BY KRISTA RAMSEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

It does not seem so long ago that J. Michael Brandt was named superintendent of Cincinnati PublicSchools.

At the time, he was something of a dark horse, this down-to-earth, one-of-the-guys principal who took care of business at Woodward High School, but did not seem an obvious candidate for the district's top job.

But when it was his - after a memorable job interview in which he refused to beg for the position, but instead offered his services - he stopped being one of the guys, but kept on taking care of business. Now it is his greatest legacy.

Back in 1991, Cincinnati PublicSchools was one mammoth remodeling job. Mike Brandt made an exceptionally good construction foreman. His job was to shore up the foundation. Take the weight out of the arching structure by cutting administrators. Determine which programs were load-bearing walls and knock out the rest. Cut the frills and bring the project in on budget. Mike Brandt was the right guy for the hard hat.

There is little argument that he set some things right, and little doubt that it took courage to do it. While it is probably true that he was never the true architect of the project - that influential community leaders exerted behind-the-scenes influence - Mr. Brandt certainly knew his part and played it well.

And said, from the start, that he would know when it was time to go.

New skills needed

Now, evidently, that time has come. Mr. Brandt will retire in July. The task of naming a successor reminds us of Mr. Brandt's own hire. It has to be the right - although not necessarily most obvious - person for this phase of reconstruction.

The new superintendent will need a different set of skills. The work at hand now is finishing work. Foundations are important - finances, contracts, administrative flow charts - but the only thing that finally matters with schools is what goes on inside.

And inside, there's much to do.

It seems impossible that so much activity could emanate from a school system while achievement scores remain so miserably low. The district's 50 percent dropout rate is disheartening and disgraceful.

Cincinnati schools need someone who will agonize over those numbers - who will lie awake at night worrying, not when to run the next levy, but how to make sure that the children of Cincinnati can read, analyze, debate, divide, estimate, deduct and create. It must be a person who has a passion for these matters, who will simply have it no other way.

The new superintendent needs the heart of a great reformer, and the tongue of an evangelist. What Cincinnati schools have always lacked is someone with missionary zeal, who will excite this city with a vision of what the district can do, who will set hearts on fire for schools that love and nurture children.

Mike Brandt came into the office with great energy for reforming systems. He liked working on the structure, moving the pieces and analyzing the personnel. The person who next holds the office must have the heart of a teacher. She or he must be a curriculum junkie, immersed in the knowledge of how children actually learn, what methods help them do it.

And this must be a person who loves children so much that to fail to serve them would mean leaving his or her life's mission unfulfilled.

Rosa Blackwell, an assistant superintendent, has been mentioned for the job. She has the right fire in her soul, and is not easily denied. Another excellent local choice is Sandra Sommer, former principal at Sands Montessori, now principal at Mariemont Elementary. She is child-centered, no-nonsense, smart and tough.

Nationally, there is no deep, teeming pool of good candidates for urban superintendencies. In the last five years, a significant number have left for private industry. Strong people can be found, but only after a hunt.

Gary Marx, senior associate executive director for the American Association of School Administrators, says fewer people are applying for large superintendencies. Of those, he says, there are some who should lead city schools, and some who would simply like to.

May the Cincinnati school board understand the difference. Krista Ramsey's column appears on Saturdays. Write her at 312 Elm Street, Cincinnati 45202.

RAMSEY ARCHIVE