BY MIKE CAPUTO
Campo, who agreed in June to serve as superintendent through the end of the 2008-09 school year, with the understanding that a new leader would be selected by then, introduced a "leadership transition plan" that includes the hiring of an in-house candidate for the position.
Citing confidentiality in personnel matters, school officials would not identify the candidate being considered, but noted that he or she is a member of the district's administration. Without mentioning himself, Campo suggested that a mentor could lead the new superintendent through his or her first year.
Calling his idea "best thinking" and not an official plan, Campo said he offered it because school board members asked for his opinion on the process. "I think my best thinking should be shared," he said. "It is my duty and obligation. If my best thinking is not compatible with what the board wants to do, then that's OK, but the board needs to take rational steps, not irrational or political steps, in this process."
Since Campo had discussed the idea in one-on-one meetings with a few trustees, it was important for him to introduce it to the board as a whole before coming back with a complete plan, board President Brian O'Flaherty explained.
As Campo answered a question from Trustee Al Semonella, Trustee Steven Jacobs interrupted with a motion to create a new advertisement for the job, to be placed in The New York Times. Campo disagreed with the motion, calling the potential expenditure "nonsense." A previous ad in the Times cost just under $10,000, school officials said.
A brief shouting match erupted between Jacobs and the superintendent, who argued over the motion. When it was finally considered, the motion was tabled until an undetermined future date.
Jacobs explained that the advertisement was important because it would expand the potential base of applicants. Also, since an in-house candidate could be considered, he said he believed the district would be protected from legal action if it designed a new ad that did not direct applicants to submit resumes to administrators who might be under consideration for the job.
"The current superintendent stayed on with the express condition that the board would seek a new permanent superintendent, and I believe that ... we owe it to the taxpayers and the kids to get the best, most qualified superintendent that we could possibly attract," Jacobs said. "This is not to say that somebody who currently serves the school district may not be that person.
"In order to know that we have attracted that person, I want a transparent process," he continued. "I want it clear that there is no appearance of impropriety - that we have done what we could to attract the most qualified candidate, and I am not convinced yet that we have done everything we can."
An initial search for a new superintendent failed last year, when two final candidates dropped out of consideration after their names were leaked to the public and were openly criticized by an unnamed opposition group. The school district spent $30,000 on the search, which was conducted by School Leadership LLC, a search firm.
Since that failed effort, the school district has been continually criticized by district residents for its inability to find a new superintendent.
In August, the Board of Education announced that a new search would be conducted by the East Meadow administration. The board approved an advertisement, which ran in the Times in October. At the time, school officials were optimistic that a superintendent would be selected by January.
But the school board has yet to weigh in on final candidates for the position. The committee handling the current search has not found a viable candidate, according to school officials.
Jacobs and Trustee Abby Rothschild-Kaplan said the search discussion should have been treated as a personnel item and discussed during an executive session. Campo responded that an executive session was not necessary unless specific names were mentioned. He noted that the search process involves the taxpayers, which makes it a public item.
The next school board meeting was scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Board Room of the Leon J. Campo Salisbury Center, 718 The Plain Road in Salisbury.
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