New principal for Grant

[Danielle Masters]

Two days ago Grant parents received notice from our current principal Mr. Gleichauf that he would be moving on.

May 11, 2010

Dear Grant School Community:

It is with difficulty that I inform you that this will be my last year as Principal of Grant Elementary School. In the last couple of days, I have accepted the position of Director of Teaching and Learning here in the Lakewood City Schools. Fortunately I am able to continue to work in this wonderful district with families and children like yours.

The past eight years have been some of the most enjoyable personally and professionally in my career. A great part of that enjoyment was building relationships with many of you. These relationships reinforced the fine work of our teachers here at Grant School and have built a wonderful learning community for our students. This Grant School team that we have created together over the past years will continue to thrive even with the new principal leadership.

With this announcement, I have to requests of you at Grant School. First, I ask that you support me in this decision for me to advance my career as an educator in the Lakewood City Schools. This new role brings new responsibilities that I am prepared for by my experiences and recent graduate coursework. I have considered advancement like this for some time and this opportunity in this excellent school district is one I could not pass up. Second, I ask that you welcome Ms. Roxann Ramsey as the new principal at Grant School for next year. Ms. Ramsey currently serves as Coordinator of Teaching and Learning in the district and brings building level experiences to Grant School. Eight years ago, many of you made me feel welcome and as a part of your community. I know you will make Ms. Ramsey feel the same in the coming months.

Thanks for your continued support of the teachers and programs here at Grant School. It is that special part of Grant School and your commitment to being an important part of your child's instructional team that I will always remember fondly wherever my career leads me.

Sincerely,
Mark Gleichauf
Principal

I congratulate Mark on his advancement, I know he will serve this community well, he's done remarkable work with the mixed socio-economic and multi-cultural group of students at Grant. He will bring his understanding of the true make-up of Lakewood's student population to the district level. I wish him well and am so glad that he is staying in this fine district. But once again I must say he will be sorely missed.

Besides the tid-bit in Mr. Gleichauf's letter we have not received any additional information on the new principal although I am sure it is forth coming. I was able to find out a little bit about her from a press release from the Beachwood City schools from last year.

Beachwood: Ramsey to join Lakewood schools as curriculum coordinator

By Ed Wittenberg

May 29, 2009, 4:04PM

BEACHWOOD -- Roxann Ramsey, assistant principal at Beachwood Middle School, has resigned to become curriculum coordinator for Lakewood City Schools.
Ramsey's resignation, accepted May 26 by the Board of Education, is effective July 31. She is in her second year as BMS assistant principal and ninth year overall in the district.
Ramsey, of Fairview Park, taught English at Beachwood High School from 2000-2006 and was the district's director of student activities from 2003-2006.
In 2006, Ramsey was named to the newly created position of high school/middle school student activities and advisory administrator.
That position was eliminated a year later, when she was named assistant principal at BMS.

I wish Ms. Ramsey much luck at Grant, I know she will be welcomed.

[Kristine Pagsuyoin]

Danielle,

Was there any information as to whether Ms. Ramsey has taught elementary school or worked with elementary school teachers or students?

Considering that the principal she is replacing led his school to achieve Blue Ribbon status and to receive an Excellent Rating from the State of Ohio (1 of only 2 elementary schools in our district to do that) it seems that Grant would be losing out on not replacing Mr. Gleichauf with a principal with at least elementary experience.

I think this decision to promote the Grant principal at this time is very discerning and suspicious. The Lakewood School District keeps telling us that Grant will remain open, not just for next year, but for the next 3 or 4 years as we transition from 7 to 6 elementary schools. However, the decision to move the current Grant principal and replace him with someone who has been with our district for less than a year, with perhaps no elementary school experience, makes me wonder if we can believe that this school will remain open.

Or, does our superintendent and Board not believe that every child deserves an excellent education no matter what school they attend?

Is this okay? To try to dismantle a school before voters have had a chance to go to the polls and really let the BOE know how they really feel about their decision to remove a viable highly-functioning school from the center of our city?

I need to ask, does our BOE think that just because the levy passed that they have a referendum on their February decision on Phase 3? Lakewood citizens have not approved the Bond issue that would allow them to remove Grant.

Is the Lakewood Board of Education assuming we will blindly pass their Bond? They must think so if they are going to move forward to dismantle a school before we even give them the money to do so.

So Lakewood, what do you think? Do you agree that virtually 4 people (Matt Markling voted to retain Grant Elementary in the Phase 3 Plan) are able to decide the future of our schools and our city without a vote from Lakewood citizens?


Kristine

[Corey Rossen]

Danielle,

Or, does our superintendent and Board not believe that every child deserves an excellent education no matter what school they attend?

IsKristine

As usual, a warm Lakewood Observer "Welcome" to Ms. Ramsey. So what you are you saying, Kirstine, is that you think that Ms. Ramsey will run the children's education into the ground at Grant? Again, another warm "Welcome" to Lakewood via the Deck.

I look forward to having Ms. Ramsey be the pricipal at my nieces and nephew's elementary school. I'm sure their education is in great hands. I wish you the best of luck, Ms. Ramsey.

Corey Rossen

[Kristine Pagsuyoin]

Corey,

If you will re-read the entire post carefully, instead of just choosing one aspect to take out of context and exploit, I think that you would find that I make a valid point that Grant parents and our community are concerned about the decisions our current BOE and Administration are making. No one is attacking Ms. Ramsey, but I am, along with other parents, questioning the timing and what seems to be a decision to appoint a less-experienced candidate.

As a community we do have the right to question our District. We do have the right to be advocates for our children and to demand the best education for every child no matter where they attend school.

I think you missed the broader questions that were asked in the post.

Kristine

[Corey Rossen]

Kirstine,
My take on your post was simple. You trash the school board for their decision to hire Ms. Ramsey, thus trashing Ms. Ramsey as a competent principal. This, then, would ruin Grant school children's education.

I trust in the school board, I voted for them. Are you saying that you now no longer trust the school board's decisions?

Corey

[Meg Ostrowski]

Mr. G. is well deserving of his recent promotion and I welcome Ms. Ramsey with an open mind. I recall being a younger, less experienced member of several work teams in an earlier career. I gained and contributed. I expect with Mark as Ms. Ramsey's mentor and the Grant Staff as her team, they will continue to deliver EXCELLENCE in education.

[Gary Rice]

First of all, let's understand how schools work.

Our particular school board, (agree with them or not on some of their decisions) happens to be a group of highly experienced individuals; but also... while they certainly provide final approval all hirings in the District , there is also an extensive process by which individuals hired for the Lakewood Schools are vetted, NOT ONLY by the Board, but also by the Superintendent, as well as possibly other local administrators connected with the human resource office. They are also thoroughly checked out, as to their state qualifications and prior track record.

In short, if we have a new principal at Grant, there are VERY good reasons why she was chosen. She should certainly be given every opportunity to succeed.

Administrators in education often move through a number of positions in their careers. That is to be expected. In fact, it is often preferential to have administrators who have several professional growth experiences behind them.

Best wishes to both Mr. Gleichoff and to Ms. Ramsey, as they begin the next phase of their professional lives.

[Meg Ostrowski]

Are you saying that you now no longer trust the school board's decisions?

Corey,

I realize that you did not direct this question to me but I must say that there are many who have lost trust in some members of the school board after their handling of the Phase III process and its outcome.

So Lakewood, what do you think? Do you agree that virtually 4 people (Matt Markling voted to retain Grant Elementary in the Phase 3 Plan) are able to decide the future of our schools and our city without a vote from Lakewood citizens?

Kristine,

No. I also don't agree that 300 people at a questionable forum should decide. I look forward to the opportunity to share my opinions on this subject with others and ultimately cast my vote when the bond issue hits the ballot.

[Kristine Pagsuyoin]

Kirstine,
My take on your post was simple. You trash the school board for their decision to hire Ms. Ramsey, thus trashing Ms. Ramsey as a competent principal. This, then, would ruin Grant school children's education.

I trust in the school board, I voted for them. Are you saying that you now no longer trust the school board's decisions?

Corey

Corey,

On most issues, I find it very difficult to give our current BOE the benefit of the doubt. Our BOE, or at least 4 of them, have proven repeatedly that they do not want to conduct business with transparency or with a sense of accountability to parents or to the larger Lakewood community. I don't think, at least on this Deck, that how I feel about this issue ought be a secret to anyone.

Furthermore, Grant parents, and the overall Grant community, have proven that they have and will take the high road when it comes to doing what is best for our children and their education. Our support of the levy is proof of that. We will support our new principal and we will ask our children to the same. We will support Mr. G and continue to have communication with him about our children.

I started the discussion and raise certain issues to point out that it seems like our BOE and administration have started to turn Grant into a transition school. Steps they are being taking without consent from the community.

Dismantling a school by changing principals, moving programs, and changing or moving current teachers and staff is not good for our children. Part of the success of Grant is due to the team that is in place now--and have been for a very long time. There is ample educational research available that shows keeping a consistent team of teachers together in an effort to educate the whole student is vital and makes a difference.

Unfortunately, the timing of the decision to move the principal, with a poorly executed decision by the BOE on Phase 3, and a proven record of non-transparency has led parents and the Grant community to be suspicious. Which, if you think about it, is very unfair to the incoming principal.

So, you support our BOE in every way. Great, you voted for them. I just think there are many out there who might disagree with you.

By the way, it is Kristine.

[Kristine Pagsuyoin]

Hello Everyone,

My intention in posting a reply to the author of this thread (Danielle) was to start a discussion about the more serious broader issues facing our school district and city. It not intended to have us all debate (out of context) the qualifications of the new principal of Grant Elementary. It is not fair to Ms. Ramsey or Mr. G. Therefore, I am moving the points that should be discussed to a new thread, Lakewood Absolutely Needs a Central Elementary, so that we can focus on the true intent of my post.


Kristine