Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Public Schools bureaucrats love to play word games. Their favorite word game is to re-define words. They do it for a variety of reasons. They have re-defined "task force" and "advisory committee" to evade control by Board policy. They have re-defined "program" and "service" to expand superintendent authority. They have changed the definition of "curriculum" at least six times to confuse the Board and discredit activists. Today we learn the new, revised meaning of the word "interim". A person appointed to a position on an interim basis has the job for a year. The interim appointee gets a mid-year review and, if they pass that review, they are appointed to the job on a continuing basis. For example, interim principals are appointed to schools without any consultation with the school community. That interim principal gets a mid-year evaluation and, with a positive evaluation, they are then appointed as the full principa...

From Bob Boesche (himself an interim) Deputy Superintendent: I am writing today to tell you that Wendy London, who was serving as Interim Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, made the difficult decision to resign from her position. I want to thank her for her leadership and for balancing both the interim role and her duties as Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction – two very demanding positions. We all wish her well. For the next two weeks, Kimberly Kinzer, our Manager of Early Learning, will serve as Interim Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. I want to thank Kimberly for stepping into this position until Aug. 24 while we prepare for a national search to fill this leadership role in Teaching and Learning. Also during the next two weeks we will create a more sustainable interim leadership plan. It’s our goal to have a smooth start to the 2012-13 school year, while also spending time recruiting top talent for this position. We will give yo...

So what has happened to Principal Tate Loftin at Coe Elementary?  Apparently, staff showed up on May 9th and poof! Her office was cleared out and she was gone with no explanation.  They have brought in retired principal, Terry Acena, to fill in but for how long is unknown.       Apparently the district is to explain this all on Monday.   But think about it - if this were your school and your principal, wouldn’t it seem odd that neither staff or parents had any explanation of a sudden departure? My source on this says Loftin had some chronic health problems but thinks if Loftin had been leaving on her own, she would have said goodbye to staff, parents and students.  What’s going on here in this district with personnel?  We have the top leadership – superintendent, COO and CFO – all in interim positions.  The new head of HR, gone after three months of commuting from Chicago.   Martin Floe gets fired despite supp...