APP North Elementary Decision
From SPS:
On Monday, Dr. Enfield said: “deciding whether to create a stand-alone school for APP students or to house the program in multiple sites with existing neighborhood schools is a big decision, and not one I take lightly. Given our upcoming change in leadership, it is also not a decision that I would be here to defend. I am asking that incoming Superintendent José Banda work together with staff and the community on how to move forward with both program placement and capacity.” Read letter from Dr. Enfield to Lowell at Lincoln families.
For the 2012-13 school year, the District will:
• Separate the two Lowell schools. The Lincoln site will now be “APP at Lincoln,” much like our other programs housed at interim sites, such as K-5 STEM at Boren. This means that Rina Geoghagan and Gregory King will no longer be co-principals, but instead serve as principals of their own buildings. The two schools will also have a separate budget structure.
• Keep APP at Lincoln for the next two school years. Given our capacity issues in the north end of Seattle, we will house the program at Lincoln for the next two years. This gives District staff time to continue working on the larger picture of program placement and capacity.
So now the two schools are separate and that's done. My perception is that Lowell at Lincoln community wanted this; I do not know about the feelings of the Lowell building community.
I'm sure in some ways this is a bit comfort for the Lowell at Lincoln community, at least having this decision but then whatever change there is, it still looms ahead.
I would think that now would be a good time to advocate to Superintendent Banda on what that community wants. He is going to have to make some decisions based on BEX IV. Frankly, I think the Lowell at Lincoln community may be in a good place to say, "this is what we want" to him because he doesn't want to make a misstep early on.
Also, Lowell at Lincoln - I could think about a new name. You have shed the building and are now "legally" split from them so it seems like a good time to have a real identity. (It might help keep your community together if you have a new name - harder for the district to split you up in two years if you have been operating as a community under a new name.)
Still no word on King; I wonder why anyone told the Detroit newspaper about him being a principal in that city. The word had to come from him or Goodloe-Johnson; they didn't just pull his name out of the air.
On Monday, Dr. Enfield said: “deciding whether to create a stand-alone school for APP students or to house the program in multiple sites with existing neighborhood schools is a big decision, and not one I take lightly. Given our upcoming change in leadership, it is also not a decision that I would be here to defend. I am asking that incoming Superintendent José Banda work together with staff and the community on how to move forward with both program placement and capacity.” Read letter from Dr. Enfield to Lowell at Lincoln families.
For the 2012-13 school year, the District will:
• Separate the two Lowell schools. The Lincoln site will now be “APP at Lincoln,” much like our other programs housed at interim sites, such as K-5 STEM at Boren. This means that Rina Geoghagan and Gregory King will no longer be co-principals, but instead serve as principals of their own buildings. The two schools will also have a separate budget structure.
• Keep APP at Lincoln for the next two school years. Given our capacity issues in the north end of Seattle, we will house the program at Lincoln for the next two years. This gives District staff time to continue working on the larger picture of program placement and capacity.
So now the two schools are separate and that's done. My perception is that Lowell at Lincoln community wanted this; I do not know about the feelings of the Lowell building community.
I'm sure in some ways this is a bit comfort for the Lowell at Lincoln community, at least having this decision but then whatever change there is, it still looms ahead.
I would think that now would be a good time to advocate to Superintendent Banda on what that community wants. He is going to have to make some decisions based on BEX IV. Frankly, I think the Lowell at Lincoln community may be in a good place to say, "this is what we want" to him because he doesn't want to make a misstep early on.
Also, Lowell at Lincoln - I could think about a new name. You have shed the building and are now "legally" split from them so it seems like a good time to have a real identity. (It might help keep your community together if you have a new name - harder for the district to split you up in two years if you have been operating as a community under a new name.)
Still no word on King; I wonder why anyone told the Detroit newspaper about him being a principal in that city. The word had to come from him or Goodloe-Johnson; they didn't just pull his name out of the air.
Comments
SNAPP Dad
Lowell family
App @HIMS
-also confused
Sorry - missed the link.
-also confused
"Gregory King – Pershing High School
Gregory King has been an educator for twenty years of which he has been an administrator for twelve years. Mr. King has administrative experience in grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth. He served as an administrative intern and as an English Department Chairperson in high school. He taught high school debate and English. He has served as a high school football, basketball, and volleyball coach. Also, he served as a part time adjunct professor for six years at a community college.
Recently, Mr. King has completed his superintendent internship whereby his assisted in developing securing an online professional development platform for teachers and administrators. He was instrumental in implementing teacher collective bargaining agreements and ensuring the district was in compliance. He served as a principal representative in creating a district standards-based report card. Similarly, he served on the classified evaluation committee.
Mr. King is currently leading an elementary school that has the advanced progress program, advanced learning opportunities/general education, pre-school, medically fragile, low-incidence, and the resource special education programs. Under his leadership, Mr. King successfully merged two distinct schools. Similarly, Mr. King split a school into two sites and at one point, supervised the two locations. He has utilized his leadership skills to engage stakeholders."
"Mr. King successfully merged two distinct schools. Similarly, Mr. King split a school into two sites and at one point, supervised the two locations."
So he put two schools together, successfully, and then took them apart again. No one has any questions about that?
"He served as an administrative intern and as an English Department Chairperson in high school."
Oompah
-hahaha
http://michigan.gov/documents/eaa/Principal_Appointment_Roster_-_Harvard_Collaboration_387916_7.pdf
The strange thing about Gregory King's entry is that it doesn't name the schools, nor the district or city in which he has achieved all of these marvelous things. Very strange, indeed.
Oompah
King is moving to Detroit to work with his mentor. He's made it clear he wants to move. SSD will say nothing until after the fact. HR policy, saving face, both? He'd better bring his A Game.
I have a family friend who got back into teaching with TFA. She's in Detroit and er story might be unique for TFA corps. She has a BS in child psychology, ed certified for her state and her MA in math ed. She taught for 5 years then took time off for her children and home schooled and tutored. She divorced ans was ready to return to the classroom but with NCLB everything changed. It would've taken 2-3 years of school to qualify for certification in her midwestern state, and there was a glut of highly qualified teachers with MAs. TFA got her back in the classroom quickly. She's a math specialist in Detroit Schools and loves her students. They're doing great. She did well her first year and already has a contract for next year. Some of her co-teachers weren't so fortunate. If this is what TFA can do then it can be a great thing. She's the only TFA Corps recruit in her school who brought years of experience with her. She meets the Detroit "turnaround metrics" and they'll take credit for all her success and she doesn't care. She just wants to keep teaching. We think she's principal material. If TFA is true to form, will her TFA membership trump Dr Maria's Broadie Club in getting her a school of her own? She's not very political and principals rise and fall on who they know. I'll be interested in seeing who stays longer, our friend, Maria, or Gregory.
Mr White
Mr White
-what else is behind the curtain
This is a good story and I'm happy for your friend but there should be an alt cert program open to EVERYONE who would like to teach as a second career. That our biggest state university has one but it's only open to a select and small group of people is troubling.
Does nothing else about the school matter to all the people who seem to be working so hard to make Seattle schools better?
- Wondering
I appreciate the attempt at an ad hominem attack, but there is no sign of an "obsession" with Mr. King from the blog administrators.
The superintendent released a statement and we reported on it. Someone gave a link to the Michigan announcement and we quoted it. Hardly an obsession; more like basic journalism.
We will stop reporting on Mr. King when he stops making news in Seattle Public Schools. By all indications that should be sometime next week.
Journalism, is that a joke Charlie.
It was also worth pointing out that the schools are now separate and the principals are completely in charge of a single school.
What Mr. King has to do with the split is that he is named as the Principal at Lowell:
*Interim Supt. Enfield issued a statement naming Mr. King as the Principal of Lowell.
*There is a mysterious Gregory King named as the Principal of Pershing High School in the following document from the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan:
http://michigan.gov/documents/eaa/Principal_Appointment_Roster_-_Harvard_Collaboration_387916_7.pdf
This mysterious Gregory King has apparently accomplished many marvelous things, but only at unnamed schools in unnamed districts in unnamed cities. Coincidence?
And this is on the heels of Gregory King's "hiring" to be Principal at Bryant Montessori in Tacoma earlier this year.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/02/09/v-lite/2018511/new-principal-came-from-school.html
Ah, but perhaps I simply have a strange obsession with all things Gregory King.
Alternatively, some might simply wonder who will actually be the Principal at Lowell next year. Not having been a part of the Lowell community for a number of years now I can only speculate that there might be interest in Principal selection or assignment for next year.
I could be wrong.
Oompah
Do you think the high school reference could relate to when he was a teacher in a high school?
Oompah
Sorry but you all know that's how things are.
- Southender
Mr White
And to the person who named Eric T. - we don't do that here so do what that activity.
And Eric does have a point - very few people do sign their names.
Regarding Title 1, this past Fall's FRL % for Lowell at Lowell was pretty far below the Title 1 threshold. I could be wrong, but I don't expect Title 1 funds to come into play as a result of the separation of the two schools.
Let's support the school, the staff, and the REAL people who are running the ship.
-Former staff
I am well aware of most of the staffs feelings about Gregory, (which is both good and bad) and tried to be their advocate to the district,. In the end he was the principal at the school and we had to work with him and your right to point out the amazing staff who stepped up and showed leadership and caring at our school..It is the teachers that make the school.
I think that to much attention was spent on the negative and not enough on the positive at our school. I spent hundreds of hours in support of Lowell and got tired of armchair critics. It's easy to complain and criticize.
You have no idea how much I'm looking foward to the end of the year. I'm just glad that the district listened to both communities and were able to make the decision to let us create our own schools with our own vision.
Erik Tanen ( retiring PTSA president at Lowell capital hill)