Union raises questions over hiring of Everett schools chief

Published 1:13 pm Friday, March 6, 2009

EVERETT — The head of the Everett teachers union today questioned why the school board didn’t have a more open public process in choosing a new superintendent.

“I absolutely think it’s an issue, not just for the employee groups, but for the community and the parents as well,” said Kim Mead, president of the Everett Education Association. “The whole idea of when you are hiring someone you want to be as transparent as possible.

“When it came down to the final process, to meet with the candidates and ask them questions, that wasn’t afforded with us.”

The Everett School Board voted unanimously on Thursday night to hire Port Angeles Superintendent Gary Cohn, who accepted the post. A contract still must be negotiated.

He is to replace former Superintendent Carol Whitehead who retired in September in the wake of a death threat and revelations that the district secretly spied on a teacher’s classroom.

“For this district, quite frankly, transparency should be their No. 1 objective,” Mead said. “The goal should be to be inclusive, transparent and progressive after the last year we have been through.”

Cohn was one of 20 candidates, including 11 from out of state.

“We have just a very strong pool of candidates and a number of people who would undoubtedly serve the district very well,” said Sue Cooper, the school board president.

Few people other than staff were at the meeting on Thursday night. Teachers union leaders said they were unaware the board was voting on a new superintendent Thursday night.

Cohn said he was urged to apply for the Everett job, which will allow him and his wife to be closer to extended family.

“The honest-to-goodness truth is some folks closely connected to Everett contacted me to suggest talking to the Everett school leadership and that it would be an excellent opportunity for me to come to a district that might very well be a good fit for my skills and abilities,” Cohn said.

The district’s deputy superintendent, Karst Brandsma, has served as interim superintendent since Whitehead left in September.

Whitehead reported receiving a death threat in a letter around the time news became public that school district administrators had authorized the use of a secret surveillance camera that was placed in the classroom of a teacher suspected of helping students produce an underground newspaper with district resources. Everett police continue to investigate the threat.

Board member Karen Madsen said Cohn is known for “very, very high expectations.”

Other board members were impressed with different facets of Cohn’s experience, such as guiding the district through declining enrollment and tough financial times, and solid achievement among American Indian students.

Cohn, 53, taught in the Northshore School District in the 1980s and was an administrator in the Lake Washington School District after that. He also served in administration at Lake Washington Technical College from 1991 until 2001 before becoming superintendent for Port Angeles, a school district of about 4,000 students.

The Everett district of more than 18,000 students has advertised a salary range of $190,000 to $210,000.

Often, school boards narrow a list of candidates to three finalists and bring the trio into the community to meet with local residents and answer their questions.

The Everett School Board chose not to go that route. It figured it could get a deeper pool of qualified candidates if the applicants could keep their interest in the post confidential, Cooper said.

Board members also said they decided not to hire an outside consultant for the search, partly to save $50,000 to $75,000.

In its job description, the district has listed a series of qualities, including the ability to improve student achievement and engaging families in helping students succeed.

The list was compiled after the district received responses from about 600 people who filled out a Web-based survey. It also heard from about 100 others in public meetings.

Whitehead was Everett’s school chief since 2000 and was named the State Superintendent of the Year in 2004.