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Mar. 3, 2010
By Stephen Schmidt
NORTH LIBERTY LEADER
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City High sophomore Jacob Ferguson sits with fellow students and holds a support Mark Hanson sign at the school board meeting on Feb. 23. Ferguson said the testimonials Hanson received during the evening made him appreciate the departing principal more than he had before.
(Stephen Schmidt) |
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IOWA CITY- Last Tuesday, after convincing the Iowa City School Board to consider the matter further, supporters of City High Principal Mark Hanson waited for nearly an hour to see if their efforts had kept him in the district.
When the school board returned to the table after their deliberations, the audience hushed.
"It's like watching the jury come in," someone joked.
They didn't get the verdict they wanted.
At its Feb. 23 meeting, the Iowa City School board voted unanimously to accept Hanson's voluntary resignation, which he had formally submitted a little over a week earlier. Last September, Hanson announced to City High faculty that he would not be returning to the district after this school year, but neither the school district or Hanson have publicly discussed the reason why since then, citing the legal need for privacy in personnel matters.
This reasoning has done little to placate angry parents who, at the school board meeting, demanded to know why Hanson was leaving the district. They suggested that Hanson perhaps had been punished by the district because he had criticized the administration in a letter last year to the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
In all, more than 70 parents and students showed up in support of Hanson, asking the board not to accept his resignation. Phil Hemingway, the father of a City High student, presented the board with 683 signatures from parents, students and faculty lobbying for Hanson to stay.
When the board announced its decision, some people booed or talked angrily as they exited. Hemingway, sitting close to the front of the room, stood up and faced the board.
"Well that makes it an easy next election," he said loudly, before walking out.
It was a disappointing end to what an hour earlier had seemed like a victory for the Hanson partisans. Before the decision, parents and students alike lined up one-by-one for testimonials in support of Hansen, arguing that Hansen's departure would hurt the community at a time of great change.
Some parents, such as Collins Byrd, whose daughter attends City High, became emotional as they spoke about Hanson's support of the City High community, including Hanson's seemingly tireless attendance at school events.
"He is a wonderful man," Byrd said, tearing up at the end of his plea. "Do what you can to keep this man at City High"
The speeches seemed for a moment to have an effect on the board, as board member Toni Cilek moved to remove the item for the consent agenda for further discussion. Legally the board could have discussed the matter during the meeting. However, Hanson had requested any discussion of his employment be done in private, so the board left its table to hash out the matter elsewhere. Upon hearing this decision, the crowd erupted into applause.
An hour and a half later, City High junior Patrick Dolan had trouble finding words to describe his disappointment that Hanson would be leaving City High.
"I'm enraged, I'm in shock," Dolan said. "I don't think what happened was right. I don't think it was the way the system is supposed to work"
Hanson will leave the school district after having been City High's principal for nearly 10 years. He joined the district after coming from Burlington High School in 2001.
Energy efficiencies to save money
In other board news, Paul Bobek, the district's executive director of administrative services, told the board that the district has already found $10,000 worth of savings through better energy efficiency, and there is the potential for more.
"We're looking for at least a $20,000 in energy savings," Bobek said.
Bobek said the savings would be developed from a variety of cost savings options, from turning off lights to eliminating unnecessary appliances. He said the district will also look to find additional savings in areas such as mileage reimbursement.
Based on current projections, the district will have to cut anywhere between $1.2 and $3.9 million to balance next year's general fund budget. Superintendent Lane Plugge already outlined a suggested list of cuts for the board to consider, but the board did not discuss the budget any further during the meeting.
The board's next meeting on March 9 will feature continued discussion of the budget, as well as more insight on the redistricting process and the search for a new superintendent.
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