Dayton schools plan massive leadership change this fall

Dayton Public Schools will see massive leadership changes this fall, as at least 11 of its 27 schools will have new principals.

New Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli said she’s trying to build the administrative team she wants, calling for “the right people in the right positions.”

All nine new principals announced so far are internal hires, as are the 17 assistant principals switching roles. Two more principals are yet to be named.

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“A few adjustments from the last announcement have been made as we continue to make sure we have the best teams in place,” Lolli said. “We will likely have a few more to make before we have assembled the team that will help move the district forward academically.”

Here’s a school-by-school breakdown of new staff at the schools that will have new principals:

Elementary/middle schools

Edison: Jessica Reese, currently the assistant principal at Ruskin PreK-6, has been named principal at Edison PreK-6 School. She will be supported by Myra Baker, who will leave her job as director of the Innovative Learning Center to be the assistant at Edison.

Wogaman: Basharus Simmons, who has been principal at Edison, will take over as principal at Wogaman Middle School. In a previous version of this restructuring, Simmons had been announced as the principal of Wright Brothers Middle School but that's no longer the case.

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The assistant principals at Wogaman will be Stacey Williams, who has filled in as principal at Charity Earley most of this year, and Timothy McKinney, who is an assistant principal at Dunbar High School. Some Wogaman school staff members say they advocated on behalf of current Principal Karl Perkins but his status for 2018-19 hasn’t been announced.

Wright Brothers: Current Assistant Principal Eric Krissek will become principal at Wright Brothers Middle School, replacing Shawna Welch, who will take over as district athletic director. George Hurbanek, who has been assistant principal at Kemp PreK-6, will be assistant principal at Wright Brothers.

Charity Earley: Karla Goins, currently principal at Louise Troy PreK-6, will take over as principal at Charity Earley, the district's girls-only school. Over the next two years, that school is changing from a PK-8 school to a PK-6 school.

Louise Troy: The district hasn't announced who will replace Goins as principal.

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Valerie/Meadowdale: The current Valerie PreK-6 school building is closing this summer, and the current Meadowdale PreK-6 building will be renamed Valerie. Current Valerie Principal Shawnkeida Whitlow will lead that building as principal, and Deidre Kelley, a teacher at the current Valerie school, will be assistant principal.

Boys Prep: Current Meadowdale PreK-6 Principal Therman Sampson will take over as principal at Boys Prep, which, over the next two years, is changing from a PK-8 school to a PK-6 school.

Other changes: Stacey Maney will remain principal at Kemp PreK-6, but Gary Armstrong will be the new assistant principal, leaving his role as positive school climate teacher at World of Wonder. Channey Goode will remain principal at E.J. Brown Middle School but will get two new assistant principals – Belmont Assistant Dale Robinson and Dunbar Assistant Tiffany Bozeman.

High Schools/other

Meadowdale: Nelson Stone, a former high school assistant principal who spent this year as principal of the Boys Prep PK-8 school, will take over as principal of Meadowdale High School. Melinda Clark, currently an assistant principal at Stivers, will be assistant at Meadowdale.

Belmont: Donetrus Hill is already a principal but will switch high schools, moving from Meadowdale to Belmont. He is bringing two Meadowdale assistant principals with him to Belmont — Karen Chichetti and Gerry Griffith. Alice Owen-Clough will remain an assistant principal at Belmont. Melanie Walter, who had been Belmont's principal, was moved out of that role this spring and will retire this summer.

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Dunbar: Sean Henry will be principal next year, leaving his role as assistant principal at E.J. Brown. The two new assistant principals will be current Dunbar teacher Lynda Huggins and Meadowdale PreK-6 Assistant Principal Chris Caldwell. Current Dunbar Principal Crystal Phillips is applying for other positions in the district, according to Lolli.

Stivers: Erin Dooley will remain principal, but will also take on the role of chief of secondary schools, overseeing all high schools. Rachel Murdock, currently a teacher-leader at Stivers, has been named dean of academics at Stivers to support Dooley, while Adrienne Wiley remains assistant principal.

Ponitz Career Center: Raymond Caruthers will remain principal and will be joined by two new assistants. Daniel Hinshaw has been assistant principal at Belmont, and Lolita Stevens is an assistant at World of Wonder.

Innovative Learning Center: Tasha Millerton, an assistant principal at Wogaman, will become assistant principal at the ILC, which houses credit recovery, in-lieu-of-expulsion and other programs. Former ILC Principal Jack Johnson is retiring, director Myra Baker is moving to Edison, and DPS hasn't named a new director or principal.

Central office: Carolyn Mack, wife of former DPS Superintendent Percy Mack, has been hired as chief of curriculum, instruction and professional development. Mack was an outside hire from Middletown City Schools, where Lolli previously worked. Ida Nalls, who has worked in development/training, is the new director of outreach and student activities, while educational technology director Ryan Tait has been given the new role of director of professional development and curriculum support.

As previously reported, district Athletic Director Mark Baker will be replaced by Wright Brothers Middle School Principal Shawna Welch. Baker will become associate director of truancy.

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