School District: Good example for school chief

Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, June 5, 2002

As a former resident and employee of Oak Harbor School District, I follow with interest the successes and failures of the local school district. Budget cuts are nothing new and are being felt across the country. Rick Schulte would do well to look for examples as to how best to respond to the lack of funds.

One excellent example can be found at Micron technology, a multi-billion dollar international tech company. In early 2001 they were facing massive losses and the possibility of extensive lay-offs. Their CEO, Steve Appleton, in what I would consider an exemplary act of leadership by example, rejected all his bonuses and took a 10 percent pay cut. Additionally, he asked all his upper-level managers to do the same.

This action coupled with a hiring freeze successfully headed off any lay-offs. The company has since recovered, reinstated previous salary levels and is hiring again. Would this be a great way to handle the current budget problem and inject loyalty into Dr. Schulte’s staff? Yes. Will it happen? Fat chance.

Barry Frank

Boise, Idaho