Assistant to Kent resigns suddenly.

Byline: ANNE WILLIAMS The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD - One of Springfield school Superintendent Jamon Kent's two top assistants abruptly retired Thursday, citing an erosion in his confidence in the school board.

The sudden departure of Len Arney, the assistant superintendent for instruction, offers the clearest signal yet from either the school board or the district that Kent is possibly on his way out. The board has held three closed-door sessions in the past nine days to discuss Kent's possible ouster, and it is expected to make a decision public as early as Saturday.

Arney said the board's scrutiny of his boss was "probably a pretty large factor" in his decision to leave. He turned in his letter of resignation Wednesday, effective Thursday.

"I've worked pretty closely with Jamon for the last eight years, and I've just watched the good things that have occurred in Springfield," said Arney, who would not say directly whether he knows Kent will lose his job.

"It's a sad day when we see the best superintendent in the state have to look at leaving a district that he's done some really tremendous things in."

Arney, 55, said he'd intended to retire later this year but that the controversy over Kent's job and other personal and professional factors pushed up his time line.

"I had other options, and it was just the right time," he said.

A born-and-bred Springfield resident who graduated from Springfield High School and the University of Oregon, Arney came to work in the district as an elementary school teacher in 1972. During the past 30 years, he's been an elementary principal, a middle school principal, a curriculum coordinator, director of secondary education and, for the past four years, assistant superintendent.

"After 42 years, I'm finally figuring out it's time to leave school," he quipped.

Arney said he's enjoyed all of his years in the district, but especially the past eight with Kent. Kent, 62, had been a longtime administrator in the Beaverton School District when the board hired him in 1994.

"I truly mean that - it's been a great ride," Arney said. "We've done some amazing things for the district, just given the financial situation that school districts have been in."

Under Kent's watch, Arney said, the district has boosted student achievement, lowered the dropout rate and forged valuable partnerships with other governments and community organizations. Kent has followed the school board's direction at every step, Arney said.

That's why the recent turn of events came as a shock, he said.

"We were aware (of problems)," he said. "We've heard the criticism of the communication piece. I guess what I always caution is look where the criticism comes from, and how widespread it is. There are equal amounts if not more comments about the positive, effective things that Jamon has done."

School board members have not spoken in detail publicly about their concerns, although Kent's March evaluation mentioned communication problems within the district and the community, and said fixing them should be one of Kent's top priorities in the coming year.

In a letter made public Monday, former board Chairwoman Jennifer Heiss, who resigned abruptly earlier this month, said Kent's leadership style had alienated staff and dampened morale, and that the board had discussed this during evaluations for at least the past two years.

Tom Atkinson, the board's current chairman, declined to comment on Arney's reasons for leaving, saying only that he would be missed. He would not say whether Arney would have been a likely candidate for interim superintendent, should one be needed.

"I'm sorry to see him go," Atkinson said. "He's been a major contributor to the school district for a great many years. I'm sorry the situation has come to this ... We owe him a great debt of gratitude."

Kent called Arney a "community icon," and said he was saddened by the loss.

"With so many years in this district, Len brings a flavor to the administrative team of history, of worth, of vision, of community," Kent said. "That's what I see Len bringing. And then you add to that his professional knowledge and sense of direction as a human being - he is just an outstanding administrator."

Kent said he, with help from department directors, will take on Arney's duties for the near future.

"Once we have some finality to what's happening in (the superintendent's) office, then we'll move forward," he said.

Springfield High School's interim principal, Gene Heinle, said he had "tremendous respect" for Arney.

Heinle retired two years ago after six years as the school's principal and was re-hired on contract to fill in after Doug Orton resigned this spring.

"He has a tremendous amount of common sense about working with people and resolving issues," Heinle said. "He's one of the reasons I came out of retirement."

Arney said his immediate plans include golfing, spoiling his newborn granddaughter and traveling with his wife, retired Ridgeview Elementary School teacher Sylvia Arney.

He did not rule out the possibility of returning to Springfield or going to work for another school district under contract.

Arney earned $99,105 in annual compensation, including a car allowance and a tax-sheltered annuity.

"Good things will happen for Springfield," Arney said. "This is a rough time, but we've been through those. We just look to the future. We put what's happened behind us and we go forward."

WHAT'S NEXT

The Springfield School Board's next regular meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 12, but the board hopes to schedule an executive (nonpublic) session and a special public meeting for Saturday afternoon. Lawyers for the board and Kent were continuing Thursday to work on resolving contract issues.