Madison school Superintendent Carlton Jenkins.
Carlton Jenkins, above, is formally resigning as superintendent as of July 28.
Carlton Jenkins is still superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District. Really, he is. He leaves his job at the end of July, though you could be excused for thinking he was already gone or, for that matter, wondering if he was ever here.
In all of the extensive press coverage of — oh, what the heck, let’s call it LeMondsgate — Jenkins’ name barely appears. Tim LeMonds, the long-time district spokesperson, was the subject of a formal complaint by three current and four former staff members who allege that he bullied them and reporters, with a special emphasis on disrespecting women. LeMonds says that the claims were investigated and found to lack merit, but now the district says that they will look into it further.
LeMonds had gone so far as to sue to keep the complaint out of the press, but a court ruled against him. So, who speaks for the district when the district’s own spokesperson is the subject of the inquiry? You might think the superintendent would speak for himself in that case. You’d be wrong. Last week a statement was released by Ian Folger, communications manager, in which he essentially said that MMSD is still taking the charges seriously and to check back with us later, why don’t you. Nothing to see here now.
In another prominent example from last year, the district fired Sennett Middle School principal Jeffrey Copeland for comments he made about a teaching candidate. But Jenkins didn’t do the firing. Instead, Copeland was fired in a letter from chief of secondary schools Angie Hicks. After an outcry from teachers and parents, Copeland was reinstated by the school board. But again Jenkins did not appear in the press to explain why Copeland had been fired in the first place, to defend Hicks’ action, or to fight Copeland’s reinstatement, or to admit the district’s mistake in the matter. He was just absent from the whole controversy.
That’s part of a pattern. In fact, in that staff complaint they describe an incident, caught on camera and confirmed by WMTV reporter Elizabeth Wadas, in which LeMonds literally stepped in between Jenkins and Wadas when she tried to approach Jenkins. LeMonds even grabbed the reporter’s microphone. So, LeMonds has been both figuratively and literally running interference with the press for Jenkins.
LeMondsgate is a serious mess, not just because of what the spokesperson may have done, but because it’s part of a bigger story about the lack of responsiveness from the MMSD about a wide variety of things. In fact, earlier this year the district received a dubious award from the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, taking first in the keen competition to be the least transparent public agency. The council wrote: “It’s rare for a public institution that depends on taxpayer support to be as awful as this one when it comes to public records and accountability. The district, through spokesperson Tim LeMonds, has become notorious for outrageous delays and excuses, prompting multiple lawsuits alleging violations of the records law. Tom Kamenick of the Wisconsin Transparency Project has said he has 'received more complaints about MMSD than any other government agency.' It is time for the district’s casual contempt for the public’s right to know to come to a screeching halt.”
Again, where has the top guy, Jenkins, been on this issue? Why hasn’t he told LeMonds he wants things to change? And if things hadn’t improved, why is LeMonds still working for the district? It’s a fair conclusion that LeMonds has his job because his boss approves of the way he handles it.
Jenkins will leave by the end of July. LeMonds should follow him out the door if not precede him. Then somebody needs to open the windows at the Doyle building and let some sunshine in for a change. And the board should make transparency and openness a priority when they hire a new superintendent.
[Editor's note: This post was corrected to note that Ian Folger's title is communications manager with the Madison school district. Also though the news release from the district was sent out from Folger, he emailed after publication to say that his involvement "in that statement began and ended with getting it out to media; I had no hand in its development."]
Dave Cieslewicz is a Madison- and Upper Peninsula-based writer who served as mayor of Madison from 2003 to 2011. Both his reporting and his opinion writing have been recognized by the Milwaukee Press Club. You can read more of his work at Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos.
