One Year Later--Is There Improvement?

A year ago I wrote about the new principal at Hiram Johnson High School in Sacramento, saying

He's certainly not sparing anyone's feelings, is he?

There are a couple of ways of approaching this. He could either be the Joe Clark that the school needs, and knows how to get from here to there, or he can be nothing more than a bully who gets his jollies by imposing his will on others, whether or not the results are good or not.

I guess time will tell.

It's a year later, and what is time telling us? Not much:

Pick a side. That's the feeling at Hiram Johnson High School, where tensions are rising on campus between opposing groups hurling insults and calling for change.

In one corner are Principal Felisberto Cedros and his supporters. Their claim: Overhauling a failing high school means systemic change, and if you don't like it, leave.

On the other side is a group of teachers intent on removing Cedros and his administration. Their argument: Cedros is a dictator who is pushing outspoken teachers and low-performing students out of Hiram Johnson...

Since he took over last June, the no-nonsense Cedros has rubbed many teachers the wrong way. The Sacramento City Unified School District labeled Hiram Johnson and five other schools as high priorities because of lagging test scores. Hiram Johnson is in its fifth year of Program Improvement, federal sanctions imposed under the No Child Left Behind law.

Cedros' first order of business last year was instituting a stricter teacher dress code and ordering a deep cleaning and makeover at the 48-acre campus. Many teachers said they weren't given enough notice to remove classroom materials before the cleaning.

As a result, teachers said thousands of dollars worth of their instructional materials were tossed into trash bins...

"Cedros is a bully," said longtime teacher Larry Tagg. "He's a retaliator."

Cedros said the resistance from teachers is impeding his ability to bring about positive changes.

"They have used tactics of fair employment and hiding behind the shield of the union and kids," Cedros said. "They are putting up roadblocks to change"...

Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Jonathan Raymond said he stands behind Cedros and believes he is the right person to turn around the school.

"There was an investment in the status quo at Johnson," Raymond said. "No one said this would be easy. The school is better today than it was a year ago."

How is the school better today? Raymond doesn't say. The tone of the article doesn't make it appear that things are getting any better at that school. Where does the fault lie? Probably everywhere.