A low blow at Roosevelt High
by Steve Duin, The Oregonian
Wednesday May 06, 2009, 8:30 PM

The adhesive power of trust is invaluable for public schools, especially in communities in which adults too often vanish before completing the job they started. Therein is the irritation, and the irony, regarding Deborah Peterson’s forced march ‘cross town, from Roosevelt to Madison High School.

Even as the seeds of revival take root at Roosevelt, Portland Public Schools is jerking Peterson, the Roughriders’ popular principal, from that campus and dropping her off, uninvited, at Madison.

It’s hard to say which academic community is more annoyed by the grandstand play, the one that feels abandoned or the one that’s insulted it had no say in the matter.

“We’re on such a roll over here. A lot of people are feeling really positive about the direction we’re going. So, there’s some confusion. When something’s working for the community, why make a change?” Peterson said.

That’s the telling question for those who have plunged into the fray at Roosevelt, where — at the beginning of the school year — 78 percent of the dwindling student body was on free or reduced lunch, 35 percent didn’t list a Social Security number, and as many as 140 students were classified as homeless.

“Changing leadership in the middle of a crisis makes no sense at all,” says Norm Daniels, the former CEO at G.I. Joe’s and a key player in the $3 million campaign to erect a new athletic complex at his alma mater. “When you’re trying to do good and Portland Public Schools gets in your way, it’s pretty discouraging.”

David Carboneau, Roosevelt ’64 and retired from PGE, took those concerns to Toni Hunter, the district’s assistant superintendent, and was basically told that Peterson was less important to Roosevelt’s future than a small-school model that long ago outlived its usefulness.

“We tried to convince her there were bigger issues here, such as leadership,” Carboneau said. “I’ve been in business for a long time. I look at risk and reward opportunities. This seems like a very risky proposition, and I don’t understand the rewards.”

Folks at Madison don’t understand why they aren’t shown the same respect as the parents and faculty at Lincoln, who put Peyton Chapman through a community-based interview process before she was hired as principal.”

“My understanding,” said district spokesman Matt Shelby, “is the decision was made that she (Peterson) would be the best person for the job.”

“The feeling here,” one Madison staffer said, “is we’re being treated like the redheaded stepchild. Roosevelt feels they’re having someone stolen from them, and Madison feels they’re having someone forced upon them.”

The Peterson transfer is necessary, of course, because the district is determined to keep the small-school model going at Roosevelt.

The Gates Foundation has quit funding the initiative. It’s a lousy drawing card for kids in the neighborhood, 560 of whom leave to attend other high schools. Even Madison is kicking the concept to the curb, reverting to a comprehensive school.

Whatever. Roosevelt is stuck with the plan, even though sacrificing Peterson in order to retain three small-school administrators means the high school has $250,000 less to spend on teachers and other pressing needs in these dire times.

“There are a lot of barriers here to kids achieving academic excellence,” Carboneau said. “In Deborah, we finally found someone who could break down those barriers.”

Heck, they found an adult who wants to finish the job she started. Trust the district not to recognize the difference that makes.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

There was never an administrative directive written about how it was to be implemented, only a couple of paragraphs on an otherwise plain sheet of paper. Mr. Goldschmidt’s process was cumbersome and divided school communities between staff and parents/community. But in cases of transfers, the school community at least had the opportunity to interview the candidate and veto the transfer.

After Goldschmidt, HR decided that in the case of transfers, there would be no interview, just the initial meeting with the school community about what was needed in a new principal. These days HR doesn’t even hold a separate meeting for the teaching staff.

This is not a rich school-poor school issue. I was on the interview panel for Grant High School last summer, and it was quite the experience. HR staff was rude to one of the candidates and to two of the school community panel. We took an entire day to interview five candidates, three of whom were from out of state and frankly were not of very high quality. We spent at least an hour listing the pros and cons of each candidate. Then we were asked “who would we vote off the island.” That’s right–pick one we don’t want, and our input is over. We were told that HR staff “knew” who our first choice was. I didn’t even know who our first choice was. Several panel members felt that HR was biased in favor of one candidate.

And to top it off, there was no evaluation process. HR never asked “how did we do serving your school community?” A number of us wrote to Carole Smith. Nothing has changed, from what I understand.

As a school board member, this is one area I will zero in on immediately.

To HR’s credit, they realize that interviews are not the best tool for evaluating candidates. They are developing some “inbox scenarios”, throwing simulated problems at candidates and evaluating how they respond. That’s a good addition. But the school community should be involved in all aspects of hiring a principal, they are the ones who know best what the school needs.

It may take some form of direct action… a walkout, a sit-in, or protest rally. Blogs are good for organizing, sharing, and raising awareness, but that’s about the extent of it. At some point, taking to the streets (so to speak) may be required.

The sad thing, people move out of this neighborhood so their kids DON’t have to go to Madison. I had a Real Estate License at one time (the days of teachers working two jobs!) and know of what I speak–two of my neighbors with small kids have sold their homes for the ‘burbs. Look at our neighborhood school “capture” rate of kids who live in the Madison attendance area—less than 50% from figures several years ago, and it sure hasn’t improved, folks.

I would welcome any ideas on how to get heard and how to build Madison up, not down. My property value depends a lot on my neighborhood HS!!!

I have lived within walking distance of Madison (where I teach) for 19 years, and seeing the parent and community activism last night was heartening. We need answers about why this school and community had absolutely no input after the awful uprising and chaos of last year. This is a demoralized and extremely frustrated staff, for the most part, and for various reasons pertaining to our “leadership”. I had a private meeting last April with Carole Smith, in her office, detailing the impending implosion at Madison. I literally BEGGED her to come out to Madison and give teachers a voice–to listen and make us at least feel we were heard—even if the outcome wasn’t agreeable to all. Speaking up as an employee means paying a price. I said this last night about teachers (such as myself) having to hire attorneys to protect our jobs… so be it.