By Rob Holbert Managing Editor

Harold Dodge must have far more patience and will power than I. That’s one conclusion I made after standing in the packed boardroom at Barton Academy Oct. 17 watching the school superintendent being publicly dressed down by the marginal collection of minor league politicos known as the Mobile County School Board.

Dodge sat facing the board in a hot room with approximately 40 people standing behind him, TV cameras recording, reporters scribbling and concerned citizens furrowing their brows. Dodge’s face appeared even more ruddy than usual as he listened to the five board members offer evaluations of his performance. Perhaps he was just hot. More likely, though, he was hot under the collar listening to several of the members offer rather harsh public criticisms of his management style. Maybe being Alabama Superintendent of the Year isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Somewhere in the middle of board member Bill Meredith’s lengthy diatribe, where at different times he chided Dodge for following policies too closely sometimes and not following them enough others, I could have sworn I heard the little girl from “Forrest Gump” yelling “Run Harold, run!” Dodge looked so uncomfortable it seemed he might bolt out of his chair and make for the elevators. And who could blame him if he did?

Not that I want the superintendent to step down. To the contrary, it seems to me by most measurable standards the school system is moving forward under his leadership. Test scores are up and we’re getting POSITIVE national attention for our schools, which is like the city dump getting raves for its new and improved smell. Dodge may not be the greatest administrator ever, but nothing the assembled school board members mentioned at the hearing made me think he was doing a lousy job.

To the contrary, much of the complaining by the board made me realize what a lousy job most of them are doing, or would be doing if Dodge didn’t head them off at the pass. Their complaints seemed mostly to center around not being “in the loop” on day-to-day decisions, particularly those involving personnel.

Some of the board members expressed a desire to have Dodge call them before making changes involving upper echelon school system employees. That may sound reasonable, until you realize there are more than 6,000 school system employees and trying to gauge a committee’s desires on such changes is bound to bog things down. Besides, that’s precisely why the board hires a superintendent – to run the show.

As political theater, Dodge’s board grilling was quite a sight. Few of us would probably have the patience to sit in public and be berated by a group of people who, for the most part, appeared barely able to conceal their political agenda – giving Dodge the old heave-ho. Lonnie Parsons excepted, it seems clear the members of the board are trying to weigh their ability to jettison Dodge versus their own political fortunes.

The pre-meeting buzz had been that Dodge was going to be ousted that day, but political realities appeared to prevent that. Judy Stout – whose campaign slogan “Kids Not Politics” shall have a spot in the Irony Hall of Fame – has an election in a few weeks. One can only guess she didn’t want the popular Dodge booted before Nov. 7. The long knives will come out after Election Day.

Even after sitting through Dodge’s dressing-down, it was hard to gather any sort of real reason behind the board’s apparent irritation with the superintendent. I came away feeling the irritation had two sources: Dodge’s unwillingness to let the board micromanage, and the lingering fallout from the David Thomas fiasco.

Certainly Hazel Fournier still has it out for Dodge because of her involvement in Thomas’ swan dive from power. During the hearing, Fournier blasted the super for failing to inform her she was under investigation by the DA for her involvement in hurling $9,000 worth of Mardi Gras throws purchased with school board money. Fournier’s ridiculous anger that Dodge didn’t tell her she was under investigation, despite the fact that he was instructed not to do so by the DA’s office, is a fine example of the poor quality of the board.

Instead of whining about not being tipped off to the investigation, Fournier should ask herself why she didn’t bother to ask who had paid for the thousands of dollars worth of trinkets before she tossed them to the crowds during Mardi Gras. Maybe she just thought “throws” are free for big shot school board members.

And new member Fleet Belle’s sum total of input to the discussion was to ask a question that sounded like it came out of a fortune cookie from China Chef. (Theirs are especially obtuse.) It went something like: “Did you answer the question I asked you to answer?” Huh? Even Dodge was confused at first. When Dodge finally understood the coded question and answered no, Belle huffed and spun his chair a half turn, his flowing red pocket sash trailing after him. He might as well have had Dodge try to snatch a pebble out of his hand.

I came away from the hearing with one distinct feeling – the board wants Dodge gone because they’re scared of him. They know he’s politically savvy. He played David Thomas like a fiddle when Thomas tried to move against him. But any superintendent without some political savvy isn’t long for the world of Barton.

Between Judy Stout’s know-it-all approach and Fournier’s faction looking for Thomas payback, Dodge’s days appear numbered – and it doesn’t look like a big number. That would be too bad for our school system and its new and improved smell.

Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.

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