Bruce Roaden Takes New Position at CSD; Karen Newton Becomes 4/5 Principal
Decatur Metro | August 28, 2015 | 9:08 pmFrom City Schools of Decatur…
Dr. Edwards announced today that Mr. Bruce Roaden will take the position of Secondary Education Director for City Schools of Decatur. In a statement issued today, Dr. Edwards said, “In the summer, just prior to school starting, I posted and interviewed for a position that is needed at the Central Office. Mr. Bruce Roaden, who has been a Principal with CSD for the last ten years, applied and is the front-runner for the position. With the SLT’s support, I will promote Mr. Roaden to the Central Office position. Mr. Roaden assisted me in the “turn around” of Renfroe Middle School. It is now recognized as one of the best middle schools in the state of Georgia. He has been a principal for 23 years and also taught at the college level. He has also completed his work to become a Certified School Improvement Specialist.”
The Director of Secondary Education will assist Dr. Edwards in the mentoring and supervision of two Principals. “The position is also necessary as the system prepares for the upcoming SACS review,” Dr. Edwards said. “I need someone who has had the experience of being a Principal at the secondary level and who understands the instructional direction and initiatives of the City Schools of Decatur.”
Dr. Edwards also announced, “With the SLT’s blessing, I will promote Ms. Karen Newton to Principal at the 4/5 and Mr. Rodney Thomas as the Assistant Principal. Ms. Newton has been a key figure in the development of the International Baccalaureate Programme since Dr. Gloria Lee assisted my vision in the opening of the 4/5 Academy. Mr. Rodney Thomas has been the Dean of Studen
ts at the 4/5 Academy for 9 years and an
important figure in advancing the positive spirit of the school. These twopeople are outstanding educators and leaders. They have worked diligently for CSD students, parents and teachers. “
2 Questions:
1) If Superintendent Edwards is retiring, why is she still making pretty significant moves re: staff and restructuring? 1a) Should these type of moves be made by the incoming Superintendent?
2) Is there a reason Mr. Thomas has been passed over twice? I thought he was doing an exceptional job. Does he simply not wan the position. Just curious.
Like Decatur Heights Dad, I don’t understand the why: The board is at the interviewing stage of the supt search. The position was vacant since last DECEMBER! Somehow they’ve managed to run the schools. It couldn’t wait a few weeks? These are critical decisions with lasting impact.
Also, the SLT has known of this move since August 13. Why was it not announced until now? I’m worried about the ongoing lack of transparency at a critical time of change for our schools.
Dr. Edwards addressed the why in her letter to 4/5 parents. You may not agree with her rationale, but it’s a reasonable rationale nonetheless.
I disagree. In her letter, Dr. Edwards indicates that the board extended her contract until December 31st so that she could continue the business of the school district and that this business involves putting the right people in the right places. While this, at first, might appear to be sound reasoning, it collapses under the weight of even the mildest questioning.
As another poster has mentioned, the Director of Secondary Education position has been vacant for around eight months. Why wait until now to fill this vacancy on nearly the eve of a new superintendent being announced? How can any person promoted to central office right now be considered the right person in the right place? If filling this position was such an urgency, wouldn’t it have been posted many months ago, giving the F.AVE community and SLT time to give input?
The CSD Charter clearly states that SLTs have decision-making authority in personnel matters. If this blog and the date on Dr. Edwards’s letter are to be believed, the superintendent met with the F.AVE SLT on August 13th and August 24th, with neither meeting posted on the CSD E-board website. Were the purposes of these unannounced, undocumented SLT meetings merely a formality, were they intended to get feedback from the SLT and their blessing, or was the SLT given a voice in the hiring of a new principal? Two of the last three principals in CSD were hired without an open application process with the school year already underway. How is this an appropriate way of putting the right people in the right places? While both women appear to have great credentials and the respect of the CSD families, their tenures are immediately undermined by a flawed process that runs completely counter to the spirit and, perhaps, text of the CSD charter. They also begin the year understaffed thanks to these last-minute machinations. I believe the SLT meeting that led to the COO promotion and new HS principalship was an announced meeting, but the online agenda doesn’t even mention personnel matters, let alone an appearance by the superintendent to deliver such a major announcement. How are we to believe in openness and transparency in this district when it is so blatantly violated at every turn by the outgoing superintendent? Would any parent members of these SLTs like to weigh in publicly?
Dr. Edwards also offered that she might be doing the new superintendent a favor by hiring this position. Are we really to believe that an incoming superintendent wouldn’t love an immediate chance to hire one of her or his key lieutenants, rather than walking into a situation where such an employee was promoted at the beginning of the school year on his or her predecessor’s way out the door? In the same paragraph, she reminds us that positions such as this directorship are annual contracts with no guarantee of renewal. If she is so confident that she has hired so well this late in her tenure, why bother making this conditional and perplexing statement?
One would assume that one of the upcoming executive sessions might have something to do with these matters, though we cannot know for sure. I encourage the Board to question this process so that the district does not face similar controversies in the future.
While I truly congratulate all of these leadership appointments, and look forward to the good service that I predict will result, I agree that SLTs and the CSD system charter have never been fully embraced and used by CSD. It was a huge disappointment to some of us initially and I had hoped that things had improved. Sounds like not so. When it comes to principal selection, I wonder if Dr. Edwards found that selections went better when the SLT was less involved, more of a blessing of what was already decided. I can think of one selection in which the SLT was quite involved and then it didn’t work out well. But the long term solution should not be to only pay lip service to the charter. It should be to either adhere to it, amend it, or drop it. Serving on an SLT is a ton of work for the parents, teachers, and principals involved if it’s done right. There’s no longer any financial benefit from the State to having a system charter nor a political one that I can see–the State seems to have lost interest in system charters and is focussed on charter schools–so we should either have a system charter that we can truly execute or not bother.
I agree that the SLT system is not being used to its potential.
I had high hopes for the system but it is really designed not to have real authority–that still rests with the school system.
I agree 100% – She is moving a lot of people into Middle Management roles that don’t seem like a wise investment when under a budget crunch.
I feel bad for Mr. Thomas but am more shocked about the quick hire of a principal in one of the top districts in Georgia. We have a very desirable school district but outside of the recent Renfroe hire we aren’t opening up our search beyond the CSD staff.
They opened up the HS search last year and that also ended up w/ someone being pushed into central administration after only 1 year. This is the weirdest thing I’ve seen in a while. SMH
With a district as small as CSD why do we need another layer of supervison and the costs that go with it? We will now have someone making $80000+ supervising two people. If there were 4 or 5 schools I could see the need. My experience is that the central office is a parking place and somewhere for consultants to meet and meaningless reports to be generated.
+1. The position that Bruce Roaden is moving into has been vacant for about a year now, with little ill effects as far as I can tell, and a supervisor for two people seems overkill offhand. Let’s use that money to increase salaries for parapros and aftercare people at College Heights and the elementary schools instead.
Wait, why would the school system pay the salaries of aftercare workers at College Heights? Should not they be paid for by those that need it (like the aftercare programs at all the other schools)
This is yet another reason it will be very hard for me to vote to give them another $75M on the backs of the taxpayers this fall. Yeah, our schools are great, but is it because of, or in spite of, seemingly irresponsible, redundant and/or unnecessary spending?!?
Exactly, I said the same thing about two years ago when this position was started. Why do we need another layer of management? Secondary Education Director overseeing two principals? Seems completely unnecessary, especially when the school board wants more of my income.
Congratulations to all three long-time CSD folks. I have a lot of respect for all them who I’ve seen in various roles over the years. For those who don’t happen to know this Mr. Thomas (vs. the Mr. Thomas who was the well-loved Renfroe principal), he is another wonderful Mr. Thomas–very caring, committed to the students, genuine, and with high integrity. In fact, CSD has had such good luck with Mr. Thomases that I tempted to encourage them to keep hiring more.
Congratulations to Ms. Newton and Mr. Thomas. I was told by a veteran teacher who works at the academy (no, he TEACHES at the academy) that Ms. Newton was outstanding. From what others have posted about Mr. Thomas makes me think he will make a good administrator.
But big change is on the way. I remember when Dr. Edwards took over and promised continuity but most of the old principals were quickly gone. The new superintendent will want to make changes, most likely ditching the academy and early childhood center (which I favor) and replacing central office and building administrators to meet his or her goals.
I remember a time not long ago when a superintendent told me she worked hard to know the names of all employees so that when she entered a school, she could greet everyone by name. Another superintendent, upon learning that I had received some devastating personal news, sent me a hand written note that gave me hope for the future. Back in the early eighties, when I found out that my brother had died suddenly and I had to go in extra early to make lesson plans for the next three days, my principal showed up and told me to go home. He would take care of everything.
Best of luck to the new principals. Always remember that your job is not only about test scores, evaluations and central office goals but about love. For the students, parents and especially the teachers that need your support.