As we predicted in various articles, the search firm of Heidrick & Struggles, hired by radical right winger and M& T CEO Bob Wilmers, came up with a pro-charter school candidate for the position of Buffalo Public School Superintendent. James A. Williams a former superintendent of public schools in Dayton, Ohio, is the product of a secretive search process. Despite this fact, his appointment by the Buffalo School Board has been described as a mere formality.

Despite the fact that Williams’ candidacy was announced nearly two weeks prior to our press date his resume is still unavailable, according to Buffalo Public Schools spokesman Andrew Maddigan.

No one seems to be paying much attention to the fact that Mr. Williams was fired from his job in Dayton because he kept the true financial state of the district a secret from the public.

The Buffalo News has downplayed Mr. Williams resume, perhaps out of fear that the public will realize that the man they are paying to lead public education in Buffalo, has not only shown himself to be a zealous disciple of those who wish to privatize public schools, but has courted controversy in other ways as well.

Here is a brief timeline of some of the more controversial aspects of Williams’ career, aspects which have not been brought up in the media, despite being fairly easy to find on the internet. Most of the information on Williams’ tenure in Dayton is taken from articles in the Dayton Daily News. We’ve included quotes from these articles in the timeline below:

Hired by the Dayton City School District in 1991.

In 1991 Williams proposed a five day furlough of teachers during a “fiscal emergency.”

In 1993 Williams was blamed for provoking a sixteen day teacher’s strike. During the strike, he brought in a mix of substitute teachers and computer time in an effort to squash the strike.

In 1994, after publicizing his candidacy for the position of the Atlanta, GA school superintendent’s position, Williams received a new five year contract with lots of incentives and a pay raise.

In March 1997, the State of Ohio Auditor’s office issued a $39,000 finding for recovery against Williams and “concluded that Williams could not document the services he was paid to perform as an adjunct professor for Wright State University’s education department between 1991-1994.” Williams refused to repay WSU.

A Willingness to Play the Race Card In regard to the State Auditor Jim Petro’s findings Williams stated: “I think these things are racially motivated.”

In January 1998, Williams pressured the school board to convert public schools to charter schools: - He “shares ideas” with Dayton’s Business Advisory Council right-wing equivalent of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. - Four “high profile community leaders” publicly support his efforts including Mervynn Alphonso, President of Key Bank Dayton district and John Fleischauer Wright State University Provost. (See Speaking Engagements)

In May 1998: - Williams pens exclusive deal with Coca Cola for 2.1 million in sponsorship fees over five years. - “The two million dollars will be used to provide more academic support for students in extracurricular offerings for students and for the athletic program,” according to the Dayton Daily News.

In August, 1998: - Another State audit concluded that Dayton City schools made $250,553 in improper payments between 89 and 95 to consulting firms with ties to convicted former Wright State University education dean Fred Gies and his colleagues.

- Since almost all of this money was federal money, the State could not order recovery. - Did the federal government ever act on this audit? If not, why not?

“The audit found Dayton schools paid money even though there was little or no documentation of the services provided. In some cases, the audit said, Dayton schools paid twice for the same services.” Not in compliance with contracts

Auditors said Gies and his associates received and spent money improperly and should repay Wright State $641,000.

“Gies pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and later served four months in Greene County jail.”

Audit also criticized Williams for “entering into teaching and consulting contracts with WSU’s education college during the same time the school district was contracting with the two organizations created by education college employees.”

Williams had reached an agreement, prior to the criminal investigation to receive $44,000 a year from the Wright State in exchange for speaking as a “guest lecturer.”

Findings for recovery of state money also filed against both treasurers under Williams supervision. Williams contested State auditor.

In March, 1999 Williams was named as a candidate for the superintendent’s job in Dallas, TX. Williams was reportedly “not happy with his contract,” which featured the same sort of accountability clauses that Williams demanded in teachers contracts.

- Eliminated in school suspension which promoted out of school suspension as a form of punishment – despite the fact that many troubled students want to be out of school and free from adult supervision.

- Again, Williams’ biggest supporters were from the business community: “Dayton Public Schools is in such bad shape that I don’t know how any one individual could be responsible for it,” said supporter Mervyn Alphonso of Keybank.

April 14, 1999 - First “conversion charter” in the State opens and six more charters are approved. Williams “estimated that charters and a private school voucher program would cost the district $10 million.” Less than two months later it was revealed that the district was rocked with an unforeseen deficit.

May 30, 99 It’s not so much the scandal that bothers people as it is the coverup. - At an April 13 school board meeting, it was revealed that what Williams and school board treasurer, Kennon Goff had characterized as a $183,294 deficit, in reality, totaled twelve million dollars.

- Was Williams hiding the sea of red ink in order to push through the charter school initiative? The timing could not be more suspicious.

- “Although the meeting was public, the minutes are stamped confidential. The minutes also note ‘Dr. Williams distributed the financial data to be reviewed and requested that all handouts be returned prior to leaving.’”

- “Why were expenditures for salaries and benefits higher than budgeted? Why was a local sheet metal company not being paid? Why were purchase orders not being filled?”

The district had made no budget cuts but quietly tapped into a rainy day fund. “…the district drained nearly $6.3 million from two funds that were meant only for emergencies and to match state construction grants.” “James Williams acknowledges part of the current deficit comes from the need to replace this fund.”

- “To be identifying that much of a problem this late in the year leaves a situation that is almost impossible to do anything about.”

- “The budget included a huge mistake- increases in salaries and benefits were not included. Furthermore, James Williams failed to make half of the 42 staffing cuts he told the board nearly a year ago were needed….”

- “Board members were asking how ‘no problem’ turned into a financial crisis that has the board contemplating cutting 416 employees, closing five buildings, jettisoning summer school, and ending year round classes.”

- Williams solution: more financial chicanery. He proposed ignoring the State Auditor Jim Petro’s order that the missing funds be restored. “I have a hunch that they’re going to break those laws just to pay their bills,” Petro said. “And they’ll get a citation from us. I don’t recommend that they do it.”

May 31, 1999:

Willams – Cool Under Fire - “James Williams leans back in his office chair, smiling and joking with reporters just a few hours after listening to a Dayton board of education member publicly call for him to be fired.”

Famous last words: “I’ll be here, I’ll be here for a while.”

- “It’s an honor for this school district to have a superintendent that other districts are interested in,” Williams said. - Williams package: annuity medical and life insurance, car allowance and other benefits topped $200,000.

- “When asked early last week whether he would be able to gain board support for the proposed school closings and other projected cuts, Williams responded, ‘The board doesn’t have a choice…We have a plan in place to fix the problem.’”

Note the use of the imperial “We.” Note the my way or the highway approach.

- “…this time, his ‘I’m-not-going-to-take-this-beating’ response to a scathing state performance audit and an increasingly strained relationship with his board members appear to pose a serious threat to his superintendency.”

- Unfortunately for Williams the buck did not stop somewhere else and he was fired by the school board.

- Williams apparent penchant for secrecy served him well when angry parents tried to vent. Under his regime their anger had little effect on policy making. “The board prohibits citizen comments at all meetings except the monthly business meeting and then only allows comments after all the votes are final.”

- Hearing citizens speak only after final votes were made was still a little too much for the board under Williams’ leadership. According to one board member, “…the board has also discussed prohibiting public comment at the monthly business meeting and relegating that input to a separate meeting each month.”

- Would the superintendent have been required to attend that meeting? We’ll never know because Williams was fired before he had a chance to block out public input entirely.

July 16, 1999 - Even as the financial crisis embroiled Dayton Williams resisted making administrative cuts. While laying off 180 teachers, Williams stubbornly proposed making only four layoffs in administration, despite the fact that the board had approved a temporary spending plan targeting 52 administrative positions. Does the name Victor Goetz ring a bell?

July 31, 1999 - Two weeks later Williams was forced to pack up his belongings and strike out in search of a new claim to mine.

“Even his backers acknowledge Williams ruffled so many feathers through the years that at last, when a financial crisis hit in May, his support was too thin to sustain him.”

That support was apparently the strongest with business leaders who saw the value in the charter school privatization movement. Again Key Bank showed much love.“ I regard him as a man of vision and courage who understands the challenges of urban education,” said Mervyn Alphonso.

“Alphonso said anyone in Williams’ position ‘should have known there was a problem’ as the district’s finances slid into deficit, but that does not change the fact that Williams is a rarity – an effective leader.”

Apparently effective leaders, in the Ken Lay mode, have far more important matters to attend to than basic knowledge of the financial health of their organizations.

Williams in Montgomery County Williams mysteriously walked away from a cushy job in upscale Montgomery County, Maryland. He claimed he was not forced out but he had reached a decision with the County’s Superintendent that he “needed a change.”

That change consisted of another soft landing, this time at a right wing charter school think tank called the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation headquartered back in Dayton. The Superintendent who was fired in the midst of the budget scandal was invited back into the charter school fold. Keep in mind that when Williams kept budget problems quiet, six charters were in the process of being approved.

His new position allowed him to expound on some of the philosophies near and dear to his friends in the business community. Williams was quoted in a white paper as follows: “There are always naysayers who do not want outsourcing to be successful. That’s why it’s important for the superintendent to lead the effort to make the partnership work and not delegate that responsibility.”

It would seem that outsourcing and privatization are responsibilities that Mr. Williams will take far more seriously than stuffy old conservative accounting principles if he is approved as Buffalo’s next school Superintendent. That’s known as “being aggressive,” in modern business speak.

Aftermath The aftermath of Williams’ tenure in Dayton has not exactly been pretty. The relatively small city of Dayton, Ohio is now host to a whopping 50 charter schools, and there are dark clouds on the horizon.

Last month a New York Times article entitled, “Charter Schools Alter Map of Public Education in Dayton, Ohio,” laid out the facts about what the charter school revolution can lead to: “Academically, few of the charter schools have proved to be any better than Dayton’s public schools, which are among Ohio’s worst. Now the authorities are warning that the flow of state money to the charters, $41 million this year, is further undermining the traditional school system.”

As the charter school revolution spins out of control in Dayton, Terry Ryan, the Program Director of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, is seeking to distance the group from the problems it helped create. “There’s reason to wonder whether our community has the human management capacity to run 50 charter schools,” Ryan told the Times.

Another somewhat frightening similarity between Dayton and Buffalo is that both communities floated massive bonds for school reconstruction. After issuing the bond Buffalo almost immediately downsized the amount of reconstruction work that the new authority would be responsible for.

Under Dayton’s agreement the State has reduced aid to the project because of the declining enrollment caused by the charter school bonanza. Dayton now appears to be stuck with two substandard school systems.

Williams appointment is still being described as a sure thing, despite widespread ignorance of his track record. School Board member Florence Johnson been charged with making sure there’s enough votes to carry the nomination. Does Ms. Johnson have a bright future in the charter school revolution? Time will tell.

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