Solving a Two-Fold Problem at Seattle Schools
Update:
Let me make a couple of things clear.
Again, the superintendent cannot just get rid of unsatisfactory staff, whether it's a teacher or administrator or staffer. Their contracts have been written with safeguards - for them - and the district has to follow whatever procedure is on place.
The district HAS to follow the process or it may get sued.
I think the time came to put Anitra Jones back in place as a principal and The current principal, Doug Sohn, at Adams ES is leaving.
I was wrong about why the Adams principal may leave early; he is not retiring but has an health issue which may or may not allow him to stay until the end of the year. Jones will still be putting in time at RBHS as she transitions to Adams ES. According to the press release on this topic, Jones will be at Adams ES full-time in the fall.
I know it is not easy for a school community to have to be part of the necessary process, especially if the staffer brings some baggage. I think all a community can do is trying to be welcoming and affirm the way their school runs.
The one mistake the district made, however, is pulling Marni Campbell away from Cleveland High after outcry around that placement. That set a precedent.
The district should have a clear process for appointing principals that may allow for some leeway but is consistent. They do not currently have that.
As you may have heard, Anitra Jones, former principal at Rainier View Elementary School, is being assigned to Adams Elementary School because the current longtime Adams principal is retiring. What's a bit odd is that SPS could be seeking out a new principal right now because the retiring principal is there until the end of the year.
Jones has quite the reputation. On the one hand, she has received a couple of awards for her work. Some of it was for intensive after-school work that was not voluntary in order to help students academically.
But on the other hand, her tenure at Rainier View ES was appalling. Nearly all the staff wanted to walk out. You saw some of those staff and many RVES parents at Board meetings pleading for help. According to the Times article, it was "a toxic learning and working environment." She even had the SEA filing complaints about how she treated teachers.
She got pulled from RVES in 2024 and was then moved to Rainier Beach HS on "special assignment." It was never defined as to what she was actually doing. The SEA wasn't enthused about this placement either.
This situation brings up the chronic issue of why parents aren't always part of the hiring process for a new principal. That it happens sometimes and not others without a clearly defined reasoning is frustrating for all.
This situation also brings up what is deeply upsetting for parents - teacher and principal contracts.
From my years watching SPS, here's my take. No one wants someone's career derailed because of an accusation. But when you can see someone's job performance is not serving students, that's a problem. Everyone deserves to be heard. But it appears to be a long and tedious process that seems to only serve the person under contract.
I recall when Roosevelt got a new principal years ago, he set about trying to exit a couple of problematic teachers. My own son had both and they were truly awful. But the principal set up a matrix of corrections in both teaching and behavior for these teachers. By the end of the year, both were gone.
But that takes serious work and time.
Did those teachers pop up elsewhere? I don't know.
HOWEVER, there is another situation that may work to help send Jones elsewhere.
As I have written about previously, there is a prominent family in SE Seattle, the Patu family. The late Von Paul Patu was a community activist and, of course, his wife, Betty Patu, served on the Seattle School Board for several terms. They are both decent and honest people beloved in their community.
A couple of people in the family have become educators and work in SPS. One of them is Annie Patu, the principal at Rainier Beach High School.
Sadly, several members of the family were indicted in federal court nearly two years ago on charges of running a multistage fentanyl drug trafficking ring. One is Marty Jackson (formerly Patu) who was executive director of the SE Network SafetyNet Program that is part of the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County. Jackson, along with her husband, two children and a stepchild, were all part of the indictment. This indictment seemed to be sparked by four deaths by fentanyl on the Lummi reservation.
According to The Journal 425, Annie Patu is being questioned by the feds about her family's and may be a witness against them if a trial comes about.
Transcripts obtained by J425 reveal that Patu, an educational leader and mandatory reporter, provided information to federal investigators revealing that she was aware of significant criminal red flags within her immediate family at the same time she was simultaneously integrating family members into the Rainier Beach High School ecosystem.
Specifically, during what’s described as a “consensual interview” with federal agents, Patu made several admissions linking her to the peripheries of the Jackson DTO’s operations.
I can't say what that all means but I believe that Annie Patu should be put on leave from RBHS before the situation gets even more complicated.
So what am I saying about solving a two-fold problem?
Put Patu on leave and you need an interim principal at RBHS. I think it should be Anitra Jones as she is already at the school and knows the community. It would solve the problem of the terrible placement at Adams Elementary as principal.
Then, once Patu has given all the information she knows and/or testifies in court, she can resume being principal at RBHS.
It might give the district just enough time to address Jones' job performance and exit her for good.
Adams Elementary should then have a valid principal process to find their next leader.
Comments
The union and the district spent countless hours trying to fix the mess Principal Jones caused. First, she went downtown. Then she went to RBHS. And now to Adams. I think it's a set-up. The district is too cowardly to terminate her, so they put her in a community that has the resources to get her out. Families who have to live in terror due to ICE can't spend time addressing an issue with an unfit principal! The ed directors need to be held accountable for allowing principals to destroy schools. Why aren't they surveying families who leave? Why is the district ignoring schools with large number of staff leaving! One of the main reasons why teachers leave is because of the administrators. I know of a principal that has the teachers in fear every day. Our students are impacted by that every single day. When are we going to put students first? Yes, some teachers need to go when they are ineffective. Until that time, administrators should use creative measures to support those students so they don't have a wasted year! Why are principals who yell at parents during PTA meetings allowed to keep their jobs? What about principals who yell and cuss at staff? When ed directors don't address it swiftly and effectively, their jobs should be on the line. I bet Superintendent S goes home every night and shakes his head! I wouldn't blame him if he's wondering if he used poor judgment accepting the position. I read that B Jones didn't leave to California. I hope I'm confused. Were there really health concerns involved? He left the district in shambles. What a nightmare. Who's suffering the most? OUR CHILDREN! Do better, SPS. I AM feeling optimistic. I think Mr. Superintendent is up for the challenge!
She has received privilege, special choices, and protection that no other school leader has. The fact that she gets to move to Adams is unthinkable.
-School Sleuth
Imagine the trauma the students in that teacher’s class had to endure after witnessing the assault. Before the incident, the students were so fearful of him that some had to turn on the voice recorder when they interacted with him. And they were afraid to turn over those recordings to the principal.
Observer at the trial
The school discipline entry/database is the same as the one at central office. School discipline entries are done by the school leaders. There are strict legal timelines and notifications on when it must be done.
The nepotism is nauseating.
-School Sleuth
At the Aug 28, 2024 Board Meeting, the district basically admitted they’re dropping the ball. Superintendent Jones confessed: "The loop doesn't get closed... that closure piece is where I think we collectively struggle".
Translation: HR and Regional Directors are letting complaints vanish into a black hole.
Even Board President Rankin admitted the district has been "unwilling to lay off staff" even when the issues are staring them in the face.
By not keeping records, HR and the Regional Directors are erasing the trauma of parents and students. Now they’re asking a new school community to "document and report" as if the system didn’t already have its chance.
Moving a problem around isn't accountability. It’s a cover-up. We need to know why HR and Regional Directors failed to keep the receipts.
Respectfully this Risk Management line has been trotted out by every administration explaining why they continue to employ teachers with multiple credible sexual misconduct complaints with students. In most cases this explanation doesn’t suffice. First of all, the possibility of getting sued is not a reason to make decisions that aren’t in the best interest of students. Second, if the district holds the moral high ground on the decision to cut ties, the constituency would rather see the continued to defense of the high ground even at the risk of a possible suit — put the union in the position of suing the district for firing (a documented problematic staffer). Third, contracts are not an ironclad reason preventing a supe from canning administration or staff. The RCWs provide actionable language that supes can and should cite for firing staff in breach of the code, and by definition the contracts can’t be formed in violation of state law. Look at all the area a motivated supe has to work with if they have the will: example — RCW 28A.150.240