Cambridge school chief is under fire

After barely three years at the helm, the Cambridge school superintendent may soon be out of a job, with three of the seven School Committee members poised to not renew his contract on July 18, and most others on the fence on whether he should stay or go.

In a situation akin to ousted Harvard University president Lawrence Summers's, Thomas Fowler-Finn has gained a reputation as a skilled educator, but his brusque management style has alienated some administrators, community members, teachers, and parents.

Since he became superintendent in the fall of 2003, MCAS scores have risen, though they remain behind state averages, and SAT scores and graduation rates are at an all-time high, his supporters point out.

Fowler-Finn did not respond to requests for an interview.

In his annual evaluation, which School Committee members delivered during a public meeting Wednesday, Fowler-Finn earned low marks for working with the community, as he did last year, and his overall score dropped.

Cambridge has had three superintendents in less than a decade -- a changeover rate that underscores the struggle to find what type of leader can greatly improve the 6,000-student school system. Fowler-Finn, besides bolstering achievement, was expected to connect to the different groups in the increasingly diverse city of 101,400, where tony estates sit blocks from public housing.

``Cambridge is very much a community," said Sybil Knight, the retiring principal of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, the city's only public high school. ``And for some leadership styles, sometimes it fits and sometimes it doesn't. . . . I don't know if Tom is it."

Nancy Walser is the only Cambridge School Committee member who has said she will vote to renew his contract on July 18.

``He is a tough man to work for; that is true," Walser said. ``But many of the things that were accomplished wouldn't have been accomplished otherwise."

Fowler-Finn is ending his third year of a four-year contract, and if his contract is not renewed, he would remain only through the next school year. His contract will automatically be extended for one year if a decision is not made by Aug. 20.

Fowler-Finn's predecessor, Bobbie D'Alessandro, was popular with administrators and parents, but left after three years because of the School Committee's dissatisfaction with student achievement; under her management, the high school nearly lost accreditation, and two schools were closed because of declining enrollment.

The superintendent before her, Mary Lou McGrath, lasted a decade, but did little to counteract enrollment drops. Since 1995, enrollment has gone from about 8,300 to 6,000.

Fowler-Finn, who came to Cambridge after eight years as superintendent of schools in Fort Wayne, Ind., was picked because he had improved graduation rates and test scores. But he came with a reputation for a top-down leadership style. In 2000, the teachers' union there took a vote of no confidence in him, citing his cold demeanor and his plan to base their evaluations on test scores.

Before Fort Wayne, he led Haverhill schools for seven years. Robert Gilman, the current president of the Haverhill School Committee, said Fowler-Finn was its best superintendent and the most difficult one he has ever known. Fowler-Finn established academic standards for Haverhill, increased enrollment, and hired a number of women for top positions.

``He is a very intelligent man, but he stepped on a lot of toes," said Gilman, a teacher when Fowler-Finn was superintendent.

In Cambridge, some principals and School Committee members said that Fowler-Finn has a short fuse, and that they have seen him scream at teachers and parents.

But Paul Toner, president of the Cambridge Teacher's Association, disagrees with such characterizations. He e-mailed parents and teachers last month, urging them to lobby the School Committee to renew Fowler-Finn's contract.

``He has been nothing but respectful to me and the teachers I work with," Toner said.

In Fowler-Finn's first year in Cambridge, the high school raised test scores enough to be accredited. But his critics say they're disappointed that the gap between state averages and the city's overall scores has widened and that the gap in achievement between African-American and Hispanic students and other groups has not changed much.

``We are moving backward quickly," said Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves, chairman of the School Committee and one of the superintendent's biggest opponents. ``I want a leader who will address these things."

But some educators say that Cambridge is expecting too much in such a short time period.

Joseph Rappa, director of the Massachusetts Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, says that Fowler-Finn has created structure and a plan for success in the district.

``People are looking for the instant return," Rappa said. ``This is not an area were you see an instant return, but we really think they are on the road to improving."

Cristina Silva can be reached at csilva@globe.com.