Brendan P. Walsh

How time flies and circumstances change.

Dr. Thomas Harwood’s accession to the Grosse Pointe Public Schools’ superintendency began two and a half years ago. Tomorrow’s Board vote provides good indication it will be extended.

I wrote about this issue last June when Dr. Harwood received his full year evaluation and was even awarded a financial bonus by the Board.

The Board will vote tomorrow on a rare “interim evaluation” of Dr. Harwood and if the agenda introduction is any indication, the famously rocky start to Dr. Harwood’s tenure is about to become a distant memory. The Board’s agenda action item reads in part as follows:

Previously approved Board approved goals and objectives for the superintendent were also reviewed. President Joan Dindoffer requested input from all Board members and received input from six Board members. A closed session of the GPPSS Board of Education occurred on January 27, 2014 at the request of the Superintendent to discuss the evaluation. From that discussion, the GPPSS Board of Education deemed that Dr. Harwood, GPPSS Superintendent, was rated Overall Effective and Effective in each of the five performance domains: Results, Leadership, Systems Alignment, Processes, and Capacity Building.

The evaluation report is not posted online.

With an effective rating from last June and another here in Febraury, it’s looking as though Dr. Harwood will be renewed  –  a fairly remarkable result given the controversy surrounding his appointment and has marked his tenure.

The circumstances are worth noting. The Board’s configuration and politics has change substantially from the one that narrowly appointed Dr. Harwood. Two of those four yes votes (Cindy Pangborn and Tom Jakubiec) were among those calling most loudly this past summer for this unique interim evaluation, giving some indication their support for Harwood has waned. A third supporter, John Steininger, did not seek re-election. That leaves Joan Dindoffer as the remaining fourth, and she famously tried to “pass” her vote before converting it to the deciding one.

Judy Gafa remains the sole trustee remaining on the Board from the three no votes. Fred Minturn and I have both since left the Board and we had both voted against Harwood. Two of the remaining three trustees, Lois Valente and Dan Roeske, swept into the Board on the crest of anger about the vote.

Nevertheless, Harwood’s June bonus vote was unanimous and barring a complete surprise, his renewal appears a formality.

It will be an ironic scene at the meeting tomorrow should the public comments be as acerbic as the last Board meeting as residents made strong statements regarding the rumored controversy surrounding South High School Principal Matt Outlaw and Asst. Terry Flint. Strong and emotional appeals were made by Special Education advocates, some of whom openly called for resignations. The technology bond debate was subdued in comparison.

Time flies and circumstances have apparently changed, but one thing remains constant. It’s never dull.