Sunday, July 07, 2013

Timothy Harris: A Truthteller to Admire


See his email to Superintendent Seawood below!

Someone finally called out the Whirlpool supporters and stooges who are in charge of our schools and children:  Leonard Seawood and school board members Barbara Bell, Lue Buchanan, Willie Lark, and Martha Momany.

Kudos to Timothy Harris.  We greatly admire him as one of the few people to call into question the powers that be in Benton Harbor.  We need more truthtellers like him.  
Here's a recent article outlining his recent experience with Whirlpool's school superintendent Seawood.  Whirlpool does NOT want out children to succeed.


New Benton Harbor Principal Gone
July 2, 2013
Louise Wrege
Herald Palladium

Benton Harbor High School new so-called turnaround principal Timothy Harris is out of a job.  But, there's a question whether he resigned or was fired Monday which was supposed to be his first official day as principal.  He received an hourly stipend from the Benton Harbor area school district to work in June to make the transition smoother.

Harris said he was frustrated because the district leadership has kept ineffective teachers and administrators at the high school and didn't allow him to bring on a board turnaround specialist as they had promised him when he was hired. 

He said he sent school administrators, including superintendent Leonard Seawood, an email on June 25 stating he would not start Monday without the transition person on staff who he had asked to be hired, but said he had heard no response.   He sent another email early Monday morning expressing his frustration.  He said he had hoped to hear from Seawood that the district would honor it's promise.  Instead, Harris received an email saying that Seawood was accepting the email as his official letter of resignation.  "I did not resign,"  Harris said in an interview with the Herald Palladium.  "I was expecting them to honor what they said they were going to do."  Seawood said he saw the email as a letter of resignation.  

"His first day was today and he never showed up," Seawood said.  "We started summer school today and he never showed up and sent a letter like that.  What do you call it?  I don't know what else to call it."

Following is Harris email verbatim and unedited:

It is unfortunate that you did not honor the conditions in which you promised me before I took the job as turnaround principal, nor did you respond to the email.  Instead, you have been less than honest, and I question your integrity, character and morals as it pertains to what's best for the students at Benton Harbor High School and the district.  

You have compromised the integrity of the education experience by rehiring ineffective teachers and administrators that you know cannot effectively do their job, but keep their job due to politics.  In my eyes that is criminal, and I wonder how you sleep at night knowing that you sold your soul and sold out our kids for politics.  Well fortunately, my soul is not for sale.  

I will not cave in to politics or take on this task just to get a paycheck.  The young people of this community mean so much more to me than a paycheck and they deserve our best.  When you are truly ready for change and serious about providing the best educational program for our kids give me a call.



Stay tuned for Part II of this Herald Palladium article.

--We will be protesting at 4pm Tuesday, August 6 in front of the Benton Harbor School Administration Bldg. on Pipestone.   Please join us to express your outrage at the superintendent and school board members who support Whirlpool Corp.   The corporation is calling the shots, even in our school system.  They do not want our children to succeed.

Rev. Edward Pinkney
Pinkney to Pinkney show
Every Sunday 5pm eastern time
Burn Baby Burn
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