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Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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We’re Taxpayers. It’s Our Money. |
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Hiring From Without |
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(Fielder Elementary’s New Principal)
The Katy Independent School District holds a “LEAP” Academy for “aspiring principals” with the stated purpose of providing “leadership experiences.” The idea is to groom current employees so that they may move up the career ladder within our school district. Such a practice has many benefits--among them is the fact that everyone knows whether or not a potential new administrator is capable of doing the job before she gets it.
According to an online statement from the National Center for Educational Accountability, “Katy ISD uses Leadership Academies for assistant principals and aspiring principals to develop their own pool of principal candidates. Participants are selected by application. A preparatory Academy was developed to support teachers interested in pursuing a career in educational administration. Approximately 70% of past participants have been successful in securing positions within the district or in other Texas school districts.“
In another place I found this statement, “Katy ISD has a leadership academy that was developed to "support teachers interested in pursuing a career in educational administration." In 1999-2000, the academy expanded to not only respond to the needs of aspiring administrators, but also to increase the skills of practicing administrators.
The program includes formal training in critical leadership issues, peer collaboration and job shadowing (for example, observing current administrators handle their responsibilities). Participants meet once per month from October through May.”
In the Photo-Op section of the May 22, 2006 Regular School Board Meeting, the Board recognized the most recent class of participants in the LEAP program. There were around 25 employees, who had completed the training, and who were recognized.
Since this program didn’t exist in our school district until I suggested it over ten years ago, I’m happy to see it still in operation.
One of my concerns as a school board member in the 1990’s was the District’s failure to groom, educate, and prepare as well as provide an opportunity for our teaching staff to enter the more lucrative strata of public school administrators.
Some teachers have no desire to enter that arena preferring to teach their entire career. But some do, and it was my opinion that our District should give them an opportunity to express the interest and train for the positions in a District controlled environment.
I was pleased when the program was initiated, and I am pleased to see it still functioning.
My concern at this point is that while the grooming and the training and the opportunity to enter that training exist, it appears to me that when the time comes for the benefit of such effort and expense to accrue to the school district, our Board is allowing the Superintendent to look elsewhere for principals and other administrators to hire.
Why is that?
I can think of several reasons, and none of them are good.
Ten years ago when I left the School Board, I knew all the principals of our schools. Precious few of them are left. I realize that natural attrition occurs, but what I have seen just from reading the newspapers is that many of them were replaced when they left (for whatever reason,) not by the hard-working assistant principal who knew more about the school than anyone, who had served hoping to be promoted, and who probably deserved to be rewarded by such a promotion, but instead by someone who hails from Texas City, Garland, or some other locale where our Superintendent has worked in the past or who comes to the District from places and schools very much unlike those that exist in Katy Texas.
We have seen a principal’s position and an administrative position filled in the last month with people who are both strangers--at least to everyone but the Superintendent. The question begs to be asked, “Why would we go thousands of miles away to California to find a principal to hire for Fielder Elementary?” Surely there was someone equally suitable from within our own school district (the 25 recent graduates of the LEAP ACADEMY come to mind) or at least from within our own state! (See photo above of the new Fielder Elementary Principal, Mark Vigario, obtained from his former school‘s web site www.egusd.k12.ca.us/whatsnew/101703b.htm )
In another instance, when Athletic Director Bill Bundy retired a while back, the man who had served as the Athletic Director at Taylor High School and as Assistant Athletic Director for the District should certainly have been first in line for the job. No one knows more about the Katy ISD athletic program than Bubba Fife. No one is more revered in the state among other coaches. Mr. Fife has been in the district for almost twenty years, and the job was certainly his by all that’s right.
The Katy administration in the past has always had the good sense to hire someone from within the district for this position.
But instead, our School Board allowed the superintendent to bring in yet another outsider. Rusty Dowling served as head football coach of the one high school in Texas City when Leonard Merrell was the superintendent there in the 1990’s. Mr. Dowling, most recently was at McKinney ISD, a two high school 4A school district about one-third the size of KISD. (Information from Katy Times article by Nick Georgandis on May 25, 2006 and the TEA web site)
Why is the School Board allowing such administrative decisions regarding this employment practice? Why aren’t they paying attention to such matters? Why did Eric Duhon abstain without comment when the vote was taken on the hiring of Mr. Dowling? If Mr. Duhon thought that someone else should have had the job, what kept him from saying so? Whether we agree with him or not, we certainly all would have higher regard for Mr. Duhon if he would speak up and let those of us he represents know how he feels about matters of importance.
I suspect that the superintendent’s having all his old friends in places of authority all over the school district, rewarding them with high paying administrative posts that they may never have gotten any other way, is another means of control. None of these new administrators are going to question anything, rock the boat, or stray from the fold.
Tell me such a practice benefits school children.
© 2006 by Mary McGarr. All rights reserved.
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Mary McGarr, Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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Date: 06/07/2006 |
