http://66.225.205.104/GC20110609.mp3
CMS Board Chairman Eric Davis wishes that Superintendent Peter Gorman was sticking around, but says his resignation now presents an opportunity to reflect on how change has been implemented. Davis says Gorman has put CMS in the right direction, but it's been a stressful process. "It unfortunately continues the cycles that we suffer from that we burn out good superintendents faster than we can burn a song on a CD," Davis said Davis was a guest Thurday on WFAE's Charlotte Talks. He's been Gorman's biggest supporter on the board in implementing the early stages of a pay-for-performance plan for teachers, and last fall's decision to close 11 schools. Now, Gorman is set to leave August 15th after five years on the job. His predecessor left after three years. Board member Trent Merchant notes that many of Gorman's top administrators had moved on to superintendent's jobs in other districts. "His tenure had begun to feel like a second term presidency." Merchant says the search for a replacement should include the public. He says the process can be use to help heal community wounds that developed over budget cuts Gorman recommended and some of the controversial policies he championed. But that doesn't mean those decisions should be reversed. "I think the community would make a grave mistake if they viewed this as a chance to undo the last five years," Merchant said. Board members generally agree that momentum has slowed for a pay-for-performance plan for teachers, which relies in large part on more standardized testing. Pamela Grundy of the group Meck Acts says Gorman's resignation gives CMS administrators an opportunity to rethink how they're implementing the program. "I think that stopping the pay-for-performance process, taking all that additional stress off the teachers is likely to help things in the short run because of the morale and because of the wear and tear that testing took, particularly on elementary schools," Grundy said. Even Gorman said he had regrets over how he rolled out the pay-for-performance testing. The future of pay-for-performance could hinge more on the upcoming school board elections more than the next superintendent. So far, Gorman's plan has the support of five of the nine board members. Two of those five supporters are not running for re-election.