An email to the Iredell Statesville School Board, from Craig Mueller:
In my 20 years of experience in leadership positions in education, I have been acquainted with dozens of school board members and half a dozen superintendents. This board and superintendent have been interesting to observe and get to know. I concur with Brian Sloan’s statement at a recent BOE meeting when he commented that when he looked around the room, he saw BOE members with tremendous talent. I might add you have potential to do great things for the students in Iredell Statesville Schools. I have become aware of many outstanding programs and educational opportunities that offer a rich and rewarding experience for our students. I am sure some of these programs have taken years to come to fruition and some have developed just recently. All of you are to be commended for the educational system you represent.
However, there are many challenges that you face. You will be presented with many that may not be able to be addressed with the mind set and methodologies that have been so successful for you in the past. You currently face challenges that public education has never faced in the history of our country. I believe it will take a tremendous team effort and some thinking outside the box to address these challenges effectively.
The Iredell Statesville Board of Education meeting that I attended October 2, 2023, appeared to be a typical meeting in which several items of business were discussed and there were no signs of discord. Consequently, it was shocking when Board of Education Chair, Bill Howell, announced that he intended to present a proposal to have Vice Chair, Michael Kubiniec, removed from his position of Vice Chair and censured for alleged comments and actions he has taken that some BoE members found objectionable. Many other people in attendance seemed just as surprised as I was.
At the October 9, 2023 ISS BoE meeting Chair Bill Howell followed thru on his plan to remove Vice chair Michael Kubiniec of his position and have him censured for his alleged actions. Charles Kelly was nominated and voted in to be the new Vice Chair, 5-2. Brian Sloan had also been nominated. The vote to censure was tabled due to Anita Kurn asking to see some evidence as none had been provided to the board about the accusations. So the vote to censure has not occurred.
The evidence that Mr. Howell presented to justify these actions included an incident in which Mr. Kubiniec did not go through the correct door when visiting a school, did not sign in properly when he entered a school, and did not get approval from the BoE and Mr. Howell to organize Constitution Day activities in several schools. Mr. Kubiniec also did a survey with the volunteers who participated in the Constitution Day activities that Mr. Howell did not approve of. However, the attorney mentioned there was no reason he could think of that the survey would have been against any policy since it was to volunteers not students.
The evidence that Mr. Howell presented as justification for taking such severe action with Mr. Kubiniec appears to be over blown and excessive. Not having been accustomed to the culture of education these could well have been innocent missteps that a newcomer who is excited about helping to bring about positive change/growth to an educational system might make. In addition, I believe the Mr. Kubiniec may have had his rights to due process infringed upon. I do not think he was given access to the charges against him in a timely fashion so that he could present his side of the case before Mr. Howell pushed for a vote from the BoE members to implement these actions. I look forward to hearing Mr. Kubiniec’s rebuttal to Mr. Howell’s accusations.
Chairman Howell stated that “the authority of a school board member goes just so far according to the laws of North Carolina. Mr. Kubiniec has taken advantage of his authority, and the board is calling him out.”
Some mistakes may have been made. However, by the drastic action that has been taken. There is a risk that the ability of the BoE to work collaboratively may have been irreparably damaged to the detriment of Iredell Statesville Schools students system wide.
Mr. Michael Kubiniec is an outside the box, forward thinking, courageous leader. He may not be a type of leader you have ever had on the ISS BOE. He may upset the culture of what has been the norm in ISS in the past. I have heard it said several times “that is not the way we are used to doing things here.” Well, if it is not the way you have been doing things over the years than maybe there need to be some changes.
Dr. Jeff James is an excellent school leader. However, he does not have all the answers. No one does. Sound ideas for educational improvement can and should come from a variety of sources. Classroom teachers, students, and members of the BOE may have outstanding ideas that can bring positive systemic change/growth to a school district.
I do not know many of the details of why Mr. Kubiniec has been treated in such a disrespectful manner. If there are personal issues that are preventing this board from moving forward in an effective manner, then you are squandering a golden opportunity. The children of Iredell Statesville Schools may suffer because of it. I have had several extensive conversations about education and ISS schools with Mr. Kubiniec. I find him to be among the hardest working, most innovative and visionary school board members I have ever met. I would have loved to have him as a member of any school board I worked with over the course of my career.
Personal issues need to be set aside. Agree to disagree on issues that cannot be resolved and get back to work addressing the need of students in Iredell Statesville Schools. They desperately need your effective leadership.
Respectfully,
Craig Mueller
M.ED., CAGS
