A Point of View

Gwendolyn Grant
President & CEO
Urban League of Greater Kansas City
February 22, 2008

Reckless Superintendent, Irresponsible Board

Anthony Amato was a dismal failure as Superintendent of the Kansas City Missouri School District. His fiscal practices were reckless, wasteful and irresponsible. His academic initiatives were misguided, ill conceived and fatuous. He was feckless and lacked the ability to attract and retain competent personnel.

His behavior and actions were disrespectful of board members and demeaning to children. He allegedly referred to black board members Helen Ragsdale and Marilyn Simmons as bitches. He called board member Joel Pelofsky, who has on occasion dosed off during meetings, “sleepy” and referred to board member Duane Kelly as “dopey.”
When the School Board denied his request to purchase expensive Suzuki violins for early childhood classes, he forced the kids to substitute cardboard boxes for violins. That is demeaning and psychologically destructive to the esteem and development of underprivileged children.

For any or all of these transgressions the school board could have and should have terminated him for cause. After a comprehensive evaluation, two independent audits, and several retreats, they surely had documentation of Mr. Amato’s malfeasance. There is no question that he should have been fired and sent packing without a taxpayer financed golden parachute.

Unfortunately, our esteemed school board chose to remove him from the position of Superintendent and, in effect, give him the “no work required” position of special advisor to the school board – the same school board that he repeatedly referred to in disparaging and disrespectful terms. Moreover, they are paying his full superintendent’s salary, providing him a car, paying travel expenses and full benefits. Although he does not have an office at district headquarters and is not required to show up on a daily basis, he is required “to be available” to the school district on a full-time basis. Unbelievable!

Paying and spending more than a quarter of a million dollars for an ineffectual and cancerous former superintendent to give little, if any, “special advice” is a shameful waste of taxpayer dollars. It was an opprobrious act of fiscal irresponsibility for the school board to buy out the contract of a fiscally irresponsible superintendent.

In the past I have criticized Board President Dave Smith for his poor judgment, inept leadership and lack of commitment to substantive and quality education for urban students. There is no doubt he has failed to live up to the high expectations of his constituents.

However, with regard to the de facto buy out of Mr. Amato’s contract, the entire board has earned our enmity and disdain.

While I do not join the chorus calling for a State takeover or a mayoral appointed board, some form of community-based intervention is warranted. The current board collectively lacks the judgment to properly govern the school district.