What do you do with a hot potato? Drop it? Hand it off to someone else to deal with? Well, Superintendent McGinley has chosen the latter course. [See New Position Creates Concern in Saturday's P & C.]The hot potato, of course, is the former principal of Jane Edwards Elementary, Christy Thompson. Thompson has created controversy from her first days at the school, with 11 of its 15 teachers leaving after her first year as principal (but continued backing from McGinley) culminating in a lawsuit brought by a teacher this last year that has not yet been resolved.
For background, readers may see past postings on this blog, but the lead in the P & C's story sums up the latest controversy nicely: "The principal accused of grabbing a teacher's arm during an argument has been moved to an assistant principal position [at Charleston Progressive Academy], and that decision has frustrated some who say peninsula schools should not be treated as a 'dumping ground.'"
Gee, those people downtown have some nerve objecting to a policy that's been in effect for the last 30 years or so! Who do they think they are? Taxpayers? Marvin Stewart needs to get a life. . . Can you imagine what will happen if he replaces Toya on the School Board? We'll have to deal with those people all the time!
[Sorry, I was just channeling Gregg Meyers, . . . or was it McGinley? Whatever.]
Actually McGinley's hand-off sparkles in its brilliancy. Kill two birds with one stone. Get Thompson away from Jane Edwards before the school implodes. Foist her on Charleston Progressive so that as the feds continue looking into CCSD's failure to provide magnet resources to its so-called [black] magnet school, she can point to its having an assistant principal that CCSD's "formula" doesn't call for.
Then, McGinley won't have to live with Thompson's apparently bristly personality at 75 Calhoun, and, if later developments force McGinley to fire Thompson, her position won't need to be filled.
I told you it was brilliant.
Who cares what happens at CPA anyway! Whatever it is, they deserve it for filing a complaint with the OCR!
[Sorry, channeling again. I'd better get off this topic.]
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3 comments:
Ah, those manly women at 75 Calhoun Street. They really are a ruthless bunch who always stick together and cover each each other's back. And we thought they were all about the children. Hell, no. It's just about winning.
In her puff piece, the superintendent says she "regrets" some of her appointments last summer. Now McGinley puts this looser of a principal at CPA. Yes she can kill two annoying birds with one stone. This is just to warehouse the offending administrator pending the outcome of her suit against CCSD. This former principal may be a looser, but she's got some legal sense. As long as she's got a law suit pending, CCSD can't demote her to a teaching position or fire her without adding retalliation to the suit. McGinley and Goodloe both have used this tactic quite a bit in the past few years, confident that few if any would call their bluff.
Well this one did. It's just too bad CPA has to hold the hot potato instead of McGinley. Oh, those manly women. They really know how to ride 'em rough.
I couldn't help making borrowing this. It's not Prairie Home Companion, but here it is. Charleston County Public Schools...where the women are manly, the men comply and the children are all below average.
It's wonderful to see the hot potatoe from Jane Edwards moved the school through her accountability strategies in one year from unsatisfactory to below average. The school received a Silver Award for their progress from the state department. One of the ten most highest school's growth in Charleston County. Too bad it almost cost her a career to help change the lives of students. You go girl! I salute you even though you were not there to accept your award. She ended a wonderful year with accolades to Dr. Mc Ginley from parents of CPA. Always remember you can never be to hasty to judge from the outside looking in.
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