The News Tribune reports today that Scott Brittain, principal of Rogers High in the Puyallup School District, has been placed on administrative leave for teaching a zero-hour (after-school) chemistry class.  The district contends he violated a rule that administrators are not supposed to teach.  He also took a trip to San Francisco with the school choir, which allegedly violated some other rule.

Mr. Brittain started teaching math and science in Puyallup in 1982.  He has been the principal at Rogers High since 2002.

Parents say that Mr. Brittain is an "outstanding teacher" and that "he goes the extra mile for students."  Parents are organizing a protest at the district office, 109 E. Pioneer, for tomorrow, Friday, at 2:30-5:00  pm. 

Principal Brittain saw that his students needed a chemistry teacher.  He couldn't find one to teach chemistry one period a day.  What does any professional educator do when he or she sees a need?  He doesn't demand a change to his collective bargaining agreement.  He pushes up his sleeves and does the job himself. 

This is the kind of initiative and professional dedication to task that the Puyallup School District should be encouraging, not discouraging.

The problem lies in the structure of the public school system, which prevents local school principals and teachers from running their schools in a way best suited to meet their students' needs. Instead, the entire school system is controlled by rules and regulations set forth in Washington's Common School Manual, a four-inch thick, five pound tome imposed by legislators and state education bureaucracies.

The Common School Manual is also the root cause of Principal Brittain's problem.  Teacher certification requirements in this rulebook are so rigid and onerous that Washington has a long-term persistent shortage of math and science teachers.  This is because the many highly qualified math and science professionals we have in Washington (over 240,000) are prevented from teaching by excessive and expensive credential requirements.  See our study on this, here.

It is no surprise to me that Principal Brittain can't find anyone to help teach chemistry.  He is up against a system more interested in making and enforcing turf-protecting rules than in educating students.