Churchill Getting a New Principal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Seven Locks principal wanted to work closer to home. She is still an elementary school principal. Not sure whether Heckert chose to leave or was pushed out. If Moran is holding people to high expectations, good for him. Too often they let the terrible principals stay around forever.

Not really. According to the email, Heckert is still in a leadership position in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

I thought Principal Heckert did a fine job and I am sorry to see her leave.

But I am really sorry to learn that assistant Principal Gasaway is also leaving. I think she is exceptional— super smart, quick, and empathetic.

[Anonymous]

Is Gasaway leaving because she's close to Heckert?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is Gasaway leaving because she's close to Heckert?

No. She recently had a baby and is going to a nearby middle school. High school administrators have a lot of evening duties that middle school administrators don’t have. Family first and I say good for her!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Gasaway leaving because she's close to Heckert?

No. She recently had a baby and is going to a nearby middle school. High school administrators have a lot of evening duties that middle school administrators don’t have. Family first and I say good for her!

Thanks, and agree!

[Anonymous]

One underserved population at Churchill are students with disabilities. For IEP and 504 meetings, school administrators are vital members of the team.

As a parent who have attended meetings in the cluster at my child’s elementary, middle, and high school, I have been in these meetings with many school administrators. Sadly, their lack of knowledge about laws in place to protect children with disabilities has been disturbing.

Mrs. Heckert might be a nice person with good intentions, but she doesn’t understand the concept that the needs of the student should be what drives the services and supports the child receives. She came across at meetings as ignorant, which is a demonstration of the lack of training school administrators receive. The net result of Mrs. Heckert’s leadership resulted in discriminatory practices for students with disabilities at Churchill.

Then came the pandemic. Children with disabilities struggled without vital accommodations and services during the building closure. Many students with disabilities have fallen behind and did not make adequate progress this year. Some are no longer on track for graduation.

Churchill needs a Principal who understands the IDEA, ADA, and Section 504 laws so students with disabilities don’t have barriers for equal opportunities within the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One underserved population at Churchill are students with disabilities. For IEP and 504 meetings, school administrators are vital members of the team.

As a parent who have attended meetings in the cluster at my child’s elementary, middle, and high school, I have been in these meetings with many school administrators. Sadly, their lack of knowledge about laws in place to protect children with disabilities has been disturbing.

Mrs. Heckert might be a nice person with good intentions, but she doesn’t understand the concept that the needs of the student should be what drives the services and supports the child receives. She came across at meetings as ignorant, which is a demonstration of the lack of training school administrators receive. The net result of Mrs. Heckert’s leadership resulted in discriminatory practices for students with disabilities at Churchill.

Then came the pandemic. Children with disabilities struggled without vital accommodations and services during the building closure. Many students with disabilities have fallen behind and did not make adequate progress this year. Some are no longer on track for graduation.

Churchill needs a Principal who understands the IDEA, ADA, and Section 504 laws so students with disabilities don’t have barriers for equal opportunities within the school.

Thank you so much for saying this. This has been our experience as well. Churchill is not an inclusive environment. They need someone hands on, thoughtful, and knowledgeable who can lead the school and ensure that all students have access to the resources they need to succeed. We were very disappointed at the treatment my student got from a particular teacher and reached out to the school about and never heard one thing back from the administration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. The principal of Seven Locks Elementary (Churchill feeder), who was just started at the same time as Heckert, also just recently announced her departure. I'm definitely not happy about all of this turnover in the cluster.

I hope they don't pluck a mediocre principal from another school because it's "their turn." Peter Moran needs to choose someone with brains and the ability to turn the ship around. Someone who will bring something new and fresh to the position. It's also time in my opinion to get a person of color in that school. He has plenty of good people to recruit from within who would meet all of the above criteria. Why not go for someone who would not necessarily apply on their own but would be great? Don't make the same mistake twice.

Dr. Howard should be the next principal. She was basically running the school the last few years that Dr. Benz was principal. She's super smart, organized, professional and liked greatly by staff and parents. She is overqualified to be an assistant principal and probably over qualified to be a principal. I have had two children graduate from Churchill and two more currently in the system. She is by far the best administrator I have met at Churchill. I really hope they're not going to pull someone that doesn't know the cluster or understand the challenges at Churchill. Dr. Howard should be the choice but I'm sure Moran/McKnight will screw this up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. The principal of Seven Locks Elementary (Churchill feeder), who was just started at the same time as Heckert, also just recently announced her departure. I'm definitely not happy about all of this turnover in the cluster.

I hope they don't pluck a mediocre principal from another school because it's "their turn." Peter Moran needs to choose someone with brains and the ability to turn the ship around. Someone who will bring something new and fresh to the position. It's also time in my opinion to get a person of color in that school. He has plenty of good people to recruit from within who would meet all of the above criteria. Why not go for someone who would not necessarily apply on their own but would be great? Don't make the same mistake twice.

Dr. Howard should be the next principal. She was basically running the school the last few years that Dr. Benz was principal. She's super smart, organized, professional and liked greatly by staff and parents. She is overqualified to be an assistant principal and probably over qualified to be a principal. I have had two children graduate from Churchill and two more currently in the system. She is by far the best administrator I have met at Churchill. I really hope they're not going to pull someone that doesn't know the cluster or understand the challenges at Churchill. Dr. Howard should be the choice but I'm sure Moran/McKnight will screw this up.

Dr. Howard has been upfront and center for many of the problems at Churchill. Her approach with all students has not been fair or kind. Despite having a Ph.D., she also has very little understanding of Special Education law and does not understand equity when it comes to educating students with disabilities.

I hope Central Office is looking for a fresh start, not more of the same incompetence that has hurt many students ability to access educational opportunities within the school.

[Anonymous]

Does she not understand special ed procedures, or were you just unhappy with the outcome for your own child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does she not understand special ed procedures, or were you just unhappy with the outcome for your own child?

Glaring procedural violations and lack of implementation of agreed accommodations and support. Her verbiage inside meetings and via emails showed a disregard for the needs of my child and acknowledgement that the team’s documentation was a binding legal obligation for Churchill and MCPS. As far as her interactions with my child, Dr. Howard was mean and uncaring.

[Anonymous]

Not sure who thinks she was front and center in a good way. Howard has always been a follower, not a leader. Churchill needs a leader who is able to communicate with the varying constituents, who can support staff when they need it and manage those who need managing, as well as take Churchill into the future, not the past.

[Anonymous]

If anyone thinks MCPS cares about what the Churchill community wants in a Principal, you will be greatly disappointed. Dr. Kim and Mrs. Heckert were hand picked by Central Office. MCPS is a sea of politics. Just the announcement that the new Principal will be hired by July shows the decision is 99.9% made. They will choose sheeps as their parent committee who won’t reflect the makeup of the Churchill community as a whole. This committee will then cast a secret ballot that only Central Office counts. It’s a totally rigged process that Dr. Moran will be the gatekeeper of.

It would be great if MCPS would consider applicants outside MCPS for leaders with fresh ideas. Nope. They will only look internally at people in their flawed training program.

[Anonymous]

Agree that the MCPS training program is highly flawed.

However it's clear you've never been through the hiring of a principal before. They give the parent interview committee three candidates to interview, they give the committee a list of questions they are to ask with no deviation or follow-up allowed. The three candidates are obviously 2 duds and a rockstar. You get the rockstar, who turns out to be a dud, because the MCPS training program is so flawed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree that the MCPS training program is highly flawed.

However it's clear you've never been through the hiring of a principal before. They give the parent interview committee three candidates to interview, they give the committee a list of questions they are to ask with no deviation or follow-up allowed. The three candidates are obviously 2 duds and a rockstar. You get the rockstar, who turns out to be a dud, because the MCPS training program is so flawed.

How is this any different from the previous PP? Dr. Moran will pick the Rockstar and the two duds. The committee is just there so MCPS says it has parental input. Obviously if MCPS controls who is put forward, controls the questions, then controls the ballot count, they really aren’t looking for parental input.