Faculty at Boston Latin Academy provided details for the first time on Wednesday about their vote of no confidence in their head of school, citing lost learning time throughout this year due to incomplete class schedules and a lack of clear protocols to address student behavioral and safety issues, according to a letter they sent to school district leaders.
Faculty also are sounding alarms over some members being subjected to investigations for “unsubstantiated claims,” which is creating “a culture of fear and retaliation” and “potential patterns of identity-based discriminatory behavior against staff and students” that is hurting the retention of Black and brown educators, the letter said.
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“We feel the current situation at BLA is not sustainable, and warrants your immediate and increased involvement including above and beyond what has occurred to date,” the letter said.
Tristen Grannum, a co-leader of the school’s Faculty Senate, read the letter aloud at Wednesday’s School Committee meeting.
Faculty issued the letter nearly two weeks after they voted no confidence in Head of School Gavin Smith by a margin of 85.3 percent among 109 ballots cast. In announcing the vote on June 9, faculty provided few details beyond concerns around “teaching and learning conditions” and noted faculty representatives had met at least twice since February with Superintendent Mary Skipper in hopes of resolving the issues.
But Skipper is standing firmly behind Gavin, who plans on staying at the school. In a statement to the Globe before the faculty letter was sent, Gavin said working at Latin Academy “is a gift.”
“This vote is an opportunity for me to reflect, which is always a priority for me as a school leader and educator, and to make changes to ensure that I grow in my work,” he said. “I will do all I can to support the school I deeply care about. In the two years leading this school, I have seen the beauty that exists here from the classes that we teach and the educators who teach them to our vibrant student community.”
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The Faculty Senate issued its letter one day after Boston Public Schools sent an e-mail to the Latin Academy community that outlined its initial action steps and emphasized that a leadership change would not be in the best interest of the school, which has had a turnstile of principals. Smith is the sixth person to lead Latin Academy in the last 10 years.
Drew Echelson, the district’s chief of schools and accountability, said in the letter that BPS “must work to understand the root cause of this turnover.
“There are a number of long-standing concerns raised by families and students at the school that pre-date current leadership,” Echelson said. “We must confront these concerns and focus our attention on moving forward collectively in a way that provides to students and educators what they need to be successful.”
The action steps the district pledged to take include providing additional coaching for the school leadership team; reassigning a central office leader to support the operational health of the school; auditing support for students with disabilities and overseeing the implementation of recommendations from that audit; reviewing evaluation feedback and ratings; and identifying a mediation partner to support relationships as the school tackles complex issues ahead.
Other members of the school community also spoke at the meeting, largely in opposition to Smith. Nicholas Ebisu, a building representative with the teachers union, said the vote was “taken as a last resort” after Smith refused input from faculty.
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“Mr. Smith unilaterally dictated the decline of a school previously respected for its teamwork and its excellence,” Ebisu said. “Mr. Smith’s insistence that he will stay on as a head of school despite the overwhelming vote of no confidence, is emblematic of his all-too-consistent, very head-in-the-sand approach to all problems in the last two years.”
Those problems, Ebisu said, included an increase in student violence, an erosion in academic standards, and a decline in a sense of belonging by students.
Mary Dibinga, a teacher and parent at the school, called for protection from retaliation for faculty raising concerns, saying staff have been asked “to say in front of an entire staff and Mr. Smith grievances that they have, with no guarantee” against retaliation.
Another teacher at the school, Sherry Jackson, said, “We actually need stronger leadership.
“Somebody more experienced. Someone who has been in the classroom for at least 10 years and understands that all subjects are different and are taught differently,” she said.
But Smith did have supporters.
Libbah Israel, a former student, advocated for his remaining in the role.
“He has continuously been a positive role model, guiding me and other students he’s crossed paths with to developing themselves into young professionals,” Israel said. “Mr. Smith has been very receptive and constructive to feedback, allowing us students to review him on things that he could be doing better.”
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“I am here in support of Mr. Smith’s leadership,” said Manuela Medina, a family liaison at the school. “As a Latina professional, I can’t say that I have felt welcomed by the BLA community, but I have had full support from my school leader.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of Tristen Grannum, a co-leader of the school’s Faculty Senate, The Globe regrets the error.
James Vaznis can be reached at james.vaznis@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globevaznis. Christopher Huffaker can be reached at christopher.huffaker@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @huffakingit.