Ann Arbor elementary principal named Gibraltar schools assistant superintendent
Ann Arbor's Lawton Elementary School is in need of a new leader, after former Principal Amy Conway resigned to become an assistant superintendent of a district near Detroit.
Amy Conway
From A2schools.org
Conway joined the Ann Arbor Public Schools in August 2010. She has worked all three years at Lawton.
The Gibraltar School District has a student population of about 3,750, according to its fall 2012 head count. Ann Arbor serves approximately 16,600 students.
The district has posted the Lawton principal position and is optimistic about finding a new leader prior to the start of school, said AAPS spokeswoman Liz Margolis. The posting went up July 30 and the application deadline is Aug. 13.
Deputy Superintendent of Elementary Education Dawn Linden told Margolis the posting has yielded some good potential candidates already, so an interim principal has not been named to the position, in hopes of hiring a permanent replacement prior to Sept. 3.
According to the Ann Arbor Administrators Association contract, elementary principals at AAPS earn a salary in the range of $96,975 to $109,515.
The Lawton Elementary School opening is the only principal opening at AAPS that must be filled prior to the start of the school year.
The Carpenter Elementary leadership position is held by an interim, Ed Broom, while a human resources' investigation of Principal Charles Davis is ongoing.
Margolis said Tuesday there is no update regarding Davis' employment status with AAPS. The investigation is still taking place, she said.
Lawton is not the only Ann Arbor school that will be starting the year with a new person at the helm. The following principal positions were filled earlier in this summer:
- Hyeuo Park at Bach Elementary School
- Chuck Hatt at Burns Park Elementary School
- Melita Alston at Pattengill Elementary School
- Che Carter at Clague Elementary School
Read previous coverage:
- Ann Arbor schools announces 3 new principals at Bach, Burns Park and Pattengill
- Ann Arbor elementary principal hired to fill opening at Clague Middle School
Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.
Comments
LUVAA23
Wed, Aug 7, 2013 : 11:40 p.m.
Congratulations to Amy on her new position. My family will dearly miss her enthusiasm and commitment to excellence on a daily basis. During her tenure, she instituted and executed many worth while initiatives at Lawton that I can only hope her predecessor will continue. She was very approachable, personable, and professional. As a role model for my children, she will be missed; as a leader to teachers, she will be missed; as a partner in my child's success, she will be greatly missed. Shame on AAPS for letting Mrs. Conway, and so many others, use us as a "stepping stone." Until our leadership begins to promote from within, I fear we wil continue to lose these assests rather than retire them. Congratulations to Gibraltar, our loss is your gain! Lastly, had the author of this story attended Lawton the previous 3 years, she would be better educated in geography and the location of Gibraltar, Detroit, and Canada.
sc8
Wed, Aug 7, 2013 : 12:56 p.m.
Gibraltar is approximately 26 miles South of Detroit and approximately 20 miles north of Monroe, and views Grosse Isle from across the Detroit River and Lake Eerie. Not exactly what I would call "near Detroit" as the first paragraph indicates.
Basic Bob
Wed, Aug 7, 2013 : 10:09 p.m.
The non-local banker agrees with you. The local banker believes Detroit starts at US-23.
Ralph
Wed, Aug 7, 2013 : 12:41 p.m.
Near the Canadian border? I lived downriver and never thought of Gibraltar as near the Canadian border - near Lake Erie! t's probably just over an hour to the southeast.
Great Idea
Wed, Aug 7, 2013 : 1:59 a.m.
I've got an idea...promote an existing AAPS teacher and we can retain a pink slipped teacher! I'm sure we have at least one qualified principal candidate in OUR district.
JRW
Wed, Aug 7, 2013 : 1:36 a.m.
Charles Davis keeps collecting his inflated salary while doing nothing......move along, AAPS. Congrats to Ms. Conway!
Wake Up A2
Wed, Aug 7, 2013 : 12:57 a.m.
To bad it wasnt cindy at pioneer.
nunya
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 11:19 p.m.
What is PBIS?
AMOC
Wed, Aug 7, 2013 : 11:22 a.m.
It stands for Positiver Behavior Intervention and Support. The program is supposed to explicitly teach and reward positive behaviors from students instead of focusing on detecting and punishing negative behaviors. So the teacher tells students to "Walk in the hall" or "Use your inside voice, please." instead of "No running." and "No shouting". The problem some students and parents have with it is that 1) some teachers aren't very good at conveying their expectations in a positive way or in re-directing students into more acceptable behaviors and 2)some administrators have insisted that PBIS really means that there are no consequences for bad behavior short of assault that leaves marks the parents complain to the police about.
J. A. Pieper
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 10:54 p.m.
Take note - internal/local AAPS superintendent candidate, you got to get more experience like this woman is managing to do!
J. A. Pieper
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 10:48 p.m.
Clague Middle School!
ArthGuinness
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 9:06 p.m.
A bit disappointed with her short stay. But she did an okay job, and there should be some very qualified replacements who could do even better. Scrapping the PBIS crap would be a good start.
LUVAA23
Fri, Aug 9, 2013 : 1:24 a.m.
I agree that PBIS has its downsides, but as a Lawton parent, I appreciated that Mrs. Conway had 1 cohesive discipline program for the entire school and that every child and staff member knew the expectations. Before she came along, it seemed as though every class was disciplined differently and every year my kids had to learn a new system. She was well worth the money, as are most in the education field. I depend on teachers and other school employees every day with my children and will never complain that they are overpaid. Spend a week doing their jobs and you'd agree.
ArthGuinness
Thu, Aug 8, 2013 : 3:49 p.m.
faith- Yes, I'm a Lawton parent. I stand by my simple assessment - we saw some changes for the better, but the PBIS is a well-intentioned disaster. I don't actually know if it's mandated or not, it sounds like the user named "local" here knows better. Whether or not it was mandated, Mrs. Conway championed it relentlessly, so the responsibility was on her shoulders.
grye
Wed, Aug 7, 2013 : 2:37 a.m.
Lola: That salary is not out of line given advanced college degrees and several years experience. If you are not at that level, then look at your degree (if you have one) and the type of job you are currently working. There are plenty of jobs in that salary range that are open all over the country. And yes, a principal's job is year round.
local
Wed, Aug 7, 2013 : 12:46 a.m.
I don't think PBIS is mandated. A school is required to have a discipline program, and most have latched on to PBIS. The program isn't great, trust me, I am required to use it at my school. And the program also looks different from building to building.
J. A. Pieper
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 10:53 p.m.
I could deal with PBIS, just not the total Discipline Gap Initiative! As a teacher, I like what PBIS can teach children, but it has turned into a huge workload issue, having to document everything on a spread sheet. Then the district can follow who is applying this initiative, and who might not be. Plus, they get to watch who is disciplining, who might not be, and even more so, who is receiving disciplinary action!
Lola
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 10:46 p.m.
"According to the Ann Arbor Administrators Association contract, elementary principals at AAPS earn a salary in the range of $96,975 to $109,515." I wish I could get paid that kind of money for doing an okay job. I'd even do a GREAT job for a salary like that.
faith
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 10 p.m.
So I'm assuming that you are a Lawton parent, knowing so much about Amy. Also, PBIS is district mandated - complain to the board.
lynel
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 9:21 p.m.
Scrapping PBIS would indeed be a good start. And from what I've heard you are giving her the beneifit of the doubt by saying "she did an okay job".
CLX
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 8:51 p.m.
I feel sorry for these schools with the rotating principals -- are there more than usual these days?
DonBee
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
2to 5 a year is not uncommon. There are 47 members (more or less) in the principal's union. For many it is a stepping stone to a superintendent job somewhere. For others it is a life long position. For a year or two the district was pulling people from assistant principal jobs and assigning them, that reduced the number of principal/assistant principal jobs. Now it seems like the board is hiring administrators again instead of moving more of the assistant principals.
faith
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 10:02 p.m.
A great question for the school board!
treetowncartel
Tue, Aug 6, 2013 : 8:37 p.m.
Seems like an Epic fail by administration with the Carpenter position. If and when Mr. Davis returns they would be foolish to put him back in Carpenter, so they should just put a permanent, and not interim, Principal in there now.
Misskitt
Wed, Aug 7, 2013 : 2:04 a.m.
Mr. Davis has burned too many bridges at Carpenter for him to be successful at this point! Move on AAPS! You have more important issues to deal with then that one person who failed at his first attempt at leadership! Give him a chance at a later date, with some more experience and training, and maybe some Charm School Mr. Edmondson was very charming, maybe that would be a good fit!