FROM CONTROVERSY TO CONTROVERSY: CLARK'S TENURE ROCKY

In 1990, the Cape Girardeau Board of Education decided it was time for a change in leadership.

Then superintendent, Dr. Arthur Turner, was dismissed, and the board spent $9,000 to hire a consultant to conduct a superintendent search.

Dr. Neyland Clark was one of two finalists from that search to visit Cape Girardeau for interviews. At the time, Clark said, "I hope to have a chemistry -- your ideas are my ideas. I'm not selling my ideas; we'll be selling our ideas.

"If what the community wants is not conducive to my philosophy, then I have to leave," said Clark. "Success depends on this community and what it wants. It's my job to take that direction and implement it."

At the time of the interview, Clark was a consultant for the Bullitt County, Ky., school system. He had resigned as superintendent of the school system amidst controversy.

Clark also will leave Cape Girardeau following controversy. Public confidence in his ability to lead the school district has eroded.

But there have been accomplishments:

-- When he arrived in 1991, the school district was spending more than $1 million more than it was taking in. Four years later the budget was balanced and cash reserves increased.

-- Medical insurance for district staff has been enhanced. Teachers and other staff got pay raises while some neighboring districts did without.

-- The district has been increasingly involved in the Caring Communities project, a merger of social services and public education, and a similar program called Educare for preschool children.

Clark said tremendous strides have been made at Central High School concerning discipline and revitalizing the instructional staff.

But the accomplishments often have been overshadowed by controversy.

In 1992, Clark developed Project Partnership to start making a long-range plan for the school district. Three committees studied finances, facilities and educational directions.

In the end, the facilities committee said new buildings were needed. The finance committee said the community wasn't receptive to a middle school and suggested proceeding with a new elementary school.

The school board asked voters to approve construction of a new middle school, elementary school, an addition to Jefferson Elementary School, air conditioning and earthquake retrofitting. The tax increase would have been 99 cents per $100 assessed valuation.

A community group led by Clark's friend Jim Limbaugh hired a public-relations firm from St. Louis to help with the campaign. But voters still said no.

In 1992, Clark and the board balanced the budget and successfully cut $1.2 million in spending. However, several of the cuts generated ill-will among some. The cuts eliminated a band director. Parents of band students lobbied the board to reinstate the position. The board didn't reinstate the position until much later.

Another of the cuts temporarily eliminated a principal at Washington School, making parents of students at that school unhappy. Barbara Blanchard was soon promoted from teacher to interim principal and she later took the job permanently.

The board went back to voters in October 1993 with a scaled-down version of the tax proposal. This time they asked for a 51-cent increase to build a middle school and an addition to Jefferson Elementary School.

The district used a low-key strategy aimed at keeping the "no" vote at home. Enough made it out to defeat the measure again.

In February 1994, Clark suggested a change in the district's top-level administration. The board approved a switch from a director of elementary education and a director of secondary education to an assistant superintendent and a director of human resources. Dr. Timothy Niggle was hired as personnel director.

Clark critics contended that the management change was made to create a spot for Niggle, who attended the same university as Clark. Clark denied it and said Niggle was the best qualified for the job.

In March 1994, the board set its sights on a two-part tax issue. The first part was a June vote to waive the school district's 37-cent Proposition C rollback. The money would be used for maintenance.

The original plan was to come back to voters in November 1994 with a bond issue to build a new, $8 million elementary school.

The board also vowed to redraw new elementary school boundaries before the November vote.

In June 1994, a week before commencement, Clark decided to change Central High School's commencement procedure and allow students who hadn't completed all graduation requirements to participate in the ceremony. The decision was prompted by a request from one student's father. The student was a friend of Clark's son and dated a board member's daughter.

Then-high-school-principal Dan Milligan was so irked by Clark's move that he left school a week before the end of the year, when he planned to retire anyway.

Milligan objected to what he said was Clark's favoritism on behalf of the student in question. Clark called board members before handing down the decision and all agreed, except for Bob Fox, who was out of town. Later, Steve Wright said his agreement with Clark's decision was made in haste.

Clark maintained that the decision to change commencement was good for students.

Among people objecting was school volunteer and mother of two, Amy Randol. Randol didn't like the commencement decision. But what irked her more was the way criticism of the matter was received by Clark and board members.

During summer 1994, Randol and Terry Ashby started a petition drive to urge the school board not to extend Clark's contract. Later the group advocated Clark's ouster.

In September 1994, the board voted to extend Clark's contract to 1997.

Randol, troubled by the reaction from Clark and board members, wondered what other decisions might have been made that she would question. She began a six-month investigation into school finances and came upon some questionable credit card charges: motel-room movies, alcohol, rental cars and meals.

In February 1995, Randol brought information to the Southeast Missourian about the credit cards.

American Express charges totalled about $20,000 each of three years the account was active. The charges Randol uncovered were part of a larger pattern of what was determined to be sloppy record-keeping.

Things happening in Cape Girardeau mirrored events at the superintendent's last post in Kentucky.

When confronted with the facts prior to publication of articles on the charges, the superintendent and several board members said they saw little wrong with what was happening. Other board members were troubled by the revelation.

The school district closed its American Express credit card account. Recording-keeping on all travel expenses and reimbursements was tightened.

A special audit of travel expenses was conducted by an outside auditing firm. Those who had inappropriate charges were asked to repay the school district.

The board president, who was seeking re-election, got a court order to have his name removed from the ballot.

Four days before the April election, the board voted behind closed doors to extend the superintendent's contract by one year. Not all board members knew the vote was planned. One member, John Campbell, left before the vote was taken. Campbell later resigned from the board.

After the April 1995 election, Fox was elected board president by a vote of the board. Member Kathy Swan thought she was in line to be president. She and board member Pat Ruopp resigned.

Under a rarely-used Missouri law and the school's policy, the county commission stepped in to name the three new board members.

Thirty-one people wanted to be picked for the three school board spots, and county commissioners named three men to fill the openings: Harry Rediger, Bob Blank and Dr. C. John Ritter.

The new school board has decided that again it is time for a change in leadership for Cape Girardeau schools.