In an abrupt about-face the Columbus City Schools has withdrawn pending legislation to hire an administrator to overhaul the district's Human Resources and Communications departments. In a letter to district staff last week, Superintendent Dan Good announced the intention to hire Michael Keane for the part time position as a senior administrator, beginning as soon as this week. Good described Keane's background in the private sector with Borden Foods, Limited Brands, Tween and Express as an example of his ability to transform troubled departments. But over the weekend, details about the proposed salary for the position -- $25-thousand a month for a three day work week, drew howls of outrage on social media. The cash-strapped district has struggled through a protracted investigation into data manipulation in which high-level district officials changed student test scores and attendance data in order to paint a more favorable picture of district performance. In a brief statement released today, the district announced the decision to withdraw the legislation pending "additional input". District spokesperson Jeff Warner declined to elaborate on future plans.
