Dr. John Gratto seems to have run afoul of another school board he's working for, and some lessons for all boards, administrators and residents have emerged from it.
Many readers will recall Gratto, particularly those in the AuSable Valley School District. He was superintendent of schools there from 1988 until 1998, when he was fired over several issues, the most highly publicized being his failure to complete performance reviews for personnel under him. He and several members of the School Board and community had been adversarial toward each other for years.
He next worked as superintendent at the Brittonkill School District outside Troy, but he said he wanted a bigger district. He then was hired as superintendent at Ballston Spa Central School, near Saratoga, but his contract was not renewed in 2005.
Next came a stint as assistant superintendent at Windham Ashland Jewett Central School in the northern Catskills, as his "stock had gone down" at Ballston Spa, but he still yearned to be superintendent. So he applied for a job as superintendent of Sag Harbor School District on the western tip of Long Island and got it. Now the community, having learned of his spotty record, is demanding to know how he got hired without citizen consent, or at least consultation.
At a contentious meeting of the Sag Harbor School board last Monday night, Gratto tried to reassure teachers and residents that he was the man for the job in spite of an acknowledged inability to get along with other boards. He called AuSable Valley's "malicious" and driven by an exaggerated emphasis on expense. He lamented that he'd had little support from the Ballston Spa Board. At Windham, he said, he had no problems except he missed having the top job.
According to the Web site Hamptons.com, which covered the meeting, Gratto was peppered with questions concerning his background and previous employment. The board that hired him was told by several people in the audience that it had badly failed the community.
Therein lie the lessons. On June 5, a meeting had been held at which the audience protested the announcement that Gratto was to be the next superintendent. The board was accused of acting unilaterally and without any consultation with people with a stake in the district.
The board argued that it didn't travel to other districts to talk with former employers because it would have been costly. Bringing teachers into the process would amount to letting employees help decide who their boss was to be. Gratto had been hired because of his broad experience and good ideas.
But it was clear that the community was not happy with Gratto or, more importantly, being excluded from this important decision, especially in view of Gratto's consistently inconsistent record. The people want to be kept apprised of deliberations and decisions.
In deciding crucial public issues, closed rooms are a poor substitute for fresh air.
Opinion
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