When a choked-up Anthony Tovar announced to a gathering of parents and supporters in April that he would resign as principal of Sunset High School -- for real this time -- he wouldn't delve too deeply into why.
He'd already done so in an earlier conversation with the Observer back before he rescinded, and then un-rescinded, his initial resignation. But back then, with things still in flux, he asked that his comments not go on the record.
Today, with his final school year well behind him, he's more comfortable sharing his views. He sent an e-mail to The Dallas Morning News in response to a post by editorial writer Rodger Jones on how three-fourths of Dallas ISD's "super principals" had been fired or drummed out.
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I never knew I was on some hit list until this year. I was never told I was going to be non-renewed. I am not stupid and realized that I had an Executive Director who had been a principal for four years at two middle schools and quit both of them, who was on my case letting me know how how unhappy she was.When she first met all the Sunset Feeder Pattern Principals, she was so excited about getting this job because, as she said to all of us, "We were all in the green and there is no other feeder pattern in the whole district like ours."
I turned out to be her scapegoat. I was told by one of the Executive Directors who resigned early in the year that Miles put the pressure on all of them to get rid of at least one principal in the feeder pattern they were in charge of.
We could never do anything right in her eyes, but if you look at the scores for this year, we did good. My job became so miserable that when I went home for the spring break I decided enough was enough and turned in my S-54.
In the email, Tovar goes on to detail his frustration with Miles' inflexible management style and his indifference to the concerns of those beneath him.
