THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 11, 1994 TAG: 9408090144
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 13 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY
BACK TO SCHOOL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
There will be plenty of new faces in high places when school doors open Sept. 7.
In one of his most significant actions during his first year on the job, Superintendent Roy D. Nichols in May announced a broad reshuffling of personnel, including the reassignment of 16 principals.
Shifting a large number of principals could become a regular occurrence under Nichols, a man unafraid of change.
``Philosophically, I have no problem moving principals on a regular basis,'' Nichols said in a recent interview. ``It's healthy for the person and the school. If you keep a person in a job too long, they start doing things in a routine manner.''
Last February, the School Board revised a personnel policy to enable the superintendent to review principal assignments each year.
The previous policy called for principals' assignments to be reviewed every eight years. Now, their assignments will be changed when ``deemed necessary and in the best interest of the school system.''
The public, Nichols said, should be careful not to misinterpret his reasons for wanting to move principals.
``Just because someone was moved didn't mean I was dissatisfied with their performance,'' Nichols said. ``It may have been that there was a more serious problem where I needed their talents elsewhere. If a principal is transferred, it just means that maybe we've got a better fit.''
Some of the moves occurred as a ``chain reaction,'' Nichols said, following retirements or promotions.
Two openings were created when Thomas Newby retired from Booker T. Washington High and Delores Purvis retired from Oakwood Elementary.
Four others resulted from a central office reorganization.
To realign his administration, Nichols tapped two erstwhile principals - Robert Hahne, of Northside Middle, and Rachel Hightower, of St. Helena Elementary - as two of three directors of a new division called Local School Governance. Among other duties, the division directors will oversee the work of principals and act as liaisons between the schools and the administration.
In addition, longtime Granby principal Theodore Smith was assigned duties in the office of pupil personnel, while Mary Holley, former Ruffner Middle principal, was named student affairs coordinator in the office of staff development and human relations. Smith and Holley are moving into positions vacated by retirements, school officials said. ILLUSTRATION: NEW FACES/NEW PLACES
Each of the new principals has similar goals: to improve student
achievement, increase parental involvement and create a safe
learning environment. Please see the following four pages for a look
at principals who will be new faces at their schools this year.
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK SCHOOLS
by CNB