Principal at Kemp Mill--why was he not removed?

[Anonymous]

This probably deserves a thread of its own. Why the hell was this guy not fired? Even if the evidence is not conclusive for a lawsuit, isn't it compelling enough to have this guy removed? It seems too big a risk to leave him in this position. Or at least move him to a school where parents have more clout, like Potomac or Chevy Chase, and will scrutinize more closely than at a Title 1 school. Be sure to read the comments also:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/montgomery-settles-with-group-of-teachers-who-sued-kemp-mill-principal/2013/05/10/75e79a18-b8d5-11e2-92f3-f291801936b8_story.html

[Anonymous]

Maybe I should have posted this under Maryland Public Schools, though the topic does concern children with special needs given that he was using the telephone closet to isolate children who were "out of control" or tantruming.

How does one move a thread to a different section?

[Anonymous]

Bad principals have a very high cost to the system. Teacher turnover has an economic cost in addition to the destabilizing and demoralizing effect it has on the school.

But on the economic cost, consider one of the comments on the second page:

-the county taxpayers are flipping the bill for Starnes' legal counsel and the settlement funds

Hopefully he's gone before July 1. But if he's not, Central office is not supervising and not mentoring its principals. (OMG, no wonder we're #17, #25 and #25 in rank among industrialized nations)

[Anonymous]

This story just infuriates me. The current BOE needs to go. I just don't know how else to change this corrupt system, but to change the leaders at the top. The leadership and culture at MCEA and MCPS is very secretive and protective. They hide bad stuff (Kemp Mill settlement, Pearson contract, 60% Algebra failure rate) because they need to sell MCPS as the best system in the country to keep the racket going. The only way to change this system is from the top.

Please don't vote for this BOE anymore!

[Anonymous]

Parents' Coalition person!

Come clean! You're so easily recognizable with your corruption and secrecy and disgust for Pearson!


=Anonymous]This story just infuriates me. The current BOE needs to go. I just don't know how else to change this corrupt system, but to change the leaders at the top. The leadership and culture at MCEA and MCPS is very secretive and protective. They hide bad stuff (Kemp Mill settlement, Pearson contract, 60% Algebra failure rate) because they need to sell MCPS as the best system in the country to keep the racket going. The only way to change this system is from the top.

Please don't vote for this BOE anymore!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents' Coalition person!

Come clean! You're so easily recognizable with your corruption and secrecy and disgust for Pearson!


=Anonymous]This story just infuriates me. The current BOE needs to go. I just don't know how else to change this corrupt system, but to change the leaders at the top. The leadership and culture at MCEA and MCPS is very secretive and protective. They hide bad stuff (Kemp Mill settlement, Pearson contract, 60% Algebra failure rate) because they need to sell MCPS as the best system in the country to keep the racket going. The only way to change this system is from the top.

Please don't vote for this BOE anymore!

Hi, I'm not PP nor am I a parents coalition person but I agree with this post 100%. It's so furstratin gthat the MCEA and the Board have htis symbiotic relatipnship and so many people vote the "Apple Ballot" without thinking. It's going to take a steep drop in the county's ranking before anyone takes any action.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents' Coalition person!

Come clean! You're so easily recognizable with your corruption and secrecy and disgust for Pearson!


=Anonymous]This story just infuriates me. The current BOE needs to go. I just don't know how else to change this corrupt system, but to change the leaders at the top. The leadership and culture at MCEA and MCPS is very secretive and protective. They hide bad stuff (Kemp Mill settlement, Pearson contract, 60% Algebra failure rate) because they need to sell MCPS as the best system in the country to keep the racket going. The only way to change this system is from the top.

Please don't vote for this BOE anymore!

Hi, I'm not PP nor am I a parents coalition person but I agree with this post 100%. It's so furstratin gthat the MCEA and the Board have htis symbiotic relatipnship and so many people vote the "Apple Ballot" without thinking. It's going to take a steep drop in the county's ranking before anyone takes any action.

I am the PP and I am not PC, but who cares? Is that your feeble response? Just throw some label on me and all this will go away.

I am now deeper into my kid's MCPS experience and the luster of the school system has worn off. The central office of MCPS and their BOE benefactors disgust me. If I had more time, I would join PC. The Kemp Mill principal should have been fired, instead we taxpayers are footing the bill on some settlement. This principal's actions are taking money away from our kids. Send him home so he can sit in his own closet by himself and leave our kids alone.

The Algebra Final Exam passing rates are a complete joke. Why is Starr surprised and silent about these high failure rates of Algebra? Where is his response? Why is he not out in front of this story? Where are the BOE members on this story? They set up a committee that will provide some response later. That doesn't cut it with me. The idea that they have to study this issue also tells me that those results were a complete surprise. Starr has been here almost 2 years (1.75) shouldn't he know about this. Pat O'Neill has been on the board since 1998 and she has no story to tell about these failure rates. I know she likes to insult GT parents was whiny, but what does she have to say to the parents whose kids fail algebra. Expect some response in August (when everyone is one vacation) that says MCPS shouldn't accelerate kids in math (thus ignoring the data that shows kids in MS Algebra are passing at way higher rates than HS algebra.

WAKE UP! These central office education types don't give a #$!@ about legitimate parent and taxpayer concerns. They live in a bubble where MCPS is a great school system and problems are papered over.

[Anonymous]

NP here. I read the article in the Post about the principal, and I also can't understand why he wasn't removed. Dissatisfaction with a principal has a negative effect on the entire school, and the fact that so many teachers and parents were unhappy should have been taken into consideration. MCPS will remove a principal if the school is not meeting AYP, so why they didn't in a situation like this is really questionable.

[Anonymous]

Allegations of abuse...seems too risky to leave him in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I read the article in the Post about the principal, and I also can't understand why he wasn't removed. Dissatisfaction with a principal has a negative effect on the entire school, and the fact that so many teachers and parents were unhappy should have been taken into consideration. MCPS will remove a principal if the school is not meeting AYP, so why they didn't in a situation like this is really questionable.

I don't think our middle school has made ayp in 3 years, yet the principal remains.