Russell Byers Charter School parents call for CEO's dismissal
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Board members at Russell Byers Charter School will meet this afternoon to consider a call by scores of parents for the immediate dismissal of the school's chief executive officer, Constance Horton.
Board members at Russell Byers Charter School will meet this afternoon to consider a call by scores of parents for the immediate dismissal of the school's chief executive officer, Constance Horton.
The parents say Horton, who joined the school in May, has fired some academic and support staff without replacing them; made changes to the curriculum that she has not acknowledged to parents and imposed what they see as unreasonable rules, including requiring complete silence in corridors and restricting the amount of time that students can use bathrooms.
Parents also allege that Horton has no qualifications as an educator or educational administrator, and spent "thousands of dollars" on remodeling her office while some girls' restroom doors remain broken.
In a submission to the board, detailing 42 reasons why they say Horton should be fired, the parents also say she was involved in the firing of six teachers last spring. Nine more teachers have left voluntarily since then, the parents allege, and at least five families have withdrawn their children since the school year began.
"The start of the 2014 school year has been wrought with turmoil, confusion and frustration among a large majority of the parents and staff of Russell Byers Charter School," the parents said in their submission. "It has become apparent that the current leadership is jeopardizing the health and sustainability of our school.
"Ms. Horton's leadership style is opaque, divisive and non-collaborative," the document said. "She has damaged the trust of parents, teachers and staff."
Horton was not immediately available for comment on the allegations. She initially agreed to an interview with City Paper ahead of the board meeting, and then cancelled it without comment early today.
The school, at 19th & Arch Streets, has about 485 students from kindergarten through sixth grade.
Andrew Rosser, a parent of three students at the school, urged parents to sign a petition calling for Horton's dismissal. He said he sent his children there because it had a "strong sense of culture and community" that is now under strain because of Horton's management.
"It feels as if someone has broken into my home and rearranged everything," he wrote in a letter accompanying the petition.
Early today, supporters said the petition had 115 signatures.
