Middle school principal’s future in limbo

TEXAS CITY — Supporters of a veteran middle school principal who they claim is being pushed out of his job said they plan to pack the meeting room tonight when the Texas City school board meets.

School district officials are mum on what, if any, decision the administration has made about the future of Blocker Middle School Principal Dick Carter.

On the agenda for school board members is an executive session item calling for a review of a proposed resolution agreement regarding the middle school principal. What that means, though, the school district wasn’t saying.

“The Texas City ISD administration has been working specifically with Mr. Carter regarding Blocker Middle School and the school’s future,” school district spokeswoman Melissa Tortorici said. “Consultation with Mr. Carter is ongoing, and no final agreement or recommendation has occurred.”

If an agreement is reached, that is what the school board will review tonight, Tortorici said.

Last month Carter, who has been the principal at Blocker Middle School for 28 years, said Superintendent Bob Brundrett was trying to force him out.

School officials confirmed they were reviewing all aspects of the middle school’s operations, but Brundrett would not comment on details about Carter’s future.

The review was called for after Blocker Middle School was given an academically unacceptable rating because of students’ poor science scores on state mandated tests in 2008.

Using a loophole, however, the district successfully got that rating changed to “not rated” because of Hurricane Ike, but Brundrett said there still were concerns on campus he wanted addressed.

District officials, in a detailed memo to Carter last year, took the veteran principal to task for how he handled the discipline of African-American students and how academic specialists brought in to help raise math and science scores were treated.

The memo also said that extracurricular activities, especially those in fine arts, were disrupted because students were not allowed to leave campus for University Interscholastic League contests until the end of the school day.

In a December interview, Carter said that during a meeting in November with Brundrett, the superintendent said “there will be a different principal at Blocker next year.” Carter said the impression from that meeting and one on Dec. 3 was that he had been fired.

Brundrett denied that and said no decision about the principal’s job future had been made, which the district maintained in a statement on Monday.

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At A Glance

WHAT: Texas City school board

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. today

WHERE: School district administration building, 1401 Ninth Ave. N. in Texas City