Is this guy for real?

CHEERLEADING BY ED FELIEN

Normally, when the school board appoints an interim superintendent, that person lays low, doesn’t make waves, especially if they want to be appointed permanent superintendent.  But Michael Goar has come roaring out of the gate.   Determined to make his mark on the MPS, he immediately announced he was going to “right size” the central office, and he did that by laying off 160 administrative personnel.
Wow!
He called it reorganizing our work and realigning our resources.  He encouraged all personnel that will be laid off at the end of June to reapply for teaching positions.  This will save the district $11.6 million, and Goar says that money will go into lowering class sizes, reducing caseloads for special education teachers and increasing the learning time at middle and high schools.  He expects to hire an additional 350 teachers for next fall.
Hooray!
There is a lot of dead wood in the administration of MPS.  The current administrative structure was dreamed up by former Superintendent Carol Johnson.  She convinced the board there should be area superintendents and an additional layer of bureaucracy.  That might have been tolerable back when enrollment was close to 50,000, 20 years ago, but now enrollment is holding steady at about 35,000.  A 30% decline in enrollment and an increase in administration costs is a prescription for fiscal disaster.
Michael Goar was born in Korea and was adopted by his Minneapolis parents when he was 12 years old.  He graduated from Washburn High School.  He understands firsthand what it means to be an immigrant kid learning a new language.  Announcing his plans, he sent a letter to staff and parents: “We need to streamline and redefine the way we work in order to ensure that students and schools have the funds they need.”
Right On, Michael Goar!
Full speed ahead!