Bill would ease way to demote Seattle principals

A dozen Seattle legislators want to make it easier to demote school principals in Seattle — and Seattle only.

In an effort led by state Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, the lawmakers hope to amend an education bill — one aimed at helping Washington compete in the federal Race to the Top competition — by adding a section that would lower the bar for removing Seattle principals from their jobs.

If they are successful, Seattle school officials eventually could demote experienced principals from schools for a "valid reason." As it stands now, principals who've worked in any school district for more than three years can't be moved down without "probable cause," a higher bar.

In Carlyle's view, the measure would help strengthen school leadership in Seattle, where he says school officials appear to have more trouble than any other school district in the state when it comes to dealing with subpar principals.

"The way that Seattle has interpreted probable cause all but grants lifetime tenure," he said.

He has an ally in Seattle School Board president Michael DeBell, who says the district "doesn't seem to have the flexibility that we need to place principals where they could be most effective." He stressed he was speaking for himself, not the board.

But an official for Seattle Public Schools says district staff members don't think Carlyle's proposal would help the district much, if at all. Holly Ferguson, director of policy and government relations, said the amendment, if passed, could make it difficult for Seattle to attract high-quality principals.

Unfair?

The state's principals association and its Seattle affiliate also criticize Carlyle's effort, saying it unfairly singles out principals.

"I don't think it's a good idea to have the building leaders have less protection than anybody else in the system," said Gary Kipp, executive director of the statewide association. "I'm not saying they should have more protection, but having no protection doesn't necessarily make them strong leaders."

Kipp also says Carlyle's proposal, if successful, would only affect principals hired after it becomes law. If the idea is to get rid of longtime ineffective principals, that means it wouldn't do much for years, Kipp pointed out.

It's also unclear whether Seattle has as much trouble demoting principals as Carlyle says. Based on Carlyle's conversations with principals, central-office staff, parents and board members, he says it appears Seattle has removed only one principal in the past three years. The school district, citing privacy concerns, won't comment on how many principals may have been fired or moved for performance reasons.

What is clear: Carlyle wants to change the game for principals — starting with Seattle. Carlyle's proposal doesn't name Seattle specifically but says it would only apply to Washington school districts with annual student enrollment of more than 35,000 students.

Carlyle and his colleagues — who include House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle — were successful getting their amendment added to the House's version of the Race to the Top bill. But that bill died, so now they're trying to add the amendment to the recently passed Senate version, now under consideration in the House.

Pressure on

Carlyle's proposal is just one of several ways that the pressure on principals is going up.

The federal government, for example, soon will be handing out grants of up to $1 million to low-performing schools. If a school district wants one, it has to agree to turning around that school using one of four strategies, all of which include removing the principal.

"We should feel complemented, because they see the power of the principal and the importance of the principal," Kipp said.

But, Kipp says, the principal isn't always the cause of a school's problems. And if principals are going to be held accountable for a school's success, he says, they also should have more authority. How can principals be held responsible for schools' math performance, for example, if they must accept math teachers they don't think are up to par?

In Seattle, Jennifer Wiley, Franklin High principal and president of Seattle's principals association, says Carlyle's proposal isn't needed because the district already has the tools it needs to demote principals.

"If the tools aren't being used, then the responsibility lies with the leadership," she said.

While principals don't shy away from increased accountability, she said, they also need to have appropriate resources, supports and authority, which they have lacked in Seattle.

And accountability without support, she said, would deter strong leaders from working in schools that need good leadership the most.

Carlyle says he respects such arguments. If his measure passes, he says, his next move would be to give principals more authority. He agrees that principals should be protected from being fired or demoted arbitrarily — and he says his measure would keep those protections in place. And he acknowledges there are possible downsides to what he's doing, although he thinks most principals in the Seattle district's tougher schools are "rock stars" — including Wiley.

"I don't think they're doing this job because there's a safety net of de facto tenure," he said. "I think they're too good for that.

"This is not anti-principal," he added. "It's just the opposite. I believe in their vision and their strength ... I want them to step up first around greater accountability."

Linda Shaw: 206-464-2359 or lshaw@seattletimes.com