New Instructional Superintendent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just spoke with a friend who worked with him in DC. They said he is still corrupt and has a friend, Melissa Kim, who held a high title in KIPP and now that friend has a higher title in DCPS. That friend looks out for him when he is in need of employment. Jerry also leaves jobs before he is fired so it will not go on record.

Under his leadership, 2 assistant principals were removed for inappropriate conduct with staff members, HR complaints were filed against him many times over the last few years and teachers kept a running list and recordings of his unethical actions including stealing from the school. It got so bad, the workers in operations would not sign off on his puchases without sending them to THEIR supervisors. They did not want to be associated with his puchases. According to my friend, Jerry is all about the data and the data does lie. He forced teachers to give passing grades to students, even those who didn't do their work. There was a no discipline system which he called restorative justice. There was no restoration. KIPP has a network wide system of logging behaviors. In order to keep behaviors out of the system, he and his leadership team would delete the negative behaviors or mark them as resolved even though they weren't. He would then brag about the data in staff meetings. My friend gave me an earful and has recordings. According to them, many staff members recorded conversations and meetings with him because he was so inappropriate and often threatened their jobs. Especially if you were a teacher who spoke up. This last year, music, art or language weren't offered to students. Instead, he invested in a game room which students rarely used.

Talk to him if you want, he is wordy but those words will mean nothing. My friend said he WAS removed as principal of WILL and placed in a different position within the KIPP network so he wouldn't be in a school setting before accepting the DCPS job. They also said in the announcement he made about leaving the school as principal, he stated he need to be closer to his family who is still in Jersey and he called his 12 year old daughter a bitch which they found weird and unsettling.

Parents should be upset and fight this. He has no business being in the business of our children. Fact is, he can't get a job closer to home because of his reputation. And there is no Melissa Kim in the other districts to hire him.

Ugh. DCPS just shoots itself in the foot over and over.

I am laughing because Melissa Kim, before taking on a leadership role at KIPP’s DC schools, was the beloved Deal principal who brought IB to the schools. Her arrival marked the beginning of Deal being a highly desirable school for IB parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just spoke with a friend who worked with him in DC. They said he is still corrupt and has a friend, Melissa Kim, who held a high title in KIPP and now that friend has a higher title in DCPS. That friend looks out for him when he is in need of employment. Jerry also leaves jobs before he is fired so it will not go on record.

Under his leadership, 2 assistant principals were removed for inappropriate conduct with staff members, HR complaints were filed against him many times over the last few years and teachers kept a running list and recordings of his unethical actions including stealing from the school. It got so bad, the workers in operations would not sign off on his puchases without sending them to THEIR supervisors. They did not want to be associated with his puchases. According to my friend, Jerry is all about the data and the data does lie. He forced teachers to give passing grades to students, even those who didn't do their work. There was a no discipline system which he called restorative justice. There was no restoration. KIPP has a network wide system of logging behaviors. In order to keep behaviors out of the system, he and his leadership team would delete the negative behaviors or mark them as resolved even though they weren't. He would then brag about the data in staff meetings. My friend gave me an earful and has recordings. According to them, many staff members recorded conversations and meetings with him because he was so inappropriate and often threatened their jobs. Especially if you were a teacher who spoke up. This last year, music, art or language weren't offered to students. Instead, he invested in a game room which students rarely used.

Talk to him if you want, he is wordy but those words will mean nothing. My friend said he WAS removed as principal of WILL and placed in a different position within the KIPP network so he wouldn't be in a school setting before accepting the DCPS job. They also said in the announcement he made about leaving the school as principal, he stated he need to be closer to his family who is still in Jersey and he called his 12 year old daughter a bitch which they found weird and unsettling.

Parents should be upset and fight this. He has no business being in the business of our children. Fact is, he can't get a job closer to home because of his reputation. And there is no Melissa Kim in the other districts to hire him.

Ugh. DCPS just shoots itself in the foot over and over.

I am laughing because Melissa Kim, before taking on a leadership role at KIPP’s DC schools, was the beloved Deal principal who brought IB to the schools. Her arrival marked the beginning of Deal being a highly desirable school for IB parents.

Sorry I dont get it, what is funny?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The allegations surrounding corruption, poor school-based management, and creating a divisive and toxic environment for students, families and staff is accurate. I was beyond shocked to learn that he was promoted into this position with DCPS after the MESS he made with WILL Academy. Fortunately, WILL has an amazing and resilient student body and staff, they WILL recover. It’s just extremely unfortunate that such an immoral, unethical and poor educator such as Jerry has yet again been given the opportunity to remain in this field. He is unworthy!

The bar is so LOW at DCPS

[Anonymous]

Pathetic, as usual for dcps.

[Anonymous]

Jerry and Melissa Kim aren't friends. Just because a KIPP person joined DCPS doesn't mean that she/he is friends with every former KIPP person being considered by DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jerry and Melissa Kim aren't friends. Just because a KIPP person joined DCPS doesn't mean that she/he is friends with every former KIPP person being considered by DCPS.

Yes they are. They were in the same PhD program at U Penn. Well, you better tell her that Jerry is going round claiming to be her friend and bragging about her bringing him on board at DCPS and her other ventures. I've heard it with my own ears. She has also said they were good friends (in a staff meeting at the end of the school year several years back).

But focusing on his friendship shouldn't take way from his corrupt behavior up in Jersey or WILL Academy.

[Anonymous]

And as for her being BELOVED....

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/janey-says-he-will-meet-with-deal-protesters


Guess that’s one thing else that she and Jerry share... the ability to incite parents against them. Great minds must think alike

[Anonymous]

Do instructional superintendents have any fiduciary authority?

[Anonymous]

I don’t believe any parent here called him. For what? As someone mentioned, this is not a public facing position. He’s going to give the principals hell by threatening and being inappropriate which will trickle down to school staff being abused.

I don’t know if there is ever any hope for DCPS to improve.

[Anonymous]

Is this really the BEST DCPS could do? This cluster has some of the crown jewels in the DC public educational systems. A disgraced former Superintendent who from some of the previous postings made a mess of things as a principal here in DC. Is the talent pool really that bare that we couldn't find a better candidate to fill 6 figure administrative job? I for one find that hard to believe. This reeks of cronyism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Is this really the BEST DCPS could do? This cluster has some of the crown jewels in the DC public educational systems. A disgraced former Superintendent who from some of the previous postings made a mess of things as a principal here in DC. Is the talent pool really that bare that we couldn't find a better candidate to fill 6 figure administrative job? I for one find that hard to believe. This reeks of cronyism.

Yes the talent pool is that bad. Few people want to come to DCPS, especially to be a paper pusher.

[Anonymous]

What's the justification with creating a new position just for application schools? There are many things wrong here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the justification with creating a new position just for application schools? There are many things wrong here.

There are now 10 comprehensive high schools and 8 application schools, including 2 brand new ones that have partnerships with external colleges (Bard Early College and Coolidge Early College). Ellington will soon be expanding. I'm ok with a new position and think the application schools and comprehensive high schools have distinct challenges that separating oversight makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the justification with creating a new position just for application schools? There are many things wrong here.

There are now 10 comprehensive high schools and 8 application schools, including 2 brand new ones that have partnerships with external colleges (Bard Early College and Coolidge Early College). Ellington will soon be expanding. I'm ok with a new position and think the application schools and comprehensive high schools have distinct challenges that separating oversight makes sense.

This could have been done with shuffling responsibilities of the existing superintendents. I'm not okay with another six figure salaried position when many people in the central office have lost their jobs. The top layers are bloated behind capacity and they're adding more. Meanwhile, teacher contracts are about to expire. I'm sure they'll be no movement there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the justification with creating a new position just for application schools? There are many things wrong here.

There are now 10 comprehensive high schools and 8 application schools, including 2 brand new ones that have partnerships with external colleges (Bard Early College and Coolidge Early College). Ellington will soon be expanding. I'm ok with a new position and think the application schools and comprehensive high schools have distinct challenges that separating oversight makes sense.

This could have been done with shuffling responsibilities of the existing superintendents. I'm not okay with another six figure salaried position when many people in the central office have lost their jobs. The top layers are bloated behind capacity and they're adding more. Meanwhile, teacher contracts are about to expire. I'm sure they'll be no movement there.

I agree with this. I didn't realize it was a new position. Didn't the Wash Post just report huge deficits at DCPS?