Rainwater draws mainly praise
10:37 PM 2/22/04
Doug Erickson Education reporter

He's a husky former football coach from the South who has won over many a finicky Midwestern progressive. <

And as Art Rainwater marks five years this month as superintendent of Madison public schools, his job security is intact and his popularity seemingly is still strong. <

There are cracks, to be sure. Public opinion of his performance is less glowing than a few years ago, and he no longer enjoys the uncritical backing of all School Board members. Ruth Robarts is most disapproving, questioning whether he's a good fit. <

Yet a majority of board members strongly support him. <

"He's got this good ol' boy flair but he's adapted to the quiche liberals in Madison," said Juan Jose Lopez. <

Rainwater, 61, an Arkansas native whose drawl makes "child" a two-syllable word, said he loves his job most days and hopes to end his career here in four or five years. He said he has kept the commitment he made to the board that hired him - he would not leave unless fired. Despite interest from head-hunting firms, he has never applied for another job, he said. <

Rainwater came to Madison in 1994 as deputy superintendent, leaving his job as special assistant to the superintendent of the Kansas City (Mo.) School District. He became interim superintendent in the spring of 1998 when his predecessor, Cheryl Wilhoyte, left amid gathering storm clouds. The teachers union, in particular, was eager to see her 5-year tenure end. <

Wilhoyte now lives in the Washington, D.C., area and is a strategic planning consultant for the Mobile County (Ala.) Public School System. <

Rainwater was hired for the permanent job by a rare 7-0 board vote in February of 1999. <

Most board members say Rainwater has done exactly what was asked of him: improve relations with the teachers union; restore credibility with the business community; and focus on the board's goals in reading, math, attendance and minority achievement. <

"We're making progress in areas that we've never been able to make substantial progress in before," said five-term board member Carol Carstensen. <

Six of seven board members say largely flattering things like that. That leaves Robarts. "I'm in the uncomfortable position of thinking he was a good fit for a number of years but not a good fit now," she said <

She has three main gripes. The board wants the district to forge more partnerships with community groups, she said, yet Rainwater opposed a bilingual charter school and is against the Wexford Ridge Neighborhood Center building a facility on district land. <

He has failed to lay out a clear budgeting process that gives board members and the community real choices, Robarts said. Instead, the board continues to pass compensation packages the district can't afford, forcing the prospect of annual referendums. "I don't want to see a taxpayer revolt that the schoolchildren have to pay for," Robarts said. <

Her third complaint concerns his leadership style. "The main criteria for an idea is whether Art likes it or not," she said. "If he doesn't, you'd better shut up about it." <

This has led to a centralized, top-down approach that freezes out the kind of give-and-take among employees that board members need to hear, Robarts said. Colleague Ray Allen agrees with her on this point. <

"This district has become superintendent-driven," Allen said. "He's centralized control too much, and that has stymied innovation and creativity." <

Both Allen and Robarts place the blame largely on a weak board. "I don't think we set the expectation level high enough for Art and the administration, but that's not Art's fault," Allen said. Rainwater is doing a reasonably good job, he said. <

Even Robarts stops short of saying he should be replaced. "The disruption caused by a sudden change in superintendents is never a good thing," she said. "I want him to succeed." The board must set higher standards and more vigorously evaluate his performance, she said. <

Other board members are much more complimentary, saying Rainwater quickly responds to information requests, is accessible to the public, doesn't hold grudges and gives people honest, straightforward answers. <

"I feel totally trusting of him," said Board President Bill Keys. <

Rainwater said he is in no way opposed to community partnerships, listing existing ones with UW-Madison and Group Health Cooperative, among others. He said he would have been derelict had he not pointed out the cost of the charter school proposal and the potential long-term complications of leasing land to a neighborhood center. <

Asked whether his grip on staff is too tight, he said, "I would not tolerate yes-men. They are all very strong individuals. They are all people who are experts in their fields. They feel perfectly free to express themselves. But do we reach agreement and go forward as a unified group? Yes, we do. I don't apologize for that." <

Glendale Elementary Principal Carol Heibel said she has no problem being blunt with Rainwater if she disagrees with him. She thinks Rainwater's pledge to remain here until he retires has boosted staff morale. <

"He's not using this position as a stepping stone," she said. "We know that when he proposes something, it's not going to be a fad." <

In his off hours, Rainwater tends toward quiet pursuits. He is most comfortable immersed in books, reading everything from military histories to Harry Potter. He and his wife, Marcia, a teacher in Verona, are season-ticket holders to UW men's basketball games, take an annual ocean cruise in the summer and enjoy visiting their two daughters and three grandchildren in Kansas. <

Rainwater's opposition to the charter school and Wexford Ridge proposals has dimmed his appeal for some residents, and a contract fight with staff at La Follette High School has made him unpopular there. But interviews with more than two dozen people at recent school events found mostly positive feedback. <

"This is a very political city," said Laurie Beardsley, a Glendale Elementary parent. "There are a lot of parents who are vocal about what they like and don't like. I think he's done a good job under difficult circumstances." <