How not to handle a situation

Some situations will always be difficult.
But there’s always a right way and a wrong way to handle them.
And how we handle them speaks volumes about our character.
Take the case of a school corporation not too far away.
Inevitably, friction develops between school boards and administrators. It goes with the territory.
Any experienced superintendent will tell you they know their tenure is limited, they know that trust will erode, they know visions for the future that had been shared will diverge.
So it wasn’t surprising when this particular board and superintendent started to go in different directions.
The superintendent had led the corporation through a challenging construction project and had seen student performance improve. The superintendent was well thought of by teachers and parents; there was a sense that folks were operating on the same page.
But at the same time, the superintendent wasn’t meshing with coaches and the athletic community. The superintendent believed in openness and transparency, which made some board members uncomfortable. And the construction project, though needed, caused a bump in taxes that some resented.
In other words, it seemed that the inevitable parting of the ways was approaching.
That became even clearer when the board chose not to renew a rolling three-year contract that’s common among school superintendents. (The job of superintendent can be such a lightning rod that most require a three-year contract renewed annually in order to provide a little job security.)
Fair enough, the superintendent saw the writing on the wall and knew time was running out. So a message was sent out informally to board members that the superintendent would retire when the contract expired at the end of the next school year.
It was the equivalent of an amicable divorce. A difficult situation was being handled as congenially as possible.
Except that a few members of the board had other ideas.
With the contract winding down and retirement on the horizon, the board decided an amicable divorce wasn’t possible.
For reasons that can only be described as petty and vindictive, the board felt it was necessary to vote not to renew a contract a year from now when the superintendent had already delivered plans to retire. This week, the superintendent announced she had found another job in southwest Indiana.
It was a slap in the face.
It was uncalled for.
And it was small.
And it spoke volumes about the board’s character deficit. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]