Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Superintendent Hardy Murphy this afternoon told parents of Dewey Elementary School students that the school’s principal, Andrew Krugly has been reassigned to the district’s central office.
Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Superintendent Hardy Murphy this afternoon told parents of Dewey Elementary School students that the school’s principal, Andrew Krugly has been reassigned to the district’s central office.
Murphy said the interim principal, Patricia Mitchell, who’s been filling in for Krugly during his recent absence from the school, will continue to serve for the remainder of the school year.
Murphy says he and other district administrators and board members will attend a meeting with parents at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23, in the Dewey library.
He added that he knows parents have been “concerned about Mr. Krugly’s well-being and when he would return to assume his responsibilities” at the school and that parents would be informed “in a timely fashion” as decisions are made “concerning the leadership at Dewey for next year.”
Krugly, who’s been principal at Dewey for more than a dozen years, and who has written on improving student behavior and achievement, was criticized a few years ago by some parents who complained he was overly harsh in disciplining minority students.
But an independent review by a law firm hired by the school district cleared him of that charge, and of an allegation that he’d unfairly fired an African-American teacher.
horrible decision
GIven his record in improved student achievement, his national recognition for the positive behavior incentive system from the secretary of education, etc etc, this is outrageous. Many Dewey parents are outraged. As I understand it, he was on medical leave when they "reassigned" him. What a horrible loss for the children thriving under his consistent leadership over the last 12 years.
Couldn’t agree more
I am absolutely crushed about this decision. I know this isn't a warm & fuzzy kind of person we're talking about, but his work in achievement, creating a positive atmosphere for his staff and students, and constant championing of excellence were nationally recognized. This is a huge loss.
Looks like it’s time to give
Looks like it's time to give Dr. Murphy another extension based on his foresight and dedication to having the highest level of academic administrators leading D65.
Express your views where it matters
In the voting booth!
If you don't like Hardy Murphy, then vote out board members who support him. Keith Terry voted twice to extend Hardy Murphy's contract. Evanston/Skokie voters have an opportunity to remove Mr. Terry from the board on April 5th.
oh, I did
via early voting.
Please come clean
The credibility of the district's leadership will be greatly enhanced if tonight's meeting at Dewey can feature an open discussion of THE FACTS in this situation. Mr. Krugly's month-long absence from Dewey, and recent e-mails from Dewey parents and Hardy Murphy hinting at 'allegations of misconduct' and relaying the abrupt news that Mr. Krugly 'has accepted reassignment to the central office' have underscored the sense of something wrong.
Is this extreme level of secrecy and autocracy really appropriate in today's climate of open communications and citizen participation?
Human (and legal) factors
I expect that both the District and Mr. Krugly may not want "full disclosure" for a variety of reasons.
When Mr. Krugly signed on, he just wanted to be a school principal. In the current climate, every move he (or any public servant) makes is subject to the rumor and innuendo of the blogosphere.
Who would want to work in our schools, knowing that anybody can say anything? And they can ruin careers and lives? The anything that is said is usually damaging even if unfounded.
Let us return to fact-based discourse for the public good.
Devastated!
Mr Krugly focuses on making our teachers and students effective. He is not an empty suit smiling at parents and making nice. He is someone who rolls up his sleeves and gets results. Academic results. FOR OUR CHILDREN. So why is he leaving? There must be one of three explanations: (1) his health is poor; (2) he has made a personal decision that he does not want to do this anymore; or (3) (given his personality) he had some sort of run-in with a (fill in the blank — parent? teacher? administrator?) If it is the first or second reason, I understand and wish him only good things. But we Dewey parents know it's not — those reasons are reasons that no one needs to hide behind. We all deal with failing health or fatigue. So it must be something along the lines of having had some sort of run in with someone else in the community. How do we as a community feel about that? If it was something trivial, then we will feel outrage at the administration for forcing him out. Was there a better alternative? Why was everything so secretive? However, if it was something pretty bad, then perhaps we need to rethink whether his continuation is really in the collective good of the community. The only way we will know is if we are given the facts, tonight, at 7pm. Treat us like adults, Hardy Murphy. Perhaps there are attorneys telling you to say nothing. But we will see once and for all, tonight, at 7pm, if you are truly a part of our community, or a part of an isolated elite only interested in protecting their own behinds. We will remember this night.
Privacy laws prohibit
Privacy laws prohibit governmental agencies from sharing personnel information. It is not district's rules, it is law. Why would you assume otherwise? Mr. Krugly is entitled to his privacy and demands otherwise are both insensitive and illegal. We do not have the right to know, just the right to respect.
A Tragic Loss for the Dewey Community; New Hope for the District
Although I am profoundly upset at the recent loss within the Dewey Community by the reassignment of Principal Krugly, to be unselfish, I'm hopeful that now more students in the district will benefit from his contributions at the District's cental office.
Principal Krugly was a great leader who lifted up a mediocre school to one with "Flagship" standing in the District (to quote Dr. Murphy at tonight's meeting). Because of Principal Krugly's vision and leadership, Dewey School is now an academic leader for ALL student profiles, and one with national recognition.
He knew every child's name, strength, and developmental areas and was driven to make a positive difference in ALL children. Mr. Krugly's unsurpassed dedication to Dewey School and his unmatched passion resulted in the building the greatest school where EVERYBODY counts…all students, all teachers, and all parents.
Thank you Mr. Krugly for your tough climb, for your courage to make difficult decisions, and for your unwavering leadership. We will miss you. But we are hopeful that the District will know how to optimize their newly advanced team for the betterment of a greater Evanston community.
We now have some very tough shoes to fill.
As the decision to reassign
As the decision to reassign the Principal is being questioned and being undermined by his own efforts to voice "his story" in response to the lack of facts able to be disclosed by the administration, I wish that the posters would appreciate that the decision would not have been made based on a mere "rumor" or trivial conflict. In order for a Principal of 13 years at a school that has enjoyed many successes during his tenure to be reassigned to a completely different position, i think its safe to assume that legitimate and very serious concerns along with an investigation resulted in this outcome. I would rather error on the side of caution and respect the decision of the superintendent. If he was falsely accused, I highly doubt this would result in a "reassignment" as he would have fought the accusations through the appropriate channels. I think that fellow members of the community should refrain from making conclusions as we are in no position to make our own judgements on incomplete facts. Knowing Dewey Elementary and the astounding staff, I hope that this decision allows the teachers to continue to do what they do so amazingly; teach the children of the Evanston community. I'm sure the teachers of Dewey have had to endure far too much throughout this endeavor, and they never let this impact the time and effort they devote to their students. Dewey will continue to prosper and impress. Has anyone seen a lapse in the quality of teaching since the Principal's leave of absence? I did not think so. Regards,
W, In the last 10 years,
W,
In the last 10 years, tens (if not hundreds) of thousand of taxpayers' dollars have gone to cover D65 mishandling (like in violations of legal process) of personnel issues related to the hiring, transfers, reassignments, etc. of teachers and principals.
Nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is safe to assume. On the contrary, if you have been following what has happened in D65 lately, it's safe to assume the worst.
“serious allegations”
when exactly was he supposed to defend himself while he was on MEDICAL LEAVE?!
I agree with the other person who replied, Evanston tax payers need to know how much $$ has gone to lawsuits like the one Mr. Krugly should file against D65 about firing, reassignment, etc. Not to mention that while Mr. Krugly is great, do we need another administrator working at the administrative offices?
Bad, bad, bad management is costing taxpayers TONS of money in a variety of ways. You know they are settling for large sums because you can see the filed cases that never end up at trial. Wake up! They mess up, buy people off with settlements, and don't keep the best performing principal in the district in his job.