![\"TitleIPIC\"](\"http:\/\/michaelclara.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/TitleIPIC.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n8 May 2014<\/p>\n
DELIVERED VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
\n<\/b>Dr. Laurie Lacy, Title I Director
\nSalt Lake City School District
\n440 East 100 South
\nSalt Lake City, Utah 84111<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Re: Title I Complaint: Parental Involvement<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0Dr. Lacy,<\/p>\n I am forwarding a letter (with eleven pages of attachment) that I presented to the Salt Lake City Board of Education on May 6, 2014. The letter has the same date as the board meeting and is styled:<\/p>\n Flawed Principal Selection Process<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n I advised the school board that I believe that the Superintendent violated the district\u2019s own procedure when he recently hired four new principals to serve in Title I Schools for the coming 2014-2015 school year.<\/p>\n As indicated in the accompanying letter, if a principal vacancy is not filled by the lateral transfer of another principal, then a \u201cschool selection team\u201d<\/i> compromising of teachers, parents, and school staff is to be convened in order to \u201cscreen and interview candidates\u201d<\/i>.<\/p>\n I received reports from teachers and parents of these schools, advising me that this process was not followed in the hiring of their new principal. I am also being told that one of the principals does not have an ESL endorsement, yet will be serving a school that has close to 90% students of color, many of those students have English as a second language. Can you please forward me the qualifications and credentials of those that appeared on the May 6, 2014, Human Resources Report?<\/p>\n The superintendent and associate superintendent advised the school board that because these Title I schools were participating in the University of Virginia Turnaround Program<\/b>, therefore the district was not required to follow the current hiring process for principal vacancies. Two weeks prior to the school board meeting, the superintendent ignored my request for an explanation and then offered no reasonable explanation during the school board meeting as to why excluding parents and teachers from the interview \/hiring process was necessary.<\/p>\n I pointed out, that having this program in the school was a violation of the Written Agreement (contract) that the school board entered into with the Salt Lake Teachers Association. As indicated in the accompanying letter, before a program is placed in a school, it should meet the approval of the school board or the faculty of the school. This program has not been presented to either group.<\/p>\n The superintendency made a feeble attempt to convince everyone that this was not a \u201cprogram\u201d and therefore did not need faculty approval. Once the video of the meeting was published the following day, I received several calls from teachers advising me that the superintendency was being less than honest in claiming this is not a \u201cprogram\u201d. One teacher sent me an article titled:<\/p>\n U. Va\u2019s School Turnaround Program Helps Salt Lake City School District Make the Grade<\/span><\/b> There are numerous other instances where this is identified for what it is, a \u201cprogram\u201d. To that end, I am filing a formal complaint with your office because I believe the Salt Lake City School District, is out of compliance with the tenants of Title I as they pertain to parental involvement. As you are aware Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, is a federal program designed to provide additional assistance to academically struggling students in high-poverty areas.<\/p>\n This program contains section 1118 called \u201cParental Involvement\u201d,<\/b> which requires that parents be involved in the formation of plans that will be at their children\u2019s school as provided in section 1112 it being titled \u201cLocal Educational Agency Plans\u201d<\/b>. I am including three pages that I pulled from the Title I Monitoring Handbook of the Utah State Office Of Education<\/span>. It clearly states that any program coming into the school MUST include the involvement of the parents. It is clear to me, parents and teachers that the tenants of Title I were not followed when the University of Virginia Turnaround Program was brought into our schools.<\/p>\n I submit, that the practice of excluding the parents from helping to choose the school principal because of a program they did not agree to, is tantamount to subverting Title I\u2019s effort to provide supplemental services to our most vulnerable student population. In essence the District is sanctioning and perpetuating the existing inequities with Federal dollars.<\/p>\n Shalom,<\/p>\n J. Michael Cl\u00e1ra cc<\/b>: The Honorable Luz Roblez, Utah State Senator Enclosures<\/p>\n PDF Link to Letter<\/a><\/p>\n Blog Entry: Flawed Principal Selection Process for Westside Schools<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 8 May 2014 DELIVERED VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL Dr. Laurie Lacy, Title I Director Salt Lake City School District 440 East 100 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 Re: Title I Complaint: Parental Involvement \u00a0Dr. Lacy, I am forwarding a letter (with eleven pages of attachment) that I presented to the Salt Lake City Board of Education on May 6, 2014. The letter has the same date as the board meeting and is styled: Flawed … Continue reading
\nUVA Today \u2013September 30, 2013<\/p>\n
\nBoard Member<\/b><\/p>\n
\nThe Honorable Angela Romero, Utah House of Representatives
\nMr. Richard Gomez, Director of Equity, Utah State Office of Education
\nMr. Karl Wilson, State Director of Title I Programs \u2013Utah State Office of \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Education
\nMs. Sandra Sanchez, Attorney \u2013 U.S. Department of Education, Office for \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Civil Rights<\/p>\n