Crowd Turns Out for New Superintendent's First Meeting; Lobbies for Wheeler, Other Causes

By Amber Lester Kennedy Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Superintendent Steve Constantino

The audience members seized the opportunity Tuesday night to lobby for their causes to a new set of ears, speaking in favor of the Academy for Life and Learning and raises for teachers. Many members of the crowd lobbied silently, wearing blue-and-yellow ribbons in a show of solidarity with Lafayette High School football coach Paul Wheeler, who announced Jan. 20 he was being forced to resign.

Constantino, 52, started his first official day as superintendent on Tuesday. He came to Williamsburg from Cobb County, Ga., where he served as deputy superintendent of schools. He established a good reputation in Virginia previously as principal of Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas, where he was first exposed to the idea that family engagement can influence student achievement. When he was appointed in December, school board members said it was his emphasis on family and community engagement that made him the best choice for the job.

Lafayette parents and students hoped to appeal to his interest in engagement by pushing to get Wheeler reinstated as football coach of the Rams. A parent complained about his treatment of a player in October, first to the school administration, then to the division administration. Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services Dianna Lindsay decided not to renew his contract, but Wheeler decided to submit his resignation instead, effective at the end of the season. Later, he reconsidered and lobbied to meet with Lindsay in person to retract his resignation; she denied his request, he says.

Lafayette parents, students and concerned citizens were not able to speak on Wheeler’s behalf because the board’s bylaws ask speakers to refrain from referring to specific employees or personnel decisions. Instead, the board opted to allow four people to plead Wheeler’s case in a closed-door meeting prior to the regular school board meeting.

The group included Charlie Marcotte, parent of current student Charlie and alumnus Andrew who now plays football on scholarship for VMI; Joseph McClain, father of a 2007 Lafayette football letterman; Brandon Fetty, a senior football player who started a Facebook page supporting Wheeler; and Nick Kepa, a junior football player whose father is the quarterback coach for the College of William and Mary. Marcotte also circulated an electronic petition.

After their meeting, the group said they shared personal stories in an attempt to show Wheeler’s impact on his players and their parents. Marcotte said the board members did not indicate their thoughts on the matter, but he said the students spoke from their hearts. “The new superintendent appears to be a real caring person,” he said. “We told him he has an opportunity to bring the school board and the community together.”

Kepa, who started as center on the team this season, said he shared what Wheeler meant to him and to the community. He told the board about a moment that stuck with him. Lafayette forfeited two games at the end of the season because of the participation of an ineligible player, forcing the team to give up its spot in the district playoffs. When he broke the news to the team, Wheeler said, “Man is defined by what he does at his darkest hour,” and Kepa took it to heart.

“When he speaks, everyone listens,” he said.

During a citizen comment period, several speakers asked the board to delay its decision on whether to close the Academy for Life and Learning, which was not an item up for vote at Tuesday’s meeting. Since December, the board has considered a proposal from the administration to scrap the alternative education program in favor of installing three student advancement coaches, one at each middle school.

Steve Vignolo, who advocated for the expansion of ALL earlier this year, asked the board to delay its decision based on two recent developments: the revelation that middle schools will soon be overcrowded again and the arrival of Constantino. “Delaying will enable him to understand the issue,” he said, noting ALL has “suffered several short-term fixes over the years.”

Two teachers also asked the board to consider increasing their pay for the first time in three years. Karen Armistead, president of the Williamsburg-James City County Education Association, said overall morale was at an all-time low. “Teachers are concerned about the future of their chosen profession,” she said. “No matter what well-intentioned words come out of people’s mouths, we do not feel valued or well-compensated.”

The community is invited to meet the new superintendent at a reception from 3 to 5 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Williamsburg Community Building.