CLEAR LAKE – At a Clear Lake school district public listening post held this week, parents, teachers, administrators, and others voiced their opinions on the sharing of personnel and services with Mason City – with the focus squarely on the sharing of Superintendent Anita Micich.
The main point of contention in calling the meeting in the first place was dis-satisfaction with Superintendent Anita Micich. Some parents and others feel that she is not serving the community well enough, working within the 60-40 split with Mason City, where she is also the school superintendent there. She is paid in excess of $200,000 per year plus perks to run both districts.
Most teachers and other school employees – as well as some school board members – voiced favorable opinions of Micich.
Mark Tesar defended Micich, saying “you don’t have to be in the building 100% of the time to be a leader. She is leading all the time.”
Micich displayed a slide show that indicated massive savings in the district due to the sharing of her position and others (see photos below for some of the figures).
Some parents – as well as a current city council member and former educator – in attendance voiced serious reservations about continuing the sharing of the superintendent with Mason City.
Some in attendance wondered where all the savings were going.
School board secretary Lorna Leerar said that dwindling enrollment was costing the district dearly, and the savings associated with sharing were going to continue programs that would otherwise have to be cut.
Saying that the Clear Lake School District has a “proud history”, Mike Callanan said that he fears a loss of autonomy with the sharing situation, and feels that Micich may not be able to devote the kind of time to Clear Lake that it deserves (see video).
In defending herself against the criticisms, Micich told the Clear Lake crowd that “I am as devoted to you as I am to them. This is a much different community than that community. I have to think about this place differently than I do Mason City. Two very different communities.”
My hope would be that she would retire.
Why is the above video private???
@Annie-Strange. It worked just fine when I clicked on it. Are you a subscriber?
If the bottom line is saving $$, then having two leaders instead of one will cost more. We can’t have it both ways. Personally I don’t know why she wants to run her butt off for unappreciative people. We are great nit pickers.
Of course the teachers and school staff supported her. They don’t want to be on the chopping block next week. besides, she gives them everything they ask for. She should be fired for gross incompetence.
Right. She can make life miserable for these people, or make it rosy. Who would publicly call out their own boss? Who would miss a chance to score brownie points in public with their boss?
AGREED…..she needs to be excused from BOTH districts.
The district can help resolve the dwindling enrollment problem by offering rent vouchers to out of state welfare moms with a lot of kids. If every kid brings in 10’s of thousands to the district, maybe they can pay the moms rent and get paid.
Matt, I clicked on the video and it said the video was private.
I see that. It is public now.
@Bodacious-It worked just fine when I clicked on it. Are you a subscriber?
Micich is devoted to nothing but her pocket book!
She looked like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs… or a cold frosty beer in Eric’s fridge. She’s on her way to getting smushed or flushed down the tubes at this rate.