The other shoe dropped on the disappearance of Burns Elementary's third principal in three years: see Domino Effect in Tuesday's P&C.
According to the article, "Before schools dismissed for winter break, officials named Beth McCraw, principal of Burns Elementary School, as the principal on special assignment to oversee the splitting of Midland Park. Deborah Smith, an assistant principal at Drayton Hall Elementary School, was named interim principal for Burns."
Now, McCraw may be just the person for this new assignment; however, Stall's move onto a new campus and the resulting "domino effect" should have been foreseen for months. Why must Burns Elementary give up yet another stabilizing force at a school that, according to one parent, "has had 5 assistant principals, a whole new office staff, and 50% or more turnover."
That's a question that deserves an answer.
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1 comment:
I don't see how a principal can be held accountable for a staff he or she had little input in assembling. Even established teachers have to redevelop a working relationship with new school leadership. That takes several years at least. If there is a revolving door to the principal's office, that should say more about the quality of the administration that ultimately does the hiring, firing and moving around for these positions. Nancy McGinley has never directly addressed why she has found it necessary to replace so many principals and assistant principals, so often and involving the same schools. Some schools have averaged as many as 3 new principals in less than 5 years. It would not surprise me if the average prinicpal's tenure at the same school for the entire district was less than 3 years. There's no way most of these schools are being led well with leadership so green and so unconnected to the school community. As this post shows, some schools have turnovers that are much worse. These schools need stability. If McGinley can't get it right after so many attempts, maybe it's time to replace the Superintendent.
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