What sense does it make to have a street fair on a major street at the height of rush hour... and now it is going to rain on the Mayor's parade.

SRB has a grey cloud hanging over her head and it is raining on all of us. They found money for the pools but cut the funding for crossing guards... PRIORITIES PEOPLE.

The shuffle continues,...Western has a new principal (though we have not been officially told yet-- it would be nice if Roger Shaw used email)-- her name is Alisha Trusty, and it looks like she is a Poly Grad, and has had four AP jobs in surrounding schools.

You would think they would tell principals about this... Nope, I was informed by the Sun. When the Sun is your source and your's a principals you're in trouble. We're amazing at external PR but can't keep the people who work for the system informed. Sad...

Inbide Ed, I would have hoped the principal for Western have more city school experience, stability and less moving around. Does anyone know how or why she was selected?

I heard that she is actually very familiar with the city. That she has worked in the city, teaching at Poly, is a Poly grad and is active with Poly's alumni and volunteers there. I know someone who worked with her and said her moving around has been by choice after being asked to join schools. They said she is extremely bright and that she has been asked several times by top officials in more than one school district to come aboard. From what I hear this was the also case with Western. "Whatever" she's good at, she has been good at "it" at Poly and her other schools. Unlike what I thought and you probably two she's very experienced.

@emjay - the opening was publicly listed and open to all qualified candidates, they are then vetted by the HR department at central and names are submitted to the schools advisory council to interview and pick their recommendation. The ultimate decision belongs to the CEO. In this case the advisory council picked the current Assistant Principal but the CEO picked this lady. No reasons were given.
Members of the council voiced their displeasure at the Board of Education meeting but the decision had already been made.
I would like to have seen these parents on the evening news, picketing in front of the school demanding their first choice but this is Baltimore City, home of the defeated.

Of the 42 new principals appointed to city schools all are black. You can't tell me there was not a single qualified non-black candidate. If the Western contingent was promoting the AP from Western, who made it through the interview process, the school is lucky the CEO did not listen to them, she is not qualified to hold her current position.
The new principal has at most 10 years of education experience and has been an AP in 4 schools, she either is outstanding or questionable.

@ Anon - Are you sure? What concerns me is that some of them look a little unseasoned. I wonder how many are New Leaders or TFA grads?

BS paper @ City's "Back to School Rally" scheduled for Friday

My prior original post was not listed? We enjoyed the event and we collected the school supplies and student back pack give away.

@anon Close but one is caucasion, not that it should matter. Vast majority are AA females.

@ newpoly They are VERY unseasoned, the vast majority are 1st timers. Some from out of district. Interesting group of people, I think only 10 were New Leaders.

When New Leaders first came to BCPSS, I was asked to apply. I did so and wrote all the essays and got up to the interview process. When I went in for the interview, I was essentially told that I was the wrong color and the wrong age/sex for the program. I understand that we want role models in leadership positions but we also have to teach our students to live in the "real world." And that means learning to deal with people of all races and beliefs. Sad really, isn't it, that we have to have all of our principals be of one race. It is a shame that we can't get some of those same people in the classroom where they have more direct contact with students.

I find that it is interesting that there is concern over the color of the skin of the newly appointed prinicpals and not the qualifications. I was in a city recently where the majority of the students who attended were of African and Latino descent however, there were no principals who reflected that population. Hmmm, I wonder what the reality exists there?

From what I have heard of the interview process they make sure the non-black candidates get weeded out prior to the interview with Roger Shaw, especially for the high profile schools. Based on what I have observed in the last ten plus years Baltimore deserves the schools they have, it is run people more concerned about themselves than the students. Until this mindset changes and qualtified individuals are put into positions where they can make a difference the schools will not improve. Look at City, Dawson was brought in to improve the sports teams, the quality of students and education eroded during his tenure. He was unqualified to run a school anywhere but was hired in Baltimore. Hopefully he will not be promoted to North Avenue which generally happens to unqualified individuals.

@VT

Yeah, well they have taken a variety of canidates. Fact is there are a number of non-AA New Leaders, although the majority are AA Women.

Sorry but I feel you not being accepted is about a bit more than your demographics. That may be some, but it's not the whole picture. There are really young women out there, white, Asian, ect ect. They don't meet the "demographics."

I'm not a fan most of the time, but I've sure ran across a ton of folks who haven't gotten in and are quite upset.

VT I'm sure you're a great teacher, keep the faith. Quite honestly teaching beats admin any day hands down.

@SG--Never said I was female but I know others who were highly qualified but didn't get in. All I was saying is that my sex/age/race were more of a factor than any other thing that they wanted to discuss. You couldn't pay me enough to be an administrator in City Schools. What I think is that some of these NLNS people have no clue what goes on in a classroom anywhere. Unfortunately true.

@VT Correct you did not, nor am I wrong. That said your belief that it was the s/a/r issue that kept you from being part of NLNS is in my opinion a narrow view of the slection process.

I agree many NLNS principals are clueless, but many are also great. That's not much different than the principals who went through traditional cert methods.

As I work in the City I've continued to be shocked at the level of some of our principals.

I would also note that I think Alonso is running the good principals out as quick as the bad. We are treated like second class citizens, zero professional growth.

Look at the top, not a one has been a principal. Alonso- nope, Santa - nope. Well I guess one has, but that was a failed effort by a woman who never taught.

Forget about the top having any idea what our neighborhoods and schools are really like.

The discussion in the paper about City and Poly is sad. Didn't they just spin and say Dr. Wilson was great and that's why he's going to Lewis? You would think a reporter would follow up the discussion with how Dr. Wilson will turn Lewis around if he couldn't move Poly. Yes they take different skills, but I question if Dr. Wilson has the experience with the kids he'll face at Lewis.

The hiring process for BCPS is terribly flawed. It is long and involved but in the end,the candidates sent out to schools to be interviewed are very average. Perhaps they are the best of those who applied but they leave a great deal to be desired. I reviewed resumes of potential candidates and they were filled with grammatical and spelling errors. They were too long, too short, or generally written terribly. And yet they somehow passed the North Avenue process.Many of the candidates had poor spoken English and the content of many responses was weak and lacking in vision and knowledge of current,accepted practices. The process was dissapointing and explains why the system is making inconsistent progress. I do not know the answer to achieving student success but I do know that schools need well educated, experienced, visionary leaders who respect their staff and are willing to work closely with their teachers and parents. Otherwise, BCPS will continue to bleed teachers to other systems and students will not be served as they should be.

Veteran teacher: Tell the truth to yourself and only lie to us and your friends. If you are genuinely interested in becoming an administrator or entering the New Leaders for New Schools program, demonstrate your readiness by the work that you have done--not mere words. Otherwise, please refrain from making emotional generalizations that do not portray your passion for students and their academic and personal growth.

@Be Real-Your point well taken but candidates from New Leaders and elsewhere need to learn how to write a resume, how to interview, how to speak correctly, and how to spell. Hopefully, they will then apply their passion for students to the leadership of a school. The applicant pool this summer was thin and certainly uninspired. I was there. I know.