-Jennings is board's head.

By Allie Shah- Staff Writer

Published September 24, 2003 in the Star Tribune

In a surprise move Tuesday, the Minneapolis school board named former state legislator and business leader David Jennings superintendent of the state's largest school system.

The decision to enter into contract negotiations with Jennings, who oversees the district's operations, came during a school board retreat - the first time the board had publicly discussed its search for a new superintendent.

Jennings told the school board that he would ``gladly and proudly'' accept the challenge and responsibility of running the Minneapolis public schools. Pending successful negotiations, the board is expected to vote on a contract within 30 days.

Jennings, 54, will succeed Carol Johnson, a veteran inner-city educator who is leaving after six years to lead the Memphis School District. Her last day in the office was Friday, and Jennings was supposed to become interim superintendent Oct. 1.

But in the seven weeks since Johnson announced she was leaving, board members said, they realized that the best candidate for the job was right in front of them.

That, coupled with the prospect of spending up to a year and perhaps $50,000 to conduct an exhaustive search at a critical time, persuaded them to offer the job to Jennings.

The legislative session begins in January, and the district is in the middle of tense talks with its teachers union over a new contract. Board members said they feared that a long absence of permanent leadership would be bad for staff morale.

``We want to stay on the path we're on because we feel we're moving in the right direction,'' said school board Chairwoman Sharon Henry-Blythe. ``At this point in the development of the district, I think the leadership that David can provide can really serve us well.''

Breaking the mold

With his knowledge of the school system and his political and financial savvy, Jennings is viewed as a powerful advocate for public education and Minneapolis public schools at a time when many in the district feel under siege by national and state lawmakers.

In the past three years, the district has slashed $85 million from its planned spending, and more cuts are expected this year.

Meanwhile, the district has registered incremental test score gains but hasn't made consistent or substantial progress in increasing graduation rates or in improving achievement for students of color - a majority in the district.

Jennings has played a large and highly visible role in navigating the district through choppy financial waters and a shifting political landscape since he was hired as chief operating officer in January 2002.

A past speaker of the Minnesota House and former chief executive of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and onetime candidate for Minnesota governor, he doesn't fit the typical mold of a superintendent. He is not an educator and he doesn't have a Ph.D.

On Tuesday, he said he'd look to hire someone with the education expertise he lacks to assist him as chief academic officer. He said he doesn't have anyone in mind. It could be someone from outside or inside the district, he said, but it must be someone he can trust.

``Public schools and Minneapolis public schools in particular are inherently controversial,'' he said. ``Every second-guesser in the state finds you fair game. In that environment, you really need to have people around you with whom you share more than just common ideas.''

Minneapolis school leaders' decision to hire someone who is not a professional educator is part of a national trend that has seen people from a variety of professional backgrounds serving as superintendents. Jennings would be the second noneducator to be superintendent in Minneapolis.

The district drew national attention when it hired Peter Hutchinson and his consulting firm, Public Strategies Inc., as superintendent in 1993. He and his firm ran the district until Johnson was appointed in 1997.

Since then, urban superintendents have included retired Army Maj. Gen. John Stanford in Seattle, a former Marine colonel in New Orleans and a former U.S. district attorney in San Diego. Some of those noneducators have been quite successful as school leaders, said Henry Duvall, communications director for the Council of the Great City Schools in Washington, D.C., which represents large urban districts.

``John Stanford was no educator, but he was very successful in rallying people around education in that city,'' Duvall said. Effective nontraditional superintendents have plugged the gaps in their academic credentials by appointing deputies with strong academic qualifications, he said.

Partly because national searches can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and because urban superintendents tend to have short tenures - the average leader stays less than three years on the job - more urban districts are looking inside for leaders, according to Duvall.

``Those officials know the system,'' he said. ``Usually they've had a strong superintendent and they pass the baton on to one of the officials in the superintendent's cabinet to keep the gains going. Why not save money, look inward and tap someone who can take the reins?''

A different face

The new leader of the Minneapolis public schools shares the same value for public education as his predecessor but brings a different style. Johnson exhibited a soft touch with the community, seeking to relate with people on a personal level and appearing visibly pained when announcing a school closing or listening to a parent upset with the district. Jennings' plainspoken manner and use of humor to lighten a dark moment will be tested during the challenging times ahead.

``I will be called upon to make hard choices, and those choices will be very controversial,'' he said.

Just looking at the long list of district challenges recorded during the brainstorming session of Tuesday's retreat, he said he saw some common themes that need to be addressed. A big one, he said, is the disparity in academic performance between poor children and those who are well off financially, and between students of color and white students.

``A lot of those other challenges would go away if we tackled that one,'' he said.

He plans to talk to board members about the issue, and to discuss whether the district should realign its efforts around reducing the gap in a way that doesn't compromise the learning of high-achieving students.

How long Jennings will remain the face of the Minneapolis public schools is anybody's guess. He said Tuesday that he will stay as long as he thinks he can make a difference. ``It's a job worth doing.''

Staff writer Mary Jane Smetanka contributed to this report.

Allie Shah is at ashah@startribune.com.

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