A move to shuffle nine school principals and four vice-principals around Richmond in the middle of the school year is causing angst in the community.
News of the Richmond School District’s decision started to filter out to local PACs and parents on Thursday.
The Richmond News has learned that 12 schools out of the district’s 38 elementaries and 10 secondaries are affected with the changes taking effect Feb. 1
The decision hasn’t gone down well with some parents, who can’t understand why such an apparently significant shuffle is taking place during a school year and an unprecedented pandemic.
“I’ve just heard about these changes,” Kathy Chana, McNair secondary PAC president, told the News.
“I grew up here, I went to school here and I’ve never had a principal change in the middle of a school year.
“I have four children who attended school here, one still does, and this has never happened before in the middle of a school year. And we’re dealing with the pandemic as well.
“There’s so much anxiety in the schools already, not just among the parents, but with the children as well.”
Chana said McNair’s principal, Jason Leslie, has been at the school “for years, and the kids that are going there have built relationships.”
Chana, who understands Leslie is on his way to Hugh Boyd secondary, added that the shuffle “just doesn’t make sense in the middle of the school year and during a pandemic. This could surely have waited until September.
“As a PAC committee and as a school community, I think we are going to have to try and stop this, because this is just too much right now for people to deal with.
“It’s just creating uncertainty when we already have enough going on right now. We don’t need extra stressers.”
In an emailed statement to the News, district spokesperson David Sadler explained how the district “takes the placement of principals and vice-principals very seriously.
“Placement decisions are given careful deliberation, involve extensive planning and include discussions with the involved administrators.
“Consistent with previous years, circumstances may arise within the district that require the movement of staff during the school year.
“This includes, but is not limited to, personnel matters, retirement, and/or administrators taking other positions within and outside the district.”
Sadler added that, “recently, the district was in the position of needing to move administrators due to some vacancies that arose.
“Additionally, some of the current moves were planned for June 2020 but were delayed due to the pandemic.”
Sadler said 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.”
