The TUSD Governing Board adopted a turnaround model for Palo Verde Magnet High School Tuesday in which the principal must be replaced, the staff has to re-apply for their jobs and no more than half can be re-hired.
The plan was approved 3-2. Board members Adelita Grijalva and Judy Burns cast the no votes. They favored a model that would replace only the principal and not the staff.
The model is the same as the one adopted for Rincon High School last week.
Superintendent John Pedicone emphasized that while there are teachers at Palo Verde who care deeply for the students, “bad things are happening there in terms of quality instruction.
“This is not about vilifying teachers or support staff. It’s about looking at data, what goes on in the environment and making strong decisions about what needs to be done.”
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Burns’ primary concern in adopting a turnaround model is the possibility of losing quality teachers. Grijalva agreed, saying that the district needs to be sure to provide strong support to any new teachers hired.
The improvement plan is the result of the school being labeled by the state as persistently low achieving due to declines in math and reading scores.
