Under the Obama administration rules, for a district to qualify for Federal Stimulus money, it must do one of several things: must do one of the following: close down; be replaced by a charter; remove the principal and half the staff; or remove the principal and transform the school.
Joyce Irvine was the principal of Wheeler Elementary School. Ms. Irvine’s most recent job evaluation began, “Joyce has successfully completed a phenomenal year.”
Jeanne Collins, Burlington’s school superintendent, calls Ms. Irvine “a leader among her colleagues” and “a very good principal.”
In Ms. Irvine's school 37 of 39 fifth graders were either refugees or special-ed children. Under No Child rules, a student arriving one day before the state math test must take it.In September, 28 new students — from Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan — arrived at Wheeler and took the math test in October. Five percent of Wheeler’s refugee students scored proficient in math.
United States Senator Bernie Sanders noted all the enrichment programs, including summer school, that Ms. Irvine had added since becoming principal six years ago.
In Vermont, there are no charter schools. For Ms. Irvine, the only option for the school to obtain federal stimulus money was to step down.
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