Mitchem: Williams Still Best Fit For BHS Principal Job

Soon-to-be Valley View Supt. Jim Mitchem said he remains steadfast that Fabby Williams is the right person to lead despite a recently published article that painted Williams as an unresponsive leader in his current role.

Last week, a New York Times article reported some teachers at Williams’ current school—Austin Polytechnical Academy in Chicago, where he is the interim principal—thought he was unresponsive to the interests of faculty and students.

The report said Williams fired seven teachers, four of whom had positive teacher reviews.

in what was essentially Mitchem’s first administrative hire. to become the district’s next superintendent beginning in July.

Mitchem said the article unfairly portrayed Williams as a poor principal and administrator.

For one, Mitchem said, Williams is only now completing his first year at the school, which is part of the Chicago Public Schools system. Secondly, Mitchem said Williams was likely brought in to that role to salvage abysmal test scores—the school posted just a 9 percent success rate in last year’s Adequate Yearly Progress mark, a key measuring stick in the No Child Left Behind program.

“In North Carolina [where Williams previously taught], he was known as a principal that made significant change in the schools he led and that is why he was brought to Chicago,” Mitchem said. “He is known to be a principal to make change.”

Mitchem said he was unaware of any of the issues at Austin Polytechnical until the article surfaced. The article was published May 19, long after Williams’ vetting process was complete.

Williams was put through the same rigorous hiring process that all Valley View administrators are put through—and that all indicators were favorable, Mitchem said.

“The vetting of Fabby came back that he was an excellent administrator at North Carolina and he has the propensity to raise achievement scores and that was part of the reason we selected him as principal of Bolingbrook High School,” Mitchem said.

Mitchem said what teachers Williams chose to retain and not retain at Austin Polytechnical was none of Valley View’s business.

“My business is to put the best principal possible in front of the kids at Bolingbrook High School that puts them in the best position to learn and I believe that that is Fabby Williams,” Mitchem said after Monday’s school board meeting.

“He could have easily not done anything,” Mitchem added, noting Williams could have maintained the status quo before beginning his tenure at Bolingbrook. “I think it takes integrity to make decisions to what you perceive to be in the best interests of the kids in the face of knowing that you are going to be taking a new position.

“In my position as superintendent, I know I have faith in him and I will continue to have faith in him. And until such time any of the administrators working in Valley view prove to me they are not serving the best interest of our kids, that is going to be my stance.”