To the School Board: Why transfer 6 principals?

I sent the following message to the School Board yesterday, in reaction to MMSD’s announcement that 6 elementary principals will be moved to different schools this summer in a series of transfers.

I realize that it’s easy to talk tough from the sidelines, but I think that this is a significant personnel decision that will affect a lot of teachers, kids, and communities. If the School Board hasn’t received a thorough explanation of its rationale, I think they should request one.

A few people have suggested that I post my message to the Board here, so here it is.

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To the MMSD Board of Education:

I don't think I understand why Elizabeth Fritz was transferred from Crestwood. It appears that Art Rainwater has decided to remove an effective leader from a healthy school--one whose health she has helped to develop. His letter did not make the reason clear, except to suggest that he thinks it is good to move principals from one school to another every so often. Is this really his view, or the view of the School Board? It doesn't make sense to me.

Perhaps there are good reasons for these principal moves that I'm not aware of. But from the outside they give a worrisome impression--that the Superintendent might be "protecting his own" at the expense of the students he is serving. From the outside, and with incomplete information, it looks as though Mr. Rainwater might be doing the easier thing instead of the better thing--shuttling some unsuccessful principals to different schools instead of firing them. This would at least be a plausible motivation. Rotation for the sake of rotation does not seem to be.

I think the role of principal is the most important role in a school district, and that a principal has more impact on a school's climate than any other person. Good ones are not so easy to come by, and I don't think they should be transferred out unless there's a good reason. I hope the School Board will question Mr. Rainwater closely on his reasons. If it appears he's trying to protect weak principals, or if he can't do better than to say that it's good to rotate principals every so often, I hope the School Board will consider overturning his decision.

Thank you for your consideration.

Bill Herman

Posted by Bill Herman at May 26, 2006 4:32 PM
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