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Tate teachers urge open, staff-informed principal search and protection of building administration
Summary
Teachers and union representatives at the March 3 meeting urged the board to conduct an authentic principal search for Elizabeth Tate Alternative High School, to avoid assigning a district administrator to Tate for expediency and to protect onsite administrative capacity and teacher staffing during budget cuts.
Staff from Elizabeth Tate Alternative High School and union representatives addressed the board during public comment and urged an open, staff-informed process for hiring Tate's next principal after the announced retirement of Principal Ann Browning.
Michelle Bacon Curry, a teacher and instructional coach at Tate, said staff were "heartened" by communication that an internal posting process would be used but warned against assigning an administrator to Tate simply to meet budget-driven staffing reassignments. "To be clear and unequivocal, there should not be someone assigned to Tate simply because the CFI needs to cut an administrative position," she said.
Jill Herrick, who has taught at Tate for 13 years, emphasized that Tate serves students with complex needs and said the school needs both a principal and an assistant principal for safety and to support IEPs and intervention work. Shanti Sellz cautioned against blanket limits on hiring qualifications, saying Tate requires specific experience and education when hiring teachers and leaders.
ICEA representatives reiterated the role that a two-administrator structure has played in the school's improvements, saying a single-administrator model would leave leaders reactive and reduce the capacity for proactive interventions. The group asked the district to seek leaders who are "ready on day one" to support alternative education.
Why it matters: Tate serves students with intensive academic, social-emotional and behavioral needs; staff told the board the combination of teacher expertise and building-based administrative capacity is integral to student safety, specialized IEP work and teacher retention. Several teachers also said they are concerned that a rushed or purely administrative reassignment would harm the school's progress.
Next steps: Directors acknowledged the testimony and said they want to ensure the hiring process allows meaningful staff input; administrators said they plan to solicit teacher feedback and meet with Tate staff before finalizing the approach to filling the principal vacancy.
