It’s a fair bet that the things on the top of Matthew Gutiérrez’s mind right now are where to find a good parka and how to calculate a wind chill factor. He may also be in search of boxes and newspaper.
Unfortunately, Gutiérrez, who grew up in Texas and spent his career in the Texas public schools, is reading the newspapers in Madison right now, though no doubt online, which does him no good for packing material. It’s unfortunate because the papers are reporting an unseemly spat between the Madison Black and Latino communities about Gutiérrez’s hire as the new Madison schools superintendent.
The poor guy doesn’t even start his new job until June 1. He has made no decisions. In his appearances in Madison he said nothing that was controversial or even off key. And yet he’s already in the thick of a controversy. Welcome to Madison, Mr. Gutiérrez.
Last week 13 black leaders sent a letter to the school board raising issues about Gutiérrez’s qualifications and the hiring process. The timing was odd given that it came weeks after the hire was announced.
Not to be outdone, 17 leaders in the Latino community fired back with a letter of their own in support of Gutiérrez. The guy hasn’t even had a chance to trade in his Cowboys gear for Packers green and gold and already he’s a political football.
Many of those 30 letter signers are people I know, like and respect but, frankly, that makes 30 people who look bad in this whole thing. The one person who actually comes off as a responsible community leader (not for the first time) is Boys and Girls Club CEO Michael Johnson. A prominent Black leader himself, Johnson wrote a letter to the editor of the Wisconsin State Journal in support of Gutiérrez. He pointed out that he’s had extended conversations with the new superintendent and that he’s encouraged by what he has learned.
I have my differences with this Madison school board, but the members went through a thorough and open process to arrive at Gutiérrez. Beyond that, they had access to interviews and information that the general public doesn’t and can’t because of appropriate levels of confidentiality when it comes to personnel decisions. On paper he looks qualified though not stellar. His public presentations while here as part of the hiring process suggested a kind and thoughtful man with a sense of humor, which is badly needed around here. Madison has every reason to be hopeful that he’ll do a good job.
If, after there has been time to evaluate his actual performance, Gutiérrez turns out to have been a bad hire, then we can enter the official finger-pointing period. But to raise these issues now in the cold of winter before the man has even arrived is not helpful to anyone. In fact, it’s tremendously unfair to Gutiérrez and to the school board, and it does a disservice to the kids who are going to be impacted by his leadership.
I’ve always felt that being a school superintendent is the toughest job in Madison. As mayor, what was the worst thing I could do to you? Not get the streets plowed, maybe. What’s the worst thing the schools chief can do to you? Mess up your kids for life. So, you can understand why school issues can be so emotional and contentious. There’s so much at stake.
Given that, shouldn’t we want to start by putting as much goodwill in the bank for this guy as we possibly can? He can’t help but draw it down over time as he starts to make hard decisions.
In a city full of resources and promise, our public schools are probably our most important asset and the schools superintendent is the most influential leader in the stewardship of that asset. We owe it to him and to ourselves to give him our support. And if we can’t muster that, then at least he deserves the benefit of the doubt.
