SALEM SCHOOLS Chief begins year with optimism

He refuses to let the problems daunt him.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- The new schools superintendent is looking at a budget deficit and a new levy request on the November ballot, and is starting contract talks with teachers and classified workers.
But that's not a problem, said Superintendent Stephen Larcomb, who sees opportunities in the district's future.
Larcomb, 45, began working in July with retiring Superintendent Dr. David Brobeck and took over in August.
The district had been embroiled in controversy for several years, including the sentencing in 2004 of former district treasurer Ted Cougras to three years in prison on charges of bribery, money laundering and theft in office.
But Larcomb is a man with a plan.
He and his wife, Sandi, try to have a general five-year plan for their lives. He most recently had been a principal on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. The couple had wanted to come back to this area, and did.
"We're very happy," he said.
His careers
The superintendent began his educational career in the Marion, Ohio, schools and has been working as a teacher and administrator for only eight years. Before that, he said, he had flown relief missions to troubled spots in the world, including Somalia, where he saw the devastating effects of disease on children. He and his wife have six children, four of them adopted.
Now, Larcomb has been working to resolve the Salem district's problems, including finding revenue.
Levy request
Salem is seeking a 4.3-mill, five-year levy in November that would generate $1.3 million a year. That should help the district get out of the red by the levy's end, he said. If approved, the district would initially have to borrow funds against receipts.
The district also has begun talks with about 90 classified workers and should be "getting into the meat" of negotiations this week, he said.
The district also has begun talks with about 160 teachers and plans to trade proposals for the first time Oct. 3.
Larcomb said bargaining with the nonteaching workers will be more traditional, while the teachers have agreed to use modified form negotiations through a federal mediation service.
Under that method, teachers and administrators will sit at the same table for talks. The superintendent did not rule out settlements before the levy vote.
Larcomb said he had talked to both groups and worked out some past grievances. "I'm very pleased with both unions," he said.
Communicating
The superintendent says he has a simple communication style. "I try to be as open and honest as I can be."
In talks with the workers, Larcomb said he pointed out that despite the district's potential problems, "I don't think we're going to go wrong."
The good news is that the district's educational test scores have risen to the "most-effective" category.
"That's certainly a testimony to the students and teachers and the work they have done," he said.
wilkinson@vindy.com