After Red Lake High School was labeled one of Minnesota’s worst schools, its board moved quickly to dismiss the principal. It didn’t take long for Ev Arnold to land on his feet, though: The same district now pays him the identical salary to oversee the school’s turnaround.
Arnold’s situation is typical for principals in several states who were removed last summer under the federal School Improvement Grant program (SIG), intended to reform the nation’s worst schools. The most popular way for schools to qualify for a slice of the $3 billion available was pick a reform plan that called for replacing what was considered failed leadership–but many of those principals are still running schools.
“The musical chairs game is being played,” said Gerald Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). “School districts, because they want the money, are finding creative ways to meet the requirements of the law.”…Read More
