Seems like two of the actors in this spring’s Eastern Middle School magnet controversy are–or may soon be–movin’ on up. Not to the East Side, but rather west. From the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza (now there’s a name for a paper!) comes this:
The six candidates for Washoe County School District superintendent were in Reno Monday and Tuesday, interviewing with the board and meeting the public.
The male candidates were selected Friday from a pool of about 20 applicants.
They are Robert Alfaro, 58, of Las Vegas; Karst Brandsma, 55, of Everett, Wash.; Dennis Dearden, 57, of Tucson, Ariz.; Gary Larsen of Nampa, Idaho; Pedro Martinez of Chicago and Heath Morrison, 42, of Germantown, Md….
Morrison is a community superintendent for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.
“Myself, my principals and my teachers see those challenges not as barriers but as opportunities,” Morrison said. “We see them as opportunities to meet kids where they are and take them where they need to be, and where they need to be is high school graduation, college readiness and work readiness.”
(Spreading the Seven Keys luv!)
Meanwhile Eastern’s principal, who came under heavy criticism from parents for her handling of the decision to change Eastern’s schedule (start here and work your way back in the archives), is also leaving, for the leafy outer regions of MoCo.
EASTERN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Message sent – 6/10/2009
new principalGood evening, this is Mrs. Boucher, principal of Eastern Middle School, with a personal note. Este mensaje sera repetido en espanol. Yesterday, June 9, the Board of Education appointed me the new principal of John Poole Middle School in Poolesville. After 6 wonderful years at Eastern, I can’t help but feel sad to leave this school and community that means so much to me. John Poole is an exciting assignment for me, however, since it is my neighborhood school. This new job is a homecoming of sorts, allowing me to serve my neighbors and family members. In fact, I will be the third generation of my family to be MCPS educators in the Poolesville schools. I want to thank you for making my 6 years at Eastern so rich. It has been a great joy to work with your wonderful children. Now the next step is to hire a new principal, and MCPS is racing to get a new leader in place by July 1. There will be a meeting tomorrow evening, Thursday, June 11, at 7:00 PM in the media center at which community members will be able to give Dr. Morrison their ideas about the new principal. Dr. Morrison will also come to Eastern at 9:00 Friday morning, June 12, to collect parent input. Please make every effort to attend one of these meetings so your voice can be heard. I sent home a letter with your child today with this information. Please ask for it if you have not seen the letter already, or check our website where it is posted. Thanks – for everything – and have a pleasant evening..
I can’t help but think that both these changes (and potential changes) are a good thing. Eastern in particular has been ripe for new leadership. Should be interesting to see who the replacement is.
“Dr. Morrison will also come to Eastern at 9:00 Friday morning, June 12, to collect parent input. ”
You have to love the timing for collecting parent input. One day notice of an evening meeting and then 9 AM Friday. That’s the MCPS way of limiting parent input!
Yes, when a principal leaves these things can happen crazy-quick. Evidently Dr. Morrison wants to get a candidate to the BOE for the June 22nd meeting. The timing is particularly crazy given all the turmoil caused by decisions made by these two MCPS employees. Many parents are–justifiably–feeling rather cynical. Uh, Heath Morrison is going to listen to the parent community NOW?
If I were to attend that meeting, I would convey loud and clear that what that school needs is effective, responsive leardership. Someone who can actually relate to the students and families in that highly diverse school community AND someone who deeply, really “gets” giftedness. Not MCPS “gifted,” but highly, exceptionally and profoundly gifted–because those are the students that the magnet is meant to serve according to the alleged “continuum of services.” Not only does the new principal need to “get it”–he or she needs to do intensive staff development so that counselors, PE teachers, music teachers, ESOL teachers “get it” too.
What strikes me is that MCPS knew full well they were going to put the principal in a different school. This is not an emergency. And now they will be “scrambling” to get a new principal?
Of course parents would be cynical.
Sadly, this is SO typical. The rule rather than the exception.
Update — The EMS Schedule Decision Reversal group went through the MCPS complaint process and finally appealed the schedule decision to the BOE. We heard this week that the appeal was denied. Next steps being discussed, including the court filing of a stay of the schedule change pending an appeal to the state BOE. All documents are at http://groups.google.com/group/ems-schedule-decision-reversal if anyone’s interested.
A request for a stay of implemenetation of the Eastern Middle School class reduction decision was delivered to the Maryland State Board of Education and Attorney General today, with copies to the MCPS BOE and Superintendent. This stay is based in part on the fact that while the MCPS BOE denied the EMS parents’ appeal in July, they have yet to provide any documentation for their decision. And this on top of the very inadequate response to the appeal by Dr. Weast. That response focused on the narrow question of whether the procedures that were followed can be defended because they did not breach the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) contract. The proper focus, in our view, is what system is best for the students of EMS. The MCPS Superintendent’s complete failure to address that question, just as the decision-makers failed to do at every step of the process, demonstrates that they have failed to fulfill their obligations to those students and properly balance teacher and staff convenience with student harm.