ACT 1 – ‘PHANTOM ENGAGEMENT”!

From the Oxford Dictionary:

side show: A minor or diverting incident or issue, especially one that distracts attention from something more important.  http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/sideshow

Welcome to the San Diego Unified School District Side Show!

We hope you missed the Main Act where you didn’t see, BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES, 14 SDUSD Principals DISAPPEAR into thin air!!!  We understand our team of Magicians, including Cindy Marten, her Assistant Marne Foster and the rest of her Magical Crew: Evans, Beiser, Barrera, and Barnett are working on the “School Year Extravaganza” where they try and break the 2013 record of disrupting 42 Schools by adding a new Principal with as little assistance from the School Site Stakeholders as possible.  Wish them luck…we know they can do it as long as you School Site Stakeholders in the audience DON”T interfere!

But you are in luck, even though you weren’t invited to the Main Event, the elimination of your skilled and loved Principal, STEP RIGHT UP!

The SDUSD Principal Selection Side Show is about to begin and the SDUSD wants to make YOU a BIG part of it!  It doesn’t matter that you really have no influence on the selection…the SDUSD Superintendent and Board NEED BIG CROWDS so the illusion works!

First, let’s get the “Rules of Engagement“ out of the way…

SDUSD PRINCIPAL SELECTION COMPLAINT PROCEDURE: If you object to being excluded from the principal selection process or the SDUSD Superintendent and Board of Education completely ignoring your School Site Stakeholder input when they eventually make the Principal selection,  you are granted, through the supreme and magnanimous power of Superintendent Marten and the Board of Education a FULL 60 SECONDS at the Board Meeting of your choice (as long as it hasn’t been cancelled – See SDUSD Board meeting cancelled 7/2/14 and for the full Month of August, 2014) to capsulize your outrage while the Superintendent and Board either show up late, use the rest room or take a nap while you speak.   

 DISCLAIMER:  THE SDUSD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REMOVE ALL SCHOOL SITE STAKEHOLDERS FROM THE PRINCIPAL SELECTION PROCESS AT ANY POINT AND INSERT ANY PRINCIPAL THEY CHOOSE WITH NO EXPLANATION.  (See: Lincoln High School)

  Here is a sample of the Principal Selection Process (better known as the Principal Selection Side Show) from Crawford High School (http://www.sandi.net/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=44272&ViewID=C9E0416E-F0E7-4626-AA7B-C14D59F72F85&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=41640&PageID=34054)

Following the Chart Above:

SEE: The illusion of the “Site/Community Define Principal Qualities”.  The SDUSD “Officials” will invite YOU to a staged “Community Meeting”, listen to you intently, ask you questions and even write every trait you mention down on a white board or a computer display so it ACTUALLY FEELS like School Site Stakeholder engagement..JUST LIKE YOU ARE ACTUALLY THERE AND REALLY CONTRIBUTING!

DON’T WORRY-NONE OF THIS IS REAL!  Just sit back and enjoy the show!

Attention Community Members and Students in Elementary and Middle School: This will be the last time you will EXPERIENCE the “phantom engagement” feeling in the process so make the most of it.  No matter how many hours you volunteer, how much money you spend on school events or how many meetings on behalf of the school you support/attend, you are not allowed to be part of the Principal Interview Committee.  You are EXCLUDED from any further input except for your 1 minute in front of the Superintendent and Board of Education and complaining to anyone who will pretend to listen.

SEE: The District has eliminated ¾ of the Students and ALL community Members including Alumnus, Donors, Neighbors to the School and any and all other interested parties who may have actually voted for the Board Members, so now it’s time for the BIG EVENT…choosing the Principal Interview Committee!

COMING UP: Act 2 – “Let’s Pretend”