Another school board member won't run

Ben Fischer reports:

Florence Newell, a veteran educator and one of Superintendent Rosa Blackwell's strongest supporters on the Cincinnati school board, said today she won't be running for re-election in November.

The decision was an about-face for Newell, who had taken out petitions to run for a third term earlier this summer. She joins colleague John Gilligan, who announced last week he would also be retiring from the board.

Newell said she's comfortable retiring now, because the district has improved dramatically since she began in 2000. But ultimately, she decided to quit because of her growing frustration with the board's four-member majority, which has overruled Blackwell and challenged the administration on a wide range of issues.

"The other reason, that is secondary, is that there are too many occasions when I believe this board acts as a boss instead of a governing body," Newell said.

The seven-member board is now guaranteed to have at least two new members in January.

The only incumbent up for re-election who hasn't announced his intentions is Rick Williams, but he is among 10 people who have taken initial steps to run. Also, member Melanie Bates still has two years left on her term, but is running for City Council and would resign her seat on the school board if she wins.

The board's 4-to-3 split (with Newell firmly with the 3) was most pronounced this year as the board fought over the terms of Blackwell's annual job review, which ended last week with no raise for Blackwell.

"I don’t understand why we would treat any employee the way we did the superintendent," Newell said today. "In that we didn’t establish the goals until the year was almost over, not allowing any time for her to improve in any of the areas. I think that’s what you do when you’re a boss, and I don’t believe a board should function in that way."

In retiring rather than standing for re-election, Newell makes it more likely that the current majority will retain, or possibly even strengthen, its control of the board.

But Newell said she's had her say, and that regardless of how new blood might affect the board's ideological balance of power, she thinks it could help calm the occasionally toxic atmosphere at the board.

"It could be a really great thing. In 2000, (Gilligan) and I came on in 2000, and (Williams) had been appointed earlier, and I think it was a great addition. It was fresh ideas, it was people who didn’t have a history and background, and who were more than willing to try to work very hard. So it was a different climate, so I think it could be healthy."