Carly Farrell
AMERICUS — Editor’s note: This is part one of a three-part series that delves into the past of each of the three finalists for the job of superintendent for Sumter County’s school system.
The Sumter County Board of Education (SCBOE) has narrowed its search for the district’s next superintendent to three — Steve Ballowe, Roy Brooks and Vayla Lee.
The Americus Times-Recorder has published major parts of their resumes recently. The public will be introduced to each this week — Ballowe at 7 p.m. Monday in the gymnasium of Sumter County Primary School, Lee at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the cafeteria at Sumter County Middle School and Brooks at 7 p.m. Thursday in the gymnasium of Sarah Cobb Elementary School.
No one within the Sumter County School System applied for superintendent of schools, but the Times-Recorder has discovered that Brooks and Lee were two of the top six candidates chosen by the Dougherty County School Board. Both withdrew their names, though, when they discovered the Board had chosen some of the finalists without following protocol.
This story focuses on Ballowe.
From 2001 to 2008, Ballowe was the superintendent for the Gainesville City School System, where he served 5,850 students and earned $235,000. In July 2008, that School Board voted 3-2 to end his service. In response to this, he wrote in his application to the SCBOE, “The three votes were from new board members who were not part of my original hiring in 2001, and the creation of the ‘Gainesville Model.’ This new board majority wanted to create their own program, with the ‘good old days’ prominently noted. In addition to my termination, the board had earlier ended the established leadership of the board chair and enacted a board chair of the month.” He then referred the SCBOE to a recommendation letter written by Gainesville Board Member Willie Mitchell for more insight into the matter.
The Times-Recorder has found that David Syfan, Sammy Smith and Maria Calkins were the three who voted to terminate Ballowe’s contract; Willie Mitchell and Kelvin Simmons voted not to in 2008. Syfan, a Gainesville lawyer, told the Times-Recorder, “After Dr. Ballowe was terminated by the Board, he was under a contract at that time and there was a legal issue. He took the position that his termination was not for cause, even though the school system had gone $5 million into debt and in resolving the contract, we entered into a settlement agreement to resolve any and all claims he had under the contract; any and all claims the school systems had against him as part of that settlement agreement there was basically a non-disbarage clause that we could not speak ill of him, and that makes it very difficult to say anything at all because I don’t want to be faced with a bogus claim that I violated that terms of the settlement agreement. That clause under the settlement agreement gives me little ability to say anything.”
Syfan said that he and his fellow Board members in 2008 settled with Ballowe, and agreed to give him $190,000 in severance pay. In 2008, around the time when the vote was taken, the Gainesville Times reported that Syfan had said, “The Board decision marked the ‘end of the beginning’ of the System’s financial recovery.” The newspaper also reported that Syfan said, “the Board needs to regain the trust and confidence of the citizens,” something, he said, it does not have right now.
Smith, who works at a public relations firm in Gainesville, parroted Syfan’s comments.
“As part of an agreement, we agreed upon a written agreement not to discuss the terms of his dismissal; the entire Board agreed to that,” Smith said.
Calkins did not return the Times-Recorder’s phone calls, but told the Gainesville Times in 2008 that Ballowe “cited her ‘fiduciary responsibility’ to the system and its children for her yes vote.”
But, according to the Gainesville Times, two of the three Board members who voted Ballowe out of his job had been elected to their seats in January 2008, and voted to fire Ballowe on July 3, 2008.
According to the Gainesville Times, the Gainesville City School System had a $6.5 million deficit, and Ballowe proposed raising property taxes as much as 20 percent to try to decrease the debt.
And it was a huge issue, according to the Gainesville Times, which reported that Jack Waldrip, a Gainesville Realtor, put an ad on a billboard which read, “Fire Ballowe or dissolve city system.” The message was pasted across a large, red elephant. The ad was placed just blocks away from the System’s Central Office.
The Gainesville Times also reported that many students’ parents flocked to the Board meeting in Ballowe’s defense, saying that he’d raised the test scores of minority students to “unprecedented levels.”
The Gainesville Times also reported, “The racial undertones of the conflict were illustrated by the racially-divided vote.”
The Gainesville Times’ editorial board wrote about the issue during that time. In part, its editorial reads, “We understand that school systems are facing rising costs, for everything from fuel for buses to health care benefits for employees and more. ... Gainesville’s budget deficit ... is apparently self-inflicted.
“And that has residents pretty ticked off. They want to know what happened to turn a $900,000 surplus into a $7 million deficit. That’s $8 million of the people’s money unaccounted for. According to Superintendent Steven Ballowe, a letter from the City’s finance department was sent to Angela Adams, then the system’s finance officer, in March 2007. The letter warned of lower tax collections. Ballowe says school leaders never learned of the letter and didn’t factor in the lower revenue stream when it set its 2007-08 budget. Adams says she never saw such a letter, though new finance officer, Janet Allison, apparently found it in August 2007 after taking over the new job. Of course, that was nearly 10 months ago. Why wasn’t something done as soon as officials knew of the problem? Why did the system wait so long to reveal its financial problems to the public? If the letter in question was discovered last fall after Adams left, and school officials knew that the money coming in wasn’t meeting projections, they could have acted sooner and more decisively. Freezing some expenses and jobs helps a bit, but not $8 million worth. More drastic moves were needed at the time, along with a full public disclosure of the newfound deficit. In fact, the school board actually rolled back property taxes in October 2007 to account for an increase in property assessments, even though, by their own timetable, school officials should have been aware they were already facing a stiff deficit.
“Instead, Ballowe and the school board banked on an infusion of state dollars to pull them out of the abyss. The state did provide a $1.6 million midyear adjustment, but it wasn’t enough to keep the debt from getting deeper.
“There’s also the question of an annual audit. The system doesn’t conduct its own audit each year, preferring to let the state handle it. Unfortunately, the state audit runs about a year behind, so any problem discovered by that audit has probably been exacerbated by the passage of time. Had an independent audit been done months ago, other solutions might have been considered before a massive tax hike became necessary.
“... School board leaders are all too willing to force taxpayers to bear the burden for their colossal mistake. In short, they are saying, ‘We can’t account for some of the money you gave us, so you need to give us some more.’ That attitude is, at the very least, a tin-eared approach to accountability and responsible fiscal policy. It is, at most, gross incompetence. And someone needs to stand up and take the heat for it. That person could well be Ballowe, who just last year received a new three-year contract worth more than $200,000 in salary and benefits. The size of his contract was said to be justified based on the system’s strong performance, but it still rankled some residents who felt it was excessive.
“No doubt, Ballowe has made tremendous strides in raising the city schools’ performance over the years. But that success is just one key part of being a responsible public servant. Handling the people’s money effectively is a key responsibility as well, and on that score, Ballowe and the board members have failed. They can pin the blame on Adams if they like, but everyone she answers to bears their share of it. Ballowe said he trusted Adams’ assessment of the budget, but trust isn’t enough when dealing with the public’s money. The system needs better safeguards to ensure that such a careless, incomprehensible error never occurs again. However late it may be, that audit still should be a top priority to determine just how deep the hole is. After that, the board should consider budget cuts of all nonessential expenses.
“Anything that can be trimmed back that does not directly affect students’ academic performance should be on the table. And the tax hike should be abandoned until taxpayers get the answers they deserve. It wouldn’t hurt ... if Ballowe, the board members and other school system leaders volunteered to cut back on their own pay ... until the system is out of the red. That won’t make up $8 million, but if the system is going to ask employees, teachers, taxpayers and students to bear their share of the load, the administrators need to lead the way. Despite a seemingly cavalier attitude, this is no small problem, made worse by an administration that seemingly doesn’t know what’s going on. If Ballowe’s own timetable is accurate, the system knew 10 months ago of the problem and made no public disclosure of it nor took significant steps to remedy it. If that is accurate, Ballowe and his current financial advisers can point fingers at no one but themselves, and the city school board has some difficult decisions to make.”
Willie Mitchell was one of the Board members who voted to keep Ballowe on as superintendent, and Mitchell wrote Ballowe a recommendation letter to turn into the Sumter County Board of Education. In part of Mitchell’s recommendation letter, he wrote, “In 2001, the Gainesville School Board was tired of hearing the excuses about why the achievement gap existed and how nothing could make dramatic improvements without society changing. Then, Dr. Steven E. Ballowe interviewed and promised that student achievement would improve for all students if the board and superintendent created a partnership that would focus on children. By using data, and providing a standards-based program of teaching and learning, he guaranteed that all students would achieve. The board, realizing the difficulty of change, accepted his challenge and Dr. Ballowe was hired. During his tenure, he created what was known as the ‘Gainesville Model.’ Dr. Ballowe’s guarantee that all children would improve was achieved and the achievement scores for all children in Gainesville soared. By 2008, our student achievement scores were in the top five percent of school districts in Georgia and our school district was being regularly evaluated and replicated by educators across multiple states. President George Bush recognized and applauded our schools! Gov. Sonny Perdue applauded our accountability plan and used it as a model for a state accountability plan in 2007. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle used our model of choice as a foundation for historic charter school legislation passed in 2008. The Georgia School Board Association regularly asked the Gainesville City School Board and superintendent to share the ‘Gainesville Model.’
“The State Superintendent of Education ... Kathy Cox, thousands of educators and politicians visited Gainesville during Dr. Ballowe’s tenure, leaving with high praise and often replicating parts of the ‘Gainesville Model.’ During dozens of public presentations, I always noted, ‘as the rising tide in the harbor impacts all ships from the smallest tugboat to the largest luxury yacht, rising student achievement in Gainesville improves the lives of all students.’
“Sadly, as we have observed with the election of our first minority president, many individuals are fearful when all can achieve or reach lofty goals. The Gainesville City Schools, even though our students are mostly minority, exists in a city and county where the majority of the population is white. There were individuals who did not applaud the rising tide of student achievement for all students and wanted to focus on the ‘elite’ and often a ‘return to the good old days.’ Thus, in January 2008, the original five-member board that hired Dr. Ballowe changed with only two remaining board members. During the first month (with the newly-elected board members) the school board:
1. removed the veteran board chair
2. created a ‘board chair of the month’ that proved highly dysfunctional
3. proposed ending the ‘Gainesville Model’ and proposed penalties ‘assigned by the board for any employee who used the Gainesville Model to assist any other school district, politician, educator, etc., with improving student achievement’
“Within one month, the new board removed our focus from student achievement, and we started to focus on community highlights, past friendships and the good old days.
“In 2008, Dr. Ballowe found himself having to reprimand individual board members for behaviors not recommended by the Georgia School Board Association or Southern Association of Schools, which was unfair to the superintendent. However, with our board chair of the month plan, there was no ability to control individual board members’ inappropriate actions. Even with repeated calls by the school board attorney, superintendent and individual board members to enact a board retreat and focus on board roles and ethics, the board refused. To this date in November 2009, the board has not addressed the issues of board ethics and individual members’ actions.
“Also in 2008, the Gainesville City Schools faced a financial crisis, similar to the financial crisis existing in Georgia, the United States and the world. Our new three-person board majority exploited our financial situation and placed the total blame on the superintendent. A small part of the community attended public forums on our budget and Dr. Ballowe became the focal point for blame as the need existed to raise our taxes. What was never known during our public forms on the budget were:
1. Dr. Ballowe was not allowed by the Board majority (even though two of us requested) to share any data on the budget, even to correct erroneous statements and data.
2. The local municipal government had passed tax exemptions that reduced our school revenue by (more than) $6 million annually, which was greater than our deficit.
3. That the board had reduced the tax mil, in the middle of the school year and against the recommendation of the superintendent, that reduced our revenue and defined the deficit. Consequently, when the deficit was announced, and the tax needed to be increased to the original level, the outcry was over a tax increase during this difficult financial time in the state and world.
“... Let it be known that during every public forum and his last months serving Gainesville, even while silenced by a few board members and small but vocal part of our community, Dr. Ballowe always maintained his enthusiastic attitude. To this day, he treats everyone with the respect, enthusiasm and dignity that was his trademark as our superintendent.”
Kelvin Simmons, the other member of the Board who voted to keep Ballowe on as Gainesville’s superintendent, also wrote a letter of recommendation for Ballowe, which, in part, read, “Dedicated, passionate, diligent, resolute, these words do not begin to fully describe Dr. Steven Ballowe’s education administrative character. Not only was he a vital component to the success of the Gainesville City School System, he was one of the many elements that bound and united it. His contributions to improving performance standards were remarkable and unparalleled.
“ ... As an active member of the Gainesville community for 30 years and a member of the School Board for 19 years, I have never experienced a Superintendent with a desire not only to enhance the school system, but the community, as well. Dr. Ballowe played an active role within the community, and was committed to effecting positive change. His relationship with parents and community leaders was impeccable. He was proactively involved in several church initiatives, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Newtown Florist Club. His years of committed service and community activism will always echo through the streets of the Gainesville community and the walls of Gainesville City School System encouraging and motivating others to excel and to become agents of innovation.
“Sadly, with the election of a new board, political agendas took priority over the remarkable system’s success of improving achievement scores for all children. ... The reality is that a small, but vocal, part of our community was challenged and uncomfortable with the rising achievement of all children, especially minority children. This small group seeks a return to the “good old days,” which were never beneficial for minority children. Dr. Ballowe created the ‘good new days’ that included success for all children! Without the positive leadership and focus on each child that Dr. Ballowe provided, our district is no longer applauded and recognized as a leader in Georgia. ... (Ballowe) is a beacon of inspiration and a figure of hope for the many children who strive to be excellent students and for the many teachers who dedicate their time and energy to ensure they accomplish their educational goals. He exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding leader who possesses personal integrity with a commitment to excellence. ...”
Ballowe is now the principal for Glynn Academy in Brunswick, and has been serving as such since 2008. In his application to the Sumter County School Board for superintendent, Ballowe has a letter of recommendation from former Glynn County School Superintendent Michael Bull.
According to a report from Fox 5 Atlanta, Bull was fired in February 2009 for responding to Internet ads seeking sex on his school system’s BlackBerry. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission suspended Bull from working in the state for 90 days because of this, but he regained his license in July 2009.
Kelvin Simmons, according to the Gainesville Times, filed a federal law suit in January, which challenged a state law that barred him from seeking re-election.
Because their spouses or other immediate family members of school administrators work for the school system, the law states that he’s not allowed to run. Simmons is married to Audrey Simmons, the Gainesville Middle School’s assistant principal, and has served on the city board since 1991. The law suit was filed in U.S. District Court and says the law is a violation of their First Amendment right to free association or “ballot access,” and their 14th amendment right to equal protection under the law.
