By Antonio D. French
Filed Friday, June 16 at 5:21 AM
The St. Louis Board of Education approved this week the following list of new principal assignments:
School Name - New Principal
Ashland - Shonta Smith
Blow - Gregory Cosby
Busch AAA- Calvin Starks
Euclid/Washington - Deadrienne Torrey
Fanning - Verona Bowers
Gateway Elementary - Richard Sirna
Gateway High School - Debra Falkiner
Gateway Middle - Vicki Rogers
Hickey - Peggy Starks
Laclede - to be determined
Lafayette 9th Grade Center - Sylvia Shead
Gundlach - Mary Jensen
Oak Hill - Wanda LeFlore
Roosevelt - Shepard Pittman
Stevens - Larry Schleicher
Sumner - Randolph Spencer
Turner 9th Grade Center - Sean Clayton
Vashon - Barbara Sharp
Walbridge - Ruth Banks
Williams 9th Grade Center - Amy Phillips
Wyman - Gloria Shelton
Madison Alternative School - Donnie Hollis
16 Comments:
Posted by a parent
From the Journal Newspaper:
Editorial: When division equals subtraction
Oakville-Mehlville Journal
Wednesday, Jun. 14 2006
Do the math.
The St. Louis Public Schools has four critical issues on its hands. It must
handle a budget deficit, meet Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP)
requirements, meet No Child Left Behind mandates and fund maintenance of aging
schools.
Superintendent Creg Williams needs to tackle all four problems at once and he
needs the support of the Board of Education.
But there are elements within the district that seek to divide the board and
subtract staff support from the administration's reforms.
St. Louis Teachers and School Related Personnel Union, Local 420, recently
voted no confidence in the administration. The union took issue with Williams'
handling of school reconstitution, which includes having teachers and other
staff members reapply for positions in the district.
Williams pointed out that drastic changes are required at four middle schools
by No Child Left Behind. He said the high schools have major problems, so he
targeted the three worst for reconstitution.
Williams could have simply fired the staffs and started fresh. Or, he could
have switched them from one school to another. Instead, he chose a middle
ground through which he can cut some of the dead wood.
Union leadership at first said it was on board for the changes. Now, it
quibbles about them. It also has brought up non-issues, including teachers
receiving smaller final paychecks — although their total pay was the same.
We expect the union to try to exploit every advantage it has in looking out for
its membership. That's its purpose.
However, this agitation of the administration has been multiplied by some
school board members encouraging the union's tactics.
Board member Donna Jones asked to have an item put on the board's agenda to
review the firing of 33 teachers. The union supports these reviews. Jones said
Williams could submit the finding to the board for possible rehiring of these
teachers.
Board members Bill Purdy and Peter Downs voted in favor of adding the item to
the agenda, but the motion died for lack of a board majority.
Downs also has sought termination of the district's contract for outsourcing
work and a change to how teachers can use the managed curriculum.
The adversarial approaches these board members have taken with the
administration only serve to weaken public perception of the district.
Williams' staff has held public meetings on the budget. The superintendent said
he also wants to involve the public in the budget for next year, so it can help
decide the district's financial future.
Williams has not suggested a tax increase to make payroll and lessen the budget
deficit, or a bond issue to aid in repairing the district's aging buildings.
But if the district ever seeks such a fix, it must have public support. It will
not get this support if internal squabbles cause public uneasiness about the
district's stability.
The situation is dire. There is a great urgency to the work that must be done
to turn around the district's poor academic achievement and financial problems.
For the good of the district and its students, everyone must begin to work
together. This means the school board, the union and the administration.
It just adds up.
Saturday, June 17, 2006 6:45:00 AM
Why would you keep giving Vashon a new principal instead of giving the principal that was there another chance to prove himself?
Sunday, June 18, 2006 4:25:00 PM
I agree this is awful. The children at Vashon need some consistency. The board really need to take a hard look at the credentials of these individuals that they are hiring from other districts to fill principal positions within SLPS. If they were all that great, "Why are they leaving positions at their current districts to take on ones within our district?" My suggestion...Background and Credential CHECKS PLEASE!!!!!!!!
Monday, June 19, 2006 10:26:00 AM
Babara Sharp, needs to come ready, she needs to be able to tackle discipline and academics at the same time. Good Luck. Hopefully Ms. Sharp will stay at Vashon for atleast 4 years. The students do need some consistency. Background and Credential CHECKS PLEASE!!!!!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006 7:07:00 PM
You want to talk consistency...This is Sumner High's 6th principal in 8 years.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 8:36:00 AM
Without calling any names. I know for a fact that the SLPS just hired two rejects from other districts to become principals at two of our main high schools. HMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!! Background checks should have been thoroughly conducted. Good Luck is right and she will need shoulder pads and a full football uniform to tackle some of these issues. If she thinks she had it bad were she came from then Stay Tuned...The saga continues.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 2:37:00 PM
You're posting anonymously on a blog, why wouldn't you feel free to name names?
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 4:38:00 PM
I PERSONALLY THINK THAT THEY NEED A GOOD PRINCIPAL. SOMEONE THE KIDS CAN RELATE TO LIKE FLOYD IRONS.HE'S NOT ONLY A DAMN GOOD COACH,BUT HE KNOWS HIS STUFF.I GRADUATED FROM VASHON HIGH IN 1989.WHEN I WAS THERE IT WAS ALL ABOUT TEAM WORK.MEANING FLOYD AND DOROTHY WORKED TOGETHER.THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS NOW A DAYS HAVE NO TEAM WORK OR CONSISTENCY.SO,WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT CREG WILLIAMS.THE TEACHERS AT VASHON ARE THERE BECAUSE THEY CARE ABOUT THOSE CHILDREN OUT THERE,VASHON HIGH SCHOOL AND THE FIGHT, THEY ARE IN IT TOGETHER.THEY ARE APART OF THE STUDENTS LIFE. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IS THOUGHTLESS AND CRUEL AND IT HURTS AND OUR CHILDREN DON'T DESERVE IT.THEY ARE SICK OF IT AND SO ARE OUR TEACHERS...
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 6:43:00 PM
The trouble that our reconstituted schools had was not the teachers or principals. It was the district failing to provide the material that we, the students, needed in the classroom and not in the front office.
Good luck to all the reassigned principals, especially Starks and Bowers. You both gave Vashon your all. The district knew you needed more than a year to change a set school. That's what happens when a school gets a new principal to replace a long- time principal.
Next school we BETTER have enough computers, calculators, printers and a excellent academic program at Vashon High School, so that we can "accquire a knowledge base leading to substansive post secondary educational experiences".
The best at Vashon is yet to come!!
I welcome Ms. Sharp, and wish her success, and good luck to Starks and Bowers.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 7:41:00 PM
I hear they just hired an asshole at sumner
Thursday, June 22, 2006 4:15:00 PM
Regarding Sumner...
Straight from New Orleans and a friend of Clive Coleman's. He was hiding out at Vashon last year as a "teacher" when they really used him as an administrator. Is best of friends with Floyd Irons and not very friendly towards his staff.
Thursday, June 22, 2006 6:01:00 PM
Mr. French...
I tried being nice about this by posting no names well here goes... BARABRA SHARP will need to come prepared because she could not control Normandy Middle School and the new prinicpal for Gateway High got escorted out of U-City for not getting along with the black parents. So now What????? Did anyone do a background check on either one of these individuals???? Media be ready. Someone call Elliott Davis because we will be paying for it.
Thursday, June 22, 2006 7:20:00 PM
The SLPS needs to stop playing and stop bringing principals from out of the district to lead our schools. Barbara Sharp was the principal at Normandy Middle and was in that district for some 12 years. Why did she leave?? The students are paying for it because SLPS officials are not consistant with their stuff. I really fell sorry for Sumner students, by me attending Vashon I can honestly tell you that Spencer is an ASSHOLE. You all need to come together and let your parents know how you feel and press the issue downtown.
Saturday, June 24, 2006 11:06:00 AM
Also the Mr. Asshole at sumner is planning on firing staff, I also know sumner is on a "kept quite" list to be closed, and I wonder if thats why they keep switching up principles. Its almost like there trying to build a track record of failure to give reason for a closure at a later date. VERY SAD, and slps is for the kids right, HAH!
Sunday, June 25, 2006 11:04:00 PM
What's up with Metro? How come they are apart of SLPS? They are reaching goals and completing missions? Can they share some of their academic progress with the rest of SLPS?
First day of school for SLPS is Aug 28, Vashon and Sumner students are expected to come back to school confused wondering what happened to their excellent staff members and questioning the fact that they have a new principal and damn near a new staff.
SLPS Officials please get this district together so can students can be successful and in a learning environment conducive to learning. Our students deserve the best, just like the students in Kirkwood, Hazelwood and Ladue. So what if the teachers aren't certified, the point is that they are teaching, and working their ass off for a undeserving salary. Teachers are mentors, educators, police officers, friends, parents, caregivers and the list just goes on and on.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 5:36:00 PM
Ms. Sharp was not fired from Normandy. She chose to leave. She lead by example - without the BOE's backing 1,000 students and staff. She is a dedicated, hardworking educator.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006 5:26:00 PM
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