The superintendent for Anne Arundel is making an entire staff of a high school reapply for their jobs. This includes teachers, administrators, custodians, and secretaries. Get out the broom, and get ready for a clean sweep. Annapolis High School has failed to meet No Child Left Behind guidelines for four straight years, and Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell is starting over from the ground up. On washingtonpost.com the option to start over is described as "zero-basing." Other options to improve school performance given by the state include "changing the curriculum, hiring an outside expert, and extending the school year or school day."
If Annapolis High fails to meet standards for a fifth year, the school's restructuring could be overseen by the state. By taking drastic action now, Maxwell could be attempting to change the school on his terms and give it a "leg up" on making adequate yearly progress in the future, said state Deputy Superintendent Ronald A. Peiffer.
The school has one of the most diverse populations in the state -- with affluent students and academically rigorous Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs, as well as students from public housing, some frequently absent and struggling to pass state-mandated tests.
The school's principal, Donald Lilley, emotionally told a telephone interviewer that he had been going over and over his decisions for the past two and a half years and wondered what he could have done differently. He is unsure if he will reapply for his job.
Employees will have the opportunity to apply for their positions and be considered before outside applicants. If they are union members, they are guaranteed a job somewhere in the school system if they are not rehired for Annapolis.
This was exam week at the school, so this added insult to injury for those who had been working hard with kids to help them pass the tests.
"Some people are still working through their anger phase," English teacher Diana Peckham said. "When the rumors started going around last week, some students were already saying, 'If we don't do well, we're going to get you fired.'"
There are currently more than 200 employees at Annapolis. There are approximately 150 teachers. Surely, the ineffective teachers could have been identified along the way and replaced. This reminds me of complaints frequently voiced by students and parents when an entire class is punished for the actions of a few. I know it is not on the same level, but I once endured a one hour faculty meeting about proper dress code because one teacher wore jeans to school every day. We all wondered why the principal didn't deal with the problem on an individual basis.
Maybe when or if some teachers are replaced, politicians could enter the classroom and give it a whirl. Hilary Swank can't do it all.