That is not a misprinted title to this article. Diana is out of her job as World Languages Coordinator for Denver Public Schools. Why?
It has to do with a technicality. She retired from Denver Public in 2004 and her status as retired causes confusion at the DPS administrative level. A new boss, who knows nothing about World Languages in DPS, not understanding who Diana is, opened up her job, posted it, and now Diana can’t re-apply for it because she is already retired. And that’s the short explanation.
So Paul and Annick and Sabrina and Diana and I had dinner the other night and we decided to ask you all for your help. We are going to email bomb the DPS Superintendent, Tom Boasberg. We have many countries represented as well here on the blog and so if you are writing from another country to Superintendent Boasberg, make sure that you mention your country. We want Boasberg to know how many people around the world respect Diana’s work, even if DPS doesn’t.
Can anyone imagine what would happen if they hired someone with a freshly minted PhD from some place outside of Denver? That person would be in shock after the first orientation meeting. Diana must have her job back and 300 or 400 emails from good teachers inside and outside of DPS will bring immense leverage to this situation.
I will stop all articles for the time being here so you don’t get wrapped up in reading things here when you could be writing a simple email to Boasberg and Susana Cordova (Boasberg’s top lieutenant and DPS Chief School’s Officer) on Diana’s behalf. We all will never know to what degree what we do in this blog, everything we learn, is connected in some way with Diana’s exemplary leadership in this district.
Paul Kirschling has already requested a formal meeting with DPS teachers and Superintendent Boasberg and hopes to get that this week or next. So yes we are handling this from inside the district but your voices will certainly get some attention at the highest echelons of DPS, which is the only place we can go to save Diana’s job. If you are Boasberg’s executive secretary, you can’t ignore hundreds of emails from all over the world on a single topic!
Paul suggests the following:
“Let’s make sure the focus is clear. All must testify to the reputation that Diana has built for DPS, for the excellent work she has done for DPS for which she is known, her national and international standing via iFLT and the conferences, her guidance in assessment and data for both WL and Heritage. etc.
Boasberg wants to know what she does for Denver’s kids and teachers.
Clean and clear. Laser. No ramblings. No one has time to read long emails.”
Now go write a short email to both Boasberg and his second-in-command Susanna Cordova:
DPS_Superintendent@dpsk12.org
SUZANNE_CORDOVA@dpsk12.org
Here is Paul’s email to Boasberg for those interested:
Dear Superintendent Boasberg,
I am the department chair or World Languages at East High School and I am writing you on behalf of the DPS World Language teachers district wide on a matter concerning our coordinator, Diana Noonan.
I would like to request a meeting with you to allow the best teachers of the district to come speak to you about the importance of retaining Ms. Noonan as our coordinator and PD provider. There are dozens of teachers who will advocate on her behalf. Any amount of time you could afford would be appreciated. Wednesday or Thursday of next week would allow the maximum number of teachers to attend.
In the recent shuffle of positions at Central Offices, Diana is now unable to stay with the district to which she has dedicated herself for 40 years as she would need to come out of retirement. If she is not allowed to work as a contract worker, DPS will lose one of its greatest human assets.
Please allow us the chance to advocate on her behalf so that she can remain as our leader – I believe you will be more than impressed! Denver’s teachers and kids deserve the best, and Diana is the one who truly delivers.
Sincerely,
Paul Kirschling
East High School