In the two years he has headed Baltimore's schools, Chief Executive Officer Andr?s Alonso has demonstrated a remarkable sure-footedness in navigating the political landscape. But his apparent acquiescence in the appointment of Brian Morris as deputy CEO, through a closed-door process in which the school board gave its now former chairman an unadvertised position in the district's central office and a salary of at least $175,000 a year, is a major blunder. It suggests an arrogant indifference to the appearance of impropriety that fundamentally diminishes public trust in the system and undermines the significant progress Mr. Alonso has made in cleaning up a system famous for cronyism.
Mr. Morris may be the most qualified person in the world to serve as Baltimore's deputy superintendent. He may be the most honest and ethical, too. But the process by which he was selected most emphatically was not. The job, which didn't exist prior to Mr. Morris' selection, was never posted publicly, and no other candidates were considered despite its importance as the second-most-powerful position in the system. One would expect filling such a post to generate a well-publicized nationwide search for applicants with extensive educational and administrative experience. But the board's appointment of Mr. Morris, who by his own account has few credentials as an educator beyond his six-year tenure as board chairman, came almost as an afterthought to a session of otherwise routine business.
The board's actions cast an ethical cloud over the school department that will not easily be dispelled. As school board chairman, Mr. Morris was technically Mr. Alonso's boss, one of the people who evaluated the superintendent's performance and set his compensation. For the superintendent to turn around and hire the person he was reporting to hours earlier makes it look like an exchange of favors that has nothing to do with Mr. Morris' qualifications. Even if Mr. Alonso were to backtrack completely and reopen the hiring process, Mr. Morris' selection would look like the fix had already been in.
Mr. Alonso's office insists there was nothing unusual about not posting the new position because other top department jobs have been filled the same way. But those jobs were already part of the department's long-standing administrative structure; this one came out of the blue in a way that made it look like the board was granting one of its own members a plum job in the department it oversees. The mess is reminiscent of former Gov. Parris N. Glendening's attempt to get his appointees on the University System Board of Regents to make him chancellor. Except the regents had the good sense not to do it.
A spokesman for the superintendent said quick action was needed because the greatly reduced staff at school headquarters faced urgent deadlines in getting an array of new administrative support structures up and running before the next school term opens. Mr. Morris, the spokesman said, knows the structure Mr. Alonso is putting in place better than anyone.
If so, Mr. Morris would surely have stood out as an applicant for the job in a fair and open process, one that should have commenced only after he resigned from the board. The fact that he didn't bother stepping down until the morning of the vote shows that he, the board and Mr. Alonso don't get why their actions fail the smell test. One can only hope they realize the mistake they have made before it further damages the prospects for reform of the city's schools.
