Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm of Michigan surprised many in the state鈥檚 education establishment last month when she publicly declared that she wanted state Superintendent of Public Instruction Thomas D. Watkins Jr. out of office.
Late last week, it looked as though she was close to getting her wish.
In an interview Jan. 27, John C. Austin, a member of the state board of education, said a special board meeting had been called for Jan. 29 to address the situation. Being careful with his wording, Mr. Austin said: 鈥淚f we haven鈥檛 worked out a solution before that, we would likely be seeing Tom鈥檚 departure.鈥�
Just days earlier, Mr. Austin had put it more bluntly, saying that if Mr. Watkins, who was hired in 2001 by the elected state board, did not resign, 鈥渨e would have to meet and fire him.鈥�
As of press time late last week, the schools chief, who some say has angered the governor by raising concerns over how Michigan finances its schools, was still on the job.
鈥淢y focus has been to keep attention where it belongs, on the kids,鈥� Mr. Watkins, who has refused to resign, said in an interview. 鈥淏ut some days, the attention swirls over who has the power, and that鈥檚 where we are.鈥�
Heated Exchanges
Many education observers in Michigan were caught off guard by the volley of exchanges that began when Gov. Granholm, a Democrat, was quoted in a Jan. 18 article in the Detroit Free Press as saying that Mr. Watkins 鈥渘eeds to resign for the good of the state board, for the good of public education.鈥�
The governor, however, does not have the authority to fire the chief. That responsibility lies with the board, whose five Democrats and three Republicans are elected on statewide ballots.
The issue became increasingly murky on Jan. 3 after the board鈥檚 president, Democrat Kathleen Strauss, and its Republican secretary, Carolyn Curtin, signed an extension of Mr. Watkins鈥� contract through January 2006.
Other board members challenged the validity of the extension, arguing it needed to be voted on by the full board. A vote on the extension that was scheduled for Jan. 10 was tabled and rescheduled for the board鈥檚 next regular meeting, on Feb. 8.
Meanwhile, stung by the governor鈥檚 public rebuke, Mr. Watkins fired back with a four-page letter dated Jan. 20 that defended his performance and took the governor and her representatives to task for not sharing their criticisms with him directly.
鈥淲hen [there are] charges such as those you and your staff have made, I am discredited, and the hard work being done by the fine employees of the Michigan Department of Education and educators throughout the state is minimized and denigrated,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淚 won鈥檛 let that happen.鈥�
It didn鈥檛 end there. Gov. Granholm鈥檚 press office told the news media that the superintendent, who makes $168,000 a year, was seeking a cash settlement to step down.
In an interview last week, George Ward, a lawyer for Mr. Watkins, had a different take on what transpired. Mr. Ward said that he had simply pointed out that his client has a contract through January of next year, and that 鈥渋f the state breaches the contract, they should pay the standard contract remedy,鈥� which would be the one-year salary.
鈥極ut of Control鈥�
Michigan education groups were clearly frustrated last week by the rapid deterioration in relations between the superintendent, the state board, and the governor.
Some pundits even saw the situation as a sign that it was time to revive an on-again, off-again push to amend the Michigan Constitution and allow the governor to appoint the state superintendent.
Justin P. King, the executive director of the Michigan Association of School Boards, just wants the disagreement resolved.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 certainly gotten out of hand,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 certainly enough blame to go around. I鈥檝e been in politics all my life, and I feel this kind of thing is best dealt with behind the scenes, and usually is.鈥�
The Michigan Education Association鈥檚 spokeswoman went a step further and said that the teachers鈥� union was through talking about the issue.
鈥淭his is a mess spinning out of control. We are so done with it,鈥� said Margaret Trimer-Hartley, the director of communications for the National Education Association affiliate. 鈥淭here are other big issues we need to pay attention to, like school funding.鈥�
According to Mr. Austin of the state board, who is a Democrat, Mr. Watkins鈥� undoing has been long in the making and can be tied to a lack of forcefulness in addressing low achievement in public schools, and to using the office to raise his own profile.
鈥淗e has not seemed interested in moving forward on policies that we support on reform and accountability,鈥� Mr. Austin said. 鈥淭he governor made her decision and came to the same conclusion.鈥�
Mr. Watkins noted that he had received an A-minus from the board on his most recent performance review. 鈥淧eople are guessing about why this has happened,鈥� he said of the effort to oust him. 鈥淚 just say I鈥檓 still the same guy I was then.鈥�
In his letter to the governor, Mr. Watkins also defended the education department鈥檚 work in struggling schools and pointed to improving scores in some other low-achieving sites: 鈥淭hese all can be documented, as you well know, because we personally have discussed these positive movements in state achievement, and you publicly heralded many of them.鈥�
