As a teacher at a “struggling” Baltimore City middle school, I am apprehensive of Alonso’s move toward the restructuring of failing schools. Right now, Alonso’s theory consists of the idea that failing schools need to be merged with successful schools in order to avoid downsizing and stimulate joint achievement. Is this really possible? I don’t know, but I do think that there are two things in particular that Alonso has overlooked in the past two years: the junior high school model of structuring and poor administrators.
One issue that I have with the restructuring of the city’s schools is the philosophy behind 6-12 buildings. I personally believe that using a junior high school model to bridge elementary school with high school can be much more effective. In my opinion, 6th graders do not need to be in a school with 12th graders. It’s much too large of an age difference between these grades. From my personal experience working in a middle school, merging my school with a high school is NOT going to fix the greater problems that exist within the walls of my building.
Another question that I have behind the whole restructuring debate has to do with the quality of administrators that are leading our schools. Alonso has made it a point to actively cut the extra jobs that have cost our system…but what about cutting the poor administrators that are failing our schools? And just exactly how is he holding them accountable? Over the last two years I have been appalled at the lack of professionalism by some administrators that have had the pleasure of working under. I cannot fathom how some of these people get appointed as leaders of our schools. And this fact is acknowledged by a number of my fellow colleagues at different schools across the system.
In the end, I am no expert on the philosophy behind school structure; all I’m saying is that I think a junior high school model would be more beneficial to our system because it groups students within appropriate grade levels together. In addition, I am not an administrator; I’m merely saying that we have some leaders who should not be leaders trying to run our schools. But I am a BCPSS teacher, actually in the classroom every single day, teaching, trying to avoid the constant instability of this school system.
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Re: Alonso and bad administrators... the good doctor, as far as I can tell, takes this problem very seriously. He frequently goes toe to toe with Jimmy Gittings, the head of the administrators union. The Sun has a video of them sparring at a 2008 school board meeting: http://www.baltimoresun.com/video/?slug=bal-alonso0209-video1 (the juicy parts begin at 2:48)...
Gittings: “Our assistant principals and principals who are being removed from their positions: I’m going to make it very clear to every single commissioner and to you, Dr. Alonso: if they are removed from a position without being on a PIP… I’m going to fight it legally. I mean that.”
Alonso: “You close your speech by threatening me in case I take action to remove people who might not be doing their jobs, because all the people perhaps have not done their jobs in evaluating them correctly… it’s problematic for me. If you want to sue me and the board, Mr. Gittings, please go ahead. But quite frankly I think that in a context where I have said very clearly that this system becomes about accountability and service for kids, I’m not surprised with this presentation”
Gittings: “My threat of legal action? … That’s not a threat; that’s a promise.”
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