Steamboat Today: Smyser pledges better communication

Archive for Thursday, September 20, 2007

By Mike McCollum Thursday, September 20, 2007

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Sandra Smyser

Steamboat Springs — Sandra Smyser said her first task as the Steamboat Springs School District's interim superintendent is to facilitate communication within the district, particularly among groups with differing viewpoints.

"I understand that there is some healing to do in the district," said Smyser, 49, who fills the position vacated Aug. 10 when the School Board voted to buy out the remaining years of former superintendent Donna Howell's contract.

"I really think the most important thing to do is meeting people fast and getting to know the different people who are in the district," she said Wednesday. "It's all part of building a team and supporting the points of view people have. I think, especially when there is disagreement, people stop listening to each other."

Smyser led the Las Virgenes Unified School District in California for two years before resigning in June. She previously was superintendent of the Carpinteria Unified School District near Summerland, Calif., for five years.

"I think the biggest change for me is that I have never been an interim before," she said.

"That will be an adjustment for me. The difficulty would be I have a tendency to think long term : that doesn't mean I can't do long-term projects. I just have to know that the board is completely in agreement with me and the staff is in agreement so I know it lives beyond me."

Smyser's base salary will be $102,353, which is prorated for 174 days of a 238-day work year. Smyser's contract ends June 30, 2008.

She indicated she would use her interim year as a way to gauge whether she would apply for the permanent position. School Board President Denise Connelly said the board would begin looking for a permanent superintendent in the near future - likely after November's School Board election.

"I have just been interested in relocating, and I was obviously attracted to Colorado," said Smyser, who was a finalist in March for the superintendent position in Boulder.

"In regards to Steamboat, I thought the one-year position would be great, with the possibility it could turn into a long-term one."

Smyser takes over a district in the midst of major construction projects and booming student enrollment.

"This is an issue that I have to address regardless of the interim position," she said. "We can't sit around for a year and not talk about (building projects). I will be very involved with board and district management because those are things that need to be adjusted every year."

The district also remains divided about the controversial e-mails sent by board member John DeVincentis and a failed July recall attempt of him, as well as the dismissal of Howell.

"I'm aware there are some hurt feelings, and I think being an interim helps in healing that," said Smyser, who noted that her experience as a superintendent has shown that there is always a hot-button issue in school districts.

"The interim period gives people time to kind of work though the emotions of all the things that happened," she said. "They don't have to come loyal to me immediately because they don't know if I'll stay around. Whenever there are high emotions, it always needs time. I'm a warm person, and I think it will be easier to help move past some of the bad feelings."

Smyser added that she looks forward to engaging parents in the district's decision-making process.

"It's about respect with the parent community just as much with principals, teachers and administrators," she said.

"With good, detailed information going out to the community, they are going to know the complexities of what's going on. People will still disagree with the district at times, but they will have more trust in the decisions that are made if they understand why."

mom (anonymous) says...

sounds like pt22 reflects the last word pt22 wrote....Pathetic

September 20, 2007 at 8:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sportzmama (anonymous) says...

Welcome to Steamboat Sandra. You have an amazing attitude and you seem to have an understanding of what you're walking in to. I hope you come to love Steamboat as much as the rest of us!!

September 20, 2007 at 11:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

dreamriver23 (anonymous) says...

Matthew7_1_5

What happened to the love thy neighbor stance you generally take. Cyborgdreams and you sound like the same person when it comes to Princepallysent.

All of your talk of forgiveness just got flushed with your last post.

September 21, 2007 at 8:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

SteamboatJoe (anonymous) says...

I wish I seen the post by the soul saving Matthew. Must have had a bad morning, maybe he will be back to defend his stance.

September 21, 2007 at 9:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

elkwatch (anonymous) says...

Well it was hilarious Joe. I wish you could have read it - all about a fiendish pack of monkeys from the Wizard of Oz. Psent: your presence was like a sudden blaring horn from the past. There's only one blogger who could achieve that special mix of nauseating self-righteousness and viciousness. No, thankfully none of our school principals! All it took was a couple of mean monkeys pressing your buttons and you morphed right into reallocal at her worst. Guess I'm not the only one who noticed. Hint: it's lines like these that give you away:

"I have a moral compass and ethics so thus I am unable to understand how one condones such inappropriate behavior..."

"that speaks well of you and who and what you are. I however don't wish to cherry pick my core values and ethics so I am taking the high ground..."

Yucky yuk.

September 21, 2007 at 11:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

dreamriver23 (anonymous) says...

So elkwatch, did you read M715's post? Talk about yuk. I think you are wrong about PS being the reincarnation of reallocal. It was Matthew7_1_5's post that was removed, not PS.

September 21, 2007 at 9:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

kielbasa (Matthew Stoddard) says...

PS- First of all, I'm pretty sure Dr. D is earned his doctorate in in non-medical studies. Just because you earn a doctorate, it doesn't automatically endear you to the Hippocratic Oath. Does that mean that a plastic surgeon doing non-necessary nose jobs is unethical by changing what nature gave you?

Second- aren't you using this forum to further your agenda? If you aren't, then why are you posting?

Third- You go on to ask Smyser to "move us forward" all the while dredging up what's behind us.

I'm beginning to think that hypocrite is not the word that fits you any longer. It's now coming down to obsessive behavior. Did your Oath teach you about that?

September 22, 2007 at 10:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Sunspot (anonymous) says...

PS watch out for flying monkeys.

September 22, 2007 at 10:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

elkwatch (anonymous) says...

Psent-Oh, the Hippocratic Oath! Well that explains everything. You're a doctor! But, I'm confused, I mean, I thought you were a principal. But now that I know I understand all the ethics and morals talk. My doctor does that all the time too. I can never get him to shut up about his moral compass.

September 22, 2007 at 10:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

mom (anonymous) says...

PS...you should look in the mirror and then try your best to get a clue. I'm sure it will take time but hopefully you can do it!

September 22, 2007 at 12:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

beagle (anonymous) says...

PS - You really know how to get yourself into a mess, don't you? Now you've got Matthew 715 telling you (in his post that was removed),

"right now you have been earmarked as the whipping girl for these blogs by some seedy characters who for some reason have it in for you and the bikergirl.

i know you weren't thinking clearly when you wrote and about those who won't id themselves when posting even if you don't either. they are the wicked people who have descended upon you like the flying monkeys from the wizard of oz. yes, you thought you saw them but they were just the dt's (delirium tremens - i know you're oh so young to know about those nasties although you are probably experiencing them right now)."

He goes on but I'll leave out the part that got him in trouble. Funny how you pull D. into your last post; I didn't think anyone was discussing him. Well that's an old bitter theme you just can't leave alone, huh? Ask yourself: is this whole thing making me a better person? Why can't I just move on? Pray for help.

September 22, 2007 at 9:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )