Why Reynolds resigned
INCREASING parent and staff frustration at changes brought in at St Hilda’s – including the introduction of a new student honours program – led to principal Julie Wilson Reynolds’ hasty departure, school sources claim.
Multiple parents have claimed internal politics and resistance to change at the prestigious private school led to Ms Reynolds’ abrupt resignation earlier this week, which she and the School Council had agreed would be “effective immediately”.
Little further has been said officially from the school about what prompted her resignation.
School chairwoman Professor Susan Brandis told parents in a letter this week to respect the privacy of Dr Reynolds, who she dubbed a “self-confessed introvert”.
But today the Bulletin can reveal further detail about changes and a staffing row during Dr Reynolds’ tenure which had created friction amongst parents and staff. They are:
• A senior staffer considered to have a bullying and intimidating style was not dealt with, leading to a “quiet revolution” by staff against Dr Reynolds earlier this year;
• Established parents whose kids failed to get into a new honours program “went berko” about it.
• A decision to end Year 12 student leadership responsibilities and pass them to Year 11 students halfway through the school year so the Year 12s could focus on exams didn’t go down well with the senior students.
A staff member told the Bulletin a senior staffer had a style of “bullying and intimidation” and remained in the role despite teachers’ concern.
“That created ructions amongst the staff who didn’t like it and there was a quiet revolution to get rid of Dr Reynolds,” the source said.
Parents also said Dr Reynolds’ new honours program across Years 7-10 brought in for about 20 students each in maths, science and English put “noses out of joint”.
The Bulletin understands about 140 girls applied to get in, with the decision based on NAPLAN results, report cards and a special honours test. Fewer than half, about 60, were accepted.
“There was a rumour circulating last year that a couple of parents had put money on the table to get their daughter into the honours class who didn’t get into it – and that really pissed them off,” one parent said.
“All the people who got into the honours classes got a letter and the ones who didn’t get one went berko … you had people who had kids there since prep year asking how these johnny come latelys got in.”
One parent put the drama around the program down to a lack of communication.
“It was announced ... all of the honours students would be in one class,” the parent said. “Families of girls who weren’t put into the honours program were not told, there was no communication how they were going to integrate the learning experiment.”
Neither St Hilda’s nor the Anglican Catholic Commission responded to Bulletin questions on the honours program friction this week.
Another parent told the Bulletin the decision to end Year 12 prefect roles with six months left in the year so they could focus on exam study was unpopular. The roles were passed to Year 11s.
A parent said: “It makes a lot of sense but imagine if you are a Year 12 who worked their way up and then all of a sudden Year 11s are running the show. A lot were quite peeved about that.”
Few parents airing frustrations were prepared to put their names to comments but one who willingly spoke on the record was radio announcer Luke Bradnam.
The Gold FM Drive host said he considered St Hilda’s an “excellent” school, which his sister and nieces, and now his daughter, had attended.
“I’m very proud of the quality of the people I know in my life who have come out of that school. I really couldn’t care less that a principal has left,” he said.