Salem Schools shuffle principals to save money
SALEM – Salem principals and others are being shuffled to fill leadership positions and double up on responsibilities, as the Salem School Board comes up with ways to counter a possible $2 million shortfall.
The board also promoted from within to fill leadership positions at the elementary schools and Andrew Lewis Middle School.
Tuesday night in a closed session, members of the school board discussed appointments and approved the changes. Overnight School Superintendent Dr. Alan Seibert contacted the administrators and made the announcements early March 10.
Leading Salem’s schools next year will be:
• Dr. Joseph Coleman, principal of G.W. Carver Elementary School and Division Director of Assessment;
• Donnie Spangler, supervisor of Adult Basic Education and AIIMS Reading Intervention;
• Trula Byington, principal of West Salem Elementary School;
• Debbie Carroll, Assistant Principal West Salem Elementary School
• Chris King, assistant principal for Activities and Instruction, Andrew Lewis Middle School
• Kristyn Shepherd, assistant principal of East Salem Elementary School
Coleman is already director of assessment for the school system and was formerly principal of South Salem Elementary and before that, Carver where he was principal from 1983-1989.
Byington is moving from the principalship of Carver to West Salem where Principal John Millard is retiring this summer after 25 years.
Carroll moves over from the assistant principalship at East Salem Elementary where she has been since 2004. She is filling Spangler’s vacancy. The director of adult education is funded by a new state grant to Salem Schools.
King has taught for 17 years in Salem and is a Certified Athletic Administrator who coached at ALMS. He will be filling the vacancy at ALMS left by Mike Akers, who is retiring after 35 years.
Shepherd is a Nationally Board Certified teacher at South Salem who was Outstanding Teacher of the Year from the Virginia Council for Learning Disabilities in 2008.
Seibert said more than 20 internal and external candidates were interviewed as part of the search process to establish the Leadership Team for 2010-2011.
The superintendent said additional adjustments in roles and responsibilities will be necessary in the months ahead, but added the net result is a reduction in the current Division Leadership Team “that will provide savings in salaries and benefits to help close the budget gap and ultimately save the jobs of other employees.”
For the complete story, read the March 11 issue of the Salem Times-Register.
