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Schools

For Tellone, tears and regret over Ransaw

The superintendent testifies that picking Michael Ransaw to be principal of Powell Middle in 2003 was not "a good decision."

By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN
Published November 4, 2005

BROOKSVILLE - Superintendent Wendy Tellone came to the third day of former principal Michael Ransaw's administrative hearing the way she arrives at most School Board meetings: She strode into the drab conference room wearing a dark suit, and her face displayed as little emotion as a Kabuki mask.

Tellone began her long stay on the witness stand Thursday morning by responding to questions calmly. She gave a lot of "yes" and "no" answers and spoke softly.

Then Tellone began to testify about how she had picked Ransaw, 36, to run Powell Middle School in 2003, how she had stood by him despite criticism that he was too harsh. And her stoic demeanor disintegrated.

She began to cry, then choked back tears. She paused several times to catch her breath and cover her face.

At times, it seemed she would break down completely.

"I felt that I made a good decision, the best decision for Powell Middle School (in picking Ransaw as principal)," Tellone said as her voice cracked and tears welled up. "Obviously, I didn't."

For nearly an entire calendar year, Hernando school administrators have been consumed by the need to deal with Ransaw, the former principal at Powell. Last November, Tellone suspended Ransaw after learning of a state investigation that found he had pawned a laptop while working as an assistant principal in Broward County.

Hernando officials say Ransaw and his references in Broward never disclosed that he had been demoted after the laptop incident. They also say Ransaw did not tell them all he knew about the subsequent investigation by state education officials and that he had deleted documents and files, including public records, after he knew Hernando officials were investigating him.

Now Ransaw is fighting the efforts of the school district to terminate him in a hearing before Administrative Law Judge E.J. Davis that could last through Tuesday. Davis will issue findings of fact and a recommended order that School Board members must vote on.

For the past three days, witnesses produced by Karen Gaffney, who is prosecuting Ransaw for the school district, have detailed inconsistencies and falsehoods on Ransaw's resume and job application. Willie Jones, Ransaw's attorney, has tried to poke holes in their credibility.

The testimony from school district witnesses has largely buttressed the claims that district officials made when they first outlined the case against Ransaw last January. But the testimony has also opened a window into the emotional turmoil many officials have been living with since Ransaw was suspended.

Tellone admitted that she spent much of her winter break last year reading through the transcript of Ransaw's predisciplinary hearing. She described how Powell had acquired a reputation of being a hornet's nest of misbehaving kids before Ransaw took over. She praised his tough stance on enforcing law and order during his first year as principal.

And now?

"He continued to lie through that predisciplinary hearing. All I've ever asked students and employees to do is deal with the truth," Tellone said. "It was just one thing after another, making excuses."

Then, she choked up again. She again paused to fight back tears.

"I apologize for being emotional," she said.

Tellone rarely shows emotion in public. Her emotional displays consist of occasionally chuckling at School Board meetings and sometimes glowering at a School Board member.

As Tellone testified, Ransaw did not look at her face. He scribbled notes to his attorney on a yellow legal pad.

"If I could have found any way to prove that Mr. Ransaw was truthful, that would have been my desire," Tellone said. "The core of this is honesty and integrity. . . . I gave him so many opportunities to tell me the truth."

Tellone's testimony dominated much of Thursday's hearing. By the end of the day, the school district had finished presenting its witnesses and evidence.

Now it will be up to Jones to present his client's case. He called just a few witness on Thursday, one of whom was Ransaw's father, Ruben C. Ransaw Jr., and didn't ask them many questions.

But in the coming days, Jones will try to show that Ransaw should not be fired, despite the voluminous evidence school district officials have presented and the testimony many officials have given.

Abhi Raghunathan can be reached at araghunathan@sptimes.com or 352 848-1431.

[Last modified November 4, 2005, 01:41:19]