A few weeks back the board said Vitti couldn’t fire or
promote people in the next ninety days. They did so in anticipation of him
leaving. Now there could be lots of motives behind their actions but the chief one
that comes to mind is they didn’t want the super to settle scores and promote sycophants.
Fast forward a few weeks, Vitti is cleaning off his desk in preparation
for his move to Detroit and he makes 11 moves, promoting a middle school
principal to assistant superintendent, firing five principals (six others were
retiring) and appointing 11 new ones.
What did the board do? They shrugged their shoulders.
From the Times Union
Days before he’s slated to leave, Duval
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti last week shifted principals at 11 schools,
despite recent School Board assurances that those job changes would be frozen
for 90 days.
Vitti’s last day is Friday; he starts as
Detroit’s new superintendent next week.
You know what it looks like he did to me? He settled scores
and promoted sycophants.
If he wanted to leave a memo saying, I think this is what
needs to happen that would have been fine but for him to make changes while
heading out the door saddles the next super and the district with more of his
decisions, and let’s face it despite the flowery accolades from the board, if
the majority thought he was doing a good job, then he wouldn’t be on his way to
Detroit.
This board and I am happier and more optimistic than I have
been in a while with the direction of the district should have said, no thanks,
we’ll take it from here.
In the next few months we need the board to be strong as I am sure there will be lots of pressure to hire a super that special interests and the city's elites can control. This bow to a man on his way out the door is more than troubling.
To see the principal changes, click the link
https://www.news4jax.com/news/eleven-new-principals-for-duval-county-schools
Okay, so off of this topic but did Vitti really say this year's third graders are dumber than last year's third graders? He stayed that this cohort did worse on a district created, AKA Mason Davis created, assessment that said we would be in the 40s with third grade proficiency. Maybe Mason Davis isn't as smart as he thinks and tells everyone he is... maybe the test was a bad test. Maybe we should stop relying on mid-year tests to tell us how our kids are doing and just teach them all year long.maybe then we would be gaining as much as the state average at least. Oh and by the way this year's third graders started school when Vitti became superintendent. Maybe he dumbed them down with his read aloud don't have books in your hands curriculum???
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