan to pull out specific obligations and to generally make the plan more understandable. Also, in anticipation of a federal court monitoring report that is expected to criticize the districts lack of recruitment, S' .5X91 Henry P. Williams the district staff is developing a comprehensive plan to attract white children to incentive schools. The incentive schools are predominantly black schools that get extra money for special enhancement programs. The federal Office of Desegregation Monitoring is preparing a report on conditions at those schools. On the issue of the districts financial problems, Williams indicated it would be necessary to ask voters for a tax increase next September. But he also intends to pursue more federal grants, which could generate as much as $30 million for various school district programs. In his interviews and public appearances, Williams hints at changes he will make and at hisstyle of operation. He hopes to organize a student cabinet to be his eyes and ears in the schools. He talks about the importance of a strategic plan for the school system. Such a plan will enable staff and the public to coordinate their efforts for school improvements. He indicated there may be changes in policies when he re- > program was redesigned to in- cently questioned the wisdom elude more students, including of a policy that prohibits a.stu- more minorities, and the pri- dent who has been suspended for three to five days from participating in extracurricular activities for 45 days. Williams impressed some of the school board members in his handling of students up for expulsion. For the first time in ' years, board members said their expulsion votes were unanimous. He put those kids on the hot seat and made it clear to us that we would be rewarding them for misbehaving if we let them back in school, one board member said. He said we have a responsibility to the 25,000 other students who are trying to learn. Williams is settling into the routine in Little Rock, but reluctantly continues to have one foot in Syracuse where his wife is living until they sell their house there. The Williamses are buying a house here in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood. Their children, a son and daughter who are twins, have transferred to the University of Central Arkansas and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Williams said last week that he would write a book about his experiences in Syracuse, the good, the bad and the ugly. During his tenure in Syracuse, student test scores improved as did the number of college-bound students. A districtwide strategic plan was developed. The gifted education mary school grades were restructured into two- and three- year units rather than tradi- < tional grades. But also while in Syracuse, Williams had to fight for his professional life. He and some of the school board members got into some heated and personal disputes. At one time, Williams hired a lawyer to defend him against a negative first evaluation. As a result, the evaluation was rescinded and Williams got a pay raise. Williams again has retained a lawyer in an effort to get the entire $77,734 he says is owed him contractually in Syracuse for unused sick leave and vacation time. He said Syracuse had a double standard. Do you think if I was a white person, this would have happened? he said. The Little Rock School Board, he said, was upfront about what he will receive if and when he leaves this city. If he stays five years, the $60,000 trust fund he will get will not be significantly less than what he is seeking in Syracuse./ SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6. 1993 Editorial Page EDITORIALS Yes, sir With all the problems in schools nowadays, it may have seemed like a small point. But the new superintendent of Little Rock schools seemed to pick up on it immediately. In a speech to a group of lawyers the other day, Henry Williams said he had met some local students and come away impressed. According to Mr. Williams, the kids had good manners. Some even called him Sir. This new superintendent clearly knows a good and rare thing when he sees one. Manners like that, said Mr. Williams, are absent in other cities. Its comforting to see him notice. Start with politeness and respecL and a lot of other things may fall into place. Yes, sir. Arkansas E>emocrat Established 1871 AritJinsas T^CDazcltc Established 1819 Arkansas Democrat (gazette Walter E. Hussman, Jr., Publisher Griffin Smith, jr. Executive EPitor Paul Greenberg Editonal Page Editor Paul R. Smith V.P. / General Manager Lynn Hamilton V.P. i Operations John Mobbs Advertising Director Larry Graham Circulation Director Estel Jeffery, Jr. Director of Promotions 6B SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1993 Cooynght t 1993 Utile Rock Newspapers. Inc.School chief still awaits bonus criteria Arkansas Democrat gazette WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1993 No goals established by 90-day deadline BY CYNTHIA HOWELL Democrat-Gazette Education Writer A Little Rock School Board committee has been appointed to develop proposed job performance goals for Superintendent Henry P. Williams, and a system for rewarding Williams financially if he achieves the goals. The committee, made up of John Riggs IV, O.G. Jacovelli and Linda Pondexter, has not yet scheduled a meeting. Dorsey Jackson, school board president, appointed the three earlier this month. Williams contract with the school district says that in addition to his $115,000 annual salary and benefits, he is eligible for a salary adjustment based on meeting goals and performance objectives. The contract says those goals should be agreed on within 90 days of signing the contract and, afterward, before each school year. Any awards given to Williams will not constitute a permanent adjustment to the base salary. The district and Williams have fallen behind on establishing the goals. Williams, who previously worked for the Syra- cuse, N.Y., public schools, signed his contract with the Little Rock district Aug. 6, more than 90 days ago. Riggs said Monday he thought the goals and bonuses ought to be tied to components of the districts court-approved desegregation plan. Possible goals might deal with increasing the levels of student achievement, he said. Riggs said another goal he would like the committee to consider would center on the districts obtaining unitary status from the federal courts. A third possible goal might relate to the districts racial composition and attracting white students to the system, Riggs said. The district this school year lost more than 500 white students. The district is 65 percent black and 35 percent white. IArkansas Democrat (Bazctte WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1,1993 LRSD chief reassures 70 on safety, PR, curriculum BY WAYNE JORDAN Democrat-Gazette Staff Writer Little Rock school Superintendent Dr. Henry P. Williams assured about 70 parents Tuesday that the school district was working to improve classroom safety, public relations and the curriculum. Williams was speaking at Rockefeller Incentive Elementary School, 700 E. 17th St., at the last of five community forums he has held at district schools since October. The forums were developed to allow school patrons and others to voice concerns about district operations and suggest how to improve the schools. They were also used to determine priorities for the 1994-95 budget year. Tuesday night, Williams said the district is developing programs in light of family failures to help potentially violent students solve problems non-vio- lently. There are other ways than using an Uzi, he said But he remindedparents that if a student persits in disruptive behavior or hreatens the safety of students aid teachers, he will be remo'ed from school. One parent who livs on East 21st Street asked Wiliams why the schools dont domore to solve gang problems. She said the neighborhoods am deteriorating and whites am leaving the inner city becaui of gang activity. Williams agreed hat more work needs to be done but said, Were educators, mt policemen. Even so, the distrid was encouraged by the verjfew gang activities that have iccurred in the system this yeaj he said. Three parents exprssed disappointment at the mdias failure to report the god things that are occurring in our schools. They urged Villiams to address that problei, and he said he would.Arkansas Democrat "SR (Sjtzette THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16,1993 A Christmas reading 'y < 11 I i * zi _____ Aritaraas Oemocrat-Gazetta/Oavid GottacJi^ SUPERINTENDENT VISITS Dr. Henry Williams, bttle Rock school superintendent, reads Wednesday morning from The Silver Christmas." Tree as Luke Angelo and Anjeiicia Norwood pay close attention The two 4-year-olds, who are in Edwina McClurkan's Brady Elementary School class, later shared hot apple cider and doughnuts. . . - :________________________________I Thursday, December 16,1993 Sfafe Press Williams and Hickman square off to benefit city's youth 4 little rock, ark. Youth in our city, state and throughout this country need encouragement and direction (mentoring) to assure a future that will be nothing less than the "true American dream." 'Thats the reason we presented MENTORBALL, a recreational and educational evening where Afncan American males could reach out to our city's youth," says Hafeeza Majeed, Director of Positive Promotions/Afiican American Male Mentors. mentorball, a creative combination of the thrill of basketball and the importance of education was held Saturday, Dec. 11 at McDonald's of Little Rock, 3100 W. Roosevelt Road. A diverse group of mentors and sports personalities participated including: Dr. Henry P. Williams, LRSD Superintendent: Mr. John L. Hickman, Jr., Gould School District Superintendent
Power 92's "Toast & Jam"
Former University of Arkansas basketball star, Mr. Tim Scott
and others experiencing the thrill of basketball and the importance of education. All proceeds from this event go to benefit Afiican American Male Mentors in establishing a John L. Hickman, Jr. Scholarship Fund for Afncan American Males and to creating a summer job program for entrepreneurs in June 1994.Black and white together Do the right thing . His spirit is a-marchin on. United the communitys leaders rose in protest - when it was learned that Little Rocks 'annual parade in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. was going to feature "Bloods and Crips and Vice Lordsthe very antithesis of the non-violence that
Dr. King had preached and personified
m his lifetime. And, like one of Dr. Kings marches, the protests worked. The gangs withdrew. Thank you, Henry Williams, superin- ' tendent of Little Rocks public schools. Thank you. Governor Jim Guy 'Tucker. Thank you, state Representative Bill -Walker. Thank you. Mayor Jim Dailey. 'Thank you, Annie Abrams and Sadie Mitchell and Sharon Priest and 'Tracy Steele from the states Martin Luther King Jr. Commission on race relations. You all lived up to a great name and a great cause. And, yes, thank you, gangs, for having the elemental decency not to mar this celebration of peace and brotherhood and hope. Even if it took an almost universal expression of repugnance for your violence to get you to do the right thing. Theres just one more small favor yo
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