Staff at Harbor Heights Elementary ask district to halt selection of new principal
Some teachers and staff at Harbor Heights Elementary in Gig Harbor are expressing concerns about the process of selecting a new principal for the school, complaining in a letter to the district that candidates were not properly vetted.
The current principal, David Bentler, is taking another job.
In an April 5 letter obtained by The Gateway, the staff raised a number of issues with the process and said they “respectfully request a stop in the principal selection process.”
The letter was unsigned, but the school district acknowledged that it came from Harbor Heights staff.
“Teachers and staff at Harbor Heights are highly disappointed in the principal interview process and candidates chosen for interview by Peninsula School District Administration,” the letter said. “Our concerns lay in both the current principal selection process coupled with the history of principal selection at Harbor Heights.”
The letter also noted there has been “an extraordinary turnover of five principals in seven years” at the school, located in the Wollochet area of unincorporated Gig Harbor.
The staff letter expressed “concern for the vetting process,” noting that teacher panelists used Google to discover “two candidates with questionable records.” The letter did not name the candidates or go into more detail.
“With only four candidates chosen for interview, a level of due diligence should have been executed,” the letter said.
The letter also said that some of the candidates had too little elementary teaching experience, or too little experience as principals, that staff on the interview panel were not provided with candidate’s resumes in advance and they were not allowed time to discuss or rank them.
In a response emailed to the school’s staff Wednesday, Superintendent Art Jarvis defended the selection process, and claimed that one of the candidates withdrew her name when told the staff letter had been shared with media.
“Because the staff shared this letter with local media sources, two excellent sitting school principals have been publicly called under question,” he wrote, adding that “when candidates consider where they want to live and lead, impressions about staff help decide if this is an attractive place professionally.”
Jarvis said the process would not be halted or restarted.
“Respectfully, that request is not viable and is not in the best interest of the district,” he wrote. “Likewise, the responsibility to hire principals is vested in the district management.”
He said an unnamed “remaining finalist” will be interviewed Thursday, April 8, “to determine if she is the right person for Harbor Heights Elementary School, and if not, we will go in a different direction.”
Staff feedback limited
In an email announcing the interviews of semifinal candidates, which took place on April 1, assistant superintendent John Hellwich said a “hiring committee will take all feedback into consideration when determining the final candidates, who will move on to a second round of interviews next week.”
But the staff letter complained that their feedback was limited to two questions: “What do you appreciate about the candidate?” and “What do you wonder about the candidate?”
When reached with questions about staff concerns, Hellwich declined to comment. A series of questions sent to the district about the process also went unanswered.
The letter from teachers concluded with a call for the position to “be reopened” and start over with more participation of staff.
“We are here to ensure the success and well-being of our students and staff at our Harbor Heights school community. With the level of importance and the amount of concerns, we are asking for the position to be reopened and Harbor Heights staff and PEA should be involved with the vetting and screening process of applicants. We do not wish to repeat history — five principals in seven years.”
Superintendent pushes back
Jarvis, who is retiring on June 30, pushed back on the candidates’ qualifications, saying that “candidates have been researched and screened” with references “verified in a highly professional manner.”
Jarvis acknowledged that staff were not allowed to rank the candidates, a decision he said was “intentional.”
“The letter asserts that staff were not allowed to rank, order or confer about the candidate selection. This is true, and it was intentional. Three interview groups were led by administrators, Harbor Heights staff, and parents/students,” Jarvis said. “None were asked to make a selection.
“All feedback was considered and it informed the selection of the finalists,” he said. “Despite what was written in the letter, the staff and the community were involved in the interview process, had a chance for input, and made an impact.”
Jarvis ended his response with a reference to the “culture” of Harbor Heights.
“In the letter, staff noted that their school has had multiple principals in recent years,” he said. “It is apparent that the culture of the school must be addressed in order to proceed with new leadership and to support new leaders in a way they can be successful.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
