The schools affected by last week’s announcement of a mid-year principal shuffle have been made available to the Richmond News.
Seven elementary schools and five secondary schools in the Richmond School District will be getting new principals, as of Feb. 1.
They are: Grauer; Brighouse; Westwind; Blair; Cook; Garden City; McNeely; Boyd; McNair; SLSS; MacNeill and Burnett.
When news of the shuffle broke last week, some parents were concerned about such a significant change happening in the middle of the school year and during an unprecedented pandemic.
Kathy Chana, McNair secondary PAC president, told the News how she couldn’t recall a principal changing schools in the middle of the term, despite having grown up in Richmond and having her four kids go through the system.
“There’s so much anxiety in the schools already, not just among the parents, but with the children as well,” she said last week, adding that her own school, McNair, is losing its principal as part of the shuffle.
In an emailed statement to the News, district spokesperson David Sadler explained how the district “understands that administrative moves are difficult for school communities, and will therefore be supporting each school to ensure that incoming principals are fully prepared to assist students, parents and staff with this transition.”
Not everyone was against the changes, however, with some News readers on Facebook saying the move is “nothing new.”
“I agree that this sucks during a pandemic, but the fact that administrators are moved in the middle of a school year is nothing new. I'm so sad that our principal is being moved, but feel so incredibly lucky that I got to work with him for 2.5 years,” said Irene Siqueira.
While Shelley S Del R thought it was “better to have them switch now so the principal can have a chance to get to know the school, safety protocols and students prior to the start of next year.
“I can see being disappointed if you lose a great principal and wanted to finish the year with them but it’s not going to hurt any student’s academics.”
