D.C. Public Schools is replacing principals at 18 of its campuses next school year, according to an email from the school system.
They include principals appointed by former Chancellor Michelle Rhee to turn around struggling schools, such as Remembert Seaward, the principal of Garrison Elementary School.
The turnover also affects entire feeder patterns. For example, students at Garrison and Seaton elementaries move on to Shaw Middle School before enrolling in Cardozo Senior High School. Principals at all four schools are being replaced.
Last year, DCPS oversaw 24 principal changes, after 30 in 2010 and 26 in 2009. An August 2011 cover story in The Washington Examiner examined how principal turnover has been stabilizing in the past few years.
School system spokeswoman Melissa Salmanowitz declined to tell The Examiner how the 18 changes break down, in terms of firings, resignations and retirements. “We aren’t able to comment on specifics about personnel decisions,” she said in an email.
But parents familiar with the situation say several principals were fired, including the heads of Garrison and Shaw. Shaw Principal Kimberly Douglas took over the school when popular Principal Brian Betts was murdered in 2010.
In a letter dated May 29, Chancellor Kaya Henderson told Garrison parents “to thank Principal Seaward for his hard work” and said she plans to convene a panel to select a new principal, to start in July.
None of the principals contacted by The Examiner returned emails seeking comment.
Salmanowitz said DCPS can decide not to renew a principal’s contract for a number of reasons. “We look at a wide variety of factors when we make these decisions, including student achievement, family and community satisfaction, school culture, enrollment and sound operations management,” she said. “Our focus always remains on what’s best for our students to help them succeed.”
Evelyn Boyd Simmons, the vice president of Garrison’s PTA, said she is waiting for an explanation from DCPS on their strategy for the school.
“I think that it’s sort of like Moses and Aaaron – I think Garrison was in such dire straits that maybe it took someone to get them to a certain distance toward the promised land,” Simmons said. “But I’m not sure this particular principal was the one to get Garrison to its ultimate destiny.”
Mary Lord, who represents Ward 2 on the school board, said she hadn’t received too many calls from parents about turnover at Garrison or Seaton. High numbers of turnover are fairly normal in urban school systems, she said.
“I’m not sure any organization can fire its way to excellence, but I also know making no changes and trying to get by on what we’ve been doing before is the definition of insanity,” Lord said.
Most sources in her feeder pattern said the feeder pattern is broken – that parents at Ross and Garrison elementaries, in particular, will forego Shaw Middle School for private or charter schools if they have the means.
“They might not even participate in this [principal turnover] conversation becayse they may just throw up their hands and say we’re out of here,” Lord said.
The full list of positions turning over — whether they be firings, re-appointments, or resignations — is below:
Aiton ES
Ballou STAY
Brookland EC @ Bunker Hill
Browne EC
Cardozo SHS
Deal MS
Garfield ES
Garrison ES
Langdon EC
Moten ES @ Wilkinson
Phelps HS
Prospect LC
Seaton ES
Shaw MS @ Garnet-Patterson
Walker-Jones EC
Washington Metropolitan HS
Winston EC
Woodson, H.D. SHS
