No More Principal Dumping

Today was a day for slicking my hair back into the most staid, school-marmish bun you've ever seen in your entire life. It was fine because I was going to a meeting at my son's school and I wanted to look as serious and severe as possible. Yes, "Operation Get a New Principal" is in full effect! All I need is some little spectacles to complete the whole, "I mean business and I'm going after your ass," look. By the way, if you ever meet me, when I wear a black suit, heels, pearls and I have the bun going on, I'm not playing around.

See, I hate it when school administrators try to act like parents are stupid. Coffee with the principal is not the same as holding a workshop for parents. If your a principal and you're sitting across from me, I'm not going to smile as you whine about how you haven't been able to find anybody to do a newsletter at the school. Saying dumb stuff like that is what makes me say things like, "It sounds like you are having a difficult time motivating your staff to execute your directives." I mean, come on -- seven months into the school year and you can't get a newsletter out the door? We're not even getting into how the school councils haven't seen the budget, parent volunteers are discouraged, there was nothing done for Black History Month, and the beloved math coach was "transferred" under suspicious circumstances. And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

This principal has been an administrator for awhile but she's only been at this school for two years. I've met parents from her prior school and they have described to me how they went through the wringer to get her removed. Joy of joys, she got dumped at our school. It's a huge problem that instead of flat out firing bad principals, the school district just moves them to another school.

The most recent example of this is that of an assistant principal who, although investigated for allegedly molesting a student at Foshay Learning Center AND allegedly pulling a gun on the girl's stepdaddy, got transferred to another school, Markham Middle School in Watts. Can we say lawsuit?

Can you imagine what would go down if this alleged molester was a principal in a wealthier area? There'd be no putting him at a different school and hoping it all blows over. Nope, that principal would be very familiar with the concept of administrative leave!

But, this is all OK when you have children of color, when you have more low-income parents, and when parents are less likely to speak up because they don't always know what their children should be getting. But I know what my kids should be getting and I'm not afraid to demand it.

I can't help but think though about how if we're successful, in our efforts she's just going to get dumped at some other school and then the cycle will start all over again. My wish for the day? No more principal dumping!