Teachers Association of Long Beach - Alvarado Elementary

Speech to the Board of Education February 1, 2005

My name is Sean Lindsay, and I have been a teacher at Alvarado for eight years.

 

I am here with my colleagues because a critical part of governing this large and successful district is broken.  You see, our school has been assigned a new principal this year, and, in our view, he is unquestionably not a match for our school.  And more than that, he has done many things that individually and collectively have begun and will continue to undo the strongly woven fabric that makes up Alvarado’s community of students, educators and families.  It is our duty to speak, one we do not take lightly.

 

We have been attempting to state our case since the end of November, but just last Thursday, at our weekly staff meeting, this District’s administration told us the following:

 

“The Board of Education is truly in support of Jackie Barnett staying on as principal.”  If this is your view, then it seems we have failed to provide you with enough information so far.  So now we come to you directly, with less chance of being misunderstood or reinterpreted, with great respect for your positions as the stewards of this school district but also mindful of the school board’s duty under Education Code 44662(c) to evaluate and assess the performance of principals.

 

Towards the end of last year, we were asked to name the qualities we needed in a principal (we had previously been allowed to participate in interviews for a new principal in the 14 years of the school, and the resulting placements allowed Alvarado to thrive).  Glad that we were asked once again, we said what we still know to be true: a curriculum leader to help develop and sustain our progressive and extremely successful curriculum; and a leader who will honor our practice of shared-decision making that is a deep and vital aspect of our success.

 

Mr. Barnett was the choice, and he was warmly welcomed.  Gifts were given; words of welcome were said.  We are ceremonial about such things because we understand that above everything, the ultimate currency at Alvarado is human relationships.  It sets the tone; it builds community; it opens the hearts and minds of students and staff alike.

 

By the end of September the optimism we felt was being displaced by stirrings of confusion and bewilderment.  “Could he have done that?” we thought.  “Could he have said that?”  Things got worse quickly, and by the end of October, individuals were taking concerns to Mr. Barnett directly, and teachers were gathering to discuss what was happening.  The report was always the same: teacher’s voices would not be considered.  It was clear that we were going to have to speak collectively.

 

At our November 3 Leadership meeting, grade-level representatives took four major concerns to Mr. Barnett.  He agreed to address them at the following week’s staff meeting.  Unfortunately he only indirectly dealt with one issue ignoring all of the rest of our concerns.  At the end of the meeting, we asked if he was going to address the issues we had brought up at Leadership.  He said, “What do you want me to talk about?” A stunned silence.  Meeting over.

 

Next, we wrote a letter, dated November 16.  A quote: “Our concerns arise out of witnessing core elements to our professional community be disregarded with discussion or rationale.”  We urged him to carefully consider the now six points of concern that included low morale, dishonoring shared-decision making, arbitrary evaluation procedures, lack of communication, and misinformation.  Each point was carefully articulated.  We received a one sentence response 3 days later.  Not one point of concern was addressed.  There was only one choice now:  go to our union.

 

We are trying to be worthy of this difficult but necessary task.  It is not our wish to ignite your anger or resentment.  We simply want to open your hearts and minds to the undeniable single solution to this problem  -- his immediate transfer away from Alvarado. We hope you understand that you have the authority to do this with 30 days notice while guaranteeing the due process rights that he actually has under the Education Code. To not act on the school’s behalf will result in the school’s ultimate dismantling.  The building will still exist.  People will be there to fill the jobs.  Students will show up to school.  And someday, someday a community might be formed again.  But the Alvarado that unites us now, the fourteen-year steady pull of hearts and minds that makes us together better than we can be by ourselves, will be gone because the Leadership necessary for such a place will not exist.

 

Our current principal is a mismatch for our school.  Simple as that.  The evidence is deep and wide and obvious, and yet we are being forced to raise our voices because thus far we have been told that our information is not worthy of being considered by the district.

 

We are humbly asking that you do something different than choose sides, or have your minds made up based on what you’ve heard, or others have chosen to tell you or not tell you.  Alvarado and the community it serves needs your leadership.