05/28/15: In Norfolk, no way to pick next school chief

This op-ed appeared in The Virginian-Pilot on the date shown.

ALREADY, the process of selecting our next president has begun. Nearly 350 people — yes, you read that right — have filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run. Some, such as Jeb Bush and Jim Webb, have yet to fill out the forms.

Imagine if instead of being vetted by the public, a small group of people not only kept the list of candidates private, but also chose the next president and just presented him or her to us.

Would we be willing to accept that process? Not a chance.

Yet, that’s exactly what Norfolk’s School Board is doing in its selection of the city’s next superintendent. Appointed by City Council, the seven-member School Board has decided to conduct the search and make the selection in secret, outside of the prying eyes of the very public that he or she will serve.

Yes, there is a difference between the job a president does and that of a school superintendent. And yes, the process is different because of it; we don’t, for example, elect a superintendent.

But that doesn’t diminish the importance of the role. Norfolk’s public schools have unique challenges. Given the track record of the School Board — Norfolk is choosing its fourth superintendent in five years — it is difficult to trust it to make the right decision.

Every Norfolk citizen should be concerned about the performance of the schools, even if the only reason is a selfish one: property values.

As I’ve written before, there is a direct connection between the quality of schools and property values: The better the schools, the higher the values. For most people, their home is their largest financial asset. Should we not have a real say in selecting the person who will likely affect our pocketbooks?

This secrecy comes at a time when the School Board itself is in transition. Norfolk voters overwhelmingly chose to elect members of the School Board, but the first election won’t take place until 2016. You might think that if for no other reason than that, the board would be more open to public input on its choice.

You would be wrong, at least based on what we know at this time.

The board, in a nod to the need for civic engagement, has scheduled a series of meetings — and an online survey — seeking input on the qualifications of a new superintendent. The plan, according to the NPS website, is to use this information to develop criteria for the right candidate.

That isn’t enough. Civic engagement isn’t a one-way street.

The results of the survey and public meetings should be compiled and made available for all to see. In addition, we should be able to see how the candidates stack up against the criteria. Post a chart, showing how well each candidate matched the criteria, perhaps on a scale of one to five. Here’s where I’d be willing to accept anonymity: just list them as Candidate A, B, C.

The top three candidates should then be brought to Norfolk for a series of public meetings. If a candidate doesn’t want to meet with the public before selection, s/he probably doesn’t want to meet with us afterwards.

Then and only then should a candidate be selected.

A private selection for a public official is the antithesis of transparency. We wouldn’t accept a president chosen that way. We shouldn’t accept a superintendent chosen that way, either.