Editorial: Temp school chief is a plus for St. Paul

The current standoff between the St. Paul Board of Education and the Minnesota Board of School Administrators raises at least two key questions: How important is it for a well-qualified, temporary school chief to have the credentials required of a full-time superintendent? And has the administrator's board been consistent in issuing alternative licenses in the past?

In this case, the school board should have hiring flexibility to keep its temporary superintendent in the job.

The St. Paul school board named Suzanne Kelly interim superintendent in April, shortly after Meria Carstarphen accepted a job in Texas. Kelly had been Carstarphen's chief of staff for three years and has 12 years of experience in education administration.

In a letter to the administrators' board, the school board said Kelly was the only person with intimate knowledge of key district initiatives who wouldn't apply for the full-time job. They said they needed a leader who could maintain program continuity while they searched for a new superintendent. And, from all accounts, Kelly is doing a solid job running the district.

Responding to the administrators' board's concerns, Kelly, a former Star Tribune journalist, switched her master's program from fine arts to educational administration and offered to complete the portfolio required for an alternative license.

Yet the administrators' group said that wasn't good enough. Since Kelly was appointed in April, the board has twice denied her requests for a conditional license.

At both hearings, members of the administrators' board argued that the school district had violated several state rules. Kelly does not hold a master's degree and is not eligible to pursue an alternative license, according to the board. In addition, school officials failed to post the position, denying more than 20 license-holding internal employees the chance to apply.

David Jennings, who briefly served as interim superintendent in Minneapolis and is now superintendent in Chaska, was allowed to serve in the job while pursuing an alternative license. And numerous other administrators have been granted waivers allowing them to hold a job for 15 months while pursuing the necessary credentials.

State statutes require districts to have superintendents who "shall hold a license appropriate to the position." However, past practice has clearly allowed variances for interim and permanent employees. This faceoff boils down to differing interpretations of the law.

St. Paul school officials say they won't "unappoint" Kelly. So it is up to the administrators' board to decide whether to take action against the district and force the board to pick someone else.