What's up at Lafayette?
It appears that Lafayette Elementary may be in the news soon. I was contacted by a tv news organization for a "statement" about an "investigation" at Lafayette. When I followed up, they professed ignorance even though they contactted me.
Charlie and I were made aware of a situation at Lafayette earlier this year that seemed to resolve on its own (or through the district).
It is unclear to me the details at this point so I won't go into them but I offer this information so that if you DO see a story on tv, it won't come as a surprise.
Charlie and I were made aware of a situation at Lafayette earlier this year that seemed to resolve on its own (or through the district).
It is unclear to me the details at this point so I won't go into them but I offer this information so that if you DO see a story on tv, it won't come as a surprise.
Comments
Business as usual.
"As we head into the New Year, I am pleased to announce several appointments and leadership changes in our District, specifically to Teaching and Learning.
Our core work at Seattle Public Schools is based in Teaching and Learning, and I want to thank all of you for your continued hard work, especially in light of key leadership positions that have been unfilled. I am confident the team announced today will bring stability to the department and carry out the work we need to do through the end of the 2012-13 school year.
Michael Tolley is now the sole Interim Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. I want to thank both Michael and Marni Campbell for co-sharing this responsibility this fall, while still continuing to do their work as Executive Directors of Schools. Now Michael will focus on Teaching and Learning, and we will create a solid plan for the Southeast region in Michael’s absence. Marni will return to her Executive Director of Schools duties full-time.
We have a search firm in place to recruit for the Assistant Superintendent position and I hope to have it filled permanently by the end of the school year. I know having this position vacant has been difficult, and I want to thank the entire Teaching and Learning staff — from Central Office to our principals, teachers and support staff — for your dedication this year.
(cont.)
Additional leadership appointments include:
· Curriculum and Instruction: A hiring committee interviewed finalists in November, and I am pleased to announce Shauna Heath as our new Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction. Shauna has been the principal at Lafayette Elementary since the start of the school year. She joined Seattle Public Schools from the Kent School District, where she served as principal of Sunrise Elementary. Shauna will oversee Early Learning, College and Career Readiness and core content areas. She will report to the Interim Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning.
· Early Learning PreK-5: Kimberly Kinzer will now serve as Director of Early Learning, with a focus on Pre-Kindergarten through 5th Grade. In this new role, Kimberly will build a strong early learning foundation, overseeing Head Start, Special Education PreK, WaKids, the Families and Education Levy’s PreK-Elementary implementation, and the Race to the Top’s Start Strong component. Her goal is to ensure students are prepared for kindergarten, to align the District’s assessments, and to create solid transitions from grade-to-grade.
· College and Career Readiness: Janet Blanford will now serve as Director of College and Career Readiness for grades 6-12. Janet will focus on making sure our secondary learners are prepared for college, career and life. She will oversee Career and Technical Education, counselors, course approval and course catalogs, the high school steering committee, the Families and Education levy’s middle and high school grants, and the Race to the Top’s Stay Strong component.
These three individuals will work closely together to provide strong leadership for the District’s Curriculum and Instruction Department. They will collectively be responsible for leading the district-wide implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and taking the Multi Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to scale among many other initiatives.
In addition, our Executive Directors of Schools will now report to the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. This gives the Teaching and Learning team more direct access to our principals and schools."
The last point is critical. This moves away from the MGJ/Enfield-era glorification of principals/instructional leaders. This places the Exec Dir of Sped equal w/ the Exec Dirs of Schools. It raises the leader of SPS' primary function, teaching and learning, to the role s/he should be. Only a Supt whose self-confidence rests on actual experience, not hubris, would realign these roles.
-IMHO
-confused
BUT, isn't that where Bree D. got parked, in the SE, alongside Michael, after her Martin Flow debacle in the NW? It was strange, or at least, I found it strange, that the District staffed that region with TWO Ed Directors, given that those FTEs are so very costly. Anyway, my point is, isn't Bree still there in the SE? Shouldn't one Ed director be able to handle that one region? Especially as she's been in that territory for a while now? Yes, that region may have some higher challenges in some respects, I don't know, but really, does the SE require two Ed directors? Before Bree, it was managed by one, so, maybe go back to just one? After all, this is one cash-strapped district! Plus, it is weird that there is no mention of Bree in Mr. Banda's correspondence whatsoever. Instead he talks about needing to get a plan going for the SE. Makes me think I am waaaay out of the loop, that Bree must have moved on. That's got to be it, otherwise his letter doesn't make any sense to me.
-curious
Let's see if I can get this all in order. For many years Sp Ed was run by a Manager, who reported to a Director, who sometimes reported to an Executive Director and then reported to the CAO. When I first started interacting with SPS, Sara Woolverton was the Sp Ed Manager, who reported to Director of Student Services Michelle Corker Curry. Corker Curry reported to someone else for awhile, and then the Chief Academic Officer when Carla Santorno was hired. Then Woolverton went out on a medical leave, and ultimately her temporary replacement, Collen Shea Stump (then Manager of Advanced Learning) ended up being the Manager of Sp Ed and Advanced Learning. When Corker Curry was promoted to Deputy Chief Academic Officer, Stump was given a Director title. That lasted a year. She then went to a building, and the position was open. Fred Rowe came in as a consultant. MGJ agreed to his proposal to create an Executive Director of Sp Ed position and have it be a direct report to the Sup. SE as CAO was a peer to Marni Campbell as Sp Ed Exec Director for awhile. When SE became Sup, she kept the Ed Directors as direct reports (her direct reports when she was CAO), but moved the Sp Ed Exec Director to under Asst Sup of T&L, thereby demoting the Sp Sd Exec Director on the org chart but creating some direct reports for the Asst Sup of T&L who didn't really have anyone to supervise since the Ed Directors were suddenly the Sup's direct reports. Phew, I think that covers 2004-forward.
-IMHO
-reader
In any case, now the EDs (often principal apologists) report to the same person the (temporary interim) Exec Dir of SpEd does. It is the dearest wish of SpEd families that the Asst Supt of T&L will understand the district's first duty is to educate our students, NOT let principals kick the can down the road, nickel and dime us, and save a buck.
Anyway, my point was that there's only been one point in time the the Sp Ed Ex Director was treated as an important position. Irony, it was by MGJ.
IMHO
-reader
-Someone who was there.
Specialist
To whom to you refer to? I may or may not agree. If it was Becky, then no. If Marni, then no. If Colleen, then maybe. Etc.
- Another Sp Ed Staffer
Not convinced
S parent
yet another Sp Ed Staffer
specialist
Specialist (seen it happen time and time again)
wondering