By Russell Contreras, Globe Staff  |  November 29, 2007
It was a school committee that Lawrence Superintendent Wilfredo T. Laboy called "the best I've ever encountered as a school administrator."
And it's easy to see why: In the past two years, the majority of the committee almost always sided with the school chief on issues big and small, from the school uniform policy to charging $1 a day for bus service. Laboy was practically at home among panel members, enjoying overwhelming support at meetings that rarely went more than two hours each for lack of dissension.
But earlier this month, Greg Morris and Omaira Mejia, two of the seven members on the board who were closely allied with Laboy, were defeated in the city election. Another Laboy ally, Patricia Sanchez-Reyes, decided against seeking another term.
The result: Come January, the School Committee could see a shift in the balance of power with the add ition of three consistently harsh critics of the superintendent, including newly elected member James Stokes, who says he would vote to fire Laboy.
Incumbents Martina Cruz and James Vittorioso, who both easily won reelection, say now they can't be ignored and promised to ask "hard questions" of the school chief.
"There are a lot of improprieties going on" in the School Department, said Stokes, who ran for many offices before winning his seat on the school board. "There are going to be some changes."
Among the problems Stokes cited are the department's hiring practices and flaws in school safety at various campuses.
In an interview this week, Laboy strongly defended the department's hirings and said new school safety policies have made all Lawrence schools "very safe." He said this year's teacher retention was at 96 percent, compared with less that 50 percent in 2000. The new high school, he added, even has high-tech cameras to monitor hallways and is well staffed with s chool safety officers.
New School Committee "members will have to look at the data when they make their decisions," said Laboy. "And then they'll have to ask themselves: 'Are we better off than we were seven years ago, before Wilfredo Laboy started as superintendent?' "
To be sure, Laboy still has three allies on the committee - Mayor and committee chairman Michael J. Sullivan, Peter Larocque, and newly elected Priscilla Baez.
The other new member, Samuel Reyes, has not made public his views about the superintendent's performance or his policies, although he has signaled that he wants to revisit the bus-fee issue.
"Reyes is the ace in the hole," said Vittorioso. "He's going to be the swing vote."
The new split is bringing back fears that the days of five-hour School Committee meetings, which sometimes went past midnight, may be returning to Lawrence.
"Hopefully, we won't go back to those days," said Larocque. "The chairman is going to have to be quick with the gav el."
In addition, the new committee assumes power at a time when Laboy is expected to ask for an extension to his contract, which expires in June 2009. He has said he wants to stay as school chief for at least 10 to 11 years to institute his reforms.
Laboy is due this year to be paid a total of $209,366, according to his contract. His base salary is $189,397. But he gets $1,705 in insurance benefits, and the annual value for use of a Chevrolet Blazer and related costs is $6,264. He also has $12,000 in a tax-sheltered annuity.
Since taking over the school system in 2000, Laboy has earned praise from state officials for turning around a department that was mired in controversy, from low test scores to charges of mismanagement by previous superintendents. But critics accuse him of hiring mainly friends and allies for well-paid jobs, a charge he flatly denies.
Stokes said it is for that reason that voting against extending Laboy's contract will be one of his priorities as a committee member. Stokes said Laboy has been excessive with the department's money, from spending too much for vehicles to problems with the new $110 million high school.
"I've been told that he'll try to buy me off by offering my brothers and sisters jobs," said Stokes. "If he gives them jobs, he's a better person than me. They're all dead."
Laboy dismissed Stokes's comments and said it will be up to the outgoing School Committee to evaluate him and decide whether to offer him an extension. And he said despite the comments by Stokes, he looks forward to working with him.
Larocque, meanwhile, said comments like Stokes's aren't productive when seeking solutions for improving the School Department.
"I know [Stokes] is excited that he's won his first election," said Larocque. "But he needs to control his thinking and his mouth."
Larocque said committee members should wait to examine Laboy's record in his upcoming evaluation before deciding whether to extend his contrac t. "We can't just go by hearsay," he said.
Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com.