Cleveland High School Principal Update
From KOMO News on Friday:
New Cleveland High School principal Dr. Marni Campbell resigned hours before students at the south Seattle school were scheduled to walk out in protest of the district's recent decision.
Cleveland students organized the walkout, which is set to begin at 11:30 a.m., after the announcement was made of the reassignment of Brown and the hiring of Campbell.
Letter from Superintendent Brent Jones:
Dear Cleveland Families and Staff,
With regret, I have accepted Dr. Marni Campbell’s decision to withdraw from the position of principal of Cleveland STEM High School. I look forward to working again with Dr. Campbell, who will continue to serve SPS in another capacity yet to be determined. I continue to believe in her ability to keep students and families at the core of her decisions and have confidence in her integrity and character.
Dr. Campbell chose to withdraw from the position because she did not want to be a distraction or hamper the future success of Cleveland students. Her words to me are worth sharing with you now:
“I have deep respect and love for the work that the Cleveland community has done for many years to create a beautiful, anti-racist, student-centered school community,” she said. “It is because of my deep respect for our work that I make this decision.”
As your superintendent, I am listening and leaning into your opinions and thoughts regarding this leadership transition. I am encouraging students, families, and staff to keep an open mind and exhibit patience. Even when expressing hurt or disagreement, it is important to model respect and understanding.
Personnel decisions and staffing transitions occur for a variety of reasons. Questions have been raised about the status of Principal Catherine Brown, who is currently on leave. SPS personnel matters are handled confidentially, and we will not be speaking on her behalf. Principal Brown has served the Cleveland community for 18 years and positively impacted many students, staff members, and families.
My focus now is to identify the healthiest path forward for the Cleveland community. I look forward to working in harmony to find the next leader of Cleveland High School.
So what “leaning into your opinions” means is anyone’s guess.
That Campbell backed away speaks to the power of a community speaking with one voice. I continue to believe that community should be represented in any principal selection especially for high school. And yet, the district appears to be doing that less and less.
I hope students and parents are seeking that the Superintendent and Board love to mouth words but when it comes to actions following those words - not so much.
Comments
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Their non-teaching employees outnumber the teachers. I would hope that the manpower and the resources that go into supporting 4,400 admins are being managed efficiently. The admins in Central Office were "working remotely" while the schools were closed for 1.5 years. The standards that rule payments to Brent Jones almost $350K/yr total, top admins directly under him more than $250K/yr each, armies of directors under top admins $150K~$200K/yr each, armies of subordinate admins under directors $100K/yr and so on have been quite arbitrary.
And where are bus services, transparent accountings, academic progress, detail report on what they are accomplishing, HR hiring/firing processes?
In this kind of place, the least they could do for Ms Brown who has inspired many students is to set the protocols that she could follow or simply take over the districtwide communication concerning the matters which affect any and all schools.
Instead, it is ultimately because "the position was at-will employment and subject to the district discretion" and no one will report that lame ending. The district like this will just use taxpayers money to settle any lawsuit and will preserve those who don't even try to be accountable to students or parents. Bureaucrats want to keep their ridiculously high-paid jobs with no performance requirements, especially the one(s) who told Ms Brown to lie to the students, are gonna stay.
Refund Our Tax
There are NOT 4400 admins…Schools require paras, counselors, lunch service, janitors etc. It’s absolutely possible there is too much management at SPS but your claim is flagrantly wrong.
Hyperbole
Can Hyperbole or anyone find the answers to my other questions?:
where are bus services, transparent accountings, academic progress, detail report on what they are accomplishing, HR hiring/firing processes, and
why Marni Campbell with a track record of been on the wrong side of lawsuit, and the one(s) who told Ms Brown to lie to the students, and Rob Gannon gave empty promises to BT elementary students/staff until parents sued SPS, and Brent Jones whose previous HR leadership yielded child molestation incidents on SPS premises are all keeping their cushy jobs? Whose best interest are they serving?
And why is it that SPS PR/Communication did not offer clear answer and truthful information directly to the students. If the central office managers/directors/chiefs were doing their jobs, Ms Brown wouldn't have had to bother with that communication issue at all.
That said, I do appreciate great teachers, paras, counselors, lunch service, janitors, etc.
Refund Our Tax
Poetic
-skeptical parent
-Seattlelifer
Brent Jones's time in HR needs to be evaluated and scrutinized. As an aside, he worked in HR when a molester was fired and re-hired, and cost the district $3M.
I will say that I agree about this culture of fear. It feels like there's a choke chain around the necks of principals but I don't know why.