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Lyles: Time to stop Poway Unified’s downward spiral

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Nary does a month pass without a reminder that the leadership vacuum at Poway Unified School District is reaching crisis proportions.

The mass resignation of the board of directors of the foundation supporting Midland Elementary School (on the heels of the resignation of the PTA president and the departure of a third of the teaching staff) is yet another symptom of inept district leadership who consistently fail to solve problems at manageable levels.

Unfortunately, the decay is negatively affecting classroom performance in spite of PUSD’s many dedicated and highly competent teachers. Test scores at Midland have dropped 10 percent during the past year. Similar results are surfacing elsewhere in the district.

The billion dollar bond issue and its aftermath have taught significant lessons. Only one incumbent from three years ago remains on the board. Mr. Patapow would also likely have been an election casualty in 2012 had the news about the bond been released in time for another non-incumbent to enter the race.

Most ironic about the bond fiasco is that the person who orchestrated it (District Superintendent John Collins) not only survived, but received contract extensions with increased benefits — all while throwing the board members who padded his contract under the bus.

Even though most Powegians are bond issue-weary, it is important we remember the processes that transpired before and after the bond passage, because similar processes and attitudes are still at work. They are undermining the district’s historical claim to excellence. The primary reason con artists succeed is that their victims don’t like to admit they were duped. I’m not making excuses for the previous school board, because they allowed themselves to be duped, but they were duped.

More recently, board members were similarly duped by Dr. Collins and senior staff who told them nothing had changed regarding how teachers could teach and celebrate Thanksgiving. Listening to senior staff (as opposed to teachers who knew and told the real story) was like listening to President Obama say, “If you like your doctor and your health plan you can keep it.” Senior district staff knew it wasn’t true, yet they all voiced the party line.

Most people are unaware of the severity and scope of the district’s problems because most parental interactions with PUSD are limited to the classroom. Rather than give cursory treatment to these major problems in a single column, in the coming weeks and months I will devote separate columns to the following issues to foster a dialogue leading to permanent solutions.

Poor leadership tops the list of problems. Dr. Collins’ leadership style stifles both internal and external communication, shackles problem solving efforts, and is killing morale. The “whisper factor” among professionals in the district is overwhelming. Teacher resentment toward the district hierarchy is at an all-time high.

Race relations comes next. Race relations in the district have never been great. But the handling of the Chris Garnier case at Painted Rock Elementary School was abysmal. A full investigation into district practices in regard to race should be initiated by higher investigative authority immediately.

Next on the list is community relations. It is a disaster and getting worse.

Finally is the lack of a succession plan for senior staff. Prior boards hesitated to replace Dr. Collins because no other members of his senior team are qualified to replace him. Weak teams never produce strong results.

More on each topic in future columns.

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