Principals Musical Chairs
Let me bring you up-to-date as best I can. Looking at the Personnel Report for the upcoming Seattle School Board meeting we see:
- Franklin HS's principal leaving to become...an assistant principal at Franklin. It's unclear who will be principal there.
- Principal at Olympic Hills Elementary leaving
- Assistant Principal at Ballard HS leaving (their principal is still on administrative leave)
- Principal at B.F. Day Elementary leaving
- Assistant principal at John Muir Elementary leaving
When we last talked:
- Ballard HS still had an "acting principal," Dr. Joseph Williams, while Principal Keven Wynkoop is on administrative leave.
- Cleveland HS seems to have lost their principal and an AP, Catherine Brown, is now principal.
- It appears that Roosevelt's former principal is entirely gone and it is unclear to me who is in charge.
You can certainly say that COVID issues could be part of this principal movement but I doubt it's the main reason, not with the timing of movements like this.
There does appear to be a public relations struggle to exit Principal Wynkoop from Ballard HS and an equally fervent struggle to retain him.
An article in the South Seattle Emerald talks about the unhappiness of a few students over a nearly $10K ad taken out in February in the Sunday Times in support of Wynkoop by a group calling itself, "Friends of Keven Wynkoop."
The district found that Wynkoop violated District Policy 3027, the Prohibition of Harassment, Intimidation, or Bullying (HIB), against a Student of Color. He was also found to have retaliated against that student — a violation of district, state, and federal policies. At least three other unrelated complaints have since been filed with the district against Wynkoop.
Still, in the ad, 107 people listed their names in support of his reinstatement, including parents, Ballard residents, at least 16 current and former Ballard High School staff, and three former Seattle Public Schools (SPS) board directors. It demanded that Seattle Public School Superintendent Brent Jones reinstate him.
I am (still) waiting for the SPS HR report on Wynkoop. The outside investigation that SPS conducted seemed to be inconclusive. I will have to ask SPS about these "unrelated complaints" that the article mentions.
Striking statements from students:
“They don’t see an issue, because they’ve never had to deal with being oppressed, because they’re white people and they’ve never had to face this head-on,” she said. “It feels like a punch in the stomach that students are sticking their necks out to say, ‘He’s not a great person, he’s not great for Students of Color.’ And these parents are like, ‘But he’s just so nice; we like him!’”
Jagger Barrington — a biracial senior who identifies as Black and white — says he’s always felt “othered” at BHS, and that “it’s always been a struggle.” Wynkoop devoted energy to maintaining the positive image of the school without addressing many of the underlying problems Students of Color face, he says.
I will note that this issue seems to have polarized the student body (those who care because at any given high school, many students do not care who is principal). And some students feel pressure to support one side or the other when they may not have enough information to make any kind of judgment.
I will note that the South Seattle Emerald used to have much more journalist integrity. Now, it seems they will print any random accusation without proof. For example,Recently, the student who assaulted Crutcher’s daughter assaulted another female student on school grounds and is reportedly no longer at BHS.
That's a very big accusation without any backing references.
Comments
F for Effort
Here's what they say (on pages 101-2).
These types of political witch hunts have common features:
1. They arise quickly: Witch-hunts seem to appear in dramatic outbursts; they are not a regular feature of social life. A community seems to suddenly find itself infested with all sorts of subversive elements which pose a threat to the collectivity as a whole. Whether one thinks of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, the Stalinist Show Trials, or the McCarthy period int he United States, the phenomenon is the same: a community becomes intensely mobilized to rid itself of internal enemies.
2. Crimes against the collective: The various charges that appear during one of these witch-hunts involve accusations of crimes committed against the nation as a corporate whole. It is the whole of collective existence that is as stake. It is The Nation, The People, The Revolution, or The State which is being undermined and subverted.
3. Charges are often trivial or fabricated: These crimes and deviations seem to involve the most petty and insignificant behavioral acts which are somehow understood as crimes against the nation as a whole. In fact, one of the principal reasons we term these events 'witch-hunts' is that innocent people are so often involved and falsely accused.
4. Fear of defending the accused: When a public accusation is made, many friends and bystanders know that the victim is innocent, but they are afraid to say anything. Anyone who comes to the defense of the accused is obstructing the enactment of a collective ritual. Siding with the accused is truly an offense against the group, and it will be treated as such. If passions and fears are intense enough, people will even testify against their friends and family members.
This is the type of witch hunt that happened against you in the former Soup for Teachers group on Facebook. Defending the accused is the way forward. The charges are typically trivial or false. It's a mania, a witch hunt to punish the enemies of the revolution, the ideologically impure.
Ballard Doe
SPS has dumped on it’s principals this year, more than ever. And, when families are unhappy and one can easily point to SPS systemic failures (title IX policy, for example), Principals make for an easy out. Too bad for BHS and SPS they will likely lose a dedicated, caring and decent and leader.
Sad BHS Parent
I agree with you wrt the current action against Wynkoop. I am not the only parent that feels this way, however apparently we as parents are not supposed to discuss what's happening/not happening at Ballard HS. The most logical place to be able to discussion it would be the FB page...however the admins are our self appointed judge and jury. No discussion allowed! Coming off of covid, I don't feel like there is much of a community and thus, it doesn't even feel like we can come together for a discussion amongst adults since apparently the moderators have decided that we cant. There is a small but vocal group of parents (and dare I say SPS HQ) that would like Wynkoop removed. And they are bullies. I am deeply resentful of this given that this is the school my students attend.
-skeptical parent
I no longer consider the publication credible.
"Charges are often trivial or fabricated" is a phrase used in one comment and while I understand this is language used by an article or book, it should have been called out. Especially around sexual assault. I am not minimizing the accusers. I think there are both legal and district processes to go through. Things certainly did happen and the issues they raise need to be address by the school AND the district. (I will be having a post about the overhaul of the policy on sexual harassment/assault currently going on. I'm not sure that it's a robust as advocates may want.)
I think it is on the district to do MORE to help principals and teachers understand how some teaching or assignments could cause unease to some students. I know it takes some courage for a student to challenge a teacher out loud in class especially at a largely white school. But I also know trying to start a fight in class will not work either. The district needs to give PD on what teachers should do in these situations.
This is an open blog. I print all comments except for personally demeaning ones (either directed at me or someone else). What is helpful is a phrase like "I think Wynkoop is not effective as a principal because of XYZ" and then go from there. The Facebook page in question only wants to be an echo chamber and that's their right. But it doesn't make them right.
I also want to point out that former Garfield principal, Ted Howard, had numerous complaints and allegations of the same as Wynkoop and he was never suspended. (I'd like to hear that discussion on that Facebook page.) Why? Here comes a hard truth.
There is no perfect principal. They make mistakes and once I get the SPS HR report, we'll have a better understanding of that situation. (I say "that situation" because we may not know ALL the reasons that Wynkoop is on administrative leave. The district is cagey that way.)
But seasoned principals who know how this district works and appear, overall, to do a good job, are hard to find.
I know, I know. There are some things that can outweigh all that. And that includes lack of oversight on issues of racism and sexual harassment/assault.
I think the district is between a rock and a hard place and know what? It's pretty much of their own doing. Because where was the SPS Executive Director who oversees Ballard HS, Jon Halfaker. Did he know what was going on? Was he helping Wynkoop in his decision-making?
I think the district probably wants to retain Wynkoop but they need to not dull their focus on race and equity. That's going to be something interesting to watch.
Yes, there are a few loud people in the district and they can be found on the former Soup for Teacher site. The individuals used the same tactics of shame and public humiliation to get rid of Juneau. These same people use the Emerald. The tactics to get rid of BHS principal are the same as those being used to get rid of the former superintendent. They aren't happy until a person's life is completely destroyed.
It is sad to see individuals connected to the SCPTSA distribute the Emerald article which fails to get opposing views. I hear one of the individuals circulating the piece wants to run for school board. Sad.
What is going on with Interagency? The district wants to eliminate 3 Interagency sites. These schools serve the most vulnerable students. Elimination of 3 Interagency sites will be BOTH Intro and Action. I don't believe this board truly wants community input.
Dollars to Donuts
Speak for yourself. The principal of BH HAS worked with kids out of the mainstream. He has worked to make students feel safe and heard.
BH principal brings GENERATIONAL connections to Ballard which makes him more than qualified to run a large high school in the Ballard area. If you don't understand Ballard and it's culture, you won't understand my comment. BHS principal is hands down committed to community and the success of Ballard's students. He would not have been nominated by his peers and won two state Principal of the Year Awards if he wasn't committed to student success. Please.
Worth Noting
Mr. Wynkoop has done so much good during his tenure - from winning Principal of the Year for creating the GAINS program which identifies students who need help to graduate and helping them, to creating a program which trains students that welcome freshman to the school each year. He also created Ballard Cares program which raised donations to help Ballard High School families affected by the Pandemic. He really cares about the Ballard Community and all the kids.
Dollars to Donuts, I have gone back and reviewed what the Times printed.
1) I do apologize to Mr. Halfaker as the report says that Wynkoop did NOT consult Halfaker about this. So it may be that the LA incident was on Halfaker's radar and Wynkoop should have asked him. However the report goes on to say that Wynkoop believed, under his contract, that he did have the authority to unilaterally move a student to another class.
2) It is important to understand that there WAS an investigative report that went to HR for THEIR findings, based on the report.
I want to point out some key issues with the Times' reporting.
- They make it sound like there was one document. That is not true.
- They do not provide a link to the investigative report.
- They claim that in the investigative report it states that Wynkoop "engaged in a retaliatory action"....
I put that term into the search function and there is no such phrase in the investigative report. It might b in the HR report but again, I have not seen that yet.
The investigative report ends by saying:
"It is Human Resources management's decision whether the factual findings constitute a violation of District policy and/or procedure regarding Olsen (the teacher) and Wynkoop's conduct. This report and exhibits are being forwarded to HR management for further action as warranted."
The Times' article about Wynkoop being placed on leave does say that the investigators found "that Wynkoop and Olsen created a 'hostile school environment" and violated the district's policy on harassment, intimidation, and bullying 'by engaging in conduct that substantially interfered' with the student's education."
The investigative report does NOT say that. It must be in the HR report.
In the South Seattle Emerald article, it is stated that the district says Wynkoop violated District policy 3026 on HIB (it's a Board policy, actually). The Emerald goes onto say that Wynkoop also retaliated against that student "a violation of district, state and federal policies." But the Times' article doesn't say that last part at all.
I will inquire to Public Disclosure about when I might see that HR report.
1) Wynkoop's actions. A principal should not be suspended this long, and certainly not fired, unless there is clear evidence of a major breach of conduct that cannot be repaired by training. Usually, you would want to the staffer in question, especially a principal, to correct and improve so that they can stay where they are (which has benefits for everyone). But sometimes an action or misconduct is so egregious that the person has to go. I don't think that has happened in this case.
2) SPS is trying to clear out uncooperative principals (i.e. those who do not toe the party line) and replace them with cronies, and is using parent complaints as justification for doing so. But it cheapens and undermines the very important work for racial justice by turning that work into a justification for seizing more power and control.
Parents are going to eventually have to step in and reassert their power and control over the district at next year's school board elections. The handpicked candidate of the SPS/SCPTSA cabal, Erin Dury, went down in flames in the 2021 primary, winning barely 10% of the vote, which is an indication that the current SPS leadership and their approach lack public support. The paid ad from the BHS parents was the right call and a good start, but a lot more organizing is going to be needed to ensure that reformers get elected in 2023 and put a stop to the mess there.
Eager Beaver
I’m not really sure what you mean by installing principal “cronies?” How would these principals look or do differently from who we have? Aren’t they also certified by the state - ie have to be minimally qualified to serve, so they should not be random friends of the School Board (who I actually loathe, I just don’t get how they have power to hire principals or why they would want to).
Definition Please
RHS is cutting 10th grade Social Studies to just one semester -- zero options for students to fill that gap. They have blown up Honors Math and don't seem to know how to put the pieces back together. I'm sure that there are many other profound changes that I have no idea about because the administration hasn't deigned to tell parents, despite the fact that these changes were implemented in time for reigstration (though it definitely looks very hasty if you consult the course catalogue).
That SPS School Board line about community engagement and prioritizing student outcomes sure looks like alternative facts at this point. Most of us only "know" our school by the way they treat the students and the community. Right now I know that something is wrong at Roosevelt. My guess is that they will throw the previous Principal under the bus and tell us that it is all his fault that this has been so chaotic, but the fact is that there are a ton of adults who are responsible for making this happen, and I would not put him at the top of that list.
RHS Parent
I read a BH report regarding the Frankenstein assignment. Teachers from across the spectrum reviewed the material etc. There was NO finding that the teachings were racist. Multiple students in the class were interviewed. NONE of the students- except one- felt a particular group of oppressed individuals were being targeted.
We have a virtue signaling board that isn't paying close enough attention to academics. The board is burning -up countless administrative dollars and time to change a governance system which will not likely yield results. Take for instance, Emerson Elementary has 95% of the population FAILING state math standards. Rainier Beach High School has 90 percent of it's students that can't pass a state math test.
https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ReportCard/ViewSchoolOrDistrict/101049
Check out Liza Rankin's facebook page. She foolishly seems to thinks that HC options have been expanded for all students. How can advanced course work be given when 90-95 percent of the student population can't pass a state math exam? And, yes, the only south- end HC pathway has been destroyed.
I have a student outside the mainstream and Principal Wynkoop was extremely supportive. So I don't agree with the broad comment you made. I feel Wynkoop is being treated unfairly and is being disproportionately targeted by the district & certain individuals who are manipulating the situation. I feel the same about the teacher from what I have read. However very little information to date has been shared. Ballard Doe is also correct in analogies. This definitely reminds me of a witch hunt situation in which people held hostage to an ideological fervor are seeking targets. If people seek to better understand a situation with logic or reason they are not only dismissed, they are " privileged racists". Just dismiss 100+ people! Those people can just label Wynkoop and others are supposed to fall in line and not question for fear of being labeled as well. Some just jump on the ideological bandwagon of binary "good & bad" characters. Wynkoop's racial identity is playing a strong role. It is more to individuals looking for targets to "make examples" after the George Floyd very sad situation, than the actual facts of this situation or the people involved. There is indeed a religiosity about this situation. This is not unique to Ballard or Seattle. This is a trend and there are leading progressive academics who are critics, are worried it is impeding progress, and find it damaging including to Black people. https://www.npr.org/2021/11/05/1052650979/mcwhorters-new-book-woke-racism-attacks-leading-thinkers-on-race
https://www.thefire.org/so-to-speak-podcast-transcript-john-mcwhorter-says-academics-are-really-really-worried/
Think deeper
I swim for therapeutic reasons at the Ballard pool, which is adjacent to the high school, everyday. It is my main exercise, as it is for many others, because walking is difficult. Some use aids including wheelchairs outside of the pool.
It is also difficult to use transit to access the pool, so near by parking is essential.
Unfortunately there are just enough high school students who use the pool parking, to make it difficult, if not impossible for others to access the pool.
On days when they have a break, it’s wide open, but other times, those who haven’t planned to arrive 30-40 minutes early, are SOL.
We ( including pool manager) sent notes and emails to remind students and the principal, that the pool parking is for the pool.
Wynkoop, basically said, too bad.
The pool had stepped up the writing of tickets, which apparently angered some students, and it’s really not a good look for them.
I can easily see how he may be clashing with parents and students.
I think he just doesn't have the skill set for a high powered school like Ballard. But if they get him some remedial training and send him to another school, that sounds fair. But the district doesn't like principals with a big fan club, they like principals who aren't afraid to protect the less influential students regardless of flack from the noisier parents. Many Ballard alumni loved Wynkoop, he brought in Ballard alumni to run the football program, after the winning and talented coach moved on. So, ya, he's a Beaver to the core but in my opinion, BHS needs someone else.
-Class of 2019
Hate Wynkoop or not, BHS is doomed if this is how SPS handles things. You said “the district doesn't like principals with a big fan club, they like principals who aren't afraid to protect the less influential students regardless of flack from the noisier parents.” SPS sees principals as disposable - just watch how many leave the district this year. They want principals who do what they say - that’s it. Don’t disillusion yourself with moral fortitude on this one. Wynkoop is a scapegoat for systemic failures of the district as a whole. His dismissal will change nothing for “less influential students” in SPS.
Dollars to Donuts
From the Atlantic Article https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/09/academics-are-really-really-worried-about-their-freedom/615724/
" Being nonwhite leaves one protected in this environment only to the extent that one toes the ideological line. An assistant professor of color who cannot quite get with the program writes, “At the moment, I’m more anxious about this problem than anything else in my career,” noting that “the truth is that over the last few years, this new norm of intolerance and cult of social justice has marginalized me more than all racism I have ever faced in my life.”
The charges levied against many of these professors are rooted in a fanatical worldview, one devoted to spraying for any utterances possibly interpretable as “supremacist,” although the accusers sincerely think they have access to higher wisdom. A white professor read a passage from an interview with a well-known Black public intellectual who mentions the rap group NWA, and because few of the students knew of the group’s work at this late date, the professor parenthetically noted what the initials stand for. None of the Black students batted an eye, according to my correspondent, but a few white students demanded a humiliating public apology.
This episode represents a pattern in the letters, wherein it is white students who are “woker” than their Black classmates, neatly demonstrating the degree to which this new religion is more about virtue signaling than social justice. From the same well is this same professor finding that the gay men in his class had no problem with his assigning a book with a gay slur in its title, a layered, ironic title for a book taking issue with traditional concepts of masculinity—but that a group of straight white women did, and reported him to his superiors.
Think Deeper
Think Deeper
I have no ill will towards the man and respect and appreciate his family's dedication and involvement in SPS. I also think he did a great job turning Ballard into a top performing school that now attracts students who otherwise would have stayed in the APP program or went to private high schools.
I never heard anything bad about him, just that he payed more attention to sports at BHS than other things; I don't have any way to verify that - I just heard it said a few times.
As far as the parent fan club aspect, I remember the much loved principal of Coe, who after moving to the new QA elementary, got in a tussle with downtown and started his own school with parents from the QA school. Kind of cult-like, in my opinion, based on parents I knew at the time with children there.
I didn't see that kind of adoration from Ballard parents and, frankly, I wonder if the parents of current students are the largest number of those protesting his suspension, or is it more folks with other issues about Ballard the neighborhood or about the district in general.
BTW, we had a great experience at Ballard. Fantastic teachers and staff, lots of great clubs, inclusive sports, relatively low drug use (from my limited observations).
The crowded hallways, however, were problematic and once, when I was in the lobby of the gym/auditorium, I witnessed a boy slap at the books of a girl as he walked past her and she had that look on her face like this had happened before and she was resigned to it. There were cameras right above the kids so I don't know what they were for if not that. Also the girl was not white, maybe Hispanic, and I thought it a bad sign of the school not protecting the kids properly.
I know some folks wants this to be about "wokeism", but I think if Wynkoop could of spent a little more energy and time on these problems when they surfaced and done a better job listening to the students and parents, it would not have surfaced.
I guess my bottom line is that we need someone more sophisticated in the needs of a diverse student body. Anyways, I hope he stays in education after he gets a little more training.
As far as the district goes, I have had eight principals to get to know as we moved through SPS, and I have found them all to be very honest and enthusiastic, but some are better than others at dealing with the many facets of the job. I have tried to get to know them all, but high school is just too big and I didn't know Wynkoop beyond his public appearances and a few emails about broken chairs that needed replacing.
I'm a big SPS fan, I think they do a lot with what they have. I know many people who disagree, but having spent a lot of time at schools with teachers and students, I feel the educational opportunities are quite good and teachers and staff, almost without exception, do an exemplary job.
Class of 2019
"I know some folks wants this to be about "wokeism", but I think if Wynkoop could of spent a little more energy and time on these problems when they surfaced and done a better job listening to the students and parents, it would not have surfaced."
I agree. I think some principals are either too busy or don't want to take incidents seriously when they had the chance. And yes, a principal needs to be sensitive to all student voices even if the majority of the school isn't saying that same thing.
There is no perfect principal; any of us who had kids in school know that. And I will say that in the case of the LA teacher, the family seems to have wanted to go after both the teacher and the principal even when offered the chance to change the situation. That makes me suspicious.
NEmom
https://kuow.org/stories/how-school-administrators-helped-an-abusive-seattle-teacher-stay-in-the-classroom
Inconsistent Justice
As For Hollins and Wynkoop, it appears that Hollins did an action directly against a student. I know no details. Wynkoop, it is alleged, has not worked hard enough on sexual harassment/assault issues at BHS. As well, there is the issue of his treatment of a student of color over an LA assignment. I have yet to see the HR report where they say he retaliated against this student. The investigative report says they found no evidence of that but turned over their investigation report to HR who deals directly with those issues.
- Good Principals are Hard to Find