In the email addressed Principal Dixon??? The question was asked What ever happened to Mary E. Davies the principal at Spence? Well, she was removed in May. Spence has an interim principal.

[Ed Note: Remarkably few details have emerged.]

Thanks Allen, not only for the needed exposure regarding Spence principal(Davies),but for other schools as well. Just maybe the big WIGS downtown will give a listening ear to teachers,etc? It has been rumored, that Mary Davies has a few of her trusty favorites to hatch frivolous rumors, such as she (Davies) had to take a leave of absence after being in the hot seat,(During testing,closing of the school year.Yeah Right!) to care for a relative. Mary Davies is all about image! She has not a care in the world for helping educate students. The entire staff of A. W. Spence should now take this unhealthy experience, and put it behind them, and start focusing on the positive. Hopefuly Mary Davies can seek some good from this situation that will cause an internal chage? Anything is possible.

Is she coming back or not? The position isn't posted. Barbara Morrison, was the summer school principal and she would be a GREAT replacement. I think she could turn that school around!

Right but wasn't she (Ms. Morrison) already a principal at one point and then later placed in an assistant principal position?

Principal's could not apply for summer school positions this summer...so that is why she was in that position...not because she was going to be the new principal at Spence.

Spence needs someone completely unbiased who will do what is best for the school. Working there in the summer does not mean you should (or are qualified to) be placed in the position.

She was my dean at Stockard MS back in 1996-1998 and she was one tough cookie with the kids, which I appreciated (they were running amuck at that time at Stockard). She was also very supportive of me as a new teacher. Having said that, she was not exactly young at that time (maybe in her 50s?) and that's been a number of years ago.

I taught summer school at Spence. I do not think that Ms Morrison is a good principal. She is a hot-headed jump-the-gun personality. Spence needs a principal who is a good disciplinarian and a supporter of teachers.

[Ed Note: Keep in mind, folks, that all administrators have their supporters and detractors. ...somewhat like us bloggers do :) ]

There are two programs at Spence M.S. (The TAG academy and the Learning Center). The new principal should have the understanding of how to run both programs together successfully and recognize the value of both programs. (Not Separate them) Spence's faculty and staff are ready for that person to come in and work with them to bring Spence back to the status it was in the past before Mary E. Davies. The new principal must get discipline under control on the first day of school. All the teachers/faculty members at Spence want is someone who is positive and not an ego maniac, have interest in the students, who will come out of the office and get to know the students, someone who will treat the teachers/faculty with respect. when something is wrong to speak to that person as an individual and with respect. The Students deserve this, the teachers/faculty deserves this. I do not know Ms. Morrison but if she meets the above qualifications, then apply for the job.

Allen, Allen, Allen....

By now I'd thought you'd figured out not to post the anti-Davies lies posted here.

Apparently they can still sucker you.

[Ed Note: Hey... it gets people to comment, or so I am told :) ]

I agree with this poster. It's a shame that some teachers continue their ugly little campaign. I won't say anything else because I don't want to be attacked. However, I'm curious about Gilda Marquez. Is it true that prior to Davies hiring her she took a church kneeler in front of DISD and was praying for the district? Oh my God, that rumor just can't be! I sure hope Castro didn't promise her anything. That lady is a loon to put it mildly. Also, I did hear that she was always bad-mouthing Davies even after she gave her a second chance. Yes! I can see why you get so many comments. I too heard it from a reliable source that Davies resigned.

On another note, thank you Allen for getting us the info on Spruce. My best friend used to work there and she is a hell of a teacher. Had she stayed she would have been robo-fired too! Thanks for exposing DISD with your blog. I was shocked when I heard the message.

First of all I am sorry that this website is the future of education. I am sorry at how one could get sucked into the Jerry Springer of education, including myself.

However, I must stand up for education and that I will.

I admit there were a lot of issues at Spence.

I believe that the teachers and students deserve a break from all the subjective eyes of the world wide web who happen to be looking not only at teachers but at the students.

In all this talk, who has the best interest of the students at heart? I would hate to be the parent of a child looking into all this trash.

A lot of kids have enough of it at home. Which brings me to something bothersome and uncomfortable to talk to all of you about.

I don't believe that exposing an eleven year old girl to shooting her comments online is helpful to her upbringing, hence a child should learn that old time idea of sensibility.

I think that critical thinking is one thing, already allowing her parent's jaded view of public education is another.

I fear the parent of this child lost critical thinking in child raising a long time ago. If you need help in understanding the dangers of making the net your public/private forun I recommend watching the Frontline special, Growing Up Online.

I also don't believe that this was a forum to get an eleven year old girl in touch with her feelings.

Its one thing to Spence, its another to involve an eleven year old child perhaps not yet capable of drawing the line of discernment.

As a parent, this online life takes a life of its own, one must make sure that this life is online life is not to be looked at as validation.

But hey if you have it figured out more power to you. If she did not like her day at Spence, then she writes a letter to her hosts at the school.

Not that I am Ann Landers or anything but Gossip Girl should not be the role model that she has to express her opinion. Call me old fashion or just old.

An inner-city school such as Spence will always present issues that are difficult. But this website is not about solutions, rather arm chair speculators feeding the ego of the creator.

The fact of the matter is it is rather tacky tasteless and self serving. But who am I to say anything? This website is tacky tasteless and self-serving.

As far as the future of Spence, whether Gilda, Barbara, or you the blogger or creator of this website whomever the next leader happens to be; it is best to build children rather than speculate and post trash online. But hey this is only my third time on this website and my last. Best of luck.

[Ed Note: First, let's get something straight: this website has nothing to do with "getting a [child] in touch with his or her feelings. My daughter posted her experiences in an attempt to shine light on a negative experience that should have been positive.

By the way, stay away from the Dallas Morning News' blog too. You'll find lots of "trash" there too! Cheers!]

You know, you are right, poster. This website does show the soft underbelly of the DISD. You see the bad, the ugly and the downright awful.

Thank God for it!

I am a taxpayer and DISD employee. We are in danger of losing our jobs if we speak up, so we post here. If we can draw in outside eyes, embarrass our bosses--or shame them--into doing the right thing, like their Momma should have taught them, then so be it.

Yea, some go overboard on some items, but overall, this website balances out. You hear of good things, too.

Finally, the eleven yr old's blog is so-o-o way old news. Criticize in a timely manner...but wait! You aren't going to read this anyway!

Buh-bye!

I moved to Dallas a while back for the sole purpose of teaching in the area. It offered everything that most other urban areas in America don't. Great pay, low cost of living, good districts, and lots of opportunity. I came to teach at Dallas ISD instead of one of the surrounding areas because I saw teaching in Dallas as Prime Time. People nationwide have heard of Dallas. How many people have heard of places like Little Elm?

Since starting my new career in Dallas this is what I have learned. DISD has a history and reputation of being terribly mismanaged, a reputation that is seems to want to keep. I've also learned that many people in the area, including teachers, detest this reputation but seem willing to accept it.

Here is what I propose. If we want DISD to change, we need to do it. Most of us that work in the district are Dallas County residents, taxpayers, and parents. By law we control things. We elect school board members. Our voice is what matters. If these school board members will not listen or work to actually fix problems then we elect others that do. It's part of the democratic process. If we work at schools where administrators will not do their jobs then we bring formal complaints to whatever level is needed. We are backed by the teachers' unions and the community. If we want change, we cannot accept the unacceptable.

Gilda Marquez was asked by Mr. Castro on June 26, 2008 to apply for the Spence principalship. He promised to select her. Davies was forced on by Mr. Castro on the same day. She submitted her S-54 but it hasn't been posted yet. She's out! Ms. Marquez is in! Hooray!

How can Castro promise to hire anyone. Didn't she go through the principal selection committee. I was on one for another middle school. If he already can tell who gets what, then it's another example of going thru the motions...yet doing as they please. I hope this isn't the case. They dragged Hill out all summer, more teachers left and the new principal was hired on Thurs. before school started. Please tell me there was a selection process with teachers and parents involved ??

[Ed Note: Anybody?]

Principal Selection Committee? SBDM? It seems from reading this blog for a while and working for the district, that DISD expects such things to run as advisory-only platforms. Has a selection committee's final choice been overturned by the area sup.? (oops, learning community director) Have principals been placed without a committee being convened? Is it about giving the parents the illusion of having some control? Are either of these required by TEA?

I doubt seriously if Mr. Castro offered Gilda Marquez the job of Principal at Spence. Ms. Marquez once was an administrator for DISD in the past, but has been in the classroom for the last eight years. Marquez does not have confidence in herself to lead and was very much apart of the problems at Spence. The was a selection committee two years ago when selecting a new principal for Spence. The committee selected someone from Skyline of course the committee was ignored by Mr. Castro. The end result was Mary E. Davies. Who constantly reminded her faculty/Staff that Castro was her friend. Now, how about that!!!

[Ed Note: I've found that sometimes the quietest folks end up making the best administrators.]

Please tell me this is not true! Gilda Marquez is definitely not the right person for Spence. Mary Davies might have been spiteful in her way, but Marquez's incompetence will make Davies look like a miracle worker. For anybody that doesn't know her, she's been in the district for over a decade and was actually demoted all the way down to classroom teacher as late as 2006-2007. Spence needs somebody to come from outside the whole situation, and perhaps even outside the district. If this is true Spence is in for a long dismal year.

[Ed Note: I'm not seeing any specifics on why you believe Gilda Marquez to be incompetent. Let's get some facts, eh? Keep in mind that Spence is going to be under a microscope this year--from students, parents and teachers. An ineffective leader won't be happy at Spence this year.]

She abandoned her job as Dean of Instruction at Boude Storey(1998?) and spent three weeks in a tent across the street from the Admin. building praying to "heal the wounds between Rojas and the School board."

[Ed Note: What? I don't remember this at all.]

She had a different last name then.

[Ed Note: ...and that would be?]

Her last name was formerly Molina...Gilda Molina.

[Ed Note: I still don't recall the incident you refer to. You wouldn't happen to have anything documented would you?]

Ms. Marquez has not been promised the principal position at Spence. The position must be posted and at least 3 applicants interviewed for the position once it is posted (The position has yet to be posted)... my information is from a reliable source.

[Ed Note: I'd like to know what policy this is.]

Ms. Marquez is a nice person but has a history of instability under pressure. You really need to examine her background carefully before you give her a principalship again. You might ask former teachers at O.M. Roberts what type of principal she was. While I agree Davies was way unprofessional, Marquez crossed the line many times with her bad-mouthing also.

Allen,

It appears all these posts from the Spence teachers are turning your normally informative blog into the DISD Jerry Springer show. When our school was having difficulty, our Executive Director Leslie Williams tried to do something positive about it. However, at Spence everyone seems to be speculating and mud-slinging. How much of this involves their ex dir Emelio Castro? If it’s really true that he promised Gilda Marquez the principal spot at Spence, then he’s just plain whack and I’ve already heard HORRIBLE things about him! I personally know Marquez from TJ and she was an incompetent and paranoid even then. She would try to take credit for other people’s work!

As for you Allen, I applaud you for breaking the p-card scandal and getting us a copy of the “you’re fired” recording. What is DISD thinking? Don’t they care about their teachers? Does anyone care about the teachers??

[Ed Note: We allow quite a bit of latitude regarding posts. Keep in mind that these things aren't only being said here--they're being said other places. By being liberal in our posting policies, we expose these issues to public scrutiny and rebuttal.]

So Leslie Williams is a big help? Exactly how did he help Spruce and Roosevelt this year? The teachers at Roosevelt were on every media channel telling stories of the total chaos at the school. Williams was called in and did nothing.
How did he help Spruce? Didn't he let Skyline disintegrate when he was principal? Other than being a sharp dresser, what is his skill set?

"How much of this involves their ex dir Emelio Castro?"

I have heard a rumor he is going to Ponce position as Director of Transformation Office. Is he the ex-director of Secondary East?

Hasn't that man hit his level of incompetence YET?

Lord, put him on a bus with Leslie Williams, Ms. Durant and Shirley Isom-Newsome and take them away from us!

[Ed Note: Keep in mind that, on the flip side, there are some who would disagree with you about a lack of competence of these folks. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm saying that there are multiple opinions about these folks--and others--and me :) ]

Please tell us one thing Williams has done right in two years. He rarely enters the schools he supervises. He left Skyline in a mess. He let others there take the heat for decisions he made.

Tell us how Durant supports her principals instead of throwing them under a bus.

Tell us how great Isom-Newsome is when she rules her fiefdom with fear and heavy doses of paperwork. What or who does that woman know to keep her around so long?

And explain how a man like Castro was about to be fired or demoted--only to be promoted because nobody else would take the East Side LC job.

No the incompetence has not reached an all time high yet. That will happen when and if Castro continues to be promoted. Castro's godfather Flores is gone now. What is he going to do next? His principals hate him, the teachers rarely see him except when he's glad-handing them, so what next? Castro has a long documented history of scandals, e.g. p-card, TAKS cheating, inappropriate relationships, and general dishonesty. He surrounds himself with flunkies and kisses-up to anyone that might promote him. However, speak in private to people about him and they'll tell you it's all about his career and CYA. Nope, Castro is not a nice guy but he's done will with the skill set he does have.

I could list some very specific details as to Ms. Marquez's incompetence and would glad to do so, but I believe that this would reveal my true identity (much like Superman). If Marquez is principal or not I still do not need an administrator against me. However, I can say that I seriously doubt she was named principal of Spence. There was no mention of it on the DMN website's article on new principals and principals that had submitted s-54 forms. Don't forget she was a classroom teacher just a few short years ago after years of being an administrator. It appears even the district does not think she is qualified enough to run a school. I again believe that Spence needs a principal that comes from outside the situation that has a proven track record of success.

[Ed Note: I have found, over the years, that there are very few instances where one person is the sole knowledge-holder of information. So you might be suspected of revealing information but there's still doubt. I encourage you to provide specifics--assuming we can verify them.]