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| No confidence in Levenson? |
School Committee rejects move after Ottoson faculty backs actionAs more than 200 people listened intently, the School Committee tonight voted down a motion by board member Marty Thrope to declare no confidence in Superintendent Nate Levenson following a heated discussion about his decision to not renew the contract of Stavroula Bouris, Ottoson Middle School principal.
"You're finished in this town," Thrope read from a prepared statement. The vote rejecting the motion was 5 to 2, as Sean Garballey sided with Thrope. To cheers from the crowd, many of them Ottoson teachers and parents, math teacher Larry Greco said that Ottoson teachers had voted unanimously that afternoon to express support for Bouris, principal since 2002. Greco also said that Ottoson teachers also voted unanimously to declare no confidence in Levenson.
Selectman Diane Mahon suggested that the committee might ask Levenson to reconsider his decision. When his turn came to speak, Levenson said his decision was made "some time ago" and is "final." Glenn Koocher of the Mass. Association of School Committees advised the School Committee against trying to interfere with the superintendent's personnel decisions.
From the start, committee Chair Sue Sheffler tried to keep order. After explaining committee rules for public participation -- that it would last 20 minutes total, and each speaker would be limited to three minutes -- Thrope moved that all in the School Committee Room be allowed to speak. The board voted that down, 4-3. Voting yes were Thrope, Garballey and Jeff Thielman; voting no were Kathy Fennelly, Paul Schlichtman, Susan Lovelace and Sue Sheffler. Sheffler said that the public is welcome to speak at the next School Committee meeting, March 27. The Globe reported March 14 there would be a public hearing, but Sheffler did not say that. She did she whether or not Ottoson principal issue would be on the March 27 agenda.
Later, Thrope delivered a lengthy blast aimed at Levenson. "You blew it, and you have no one to blame but yourself," said Thrope, who is leaving the committee next month, after 14 years. He is not serving the last year of his term. Among those in the crowd were all four candidates for the two three-year School Committee seats -- Denise Burns, Stuart Cleinman, Josh Lobel and Ron Spangler. On March 14, Cleinman wrote on the Arlington e-mail list that, if he is elected, he would vote not to renew Levenson's contract.
Earlier story (first posted March 10): Ottoson principal to leave in AugustThe contract for Stavroula Bouris, Ottoson principal since 2002, will not be renewed. A letter to parents dated March 7 from Superintendent Nate Levenson says that he "no longer feel(s) there is a good fit with the district. As the Arlington Public Schools becomes more of a coordinated K-12 system, rather than a collection of 9 separate schools, and as the role of the principal evolves as an instructional leader, the needs have changed."
Levenson writes that a search will begin immediately, and he expects a new principal for the middle school to be in place in August.
Bouris, who moved up to replace Paul Lamoureaux in January 2002 after the renovated Ottoson had been a open since 1999, has been asked to comment. Before retiring Lamoureaux had been principal since 1989. Rose Udics, an Ottoson parent, responded March 10: "I am totally surprised. Stavroula Bouris is a smart, effective principal who truly cares about the students. She has done an excellent job with a middle school that has twice as many students [1,100] as it ought to have (it's much larger than any middle school in surrounding towns), and with many fewer resources.
"She deserves nothing but praise for taking on a nearly impossible job and doing it so well without the additional support from the town that she and the school deserved." Two Ottoson parents offered comments to the Arlington list March 12, and their quotations are used with permission:
Susan Vik wrote: "As the parent of a 6th grader at Ottoson, I have been very impressed by Dr. Bouris's leadership in promoting academic, emotional, social, and behavioral development and growth, based on everything that I have observed and heard from Ottoson teachers, other parents and children, and my own child. I'm appalled that Arlington is losing this strong educational leader."
Peter Fuller, a Town Meeting member, wrote:
"I've been stewing about this all weekend. As the parent of an Ottoson 6th grader (and of an AHS 9th grader who just blossomed during three years at Ottoson), I share sentiments of Susan Vik, and commend her for using much more *polite* vocabulary than I've been thinking since I learned of Ms. Bouris' dismissal.
"My wife and I have found the teachers and administrators at Ottoson quite accessible and more than willing to spend the time, often their own time, to confer and talk with us about concerns with our kids. I believe the tone for this going-the extra-mile professionalism is set from the top, and I am chagrined that we are throwing this away. "I'm also concerned that other personnel at Ottoson -- administrators, guidance counselors, teachers -- may leave or be replaced as downstream consequences of Ms. Bouris' dismissal. Having built up working relationships with many of these people, I'm not looking forward to the possibility of starting over from square one. "We'll be electing three new School Committee members in the April election. In the aftermath of this unfortunate action by the Superintendent, I will be looking for candidates who will be independent voices, who will ask the tough 'why questions' of this Superintendent." Some with knowledge about the differences between Levenson and Bouris say that the principal opposed some of the superintendent's initiatives. It could not be learned what those initiatives are. A source said Levenson tried to accommodate Bouris by bringing in a principal coach, but that did not work, and Levenson suggested she might be happier elsewhere. The source said Bouris was told at least a month ago that her contract would not be renewed and that she was given a chance to seek another position. YourArlington has requested comment from Levenson beyond his letters.
A source said Bouris was a finalist for a job in Natick, but the outcome of that opportunity could not be learned. The letter to Ottoson parents says, in full: "This is a hard letter to write and, for many, a hard letter to receive. Despite Principal Stavroula Bouris’ obvious passion for students, the loyal support from many staff, and her dedication to Arlington, I no longer feel there is a good fit with the district. As the Arlington Public Schools becomes more of a coordinated K-12 system, rather than a collection of 9 separate schools, and as the role of the principal evolves as an instructional leader, the needs have changed. Principal Stavroula Bouris’ contract will not be renewed when it expires at the end of August 2007. "Over the past year and a half, Stavroula and I have had many conversations about the Ottoson. On a personal level, no decision has ever been more difficult for me. I am committed to helping to make this transition dignified and smooth. The district will be providing a number of transition services and supports. "We will begin a search for a new principal immediately, and I expect to have new leadership in place before the start of the school year. As with all searches, parent and staff input will be solicited, and representatives from both groups will serve on the screening committee. If interested in serving on the screening committee, please send a letter of interest to Assistant Superintendent This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . I will be considering either an interim appointment or a permanent one, depending on the candidate pool. "Middle school is a challenging time for our children, as well as for teaching and learning. I remain committed to a 'middle school philosophy' in which we develop a systematic approach to supports to meet students’ individual needs -- academic, behavioral, health, and social-emotional. "I am sure many of you will want to thank Stavroula for all she has done. Stavroula will remain an important member of the leadership team and fully in charge of the Ottoson through the end of the school year. We all wish her well." A similar letter dated March 7 was sent to the Ottoson staff. In it, Levenson writes: "I know this creates pain, anger, and a sense that I have abandoned 'one of our own.' "The district will be providing outplacement services through Future Management Systems, continued benefits for up to one additional year, and an opportunity for work elsewhere in the district through December 2007." The goals for the superintendent are here >>
Discussion of the middle-school principal issue is on the agenda for the March 13 School Committee meeting.
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 04 April 2012 10:22 ) |
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