Last week's editorial challenges the community to "Speak up now or forever hold your peace". In that spirit I hereafter make the case that the Board should be biased towards a candidate with a strong academic background and for whom education is a second career.

1. Why hire another administrative/management heavyweight? The current set of administrative "assistant" superintendents have skills as well as experience dealing with the State bureaucracy. They can provide bench help to a new superintendent.

2. There is a large gap between the District's excellent reputation and reality. The gap is in addressing the need of all students. The District excels in special education through the funds raised from the State and with the help of the Ann Martin Center. The District has made significant progress in the quality of its academic programs. AP classes are a relatively recent addition. But the gap is still large. Too many parents move their children to private high schools looking for better education standards.

3. There has been much inbreeding in hiring of administrative staff and teachers. The Albany District has been a main source. Group think is not a recipe for diversity. Hiring people on the basis that they can be kept in the fold is not a recipe for bringing new talents. The California State Code already enforces blandness through the credentials system.

4. The District's culture is centered on self-congratulation and on not making waves. The outgoing superintendent has run the District with an iron fist, an approach not one conducive to fostering high performance. Parents are afraid to criticize for the fear of retribution. Self appointed whips and real estate values keep in line parents who rock the boat.

5. The District lacks transparency and is seen as being controlled by special interests. A good example is the current survey for hiring the next superintendent: the survey avoids any probing of the Districts' and of the superintendent's strengths and weaknesses. It focuses on a person liked by all parties. Another example is the Allen Harvey Theater fiasco.

I encourage the search firm HYA to look for candidates outside the normal tracks, in particular among successful professionals and executives with a strong academic education and for whom education is a second career. The District needs a superintendent who has experienced the business world. There are plenty of accomplished professionals in the Bay Area who have chosen to get education credentials to help K-12 education.

If you disagree, fill any 8 of the 25 questions in the HYA survey and the survey results will be as programmed. Board members will then exercise the primary responsibility for which we elected them using their own judgment and without any constraints. If you want to truly influence the process and provide useful input, use the two open-ended questions.

For my side, I have now spoken up and can forever hold my peace.

Bernard Pech
As published in the Piedmont Post.