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Elicker addresses Chamber.
One mayoral candidate endorsed a new schools chief Thursday while another unveiled his “big ask” from Yale: to create a “premier” training program for principals at its School of Management.
Those two messages came in back-to-back appearances before the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce’s Government Affairs Committee.
Justin Elicker, one of five Democratic mayoral candidates, told the Chamber that he backs Garth Harries to become the city’s new schools chief. Harries, the system’s current deputy, is one of three finalists for the job.
The Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee has this past month invited all five Democratic mayoral candidates to appear in the 10th floor boardroom at 900 Chapel Street to answer questions. (The Chamber is not, however, making an endorsement in the race.) Thursday morning was Elicker’s turn, as well as candidate Henry Fernandez’s. (The Chamber invited a third candidate, Sundiata Keitazulu, too, Thursday morning. He didn’t show. Click here to read about a previous set of appearances by candidates Toni Harp and Kermit Carolina.)
Elicker and Fernandez spoke separately with 16 Chamber members gathered around the board room’s long doughnut-holed oval conference table in the group’s board room on the 10th floor of the 900 Chapel St. office tower across from the Green.
During his hour-long appearance, Fernandez fielded a question on school reform. That’s when he spoke of his SOM idea. Throughout the campaign he has made school reform a central issue, stressing the need for top-notch principals.
Fernandez addresses Chamber.
“In your first 100 days [as mayor], you get to ask Yale for something big,” especially given that Yale has a new president, Fernandez told the Chamber. His “something big” request: That SOM create a program to train principals and aspiring principals from around the country in how to manage schools. A “premier” program. The country’s best.
The students would do their clinical work in New Haven’s schools, he proposed. And then “all we need is five to seven of them every year” to decide to remain in New Haven’s public schools to put their training into practice.
Fernandez also told the group he’s not a “fan of corporatization of education.”
After he left the room, he was asked to elaborate on what he means by “corporatization” — and how a school geared toward training corporate managers would be best suited to train school public-school principals. (Click on the video at the top of the story to watch that conversation, which took place in the hall outside the conference room and then, at a Chamber member’s request, in a side office.)
“I believe schools should remain public,” he said in reference to the corporatization question. “I’m not a big believer in pulling superintendents, for instance, out of the corporate sector.” (New York had an unfortunate experience with the latter idea.)
As for why SOM would make the best place to create a training program — rather than, say, an institution that already trains teachers and principals, like the education school at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) — Fernandez responded: “Look, I would strongly prefer that Yale had a premier education school. It does not. I think we capture the fact that Yale University will attract the top talent from around the country. But at the same time we have to make sure that the program is built out in a way that education is a central tenet, educational leadership.”
SOM has a strong reputation in the field of “organizational behavior.” Fernandez said he envisions the program partnering with perhaps SCSU but also with Harvard’s education school or Columbia’s Teachers College.
Asked about Fernandez’s idea, Yale’s new president, Peter Salovey responded: “I know that education leadership is an area that very much interests SOM’s dean, Ted Snyder, and his faculty.”
Yale political scientist Douglas Rae — currently an SOM professor and a former top city official — expressed a cautiously optimistic initial reaction to Fernandez’s idea.
“I am more positive than negative. But to be really positive what we’d do is sit around for a few hours and say, ‘What would be better?’ And I haven’t even begun to think about that,” Rae said. “I think aspirationally it’s a good idea. But I don’t think it’s the kind of thing that the president of the university could say, ‘Well, yes,’ and make it happen in any big way. It would take somebody who believed in it with a substantial checkbook. I think you can find one. I think you could find many. But you’ve got to raise the money and shape the program — it’s not something that would happen quickly.”
He echoed Fernandez’s point about the need to bring in people with specific expertise in education: “On organizing and managing complex things, I think SOM would be pretty good. But on the intricacies of educational policy and finance, we would have to add somebody to the faculty. Probably more than one.”
A possible key player in any such program would be Garth Harries, one of three finalists (and the favorite) in the search for a new city schools superintendent.
Asked about Fernandez’s idea Thursday, Harries said he’d need to know more about the details of Fernandez’s proposal.
“I love the fact that this conversation is taking place,” Harries said. “There’s no question I like anything that expands our ability to grow and strengthen leadership in the district.” He’d also need to look at how such a program would fit into existing efforts the school system has launched to train future principals. It has been training promising potential principals in a joint “residency” program with the Achievement First charter schools, for instance. (Read about that here.)
One of Fernandez’s mayoral challengers, Toni Harp, criticized his proposal. “I just don’t see the relationship” between a business school and training principals, Harp said. “Typically in New Haven most of the management decisions are made in the central office in terms of hiring and firing. The budget is set by central office.”
In his appearance before the Chamber Thursday, Fernandez also criticized his former boss, Mayor John DeStefano, although not by name. He said City Hall has too often “gone to war” with business leaders rather than work out differences more productively. He cited the angry confrontation with United Illuminating leaders when they chose to move corporate offices out of New Haven (click on the video and on this story for more on that); and a dispute with the developer of the 360 State St. residential tower over its tax bill, a dispute that Fernandez said sent a signal to potential investors that New Haven is a bad place to do business.
Bullish On Harries, Esserman
In its meetings with the candidates Thursday, the Chamber asked them to describe their first acts as mayor if elected.
Justin Elicker responded that he would meet with all top department heads on day one, work to keep the good ones (of which he said the city has plenty), and hustle to fill vacancies. As he did at a candidates’ debate Tuesday night, he singled out Police Chief Dean Esserman as a top official he hopes will stay in the job. He described Esserman as a model manager, based in part of his observations of the chief at some 20 weekly CompStat meetings he has attended at the police department. “He’s tough when he needs to be. He rewards people and doesn’t take credit when they do their jobs” well, Elicker said of the chief.
Then Elicker turned to the Board of Education. Superintendent of Schools Reggie Mayo is retiring and leaving his post this month. The school board is in the process of choosing his replacement. The current assistant superintendent, Harries, has applied for the job. He is among three top candidates selected for final interviews this weekend. The school board plans to announce its choice Monday evening. The success of New Haven’s fledgling school reform drive hangs in the balance.
“I would be shocked if Garth Harries is not selected as the next superintendent,” Elicker told the Chamber. If that doesn’t happen, he said, on day one he would take steps to fill the job with Harries.
“Garth has proven he is reform-minded,” Elicker said. “He bases his decisions on data and best practices around the nation.”
Elicker clarified his remarks when asked about them following the Chamber event.
He said he meant to say he would seek to put Harries in the slot only if it remains open when the new mayor takes office on Jan. 1. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to [seek to] overrule the Board of Education’s decision,” he said.
He also clarified that “I can’t just appoint” someone superintendent if he becomes mayor. “I would support” Harries as the choice but understand that the school board (whose members the mayor currently appoints) makes the call, Elicker said.