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Principal reassignments rile parents, teachers

By Susie Gran
Saturday, May 26, 2007

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Andy Barrett has been the principal of the tiniest school in the Albuquerque district for 12 years.

Reluctantly, he will leave it July 1, knowing his school of 250 children and its community has the biggest heart.

Douglas MacArthur Elementary School in the North Valley is losing its beloved principal, a man who never thought the rambunctious fifth-grade boys he puts in detention would write him heartfelt goodbye wishes.

"They knocked my socks off," Barrett said of the students' letters and cards flooding his office.

His community has honored him "with support and kindness that is overwhelming," he said. "I can't be anything but grateful."

The outpouring of regret over a districtwide shuffle of Albuquerque principals has taken a number of forms.

Teachers and parents have circulated petitions to keep the principal they have, made pleas to the school board and held neighborhood rallies.

But the district is going ahead with the transfers.

MacArthur is among 26 schools involved in the principal shuffle announced early this month.

The largest shuffle of administrators in a decade was done to improve student academic performance, district officials said.

"There are no plans to reconsider the principal moves," said Rigo Chavez, district spokesman.

"They've all accepted their new assignments."

But their communities are having a hard time accepting the changes.

"The parents are protesting at MacArthur. It's ridiculous to move Mr. Barrett. He is just so caring and a father image," said Frances Meek, grandmother of a fourth-grader.

Besides the school's 250 students, there are 50 preschoolers on the MacArthur campus in a city program.

"Teachers don't want the change, either. They are all so loving and caring. The whole staff is family-oriented," Meek said.

"We wish they'd just leave Douglas MacArthur alone."

Barrett was assigned to Kit Carson Elementary School in the South Valley. He said he was not given the rationale by his superiors.

"I chose to believe the district thinks I'm a strong principal and I'm needed where I'm going," he said.

Across town at Barcelona Elementary in the South Valley, parents and teachers are rallying behind their departing principal, Cecelia Martinez-Sanchez, who was reassigned to Mary Ann Binford Elementary.

They took their plea to the Albuquerque Board of Education on Wednesday to reinstate their principal.

Barcelona art teacher Melanie Johnson questioned why the district would move a principal whose school made adequate yearly progress, the measure of student academic success, for three consecutive years. Ten other schools in the South Valley have not had similar success, she said.

"It's a loss for our school," she said of the principal's move. "Our principal is a visionary leader."

Johnson and bilingual teacher Theresa Garcia from Barcelona were the first teachers to complain about a principal transfer to the school board. They said teachers should have been involved in the decisions.

"We want to work under her leadership," Johnson said of their principal, Martinez-Sanchez.

Martinez-Sanchez did not return phone calls seeking comment on her reassignment.

At Taft Middle School, teachers were circulating a petition in support of Principal Stephanie Williams.

She has been reassigned to Hayes Middle School. The Hayes principal, Jimmie Leuder, will take over Taft.