*5/26/10- Update on Principal FiringsStarring: Michelle Rhee
DC Public Schools Chancellor
Hey folks, it's that time of year again when DC schools approaches its final days as the school year comes to an end. Some principals have already faced Chancellor Rhee's 'meat axe approach' to principal terminations or if you prefer a nice way of saying their contract was not-renewed.
As you may recall, last year some targeted DC principals on Rhee's hit list left many parents, staff and community activists baffled and questioning her guidelines for termination of local school principals. Even in cases when principals had performed well, Rhee's unconventional actions to get rid of these principals without as much as an explanation left many wondering how could this be happening ? Feel free to send me your list of departing principals c/o saveourcounselors@gmail.com
So far here's the short list of departing DC principals and their affiliated schools:
My sources report the following:
Hey folks, it's that time of year again when DC schools approaches its final days as the school year comes to an end. Some principals have already faced Chancellor Rhee's 'meat axe approach' to principal terminations or if you prefer a nice way of saying their contract was not-renewed.
As you may recall, last year some targeted DC principals on Rhee's hit list left many parents, staff and community activists baffled and questioning her guidelines for termination of local school principals. Even in cases when principals had performed well, Rhee's unconventional actions to get rid of these principals without as much as an explanation left many wondering how could this be happening ? Feel free to send me your list of departing principals c/o saveourcounselors@gmail.com
So far here's the short list of departing DC principals and their affiliated schools:
My sources report the following:
Principal terminated @ Amidon-Bowen ES 401 Eye St. SW, Wash. DC
Principal terminated @ Anacostia SHS-1601 16th St. SE, Wash. DC not officially confirmed
Principal terminated @ Anacostia SHS-1601 16th St. SE, Wash. DC not officially confirmed
Principal terminated @ Kelly Miller JHS, 301 49th St. NE, Wash. DC
Principal terminated @ Kramer MS, 1700 Q St. SE, Wash. DC
Principal terminated @ McFarland MS, 4400 Iowa Ave. NW, Wash. DC-Not yet officially confirmed.
Principal terminated @ McKinley TSHS -151 T St. NE, Wash. DC
Principal terminated @ Sharpe Health School-4300 13th St. NW, Wash. DC
Principal terminated @ Stanton Elementary School- 2701 Naylor Rd. SE, Wash. DC
Principal terminated @ Theodore Roosevelt SHS, 4301 13th St. NW, Wash. DC
Principal terminated @ West Educational Center, 1338 Farragut St. NW, Wash. DC
Resignations
Principal resigns @ Aiton ES- 533 48th Pl. NE, Wash. DC (Principal To Be Determined)
Principal resigns @ Thomson ES-1200 L St. NW, Wash. DC
Principal resigns @ Tyler ES- 1001 G St. SE, Wash. DC (Principal To Be Determined)
Principal resigns@ Youth Engagement Academy -1830 Constitution Ave. NE, Wash. DC-
*As of 5/22/10- According to DCPS website principals at Aiton ES and Tyler ES are to be determined
Retirements
Principal is retiring @ John Burroughs EC -1820 Monroe St. NE, Wash. DC
Principal is retiring @ Ketcham ES- 1919 15th St. SE, Wash. DC
A teacher emailed me about Rhee's decision to let go of the principal of Stanton Elementary School in SE Washington. Here's the email questioning Rhee's decision not to renew Dr. Presswood's contract:
Dear Candi,
"On May 20, 2010 at around 3:30, my principal, Dr. Donald Presswood, asked some of us to meet for him for a couple of minutes. He then told us that the cluster 1 supervisor just told him his contract will not be renewed. This is a principal who has worked hard to turn Stanton around. Stanton was restructured in SY 2008-09 and 95% of the staff were new. He was invited to become its principal to turn it around and he was doing a fine job---the behavior of the kids was much better than last year. He was able to tap school volunteers so that there are a number of adults in the classroom at any given time. He literally stayed at Stanton everyday (weekends, holidays, he arrives very early, sometimes before 6:00 am and leaves late). He is the glue that holds us together to usher changes in a really needy neighborhood. His work is not yet done but now the DCPS administration showed him the door.
I just want you and your readers to know this."
Signed,
Stanton ES Teacher
Posted by The Washington Teacher
43 comments:
Hold on Ladies and Gentelment it's going to be a bumpy ride. I predict many many more to come. I just hope that the principals go down fighting, and tell their stories to you and Bill let their voices be heard.
Let the firings begin. First principals, next teachers.
And we haven't even got DC CAS scores. I know that my principal last year was told he'd be out if we didn't make AYP. We didn't make it but showed gains, enough that Rhee kept our principal for this current school year.
Dr. Presswood is a hard and talented principal. It is a shame that you are requested to restructure a school but are given only two years to change a culture that his been in that school for decades.
Surely, Rhee already has chosen her replacement. That replacement will be given support that veteran principals with difficult schools did not receive. Sorry Dr. Presswood and other principals who were terminated. You were not the "DC Miracle" that Rhee thought you would be.
Know that your hard work is appreciated! Good luck with your future endeavors.
THIS IS BAD BUSINESS. AFRICAN AMERICAN PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS ARE BEING DISPLACED/REPLACED BY PREDOMINANTLY CAUCASIAN, INEXPERIENCED PEOPLE.
I wouldn't be so quick to support the principals. Many of them threw a lot of teachers under the bus to keep their jobs then, only to find that they were just there to do the dirty work.
Presswood is a hard worker, no doubt. Stanton is probably one of the most difficult of elementary schools in the entire District. But, he made a lot of mistakes; and, communication was one them.
Adderly fired him. She is African-American and prides herself in being from DC. I love how arrogant and self-important she is. There are plenty of African-Americans who are supporting Rhee, and she is one of them all for her terrific six figure salary.
What are the parents going to do? Parents need to be in Rhee's office demanding an explanation about the future of their children's next principal. Ms. Rhee has a weird sense of thought. This woman all but demonized the principal of Hardy MS, Mr. Pope, and with the same breath, bestowed sainthood upon deceased principal Betts. MR. Pope runs a tight ship, concerning student achievement and discipline, however, Mr. Betts did not raise test scores, as he was predicted to do according to Rhee.
Ms. Rhee shows how ineffective she is. She can not tell good leadership when she sees it because, she lacks good leadership herself.
Hi ..
You missed the YEA principal.. Fired last week and cluster 6 admins running the school!!!
Anonymous @ 8:30
Can you tell us more about the Youth Engagement Academy ? Who was the principal? Why was he fired before the school year was over ? Details please.
Thomson E.S. will be getting a new principal.
The principal at Thomson has a PhD and is relatively long-serving. She came in, if I remember correctly, after their previous veteran principal died. Wonder what the story is here.
Can someone tell me why the principal at Aiton is leaving? I met her last year and connected with her immediately. She seemed to have an excellent rapport with staff, students and neighborhood families; a hardworking person with commitment and vision. Sorry to hear the news.
I hope the Aiton's principal is merely retiring, not quitting the District. She is a wonderful individual who has done tremendous things there.
does anyone have more info about the principal at kelly miller jhs? is the termination certain or just a rumor at this point?
Have heard rumors that some of this years principals may become AP's next year, especially if they have a Teach for American affiliation.
Rhee firing Principals today and Teachers tomorrow.
Calling All DCPS Principals: Speak out, post a comment and tell your side of the story. Encourage your staff to "STAND" and vote "NO" to the WTU T.A.
Enough is Enough, Rhee MUST GO!
The prinicpal at Aiton is retiring. I met her last summer and she said with her grandchild (I don't remember but I think it may be twins) being born and her daughter working full time as a teacher for DCPS she said this would be her last year and just felt that now is the time to retire.
It is indeed a great resource to obtain information on this subject. Keep posting.
Dr. Camp the principal at Thomson is leaving. She's taking another job in MD. It's a huge loss for Thomson and the teachers were crying when she told them on Friday. She did so much for Thomson over the last 10 years, but it's understandable that she would want to get away from this administration. It's such a terrible thing.
Candi,
I don't want to turn this story but you have got to get information on how the DCPS/WTU/AFT are pulling out all of the stops to get this tentative agreement ratified. When I heard the robocall last night, I could not believe my ears. Letting agency members pay dues (in the 9th inning) so they can vote on this agreement...unbelievable. If the union was so interested in collecting more dues money, why didn't they appeal to the agency members earlier? Or is it that they know that the agency members are more inclined to vote for this contract and the WTU believes it needs their "yes"vote? Is this even legal? I surely know that it is unethical.
Also, I understand that DCPS will be giving some WTU teachers the morning off from their schools for the next week to go to schools in order to "SELL" this sellout tentative agreement to their own colleagues. WTF? Are they that desparate and afraid that it will fail?
GP is scum......He has got to go!
Too bad, he'll have some cushy job somewhere else and we will be left with this "sellout contract"!
Again, sorry for turning the story.
Please do some investigation on this matter and post as a separate blog entry.
Thanks for all you do for us.
I would also check out principals being "promoted". I have heard Wayne Ryan from Noyes EC will be leaving to become one of the new instructional superintendents.
And here I am, sitting at a school where the principal doesn't do anything... there's no foundation here, there's division among teachers and students, and this person has been in their position as a principal in the district for more than 10 years. Judging by the situation my school is in, it's probably not the only one and, I'm sorry, I've seen a principal be the glue that holds a school together... it CAN be done, it SHOULD be done and if it's not, it's not too hard to tell and that principal needs to go.
The Principal at Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School was not asked to come back. John Davis (Superintendant) was in attendance as Ms. Adela Acosta (Prinicpal) told the faculty she won't be back. Ms. Acosta was an experience principal who was kind to most of her teachers, she was not part of the cool-aid drinking crowd tha Rhee loves so much.
High schools will never make progress with the constant rotation of principals. John Davis stepped in as soon as Ms. Acosta left the room to announce the formation of the principal search committee. No thank you for her service. The leadership downtown has no clue that a positive school climate can not fostered overnight. I have been at Roosevelt for a long time and am tired of the revolving door in the main office. I am not sure how much longer I can endure. Thank God the students in the classroom keep me grounded and focused because the leadership in charge makes me frustrated and disillusioned.
Principal Precious, Macfarland, contract not renewed
I know it is wishful thinking, but it sure would be nice to see CHEC (Bell/Lincoln) up there on that list...
Will David Pinder, Principal of McKinley Technology HS, receive a pink slip this school year?
What criteria are being used in terminating principals? Since DCCAS scores aren't back yet, it's not whether a school under a principal's leadership made AYP or Safe Harbor or failed to show academic gains. Rhee prides herself so much on using data to inform all decisions. Heck, it's even one of her core principles. Where's the data on why principals were terminated? Were parent or teacher complaints a factor? Probably not, as Pope at Hardy had strong parent support and that made no difference in keeping him at his school. And we all know what Rhee thinks of most of DC teachers. All the teachers who've complained about school leadership at CHEC (Bell/Lincoln) and that principal is still there. When our principal was told her contract wasn't being renewed, she told us that no reasons were given. Meanwhile, most of us are heartbroken.
There may be a lot of push to nominate a teacher's teacher Miss EFAvorite to fill one of the principal positions that are now open.
People don't seem to be talking about the fact that the principals at Kelly Miller and McFarland just got there this year! How is ANYONE supposed to turn a school around in a year????
Also, that's sad about the pricinpal at Kramer. He had been there a long time. I had only met him a couple of times, but he always came across (at least to me) as a nice guy who cared about the kids.
Richard Whitmire is coming out with a book this December about Michelle Rhee called The Bee Eater. It's being billed as "a study of individual success" and "a must read for administrators, education experts, [and] teachers". It will be interesting to see if Whitmire discusses Rhee's firing of principals who were given only a year to prove themselves and no reason for their termination. I'm going to guess that he'll say nothing about it. I heard Whitmire speak a few weeks ago. He sounds like a decent journalist, but it's pretty clear he lacks the insight of an educator.
Anonymous at 5:50 a.m. is on point about Adderley. Rhee is not the only problem, although she is the biggest. Barbara Adderley is her henchwoman and she does whatever Rhee tells her to do. It is not about the children as she LIES that it is. It is about her six figure salary and keeping her thumb over people she decides without reason not to like. Adderley appears to need some medication because she comes across as unstable.
As for John Davis, he is another butt kisser of Rhee's. He came from Baltimore where he was apparently lackluster. He does whatever he has to do to protect his six figure salary as well.
Principals fired in 2008, 2009 and 2010 are all about Rhee's agenda to rid the system of experienced people who were more educated than Rhee. It is not exclusively about color but race plays a significant factor. It is about race AND age.
Since we're talking about principals, when is it going to come out that Betts was in the boys bathrooms a little too much? When is it going to come out about the trips and special gifts with some of the students? When are the parent complaints to Rhee going to surface?
The violent death he died was not justfied. No one should be murdered.
However, what is also not justified are the children he victimized and the way it has been swept under the rug just like all of Rhee's fiance's actions. Why do people continue to allow her to do the things she does?
The politics of racism runs deep and takes on many different forms as well as ascribing to new and dangerous ideologies. DCPS is one such system that has been plaqued for decades by these ailments. Evil never wins in the end. The rancid and foul fires of those who purport and take pleasure in using vile measures to destroy DCPS will soon have their fires put out.
@ May 28th 10:40am, Well said! God will have the final word, believe me, he does work in mysterious ways.
I am looking at this list of fired Principals, it appears that one name is Missing...... Mr. B. Wright principal of Truesdell Elementary school. This school year has been a total waste of time for the the teachers and children. Mr. Wright has NO control of the children in this building. The police are at the school everyday. The students have NO RESPECT for him or the staff. Mr. Wright(and teachers) gets cursed out on a daily basis, he follows children around the building all day long running behind them. He has also been in several physical altercations involving the students!!!!! How in the world does this man still have a job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whoever made the comment on Ms. Adela Acosta at Roosevelt is crazy to think this lady was kind. Ms Acosta was an absentee principal never there on time. Had the staff to lie and cover for her. How can you be a principal and date half of your staff. How do you rate that??? She should have never been hired... Next time Mr. Davis due backround checks on you and the principals you hire....
I would have to agree with the previous comments; Ms. Acosta was not a good principal at Roosevelt SHS. She was never actively involved with the students, staff, and community and spent more time creating chaos than managing the building. If she was in the building, she was secluded to her office, not responding to concerns via email or phone, not being a visible force and not handling the operations of the school. I would suggest that the new principal really understands that they have to be a leader and lead. It would be nice to see a principal graduate the same freshman class that he or she welcomed on their first day of school. Please make sure the new Principal understands how to provide and foster a community of learning for students and build relationships with the staff. I think Ms. Acosta, will be fine and as she searches for other opportunities. I would encourage her to walk the walk and stop all the unnecessary talk. Schools need results and she needs to know that there is a difference between talking and actually doing. In the words of a Ms. Acosta, “it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission”, I think she’ll start asking for permission now if a school district is crazy enough to hire her as a principal again.
Word is that another round of Principal firings just happened and that there should be announcements this Monday. Has anyone heard anything about this?
Hey, Brearn Wright just got a job turning around the middle school in my neighborhood in Providence.
http://www.projo.com/news/content/providence_new_principals_06-29-10_JLJ1H3M_v17.1914ae0.html
I am, of course, curious about his record in DC. You can email me at tom.hoffman@gmail.com
Mr. Wright did an excellent job at Clark ES, before the school was closed. He won thousands of dollars in grant money for the school and raised student achievement. I think this year at Truesdell was a bad year, but looking at his total experience, he did good work at Ferebee-Hope and Clark ES.
YES!! Thank you Rhee! Kramer MS is free at last! The Tyranny of Idiocy and Mediocrity is over! How does "quiet halls and control" translate into learning in a school whose only plan is high-handed transactional leadership? Have you seen the test scores? Are the students making widgets?
I would investigate about Mr. Wright. He has experience prior to Washington D.C.
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