KC board member questions hiring of special assistant

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Superintendent Bernard Taylor is coming under fire from a school board member and the attorney in the district's desegregation case over his hiring of a political activist with ties to two other board members.

The district will pay economist Linwood Tauheed $89,963 to spearhead Taylor's new "entrepreneurial schools" program. The program aims to increase student achievement by allowing schools to make their own financial and personnel decisions.

Tauheed is a member of the Black United Front, a group that focuses on events and issues in the black community. School board members Lee Barnes Jr. and Michael Byrd also are members of the group.

Board member Elma Warrick and Arthur A. Benson II, attorney for the plaintiff schoolchildren in the desegregation case, questioned Taylor's hiring process, saying it raised the appearance of political patronage.

"Mr. Byrd and Mr. Barnes had no part in the decision. This was my decision," Taylor said, touting Tauheed's qualifications. "I judge people on what they bring to the table. I'm not concerned with political affiliation or who they may know in the community."

Taylor said the new position and its funding would replace another newly created position, executive director for strategic planning, which had been approved by the board.

But Warrick said Taylor made the latest move without consulting the board. She said some in the community see Tauheed as a polarizing figure who can generate negative attention as the district works to regain its accreditation.

Meanwhile, District Judge Dean Whipple took action Tuesday to address other long-standing allegations of patronage by board members.

At a court hearing, Whipple rejected district efforts to thwart a special hot line where tipsters could report allegations of micromanagement and patronage by board members.