Principals named for 7 EBR schools
Seven public schools in Baton Rouge that were without principals now have leaders.
All 79 schools in the East Baton Rouge Parish school system finally have principals just in time for the start of the 2012-13 school year on Aug. 8, less than two weeks away.
The seven schools with new principals are Audubon, Capitol, Park Forest and University Terrace elementary, Mayfair Middle, and Tara and Lee high schools. Lee High is reopening this fall with freshmen and sophomores only three years after it was closed to avoid possible takeover by the Louisiana Department of Education.
Superintendent Bernard Taylor informed the School Board of five of the seven new principals in a memo sent to the board July 19. He named new principals to Audubon and University Terrace elementary schools Wednesday.
The seven new principals are:
- Nakia Dangerfield, Audubon Elementary. She was the principal of St. Helena Middle in Greensburg, and before that worked as assistant principal at Park Elementary in Baton Rouge.
- Cheryl Lewis, Capitol Elementary. She was formerly the principal at White Hills Elementary.
- Averil Sanders, Lee High. Sanders was formerly the principal at Glen Oaks Middle, then a charter school operated by the now-defunct group Advance Baton Rouge.
- Jannette C. Davis, Mayfair Middle. She was formerly coordinator of the system’s Educational Excellence Fund but retired in November. She is also a former principal.
- Pamela Dunlap, Park Forest Elementary. She has been promoted from assistant principal at the school.
- Johnny M. Jackson, Tara High. He’s been promoted from assistant principal at Tara and has previously served as principal at that school.
- Pamela Marshall, University Terrace Elementary. Marshall was formerly the principal at St. Helena High in Greensburg. Before that she was former assistant principal at Algiers Technical Charter in Marrero.
Tara has been the largest school without a leader. In 2011-12, its enrollment was 906 students. Principal Luanne Estess announced she was retiring in February.
Lee High was reopened in May. The reopened high school will absorb parts of Tara, McKinley and Woodlawn high schools’ attendance zones starting this fall with an estimated 263 ninth- and tenth-grade students.
This year is a planning year for Lee High. Taylor has talked about expanding to more grades in the future as well as adding special programs to attract new students to the school system.
In his July 19 memo, Taylor informed the School Board of other administrative appointments. Some of these are part of an ongoing Central Office reorganization the board approved June 7.
Taylor named eight people to the newly created position of executive director for school leadership: Gypsye Bryan, Mary Katie Blunschi, Darlene Brister, Vera Dunbar, Sabrina D. Marsh, Andrea O’Konski, Joni Roberts and Adam Smith.
They will answer to Michael Haggen, who is filling the new position of deputy superintendent for innovation and overseeing 53 lower-performing schools or to Carlos Sam, who has taken over the new position of associate superintendent of school leadership and instruction where he will oversee 23 higher performing schools.
Taylor has yet to announce placements for Mary Nell Dominique and Kathy Smith, the former assistant superintendents for elementary schools.