Published: July 01, 2008 10:55 am            

Assistant principals to take larger role

Elementaries will no longer have to share

Cleburne ISD’s elementary assistant principals are increasing in number and taking on new responsibilities.

Come fall each elementary campus will be assigned one assistant principal, eliminating the rotation system previously used.

Interim Superintendent Dr. James Warlick said the move to increase assistant principals and put them in permanent spots has several positives.

“The big thing that the assistant principals will do is take over testing from the counselors,” Warlick said. “By taking the testing over, that will free up the couselors’ time for the students.”

The assistant principals will also help with teacher appraisals in the classrooms, Warlick said.

“That’s so teachers can get better appraised, and there will be more knowledge of what’s going on in the classrooms,” he said. “Plus, it will also give the principal more time to get out into the classrooms because the assistant principal can handle discipline.

“It will free the principals up for a lot more time on the curricular aspects of the job, plus it will free the counselors up to do a lot more,” Warlick said. “There’s a lot more to the full-time versus the half-time.”

Before, the district employed a handful of assistant principals, and they would rotate campuses, working part time at each. However, at Thursday’s school board meeting, incoming Superintendent Dr. Ronny Beard urged the district to assign an assistant principal to each campus to help out other administrators. The board unanimously approved the move.

“Having the same AP there everyday will also help parents know who’s out there with the buses, helping with the children and making sure that everything is safe in that area too,” Warlick said. “It’s just an overall help in all areas besides curriculum, safety and counseling.”

Jacque Morris, assistant principal for Marti Elementary, said she’s looking forward to the upcoming school year.

“I’m so grateful that our district administration considered placing full-time assistant principals at each elementary school, and our school board approved of the idea,” Morris said. “Being at one campus all day long, we can get so much more accomplished. We can be there when we need to be there. It’s been a challenge to be shared by two campuses. You want to give it your all at each place, and that’s been tough when you can’t be there 100 percent of the time.”

Morris served as an assistant principal at both Marti and Gerard Elementary schools this past year but is ready to take her permanent post at Marti.

“We will now have time to be more involved with the children because we’ll be staying in one place,” she said. “Hopefully, we’ll accomplish many more things for education — dividing up responsibilities with the principal, helping with curriculum, discipline, testing and academics. I believe this will have a very positive impact on what our elementary schools will accomplish in the coming school year.

“I know I speak for all the elementary assistant principals when I express my gratitude and appreciation to the board, Dr. Beard and our principals for recognizing the need for full-time assistants.”

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.