EDITORIALS

Editorial: Goodbye to Grenita Lathan

Editorial Board
Journal Star

Ultimately, Peoria School District 150 Superintendent Grenita Lathan saw the train coming, so she got off the tracks.

Lathan resigned Tuesday, a move precipitated by two School Board members, Martha Ross and Lynne Costic, who had placed a measure on today’s meeting agenda to: “1. Consider issuing notice to terminate Superintendent’s contract ... 2. Consider placing Superintendent on administrative leave ... 3. Consider taking final action to hire Interim Superintendent.” It appeared they had the necessary four votes to make that happen, with new board members Dan Adler and Ernestine Jackson — they’ll be seated today — winning election last spring largely on their promises to push for change at the top.

This turn of events falls short of surprising, though we had issues with the timing and process, all the same. First, campaign pledges or no, this was not the vote two rookies should have been making minutes after being sworn in. This also may not be the ideal moment to make a switch behind the wheel, with a budget that is hemorrhaging red ink and some very difficult decisions in an unpredictable environment needing to be made. Beyond that, apparently not all the board members were clued in that something this monumental was coming, a communication breakdown that does not bode well. These matters are never pleasant, but motivations have been questioned, as well.

In any case, Lathan ultimately spared the board this vote and taxpayers some money, to her credit, as she is leaving under a negotiated settlement described as “gracious.” The details have not been released, but we trust that to mean less than the $100,000 plus compensation for 90 days notice that she stood to receive had the board terminated her contract — with a year remaining — without specific cause.

We do hope Lathan is a better fit in her next job and next community than she seemed to be in District 150 and in Peoria, for her sake and for those in her charge. Early on she made it clear that there was a new sheriff in town who planned on laying down the law, accusing her predecessors of “decades of educational malpractice” and following that up with “I don’t believe people want District 150 to succeed.” alienating many locals whose support she’d have done better to curry. District 150 is now an island locally, with the bridges to the business community, to City Hall, to the park district, etc. pretty much washed out, though in fairness, it takes two to tango — or tangle, as the case may be. Public confidence in central Illinois’ largest school system has not been strong in decades but we’re in another valley.

We’ve heard so much about Lathan’s tough, take-no-prisoners management style from so many sources that we believe there to be truth in it. We can’t remember when District 150 had a superintendent who wasn’t something of a lightning rod, but Lathan could set off sparks like few others, with her tenure embroiling District 150 in multiple controversies — the Charter Oak School testing drama topping that list — that, whatever your side, took on a very personal nature and sucked so much air out of the room that it detracted from the district’s mission. The turnover and transfer of building principals overall — much of it Lathan’s doing but not all — have been unprecedented and destabilizing in a district that needs all the stability it can get.

Were we to give Lathan the benefit of the doubt, we might have attributed some of that to inexperience and political immaturity from a relatively young, first-time superintendent. If there is a lesson here for the School Board, it may be that District 150 is not an entry-level job. Whatever, many locals may have been willing to overlook some things if District 150 was producing superior results otherwise. Although we hear of academic gains in the lower grades, the vast majority of schools do not make adequate yearly progress, and a handful produce exceedingly poor results relative to their peers statewide. Chronic truancy is up, high school graduation rates down. The budget is not in the worst shape ever but it’s in intensive care (though a lousy Legislature has a lot to do with that).

We do not expect miracles from any single superintendent, especially given District 150’s demographics, longstanding challenges and two-fisted culture. Let’s face it, it’s a difficult place. There have been significant improvements to facilities. We hear of a more efficient central administration. Lathan cited her pride in the expanded International Baccalaureate program, the creation of the Woodruff Career and Technical Center, the teacher evaluation system implemented in collaboration with the union, etc. If she was demanding, she too faced demands — from state and federal governments, for instance — unknown to those who came before. She was brought here as a change agent, which inevitably ruffles feathers. Many may have gotten on board with her goals if her style hadn’t gotten in the way. No doubt there was another side to her — we hear as well of kindnesses to and defenses of individual students — but she didn’t allow many glimpses into that.

And after five years, we could not have recommended her retention at the end of this contract in 2016. May all involved here have learned something valuable for the future, and good luck.