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Dr. Galeet BenZion, the principal of Shepherd Elementary in NW D.C., was fired last week by D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee for “unforeseen reasons” after only a few months on the job. As the chancellor’s office is restricted from disclosing details about personnel decisions, no specifics regarding the firing have been forthcoming, predictably resulting in an explosion of speculation and frustration on the school's email list and in the comments section of D.C. Wire. Jamie Miles, a "school improvement specialist and a principal coach" for DCPS, will fill BenZion’s position.
In responses that echo the reactions to Rhee’s last high-profile principal firing, many parents suggest that Rhee had a personal vendetta against BenZion after they clashed over staffing issues, or describe feeling personally betrayed. Further complicating the issue is that BenZion was not the first choice of a principal selection committee of school parents and community members, although she was the candidate chosen by Rhee’s office.
In a letter sent to Shepherd parents on Friday, BenZion wrote:
"My Dear Parents,You have heard by now, that the Shepherd school community has lost its principal today. According to the Chancellor I am not the right fit to this community and it is best for the children that I am replaced.
I feel as if the flower has just began to bloom and was just stepped on. It has been a privilege to get to know each of you.
You are an amazing community and I applaud your commitment to high quality education in the District. I am truly sorry that I have disappointed you."
The emotional response from parents will seem familiar to anyone who has experienced the firing of a well-liked principal or coach – it’s a decision bound to resonate personally for those within that school community. No one likes to think that their kids’ school isn't the best, but without knowing the details of the termination (BenZion’s grammar notwithstanding) it’s difficult to take a stand here beyond wishing Jamie Miles luck in taking on what’s sure to be a contentious school climate.
Photo by sally henny penny
Fixing Special Education: Following a recent report slamming the District for its inability to meet the needs of its special education students, and the replacement of deputy chancellor for special education Phyllis Harris, Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee announced a series of moves designed to address the chronically dismal state of special education in DCPS.
According to the Post, pilot programs have been implemented in eight elementary schools, where SPED students attend class with general education students but receive additional instruction by trained staff, and at eight middle schools, where SPED students “receive individual instruction as part of a broader program of supports involving social workers and psychologists.” These programs will be expanded next year. Rhee also spoke about beginning the process of returning some of the 2,300 SPED students who currently attend private school paid for by DCPS, and introduced a new deputy chancellor for special education, Richard Nyankori, who spoke about increased accountability and commitment to responsiveness.
Schools Notes: New petition launched in the hopes of bringing the teachers’ union contract to a vote… Justice Dept. now involved in mediating the dispute between Dunbar HS and Fort Hill HS over alleged racial slurs on the football field… City Desk also has a striking series of photographs for youth football games at Dunbar… Economic turmoil affecting charter school expansion… One D.C. school reformer who isn’t a media darling (yet) – new UDC president Allen Sessoms.
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wow, what the heck does ms. rhee have against our hebrew-named educators!???
Galeet BenZion is pretty much the most Israeli name I've ever heard and if you translate her letter to Hebrew, statements such as "I am not the right fit to this community and it is best for the children that I am replaced" are grammatically correct. I've noticed that the ear is much more forgiving to the speech idiosyncrasies of non-native English speakers, whereas the same errors are much more glaring in written form.
I worry that typical DC uproar and drama will prevent Rhee's reforms from having an opportunity to generate some improvements. Seems pretty hypocritical to deny a new principal such an opportunity.
“Unforeseen reasons” is bureaucrat-ese for "we found the pictures of you with the shaved panda amputee and the de-beaked octopus."
We all know how vindictive Mayor Fenty is. These school employees being fired are probably those who donated to the campaigns of his opponents when he was running for mayor.
Adrian Fenty = Sharon Pratt Kelly 2.0.
Campaign donations are public records.. if there is such a connection, it's probably best to verify it before lobbing accusations.
Well written letter Ben Zion. I think we know why you were fired. I hope English is not your first language.
I think you need to get Rheeducated in basic english punctuation.
"Adrian Fenty = Sharon Pratt Kelly 2.0."
That's a facile and completely inaccurate statement. SPK failed because she was passive and uninvolved from day one. She was elected by the Upper 16th st. aristocracy and failed to have a clue as to how the DC government works. Moreover, even if she had been a more skilled mayor, she was still taking over for Marion Barry and when the city was still in the midsst of the worst of the crack epidemic.
Fenty has faults, but being passive and uninvolved are surely not among them. And he had the luck to take over from Williams (who by the way, was more passive and uninvolved) and in the midst of an economic boom.
Honestly, I have no interest in second guessing Rhee. Real reform is tough to swallow, and people are bound to get their feelings hurt. Tough.
It looks to me like she's walking the walk, and I'm pleased.
Rhee just hates Jews.
Not completely inaccurate, Reid, when you consider that she was a one-term mayor.
What I find the most disturbing is not that this principal was fired but that Rhee herself hired her for the position. I can't imagine what "unforeseen reasons" could have come up in three months, and I think Rhee's quick about-face speaks volumes about her lack of judgment.
"Not completely inaccurate, Reid, when you consider that she was a one-term mayor."
I challenge you to name one candidate that is remotely viable to unseat Fenty in two years.
Some possible "unforeseen reasons":
- information came to light that called into question something on Ms. BenZion's resume;
- accepted a contract with lots of rules and caveats related to following the Rhee agenda, and then did a 180 and refused to enact reforms;
- her previous experience running two small pre-schools turned out to be completely inadequate to the management challenge of being in charge of an entire elementary school or to maneuvering in the bureaucratic environs of DCPS;
- etc., etc., etc.
We may never know for sure what happened here, since Rhee is barred by personnel policies from discussing it, but it seems clear that in some way Rhee and her team felt that they did not get what they had paid for in Ms. BenZion. I wouldn't be surprised if the basic dynamic underlying the situation, though, was that Rhee and her team thought BenZion's "outsider" status and lack of public school experience would make her a natural ally in shaking up the status quo, and that for whatever reason she turned out not to be.
"I challenge you to name one candidate that is remotely viable to unseat Fenty in two years."
Ask me again in two years.
As a parent of a kid in the DCPS system, I have to say good for Rhee. There are a small handful (less than 10) of schools in upper NW that are succeeding in their mission to educate children. The vast majority of schools are failing. I see nothing wrong with new hires having a probationary period where they can be dismissed if it is not working out. That is how the real world works. Anyone who has ever had to hire someone should know that sometimes it does not work no matter how great the resume, writing samples and interviews are.
This is important really important. Educating kids is one of the most important things in life next to loving them and caring for them. Over the past 2 years I have been shocked at the utter ignorance that the vast majority of parents show with respect to what an adequate education is. Don't fall for the massive amount of DC teacher's Union propaganda. I am pro-union and have served as shop steward in a previous position and our union was not a jobs program for the inept like the DCTU runs. They are a blight on organized labor.