Houston's secret search

This from the Houston Chronicle:

If you want to run our public-school system,

you need to say so. Publicly

The Houston Independent School District’s board said a few months ago that it would conduct its search for a new superintendent out in the open, with finalists’ names made public. A great idea, that. We wish they’d stuck with it.

But no. Last week, after search firm Heidrick & Struggles whined that its job would be easier if conducted in secret, board members openly abandoned openness. Some candidates demand secrecy, they explained. Too much sunshine will dry up the talent pool.

Wow. We stand in awe of you secrecy-loving candidates: HISD’s board hasn’t even short-listed you yet, and already you’ve sold them a load of hooey....

So man up, candidates: So what if everyone back home knows you’ve been asked to interview here? Respond with this tried-and-true line: “I’m flattered that Houston asked me to interview, and I look forward to exchanging ideas with some of the most innovative educators in the country. But I love my current job.” Your bosses, hoping to keep you, may offer a raise....

You’ll have to face various interest groups sooner or later — and if you wait till you’re the only candidate, some of those factions will almost certainly feel cut out, even before you’ve said hello.

If you’re the right candidate, rough-and-tumble doesn’t scare you. You’re a political animal. You know how to build coalitions, to win friends and influence people...

The public deserves to know who might be running our public schools.