For the first time, Queens Principal Anthony Lombardi has become a real school leader.
Lombardi, who has been the principal for 12 years, has more control over hiring his staff. He said eliminating the rule in the union contract that allowed tenured teachers -- some of whom were considered incompetent -- to use their seniority to "bump" their way into his school has been a big plus.
"I'm able to keep the teachers I interviewed and trained. The elimination of transfers and bumping stabilizes a school's organization,"
Before mayoral control, PS 49 went through a stormy period as Lombardi sought to force out low-performing teachers under cumbersome union rules, which caused a war among his staff. Mary Shannon, a literacy coach and teacher at the school for 18 years, recalled,
"It was ugly for a long time. There were divided camps: who was with Mr. Lombardi and who wasn't. But it had to be done. We had to clean house. It's about the kids,"
The results?
Math and reading scores are up 14 percent since 2003, and PS 49 received a solid B on its school report card last year. In 2007, the state Education Department honored PS 49 for high performance and for closing the achievement gap for minority students. More parents are clamoring to get their kids into the school, which is adding two kindergarten classes next fall and is expanding from K-to-5 to K-to-8.
Parents are thrilled with the changes.
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