nwasianweekly.com
Oct. 28, 2006

Manhas improved school district

Three years ago, Raj Manhas had the courage to tackle one of the toughest jobs in the state. School superintendents come and go quickly in Seattle, and many leave under a cloud of criticism and controversy. Manhas, who announced his resignation earlier this week, won’t be an exception.

But we credit the man who became the scapegoat for the district’s problems. Manhas saved the district from disaster when, in just three years, he turned a $35 million budget shortfall into what is now a $20 million reserve. Some people didn’t like that he had no experience in education — he has a master’s in industrial engineering and has held management positions in the banking industry and the City of Seattle — but his financial smarts came in handy. The district is now financially sound, thanks to Manhas.

Given the district’s budget crisis, he was the right man for the job. But not everyone feels that way, especially since he began proposing plans to shut down and combine underutilized schools to help close the budget gap.

We can point to one mistake he made during his short tenure: Manhas underestimated the opposition from parents, board members and the larger community. As a numbers guy, he saw the closures necessary to the livelihood of the Seattle schools. But he must have made a miscalculation when it came to how loud and vehement the criticism would be. Emotions got the best of many parents at last week’s school board meeting, where racial epithets were hurled at the Indian-born Manhas and one man was arrested for trespassing and harassment.

But Manhas was correct about the need for closures. The fact is, student enrollment is falling in the Seattle Public Schools. The underutilized facilities are running up costly utilities and maintenance bills for the district. Since 1989, not a single public school in Seattle has been closed. Shutting down certain facilities could save the district millions every year.

It wasn’t the easy or popular decision for Manhas to make. But as superintendent of an unstable district, he was forced to take the risk. After all, if you try to please everyone all the time, nothing will ever get done.

The yelling, screaming and personal attacks will undoubtedly start up again in regards to school closures. When that resumes, community members should stop and ask themselves: How am I going to find more students to fill all those empty classrooms? If I can’t do that, then am I, as a taxpayer, willing to pay the costs?
Shout all you want, but it will do no good if you can’t bring in income for the district.

The last few years have not been easy for Manhas. He has endured all kinds of scrutiny and verbal attacks from the community, school board and media, all the while working 13 to 15 hours a day, sometimes seven days a week. Surely, the accolades seem few and far between compared to daily reminders of what needs improving in the district.

To Raj Manhas, the man holding this thankless job, we offer our gratitude.

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