State: Most Priority School principals must go

Since the start of the controversial push to turn around six "Priority Schools" in inner-city Wilmington, state officials have said great principals are the key to improvement.

Now the state Department of Education has gotten more explicit: They say most of the principals currently serving in those schools cannot be the ones for the job unless the state agrees to an exception.

That has outraged many in those school communities who say the leaders are dedicated, talented and well-loved, and that firing them will smash any sense of trust and consistency they have built up with students, teachers and parents.

"The irony of this is that they say that schools need a great leader. Well, now we finally have Mr. [Jeffers] Brown, and they want to get rid of him," said Nikki Romano, a family crisis interventionist at Stubbs Elementary, one of the targeted schools. "It doesn't make sense to me. It's very disappointing."

Department of Education officials said in letters to the Christina School District on Friday that both federal rules and state law require new principals take over if a school is targeted for a "turnaround model" like the Priority Schools plan. Christina requested that all three of its current principals be allowed to lead the turnaround effort.

The state says any principal who was in charge during the 2011-2012 through 2013-2014 school years is ineligible to continue leading.

That disqualifies all but two principals out of the six: Bayard Middle School's Eric Stancell and Warner Elementary's Chrishaun Fitzgerald. Both are in their first year leading their schools.

The state Department of Education is requiring Stancell to "participate in a series of nominating exercises" before officials there approve him to continue leading the school, according to the letter.

"We know that principal turnover is a problem, and has been for a number of years at these schools. But we also know that it will take the right leadership to turn around these schools," Department of Education spokeswoman Alison May said in a statement released late Monday. "We're committed to, first, getting a great leader in each Priority School, and second, having the schools sign longer-term contracts with those leaders to limit turnover."

Red Clay officials have been discussing with the department who might lead their three Priority Schools through the turnaround process, but have not formally submitted any names, district spokeswoman Pati Nash said.

The department's statement says that flexibility is allowed on the principal requirements if the state and district both agree to keep a principal on board.

"If the principals currently in place can demonstrate that they can bring positive change to the Priority Schools, then we believe they should be eligible for consideration and would look to reach an agreement that allows them to be vetted through a rigorous, objective process," May wrote.

But if there is no agreement, the statement says the default is that a principal must leave. And the state says no such agreement has been reached with Christina because the district "has not proposed alternative guidelines or processes, or otherwise reached an alternative agreement with the state."

Christina officials say they picked Brown and the other two principals to continue serving only after closely scrutinizing their performance, including an external review by a team from the University of Delaware that gave the schools high marks.

Department of Education officials have questioned some of the UD report's findings and have not signed off on it.

"We feel all three individuals are the right fit for their schools, their communities and their students, and we value the stability and consistency they would provide by continuing as leaders during the Priority School process and beyond," Superintendent Freeman Williams said in a news release.

Gov. Jack Markell and state education officials say the changes they want are necessary, pointing to test scores that have sagged for years. They say the data show students are far behind academically, which puts them in danger of continuing the deadly cycle of violence, drugs and poverty facing Wilmington.

They also point to a handful of Delaware schools that serve a similar percentage of low-income kids but have seen dramatic growth in test scores, saying they are evidence that strong leaders can build success despite challenges.

Though state leaders have said they recognize the difficulties these educators face, many in the school communities feel the state is blaming school staff for low scores when they are tasked with bringing up students who often start far behind academically and who face huge hurdles outside of school.

When Brown broke the news to the Stubbs staff on Monday morning, many were saddened and frustrated. In his second year at Stubbs, he is the first principal to return to the school in four years, and teachers say they were beginning to finally feel a sense of momentum – until the state said it was going to intervene.

"This is the first time in a while that we as a staff have been able to sit down over the summer with the same principal and actually talk about what we want to do to improve," said teacher Patricia O'Connor. "That has been very exciting for us."

O'Connor has worked for six years at Stubbs, making her one of its longest-tenured teachers. She's seen four principals and countless teachers leave during that time, and has seen children walking the halls on the first day of school asking where their favorite staff members went.

"These students need consistency," O'Connor said. "They need to feel wanted. It sets the wrong tone to the kids that we're not willing to come back for them."

For his part, Brown says he doesn't disagree that principals should be held accountable if their students aren't showing growth. But he argues the state has given him little time to implement the plans he started last year.

"You have to have time to create a plan and consistently execute it."

Contact Matthew Albright at malbright@delawareonline.com or at 324-2428, or on Twitter @TNJ_malbright.

AT A GLANCE

Below is how long each of the principals at the six "Priority Schools" has been in charge. The state says any principal who was in charge during the 2011-12 through 2013-2014 school years is ineligible to lead through the turnaround plans, though some exceptions can be made if the state agrees to them.

CHRISTINA SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Stubbs Elementary Principal Jeffers Brown: second year (not eligible)

• Bancroft Elementary Principal Harold Ingram: fifth year (not eligbile)

• Bayard Middle School Principal Eric Stancell: first year (eligible)

RED CLAY SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Highlands Elementary Principal Robert Farr: 12th year (not eligible)

• Shortlidge Elementary Principal Maribeth Courtney: third year (not eligible)

• Warner Elementary Principal Chrishaun Fitzgerald: first year (eligible)