The district just confirmed that the assistant principal position is staying at Crossroads. I am honestly stunned by this outcome and know it only happened because of your persistence. Thank you for stepping up to protect our school community when it really mattered.
July 21, 2024
Final supporters
To the SPPS Senior Executive Leadership Team and the SPPS Board of Education:
We, the undersigned parents, teachers, staff and community members of Crossroads Elementary, firmly petition the district to postpone the planned loss of our Assistant Principal position. Removing this critical administrative role would severely undermine school safety, staff stability, and our ability to effectively operate our unique dual programs and year-round schedule. We urgently request this decision be reconsidered for the following reasons:
School Safety and Climate
The Assistant Principal plays an invaluable role in maintaining a positive school environment and ensuring the safety of our students and staff. Their presence allows for consistent discipline, mediation of conflicts, and oversight of safety protocols. As a Title 1 school with more than 85% of students receiving free and reduced lunches, Crossroads has a higher need for administrative support; losing this position risks further diminishing the orderly climate our children need to learn and thrive.
Staff Retention and Support
Our Assistant Principal provides vital support, guidance and leadership to our teaching staff. They help balance workloads, mediate issues, and ensure teachers have the resources needed to excel in their roles. Removing this position will overburden administrators and make it far more difficult to retain experienced, high-quality teachers.
Unique Program and Schedule Needs
Crossroads operates dual Montessori and Science programs on a year-round schedule. This complex structure requires excellent administrative bandwidth that cannot be adequately met with just one Principal. The Assistant Principal role is essential for coordinating these special programs and schedules effectively. We are currently about to navigate what will likely be the final school year in our year-round schedule, and the loss of our AP will be premature with respect to the duties that are required for administering our Intersession programming. Additionally, as a city-wide magnet school, Crossroads has higher needs with respect to its transportation and busing; our AP handles a high level of bus behavior management for 13 buses and coordinates more than 9 bus aides to support our students to/from school each day.
For each of these reasons, removing our AP so abruptly will harm our programming and certainly impact enrollment for Crossroads and its existential future within the district.
For the successful education of our children and the wellbeing of the entire Crossroads community, we respectfully urge you to reconsider the district’s decision to remove the Assistant Principal from Crossroads Elementary in July 2024, and instead postpone that loss to the end of the 2024-2025 school year (August of 2025). This extended transition will enable Crossroads to navigate a final year of Intersession programming and establish new workload distribution, and will be a more sensible approach to meeting the district's need of reducing expenses in response to the long-predicted budget shortfall.
Thank you for your consideration.
Updates
April 25, 2024
I am honestly a bit overwhelmed by the way so many of you have stepped up to advocate for our school. This momentum belongs entirely to the community members who refused to stay quiet about what Crossroads needs.
Reached 100 supporters
April 25, 2024
29 Comments
Two separate schools require a minimum of 2 administrators. The workload (2 SCIPs, 2 budgets, all of the staff observations) is not feasible for one person. Please reinstate the AP position at Crossroads.
Losing an AP will affect the students who need the most attention and care. When we lose staff, children who are "acting out" or "misbehaving" will be reprimanded without care and attention to resolve the root of the issue. I've seen teaching assistants and teachers diffuse situations without needing to go to the principal's office. Let's stop this pipeline to prison.
This would be terrible not only for the school but to the parents whom she has been instrumental in navigating bullying incidents. She has been a wonderful resource. One person can't do it alone, so she should remain in place to help the principle.
This sounds ridiculous. I'm in construction and if I took away my helper my job would be insanely hard. Do we care about our youth or money ??
Our student is a rising 5th grader or we would pull him. However, my younger child will not attend Crossroads and we are looking outside the district for both next year. I no longer trust SPPS district staff cares about the families or students in their schools. Building staff are not the problem.
Save Heidi
Assistant principals are necessary for operations. Our kids need strong leaders.
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The district just confirmed that the assistant principal position is staying at Crossroads. I am honestly stunned by this outcome and know it only happened because of your persistence. Thank you for stepping up to protect our school community when it really mattered.
July 21, 2024
Final supporters
To the SPPS Senior Executive Leadership Team and the SPPS Board of Education:
We, the undersigned parents, teachers, staff and community members of Crossroads Elementary, firmly petition the district to postpone the planned loss of our Assistant Principal position. Removing this critical administrative role would severely undermine school safety, staff stability, and our ability to effectively operate our unique dual programs and year-round schedule. We urgently request this decision be reconsidered for the following reasons:
School Safety and Climate
The Assistant Principal plays an invaluable role in maintaining a positive school environment and ensuring the safety of our students and staff. Their presence allows for consistent discipline, mediation of conflicts, and oversight of safety protocols. As a Title 1 school with more than 85% of students receiving free and reduced lunches, Crossroads has a higher need for administrative support; losing this position risks further diminishing the orderly climate our children need to learn and thrive.
Staff Retention and Support
Our Assistant Principal provides vital support, guidance and leadership to our teaching staff. They help balance workloads, mediate issues, and ensure teachers have the resources needed to excel in their roles. Removing this position will overburden administrators and make it far more difficult to retain experienced, high-quality teachers.
Unique Program and Schedule Needs
Crossroads operates dual Montessori and Science programs on a year-round schedule. This complex structure requires excellent administrative bandwidth that cannot be adequately met with just one Principal. The Assistant Principal role is essential for coordinating these special programs and schedules effectively. We are currently about to navigate what will likely be the final school year in our year-round schedule, and the loss of our AP will be premature with respect to the duties that are required for administering our Intersession programming. Additionally, as a city-wide magnet school, Crossroads has higher needs with respect to its transportation and busing; our AP handles a high level of bus behavior management for 13 buses and coordinates more than 9 bus aides to support our students to/from school each day.
For each of these reasons, removing our AP so abruptly will harm our programming and certainly impact enrollment for Crossroads and its existential future within the district.
For the successful education of our children and the wellbeing of the entire Crossroads community, we respectfully urge you to reconsider the district’s decision to remove the Assistant Principal from Crossroads Elementary in July 2024, and instead postpone that loss to the end of the 2024-2025 school year (August of 2025). This extended transition will enable Crossroads to navigate a final year of Intersession programming and establish new workload distribution, and will be a more sensible approach to meeting the district's need of reducing expenses in response to the long-predicted budget shortfall.
Thank you for your consideration.
Updates
April 25, 2024
I am honestly a bit overwhelmed by the way so many of you have stepped up to advocate for our school. This momentum belongs entirely to the community members who refused to stay quiet about what Crossroads needs.
Reached 100 supporters
April 25, 2024
29 Comments
As a employee and a parent of this school. I feel that if this school doesn't have a Principal and AP. This school will not function properly. I world be forced to find a different school for me and my child. We need a AP
Two separate schools require a minimum of 2 administrators. The workload (2 SCIPs, 2 budgets, all of the staff observations) is not feasible for one person. Please reinstate the AP position at Crossroads.
Losing an AP will affect the students who need the most attention and care. When we lose staff, children who are "acting out" or "misbehaving" will be reprimanded without care and attention to resolve the root of the issue. I've seen teaching assistants and teachers diffuse situations without needing to go to the principal's office. Let's stop this pipeline to prison.
This would be terrible not only for the school but to the parents whom she has been instrumental in navigating bullying incidents. She has been a wonderful resource. One person can't do it alone, so she should remain in place to help the principle.
This sounds ridiculous. I'm in construction and if I took away my helper my job would be insanely hard. Do we care about our youth or money ??
Our student is a rising 5th grader or we would pull him. However, my younger child will not attend Crossroads and we are looking outside the district for both next year. I no longer trust SPPS district staff cares about the families or students in their schools. Building staff are not the problem.
Save Heidi
Assistant principals are necessary for operations. Our kids need strong leaders.
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As a employee and a parent of this school. I feel that if this school doesn't have a Principal and AP. This school will not function properly. I world be forced to find a different school for me and my child. We need a AP