The outgoing members of the Marysville School Board should refrain from extending the contract of Superintendent Linda Whitehead, leaving that decision to their successors.
In electing a new school board majority by landslide margins, voters sent a clear mandate that the new board should deal with Whitehead’s status. Board President Helen Mount, however, said the existing board is likely to vote on the contract extension as one of its final actions in the next two weeks. She said the process for doing so began in March, but became a lower priority because of the strike and other pressing issues.
It’s too late now for the existing board to add a third year to Whitehead’s contract without it looking like political retribution.
The new board members need maximum flexibility to deal with the district’s financial challenges. Falling enrollment has put a $2 million hole in the budget, and a teacher contract still must be worked out. Those options would be unfairly limited if the existing board extended Whitehead’s contract as one of its final acts.
Supporters of the incoming board members want Whitehead out. But Vicki Gates, Carol Jason and Michael Kundu, who are expected to take office Dec. 1, are rightly taking a cautious approach. They need to take the time to assess her performance and see if they can work with her effectively, and they have incentive to do so — making a change would require a contract settlement with Whitehead that would make the district’s financial situation even worse.
Such decisions should be made by those who will have to deal most closely with the consequences.
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