Step Up Louisiana BR Parent Union’s take on the Superintendent Search: We have concerns… 🤷🏽♀️
When it comes to education, teachers, parents, and most importantly the children deserve continuity. Instability and short sightedness simply cannot suffice. Over the past few years East Baton Rouge Schools has had a great deal of instability, and our students, schools, parents, and the EBR community at large have suffered for it. At this moment we have a choice to make, a very clear choice. A choice that could put EBR schools on the path to success and stability, or lead us down a path with horrid results.
Dr. Sito Narcisse has thrown his hat in the ring to be the next leader for education in our community; however, his track record has proven less than desirable results. The results of our organization’s research of Dr. Narcisse are concerning and cause us great pause. We have organized the following information in a manner that will be easy for you to see why Dr. Narcisse is clearly not the best candidate for our next superintendent.
Boston, we have a problem
According to the Boston Globe, Dr. Narcisse was brought in to turn around English High in Boston, Massachusetts. During his tenure, English High, saw his draconian measures in full effect noted as follows:
Pushing out of 75% of teachers: It first began with pushing out many noted teachers. These teachers were noted by the 2010 valedictorian, Salma Hussain, she uplifted them in saying that without their help, specifically 8 of them, she might have not risen to her stature. As noted in the paper within 2 years 7 of these 8 were no longer at the school. The cause? Dr. Narcisse’s authoritarian leadership style of turning around the school. Instead of working with existing teachers, even the 8 that were singled out for praise, a culture of silence was set up. Teachers described it as, if disagreements with policy arose it was seen as disloyal. How can we expect teachers and staff to work with Dr. Narcisse, if he simply pulls the rug out from under them because of disagreements?
Separate, but not equal: While at English High, he instituted the quite strange policy of same-sex classrooms, he described it as beneficial especially for the boys. This same type of thinking is very similar to the kind of sexism and misogyny, that boys cannot control themselves and therefore must be removed from the presence of girls because their very existence is the issue. Instead of teaching our young men that women are their equal and must be treated as so and fostering accountability for their actions. Narcisse’s method was to essentially say to boys, you can’t be held accountable and shouldn’t expect to be, nor can we expect you to adequately learn because of the mere presence of a girl.
Arbitrary standards: The radical reforms don’t stop there, he removed the letter grade “D” mandating that students earn at least a C or fail, this coincides with his claim to have gotten the school on the “right track” by pointing to test scores. This leaves out, as the paper mentioned, many students did not simply improve because of an arbitrary standard rather they fell behind into the failing category. To arbitrarily introduce “standards” in the hope that it will improve metrics is quite literally just throwing things at the wall and hoping it sticks.
Against teacher’s union: Remember the teachers that were praised by the valedictorian? Pred-Sosa was one of these teachers who personally impacted Hussain and to push her to greater heights. Instead of working with Sosa, taking what works, or at the very least having the ability to discern that she was well liked by the students he fired her. When she got word of this, she hung her dismissal letter on her door, he ordered her to take it down citing that it was disturbing the students. Did Dr Narcisse ever stop to think it was disturbing because a teacher that was well liked, award-winning, and capable was suddenly leaving. Sosa also happened to be a leader in the local Teachers union, could this serve as a look on Narcisse’s view of organized teachers? He replaced ¾ of the staff at large, and while yes, the staff became more diverse, hiring a majority of Black and Latino/Hispanic. Though this was a good gesture because representation and cultural relevance is important. But also, we need to ensure that highly qualified teachers are being hired and not being used as place fillers to satisfy optics. Is it necessarily fair or even useful to use the name of diversity in place of effectiveness? That for the sake of changing faces in the name of equality and progressive values, the very same children he was responsible for uplifting, lost their greatest tool, a great teacher.
Equity or nah: It would serve well to ask was Dr. Narcisse’s goal actual equity, uplift, and a great education or was it more ideological? When presenting budget cutting ideas the first group he went after were Teachers. As parents, we understand the disadvantages that come with cuts such as this and how that impacts our children. Amongst the myriad of other issues highlighted in the paper, he cited that he got the school on the “right track”. While during his tenure test scores did rise, albeit marginally, the dropout rate increased as did the course failure rate, and absentee rate. He left less than a year afterward leaving his destruction behind.
Nash’villian’
You could give Dr. Narcisse some slack; this was only his first venture, right? Sure, his intentions were good, but the outcomes were not. Fast forward more recently to his time in Nashville and once again mired in scandal Dr. Narcisse seems to be looking for an escape hatch.
While in Tennessee it seems, he was involved in an incident where a 25-year veteran teacher of the MNPS was looking for equity as it related to her salary in a new role. Instead of addressing a potential equity issue, he questioned her performance as if she, the very same woman who set up programs to ensure PoC children weren’t left behind, and even managed to get Michelle Obama to speak at her school in 2013, she was now suddenly in need of a performance review? When she continued to push for answers she was met with another insistence of a performance review. She accounts that in 25 years she had never been asked to review her performance. This account was detailed in February of 2019, a short time later in May of 2019 it was announced Narcisse would be leaving the school district.
On the road again
In the very same month the Dr. Narcisse scandal broke in Nashville, he was noted to be applying for a superintendent role in Rochester NY, even going so far as to say, “he and his family is committed to building a life in Rochester if selected and will be in for the long haul” His record speaks otherwise. Dr. Narcisse instead seems to come into a school district, causes more issues than brings solutions, and then leaves to take his methods elsewhere, leaving behind battered districts, schools, parents, teachers, fellow staff, and the most impacted of all. The Children.
We at the Parent Union, do not wish to see Dr. Narcisse fail, however let us be very clear we do not seek to bring Dr. Narcisse into leadership in our school system. This light research of his record is very telling, and to dig some more it would not be surprising to find more unsightly information.
This is not the time for unproven, unstable, scandal prone leadership. Our school system has been through enough as it is. Instead, the Parent Union wishes to uplift what could possibly be the very antithesis to Dr. Narcisse. Someone who works with and has the broad support of teachers, and support staff. Someone who has worked in our school system knows this community and has remained committed to it, and its children. Someone without the dark cloud of scandal earned or not. Someone who not only works with the teacher’s first line of defense & support the Unions but actively supports them and is supported back. That someone is Adam Smith. Capable, proven, and stable leadership. That’s what EBR Schools need.
Mr. Smith started the Covid19 task force for EBRPSS in the early part of 2020 in response to the pandemic. He had the wherewithal to develop a taskforce that encompassed parent, teacher, administrative, and health professional expertise. He ensured there were food services for children and families during the pandemic. Mr. Smith is a problem solver, every grievance and challenge that we’ve sought help in, he has been able to come through with solutions. He exemplifies the principles of motivation, dedication, and sustainability. His leadership is what our students and teachers need for our school district.
Mr. Smith is deserving of a permanent position as Superintendent of schools for EBR, based off of his accolades alone. We are more than sure that we will have stability with Mr. Smith’s leadership. He has been involved in every aspect of this system from starting out as a classroom teacher, to Assistant Principal, then Principal, to a high level administrator for the EBR School District, to now being Interim Superintendent of schools! Plus, he’s a parent of children in the EBR School system, he’s not just talking the talk but walking it as well. With many efforts he’s led in his capacity as an Associate Superintendent, Mr. Smith has the capability to rally the school district for a common cause.
Mr. Adam Smith is a R.E.A.L. L.E.A.D.E.R.
R- Respectful
E - Educated
A - Amazingly gifted
L - Loyal
L- Leader
E - Exceptional (exceeded ALL barriers)
A - Accessible
D - Dedicated
E- Excludes NO ONE
R- Resilient.
This is what EBR Schools need. #EquityOrElse