What's Next After Administrative Shake-Up At Lincoln High School?

Speaker 1: 00:00 The search for new leadership at Lincoln High School is now underway. Just one day after graduation last week, the schools top administrators were removed from their positions. The principal and three vice principal positions are now vacant as a committee in national search firm work to fill them. So what is happening at Lincoln High? Doctor Sharon Whitehurst Payne, president of the San Diego Unified School Board spoke to KPBS evening edition Anchor Ebony Monet about the shakeup. How much of the decision too Speaker 2: 00:31 remove the school's administration at Lincoln High School had to do with academics? Well, I think it's the total package. Um, we just wanted our students to be supported overall in every aspect. And that was a big part of it. But you know, it's just a total package. Um, folks look nowadays at what's going on school at schools, period. And if you think about it, the nation, the state of California, the city of San Diego, we all have to increase our expectations and our support for schools. That's why we're constantly asking for more moneys to help support the schools because we realize we're competing internationally. It's no longer just San Diego or just America. We're competing with countries all over the world, even smaller countries and they're doing better in some of the areas. So we, we just want to increase the standards. Overall it's been reported that there have been five principles in the course of 12 years. Speaker 2: 01:30 So five principals in the, in the course of 12 years. What's being done differently this time? I th I think for the first time since I've been here in San Diego or just doing it a total wipe out to say let's just bring in a totally new team with one responsibility to get it right. This is the first time we've done that. Um, we did close the school down, but at that time when it was closed down, the enrollment was down to 500 some kids. So it was a very small school. Now where we're beginning to climb again, we're close to 1500 hundred students. The district is launching a recruitment effort at this point. What are you looking for in a principal and vice principals that you didn't have in those positions before? We're looking for someone who is a veteran, principal, veteran high school principal. Speaker 2: 02:26 I've had even folks in the community to stress that fact. We need someone who's familiar with CIF or with athletics, with all the elements that go into, uh, high school. Uh, and then one of the things is a single subject credential understanding and knowing what it is that teachers go through in the classroom, teaching math as a single subject teacher, etc. So we're looking, first of all, for a veteran, not someone who is learning how to be a principal at the same time, dealing with all the other issues are related on that campus. And that's what I'm excited about. I felt that we needed that in the beginning. A veteran principal who knows what it is and the challenges that go along with being on a senior high campus. And then the next step is we're looking for someone who can pull together that school community, not just pockets, but the entire school community to focus on the needs of our, our children. Speaker 2: 03:27 And I want to really stress that because I think some of the children even didn't understand what I was saying at their graduation. This group of students at Lincoln that just graduated is by far the on toppest group I've ever seen. The perseverance, the just sheer grit. If you were just determined to succeed, they had it more than any group I've ever seen. But from my perspective of having seen a lot of high schools, not just here in San Diego but in Orange County, etc. I know that there are some elements that would help them to do even better. And whenever they went for an interview and were compared to other schools, that was a comment that kept coming out. These kids are just stars, but they need that support to help Polish them. And with more than 200 students graduating from Lincoln, still more students drop out of Lincoln High School compared to other schools in the district. Speaker 2: 04:24 Whose responsibility is that? Is that the principal? Uh, it's a team. We need a leadership team that can lead the school and can identify areas where we're weak and then support in that area or even request support from on the district of necessary. But without that team on the campus, that's going to be that supporter, supportive environment, um, provider there and then communicate with the central office is not going to work. So we've got to have a team that flows throughout the other side of the coin. Is it, is it fair to put so much pressure on a principle considering the, the obstacle that the obstacles that any principal coming to the Lincoln high campus would face? Um, statistically 87% of the students at Lincoln High School are considered disadvantaged socio and economically disadvantage. Um, can we talk about the obstacles that these principals face? Cause it's a, it's a tough job. Speaker 2: 05:25 It's a very tough job. But on, on the other hand, we are offering an additional level of resource. We've had three vice principals and a principal. Now we're placing a director there who's going to be working this year exclusively with Lincoln high school. So we're going from four administrators, two, five on that person will be on the ground with the principal and that team to ensure that students are getting what they need, what staff members are getting, what they need. And that person will also be interfacing with the high school. A couple of years ago when we brought on Mr. Soto has a principal, we have the superintendent on the ground every Monday morning working with them along with the chief of staff and the area superintendent work with him. Then the next year we had the area's superintendent and others coming in to support him. But we need an experienced person who is not learning what it is to be a principal. Speaker 2: 06:24 All the issues that go into that standing up for yourself. Um, just the whole ambiance of being a senior high principal. That part of it, we're excited about getting someone in who can traverse all of those pitfalls and then move forward with, um, bringing in the students and given them the support that they don't even know that they're missing. And, uh, I want Lincoln to be number one and I know that it can be, and that's what I'm excited about. Just waiting to see Dr Whitehurst pain. Thank you so much. Thank you for this opportunity to share. And she was speaking to KPBS evening edition Anchor Ebony Monet. Speaker 3: 07:04 Ah.