Welcome To Alafia Lisa Tierney-Jackson!
Alafia Elementary welcomes new principal -- former Cypress Creek Elementary principal Lisa Tierney-Jackson.
Dec 8, 2008
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BREAKING NEWS...
- Dec. 25th 2008 Tampabay.com: Frustrated Alafia Elementary parents welcome change in principals
- Dec 16th Alafia Elementary names new principal
- Dec. 9th Tampabay.com; Alafia principal to leave school
- Dec. 9th Tampa Trib; Alafia Elementary Principal To Leave Post
- Dec. 9th The Gradebook; Alafia principal to leave school
- TBO.com Dec 8th Coaching Alafia Principal Could Cost District Thousands
- TBO.com Dec 3rd Alafia Parents Not Happy With Fixes
- TAMPA TRIB. November 26, 2008 Alafia Principal, Parents Begin Reconciliation
- November 28, 2008 ST PETE TIMES Alafia Elementary parents vent to superintendent about principal
- November 26, 2008 Parents Complain About Alafia Elementary Principal w/links
- November 21, 2008 Parents voice concerns about Alafia Elementary
- November 21, 2008 Superintendent gets an earful from Alafia Elementary parents
- Video from Elia Meeting 'BAY NEWS 9' November 20, 2008
- November 20, 2008 Parents Level Criticisms At Alafia Principal At Meeting
- November 19, 2008 Alafia Elementary to host parents' meeting
- November 19, 2008 Bay News 9 Alafia Elementary VIDEO
- November 19, 2008 Bad timing: Hillsborough portable classroom lacks heat
- November 19, 2008 Team Suggests Fixes For Alafia Elementary
- November 11, 2008 Anxiety, stress at an A-rated school
- November 11, 2008 MSNBC Assessment Team Reports On Alafia Elementary
- November 11, 2008 Alafia principal keeps her job for now
- November 10, 2008 Hillsborough School Board wants better PR
- November 10, 2008 Assessment Team Reports On Alafia Elementary
- November 7, 2008 Alafia Elementary Staff To Get Report On Principal
- Oct 24, 2008 Parent complaints bring school board action
- Oct 24, 2008 Parent complaints about school principal bring action by superintendent.
- Oct 21, 2008 Alafia Elementary School under scrutiny after parents complain
- Oct 17, 2008 School official's reaction upsets
- Oct 10, 2008 Parents take beef with Alafia principal to School Board
- October 9, 2008 Alafia principal on the hot seat
- Oct 8, 2008 Parents Critical Of Alafia Elementary Principal
Previous Blogs
- 1.) Dec 9th Board Meeting Info (1)
- A.) Smith's People Skills - Can She Learn? (1)
- B.) Elia's ACTION PLAN (1)
- C.) Elia Meets with Parents (1)
- D.) Questions For Parents Meeting on 11/20 (1)
- E.) Questions for 11/20 Meeting (1)
- F.) 11/18 Board Meeting Review (1)
- G.) Board Meeting Video Nov 18th (1)
- H.) Elia meets with Teachers. (1)
- I.) PARENTS SPEAK OUT (1)
- J.) TEACHERS SPEAK OUT (1)
- K.) Link To Another Blog with insite on Alafia Elementary (1)
- L.) Contact TBO'S 8 ON YOUR SIDE (1)
- M.) Opinions on the Renovation (1)
- N.) Charter Option (1)
Nov 26th 2008 Tampa Trib article....
"The beleaguered principal of Alafia Elementary School began her work week Monday as she usually does – standing in front of the Valrico school as the students arrived by car, bus or holding the hands of their parents.
This time, however, Principal Ellyn Smith had company. Longtime educator Grace Ippolito was by Smith's side, greeting parents and students. Ippolito, who was principal when Alafia opened in 1987, returned to the school last week under an hourly paid contract with the Hillsborough County School District to serve as Smith's mentor and coach for an unspecified period of time. Her mission is to teach Smith the people skills Alafia parents say she's lacking."
***To read Full article, please click here:
Alafia Principal, Parents Begin Reconciliation
By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE
Published: November 26, 2008
This time, however, Principal Ellyn Smith had company. Longtime educator Grace Ippolito was by Smith's side, greeting parents and students. Ippolito, who was principal when Alafia opened in 1987, returned to the school last week under an hourly paid contract with the Hillsborough County School District to serve as Smith's mentor and coach for an unspecified period of time. Her mission is to teach Smith the people skills Alafia parents say she's lacking."
***To read Full article, please click here:
Alafia Principal, Parents Begin Reconciliation
By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE
Published: November 26, 2008
Quotes From The Board.....
November 11, 2008:..... "It's usually not a good thing to have an assessment team come into a school," Faliero said. "It indicates there is enough evidence to suggest there were things that were not working for this school, that there is just cause to go forward and look into it."
November 10th, 2008:......"I thought it was a good meeting," Hegarty said after meeting with the Alafia faculty. "People spoke from the heart."
October 24th, 2008:.......Elia said school officials have held six meetings regarding the Alafia situation since June. Elia also met directly with the principal. "I want to make it clear that this is something that we have been working on," Elia said.
October 24th, 2008:....."When a school is polarized, it's not a healthy environment for students or staff to be part of, and it filters out into the community as well," Faliero said.
October 10th , 2008: ....."The superintendent needs to get involved, and she needs to find out if there is just cause to these things that they are saying," Faliero said, adding that if true, the charges could be cause for dismissal.
"I just don't see that kind of unified concern from east Hillsborough unless they truly believe something is wrong."
Board chairwoman Jennifer Faliero said she has never seen such a large group of parents complain publicly about their school leader. She asked superintendent MaryEllen Elia to work with the parents and look into the situation.
November 10th, 2008:......"I thought it was a good meeting," Hegarty said after meeting with the Alafia faculty. "People spoke from the heart."
October 24th, 2008:.......Elia said school officials have held six meetings regarding the Alafia situation since June. Elia also met directly with the principal. "I want to make it clear that this is something that we have been working on," Elia said.
October 24th, 2008:....."When a school is polarized, it's not a healthy environment for students or staff to be part of, and it filters out into the community as well," Faliero said.
October 10th , 2008: ....."The superintendent needs to get involved, and she needs to find out if there is just cause to these things that they are saying," Faliero said, adding that if true, the charges could be cause for dismissal.
"I just don't see that kind of unified concern from east Hillsborough unless they truly believe something is wrong."
Board chairwoman Jennifer Faliero said she has never seen such a large group of parents complain publicly about their school leader. She asked superintendent MaryEllen Elia to work with the parents and look into the situation.
ALAFIA'S REPORT CARD
** WSE FACTS **
2007-2008 WSE Survey conducted - April 2008
• 92% of teachers indicated they felt strongly that Mrs. Smith does not interact with others fairly and empathetically.
• 85% of teachers indicated they felt strongly that Mrs. Smith does not recognize and reward staff when appropriate.
• 69% of teachers indicated they felt strongly that Mrs. Smith does not promote a safe and orderly school culture that is conducive to learning.
*** SCROLL BELOW TO VIEW COMPLETE REPORT ***
• 92% of teachers indicated they felt strongly that Mrs. Smith does not interact with others fairly and empathetically.
• 85% of teachers indicated they felt strongly that Mrs. Smith does not recognize and reward staff when appropriate.
• 69% of teachers indicated they felt strongly that Mrs. Smith does not promote a safe and orderly school culture that is conducive to learning.
*** SCROLL BELOW TO VIEW COMPLETE REPORT ***
** KEY Observations ** Assessment Team - November 2008
- The Team found a very stressful work environment for teachers and administrators. In addition, the community is experiencing the stress felt at the school.
- Some parent and staff interviews revealed a fear of retaliation for speaking honestly and openly to our assessment team
- Faculty, staff, administration and parents appear fragmented and in distress.
*** SCROLL BELOW TO VIEW COMPLETE REPORT! ***
- Some parent and staff interviews revealed a fear of retaliation for speaking honestly and openly to our assessment team
- Faculty, staff, administration and parents appear fragmented and in distress.
*** SCROLL BELOW TO VIEW COMPLETE REPORT! ***
Parents Speak Out
"You're going to give her a life coach? In the real world, we don't get a life coach. We get fired!"
PETITION UPDATE
285 SIGNATURES & STILL GOING!
Posts
No I do not think that Mrs. Ippolito can teach Mrs. Smith anything. Mrs. Smith thinks she has done nothing wrong. That is why at the meeting with 180 parents she did not feel the need to stand up and take any blame or apologize to anyone.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I were at the meeting and I was shocked that I did not hear anything from Smith herself. After the heart wrenching stories from the parents, not once did she bat an eye. When the woman was telling about her child having 2 broken arms and Smith not letting her dial 911 I looked at Smith and she was leaned over talking to the person next to her smiling and laughing. So she either thought it was funny or didn't care enough to listen. Nice job Ellyn! How could anyone listen to these parents tell about their horrible experiences and you not feel the least bit ashamed? Not an ounce of empathy. What about the guilt that you should be feeling Mrs. Smith!??
ReplyDeleteThis is ALL about you! Ellyn Smith.
Are you proud?
over 2 dozen articles on Mrs. Smith and all we get is a lame action plan that will not do anything for these abused kids and teachers.
ReplyDeleteHow much are they paying her life coach per hour to teach her the people skills Elia thinks will make this all better? More then you or I make that is for sure.
How does one teach people skills? How has Smith been in the school system for all of these years without learning these skills? Why would she go into this line of work if she does not have people skills??
Are you done with your support? I hope not - I hope everyone shows up to the next school board meeting and confronts the board.
You can teach a person to complete a task or an action. You can't teach someone to be compassionate, empathetic or sympathetic. You can not teach someone to have "people skills." That's like asking a leopard to change its spots.
ReplyDeleteAs a 6th generation "Tampian", the Ippolito family goes way back and they were "connected".Too bad old "Cowboy" has passed on, he could teach her a lesson or two. And if H-ell-yn didn't learn he'll take care of her with a pillowcase of oranges!
ReplyDeleteWHAT IS THE CONNECTION WITH SMITH AND THE SCHOOL BOARD????????? SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN LET GO A LONG TIME AGO, THESE POOR FAMILIES HAVE BEEN LET DOWN AGAIN AND AGAIN BY THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD NOT TAKING THE ISSUES SERIOUSLY!! WHAT IS THE CONNECTION??????
ReplyDeleteCurious...
ReplyDeleteI believe the school she came from prior to Alafia was Seffner Elementary. How was her performance there? I just curious how her past performance has been.
It may lend some insight to how she performed and are they moving her from school to school. Or is the first time things have gone really bad at the school she is responsible for. Just curious!!!
Seffner had the same teacher turnover rate that Alafia has experienced. The complaints went straight to the area director at the that time...Ken Otero...sound familiar. He knew the crap that she did at Seffner and what did he do ...recommended her to be promoted to Alafia. Smith has been a nightmare from the time she became a principal and should have never gotten this far. I would love to know if her evaluations are public record. This goes way beyond Smith at this point. The 3 other people who have directly covered for her, Sykes, Otero and ELia should all be fired when she is. They are the reason why out school is a focus school and all of the great teachers are gone. We have some great teachers that are left but the ones that have strong morals and values will leave. No one in their right mind could believe in Smith as a leader.
ReplyDeleteMs Smith came to Seffner in an "untraditional" route. Normally a person is an assistant principal for years and is reviewed and trained to assume the roll of school principal. Ellyn, on the other hand, was "downtown" a supevisor. She was sent to Seffner where she destroyed a wonderful school. If anyone cared there are MANY current and former Seffner teachers who would be happy to talk to anyone. Ask youeself WHY was she removed from downrown. Who and what does she know that protects her in the school system.
ReplyDeleteThe answers to those questions as to why was she pulled from downtown may be the reason why there is no place to put her. Anyone who has any sense (although HCPS don't seem to have much) would know that transferring her to another school isn't an option. If they don't want her downtown, the only other route would be to fire her. Let's see if they have the guts to do it.
ReplyDeleteThis woman has consistently proven herself to be a poor leader. There is no "fixing" her. Read the following article (see link below) on bullying bosses. I bet there are several teachers who could identify many tactics that were used to control both faculty and parents. We need to keep digging too regarding Elia's drive to protect her. There is definitely something shady that lurks behind this relationship.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.academicleadership.org/emprical_research/The_Bullying_Boss.shtml
Make no mistake, no one's resolve has faded. We're just taking a break for Thanksgiving, and both the Trib and the St. Pete Times covered our brief downtime with lovely truth-sharing articles. This fight is far from over. There is much happening behind the scenes.
ReplyDeleteMs. Elia's farce of an action plan is designed to spread the blame for all of our problems to the teachers and parents, with very little responsibility allocated to the one person who is truly to blame for everything -- Ellyn Smith. Every single problem noted in the full Assessment Team report leads right back to the principal. Intimidation, fear of retaliation and retribution, poor communication, stress-related faculty illnesses, mishandled disciplinary concerns, high faculty turnover, arbitrary and punitive staff evaluations, parents feeling unwelcome -- it's all coming directly from the principal. Eliminate her and you eliminate the problems. Ms. Elia knows that. The School Board knows that. The parents and teachers know that. So why are we still playing ridiculous and extremely expensive games with this situation? REMOVE MRS. SMITH AND LET US BEGIN OUR RECOVERY FROM THE DAMAGE SHE'S DONE!
Her evaluations are public record you can get them from the communications office downtown.
ReplyDeleteAnyone doing the same job for a decade doesn't need a mentor. The absurdity of this recommendation seems to be lost on the Superintendent.
ReplyDeleteThe more appropriate question is:
ReplyDeleteWas Ippolito sent to teach Smith anything, or is she just a stall tactic/decoy?
Did anyone know that she was also an assistant superintendent for the district?
Do you believe that her input will be any more productive than Otero's or Sikes' has been to date?
One poster asked THE question: What is Ellyn's connection to the school board? It's simple. Jack Lamb. Jack and Ellyn's husband Ashley are both members of the Krewe of Sant'Yago. Jack is a former Sant'Yago Rey (King) and I believe though am not sure that Ashley has also served the Sant'Yago court possibly as Rey also.
ReplyDeleteJack is known to socialize with the Smiths and has even been seen acting as a server at one of the Smiths dinner parties.
Jack is on the one of the 5 Administration insiders (Don't let Faliero fool you, so is she. Her sudden bout of conscience is related to her recognizing that her re-election is anything but a fore-gone conclusion. She'll lie and stab you in the back and some of us insiders are of the opinion that she appears schizo.). Jack really pulls the strings behind the scenes at the school board. I see it on a daily basis. Why else do you think he would be so contemptuous toward April and Susan? In his mind, they are working against HIM when they try to go against the grain. Watch the video of Faliero trying to throw April out of the board meeting on Oct 24. Jack was coaching her through it... I was there and saw it first hand.
So now you should understand the source of Ellyns protection. What really is annoying to me is that people are paying so little attention to the politics of the school board, even to the point of belittling them when things are not placid and colegial. The result: we the people re-elected Kurdell who is the biggest supporters of the status quo that sits at the school board dais. If you really want change you have to change the makeup of the schoolboard first.
The fight that April is brining is a necessary one. The powerful do not cede their influence without a fight. As such the public needs to understand that some eggs will HAVE to be broken in order to make this omelette. It may get nasty, embarrasing, and distracting but if we don't go through this process nothing will ever change.
This community needs to sit up and pay very close attention to this elected body that gets a BIG chunk of our property taxes, then if we REALLY want change get involved and change the make up of the board so that April has some help. The truth is very evident you just have to get engaged and pay close attention to understand it.
Signed, An Insider
Evidently Mrs. Smith thinks this paying two people for one job is a great idea! I moved my daughter out of the class with the boy whose favorite pastime is attacking his teacher and classmates. Now Smith moves him to the class that team teaches with my daughters class....and guess what? As an added bonus, he gets his very own aide. So now we get to pay for two principals, two teachers and an ethics class! Oh yeah, and I think whoever is supposed to be her communications coach needs a coach because I had to find all of this out from a parent-not the administration! Anyone suprised?
ReplyDeleteLook into Mrs. Ippolito.
ReplyDeleteThen tell me,
Is the cronyism perceived or real?
Not at all surprised. Ippolito is a long time friend of Elia and all the evaluations show that Smith has been covered up and protected by Otero and Sykes. Who in their right mind would EVER say that Smith had OUTSTANDING CHARACTER!!! What a joke!! We have to get even more parents at the meeting with Elia because you now that Otero and Sykes will be there like puppets on a string and say all is well. Ippolito should stay in her retirement...she has proved to be useless thus far. This is bigger than Smith being ousted. This is about people that we pay our tax dollars to pay their salary who have no regard for us or our children at all. Stand up and continue to fight! It may take us a while but we will get there.
ReplyDeleteTo the Insider,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the insight although I am skeptical to believe all that you say. Tons of people have e-mailed everyone on the school board. The only one to answer some of the e-mails has been Faliero. If Griffin really wants to prove herself as a people person and the way we need to go with our vote, why has she been so quiet and not answered any of the e-mails that have been sent. Several have had read receipts on them and she has read them and not responded, like the other board members. Even if Faliero is looking for the vote, if she gets Smith out of Alafia, she will have the majority of our votes. When NO ONE else is listening or responding, why would you pit Griffin against Faliero when Faliero is the only one who seems to care? All we want is to get rid of Smith. Put your child or grandchild at our school for one week and then let us know your opinion. Until then...work on getting Griffin to get to the next meeting with Elia at our school on Dec. 17. Then I will believe that she is the voice of tomorrow.
I totally agree. They've all had a chance to do something and have CHOSEN not to. With all of the people that we all know, we can swing a lot of votes and I'm going to speak at the school board meeting to let them all know it. They should have just fired Smith when they had the chance.
ReplyDeleteLamb doesn't care. He said this would be his final 4 year term at the last school board meeting. I guess like with an outgoing president, there will be pardons for all...
ReplyDeleteHe's got nothing to lose by protecting his friends.
Posted by ( Ateacher ) on 10/08/2008 at 11:35 pm.
ReplyDeleteI am a teacher who was under ES at a different school. Because I disagreed with her on some personnel and educational issues, I became the vindictive target of ES. She actually told her AP's to "get the goods" on me (they have told me in these very words!). They all told her -as did the people she sent from "downtown" - that I was doing everything that was expected of a good teacher. She made every effort she could to get me to leave and to fire me. Eventually, she knew she was not going to be able to remove me, nor would I transfer to make her happy. Because my students consistently scored above the county and school average, she was unsuccessful. I could write a book on the cruel, uncaring and unprofessional comments and actions committed by ES. It was common knowledge (although, in all fairness, never substantiated) that she was made a principal in order to get her "out" of the downtown administrative position she held. Her professional and personal life was making it uncomfortable for those downtown.Despite her hate for me, I will give her credit for being very intelligent and being a quick study. However, there are personality flaws and social disabilities, which make her unfit to be a principal. The people downtown have known of this for YEARS. I believe they think it is too much trouble to remove an ineffective, misanthropic principal than to step up to the plate and do what is best for the teachers and students.
Posted by ( RalphM ) on 10/08/2008 at 10:54 pm.
ReplyDeleteTake note that Smith was "appointed" by the Board shortly before Lennard's departure. There were a number of likely candidates that were under consideration, but all of the sudden Smith is appointed and those in the queue swept aside.As for the area director, she had no say in this decision, and has been essentially powerless to do anything. If she kept any sort of record of the complaints and calls regarding Smith I'm willing to bet there wasn't a day that went by without one. That being said, she probably feared some sort of retribution from downtown as well should she try and escalate things.I find it ironic that Otero and others were already aware of problems - of course they were - mainly due to the substantial number of complaints that *had* to be making their way downtown. They just chose to ignore them, for reasons we may never know.As for the media, I personally knew of a number of parents who contacted local media outlets, both newspaper and TV, only to be blown off.Someone downtown is covering up for her, I suspect, but the overwhelming crush of complaints has probably gotten to the point where they know they can't be ignored. Maybe it has something to do with her husband's departure from the district?It's about time. It's only taken 4 years, and that's no fault of the parents - they have been trying to get this resolved since almost day 1.
Anonymous 10:40
ReplyDeleteYour approach is PRECISELY what I was speaking to. Your analysis is superficial. If Faliero shows up and strokes you it is good enough for you? The problem is bigger than Alafia. The fight is bigger than the fight going on at Alafia. Alafia is a battle in a much bigger war. You can win this battle be happy and complacent then reelect one of the people that is enabling the dysfunction just because she showed up; ignoring how whe is propping up the very system that creates problems like you are encountering.
If the districts culture is not changed, this WILL happen again. Possibly at your kids middle scholl in several years, possibly their high school or maybe even right back at Alafia. As a matter of fact, if you force their hand at Alafia I expect that you might get worse right away. This administration is VERY vindictive. Has this even occurred to you?
As for April. I cannot presume to speak for her, but I can tell you that I know she is focused on the bigger picture. There is alot of maneuvering going on outside of the public view. Alafia is one piece of much bigger picture. I know she is aware and concerned over Alafia. I have also personally seen emails where April has responded to the Alafia issue, so to say she has not responded is inaccurate.
You guys have sent out some redundant communications (As in form emails). You might find more responsiveness if your campaign did not come off as form letter communication. Form letters really detract from your credibility when you are lobbying and trying to get attention. Peronsalized emails are much more effective.
As for your being "skeptical to believe all that you say" let's think about this. I am not an Alafia parent. I am a high level insider. What do I have to gain? What do I have to lose? I can tell you that the risk is tremendous given the retaliatory culture. As for gain, I want to see this district be what it can be. I want it to fulfill it's unrealized potential. The only way that I know to do that is to advocate and embrace a REAL culture change and that means a very different school board. To assist in this goal I have decided to approach groups of parents (and presumably voters) and try to get them engaged and to understand what is really going on here.
The voters have to fix this mess by seating a majority of outsiders on the board. The public needs to give this deep thought and analysis, not the superficial type of assessment that you brought forth. A movement needs to be started. A movement for the greater good of ALL the counties children not just your own child.
To Anonymous 8:31
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your blog. Please also be aware that not only are parents wanting to be a part of fixing this situation, but so are teachers. There are numerous teachers, not only at Alafia but from Seffner as well, who would love to continue "fighting" this fight. The issue for the teachers at Alafia is that when Elia spoke to our school, one sentiment was apparent. We (the teachers) either needed to get on board, move forward, and make this work or we would no longer be employees of Hillsborough County Schools. When the leader of ALL the leaders comes into a forum and gives this "ultimatum?" (or would you call it pep talk, I'm not sure what I would call it) what are teachers to do? We love working with children. We enjoy the parents. We have strong relationships with the other teachers. Do we fight the fight and quit our jobs? Do we quietly go to work, smile and pretend like all has been fixed? Let me tell you, it's a confusing place to be in. I can tell you I honestly don't which way is up any more.
I applaud and appreciate so much what the parents are doing for us (teachers). I want to help as much as possible....I just don't know how.
Dear Alafia Parents,
ReplyDeleteFor the past six years, I have served as your elected school board member in District 4. My success has come from being an outsider.
My background is in corporate Public Relations. My connection to the Adminstration is through the relationships I have fostered in order for me to be an effective board member, much like those necessary to succeed in any organization. I'm also a parent with two daughters who attend schools in the Valrico area. Both my children went to Buckhorn, and my youngest attended Bevis. Valrico has been my home since 1993. After reading over some of the blog entries, I felt you needed background information on me. Your voices have not fallen on deaf ears when speaking at the board meetings. I have never seen an uprising from the parents as I have witnessed from the parents and teachers at Alafia. Further concerning and enlightening to me was being witness to the parent meeting held with Mrs. Elia and afterwards hearing firsthand your struggles with the principal.
Mrs. Elia has asked me to support her most recent decision and to give her a chance to address the many concerns you have raised. She will give her recommendation by December 20. What is unusual is that the Superintendent is involved at this level. The Area Director is the direct Supervisor for principals in a given area. The next in line would be Assistant Superintendent for Administration Lewis Brinson. Both are highly qualified, successful staff members. I have worked with both individuals and consider them to be two of the best administrators in our district. As I have said before, this is an unprecedented situation.
It is important that you get accurate information. BLOGS have become breeding grounds for discontents and false information.
So, what happens next? As a board member, it is my responsibility to hold the superintendent accountable for her decisions. She is the only employee other than the board attorney that the board has hiring and firing authority over. She has until December 20 to make a final recommendation.
Please utilize this uncomfortable time to read to the students, hold a breakfast for parents at the school site, do something nice for a teacher, send notes from your children, focus on making sure the students have a memorable time at school. These issues will be resolved.
If you have any questions or want to share something personally with me, please call me at 813-571-2705 or email me at jfaliero@sdhc.us.
Jennifer Faliero
School Board Member District 4
901 E. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, Florida 33602
You have all touched on the truth. There is something we dont know about Ms. Smith. She is being kept in her job for some reason we are unaware of.
ReplyDeleteHave any of you noticed the dramatic changes in the two photos of Ms Smith? If they are not 20 years apart, I would seriously look into substance abuse.
Keep fighting them. You folks are awesome!! You have them on the ropes....I didnt think it possible but you may force them to jettison Smith.
...a teacher abused
You raise an interesting question. No one would presume that you should be risking your career or ability to contribute to your family.
ReplyDeleteThink of it like this: your part in this fight is to pay attention, get engaged, vote in board members that will do the work of the people. That will not place your job in jeopardy.
If more of the public pays attention, we should start to get more board members who are committed to doing what needs to be done to abolish the status quo in the district.
There are a very small number of board members who are pushing the envelope with an agenda of promoting a sense of accountability to the public within the district.
Don't be fooled by the majority coalition on the board. You have to pay attention to how the board members vote, not their rhetoric.
They are a slippery bunch who will say one thing then vote in opposition of their statements. Notice that the school board does not display it's votes on the televised feed. The county commission does. April got on screen display of vote results implemented over a year ago. Per member results were displayed after each vote for one meeting then without explanation they were never displayed again.
To the astute observer, it quickly becomes evident that there are 4 or 5 board members whose votes frequently stand in stark contrast to their attention grabbing in-meeting sound bites.
It's as if some of them think we are too lazy or stupid to realize what they are doing. Faliero is the 800 lb gorilla at this party with Kurdell, Lamb and Olson showing strong. Edgecomb doesn't seem to take any real stands, opting instead for feel good generalizations and inane commentary.
April is the only one who seems to have congruity between word and action and Susan is pretty useless. I think that is the true measure of these people: how genuine is each of these board members intent? Do their words and votes mesh or do they stand in stark contrast? How willing are they to take a risk for what they believe in? How often do they stand up and take a definitive position, one that is right but may ruffle the feathers of some of their peers? Who on this board says NOTHING.
Watch Kurdell she got a little feisty during her campaign. Now that it's over, she'll quickly settle back into her typical role as a quiet "yes" woman.
Google the recent activity on the Hillsborough school board and tell me who is for the status quo and who is fighting for the people.
I appreciate your comments Ms. Faliero, but I must note that I HAVE called and left messages on your phone (three times) and you have never returned my call. I gave my name and identified myself as a teacher at Alafia Elementary. I hope we can connect in the near future.
ReplyDeleteSend a note to April Griffin:
ReplyDeletehttp://soundoffandbeheard.blogspot.com
There are a few pleas to her but no responses....
Here are a few from April's blog asking her for help back in October:
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
Please help us at Alafia Elementary. The team was there all week...the teacher's horror stories shared with all...parents, former and past, arrived with letters to share concerns...mounds of paperwork in the conference room today to go through and figure out how to put it into a report. The question is: When it is all out there and the truth is there for all to read, will Mrs. Smith STILL be protected and be allowed to threaten and intimidate? We BEG you to help us!! No one is listening. It is greater than those 5 parents. There are hundreds who showed up to speak...Look at the numbers.
October 24, 2008 9:31 PM
ANother plea to April back in October:
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
Alafia needs your support! The School Effectiveness Assessment Team was there this week and many tears were shed by teachers, parents, and even empathetic Team members as the interviews unfolded. Ms. Elia would lead us to believe that this is just three or four disgruntled parents trying to "lynch" a principal. Those "few" are really in the hundreds. The Assessment Team was overwhelmed by parent letters and requests for interviews. Dozens of teachers shared their incredible stories of abuse and humiliation at the hands of the Alafia principal. The Team actually had to protect a teacher from anticipated principal retaliation while she conducted a special classroom event. Alafia is in crisis and the administrators must be removed IMMEDIATELY! It is a powder keg waiting to explode. Teachers and parents have laid it all on the line to share their horror stories, but now there is great fear that the principal's influence on the Board with long-time friend Jack Lamb and her close relationships with MaryEllen Elia and Sherrie Sikes will somehow protect her, even in the face of all the incredible evidence of her failures, abuses and misconduct. Please don't let that happen! Look at the unbelievable details in the Assessment Team's data. You'll be flabberghasted by what you learn.
October 25, 2008 3:41 AM
From April's blog:
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
Dear Ms. Griifon:
Please think of your Murrow quote when hearing the Assessment at Alafia.
There are MANY points I take issue with in the report. But relating to your quote, one of the last recommendations is that parents need to work cooperativeley with the administration.
April, parents have done this. And they have patiently worked through the chain of command trying to resolve Alafia's issues and retain teachers. All the while, they have followed any and all rules set down by the administration. Yes, they have been voicing their concerns louder and louder. But DISSENT IS NOT DISLOYALTY.
Please do your part to make sure that blame is not misdirected at the distressed teachers and parents of Alafia.
Thank you for the work that you do. It must be difficult to be in your shoes.
November 14, 2008 8:22 AM
More pleas to April:
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
April, As one of your supporters, I am wondering what you are doing to help the parents and teachers at Alafia? There is SO MUCH damning evidence against Ellyn Smith it is actually a wonder that she hasn't had criminal charges against her. Why is she not being removed and a school that has been an "A" school is now a "focus" school. How are you letting this happen? Our parents have been speaking about what school board members we can reach out to but I did not see you attend the meeting on Thursday to really see what is happening at Alafia. Did you know that there were close to 150 parents there? I know that you must have gotten Jennifer Faliero's summary about how the meeting went. It was a bloodbath for both Elia and Smith. When is it going to stop? The parents of this school are not stopping. Some have contacted Crist and Storms and dozens have contacted the FLDOE to report the entire county of wrongdoing. I am someone show is VERY involved at the school and NEVER expected the number of people to speak out against Smith. Elia came to the meeting thinking she could treat us like a bunch of 5th graders and we would just sit there and listen. How WRONG she was!!! Her lack of preparation and total disregard for the amount of frustration and anger we have as parents right now only made us madder and ready to harder. You, as a board, have the authority to override Elia's decision. Show the community that you have the student's best interest at heart and put all your business practices in place and GET RID OF ELLYN SMITH!!!! We don't care where she goes...GET HER OUT OF OUR SCHOOL!!!!
November 23, 2008 1:23 AM
I, for one, am extremely thankful for Ms. Faliero's efforts on our behalf. When it appeared that no one else was listening, she came to Elia's parent meeting and was horrified by what is happening at our school. She has been proactively campaigning for us within the "belly of the beast" ever since. Thank you, Ms. Faliero!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ms. Faliero, for what seems like heartfelt concern for our school. However, I have a problem with some of what you said.
ReplyDeleteYou called our area director highly qualified and successful. As a parent who has had the chance to see Mrs. Smith's evaluations, I can only say that your statement holds absolutely no merit. Sherrie Sikes received numerous complaints about Mrs. Smith, some of which warranted further action. I mnade one of those calls myself. As you heard at the meeting, her solution was to funnel families into the "umbrella of choice". She has allowed Smith to destroy our school, all the while giving her glowing reviews that made no reference to any problems and even went as far to commend her "outstanding character". Apparently, all you have to do in Hillsborough is make sure your school gets an A rating and makes adequate yearly progress (thereby boosting Mrs. Elia's bonus), and nothing else matters.
In order for the board to take any action in this matter, you will have to convince three other members to terminate Mrs. Elia. We all know that's not going to happen. So please don't tell parents to divert their efforts elsewhere at this time. I think the ONLY way we will ever see change is if Smith, Sikes, Otero, and Elia all are held accountable for their malfeasance by a higher authority. I can only hope that their protector's influence doesn't reach that far.
Again, I appreciate your efforts, but I just don't have faith in your statement that "these issues will be resolved".
Ms. Faliero,
ReplyDeleteBlogs are a breeding ground for misinformation and discontent? That is precisely the line that Jack Lamb, Mary Ellen, Tom Gonzalez and Carol Kurdell have taken. You are one of them. You claim you are an outsider?
Why do you rate Mary Ellen near perfect every year? You are in the middle of something that she has clearly mismanaged. Are you aware that Ken and Mary Ellen have known about the "problem" at Alafia for over a year? Did you know? Why didn't you act sooner?
Why did you turn a deaf ear to your teachers and rubber stamp the 6 of 7 plan?
Why didn't you dig deeper into Springboard? Have you realized that the current secretary of the FDE was the father of springboard while employed in the private sector? Did you realize that he is still prfoiting from springboard?
Where were you during the busing crisis? You were chair and non-existent for this crisis (Other than when you pointed the finger at Mary Ellen then privately recanted).
Where were you when Mary Ellen recommend KAren Strickland be retained and demoted? Do you realize that she was ultimately the cause of the busing fiasco?
Where were you when you rubber stamped numerous no-bid contracts that were awarded to freshly retired insiders from ROSSAC?
Why don't you put your foot down regarding the cronyism in hiring or retaliation against employees who talk about "uncomfortable" topics.
Why are you routinely absent from events that you are scheduled to attend (And presumably paid mileage for)?
Why did you move out of your district to south tampa in violation of state law?
Why did the district try to cover for you when you did?
Why did you lie to the media when you got caught?
Who at the district helped you with that move?
Why did you yield to Jacks subtle yet persistent goading that culminated with you trying to throw Ms. Griffin ot of a board meeting?
Why did you admit to the media that the real reason you wanted her thrown out was becuase of her suppport for Kurdell?
Why did you instruct Griffin to do things your way or resign?
This and more is your public record for those who care to pay attention. Anyone who wants to spend a little time on Google can fact check these claims.
Blogs are also a great vehicle for exposing the real truth behind disengenuous, fake persons such as yourself.
Are you going yet again to claim mis-quotes Jennifer? According to you, you are misquoted more than any other person on the planet. Tell me, is that a coincidence or are you telling the truth?
ALAFIA IS A BIG PROBLEM, BUT IT IS JUST ONE IN THIS DISTRICT. IF YOU THINK YOUR CHILDREN, PARENTS, AND TEACHERS ARE BEING MISTREATED, BULLIED, NEGLECTED, AND ABUSED BY ADMINISTRATION AND THIS SCHOOL BOARD'S INACTION, IMAGINE WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON. CONNECT THE DOTS AND DON'T STOP UNTIL YOU, THIS POWERFUL GROUP OF FEARLESS PARENTS, STOP THIS MESS AND EXPOSE ELIA AND SMITH AND ALL THE OTHER CRONIES FOR WHAT THEY REALLY ARE.
ReplyDelete"There is something rotten in the state of Denmark." ~ Shakespeare's Hamlet
MISTREATED HS TEACHER
So the questions to answer are:
ReplyDelete1. Why is Elia protecting Smith?
2. Why does Smith want to stay?
And are the two related... maybe someone on the inside has some insight..
A new approach that could be taken - why should the board help us at Alafia? What's in it for them? They are a political body, so appealing to them as parents looking for help isn't going to go to far, but if there is a reason to help us that helps them, then we might have better luck. Maybe time to start an anti re-election campaign for the members to start getting their attention, even though the election isn't too soon.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 9:21. I don't know that "whats in it for them" is the motivator. I don't think that these board members want something.
ReplyDeleteGo back and read the post about Jack, Ashely Smith and Sant'Yago. Going after Ellyn is going after the wife of a Sant'Yago Knight. In other words, Ashley is well connected. Sant'Yago is a club for very powerful and influential members of the TAMPA community. Sant'Yagos members are very concentrated in South Tampa and North Hillsborough.
Board members who overtly go after Ellyn are going to make some VERY powerful enemies in Sant'Yago. I suspect they don't relish the prospect and were trying to deal with this quietly behind the scenes. Jeniffer does not running in Tampa as she represents East Hillsborough, so she faces far less backlash from Sant'Yago for her public stance.
Realize that alot of work is done behind the scenes. Just because you don't see action doesn't mean that it's not happening. As an example, April told me personally that she had a conversation with Mary Ellen urging her to take a different tack on this Alafia problem. In the teacher meeting, she did take a different tack, placing the responsibility for this mess at Ellyns feet while taking a somewhat softer approach. While some might say "big deal" for Mary Ellen that was a big change in how she operates. She usually deflects blame. Mary Ellen seems to have moved back towards her comfort zone with the Parent meeting and I don't know why. These board members don't have to be raving like a lunatic in public or micro-managing issues to be advocating for you.
With that said, I don't think Jack will ever go against a Sant'Yago brother and should recuse himself whenever the Alafia issue comes before the board.
An even better question:
ReplyDeleteHow is Mrs. Ippolito connected to the Lambs and the Smiths?
This is a tight group of individuals watching each other backs.
What else does Mrs. Elia have in her bag of tricks?
Guess who else is married to a Sant'Yago Knight: at least 2 members of the assessment team.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty remarkable when you consider they cannot have more than 300 members from all of Tampa society.
This is a very exclusive club of lawyers, judges, educators, doctors, businessmen, and elected officials. It is a point of honor among Tampa's Latin elite.
Interestingly, some of its past members have either had alleged ties to organized crime or been lawyers defending alleged crime family members.
Great question. Why would Smith want to stay?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone contacted the national media? This drama has all the elements for an excellent expose. Sex, nepotism, crime family, cronyism, mistreatment of children. I have a feeling that violence will be done before this is over.
You guys are messing with very vindictive people.
Elia has set up one of her new line of defenses. There is a new "Leadership Committee" at Alafia Elementary School. It is made up of administrators, clerical, para-professionals, teachers and parents. I will give everyone a guess as to who chooses who is on the committee....DRUM ROLL...........Smith and Ipolitto...Isn't that a SHOCKING development?!? Almost every teacher in the room signed up to be on the committee. Nothing was sent home to parents to ask if there was interest in being on the committee. This is as unbiased as having Otero, Sykes and Ipolitto as the "focus team." Who is going to say things have not gotten better? There are things happening at the school right under Ipolitto's nose that I am sure will not be reported. Elia must think we are just a bunch of idiots that we will just sit down and take this. I have been at the ball field, birthday parties, the YMCA, the Publix on Lithia and Walmart and Alafia is the topic of conversation. Elia, you are a failure to Hillsborough County Public Schools. Take Smith, her husband, Otero and Sykes and get out of our county. You have ruined one of the best schools in Hillsborough County, humiliated the teachers, failed the students and insulted the parents. You do not deserve to be in our county in any capacity. Take your friends and leave
ReplyDeleteParents of Alafia:
ReplyDeleteYou are getting the SDHC treatment. We teachers are used to it. Here it is in a nut shell.
Feign interest.
Form a committee of hand-picked minions
Decide the agenda and outcome in advance
Meet as a committee to hammer out how the interested parties can be effectively finessed.
Then you get "life coaches" and "action plans". My how they love their buzz words. Edu-speak the poor dumb citizens and hope they will buy it.
The hope is you will see alot of activity action by the Superintendant and think they are really listening. Get a few ringers to write on your blog. Seriously folks, this kind of tactic works on most teachers who live in fear for their jobs and KNOW they will punish.
Unfortunately Ms Faliero didn't think you were impressed enough so she pointed out to you that Ms Elia bypassed the lower level staff to deal with your issue personally.
Are you impressed?
By the way she also insulted your blog as well. Why doesn't someone ask the former chair of the board if she could point out the "false information" in your blog.
She disrespects your blog because she fears its power. It is being read all over the country. Perhaps the owners of the blog could publish its page read statistics.
Don't stop Alafia parents. You are about to make national news. THAT is the only things the leaders of the SDHC really care about.
Ms. Falerio,
ReplyDeleteAs you said:
"Mrs. Elia has asked me to support her most recent decision and to give her a chance to address the many concerns you have raised. She will give her recommendation by December 20. What is unusual is that the Superintendent is involved at this level. The Area Director is the direct Supervisor for principals in a given area. The next in line would be Assistant Superintendent for Administration Lewis Brinson. Both are highly qualified, successful staff members. I have worked with both individuals and consider them to be two of the best administrators in our district. As I have said before, this is an unprecedented situation."
It has escalated to this level of involvement b/c a number of parents have gone the proper route - Smith, Sikes, Otero/Brinson and still there are serious issues at Alafia. As a parent, when I contacted Ms. Sikes about the issues we have faced - her only comment was "would you like to transfer your child/ren to Cimino or Brooker?" How does moving our child/ren away from their neighborhood school resolve poor leadership, high teacher turnover and so much more? Why should our children be uprooted and have to make new friends and relocate to a new environment. We tried the proper routes for over a year now to find a peaceful resolution but there has been way too much "cover up" on these issues.
It is high time that Alafia gets major attention - from you, other Board Members and Ms. Elia. We truly appreciate you coming out to the meeting with Ms. Elia, but forgive us if we don't trust as you do that Ms. Elia will do what is right for our community. We have put our faith in other professionals in Hills. County Schools, and our teachers are still leaving and our children are still being let down.
Why has this gone on too long? Why are people scared to have the teachers talking to parents? If there is nothing to hide at our school, then there shouldn't be any problems communicating on a professional and personal level with our teachers - our friends?
To the 5 people who brought this to the forefront...thank you.
ReplyDeleteTo the parents who have been attending the board meetings...thank you.
To the parents who have been working behind the scenes and bringing new information to the groups...thank you.
To the parents who spoke out at the parent meeting and moved this to another level...thank you.
To Jennifer Faliero who came to the meeting, has answered e-mails and phone calls and is the only board member to bother to show interest...thank you.
And to the teachers, who go to work at Alafia everyday, despite the hostility they are faced with to educate our children...thank you.
Hopefully, this will be over soon.
In this time when we are fighting with very little hope but so much drive, we have come together as a school united for the sake of our children, teachers and community. I am proud to be a part of Alafia Elementary despite who the principal is. This school will again live up to it's reputation as being one of the best in the county. We are making a difference, one day at a time.
This is a post on my soundoffandbeheard.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI was asked my stance on Alafia and this is my response. April Griffin
----
I was out of town and just arrived home. I am trying to be as informed as possible before I make any public statements. I have already read the report and I am picking up the full teacher interviews done by the assessment team tomorrow. I have had numerous conversations with the superintendent, the lead on the assessment team, teachers, parents, community members, and even an attorney engaged in the situation. I am concerned about MANY things I read in the report. Know that I am advocating for what I believe is right is behind the scenes. But this is a very delicate personnel matter where threats of law suits have been made.
Please realize that although everyone at Alafia has been immersed in this problem for over a year the first I heard of it was at the October 24th meeting. No one ever contacted me about the situation to intervene before this blew up into a public spectacle.
The superintendent has put processes in place and has requested that we give her time. I am reluctant, but I am willing to give her plan reasonable time to play out. Time lines have been given, and at the end of that time frame if Ms. Smith has not improved I will be the loudest board member calling for her removal. Something should have been done a long time ago and that is another issue that needs to be dealt with. But this is where we are now.
Understand that with the make-up of this school board timing is everything, so is being as informed as possible. I must have my ducks in a row. I hope you can respect that.
I pray that everyone involved does their part in helping heal this situation. Please hear me again…if Ms. Smith does not dramatically improve I will be the loudest board member publicly calling for her removal.
April Griffin
School Board Member
District 6, Countywide
Ms. Griffin:
ReplyDeletePlease understand that the parents of Alafia have patiently waited for a change from Mrs. Smith. At this point, you CANNOT convince me that she will change. She may be able to play the part for a week or two, but if you have any true knowledge of the situation, you know that she has serious personality flaws that cannot be corrected by a couple of weeks of coaching from one of Mrs. Elia's administration cronies. She wll retaliate the second she thinks it is safe. Are you prepared to allow that to happen?
Please understand that for MANY Alafia parents, the only acceptable action at this point is to REMOVE MRS. SMITH from Alafia. What you do with her is your own business. Just please allow our school to return to some semblence of order. We don't want to be difficult. We just know that the problem cannot be broken into pieces to be fixed. It all boils down to Mrs. Smith. For some reason the administration has protected her and is continuing to protect her. Please do what is in your power as a board member to come to the sensible solution. The time for correcting Mrs. Smith's behavior has come and gone. Now, we just want her to go, before we lose any more of our respected, talented, and beloved staff members. Please, April, do what you can to convince your peers to do the right thing for Alafia.
I don't typically blog, but I do read these almost daily to get information.
ReplyDeleteMs. Griffin, I hear and respect what you are saying. I have a few questions for you: how can we measure dramatic improvement? who measures? by when?
I can tell you that I met with Ms. Smith and Ms. Ippolito on several classroom issues concerning my child. (This was after the November Elia meeting at the school). My child has heard vulgar sexual detail from another student, has been pushed, called "stupid", and has had classroom supplies taken on more than one occasion. Recently, another student threw a glue bottle at my child's face. The point scratched his/her face from just below the eye down the cheek. (My child is an honor roll student with no history of behavior issues throughout his/her entire school career). Ms. Smith was her usual self with a "can't, can't, can't do anything to help you" attitude. When I asked her when she would have time to look into this matter and get back with me, she initially replied "I don't know". When I didn't accept that answer, she said "by Winter break".
Ms. Ippolito sat quietly and watched. When Ms. Smith was finished speaking, Ms. Ippolito modeled how to handle the situation. She empathized and validated my feelings about my child's situation. She said "let us look into this and see what we can do". She didn't promise anything, but I left there thinking that she cared and would try to help me. That is all any reasonable parent would expect.
Can Ms. Ippolito (or anyone) really teach Ms. Smith how to be empathetic, fair, reasonable, and respectful?
This whole thing makes me really sad. I have lost faith in HCPS altogether. There are only a few people like you and Ms. Faliero who give me hope. I thank both of you for that.
In HCSD the hiring of Principals is approved by the board. The board is not typically involved in firing though. This is the responsibility of the Superintendent. The board can get involved if they need to, but in doing so they can only act as a board, not individuals. What does this mean? You need to be able to count votes which I don't see you doing.
ReplyDeleteThere are seven members on the school board, so you will need FOUR votes (not one or two) for the board to force the Superintendents hand. The Alafia parents and teachers are working two votes now (Griffin, Faliero). Where will you get the other two? Have you considered this? Susan Valdes trusts April, so will likely follow April Griffins lead (You have two votes). Jeniffer is notorious for deviating from her public position when voting so I would count Jeniffer as a "soft" vote (i.e. one that you think you have, but may not so you have 3ish votes).
You really should work to secure two more votes otherwise you are leaving this to chance. Let me ask: why aren't you making noise about Carl Kurdell? She is your other elected representative for east county. All residents in the county have three representatives on the School Board. Two county wide members (Griffin, Kurdell) and one district member (Faliero for east county). Kurdell will be hard to sway as she is lock step with Mary Ellen but you should still put some serious pressure on her. Edgecomb is one that I would definitely appeal to as well as Candy Olson. Don't waste your time with Lamb, he is not objective as Ellyn and Ashley are close personal friends with Jack Lamb.
A word of advice regarding Olson. If you threaten and act like petulant children with Candy you will likely lose her. You need to be calm, assertive and fact based when dealing with Candy. She can come off gruff, but tends to be reasonable if you approach her as I suggest.
If you succeed in what I am suggesting you should have 4-5 votes in your pocket and that will be enough to force the Superintendents hand. Be aware that east county residents do not vote for Edgecomb or Olson so election threats would be paper tigers. You need to consider carefully how you will approach these members who do not directly represent you. The approach you have taken thus far will not yield fruit.
If Kurdell sees the power swinging, she will probably follow and I hear that Lamb may recuse himself due to a conflict of interest.
Should Lamb abstain, you could have a tie vote. Understand that on this board in the event of a tie vote, the side the chair votes on prevails.
I am not sure that Jennifer Faliero was trying to say that Elia should be commended for intervening. Could it be that she is pointing out that Elia is not letting those people do their job? Wasn't Brinson the one who said, along with Otero, that if Smith did not make improvements by day one of this school year, she would be fired? Why is he not being allowed to do his job and follow through with his recommendation? Although I am not a fan of Sykes, it has been said by several people that know her personally that her hands are tied and have been from the beginning. Who has tied them and why? Elia is the problem behind the way this system is operating. In a district this large, wouldn't you put people in place that can do their job and follow through with problems like this? The 4 parents that went through the proper chain of command hit a wall when it came to getting Smith fired not because of the lack of evidence or documentation fo Smith's shortcomings. The process is being stopped by Elia herself. The question is why?
ReplyDeleteI hear your absolute frustration and understand that you are at your wits end, but please remember that as a board we have only known about this situation for a little over a month. And with that being the case there is diligence that must be performed, as this is a sensitive personnel issue where lawsuits have been threatened. To make statements about how I feel one way or the other would be imprudent, but know that I am listening.
ReplyDeleteI know that anything short Ms. Smith’s termination is most likely going to be poorly received by many. But termination or demotion have specific legal requirements attached to them.
I will reiterate by reminding you that the board has only been aware of this situation for just over a month and the board is only in the beginning phase. I hope and pray that there is no need, but in the future I would strongly recommend that parents and teachers get the board involved sooner rather than later, as the administration does not normally volunteer this type on information.
As for how can we measure dramatic improvement, who measures, by when? I have my own gauge on what dramatic improvement means, this is outside of administrations and is most likely much more rigorous than theirs. We are supposed to be given a report by December 20th. After that I will do my own investigation beyond that staff report and make my decision on how I will approach this situation.
April Griffin
Hillsborough County School Board Member
District 6, Countywide
It is because Mrs. Elia and Mrs. Smith are cut from the same cloth. Here are excerpts from local newspaper articles to support this opinion. They are only snippets. Please read the complete articles for full understanding.
ReplyDeleteFrom TBO:
Published: Jun 7, 2007
…Still, the latest administrative shuffle reveals a culture that accepts - and even rewards - failure at the highest levels…
By MARILYN BROWN, The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 17, 2007
…Elia's dismissive response to complaints by nurses - pose a hazard to the district's 192,000 students.
By MARILYN BROWN, The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 1, 2007
At least two Hillsborough school board members said Wednesday that they want to review the district's bid policy.
'That's a loophole,' Griffin said of the waiver. 'This is how the district takes care of their friends and family.
Leader Of Schools Lacks Tact, Critics Say
By MARILYN BROWN, The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 13, 2007
"MaryEllen doesn't take time to listen," board member Candy Olson said. "Sometimes she's so busy explaining why you're wrong she's not getting the piece I have to say."
District nurses …said they, too, felt that Elia doesn't listen.
"She expected us to just listen to what she said and go out and be pacified," registered nurse Karen Tansky said.
Communication has to improve, board members say.
"If she doesn't listen enough, somebody will make a motion to fire her," Olson said.
By MARILYN BROWN
The Tampa Tribune
Published: August 5, 2008
Last year …(Griffin) criticized Elia for a rigid, unyielding manner.
This year…(Valdes) wrote: "There seems to be inconsistencies in how employees are treated. Employee morale is low and employees feel that their loyalty is not reciprocated by either the superintendent or their management."
The Tampa Tribune
Published: August 20, 2008
Poor communications have come to define her administration.
By MARILYN BROWN
The Tampa Tribune
Published: August 28, 2008
(Susan) Valdes called the transportation problems "a fiasco" and blamed lack of planning.
By MARILYN BROWN
The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 21, 2008
After every communications miscue, there follows a promise to do better.
Communication in the district has been of concern to teachers and parents, who say they are in the dark about matters that concern them.
Keep it up guys. You are closer than you might think or realize.
ReplyDeleteMrs Griffin,
ReplyDeleteSince you have only been made aware of this issue last month, what type of disciplinary actions do you plan to take on the part of Mrs. Sikes and Mr Otero? Surely the fact that they failed to correct or even escalate the problem warrants some type of a response.
2:42,
ReplyDeleteWhile I appreciate your need to know what is going on. Your question is in reference to personnel issues and I do not feel discussion of personnel issues in a public forum is appropriate. That is another subject for another day. I hope you can understand my position. I am focused on helping your school get past this current situation. Things are starting to move on this. Please be patient.
April Griffin
School Board Member
District 6, Countywide
Yahoo !!! Finally, We the parents and the teachers will run this SDHC the way it should be run. Since, Florida is a right to work state and teachers can not STRIKE (not that I condone) the only POWER tool we have is the parents and tax payers. I salute YOU.
ReplyDelete"What you do in the dark, comes out in the LIGHT"
Blogs are the voice of the people when others won't listen... United WE Staand
I see that Ms Griffin is involved now. That bodes well for the truth winning out. She is the true outsider.
ReplyDeleteAlafia parents you have accomplished more than I would have ever thought.
Ms. Faliero,
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to reach you at the number given on your earlier post(571-2705)since last Friday. The number rings 10-12 times and then cuts off with no opportunity to leave a message. I thought you would want to know so you could have the phone service checked. Thanks
One question I wanted to ask is, "Have you read the teacher interviews from the SEAT assessment or the teacher's handwritten comments from the perception inventories (PI)?" There are 2 PI surveys, one was taken May 08 and the latest was the week of the SEAT assessment.
I am not comfortable asking this question on your school board email site. I know that this site is monitored and I fear that there could be retribution to a teacher for contacting a school board member and sharing dialog. For the same reason, I ask you and April Griffin to share this information with the other school board members.
Until this horrific teaching era under Mrs. Smith and Mrs. West, I have never had a reason to distrust a school superintendent, an area director, etc. Now I do not trust anybody! I naively believed that we were all here to act in the best interest of our students at all times.
I also used to believe that if you followed the chain of command in reporting abuse at your school site, the right thing would be done by those in power to correct such unethical behavior.(For the record-I have never had to consider this type of action before teaching under Mrs. Smith and Mrs. West) I have reported to the chain of command, but we can name names later. Let's focus on the immediate problem now; later there will be time to correct the much more serious deception.
Alafia Parents,
ReplyDeleteContinue to dig for you will uncover Pandora's Box. Do not stop until you have a satisfactory resolution to your issue. Persue the media and take it national. Forward all correspondance to the Govenor. There are multiple legal avenues that you may also take at this time...keep digging.
There is a new article on tbo.com. Love D'Ann White. We should all put her on our Christmas card list. The day before the board meeting. Perfect timing.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone been able to get through to Jennifer Faliero's phone number that she posted? If you have, have you spoken to her?
ReplyDeleteJust wondering. I would hate to think she left a number that she would not be reachable on. Who knows what or who to believe anymore.
I read this in a newsweek article which was interviewing the CEO of Best Buy, Brian Dunn. http://www.newsweek.com/id/165379
ReplyDeleteThis particular question/answer caught my eye and I thought it really applied to our situation here.
When store managers are failing, what's the most common problem, and how do you decide if they can be rehabilitated?
My primary focus is whether they're learning: Are they repeating mistakes? Are the mistakes a result of an error in judgment? Are the mistakes the result of not being interested in creating an environment where people can make a difference? You can teach your way through errors in judgment, but having a lack of interest in creating an environment where people matter is very, very difficult to overcome.
The rumor is spreading like wildfire that Smith resigned today. We have been watching the BOE meeting online and there has been no mention of this nor has there been any public discussion regarding Alafia yet.
ReplyDeleteIf this is true - and we hope it is, that's great, however I feel we still need to keep digging, keep the heat on, and ensure this board changes.
Thank you so very much parents for the hard and difficult task you have accomplished! Teachers at Alafia really appreciate your persistance and help. We promise that we will work our hardest to ensure that each and every child will receive the highest level of instruction and support.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Thank you!
I work for the HCSD. I have no connection to Alafia or Smith. I am a voter. I have been trying for years to vote out all incumbents on the school board and get fresh ideas in office. April Griffin has been my only success and I am proud of the "against the grain" attitude she has brought forth. To the Public--if you learn nothing else from this turn of events--VOTE THEM ALL OUT!
ReplyDeleteI hear that Ellyn's moving on. All I can say is thank you April. Faliero, Elia, Sykes, and Otero just wanted to come out and talk. They wanted us to think that they were listening so we would shut up. Then two days after April weighs in we have reolution.
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe that this is a mere coincidence. In hind site, I think that April knew this was coming but could not tell us. Look at her posts the most telling thing she said was in her last post: "Things are starting to move on this. Please be patient."
I personally bear Ellyn no ill will. It just wasn't working with her leading the school and this unfortunately was the only way out of the mess. I'm just glad it's over.
Letitia Stein has blogged about Ellyn's removal on her St. Pete times blog "The Gradbook"
http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2008/12/alafia-principa.html
Ellia really bashed the parents bad. I can't believe they just bent over and took it. They should all go back to the next board meeting and give it right back to her.
ReplyDeleteIT Ain't Over till the "FAT Lady SINGS" !!!
ReplyDeleteGreat TEAM Work "BIG A" !!!
Thank YOU from all the SDHC Teachers !!!
New principal named for Alafia was just published on tampabay.com. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteWell, what did the district ever do with Mrs. Smith?
ReplyDelete