I read the blog about Spruce and thought to myself, "Humph, there just might be a campus worse than A. Maceo Smith HS." Teachers and staff are very disgruntled there. The new principal has the Godfather syndrome, "My way or the highway." No one seems to care. He has made it clear that he is the supreme leader in that building and he obviously has the support of his boss(es).

If you fail to stroke his ego, you may find yourself reassigned from an AP teacher to a 9th grade teacher or perhaps an English teacher to a full-time ISS teacher in the auditorium. If you are a clerk or teacher assistant, you might find that your job description has changed to sitting in the library, cafeteria or hallway with no job description whatsoever. Worst case scenario, you will find yourself thumbing in everyday for months waiting for your walk down the longest mile to find that you are being terminated. Just ask the former athletic director who was replaced by the middle school AD across the street. Perhaps you will find you have been reassigned in the middle of the year to another campus (just ask the former dean.)If you really make him mad, you might find that yourself on probation for the year and your entire department will be fired or told that they ALL have to reapply for their jobs.

Don't get me wrong, I do realize that new principals to campuses sometimes have to get rid of the rotten eggs in low performing schools but geesh, can you figure out what the heck is going on at the school before you kick folks out on their butts?

The campus has lost at least four or five teachers (in the hard to get good teachers areas: Science and Math) in the middle of the school year because of his unwillingness to support teachers. No one wants to put up with being cursed, disrespected, and hit only to be told not to make him choose between "children and adult issues because the kids will always win over the adults." What the heck kind of mentality is that?

Does the executive director or the district trustee or PTA president or someone with authority even know these things are happening? If so, is this just another part of being a principal, you just whip everyone in shape and if you have a square peg that doesn't fit in the round hole, crush it, destroy it until it fits? That's his leadership style. So Sad!

Even sadder is the fact that his "new" associate principal was one of the principals who was demoted for misusing the P=card. How do you get a demotion for being a thief, then get reassigned to assistant principal and then get promoted to associate principal- all within a 9 month period? Furthermore, I've been told that she has been assigned as THE summer school PRINCIPAL at A. Maceo Smith. Let's hope this is not true. Can someone check into this?

Now, here's the biggest kicker of all, he has introduced the teacher/testing coordinator with no classes to the staff as the assistant principal. No one on the campus was aware that the position had been posted. Guess what, it has not been. Many certified chaps across the state would love to apply for the position, if only it were possible. Too bad, the testing coordinator is the Assistant Principal according to the Principal and the memos she sends out to teachers; and she will demand that you respect her as such. She completes all the duties of the assistant principal,(yelling at kids and teachers, sending out memos to staff, confronting parents, suspending kids, having conferences etc.) yet no one anywhere can find her official title as anything other than test coordinator.

I'm not certain, but there's got to be some kind of ethical compromise to presenting her as such and having her do these things when the district has no knowledge, er, record of it. DISD was peacock proud of the new ethics department it created. Can someeone please tell me what is ethical about the things that are being done at A. Maceo Smith HS? Does anyone care anymore? What about the children enrolled on that campus? Can he insure those kids will be ready for college? I think not. Are taxpayers, former and present teachers,students etc. just supposed to wait until he gets his next promotion to seek justice or do we save the kids NOW? Brett Shipp, where are you?

[Ed Note: Keep in mind that many people have many opinions on this matter. I've heard complaints about her, and praises. As far as the P-Card issue, well, that's another story. The whole thing was mishandled.

If you have specifics, then send me a private mail and talk to me about it. If we find substance to it, we'll look into it further.]