Dear Board Members,
The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education (SCSPE) was created because of the community's anger and despair over the closure of Sacramento High School. At SCSPE's last meeting there was consensus that what is happening at Hiram Johnson doesn't sound accidental, it sounds familiar. Sacramento High School was sabotaged so that it could be turned into a charter. The principal at Sacramento High School was so disliked that students purposely did poorly on the standardized tests because they thought their failure would result in her removal. There wasn't a functioning School Site Council at Sacramento High School, or a functioning Shared Decision Making Committee. Our most cynical members believe that Hiram Johnson has been purposely set up to fail so that it can be turned into a charter school. Last night I asked how the public can find out (read) the plan to move Hiram Johnson out of Program Improvement. Here are some additional questions:
How has the Hiram Johnson Shared Decision Making Committee been involved in "the plan"? Each school's Shared Decision Making Committee is supposed to be involved in any changes that impact campus climate and policy.
How does "the plan" align with the School Site Plan (Single Plan for Student Achievement)?
Finally, it is shameful that students at Hiram Johnson, one of the Superintendent's Priority Schools, have had their education negatively impacted by the actions of an autocratic administration. The student walk-out last Friday, the complaints of parents, the fights, and student and staff fears of retaliation paint a picture of a "reform plan" that has nothing to do with student achievement and appears to be completely "top down". If the students at Hiram Johnson are going to succeed this year, the situation needs to change now, not in a month or two or three.
Sincerely,
Heidi McLean, Chairperson
Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education
