By Dan Verbeck
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-983755.mp3
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Outgoing Kansas City School Superintendent John Covington will not be lured back. He's taken another job. At mid afternoon Michigan hired Covington to lead a new system for failing schools.
Covington announced Wednesday he was leaving the Kansas City post because he was victim of unfair treatment by the President of the Kansas City Board of Education.
Covington was hired after a 40 minute, open to the public, job interview in Michigan. It was a hearing at which no questions were asked about the furor of his leaving Kansas City. He did say it was important to leave a community plan in place to further education, otherwise--"when I leave the plan goes with me. But if the community has ownership, when I leave then the community has a vested interest in the plan that they developed."
At least one Kansas city school board member said he had asked Covington if he was leaving because of another job and was told no, he was not. There are also accusations Covington manufactured a rift with the school board president to engineer his departure for another job.
Covington was hired by a vote without dissent this afternoon, hired by the governing board of the Michigan Education Achievement Authority. A contract was already in place for him to sign. He agreed to start work September 23rd. It was the same day he had set for his Kansas City departure.