Hearing for Superintendant Leaves Favorable Impression
Eric Ortner
North Buffalo Rocket / West Side TimesFebruary 2000: Superintendent James Harris left his position on January 9th after his contract was bought out by the Board of Education.
In the Board's quest to find a replacement, they have hired a consultant from Los Angeles who goes by the name of Michael McCarthy. Mr. McCarthy held a public hearing on Tuesday, January 25th to determine exactly what the residents of Buffalo want in a superintendent.
It was a somewhat disheartening atmosphere, as the issue of race was raised on several occasions with one major outburst. A gentleman by the name of Ausar Africa told McCarthy that he believed a superintendent of African-American decent was required. His reasoning was because African-Americans are becoming a majority power in the city, and a white superintendent could not understand the difficulties facing minority groups.
He was rudely interrupted by another man who shouted, “That’s racist…” and stormed out of the Waterfront School’s auditorium.
Africa’s opinions probably left him in the minority though, as most people were concerned with qualifications. They sought a candidate with a willingness to tackle all the major problems that the City of Buffalo’s Public School System has to offer. It was believed that the candidate needed to have experience in a large city school district to accomplish this. Another key concern was that anyone hired needed to be held accountable for their actions.One opinion became increasingly clear in the meeting; James Harris was well liked. The audience favored many of Superintendent Harris’ policies, especially his openness to the community and his ability to create some unity in a divided district. It was repeatedly stated that a superintendent who was accessible, through programs like Thursday Night Chats, was desirable.
A few of the more than 60 participants believed that when looking for a candidate, the question needed to be raised, what created the conditions that caused the loss of Harris, and how could a candidate avoid the same pitfalls?
By the end of the hearing, McCarthy left feeling that he understood what the citizens of Buffalo desired in a superintendent. More importantly, he agreed that the qualities that the public was looking for were the correct ones.
David McCarthy made some interesting comments towards the end of the hearing. He said that Buffalo’s search for a new superintendent would be the most difficult one that he has ever had to oversee. He also commented that he has requested to The Buffalo News that they give him a break, and let him do his job.
A difficult and important job it is too. With all of the troubles facing Buffalo, and the whole of Western New York, it often seems that one of the root problems is the Buffalo Public School District.
