Don’t change what works
All of a sudden, in the course of a week, we learned that our high-school daughter’s principal at Center School is being transferred to Rainier Beach smack dab in the middle of the school year and that our 5-year-old son’s principal is being transferred out of Madrona K-8 in March.
I have no idea what is motivating these transfers, but I do know this much: After years of being saddled with the APP program, Madrona K-8 is emerging as a real beacon of hope for Seattle schools. Test scores are skyrocketing. School spirit is high. The kids are wonderful and happy and the teachers are great. The school’s community is strong, and a big part of that comes from the strong leadership provided by Madrona’s current principal.
With the upcoming change to neighborhood-based schools, we need her leadership more than ever. We need continuity and vision until the successes we’ve seen at Madrona K-8 become entrenched as part of the school’s culture. It’s definitely not time to take away our leader.
As for Center School: The principal, who seems wonderful, just arrived! Why transfer her so soon after she just started her work there?
When a school is working, don’t break it apart. Let it thrive and let other schools learn from that success.
— Peter O’Neil, Seattle
Can’t afford two principals at Rainier Beach
As a taxpayer in Seattle, I have serious concerns about the plan and expense of having two full-time principals at Rainier Beach High School. If the current principal is not capable of running the school on his own, then get rid of him and hire someone who is competent. If we expect excellence from our students, the expectations for our principals should be no less.
— Mary Beth Hatfield, Seattle