BOE earlier said it would “revisit” the hiring/firing authority of school principals and administrators.
Kagman High School principal Alfred Ada said power can be a dangerous thing.
“The authority that is invested in us is to look at the mission of the schools toward how our students will benefit through an in-depth educational life,” he told Variety.
Ada said any actions and steps taken by school administrators are for PSS and the students.
“We make decisions based on data,” he said. “That’s not a personal thing. If we know that a teacher or staff in our school is not effective for student learning or is not showing progress, it is our responsibility to take action.”
If BOE will take this authority from them, “whatever the board decides, we will try to work it out,” Ada added.
Koblerville Elementary School principal Eric Evangelista said they were given “tremendous responsibilities” not “tremendous power.”
A complaint has been filed against Evangelista by two teachers whose contracts he did not renew.
“Decisions have to be made,” he said. “Principals do mistakes as well, but of course we need to make the right choices. It’s more of a school-based management decision for the interest of the school, parents, and students.”
Dandan Elementary School principal Jonas Barcinas, for his part, said it is about time that BOE revisits PSS policies and see for themselves the responsibilities of school administrators.
“We don’t have powers…but we have obligations and responsibilities,” he said.
Ada, Evangelista, Barcinas believe that school principals are the best persons who can tell if a teacher or staff is effective or not in meeting the school system’s goals.
But former teacher representative to BOE and Kagman High School teacher Ambrose Bennett praised the board for promising to “revisit” the principals’ hiring/firing authority.
He said there has been concerns among teachers regarding the absence of checks and balances and due process.
“The non-renewal without cause in contracts has created a few dictators because it is wrong and it is not aligned with the standards and expectations of the academia,” he said.
Bennett said he’s “praying” that BOE has already learned from the mistakes of the previous boards.
