Ousted Cottage Grove principal running for seat on school board

By GREGORY A. PATTERSON, Star Tribune

Last update: October 8, 2009 - 11:43 PM

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Walt Lyszak was pushed out the door as principal of Park High School in Cottage Grove two years ago. Now he's running for a seat on the school board, which governs the South Washington County School District where he previously worked.

"This is not a get-back," says the 66-year-old Lyszak, who was principal at Park for 19 years. If anything, he says, it's a way of getting busy again after spending the past two years traveling with his wife and doing the things they had always wanted to do.

Blunt-talking Lyszak, a Detroit native, says he's found peace with his ouster, but still lays the blame squarely on district officials. "I used to say to superintendents, 'If you don't like what I'm doing, then throw [me] out on the street.' The last guy took me up on it."

Indeed. In the spring of 2007, the district told Lyszak he would be reassigned to a job as assistant principal of Lake Junior High School in Woodbury, or he could resign and retire. Weeks later, Lyszak was put on administrative leave and the district opened an investigation into allegations that he made derogatory remarks about one of the candidates vying for his post. Rather than accept the demotion, Lyszak retired.

The investigation proved inconclusive, but before it was completed Lyszak settled with the district for $85,000 in unused leave and other payments, resigned and retired. District officials are keeping mum on their views of the case. "We are unwilling and in some cases unable to comment on the specifics of Mr. Lyszak's separation from the district," spokeswoman Barbara Brown said.

Whatever was said, it's clear that issues had been building in Lyszak's account. He readily acknowledges complaints that as principal he favored athletic programs over academic ones, but says they are unfounded.

Once he designated $26,000 from school vending machine proceeds to pay for marching-band uniforms and more than $8,000 for choir uniforms, Lyszak says.

He admits to ruffling feathers while at Park, but says he also is proud to have mentored assistants who now are principals. He ticks off a list of a half-dozen high schools whose current principals once worked under his tutelage. "I believed we were a training place," Lyszak says.

Tough competition

Moreover, Lyszak says, he felt trapped in an unsolvable problem. District officials wanted improved test scores from Park that would match those at Woodbury High School, the district's other secondary school. Woodbury tends to have more college-bound students with higher test scores, Lyszak says.

Yet in the time Lyszak has been gone, the percent of Park students scoring proficient or better on the statewide math test climbed from 28.3 percent in 2007, Lyszak's final year, to 45.3 percent this year. Reading scores went from 63.9 percent proficient to 79.4 percent.

School district officials are hesitant give their views of the election contest. "It is up to the residents to elect candidates they feel best serve the mission of their local school district," spokeswoman Brown says.

Other candidates have expressed similar views, while worrying that publicity for Lyszak could help him in this "off year" election when voter turnout is likely to be low.

"I would want all voters to be aware of all the candidates and what their pluses and minuses are, and make the best decision," says Marsha Adou, an incumbent board member who's running again.

That appears to be Lyszak's approach as well. He won't mount a broad campaign and likely will only attend the public forums along with the other nine candidates vying for four seats to spar over issues facing the district.

"Maybe later I'll put out a few lawn signs," Lyszak says. "But the people who know me, know me. We'll just let the chips fall where they may."

Gregory A. Patterson • 612-673-7287