Two sides to superintendent

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Last week, Newport-Mesa Unified School District Superintendent Robert Barbot announced he would retire at the end of the school year. We asked our parent panelists, What do you think will be Superintendent Barbot’s legacy?

I’m happy to have worked with Rob Barbot over the last couple of years. He’s a take-charge, can-do guy who says that the buck stops with him. He’s clearly the leader when he’s in the room. It’s what has happened after Barbot leaves the room that has concerned me.

In spite of my being given the chance to spout off on the education page of the Pilot every week, I’m not an education expert. I’m probably an educated consumer of education, at best. I am, however, pretty well qualified in business operations and management. The business-management part of the school district runs in ways that drive me crazy.

I can best characterize the management style as “deferential.” Local managers of a very decentralized organization defer up the chain of command for most decisions. The local managers also operate with some degree of fear of making a career-limiting move as they raise issues and concerns. Classroom teachers and coaches are first-level managers, but as bureaucratic processes stymie them, they defer up to the local principals. That next level of local management usually needs to get things approved by the district and treads even more lightly around political hot potatoes.

Things then roll up to the district level, where the issue will either be deferred to the board or state, or Barbot will accept responsibility and work to address it. The board seems to have little interest in operational management, so their approach is usually to discuss the issue and delegate it right back to “staff,” who are now presumed to be empowered and enlightened enough to work it out and report back. Then it all rolls back down again through the same chain of command.

I filed a federal complaint last year to try to overcome the inertia and inaction that this type of management style engenders. Barbot stepped up, accepted responsibility and delegated the solution back down. People swung into action, some stuff got fixed, and many people talked a good game. I thought it worked. I was wrong. The Estancia soccer fields were again an unplayable mess until a few weeks ago. They’re still in poor condition. It’s now officially high school soccer season, but this past weekend the Estancia school teams could not get on their own fields to practice because the school district allowed the city to book an adult soccer tournament on the school fields.

In dealing with the situation, coaches had to defer to assistant principals who had to defer to district officials, who then deferred to the city, who deferred back to the district. It’s a fairly narrow example, but it’s absolutely typical and clearly illustrates the direct, negative impact on kids that this approach fosters. It’s not a complete legacy, but it’s what’s made an impression on me.

* MARK GLEASON is a Costa Mesa resident and parent.

I haven’t seen Rob Barbot walk on water, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he could.

On his short list of accomplishments, there is the passage of not one but two bond measures to fix and update our schools. Not only are our children learning in safer classrooms, but our property values are increasing.

He worked with the community to develop two strategic plans. The most recent will keep the district on course for many years.

All Newport-Mesa children will be able to play on safer school fields because Barbot and his staff have worked with Costa Mesa officials to fine-tune the joint-use agreement. The Mariners Library under construction took some finesse in the Newport community as well.

Aside from those gargantuan successes and others, I believe Barbot’s legacy is his positioning the district for future success. He came to the district in 1998 when morale was low following the embezzlement and county bankruptcy. Barbot’s knowledge, toil and vision unified administrators, teachers, staff and the community. Indefatigable, Barbot’s wisdom and influence at schools during the day and at school and community meetings in the evening earned him respect.

When I was a board member, we spent hours reviewing superintendent applications to find someone to replace Mac Bernd. The board and others, including the late Linda Mook, traveled to Chico to meet with Barbot and Jan, his lovely and patient wife. We talked to many people and were told Barbot was a humble man of his word. They were right. Integrity counts.

Barbot is the epitome of an educational leader who loves teaching and learning. Thrifty and wise in school finance and sensitive to his responsibility to taxpayers, he did not rule by edict but by empowering people at every level.

A friend to many, Barbot respectfully listens to all ideas, even the minority viewpoints. Often, when my former colleagues tuned me out, Barbot listened and sometimes used my ideas.

God has blessed us beyond our expectations with a great leader. Finding Barbot’s replacement will be challenging. He’s more than earned his retirement. Now it’s his turn to enjoy his family and grandchildren.

His contributions to Newport-Mesa schools will long endure.

* WENDY LEECE is a Costa Mesa parent, former school board member and member of the city’s parks and recreation commission.

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