Norwalk has its own WikiLeaks problem. Like WikiLeaks, the international organization that leaked secret State Dept. memos, The Hour wrote an article last Thursday based on a leaked letter to the BOE criticizing Ponus Middle School and its Principal Linda Sumpter. The difference is that the documents used by WikiLeaks are made public and the writers are known. In the The Hour's case, however, the letter which was given such prominence, was anonymously written.
The Hour did not make the letter public, but quoting selectively from it the writer says that Sumpter has, "created a "problematic" climate and "demoralized" her employees." The letter says that fights breakout in the school, and that weapons and drugs are found at the school. It also says that Sumpter exhibits harrassing behavior towards teachers.
Assistant Superintendent Tony Dodonna discounts the letter saying ""Anybody could say anything about anyone else," but is "investigating." Teachers' Unions chief Bruce Mellion on the other hand goes on the attack saying "[Sumpter] has been allowed to run amok indefinitely."
I spoke with Ms. Sumpter the night that the article was published. She said that she prefered to take the "high road" on this issue. Sumpter said that she is willing to "sit down" and discuss problems and issues that anyone may have with he school. She said she received a lot of support from her staff and parents after the article was published. Sumpter had no comment on Mellion's remarks or the fact that the The Hour a story about an anonymous letter. Superintendent Susan Marks said she had no comment on this matter.
For all its serious allegations, this is a story of smoke and mirrors. The Hour's article reads like a whodunit story leaving more questions than solid facts. Who wrote the letter? Who leaked the letter, an insider or outsider? Who are the "sources close to the authors of the letter"? We don't know anything about the motivations of the writer(s).
If indeed there are serious problems at Ponus, shouldn't they be investigated factually? Are problems being documented? Is Central Office getting involved? What is being done to help the principal and teachers improve the learning environment for kids?
One parent I spoke to (who wanted to remain anonymous of course) questioned the need for the letter writer to remain anonymous. And I wonder that too. This parent questionned the "retaliation" teachers are subject to, especially tenured teachers. Teachers have the union to protect them from being fired, working longer hours, hold back raises. Parents, she said, don't have the same luxury of protecting their kids if they push too hard.
Sumpter is not the only principal to be a subject of local media attention. Bob McCain, principal of Nathan Hale, has been the subject of two recent articles in The Hour about two harrassment related lawsuits, one current and one past. Currently, McCain is named in a lawsuit by a former Nathan Hale gym teacher for harrassment. (According to Bruce Mellion, the gym teacher is not being represented by the teacher's union). Another article appeared last weekend, claiming that McCain was party to another similar lawsuit in a previous job in Leyard in 2003.
Looks like principals make for better headlines than even our local politicians these days.
Monday, December 13, 2010
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retaliation doesn't always come in the form of longer hours or no raise...principals can make the work environment impossible for teachers if they want to. But I agree that parental complaints can be met with retaliation through the children..I have seen both! Central office needs to pay more attention to what goes on at each school..esp. what the principals and AP are doing.
ReplyDeleteNorwalk has many great schools and fabulous and dedicated teachers at every school. Among the great we find Brian McMahon, Norwalk High, Nathan Hale, and a slew of elementary schools: Brookside, Cranbury, Fox Run, Kendall, Naramake, Rowayton and Jefferson, which in spite of low scores, has a fabulous staff and great morale.
ReplyDeleteConcern should be focused only on those schools where there are leadership issues and general staff discontentment. Hiring an outside consulting company to provide teacher feedback from those schools would give Dr. Marks an insider's view and would also protect teachers and support staff from fear of retaliation by their principals.
I personally am so afraid of complaining at our elem school for fear of the toll it might take on my child. No one is watching over our school. Morale sucks but the teachers, despite it, rock. Totally rock.
ReplyDeleteThere is a problem at the elementary schools with the principals that needs addressing as well. Where is the Director of Elementary Ed? Let's get some real evaluations done here!
ReplyDeleteHow interesting that the principal at Nathan Hale could have been the new superintendent if those fans who wrote about him had their way. What does that tell everyone? Perhaps the AS is right. Anyone can say anything about anyone else.
ReplyDeleteHeed the signals, folks. The middle schools have been a "problem" for quite a while. Don't look for the AS to solve this one, as he is busy padding the retirement check. It comes with the territory.
ReplyDeleteTrue, Norwalk has many great teachers and administrators. However, in the schools where teachers don't enjoy working due to tension with their principals, low morale negatively impacts student learning. Let's help make all our schools foster an environment that's both enjoyable to work in and conducive to academic achievement.
ReplyDeleteFolks,
ReplyDeleteperformance reviews and evaluations are private matters...if someone is deemed unworthy of employment, that info is simply not shared. There is a process that must be followed and sometimes it is not a pretty process. Evals are not necessarily to throw people out of a job, rather, they are a means to determine whether the person is capable of fulfilling the job responsibilities. It is the job of any administration to work with those people and improve their skills while simultaneously improving the quality of the job they do. That's what professional plans and goals are for. You can't just throw a person to the curb because you personally do not like them or the job they appear to be doing. The process is there for a reason, usually legal/financial. In many examples, even if a person in incompetent but an evaluation is found to be flawed, it could cost the district a large amount of money due to legal fees and judgements, if it comes to that. Corrective measures come from the top, meaning the Superintendent. You must allow her time to make these decisions or delegate them. What you might think of as junk, she may see as salvageable. It will always take more effort/time/money to keep rehiring than to work with who you have and improve their skills. Sometimes humble pie is the order of the day, sometimes the fear of God will change things for the better. Spring cleaning is in order but it has to be done the right way.
And no, I do not work for the school district so don't bother speculating.
Am I the only Ponus parent who thinks it's about time that something is FINALLY being done for our kids?
ReplyDeleteAre we that naive (or blind) that we don't know how teachers have been treated at PRMS?
Years of lots of teachers leaving, poor discipline of students and awful test results has got to tell us that the leader needs to go. Right?
I agree that evaluations are the key to working with administrators in the schools that have problems. My concern is that neither the Director of Elementary education or the AS have the skills needed to assist the principals to develop a positive school environment which will enhance student learning.
ReplyDeleteThe Director of Elementary Education has never worked in an elementary school, from my understanding. How can she possibly evaluate administrators? Would someone please answer that?
ReplyDeleteThe red flag should be that it is the unionized teachers that are complaining. Principals like Mr. McCain demand excellence from their teachers and if you consider that harassment then every employer in America is guilty of harassment. There is much to be learned from the administration at Side by SIde Charter School in Norwalk, that was recently ranked 7th in the State of Connecticut for improvement and has amazing administrators and teachers. The school has virtually no discipline problems and the school community is simply vibrant. Their teachers are not unionized and must perform to keep their jobs year to year. The teachers at Side by Side don't leave, they love their jobs and the ability to do them well.
ReplyDeleteThe adminisrators in question are also "unionized", so equating excellence to harrassment and blaming it on the unions is empty at best. Perhaps some of the complaintants in this case are concerned, non-unionized parents who are simply tired of watching a school fall into the abyss. If necessary, the administrators union will offer this principal the same protections as the teachers, which will allow this situation to linger for far too long. There are no winners here, but the kids in that school are the ultimate losers. When something like this gets "out there", there is no way to un-ring the bell.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Ponus parent and yes, I'm keeping my name off of this post because the principal will try to get even. What was in the letter needed to be made public-- this blog shouldn't try to discredit it when Moina probably hasn't talked to any Ponus teachers or parents.
ReplyDeleteThe principal is the problem-- which is why we have some of the lowest test scores in the entire state.
The last teacher she suspended left my child in a spanish class without a trained substitute who could teach the kids spanish--- so, my child's time in that class was being wasted. I'm sorry, but that's a sign of an incompetent principal.
Don't get me started about the teacher who was suspended last year-- a great person who had the support of all the kids in her class and their parents (I know, I'm one of them).
Thankfully at Ponus we have great teachers who work hard despite the principal.
It's too bad Moina didn't have a good relationship with any of the teachers there because they'd probably give her lots of details about how bad it is.
The deal is that Sumpter likes to micro manage everything. The problem is she does a poor job then blames others yet will not allow others to do their jobs. She has two very good AP's in Allen and Pisseri and she lets them do nothing on their own nor what is in the best interest of the school. She has issue with calling cops because of the way they treated her son when he was arrested. Yet, she has no issues with Pot in the school or Vodka on the bus. She hides the drinking, drugs and fights (all of which have and do happen in that building). She would not let the staff call 911 for a very injured staff member and did it infront of students. She picks on teachers that don't kiss the ring. She cost the town tons of legal fees by trying to fire a teachers without cause becuase she doesn't follow through on anything. That teacher may have been bad but she didn't do her job either and the result was a lawsuit. She follows what Lynne Moore does like a puppy so there is no wonder that the building scores are dropping while teacher and parent tempers are on the rise. She needs to go!
ReplyDelete