There’s really no surprise that with a bad state economy, practical limits on academic compensation, and uncertain school finances throughout Wisconsin, that an internal search would seem like a good idea. The Whitewater Schools haven’t done something bold, they’ve done something cautious, in looking for an internal replacement for Dr. Suzanne Zentner. Zentner was a fine leader, and she served with the added burden of following a half-decade of mediocrity and drift.
It’s not that the district lacks administrators who might serve well as superintendent (there are several, actually). It’s that the district has at least one who’s a poor choice (that’s poor choice as a euphemism for return to mediocrity). More than one insider in this town hopes for someone conventional, and supposedly safe. That’s a mistake. Whitewater may choose poorly, but will find that there’s nothing safe in a choice that inspires no one.
Yet, if the district should choose poorly, and follow a good leader (Zentner) with a bad one, they will have done so without the luxury of squandering time and money as they did with Dr. Zentner’s predecessor. There’s no margin for error, although I’d guess that for a few the only error would be choosing someone creative and clever. An empty suit will seem easier, safer, and more comfortable.
There will be no going back, though — a return to mediocrity will come at a higher price than previously. There’s an old saying that every dog gets one free bite. This district had that undeservedly free bite with Steinhaus; it won’t deserve another.
There are good candidates to be had, internally, but the odds of choosing the good candidates from the poor one are no better than even. So, flip a coin: head’s you’ve found a hero, tails you’ve picked a goat.