Rhee's Firing Spree Of DC's Vice Principals Is Underway !
In a June 1 email sent to me regarding the termination of Watkins ES principal Dr. Shanklin- here is a copy of the email- members of the Capitol Hill Cluster School PTA sent to Chancellor Rhee expressing their concerns. So far this makes for 4 vice principals that I know that have been terminated thus far, two at Jefferson middle school and one at Watkis elementary. Here's the PTA's email in its entirety.Dear Chancellor Rhee,
"We write to express our shock and dismay with your administration's decision regarding the "non-reappointment" of Watkins Elementary assistant principal Dr. Sharia Shanklin, our considerable concerns regarding the uncertainty surrounding the Capitol Hill Cluster School leadership team, and the lack of engagement with the Cluster's PTA and SAB (nee LSRT) leadership as these decisions are made.
As elected parent leaders of the PTA and SAB, we represent the families of more than 1,100 students and approximately 150 teachers, staff, and administrators of the Capitol Hill Cluster School, which make up the three campuses of Peabody Early Childhood Center, Watkins Elementary School, and Stuart-Hobson Middle School.
Our community was stunned by Dr. Shanklin's announcement Thursday, May 27, 2010 that she had received a letter of non-reappointment from Instructional Superintendent Dr. William Wilhoyte with no apparent cause. We had not even considered such a possibility as Dr. Shanklin's record speaks for itself:
- Watkins students and teachers have met the Adequate Yearly Progress benchmark established by the No Child Left Behind legislation, which requires an annual standardized test score increase of 10%. The accomplishment ranks Watkins above the 80th percentile in DC-CAS test results among all DCPS elementary schools, according to the DC OSSE.
- This year's Watkins first graders met 14 out of 15 DCPS-mandated
- This year's Watkins first graders met 14 out of 15 DCPS-mandated
DIBELS end-of-the-year standardized test goals by the middle of the year. Moreover,test scores increased between 10% and 35% between the first and
