Some teachers at Moton Elementary continue to express their concerns with the lack of support from the district, taking to social media and reaching out to individual board members for help. That put school board members Beth Narverud and Susan Duval on the defensive at the 10/04/16 informal board meeting.
Narverud stated she has been receiving a lot of calls and remarked on a Facebook post by a teacher who stated they have been asking for assistance, including additional ESE teachers, but nobody responded. Duval stated she has been approached with similar concerns, but also that teachers with an annual contract are fearful of speaking out. According to Duval, “Moton is in a dire situation.”
Superintendent Lori Romano disagreed. Following the abrupt resignation of Moton principal Jamie Young, district staff have worked to make adjustments, Romano said, including a review of the master schedule and adding a full-time behavior specialist. One thing district staff noted was that the resources already in place at the school were not being utilized efficiently.
Board member Gus Guadagnino stated he has not heard from anyone about their concerns over the past month, and especially from teachers afraid to talk for fear of retaliation. Romano stated this was a result of the state’s decision to have annual contracts for teachers, and that fear means principals try to give more support to the teachers.
Romano noted that if teachers are afraid to approach their school administrator, there are other options – going above the administrator to the district, or contacting their union representative. A district team did offer Moton teachers the opportunity to sit down and share their concerns, and discuss ways to support the teachers.
Administrative team changes may mean teachers do not feel comfortable talking with the administrator, Narverud said. Duval concurred, noting that if someone is perceived as being a “problem,” they can be removed when the contract ends. And that increases the anxiety about the situation at Moton, which is one of the 300 lowest performing schools in the state ( http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/ ).
Romano appeared blindsided by the concerns Narverud and Duval brought to the meeting, as district staff have been working for a month to improve the situation at Moton. She felt that the issues should have been brought to her or the staff, and not in a public forum. “I’m the leader of this school district,” she said. “I look at us as a team trying to support Moton in the best way that we possibly can, so if you’re hearing things, all I’m saying is, I need to know that.” That includes providing resources and getting the right people in the right classrooms, she said.
But it also involves trust and time, according to Romano. Trust in staff to provide support and leadership, and time to change the negative perception and low performance measures. Guadagnino agreed, saying the school has had positive changes over the last 30 days, without being micro-managed.
Narverud agreed with Romano’s team approach, and refuted Guadagnino’s depiction that her comments were the equivalent of crucifying Romano. Bringing the concerns to the board confirms to the employees at Moton that their concerns have been heard and that support is being provided by the entire team, Narverud said, which includes the board.
“Team members don’t withhold information,” countered Romano. While resources are being put in place, Romano said, “It’s time to get back to serving children, and teaching, and learning, and doing the best we can for children at that school. The focus needs to be on children.”
Since the informal school board meeting, a new principal and assistant principal have been appointed at Moton. Former Lake County school administrator, Joe Frana is now serving as principal while Cari O’Rourke, who was the assistant principal at Westside Elementary is the new assistant principal.