Retirement didn't last long. It was a bit over a year ago that a call came from a friend, and former colleague, asking if I would be interested in finishing out the 13/14 school year as a Library Aide. This would give me an opportunity to spend time with students without papers to grade or lessons to plan or teachers to evaluate, heaven. It didn't take long to decide that if the position opened I would apply. Fortunately, the school thought I would contribute something and hired me.
I never totally understood the toxic environment I worked in for the final twenty years of my career and especially the final seven to eight years. A single building (high school) of 2,000 students with a superintendent, two assistant superintendents, building principal, two assistant principals, deans, and department chairs who handled a portion of evaluations, budgets, teaching schedules, etc. A consistently high turn-over rate that was explained away every year by one excuse or another. A salary schedule that had gone from one of the highest in the area to one in the lower third. The building principal and one assistant superintendent were placed in their positions without having to interview or even having the positions advertised. The newly named building principal had taught for 5 years, hated it so much she went into consulting through the local regional office and was brought back in an administrative role.
I attended a meeting with one of my staff members with the superintendent over a Close-Up (search for the program) misunderstanding. We arrived to see the administrative staff lined up behind the superintendent, the initial dressing down was to my department member but then the discussion turned on me. I found out that I couldn't be trusted (I even had the superintendent repeat the accusation twice) and I was to no longer make any decision without approval. I was at the state teacher retirement office later that week and retired within two years (ERO option, 28 service years + 2 years sick leave). Oh, I did continue to make decisions and no one ever asked about it. My retirement letter which I thought would be part of the public record even stated that having had it made clear what was thought of my tenure at this high school I would not be attending the retirement luncheon nor would I expect any retirement gift. I was amazed that this triggered no response from any board member, not a question to a person who had been a part of the district for twenty-eight years, a department chair for twenty years, and winner of the Outstanding Contributor Award in 2010.
Fortunately, the superintendent retired the same year as I did. The district hired a new superintendent and as one of the few people with any sense of history in the district I invited the new superintendent to meet for coffee. The new school leader was a breath of fresh air, one hundred eighty degrees from the former superintendent; how do you tell him what he was walking into? I took the cowards route and didn't. After the retired assistant superintendent was appointed to fill a vacancy on the school board I knew what was coming and sure enough, two years later the new superintendent is leaving. I don't know all the reasons but I do not believe it ethical for a former administrator of a failing school district to join the school board of district he was unable to impact during twenty years as an administrator. Run for school board in one of the feeder districts within the community but let others do what you were unable to accomplish.
I hope to develop the theme of recovery over future posts. Suffice it to say, not all districts operate like the one where I invested so much of my professional life.
