Menino confronted over Rivera

It was supposed to be Manuel J. Rivera's first public presentation as superintendent -- a chance for the city's first Hispanic schools chief to hear community concerns about the lagging achievement of black and Hispanic students in the Boston Public Schools.

Instead, yesterday's forum on the achievement gap found bewildered city and school officials and Mayor Thomas M. Menino struggling to explain why Rivera, whom Menino had picked in September after a top-secret selection process, was not taking the job.

As the beleaguered school system begins again its search for a new leader, the meeting provided the first opportunity for the public to confront the mayor about the search process, and demand a more open process that better engages parents, students , and the community.

Menino told the standing-room only crowd of more than 250 parents, educators, and students in the auditorium at the Freedom House in Roxbury that he was as shocked as anyone about Rivera's sudden decision Tuesday not to come to Boston. He said he had not decided on the process for the next search.

"I haven't even gotten a phone call from the gentleman yet to say he's not coming to Boston, and that's not fair to the city," Menino said. "Too many young people were dependent on this gentleman coming to our city."

The forum was organized by Community Partners for a New Superintendent, a grass-roots coalition formed more than a year ago to ensure a diverse pool of superintendent candidates who have a track record of closing the achievement gap.

In Boston, more than 75 percent of white and Asian 10th-graders were proficient in math and English, compared with just over 40 percent of Hispanic and black students.

"Manny [Rivera] may not be here, but the achievement gap still exists," said Kim Janey, deputy project director for Massachusetts Advocates for Children. "Closing the achievement gap is going to depend in large part on who the next superintendent is."

Rivera has decided to take a job heading a new commission on public higher education in New York; Governor Eliot Spitzer is expected to announce Rivera's appointment tomorrow. While some in the city saw Rivera's change of heart as opportunistic, others believe the school system, particularly the head of the School Committee, should shoulder some of the blame for losing Rivera, who in 2006 was named National Superintendent of the Year. Two of Rivera's confidantes have told the Globe that Rivera was fed up with the controlling leadership style of Elizabeth Reilinger, chairwoman of the Boston School Committee.

City Councilor Chuck Turner, who helped moderate the forum, told the crowd yesterday that he, along with Councilors Felix Arroyo and Charles C. Yancey , support Councilor Michael F. Flaherty's call for Reilinger's resignation as head of the committee, a position she has held for nine years. Flaherty had delivered a letter Friday to Reilinger's School Committee office asking her to step down. Menino declined to discuss Reilinger yesterday.

But Rivera, in his first public statement on the matter, said Reilinger's leadership was not the primary cause of his decision.

"For the record, the main reason I made the decision not to continue with contract negotiations is because of this unique, unexpected opportunity to impact the lives of 3 million children across the state of New York," said Rivera in a phone interview yesterday. "Liz Reilinger should not be blamed for a decision that I made."

During the forum, Turner and others expressed fears that Menino would call for an even tighter search with less community involvement in his rush to hire Rivera's replacement. Some said the city could learn from the last search , during which Reilinger kept the process a secret even from some members of the search committee. The mayor had also backed away from his promise to allow the public to meet a slate of finalists after several top candidates, including Rivera, expressed reluctance.

"We need to be concerned if persons are not as willing to participate in a community process," said Mariama White-Hammond, director of Project HIP-HOP , a non profit group that trains young people to become activists. "We do need to move quickly, but we cannot cut corners."

Given the limited number of outstanding superintendents , it is even more crucial that community members have a say in the selection, said Theresa Perry, a professor of education and African studies at Simmons College.

"The more open it is, the more it forces candidates to commit to Boston and not allow them to play behind-the-scenes games," said Perry, who served on the search committee that hired Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant in 1995.

Tracy Jan can be reached at tjan@globe.com.