BOE Accepts Bench to Honor Brodow

There will be a bench honoring former Schools Supt. Richard Brodow, but it remains to be seen where the bench will be placed.

The Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution Monday night accepting the bench from the PTO Conference. But the resolution leaves the location of the bench to be determined with Schools Supt. James Crisfield working with the PTO Conference to find a suitable place.

In June, during Brodow's final board meeting before retiring, the board got into a lengthy debate about accepting the gift to honor Brodow. The intention was to place the bench in front of the Education Center. The board tabled the matter with some members citing the ongoing naming policy revisions as a reason to wait to accept the bench.

Scott Kamber, a board member, was one of the board members who voted for tabling in June and spoke early in Monday's meeting of his intention to bring back the matter for a vote. The proposed naming policy revisions would not affect the naming of benches, he said, so the bench should be accepted.

But when Kamber made the motion, there was discussion with concerns about where the bench would be placed. Kamber said when gifts are accepted generally there is not a provision on specific placement and those details are worked out after they are accepted. Lise Chapman, a board member, said the individual PTOs will make gifts for specific schools, but Kamber argued the placement of those gifts is not part of the donation.

Crisfield stepped into the discussion and said he wants everyone to set a good example on compromise. Earlier in the meeting he had said state officials losing out on Race to the Top funding was an example of what could happen when people are not willing or able to compromise. He wants to embrace the spirit of compromise with placing the bench.

Rona Wenik, a former PTO Conference co-president and current board member, said she hoped the bench would be placed somewhere that was in line with the intentions of the donors in that it would be used as people remembered Brodow's work. Crisfield said that was his intention.

But there were some people who said the bench should not be placed in front of the Education Center.

Abby Kalan, a former school board member, said during public comment placing the bench in front of the Education Center would tell all administrators to come to the district that Brodow is the model of administrator wanted. All superintendents bring their own views and style of overseeing a school district, she said.

The bench should be placed where people can see it and enjoy it, she said.

Board Vice President Jeff Waters said he agreed with Kalan's sentiment on placing the bench in front of the Education Center. His issue with the bench was the location, he said, and he didn't think the Education Center was an appropriate location.