SCHOOL AVOIDS PRINCIPAL DISTRACTION
Test scores, leadership turnover stay high at Oro Grande

One of Lake Havasu City’s elementary schools has at least sustained — if not improved — its students’ high academic scores even though the school has gone through nine principals in the past 10 years.

But Pat Wolfe has said he intends to stay for a while as Oro Grande Elementary School’s principal, which has the highest principal turnover in the Lake Havasu Unified School District.

“You want to make (the staff) feel comfortable,” Wolfe said. “They do have a long history of turnover in this office. Everything will be OK with this one.”

Since 2001, the high school, middle school and three elementary schools have each had three principals. Starline Elementary School has had two principals and Jamaica Elementary School has had one principal.

District Superintendent Gail Malay said there have been “lots of different” reasons why principals have been constantly shuffled through Oro Grande’s doors.

In the past 20 years, Kathy Cox spent the longest time at the school’s reigns by leading there for eight years. She left Oro Grande in 2003 and eventually resigned as principal of Lake Havasu High School in December 2009.

Since Cox, principals have rotated almost annually. In recent years, one principal moved back to her home state after living for one year in Arizona and another principal died suddenly before school started after a reported illness.

Wolfe replaced Brad Gardner, who was promoted to the district’s director of educational services.

But even though the school’s leadership has been changing constantly, its test scores on the state’s annual exam have remained high and compete with Jamaica — the only local school recognized nationally for its academic excellence. The school was one of 304 nationwide to earn the Blue Ribbon award in 2010.

Each year, the Arizona Department of Education assigns schools one of five labels, ranging from failing to excelling, based on student test scores. Oro Grande received an average “performing” label in 2003 and has since moved up two notches to “highly performing,” which is one level below “excelling.” The school received the “excelling” label in 2009.

The department doesn’t post Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards’ annual test scores online prior to 2007.

In 2008, the percentage of third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students excelling in math and reading at Oro Grande topped Jamaica’s percentages.

Since 2008, Oro Grande’s scores have hovered around Jamaica’s and they have become two of the top performing schools in the district.

Top administration — and the school’s staff — said the bottom line is that they are competent and know how to do their job, no matter who is leading the school.

Gardner said the teacher turnover rate at the school is “relatively low” compared to other schools.

“I also believe that the protocols for communication and teamwork were established years ago and this has only been enhanced over the course of time because of the turnover with principals,” Gardner stated in an e-mail. “Veteran staff, many with advanced degrees, consistency with programs and understandings, and a focus on teamwork and communication and shared responsibility seem to be the foundation for Oro Grande’s success.”

Oro Grande’s teachers said Cox laid a solid foundation for their academic excellence and since then, each principal has taught them new skills. But the teachers also credit their own longevity at the school and the district’s constant training for helping to keep test scores high.

“The principal might change, the staff does not,” said Linda Bowes, the school’s administrative assistant, who has worked at Oro Grande for 21 years. “We have an incredibly strong staff.”

The school’s academic coach, Stephanie Waller, compared the school to an airplane. She said every once in a while the (plane) may land and get a new pilot, but they take off in the same direction and the crew knows what to do.

“We need a pilot in that seat,” Waller said, who has been at the school for 21 years. “But we know what we need to do in our positions.”

Malay contributes Waller’s consistency at the school as one of its factors for being successful. Waller helps identify what teachers need to be successful, Malay stated in an e-mail.

Arizona Education Association officials said there wasn’t much data to prove if principal turnover has any affect on test scores.

A 2009 study from Princeton University states that academic scores typically decrease after principal departures, but it also states there isn’t much data to prove how leadership turnover affects quality. But the study further states the downturn is typically found at already underperforming schools.

Joe Thomas, the vice president of the Arizona Education Association, said it’s what teachers do inside the classroom that impact grades.

“I think most teachers bring an academic rigor with them into the classroom,” Thomas said. “When you change your site leader … they are more management, but it doesn’t always impact the lesson plans and the jobs you are doing inside the classroom at a level that can impact grades.”

He also said it’s easier to keep a school moving forward if a principal is appointed from within the district. Nearly half of Oro Grande’s principals were already district employees.

Thomas said without knowing anything about Oro Grande or Lake Havasu City, the fact that scores remained high throughout turnover tells him there is strong community and family support for Oro Grande’s students.

“As long as the district is hiring quality people and they put in good professional practices and professional development to keep the teachers trained, then you should probably see some fairy consistent scores,” he said. “If a teacher feels supported with what they are being asked to do, then schools run very well.”

Malay stated that the school now “has very stable leadership” with Wolfe.

“Pat wants to be a principal,” she stated in an e-mail. “When you are around Pat you can feel, hear and see his commitment.”

You may contact the reporter at jleatherman@havasunews.com