Looking back after a week away

So I missed some news while taking the family to warmer climes last week. Developments galore, but precious few surprises.

It was no surprise that the Cedar Rapids School Board kept its superintendent search secret until the very end, refusing to name any of its finalists or allow the public to question any candidates. Despite the closed doors, rumors swirled for several days that Department of Education Director Brad Buck was up for the job, so his hiring also wasn't a big surprise.

So a lousy process results in what looks like a good hire. But that doesn't make the process one bit less lousy, or change the fact that a well-paid consultant from Chicago had more say over who runs your public school district than the taxpayers who paid his fee. Any school board that would let that happen should be sitting in hot seats.

But few, if any, will step up to run, and few will bother to vote, so not much will change. Again, not surprising.

I also doubt anyone was floored when a deposition released last week showed that Gov. Terry Branstad tried to hound former Workers' Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey out of his job to please business interests who fund his campaign. Among them, according to the Associated Press, were the founders of Beef Products, Inc., Eldon and Regina Roth, who contributed $152,000 to the governor's 2010 campaign. Apparently, payments to injured workers were becoming a burden for the beef business. Time to call in a favor.

Faced with the choice of respecting Godfrey's lawful, unexpired term running a well-regarded compensation office or moving heaven and earth for a big business pal, Branstad's pick was, of course, a no-brainer. It also was a lean, finely textured executive overreach, and yet another glimpse into which Iowa Branstad really serves. It's the Iowa that sits behind very big desks and writes very big checks. Surprised?

Meanwhile, the Statehouse battle over K-12 school funding remains locked in a stalemate. The highest-profile 'development” in the saga was a photo snapped by a Des Moines Register reporter showing Rep. Ross Paustian, R-Walcott, reading a book on the House floor titled 'Sex After Sixty” during a debate over teacher collective bargaining. OK, that is sort of surprising.

The picture went viral nationally, critics pounced and Paustian apologized. Apparently the book was a gag gift to another lawmaker and was being passed around.

I can't help but feel sorry for the guy. One nice thing about Iowa's Legislature is most lawmakers don't have private offices, so they actually work at desks on the House and Senate floor. It makes them easily accessible, and, in this case, easy to photograph. Pro tip - always tuck your racy reading material inside a copy of de Tocqueville's 'Democracy in America.”

But beyond a funny photo, the education funding pratfall we're watching is an embarrassing legislative breakdown that's going to hurt local schools. Davenport Superintendent Art Tate became a fast folk hero recently after promising to spend his district's reserves in defiance of Iowa law to stave off deep cuts. If others follow, it could get ugly. Buck may be escaping just in time.

l Comments: (319) 398-8452; todd.dorman@thegazette.com